I noticed in your opening testimony you talked about the efforts to extradite those in Mexico responsible for the killing of Americans.

on vote No. 197, the confirmation of Scott Wesley Skavdahl to be U.S. District Judge for the District of Wyoming, I was unavoidably absent. Had I been present, I would have supported the nomination and voted yea. ____________________

as a proponent of smart and fair crime policies, as well as improving the effectiveness of the juvenile justice system, I would like to commend my home State of Illinois for its recent reforms in this area. I have long supported and…

what if I came to the floor today and said I have a new law I want to introduce, and here is what it says: If you stop motorists across America, anywhere across America--for speeding, reckless driving, driving under the influence--you can…

I just left a meeting with President Obama at the White House, and we discussed the jobs bill that is pending before the Senate. It is a bill which the President put together and presented to Congress almost 2 months ago. He invited the…

I thank the Senator from California for her presentation. As she talked about her wonderful hometown of San Francisco, one of my favorite cities outside Illinois, I thought about my most recent trip there to that Golden Gate Bridge and the…

I ask consent to speak in morning business. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered. ____________________

I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Amendment No. 764

I ask for the yeas and nays. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Is there a sufficient second? There is a sufficient second. The question is on agreeing to the amendment. The clerk will call the roll. The assistant bill clerk called the roll.

I ask unanimous consent that a title amendment to H.R. 2112, the text of which is at the desk, be agreed to. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered. The amendment is as follows: Amend the title to read: ''An…

Bank of America made an announcement. They announced they were eliminating their proposed $5 monthly fee for the use of a debit card. We have kept track and I believe every bank across America has said we are abandoning this approach, and…

I ask that morning business be extended for the next hour. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.

We think the United States has given up on Africa. China hasn't.

With this budget, it is.

we are at a significant moment in the relationship between the banking industry on Wall Street and businesses and consumers on Main Street all across America. This could be, in the words of Malcolm Gladwell, a ``tipping point,'' and it…

I think, ultimately, Africans are going to have to pay for their own health care in the long term.

Senator Durbin is proposing legislation to do just that. It aims to create jobs in America by increasing United States exports to Africa by at least 200 percent in the next 10 years.

I announce that the Senator from Missouri (Mrs. McCaskill) and the Senator from Virginia (Mr. Warner) are necessarily absent.

So what I put together here is a bill that Senator Coons has joined me on to talk about how we can improve our exports to Africa and our business in Africa and investments in Africa.

These are Faustian choices, 300,000 people living----

They are investing in infrastructure and building potential for economic growth. We are investing in people and health care.

the long-term American objective of promoting open societies in Africa--countries that embrace transparency and democracy, respect the environment, and protect human rights--is being challenged in some ways by China's approach to Africa.

we must gain, I believe, a better understanding of China's role and motives and take steps to ensure the United States is not missing out on critical opportunities in Africa.

the U.S. Government has been investing in the people of Africa, while the Chinese Government has been investing in the infrastructure of Africa.

I think our competitive advantage in this regard will be if we can compete and work with a vibrant private sector in Africa.