We are all hoping for that, and I actually have confidence that it will.

next we have Senator McCaskill's amendment No. 2030. Amendment No. 2030 The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Missouri. Mrs. McCASKILL. Madam President, I call up my amendment No. 2030. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report. The…

Well, that is tremendously encouraging, and, of course, that is exactly the kind of work even in a budget-constrained atmosphere that I hope we will find adequate funds for.

Next will be Senator Tester, amendment No. 2032. Senator Tester is not on the floor right now. I know we were building up to Senator Warner's amendment as the last amendment, but this may now be the second-to-last amendment. Next we will…

Next is Senator DeMint's amendment No. 2046. Amendment No. 2046 Mr. DeMINT. Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 2046. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the amendment. The assistant legislative clerk read as follows: The…

I object on the same grounds we discussed earlier in this debate. It is irrelevant to the subject matter of the Postal Service.

Before we get to Senator Rockefeller's second amendment, Senator Coburn has asked me to withdraw amendment No. 2059 on his behalf. I thank him for that. Amendment No. 2074 We will now go to Senator Rockefeller's amendment No. 2074. The…

The next amendment is Senator Paul's amendment No. 2038. He has asked that I withdraw from the list that amendment on his behalf. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The amendment is withdrawn. Amendment No. 2072

I move to reconsider the vote and to lay that motion on the table. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

The excitement builds now as we move to the last amendment. Senator Tester has amendment No. 2032. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Montana is recognized.

I move to reconsider the vote and to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oklahoma. Amendment No. 2060

a while back we skipped over the McCaskill-Merkley amendment. We were working on a modification. The modification is ready now. I ask unanimous consent that we proceed to the McCaskill-Merkley amendment No. 2031. The PRESIDING OFFICER…

I support Senator Tester's amendment. It simply creates safeguards to ensure that the Postal Service, when it closes a post office, does so as the result of a process that is transparent and takes into account the unique needs of…

I move to reconsider the vote, and to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Amendment No. 2034 The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Hawaii.

I appreciate the work that has been done on this amendment. I know there is a lot of interest on both sides of the aisle because of the concern about rural post offices. This establishes, again, some standards. It effectively asks the…

I rise to oppose the amendment. This amendment would create a commission similar to the base closure commission to oversee Postal Service decisions regarding which post offices, processing plants, and district offices are to close or…

I urge adoption of the amendment and ask for a voice vote. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the amendment. Amendment (No. 2056), as modified, was agreed to.

very briefly, I thank Senator Brown from Massachusetts for his statement and his work on the bill. This point of order puts the whole bill in jeopardy. Right at the beginning of the debate and the vote, it forces Members to decide whether…

I thank the Chair, particularly since the Chair will be occupied by the distinguished Senator from Montana between now and then. I wish to respond very briefly to the statement of my friend from Arizona, with a couple big points. The first…

I ask unanimous consent that the vote on this motion to waive be placed at the end of the list of amendments that are in order to vote on now.

I rise to support the amendment. I thank Senator Wyden and those who worked with him on this amendment for, frankly, calling our attention to this important matter and working to ensure that our efforts to salvage the U.S. Postal Service…

I thank my friend from Illinois. He has explained the amendment totally. It is a good amendment. I support its passage, and urge we adopt it by voice vote. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there further debate? If not, the question is on agreeing…

I ask unanimous consent that the next amendment on the list, the so-called McCaskill-Merkley amendment, be dropped a few places down because we are working on some compromise language that we hope will lead to a voice vote of acceptance…

the next amendment on the list is Senator Mikulski's amendment. Senator Mikulski has decided not to introduce her amendment. I thank her for that, and we will go next to Senator Akaka's amendment numbered 2049. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The…

I move to reconsider the vote, and I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oklahoma. Amendment No. 2058, as Modified