I ask for the yeas and nays. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second? There appears to be a sufficient second. The clerk will call the roll. The senior assistant legislative clerk called the roll. The result was announced--yeas…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to set aside the pending amendment to call up my amendments en bloc: Nos. 665, 677, 678, 667, 666, and 668. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The amendments are called up en…

This hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs and Global Health Policy will come to order.

It is an honor now to serve as chairman of this subcommittee, and to be able to examine some of the pressing needs on the continent that sometimes receive too little attention.

I have long had an interest in African affairs and have had the opportunity as we spoke to spend some time there.

There seems to be a perpetual focus from the outside on foreign assistance to Africa.

I thank the Senator from New Jersey, and I thank Senator Durbin and Senator Lee. It is great to be a part of this bipartisan effort, the Smarter Sentencing Act. This is important because this section requires the Attorney General and the…

That is creative accounting, to put it mildly. Here is the reality. The Congressional Budget Office has taken a look at this and has analyzed the impact of passing the Smarter Sentencing Act. It is true there will be costs incurred mainly…

I was a proud sponsor of the so-called Gang of Eight bill and also the I-Squared bill.

Thank you, Madam Chair, and thanks for the testimony.

This is not unprecedented.