Secondly, this Attorney General, Mr. Holder, has been brought before congressional committees time after time. I have been in the Senate Judiciary Committee when he has been questioned at length about Fast and Furious, and I am sure he has…

And I feel exactly that about this individual and the loss to his family. But let's make sure the record is complete. The Fast and Furious program was not initiated by President Obama, it was started by President George W. Bush. Mr…

I say to my colleague and friend Senator McCain, I deeply regret the loss of any American life, particularly those in service of our country. Mr. McCAIN. I am convinced of that.

When did the program begin? Mr. McCAIN. Let me just finish my comment. A young American Border Patrol agent was murdered with weapons that were part of the Fast and Furious investigation. What has the Attorney General of the United States…

I do not see the connection. If the Attorney General and the President said: We are not going to investigate this matter, Senator McCain, I would be standing right next to the Senator on the floor calling for a special counsel. But they…

I thank the gentleman for yielding. I would like to pause and just listen and think through a couple of the arguments that we've been hearing over the past couple of weeks from our friends on the other side of the aisle and from the…

First, I thank my colleague from Iowa, Senator Harkin, for the clarity of his statement, for his sincerity and, most importantly, for his leadership. We have the Affordable Care Act because of Tom Harkin, Chris Dodd, Barbara Mikulski, and…

I would like to ask the majority leader, do I remember correctly that the very first amendment on the Transportation bill was offered by Senator Blunt of Missouri on family planning? So is there a family planning amendment available on…

Mr. President, the bill pending before us is the Cybersecurity Act of 2012, as it is known, and for most people it is a term which they may have heard but may not fully understand. It was about 2 months ago that Members of the Senate…

Mr. President, I am proud that the 19th biennial International AIDS conference is being held in the Nation's Capital after 22 years of being held abroad. President Obama was instrumental in bringing the conference back to the United States…

Mr. President, tomorrow evening, hundreds of athletes from across the world will gather in London for the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympic games. Among those marching in the Parade of Nations will be 20 athletes from Illinois…

Mr. President, as our economy continues to recover, families across America are still facing financial hardships. Our priority to help working families must persevere, and we must protect them from future financial harm. Some have compared…

Madam President, consider these ominous words: To the loved ones of the victims who are here in this room . . . to those who are watching on television, your government failed you. Those who you entrusted with protecting you failed you…

Mr. President, in a short time we are going to vote on a tax measure that gives the Senate a very clear choice, and here is the choice: At the end of this year, a whole battery of tax cuts that were enacted into law years ago will expire…

Mr. President, I want to add my voice to the well- deserved chorus of congratulations for our colleague and friend from Vermont. Senator Patrick Leahy is the last remaining member of a historic class in the U.S. Senate, the class of 1974…

On June 6, 2012, I offered an amendment to the Energy and Water appropriations bill to do the final scientific study to certify Yucca Mountain as the repository for high-level nuclear waste in this country, and I was joined by a large…

2 nights ago, six people were shot inside of 15 minutes in my home city of Chicago. Seven more victims were killed just last weekend by gunfire, including two 16-year-old boys. In Chicago, this year alone, over 200 people have been killed…

Mr. President, I thank my colleague from North Dakota, Senator Kent Conrad, who is the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. He is retiring, unfortunately, for the Senate and for this country because he has brought to this Chamber and…