Mr. Chairman, it is an honor to introduce Penny Pritzker, the President's nominee to be Secretary of Commerce.

I fully support her nomination and look forward to working with her as she becomes President Obama's Secretary of Commerce.

I announce that the Senator from Rhode Island (Mr. Whitehouse) is necessarily absent. I further announce that, if present and voting, the Senator from Rhode Island (Mr. Whitehouse) would vote ``yea.''

I announce that the Senator from New Mexico (Mr. Heinrich) and the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Lautenberg) are necessarily absent.

We should have a higher concern over the impact on military and their families.

Thank you, Senator. I'd like to address a couple of quality-of-life issues.

It is in the best interest of our Army, the Department of Defense, and our national security to avert further cuts through sequestration.

The sequestration cuts this year, if they are repeated again next year, will create a devastating impact on our military.

I announce that the Senator from North Dakota (Ms. Heitkamp), the Senator from Louisiana (Ms. Landrieu), the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Lautenberg), and the Senator from Arkansas (Mr. Pryor) are necessarily absent. I further announce…

I announce that the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Casey) and the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Lautenberg) are necessarily absent. The result was announced--yeas 91, nays 7, as follows: [Rollcall Vote No. 126 Ex.] YEAS--91 Alexander Ayotte…

I announce that the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Lautenberg), the Senator from Washington (Mrs. Murray), and the Senator from Florida (Mr. Nelson) are necessarily absent. I further announce that, if present and voting, the Senator from…

I announce that the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Lautenberg) and the Senator from Washington (Mrs. Murray) are necessarily absent.

I announce that the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Casey) and the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Lautenberg) are necessarily absent.

I rise to talk about the continuing toll of gun violence on America and my home State of Illinois. For several months now, New York Times columnist Joe Nocera has published what he calls ``The Gun Report.'' It is a daily compilation of…

I announce that the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Lautenberg), the Senator from Washington (Mrs. Murray), and the Senator from Massachusetts (Mrs. Warren) are necessarily absent. I further announce that, if present and voting, the Senator…

once in a while you are lucky enough to meet someone who is down to Earth but uncompromising in their idealism. I met someone just like that in the year 2007, and I hired her for my staff. It was a great decision. For the better part of 6…

today the Senate will pass a Water Resources Development Act, or WRDA, for the first time since 2007. I thank my colleagues, chairman Barbara Boxer and ranking member David Vitter of the Environment and Public Works Committee, for working…

None of us, not one who voted for the AUMF, could have envisioned we were about to give future Presidents the authority to fight terrorism as far flung as Yemen and Somalia.

I don't believe many, if any, of us believed when we voted for [the AUMF] that we were voting for the longest war in the history of the United States and putting a stamp of approval on a war policy against terrorism that, 10 years plus…

about an hour ago I was on the telephone with Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel. It was a somber conversation. We were talking about the most recent disclosure yesterday of sexual assault in the military. The Secretary said he was beside…

Food Allergy Awareness Week recognizes how serious and how wide spread food allergies are in this country. One in every 13 children in the United States is affected by a life- threatening food allergy. According to the Centers for Disease…

I rise today to recognize a group of American workers celebrating an impressive anniversary this month. On July 1, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Pacific Railroad Act into law and set the Nation on a course to complete the…

the healthcare reform law included a provision, which I authored, that authorizes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to expand surveillance and track the epidemiology of CHD across the life-course, with an emphasis on…

I announce that the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Lautenberg), the Senator from Washington (Mrs. Murray), and the Senator from Florida (Mr. Nelson) are necessarily absent.

I want to take a moment today to thank a friend and a remarkable public servant. John Spring ended his second term as mayor of Quincy, IL, earlier this week. Mayor Spring led Quincy through some of its most difficult times in recent…