I agree with Senator Portman on stitching together this new statutory authority with existing managed care and waiver authorities to elongate patients' lengths of stay, as medically appropriate. I would once again like to thank all of my…

I would like to reiterate my appreciation to Senators Portman, Brown, Cardin, King, and others and echo what Senator Portman said about flexibility to elongate lengths of stay as medically necessary for patients, beyond the 30 days under…

today I wish to engage in a colloquy with Senator Portman to speak about section 5052 of H.R. 6, the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act. Section 5052 of H.R. 6 takes a long-overdue step of lifting the ``Institutions for Mental…

I have been waiting for 10 minutes. I didn't realize it was going to be an alternating situation, but I will defer to him because of his seniority and our friendship. I wish to ask how long he will speak, and I wish to ask unanimous…

one of the clearest indicators of the success or failure of any public health system is average life expectancy. Between the United States and other countries around the world, there are dramatic differences in life expectancy compared to…

what is the business before the Senate? The PRESIDING OFFICER. We are on the motion to concur with respect to the FAA.

I have been in politics for a long time, but I have never seen anything like what I witnessed when I went back to Chicago last Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. From the minute the plane landed at Midway Airport in Chicago through the entire…

I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning business. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Nomination of Brett Kavanaugh

I announce that the Senator from Florida (Mr. Nelson) is necessarily absent. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Lankford). Are there any other Senators in the Chamber desiring to vote? The yeas and nays resulted--yeas 90, nays 7, as follows…

Saturday, August 25, 2018, marked 1 year since the brutal attacks in Burma that sent more than 700,000 Rohingya fleeing for their lives to Bangladesh. Horrific stories were reported, including mass murder, rape, babies being thrown into…

plow through this nomination. That is what the Republican majority leader said over the weekend, that we are going to plow through this nomination of Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court. It doesn't sound to me like a recipe for fairness…

what is the business before the Senate? The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senate is considering the Feldman nomination.

today I would like to bring attention to the southernmost city in my State, Cairo, IL. Sitting at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, Cairo was once a booming port town and was home to Fort Defiance during the Civil War. In…

Thank you. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning business. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.

I announce that the Senator from Oregon (Mr. Merkley) is necessarily absent. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Daines). Are there any other Senators in the Chamber desiring to vote? The yeas and nays resulted--yeas 76, nays 18, as follows…

I announce that the Senator from Oregon (Mr. Merkley) is necessarily absent. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber desiring to vote? The result was announced--yeas 75, nays 19, as follows: [Rollcall Vote No…

earlier this month, we mourned the loss of a wonderful public servant in Illinois. Naperville's mayor emeritus, Arthur George Pradel, passed away at the age of 80. He was a soldier, a policeman, a mayor, father, and friend. To some, George…

earlier this month, we received the sad news that Mayor Lorraine Morton had passed away just a few months short of her 100th birthday. For decades, she was a force for change in Evanston, IL. For so many people, she was the ``Principal of…

last week, Chicago lost a giant in media when Ken Smikle passed away at the too young age of 66. For over 40 years, Ken redefined coverage of the Black American experience and brought to light the economic potential of Black communities in…

I am pleased that the Defense appropriations bill will soon pass the Senate and be sent to the President's desk. This is a massive spending bill--$675 billion--and it has been 10 years since one was enacted on schedule. Passing…

I think it is important for us at this moment to reflect on a little Senate history. This goes back to the year 1991, 27 years ago. It was a chapter in the history of the Senate and the Senate Judiciary Committee that many people who lived…

earlier this year, I had the opportunity to visit Venezuela, a once proud Latin American democracy that is now in a state of collapse. The country was planning a Presidential election a few weeks after my visit in late May. My message to…

our Nation is in the midst of the worst drug epidemic in its history. There is no town too small, no suburb too wealthy to be spared. Every day, more than 115 Americans die from an opioid overdose. In the past 3 years, there has been a…

American jobs have changed dramatically in the last century, but the reasons Americans work have not changed. Work is about more than a paycheck. A job is--or ought to be--a source of dignity. Men and women who work hard may not be able to…

I announce that the Senator from Florida Mr. Nelson) is necessarily absent. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber desiring to vote? The yeas and nays resulted--yeas 63, nays 34, as follows: [Rollcall Vote No…