Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays on that amendment. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second? There appears to be a sufficient second. The yeas and nays were ordered.

Mr. President, the Senate just conducted a very important vote. We have now demonstrated that the House Republicans' cut, cap, and balance bill is over, done, and dead. This was a necessary step, and this step now allows the process to…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that two fellows in Senator Bingaman's office, Charlayne Hayling and Sandra Wilkniss, be granted floor privileges during consideration of H.R. 2560. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to a period of morning business until 2 p.m. today, with Senators permitted to speak during that time for up to 10 minutes each. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection…

Mr. President, there will be no further rollcall votes this week. The next vote will be on Monday at approximately 5:30 p.m. I will give a scheduling update later after I confer with the Republican leader. I note the absence of a quorum…

Mr. President, I say to all my friends, and new Senators, welcome to the United States. This is a vote on the piece of legislation that was described by my friend, the chairman of the Judiciary, as well as anyone else: It is violative of…

Mr. President, I want to say to my friend from West Virginia, he has been a great addition to the Senate. We of course know he replaced the great, the legendary Robert Byrd. The people of West Virginia should be very happy with the…

Mr. President, in about an hour we will vote on the Republicans' so-called cap, cut, and balance legislation. As I have said before--in fact, just a few minutes ago--this is one of the worst pieces of legislation to ever be placed on the…

Mr. President, I object to any further proceedings at this time on this bill. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Objection is heard. The bill will be placed on the calendar. ____________________

Mr. President, H.R. 2553 is at the desk and due for a second reading. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will read the bill by title for the second time. The assistant legislative clerk read as follows: A bill (H.R. 2553) to amend…

Mr. President, following leader remarks, the Senate will resume the motion to proceed to the bill H.R. 2560. The time until 10 a.m. will be equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees. At 10 a.m., I will be…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Matthew Levy, a fellow on the Budget Committee, be granted the privileges of the floor during the duration of today and tomorrow's session of the Senate. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed to consideration of Calendar No. 76, S. 1103, the bill to extend the term of the incumbent Director of the FBI; that the committee substitute amendment be considered; that a Coburn…

While the distinguished chairman of the Appropriations Committee was talking, I had a visit with some of the pages to ask them did they realize who was speaking. They all knew who he was. They knew he was a heroic man winning the Medal of…

Madam President, I appreciate my friend's courtesy. I want everyone who has any interest in this piece of legislation on the floor today to know that now is the time to come and debate to their heart's content. If they want to debate it…

I say to my friend through the Chair that they may send us something well-intentioned, but I am not sure they understand the rules of the Senate. There are a number of people who are Republicans over here who have stated publicly that they…

I want to extend my appreciation to Senators Leahy and Grassley for together getting this matter done. He has done a wonderful job for 10 years, and the country believes they need him for 2 more years, and he has agreed to take that, and I…

And it appears to me one reason to do this is to do indirectly what they cannot do directly; that is, we have--and I read them here this morning--statements from my friend the Speaker, John Boehner, saying we cannot default on our debt…