We should err on the side of making sure that we are giving these contracts to those who truly deserve and should be awarded those.

The polling, if you believe it, shows him losing a head-to-head matchup, 52-43, to the president among registered voters.

The Romney campaign is fighting back hard on that polling, attacking the methodology.

The good news for him, a slim majority think he'd do better than President Obama on jobs, the economy and the deficit.

I hear from all walks of life that a transportation budget, reauthorizing the transportation budget, would be such a boon to our economy, training people for the 21st-century skills. But yet here's another backdoor approach to include the…

Thank you so much, and I just want to say at the outset what a pleasure it is to work with the chairman, the ranking member, and the members of the Budget Committee who, I believe, are sincerely committed to try to help deal with the…

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that I be permitted to deliver my full speech regardless of the time. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. ____________________

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

These so-called recess appointments were unlawful because there was no legitimate recess in which they could be made. There are many disagreements about policy and political issues. That is to be expected. But the integrity of our system…

Madam President, our Nation faces grave challenges. We are looking at our fourth straight $1 trillion deficit, our credit rating has been downgraded, and public spending is out of control. The Nation demands leadership. At some moments in…

Three years ago this week, a newly elected President Obama faced the American people and he said, look, if I can't turn this economy around in three years, I will be looking at a one-term proposition, and we're here to collect.

Here we are again, ladies and gentlemen. The lights are up, the music is playing and my Republican colleagues are doing the same old song and dance for the American people. The Republicans have spread out their sand, and they're doing…

Mr. Chair, I move to strike the last word. The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman from Wisconsin is recognized for 5 minutes.

But I say who's really working for the least of these? Instead of hindering the American people, we need to be helping them, to provide greater access. Instead of passing these unproductive, symbolic, mean-spirited pieces of legislation…

Madam Speaker, I rise in strident opposition to the underlying bill. I think that it's fairly cynical in these tough economic times when half of all Americans are either in poverty or at the precipice of poverty the Republicans want to…

I want to thank the gentleman from Wisconsin for bringing forward this important bill. I want to refer to some facts here because we do have some good, hardworking Federal employees. Make no mistake about it: They're just as patriotic, if…

I had asked you if you had spoken to President Obama, Secretary Clinton, or Secretary Napolitano.

Madam Speaker, earlier it was referenced that there was another study showing that the compensation was 26 percent lower than the private sector. I would point out that that did not include compensation for benefits. Certainly when you…