A sister state relationship going way back to 1983 has grown into a successful trade partnership that has benefited Iowa farmers and businesses.

It is a privilege for me to be here to introduce the Governor of Iowa, the next ambassador to China.

I am proud to support Governor Branstad's nomination to serve our country as the next U.S. Ambassador to China.

for the last 8 years, we have seen President Obama's administration take action after action and do it without regard for concerns expressed by the American people or their elected representatives in Congress, which amount to a great deal…

today, the Senate passed the Inspector General Empowerment Act. This is a crucial piece of legislation to enable inspectors general to function independently and to weed out waste, fraud, and abuse within the government. I thank Senator…

for a long time, my friend Senator Leahy and I have worked hard to improve protections for FBI employees who report waste, fraud, and abuse. In March 2015, we held a hearing in the Judiciary Committee examining the FBI whistleblower…

I come to the floor today to alert the new Trump administration to a problem in the Defense Department. There is a festering sore needing high-level attention. I am talking about what turns out to be a formidable barrier. It stands in the…

Senator Leahy and I are on the floor for the same issue. I defer to Senator Leahy if he prefers to go first. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Vermont. EB-5 Regional Center Program

I heard my friend and colleague Senator Leahy express his opposition, and opposition that I share, to the EB-5 Regional Center Program. I am here for the same purpose, to express the same opposition to the EB-5 Regional Center Program that…

this Saturday, December 10, marks the 200th anniversary of the establishment of the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate. I am very proud to be the chairman of that committee--the first chairman who is not a lawyer, I might add--and I…

I would like to take a moment to recognize Lt. Col. Wade E. Wiegel for his 22 years of service in the U.S. Marine Corps. Wade is a native of Iowa, and I am proud to say that I nominated him for the U.S. Naval Academy in 1990. In May 1994…

I would like to pay tribute to Jim Lyons. Jim was a tax counsel for Chairman Hatch on the Finance Committee. Before that, he served as a tax counsel for the committee when I was ranking member. Jim had a medical emergency during a…

I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Unanimous Consent Request--S. 579

I knew ahead of time that we would have this objection. The only difference between this objection this time and a year ago is the fact that a year ago we worked out differences with other committees of the Congress and had, evidently, 99…

while I am waiting for Senator McCain to come to the floor before I speak about the specific unanimous consent request I am going to make, I would like to point out, in a very general way, that the pursuit of what we are doing, in so many…

OK. I will take that under advisement. I would simply close with further evidence of the importance of this legislation and try to respond to what the Senator from Arizona said about its impact on the Defense Department. Section 8 of the…

Members of the Senate, I come to the floor to speak about and to propound a unanimous consent request in regard to the Inspector General's Empowerment Act. I would like to defer. I ask unanimous consent to not lose the floor but yield to…

I see my colleague from Arkansas on the floor. He is right so many times; I am sorry that we disagree on this issue. I don't believe the Senator will make me wrong on that point, but I do want to respect his right. He is such a good…

I am disappointed that the Senator from Arkansas continues to impose the only remaining roadblock to passage of this critical piece of legislation. Back in February, Senator Cotton indicated a willingness to work with Senator Whitehouse…

soon I will offer a unanimous consent request with regard to a bill that would reform and reauthorize Federal juvenile justice programs. This bill is known as the Supporting Youth Opportunity and Preventing Delinquency Act of 2016. It…

early this month, in my home State of Iowa, a tragedy took place that shocked our entire State. On Wednesday, November 2, 2016, the lives of Des Moines Police Sergeant Anthony Beminio and Urbandale Police Officer Justin Martin were taken…

early this month, in my home State of Iowa, a tragedy took place that shocked our entire State. On Wednesday, November 2, 2016, the lives of Des Moines Police Sergeant Anthony Beminio and Urbandale Police Officer Justin Martin were taken…

before the Senate adjourns this afternoon, I want to remind my colleagues that National Domestic Violence Awareness Month begins on Saturday. Throughout the month of October, we are called to increase public awareness and understanding of…

today I want to again discuss the unnecessary restrictions on unclassified documents from the FBI's investigation of Secretary Clinton. By way of background, on September 12, I came to the floor and gave a speech about the FBI improperly…

I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The bill was ordered to a third reading and was read the third time.