once again, oil prices have spiked to high levels threatening our economic recovery. Prices are now nearing $110 a barrel, up nearly 30 percent since October 2011, only 5 months ago. For years now the commodity markets have taken the…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 22, 2012. at 9:30 a.m. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection it is so ordered. committee on banking, housing…

I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 22, 2012, at 2:30 p.m. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. subcommittee on federal…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Veterans' Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 22, 2012. The Committees will meet in room 345 of the Cannon House Office Building, beginning at 10 a.m. The…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 22, 2012, at 9:45 a.m., to conduct a hearing entitled ``International Harmonization of Wall…

today the Senate has the opportunity to vote in support of the STOCK Act. If we vote for the House amendment to the Senate bill, we can send this legislation right to President Obama to be signed into law. That is exactly what we should…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, on March 22, 2012. at 10 a.m., in room SD 226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct an executive business…

in a few hours, after votes on two amendments that I hope we will pass, we are going to vote on final passage of the House of Representatives-passed bill, the so-called JOBS bill. I am going to vote against passage of this bill because it…

I ask unanimous consent that I be yielded 10 minutes. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 22, 2012, at 2:30 p.m., in room 366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. The PRESIDING OFFICER…

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…

I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Health Care of the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 22, 2012, at 10 a.m., in room 215 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct a…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs' Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security be authorized to meet during the…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Indian Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 22, 2012. at 2:15 p.m. in room 628 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 22, 2012. at 2:15 p.m. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection it is so ordered. committee on indian affairs

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be authorized to meet, during the session of the Senate to conduct a hearing entitled ``Stay-at-Work and Back-to-Work Strategies: Lessons from the Private…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Environment and Public Works be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 22, 2012, at 10:15 a.m., in room SD 406 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building to conduct a hearing…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 22, 2012. at 10 a.m. in room 432 of the Russell Senate Office building to conduct a…

I hope everybody's been listening to this. What has become clear is this: the Republicans have a 3-act play. First, repeal IPAB; next, repeal the rest of health care reform; and, finally, repeal Medicare. It is so hypocritical to come…

in a few minutes, we are going to vote on whether we should end debate on a House bill which carries the false label of a jobs bill--a bill which cries out for debate and amendment. If we continue down this track, we will approve…

When you read over the long list of Senator Barbara Mikulski's accomplishments, one word keeps coming up, ``first.'' First woman to be elected to the Senate from Maryland, first woman of her party to serve in both the House of…

I yield myself the balance of my time. Look, the Supreme Court will be hearing the case about the individual mandate next week, and I don't think we want to argue this now. We don't have any judges here. But let me say, on the individual…

I yield myself an additional 30 seconds. Look, we need to address it, but destroying Medicare is not the way to address it. That's what you do. You destroy it. You destroy it when you say you're saving it. I reserve the balance of my time.

I yield myself an additional 1 minute. Look, I respect that. But the primary fact, the basic fact is that the Affordable Care Act addresses this issue more effectively than has been addressed before. There is more money for primary care…

I yield myself 1 minute. The present system doesn't have enough primary care. I know from my own experience that there's a lack of family physicians and primary care physicians. The Affordable Care Act strengthens that program, will…