There definitely needs to be a concerted effort made to develop and test equipment, new technology, and procedures in a realistically simulated deepwater environment.

The sobering reality is that, despite the losses and damage that have already been suffered, we do not yet know what the full impact of this disaster will be.

I think it is critical that everyone understands that blowout preventer systems as designed today will never be able to overcome poor well design or faulty operational decision making.

We owe it to them to see that disasters like this never happen again.

Mr. President, I understand that today is set aside just for debate on amendments and on the bill. I certainly understand that, and I, accordingly, will not call up my amendment today. I do want to talk about an amendment I have…

Mr. President, now proceeding with an important nomination for Health and Human Services, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session for the purpose of consideration of Calendar No. 647, Jim Esquea, to be an…

Mr. President, moving forward with some individual nominees for President Obama to put in place people at the Department of Commerce, at the Health and Human Services Department, at the Treasury Department, at the State Department, and at…

Mr. President, now we have seen demonstrated, I think dramatically, what the process is here. We tried to move on a bipartisan basis for the EEOC to put Democrats and Republicans in that important government agency, an agency that focuses…

Mr. President, I know our Presiding Officer today is also going to come forward, and we hope to see him down on the floor. I thank Senator McCaskill very much for her organizational efforts, hers and Senator Warner's, and for working on…

Once again, they are being held up through secret holds, and Senator Coburn has said he is doing this on behalf of Members on his side--not allowing all of these people to get into the government and do the job. We are talking about…

Mr. President, I say to Senator Coburn that we very much understand that he is doing this for others. We want them to step forward. We want to get rid of these secret holds, as the Senator from Oklahoma has stepped forward on the…

Mr. President, here is another important nomination at the Department of State. I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session for the purpose of consideration of Calendar No. 722, Judith Ann Stewart Stock, to be an…

Mr. President, I will proceed with another important position in the Department of the Treasury. We all know the Department of the Treasury supervises everything that is out there in terms of our economy--a very important position. I ask…

Mr. President, I would like to announce for the information of the State and the public that a hearing has been scheduled before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. The hearing will be held on Thursday, May 20, 2010, at…

Mr. President, I would like to announce for the information of the Senate and the public that a hearing has been scheduled before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. The hearing will be held on Tuesday, May 18, 2010, at…

We would be happy to have Senator Udall visit such a classroom.

I think this panel has really demonstrated dramatically how WRDA and other recovery projects we put into place over the last year or so, they are very successful at creating jobs.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Heinrich) that the House suspend the rules and…