Mr. President, with the indulgence of the Senator from Kentucky, if I may ask my final question. If we have established that it was the Bush administration and Republican policies that created virtually all the national debt we now carry…

In evaluating this concern about the deficit, we have just determined that the policies of the other side of the aisle contributed to virtually all the national debt we have inherited. Then let's look to the situation now because I think…

I thank the Senator. I very much appreciate the Senator from Illinois yielding for a question. If the Senator would not mind a series of questions, the first question has to do with, I guess I would say the sense with which we on this side…

Mr. President, I wish to speak just briefly about today's vote. Today, this body, in a rare but very welcome moment of at least partial bipartisanship, voted to pass Leader Reid's jobs bill. While that bill does not include every provision…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Merkley). Without objection, it is so ordered.

Expecting it and getting it are two different things, and I think we have reached the point we have got to get it, Mr. Chairman.

There is a long-term value to derivatives.

I will concede, it is a difficult problem, but sometimes you have got to send a very strong message.

until I think you make it clear that this is an important objective, we will get a lot of motion and not a lot of results.

We are in the midst of this great residential and it goes right to the core of economic confidence and ultimately consumer demand.

one out of ten homes are either in foreclosure or 90-days delinquent, and that saps not only the energy from the economy

we have to get the confidence of the American people restored, and their trust.

Madam President, we have today taken a very strong, positive step forward in terms of responding to the No. 1 crisis in our economy, and that is jobs for all of our people. Under Leader Reid's leadership, we were able to get a bill…

I think some of the problems with the Basel II, particularly, were the ability to rely exclusively on credit ratings for securitized products.

I am coming to a conviction, that many times these devices are used to avoid regulatory constraints.

I thank the gentleman for yielding. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4626, the Health Insurance Industry Fair Competition Act, which will finally require the health insurance industry to comply with the same Federal…

I think it is noteworthy that on February 24th of 2010, the Health Insurance Industry Fair Competition Act passed the House with a vote of 406-19.

My thought would be if, for example, one of the factors in a contract for a radar system was a plus for a valid apprenticeship program in the applicant, would that be helpful, in your view?