a few weeks ago I met a remarkable group of young people. They call themselves the Fighting Pi, and they are the FIRST Robotics Competition team from the Macomb Academy of Arts & Sciences in Armada, MI. FIRST is an annual, international…

I am very pleased that the Senate today is passing legislation that would allow the Senate to continue its leadership of our country toward a clean-energy future. This bill provides the authority for the Architect of the Capitol to provide…

I will support final passage of the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act which will reauthorize the user fee agreements that govern the fees paid by the pharmaceutical and medical device industries to the Food and Drug…

for the Committee on Armed Services I report favorably the following nomination lists which were printed in the Records on the dates indicated, and ask unanimous consent, to save the expense of reprinting on the Executive Calendar that…

tomorrow will be a day in tax history--when Facebook goes public, it will get a $16 billion tax deduction, which is the largest tax deduction ever taken by any corporation exploiting the stock option tax loophole. Facebook's recent filings…

our Nation faces enormous and worrisome fiscal challenges. There is no question we must reduce our budget deficit in the medium-term and prepare for a longer-term future in which an aging population stresses Medicare and Social Security…

I am pleased the Senate is voting on H.R. 2072, the Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Act of 2012. This bill will reauthorize the Export-Import Bank, which has been operating under temporary extensions. We are overdue to reauthorize and…

Members of the Senate have a duty and obligation to carefully consider the votes we take on nominations to the Federal courts. Our Constitution has established a judicial branch with vitally important responsibilities and with considerable…

The Judiciary Committee has favorably reported 17 judicial nominations that are now awaiting votes on the floor of the Senate. There is no question that the wait for many of the judicial nominees of President Obama has been unacceptable…

This bill is vivid evidence of the radicalization of the Republican Party. I recall decades ago chairing a committee in the Michigan State Senate and addressing a number of reforms affecting the lives of working men and women. I directly…

first, I commend my friend from Iowa for being such a phenomenal champion of preventive health care. He has been fighting for this as long as he has been in the Senate, and he has had some great victories. He has had some setbacks but…

I urge a ``yes'' vote. The Wall Street Journal calls support for the Export-Import Bank ``job creation, French style.'' I'm not sure why they pick on the French. While the House Republicans have been agonizing about acting, export…

I am pleased that the Senate will pass the Brian Terry Memorial Act today, and that it has the overwhelming support of my colleagues. Agent Terry, a native of Flat Rock, MI, dedicated his life to public service and the protection of our…

The Republicans have taken a 180-degree turn on helping with student loans. The Republican budget said ``no,'' and in February, Governor Mitt Romney said this: The right course for America is to make sure that we provide loans to the…

in 1994 and again in 2000 and 2005, the Senate took a strong, bipartisan stance against acts of domestic and sexual violence that alter the lives of far too many American families and especially American women. With the passage and later…

for the Committee on Armed Services I report favorably the following nomination lists which were printed in the Records on the dates indicated, and ask unanimous consent, to save the expense of reprinting on the Executive Calendar that…

Senator McCain and I are introducing, by request, the Administration's proposed National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2013. As is the case with any bill that is introduced by request, we introduce this bill for the purpose of…

while the amended bill before us is far from perfect, I will vote in support. Failure to pass a bill could result in the Postal Service pursuing a misguided course of post office and facility closures. Such a dramatic course would…

we find ourselves debating yet another effort in the campaign against working men and women in this country. Over and over again in this body, and in State legislatures across the country, some have sought to undermine the ability of their…

this is a week to bear witness. Today, April 24, we mark Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day--the day on which we remind one another of the organized campaign of deportation, expropriation, starvation--and atrocity perpetrated by the Ottoman…

the bill before us would make some important changes to existing law. There is little doubt that change is necessary; the Postal Service faces an extraordinary financial challenge, and it must make changes to take into account a new…

On that I demand the yeas and nays. The yeas and nays were ordered. The SPEAKER pro tempore. This is a 5-minute vote. The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 235, nays 173, answered ``present'' 1, not voting 22, as…

On that I demand the yeas and nays. The yeas and nays were ordered. The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 175, nays 236, not voting 20, as follows: [Roll No. 175] YEAS--175 Ackerman Altmire Andrews Baca Baldwin Bass…

I offer an amendment in the nature of a substitute. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the following: SECTION 1. SHORT…

This bill needs to be graded, and the grade it gets is F, a fat F grade. It fails all tests of sound tax policy. Let me start with truth in advertising, a grade F. This is not a small business bill. It's small business in name only. It's…