As many of us recall, on October 29, 2012, Superstorm Sandy made landfall in my part of the United States. Its impacts up and down the east coast were devastating and heartbreaking. New York, New Jersey, and parts of New England were hit…

About a year ago, I talked to a young marine from Magnolia, Delaware, in my district. He had been wounded in Afghanistan and was home recovering. I had called him really just to wish him well and to see how he was doing. This marine was…

I have no further requests for time. I just would like to thank the sponsors, Mr. Heck, Mr. Renacci, and other veterans, Mr. Cotton, the Members from the Democratic side who cosponsored this, and all the Members of the House who supported…

In conclusion, I will briefly touch on our options. We have all heard on this floor Senators suggest that default is really not that big a deal, that we are not really going to default, that there are other ways around this, and that we…

Mr. President, in just 3 days, barring some action by Congress, the Treasury Department of the United States will run out of options for preventing default on this Nation's debts for the first time in our history, setting off a chain of…

Mr. President, I have heard a number of speeches from my colleagues on the floor today, both while presiding and in the last few moments, that call on President Obama for Presidential leadership to help us reopen the government, address…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the time until 7 p.m be equally divided between the two leaders or their designees, with Senators on the majority side limited to 10 minutes each. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is…

May I ask unanimous consent that the doctor be afforded another 10 minutes. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

It is time to end this destructive government shutdown. It just doesn't make any sense, and it's hurting people, and it's hurting the economy. While Congress is wasting time on the shutdown, we have important work to do. We need to reform…

Mr. President, I have a parliamentary inquiry, if I may. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Delaware will state his inquiry.

Mr. President, I would like to start by reading a letter I received this week. So many of us in the Senate are operating with furloughed staff, and we are doing our best to read and respond to the letters we are getting from home, the…

I have no objection; I can stay 10 minutes, 20 minutes. I would like for the Senator from Oklahoma Dr. Coburn to have a chance to explain what he wanted to say. I don't mean to interrupt.

Mr. President, Dr. Coburn is a tough act to follow, and I am not going to try to do that. But I am happy to serve with him. We come from different parts of the country, different kinds of training, upbringing, and careers, but we have…

I want to thank the Senator from Indiana for invoking the name of one of my favorite actors and directors. I would say to my friend, I didn't think our friend Clint Eastwood's appearance at the Republican National Convention was one of his…

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in the midst of this manufactured crisis here in the Capitol to join many of my colleagues on the Democratic side for something that we all can get behind, which is creating strong…

Mr. President, I come to the floor today to repeat a point that I think is worth repeating, which is that on this second day of the shutdown of our Federal Government, we need to focus more on manufacturing jobs than on manufacturing…

Mr. President, today is October 1. Today is the day that has long been known as the day when the Affordable Care Act will first come into force and exchanges across the country will begin to be open to citizens of all different backgrounds…

That is absolutely my understanding. My friend the Senator from Louisiana knows better than anyone that the role of the Appropriations Committee and its subcommittees is to perform oversight, to weed through programs in the Federal…