Mr. President, I rise today to talk about a bill I introduced yesterday, the Army Arsenal Strategic Workload Enhancement Act of 2012. I am grateful to be working with seven of my colleagues on this issue: Senator Kirk, Senator Grassley…

I resolutely oppose H.R. 5652, the Sequester Replacement Act of 2012. As our nation struggles to emerge from one of its worst economic crises, I am profoundly disappointed with the Republican Leadership for offering legislation that would…

Today the House will consider the Sequester Replacement Reconciliation Act. This bill is a broken promise. It would eliminate the Social Service Block Grant, which funds essential services like child abuse prevention and Meals on Wheels…

Last week the ATF announced the results of the first 8 months of its Multiple Sales Reporting program, or MSR, for semiautomatic rifles. The numbers prove the MSR is already an invaluable tool in fighting gun trafficking along the…

Mr. President, first I thank my colleague and friend, Senator Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, for coming to the Senate floor and speaking about our mutual friend and colleague, Senator Dick Lugar, who serves as…

Mr. President, on behalf of Senator Cardin I ask unanimous consent the privilege of the floor be granted to Caroline Goodbody and Amanda Mendoze, two of Senator Cardin's staff members, during today's session of the Senate. The PRESIDING…

Mr. President, I thank my colleague from Delaware for speaking to some critical issues. It is a shame we are not in a position where we can offer the Senator's amendments, but, as he knows and as he spoke to in his speech, the decision…

Mr. President, I was in Tazewell County--which is in the area of Pekin, in East Peoria, IL--last week at the Veterans Administration Commission. I talked to a number of vets from the Vietnam war and other conflicts. We talked about obvious…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record. There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: S. 3054 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of…

Is it in morning business or are we on an issue? The PRESIDING OFFICER. We are on the motion to proceed.

Before I talk about Yucca Mountain, let me just respond to my colleague from Virginia. Since 2002, food stamps have increased 267 percent, and this reconciliation bill will cut, I think, about 3 percent. Again, since 2002, food stamps have…

Mr. President, it was 11 years ago that I introduced a bill called the DREAM Act. Just this last week, I was back in Chicago to attend a fundraising dinner for a group I really respect. It is called the Merit music program. About 20 years…

I thank the Chair. Mr. President, we voted at noon today on whether we were going to start the debate on the student loan interest rate bill. For those who are following it, the largest Federal loan to college students, the Stafford loan…

Mr. President, what is the pending order of business? The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senate is in divided time until 7 p.m.

I have an amendment at the desk. The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: Page 44, line 7, after the dollar amount, insert ``(decreased by $10,000,000)''. Page 47, line 17, after…

Reclaiming my time, I thank you and I look forward to it, and I appreciate your leadership on this issue.

Reclaiming my time, I want to thank the gentleman for his response and, again, for his commitment to this program. I look forward to working with you on ensuring success of the I-Corps program and more generally for the continued increases…

On Monday, May 07, 2012 I had obligations that necessitated my attention in Sydney, Illinois, in my district and missed suspension votes on H. Con. Res. 105 Authorizing the use of Emancipation Hall to celebrate King Kamehameha, H. Con…