I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 19, 2013, at 9:30 a.m. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Committee on Banking, Housing…

I thank my friend for yielding. Earlier today my colleague from New Hampshire, Senator Ayotte, came to the floor and spoke about the Medium Air Defense System known as MEADS. This is a program the United States has been developing for air…

Putting these young people to work is good for the economy and creates jobs, just the opposite of what many people have argued.

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 19, 2013, at 2:30 p.m., in room SD-226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct a hearing entitled…

I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and the Coast Guard of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 19, 2013, at…

I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities of the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 19, 2013, at 2:30 p.m. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 19, 2012, at 10 a.m., to hold a Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs subcommittee hearing entitled…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights, be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 19, 2013, at 10 a.m., in room SD-226 of the…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 19, 2013, at 2:30 p.m. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Subcommittee on Antitrust…

with a heavy heart, I rise today to say a few words about a wonderful, talented public servant who unexpectedly passed away recently. Joseph Christ was a longtime prosecutor in St. Clair County, IL, home of the city that I grew up in, East…

among Chicago's most treasured assets is Lake Michigan. The Great Lakes are among this country's most valuable natural resources, but the lakes face many natural and man-made threats. I'm pleased to join my Illinois colleague, Senator Mark…

I rise today to discuss two bills I am introducing--one to maintain navigation on the Mississippi River during extreme weather and the second, to improve the Nation's water infrastructure, including locks and dams on the Mississippi and…

I want to take a moment to remember a friend of mine who passed away last night. Andy Athens was a civic institution in Chicago. He was a brilliant business leader. He was also ``the Dean'' of the Greek American community--a founder and…

I send an amendment in the nature of a second-degree to the desk and ask that it be reported. The PRESIDING OFFICER. If there is no objection, the clerk will report the amendment. The assistant legislative clerk read as follows: The…

I rise in opposition to the amendment offered by the Senator from Pennsylvania, and at the appropriate moment I will offer a budget point of order which will require an extraordinary vote on the floor of the Senate, but I first want to…

I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. In Memory of Andy Athens

This is a second-degree amendment to the Toomey amendment numbered 115. I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll. The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll…

I announce that the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Lautenberg) is necessarily absent. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber desiring to vote? The result was announced--yeas 45, nays 54, as follows: [Rollcall Vote…

I announce that the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Lautenberg) is necessarily absent. The result was announced--yeas 54, nays 45, as follows: [Rollcall Vote No. 36 Leg.] YEAS--54 Baldwin Baucus Begich Bennet Blumenthal Boxer Brown Cantwell…

I thank the Senator from Maryland. I might also add that her former colleague Senator Paul Sarbanes was a dear close friend to Andy Athens. Whenever we would have a meeting of the Hellenic group here in the Capitol, you always knew Paul…

I was told he passed away peacefully in the night. The last time I saw him was in the Capitol Building about a year ago, and you could tell he was struggling a little bit. But it was a day when he was honored and everyone cheered him on…

He was an extraordinary man. What a legacy he leaves around the world, not just in Chicago and in Washington.

I tried to read some of them, but I couldn't read the entire list. And I actually quoted the Senator from Maryland, who once referred to him as a one-man foreign aid program.

I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Amendment No. 123 to Amendment No. 115

I would say Senator Cruz would certainly be able to offer an amendment which eliminated all government-administered health insurance as it applies to any person in the United States. If he did that, he would be consistent. Instead, what he…