I rise in support of the nomination of John Brennan to be the next director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Mr. Brennan earned a bipartisan vote of 12-3 in the Senate Intelligence Committee, on which I serve. He is clearly qualified to…

due to unexpected family commitments, I was unable to cast a vote relative to rollcall vote Nos. 22, 23, 25, 28, 29, and 30. Had I been present, I would have voted in the following manner: yea on the nomination of Robert E. Bacharach to be…

we urge the Department of Interior to express support for Senator Mark Udall's Healthy Kids Outdoors Act

Could I get your commitment to work with me and our bipartisan coalition to find a long term solution for the LWCF program?

We are confident of Sally Jewell's ability to provide outstanding leadership for managing public Department of Interior lands.

I have legislation that will help states encourage kids and families to be physically active outdoors called the Healthy Kids Outdoors Act.

I would note as a preface to the questions I'm going to ask on the heels of what Senator McCain is discussing in regards to sequestration, that when we look at another budgetary crossroads early in the middle of this summer this committee…

It is my desire that we do so, and I am going to be focused on this in every way I possibly can.

General, you mentioned last month that sequestration could affect the Army to the extent that we'd have to extend tour lengths in Afghanistan.

I think there's real potential when it comes to exporting natural gas, as long as it doesn't come at the cost of our land, our water, and our air, or consumer energy prices.

There's real geopolitical ramifications of this Shale Gale that we now have available to us.

for more than 150 years, leaders from President Abraham Lincoln to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. have challenged us to keep faith with the true spirit of our Constitution. Today we continue the work of these two dynamic men who courageously…

I absolutely agree. The American people have the right to know what their government does on their behalf.

The presumption of transparency should be the rule, not the exception, and the government should make as much information available to the American public as possible.

I've long believed that our government also has an obligation to the American people to face its mistakes transparently.

I believe that this program was severely flawed. It was mismanaged. The enhanced interrogation techniques were brutal, and, perhaps most importantly, it did not work.

When we met privately, you emphasized your determination to keep all options on the table with regard to Iran, including a military strike, if Iran continues to pursue a nuclear program in defiance of this international obligation.

It is my understanding that in 1995, DOD decided to prepare a single, department-wide manual on the Law of War.

If there were no 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force, the President would have authority as Commander-in-Chief and Chief Executive to order military action against al Qaeda and associated forces if necessary to protect an…

it is with great pleasure that I, along with Mr. Flake of Arizona, reintroduce the Startup Visa Act. The Startup Visa Act of 2013 allows immigrant entrepreneurs and foreign graduates of U.S. universities to appeal for a two-year visa on…

The enduring case for me was made at his nomination hearing by the long list of former Defense Secretaries and National Security Advisers.

I fundamentally believe that we have to be careful and look at all of our capability.

I intend to proudly vote for Sergeant Hagel. He is a patriot.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report of January 29, 2013, that found military health providers do not have a consistent understanding of the responsibilities associated with caring for sexual assault victims.

I ask unanimous consent that I be recognized to speak for 10 minutes as in morning business. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered. ____________________