You talked a little bit about the importance of ultimately having multiyear funding.

We've talked about the decaying state of the bridges along the line in Connecticut, which we hope is not the next shoe to drop.

Sometimes in the Senate we deal with numbers that are a little too big for constituents and even for us to fathom. One number we throw around in Connecticut is the number $50 billion. That is the amount of money we need over the next 20…

Last month Japan announced its machinery sales were the best since 2008. The rest of the world is moving on. If we are doing this much damage to the economy, why are we here? We are here mainly because tea party Republicans in the House…

We are now going into week three of a government shutdown, a totally unnecessary, totally avoidable, totally manufactured government shutdown that is now morphing together with a potential failure on behalf of the U.S. Government to pay…

I ask unanimous consent for 5 more minutes. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.

That is, frankly, a recipe for ultimate failure if that is essentially why you remain confident about your economy's role in the world.

If we keep going down this path, at some point we could make a mistake.

I don't think we are at significant risk of losing that reserve currency status.

I agree that we are likely safe in large part because there isn't any other place to go.

So we are doing real damage by going down this brinkmanship path.

I think it invites a conversation about whether we should be so optimistic that the United States is going to remain as the world's reserve currency.

I thank my colleague from Connecticut for the question. As he knows, there are a thousand different children in that one Head Start Program alone who have essentially lost access to childcare. This week I think the number is, as the…

I would say to the Senator, we have had this effort on behalf of Republicans to kind of pick and choose which parts of the government they are going to reopen. As I noted here on the floor in objecting to one of these piecemeal requests…

I thank the Senator from Georgia for his call on this place to get back to regular order and to bridge our differences. I think it is an important one and a noble and hopefully easy request for us to ultimately follow. I came down here…

I think the majority leader made it very clear he is willing to sit down to talk about everything and anything the Republicans want to discuss but not with a gun to our heads. Let's reopen the government. Then, as we as a Chamber have been…

I ask unanimous consent that the period of morning business be extended until 5 p.m. today, with all other provisions of the previous order remaining in effect. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered…

let me thank my great friend from Louisiana for her remarks and for all the work she has done to stand up for her constituents, but also for small businesses. I think she makes a great point, that right now there are thousands of small…

I ask unanimous consent the period of morning business for debate only be extended to 5 p.m., with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on October 3, 2013, at 2:30 p.m., to hold a Western Hemisphere and Global Narcotics Affairs subcommittee nomination…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on October 3, 2013, at 10 a.m., to hold a hearing entitled, ``Reversing Iran's Nuclear Program.'' The PRESIDING OFFICER…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the sessions of the Senate on October 3, 2013, at 9:30 a.m. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. committee on foreign relations

the Founding Fathers set up a system of government which intentionally made social change in this country hard to achieve. They set up a pretty complicated legislative process with an innovative bicameral legislature in which you have to…

Reserving the right to object, Madam President, my understanding is that the Senator is proposing to allow for appropriations to move forward for a portion of veterans funding. Let me just say a few things. It is clearly a hardship that…

Again, the Senator having rejected my offer to modify his consent--we have an opportunity to pass a continuing resolution which enjoys the support of the Senate, which reportedly enjoys the support of the majority of Members of the House…