I announce that the Senator from West Virginia (Mr. Byrd), the Senator from Hawaii (Mr. Inouye), the Senator from Minnesota (Ms. Klobuchar), and the Senator from Virginia (Mr. Warner) are necessarily absent.

Mr. President, I just wanted to say a few words to the Senator from Pennsylvania. I would like to congratulate my colleague on the occasion of his 10,000th vote in the Senate. He has been a colleague of mine now for the 13 years I have…

If the Senator from Pennsylvania will yield, I tell people I go to the Senate gym for no apparent reason. But I thank him for his kind words. ____________________

Madam President, a speaker on the floor earlier--Senator Johanns of Nebraska--was talking about TARP, and many of us recall this was a program started under the previous administration. President Bush and his Secretary of the Treasury…

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered. ____________________

I announce that the Senator from West Virginia (Mr. Byrd) and the Senator from North Carolina (Mrs. Hagan) are necessarily absent. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber desiring to vote? The result was…

Thirty-seven years ago this week, the Supreme Court issued its opinion in Roe v. Wade, making abortion legal in the United States. The Court's decision recognized a fundamental, constitutional right to privacy that protects a woman's…

Mr. President, 150 years ago, a group of outstanding doctors assembled to establish a new medical school, which would offer the first graded medical curriculum in the history of the U.S. This medical college eventually became a part of the…

Madam President, for the past few days I have heard a number of my colleagues come to the floor to discuss whether this Congress should vote to raise the limit on the national debt. As this debate has unfolded, I am beginning to hear a…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the period of morning business be extended until 3:45, with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each, with the time equally divided between the two leaders or their designees. The…

I want to, first of all, commend Chairman Rangel and Ranking Member Camp for their quick action and leadership on this legislation. I rise today in strong support of this bill to accelerate the income tax benefits for those who make cash…

Mr. President, I also wish to address a matter that is impacting our hemisphere; that is, the country of Haiti. In recent days, we have all heard the tragic news and seen the shocking images of the earthquake that devastated the nation of…

I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered. ____________________

Thank you, Mr. President. Every so often in the winding history of our country there is an entire generation that rises to confront the challenges of a moment. Every so often there is a movement so powerful that it changes the course of…

Mr. President, are we in morning business? The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator is correct. We are in morning business. ____________________

I ask unanimous consent that time under the quorum call be equally divided. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.

Mr. President, what did we learn yesterday in Massachusetts? I guess many things about the feeling of the American people. When you take a look at the polls, it is interesting. It is not as if it is a very partisan feeling among most…

Mr. President, before I address some of the issues before us, let me say a word about my friend and colleague from North Dakota who, during this recess, announced he is going to retire at the end of this year. Senator Dorgan and I have…