I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be authorized to meet, during the session of Senate, in order to conduct a hearing entitled, ``FDA User Fee Agreements: Strengthening FDA and the Medical…

I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning business. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. (The remarks of Mr. Durbin pertaining to the introduction of S. 2280 are located in today's Record under ``Statements on…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 29, 2012, at 10 a.m. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. committee on…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 29, 2012, at 10 a.m. in room 432 of the Russell Senate Office building to conduct a hearing…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 29, 2012, at 9:30 a.m. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Committee on banking, housing…

I want to speak for a moment to the issue that was raised by my colleague from Missouri. Senator Claire McCaskill came to the Senate floor to take note of the vote that had just been issued, the rollcall that was just finished on a measure…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 29, 2012, at 9:30 a.m., in room 366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. The PRESIDING OFFICER…

right outside this Chamber, across the street, is a huge gathering. It is the third day in succession that people from all across America have gathered before the Supreme Court. They have different points of view. They express those points…

I would just add--and this is not lost on most Americans--there are some political figures who said publicly they should have just gone bankrupt and gone out of business. I think the President made the right decision. Today, Mr. Marchionne…

I object. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Illinois. Objection is heard.

I ask unanimous consent the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Blumenthal). Without objection, it is so ordered. Order Of Procedure

I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed to executive session at 4:30 p.m. today and that all other provisions of the previous consent remain in effect, and that the previous order regarding the division of time on the motion to proceed…

reserving the right to object, I believe the shipbuilding industry in Arizona is about the same size as it is in Illinois, so I don't come to this issue with any particular hometown or home State view, and I am open to the Senator's…

reserving the right to object, we have the bill before us relative to the tax subsidies given to major oil companies--it gives $4 billion a year to companies that registered $137 billion in profit last year. It is such a popular measure…

I ask unanimous consent to speak in morning business. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Health Care Reform

For the reasons stated earlier, I object. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.

The Senator from Louisiana and I can get into a debate about whether taking $4 billion in subsidies away from five oil companies that reported $137 billion in profit last year is going to change the production of oil, but we will save that…

It is not lost on the American people. There was a different point of view when President Obama said: I never wanted to own an automobile company; that is not why I ran for President. But he realized we faced an economic crisis. If he had…

I say to the Senator from Ohio, that is a good point and one we ought to make over and over because there is no question that the downturn in the recession forced the management of these auto companies and the workers to step back and take…

For the information of Senators, the two votes originally scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. will now begin at 5:30 p.m.

I say to my colleague from Delaware that the Commerce Department estimates we can create jobs here in America capitalizing on the opportunities in Africa, and that is a good starting point in the midst of a recession, to know that in…

I thank my colleagues Senator Boozman and Senator Coons. Mr. President, I ask that this colloquy be brought to an end, and I be recognized individually in morning business. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered…

I hope we can change a few things in Washington as we look at Africa. I hope the U.S. Commerce Secretary will travel to Africa. That has not happened in years. I would encourage our Secretary to discover the opportunities on this continent…

I can tell the Senator from Delaware and the Senator from Arkansas if you ask the average American to give you their image of Africa, it will be an old image. The image of new Africa is a continent that is changing dramatically as those…

This bill develops a comprehensive strategy to coordinate the agencies of our Government in helping U.S. businesses export to Africa. Currently, the U.S. export promotion and financing regime is a patchwork of overlapping, loosely…