I ask unanimous consent to speak for 5 minutes as in morning business. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Recognizing Nebraska Heroes

I am here today to recognize two incredible heroes from Blue Hill, NE, for their courageous actions amidst a terrible tragedy. On September 5, an accident between a schoolbus and a semitrailer claimed the lives of four members of this…

It's our task to unshackle job creators from regulations and mandates.

I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered. (The remarks of Mr. Johanns pertaining to the introduction of S. 3467 are printed in today's…

I come to the floor today to discuss an issue I have brought up before in the Senate that continues to trouble me. Whenever I meet with farmers and ranchers in Nebraska, they often raise concerns about regulatory overreach. I hear about…

I appreciate that, but you must also appreciate that we have constituents who are not only interested in getting the money back that they lost, but they are interested in making sure that if something was done wrong, those who did it are…

I am becoming even more of a skeptic than I was at the time of the passage of Dodd-Frank...

According to the Tax Policy Center, the Senate Democrats' estate tax plan would hit over 48,000 estates with a $40.5 billion tax bill compared to an extension of the current rates. While an extension of current estate tax rates is not…

I come to the floor to discuss a wholly predictable and foreseeable economic disaster. I ask why the Senate continues to waste valuable time while we continue barrelling toward a fiscal cliff. In a little more than 5 months, the current…

I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered. Reservation of Leader Time The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Under the previous order, the…

I am here to make another statement, but I do want to associate myself with what the two Senators had to say, the Senator from Missouri and the Senator from Tennessee. I look at our assignment between now and the end of the year, and we…

I rise today to remember a fallen hero, U.S. Marine Corps LCpl Hunter H.D. Hogan. Lance Corporal Hogan was killed in action while supporting combat operations in Afghanistan on June 23, 2012. Lance Corporal Hogan cultivated a desire to…

You know, Mr. Chairman, I think if the average citizen were to listen in on the political debate that will occur between now and November... you would get very discouraged.

The forecasts that you have testified about today I am assuming do not factor in the results of the fiscal cliff that is headed our way between now and the end of the year.

So because of the fact that all of the various items that are included in the so-called fiscal cliff would take affirmative action by Congress to pull us back, which typically means 60 votes in the Senate, a majority in the House, a…

today marks one of the most historic and certainly highly anticipated Supreme Court decisions in a long time. I would be less than candid if I didn't say I am enormously disappointed that the Court upheld the law in its individual mandate…

low-altitude surveillance flights over farmers' and ranchers' private property has caused bipartisan concern, and it is happening--EPA is flying these flights. Senator Nelson and I and the entire Nebraska delegation wrote to Administrator…

I ask for support of the amendment, and I ask for the yeas and nays. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second? There appears to be a sufficient second.

I ask unanimous consent that the reading be dispensed with. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The amendment is as follows: (Purpose: To prohibit the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency from…

I ask for the yeas and nays. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second? There is a sufficient second. The clerk will call the roll. This is a 60-vote threshold. The legislative clerk called the roll.

given the EPA's recent track record with agriculture--if not downright contempt for it--farmers and ranchers simply don't trust the EPA. They could have done this program right and reached out to the congressional delegations in Nebraska…

I call up amendment No. 2372 and ask for its consideration. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the amendment. The Senator from Nebraska [Mr. Johanns] proposes an amendment numbered 2372.

I rise to take 10 seconds to support the amendment of my colleague from Nebraska. It keeps in place a program that has been in place since 1990. It is a good amendment.

Let me just close by saying that I hope my colleagues will support us on this resolution. Thank you, Mr. President.

Senate amendment No. 2187 offered by Senator Kerry has now been voice voted onto the farm bill. It is unfortunate that this significant change of USDA policy occurred without a recorded vote. While it may sound innocuous to add commercial…