I thank the Chair. I yield the floor, and I suggest the absence of a quorum. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll. The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.

I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning business for 10 minutes, and I would ask the Chair to please let me know when 8 minutes has expired. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered. ____________________

there are reports in some of the newspapers this morning that there is an effort to try to slip into the negotiation about extending the payroll tax break for the next year a big loophole for the rich and for the investment bankers and for…

I ask unanimous consent to speak for 15 minutes in morning business, and I ask the Chair to please notify me when I have 3 minutes remaining. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered. ____________________

since his State of the Union Address, President Obama and Vice President Biden have been talking about their efforts to help students afford to go to college, which is something we are all in favor of. The President's proposals include…

I demand a recorded vote. A recorded vote was ordered. The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--ayes 128, noes 300, not voting 5, as follows: [Roll No. 45] AYES--128 Alexander Altmire Austria Bachus Barletta Barrow Bishop…

As we decide whether or not the President of the United States should have the authority to propose cuts to funding that Congress appropriates money to, I cannot help but be gravely concerned about how he may use those powers. While I, as…

I have an amendment. The CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: Page 4, after line 24, add the following new subsection: ``(c) Exemption for the Corps of Engineers.--The President may not…

I ask the President to notify me when I have used 10 minutes. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Chair will do so. ____________________

I thank the Chair and ask to be notified when I have consumed 3 minutes more. On November 16, 2007, Senator Reid said: As a result, I am keeping the Senate in pro forma to prevent recess appointments until we get this process back on…

last week we Republican Senators had an extraordinary experience that millions of Americans have had and will have in the future: We spent a day at Mount Vernon, George Washington's home, which is not more than about 40 minutes from the…

This issue is of particular importance to me as well. I strongly object to the language included in the Interior Appropriations bill regarding Boiler MACT. The Boiler MACT is an unworkable regulation that will reduce pollutants like…