Thank you very much, both of you, for what you are doing and for being here today.

I would--I have just one final question and I would be remiss as the chair of this subcommittee...

Well, so just to sum up, at this point it sounds to me like what everyone is suggesting is that there is no reason to be optimistic that the efforts undertaken will have a real impact on the European financial crisis and therefore we are…

That doesn't make me feel better.

I think the main problem is that it risks delaying the entire effort.

See, it's not only politicians who have trouble answering yes or no.

Mr. President, I rise to discuss my amendment, No. 753. This amendment would prohibit the use of funds for fiscal year 2012 for the prosecution of enemy combatants in article III courts. Specifically, it applies to members of al-Qaida or…

Mr. President, our country continues to be at war with members of al-Qaida, enemy combatants who want to kill Americans and that is why Congress authorized the use of military force to combat these individuals. My amendment applies to the…

I do, and the Republican leader is correct that this test case shows that in capturing rather than killing terrorists, we can gain valuable intelligence. Instead of sending Warsame to Guantanamo, though, he was held and interrogated at sea…

Yes, and yesterday some of our colleagues came to the floor to argue that my amendment would limit the choices available to our Commander-in-Chief in prosecuting terrorists. I would ask the Republican leader the following: In January of…

It certainly strikes me as very inconsistent. It is especially odd given that the military commissions were enacted by Congress at the suggestion of our Supreme Court. They were passed on a bipartisan basis and were refined by the Obama…

No, I cannot. Mr. McCONNELL. Two days ago the President's top lawyer at the Pentagon defended the administration's decision for use of lethal force against an American citizen who was a member of al-Qaida. In doing so, he noted that using…

I would answer, yes, it has. My amendment only pertains to enemy combatants against whom Congress has declared we are in an armed conflict. And because we are in an armed conflict with al-Qaida and associated forces, the Congress has…

I thank our distinguished Republican leader, the senior Senator from Kentucky, for that question. That is correct. My amendment only applies to members of al-Qaida and associated forces who are engaged in an armed conflict against our…

I ask for the yeas and nays. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second? There is a sufficient second. This is a 60-vote threshold. The clerk will call the roll. The bill clerk called the roll.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to temporarily set aside the pending amendment, and I call up my amendment No. 753. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The clerk will report. The bill clerk read as follows…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that further reading of the amendment be dispensed with. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The amendment is as follows: (Purpose: To prohibit the use of funds for the…

I am here to speak in favor of the entire appropriations legislation that is before us, but particularly the Commerce, Justice, and Science appropriations bill. I thank Senator Mikulski for her leadership, and all of the members of that…