I announce that the Senator from Hawaii (Mr. Akaka), the Senator from Colorado (Mr. Bennet), and the Senator from Connecticut (Mr. Lieberman) are necessarily absent.

On Monday, April 16, 2012 I had a previously scheduled meeting with constituents in Ogden, Illinois. As a result, I am unable to attend votes this evening. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on H.R. 3001, the Raoul Wallenberg…

Today I voted against H.R. 4281, the Surface Transportation Extension Act. I oppose this legislation not because I oppose transportation funding--on the contrary--but because we can and should pass a better-funded and longer-term bill. The…

There are 4,500 jobs lost if we let the federal transportation program expire this summer because Speaker Boehner refuses to call up this bill. That is the reality. Is it any wonder that the approval rating of Congress is in single digits…

Mr. President, last week, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau reported that outstanding student loan debt in America has hit the $1 trillion mark--student loans. A CFPB official was cited by Bloomberg News saying that ``excessive…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Rules and Administration be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 29, 2012, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing entitled ``S. 2219, the ``Democracy Is…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 29, 2012, at 9:30 a.m. in SD 226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct an executive…

Mr. President, the old adage that sunlight is the best disinfectant is an old adage for one main reason: It is true. That is why I am introducing the Financial Disclosure to Reduce Tax Haven Abuse Act of 2012, to require candidates for…

I wish to pay tribute to a great man and a great judge who passed away unexpectedly earlier this month. Judge William Hibbler had served with distinction as a Federal district court judge in the Northern District of Illinois since 1999…

Mr. President, in the last few years, we have seen dictator after dictator tumble across the world: Qadhafi in Libya, Ben Ali in Tunisia, Mubarak in Egypt, Saleh in Yemen, and eventually Bashar al-Assad in Syria. Yet there is one dictator…

Mr. President, I yield the floor. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Franken). The Senator from Rhode Island. ____________________

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning business. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. (The remarks of Mr. Durbin pertaining to the introduction of S. 2280 are located in today's Record under…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be authorized to meet, during the session of Senate, in order to conduct a hearing entitled, ``FDA User Fee Agreements: Strengthening FDA…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 29, 2012, at 2:15 p.m., to hold a African Affairs Subcommittee hearing entitled, ``A Closer Look…

Madam President, the Senate is not a place for sprinters, only long-distance runners, because sometimes we need patience beyond human endurance to see an idea that one believes is meritorious finally make it--to get passed by the Senate…

Madam President, I see my friend from Alaska is on the floor, and I would like to yield to her and ask unanimous consent that I be recognized after her statement. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The Senator from…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 29, 2012, at 9:30 a.m., in room 366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. The…

Madam President, I want to speak for a moment to the issue that was raised by my colleague from Missouri. Senator Claire McCaskill came to the Senate floor to take note of the vote that had just been issued, the rollcall that was just…