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

Mr. President, perhaps if I were as persuasive as my colleague just said, he would not have objected. Having said that, when we speak about heavy hands, we don't have to worry about the heavy hand of the House on this issue because they…

Reserving the right to object, Mr. President, the Senator from Utah is my friend. We have worked on many issues together and in this particular moment in time we are in disagreement. What he has presented to you is one side of a story, one…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that on Monday, July 25, 2011, at 4:30 p.m., the Senate proceed to executive session to consider the following nominations: Calendar Nos. 83 and 84; that there be 1 hour for debate equally divided in…

Mr. President, we are facing a deadline tonight. At midnight, the current reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration expires. That expiration will mean that no funds can be collected or paid out of the airport and airway trust…

Mr. President, I want to take a moment to thank a friend of mine who is leaving public service soon after more than four decades of service in Winnebago County, IL. Doug Aurand won his first political race in 1970 when he was elected…

I announce that the Senator from New York (Mrs. Gillibrand) and the Senator from Massachusetts (Mr. Kerry) are necessarily absent.

In her statement, Sister Campbell quotes the prophet Joel, who spoke of our sons and daughters as prophets. Sister Campbell said: Our sons and daughters are prophesying to us. They are telling us of a way that our nation should go in order…

Mr. President, it was 10 years ago that my office in Chicago, IL, was contacted by a young woman. Theresa Lee, who is Korean by birth, had been part of something known as the Merit Music Program in Chicago. It is an amazing program. A lady…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 2 p.m. on Monday, July 25; that following the prayer and pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be…

Mr. President, the first rollcall vote next week will be at approximately 5:30 p.m. on confirmation of the nomination of Paul A. Engelmayer to be U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York. ____________________

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 104, S. 300. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title. The legislative clerk read as follows: A bill (S. 300) to…

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Whenever I hear a Member of Congress proposing austerity as a fix for any or all of our Nation's economic problems, whether the problems are real or perceived, my first reaction is ``austerity for who?'' The fact is…

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 3, line 2, after ``servation.'' insert the following: ``The Council shall provide live online…

Last year, John Carlson, a hedge fund manager, made about $5 billion and paid taxes at a lower rate than most Americans. Right now, the 400 richest Americans in our country control as much wealth as 150 million other Americans. We have a…

The Republican bill cuts, caps, and balances all right; cuts Medicare, caps Medicaid, and balances the budget on the backs of our seniors, people with disabilities, and the middle class. When Willy Sutton was asked why do you rob banks, he…

Mr. President, I extend my thanks to Chairman Johnson again. This bill passed by a vote of 97 to 2. It is the first appropriations bill separately passed by the Senate since November of 2009. It represents a substantial achievement of…