Mr. President, I would indulge my colleague, apparently there are two people on our side we would have to check with. I ask if our colleague could withhold that request to see if we can work it out. I would also ask, is it not possible…

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Nevada (Mr. Heller) and the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Kirk). Further, if present and voting, the Senator from Nevada (Mr. Heller) would have voted ``yea.'' The PRESIDING…

Mr. President, first, let me thank my colleague from Texas for her leadership on this and so many other issues that we have worked on over the years. One of my regrets in leaving the Senate is that I will not be able to work with her, and…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to proceed an additional 1 minute. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Kirk), the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. DeMint), and the Senator from Nevada (Mr. Heller). The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Bennet). Are there any other Senators…

All right. Mr. President, as I said, this particular amendment doesn't require that the administration actually establish a site for an east coast defense, but I do believe such a site would provide an important and critical measure of…

I will conclude by quoting one sentence from it. We call on Congress to avoid raising marginal tax rates on employers, either as part of negotiations over the fiscal cliff, or as part of a larger effort to reform the tax code. Instead…

If we are interested in growth, Congress must avoid raising tax rates in the lameduck session and instead pursue tax reform, which sends a signal to the world that we are open for business. Short of going off the fiscal cliff entirely…

Let me begin by saying that I send this amendment to the desk with an understanding of the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee and of the Armed Services Committee that before I would request a vote on this amendment, we would work…

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Kirk), and the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. Paul). The PRESIDING OFFICER. (Mr. Bennet). Are there any other Senators in the Chamber desiring to vote? The result…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The amendment is as follows: (Purpose: To require regular updates of Congress on the…