I thank the ranking member. If my colleague would remember, one of the first amendments that was offered was to say let's be serious about the deficit. Let's have shared sacrifice. Let's ask those folks paying over a million dollars to go…

The Democratic alternative says, yes, we should ask the highest income earners, the folks at the top 2 percent, to simply pay the same rate that they paid during the Clinton administration when the economy was roaring and we created 20…

His amendment makes the point that if you think this is a good idea, if the Republicans think this is such a good idea, why don't you apply it to veterans? Why don't you apply it to active service personnel? If it is such a great thing…

I thank the ranking member. I'm glad my colleague raised the issue of the bipartisan fiscal commission, because the fiscal commission took a look at the Republican budget plan and said it was not balanced and not comprehensive and not a…

I thank the gentleman for yielding. This piece of legislation will provide for the funding of our government from now until September 30 of this year. While I do not want to engage in a debate looking at the past, we are here because we…

I think at the beginning of this debate we need to put it in context. I know that I must bore my friends on the majority side of the aisle, but during my 30 years in this body, there have been essentially three economic programs adopted…

That will be the proposition on our side. Very frankly, I tell my friend from Wisconsin the premise on your side, in my view, has been consistently for the 30 years that I have been here, if you simply reduce revenues somehow magically the…

I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I rise in strong support of the Congressional Black Caucus budget. As a senior member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and as a former chairman of the committee's Subcommittee…

Madam President, shortly we are going to be having three votes. One vote will be on the budget for our current fiscal year that began on October 1 and ends on September 30 of this year. I think we have talked about that vote at some…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 13, 2011, at 2 p.m., to hold a hearing entitled ``International Development Policy Priorities in…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 13, 2011, at 3 p.m., in room SD-226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct a hearing…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Personnel of the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 13, 2011, at 1:30 p.m. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and the Coast Guard of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April…

Mr. President, there has been a lively debate on the floor concerning our 2011 budget. Now we are starting to talk about the 2012 budget. I think it is important to point out what I hope is the obvious, which is that the budget of our…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 13, 2011, at 10 a.m., in room SD-226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct a hearing…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 13, 2011, at 11 a.m. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 13, 2011, at 10 a.m., in 215 Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct a hearing entitled ``Perspectives…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Special Committee on Aging be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 13, 2011, from 2-4 p.m. in Dirksen 562. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered…