I have cleared this with the Republican leader. I ask unanimous consent that the Senate extend the period of morning business until 9:30 p.m. tonight, with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each during that period. The…

Madam President, I have just returned from the White House. We have narrowed the issues significantly; However, we have not yet reached an agreement. In 26 hours and 15 minutes the government will close if we don't get this resolved. We…

Mr. President, I have a meeting at the White House. There will be no more votes tonight. We hope that we are able to have some good fortune at the White House. We are going through these issues. As I indicated outside the door, I am not as…

Would the Chair be kind enough to announce, are we in a period of morning business? The PRESIDING OFFICER. We are in morning business until 5 o'clock.

Mr. President, approximately 1 hour ago, I was at the White House with Speaker Boehner. We had made a joint statement to the press during the nighttime there at the White House, and at that time I was cautiously optimistic that we could…

Mr. President, following any leader remarks, the Senate will be in morning business, with the first hour equally divided, with the Republicans controlling the first 30 minutes and the majority controlling the second 30 minutes. Senator…

Madam President, this resolution concerns records that several offices of the Senate have provided to the Department of Justice in connection with a criminal investigation. As those documents may be needed in a pending criminal case…

Mr. President, we have one more vote in this series of votes. This will be the last vote tonight. We are now going to continue working on this piece of legislation. People should talk to the manager of the bill if they have other…

Madam President, as the deadline looms, our budget negotiations continue nonstop. The Speaker and I met with the President yesterday morning, and we met with one another yesterday afternoon. As in any ongoing negotiation, the status of…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to proceed to a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. ____________________

Madam President, last night we were finally able to arrive at an agreement on the small business jobs bill--or at least a way to get rid of some very important amendments that we will vote on around 4 o'clock this afternoon. There will be…

Mr. President, this budget we have spent so much time talking about is really about making tough choices, hard choices, difficult choices. The American people understand this. They understand tough choices. They have to make them every…

I move to table that and ask for the yeas and nays. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second? There is a sufficient second. The yeas and nays are ordered. The question is on agreeing to the motion. The clerk will call the roll…

During that morning business time, it will be for debate only by Senator Paul. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The Senator from Kentucky is recognized. ____________________

Mr. President, I have had a number of conversations over the last few days with my new friend, the junior Senator from Kentucky, Mr. Paul. He feels very strongly about an issue, and he should have the right to talk about that. I ask…

Mr. President, first of all, I wish to express my appreciation to the Senator from Kentucky. He is a gentleman. I know how sincere he feels about this issue. I admire him for feeling sincerely about issues, as he does on a number of them…

Mr. President, it is my understanding that the Paul amendment is the pending business; is that right? The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Franken). The motion to commit by Senator Paul is pending.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and that any statements relating to the measure be…