I am happy to do that. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Heinrich). The Senator from Illinois.

as I look at my watch, the clock is ticking toward midnight. Midnight becomes March 1, and that is the point at which the sequester kicks in, which is the across-the-board cuts--hardly massive when this year it will be about 1.2 percent of…

I am going to wrap up because my colleagues want to speak also. But, let me say this: I have been saying from this platform, and I have been saying from everywhere people will listen that we need to move to a solution to the problem. The…

normally I would be talking about the sequester and the Nation's fiscal health, but we are about to vote on a critical nomination for a very critical position in this government. I wish to spend a few minutes defining why I came to the…

earlier this week I outlined four main topics that I hoped to hear the President discuss in his State of the Union Address. Today, I would like to talk in more detail about one of those items and perhaps the most challenging--restructuring…

There has been some of that in what the President proposes. There have been Democratic and Republican plans. But we haven't done it. And I think the time is up, and we need to do it.

I didn't support the sequester, either. I agree it is not the best way to deal with it.

last night President Obama had the opportunity to present to the American people a plan envisioned for how he plans to strengthen the state of our Union. While I am pleased he finally turned his focus back to the ongoing jobs crisis in our…

article II, section 3 of the U.S. Constitution says that the President of the United States ``shall from time to time give to Congress information of the State of the Union and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall…

Indiana has a lot in common with Kansas, so I don't mind that label. I have been in the chair and made similar mistakes, so that doesn't bother me. We have a lot of similarities between Indiana and Kansas. We each hope to have a Final Four…

I come to the Senate floor today, as I have virtually every day since we have been back in session, to address what is perhaps the most critical question facing this Nation: how to rein in the out-of-control Federal spending that threatens…

I send my sympathy and empathy to the Senator from Maryland. Having gone through the same thing, I fully understand what she is dealing with and trust she will recover quickly. Picking up where I left off, dare a politician stand here and…