Mr. President, I wish to thank the majority leader for that statement. He comes to the floor with the other members of the leadership team to call to the attention of the Nation a statement made yesterday by the majority leader of the…

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. What I'd like to do is just reflect for a minute on some of the promises around President Obama's health care law. You remember he said during the course of the debate about the health care law, Mr. Speaker, that…

I would hope that everyone would support this motion to instruct because I think you probably know that nothing annoys American taxpayers more than the notion that offshore tax havens is a place for tax cheats to go so that they don't have…

Mr. President, I rise in honor of National Hunger Awareness Day, which takes place on June 7. On this day, we focus on the difficult reality that exists for millions of Americans. Hunger is a form of poverty, and the persistence of hunger…

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning business. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered. Student Loans

I just left a meeting a few feet away from here with the leaders of some of the American colleges and universities. They came to brief us on a challenge we face across America that we had better be aware of. It is the growing student loan…

Would the Chair remind me of the pending business? The PRESIDING OFFICER. The pending business is the motion to proceed to Calendar No. 415, S. 3240.

I was advised of that, and I wanted to double-check. Three weeks ago we passed a milestone in U.S. agriculture. The U.S. Department of Agriculture celebrated its 150th birthday. I take some pride in that coming from Illinois because it was…

The farm bill; is that correct? The Agriculture bill? The PRESIDING OFFICER. That is correct.

I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported amendments be agreed to, the bill as amended be read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and that any…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration en bloc of the following resolutions, which were submitted earlier today: S. Res. 477, S. Res. 478, S. Res. 479, and S. Res. 480. There being no…

I ask unanimous consent that the resolutions be agreed to, the preambles be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table en bloc with no intervening action or debate, and that any statements related to the resolutions be…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Con. Res. 45, submitted earlier today. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the concurrent resolution by title. The assistant bill clerk read as…

Mr. President, people wonder as they watch the Senate how bills get started. One of the bills that I have worked on probably the hardest in my career got started 11 years ago when there was a phone call to my Senate office in Chicago. It…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 481, submitted earlier today. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title. The assistant bill clerk read as…

Mr. President, I know of no further debate on the resolution, and I call for a vote. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the resolution. The resolution (S. Res. 481) was agreed to.

I ask unanimous consent that the preamble be agreed to and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The preamble was agreed to. The resolution, with its preamble, reads as…

It is the majority leader's intention to resume consideration of S. 3240, the farm bill. We hope we can begin consideration of the bill during tomorrow's session. ____________________