Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The Senator from Louisiana.

Mr. President, I rise today to honor the memory of one of the Senate's giants, Robert C. Byrd. My family and I were saddened to learn of his passing on Monday morning at the age of 92. I will remember Senator Byrd as a fierce defender of…

Mr. President, I was here earlier today, following Senator Baucus's handling of a portion of the small business bill. I am pleased to share in that responsibility on a small business bill that is not immediately before the Senate because…

Mr. President, I begin by complimenting the senior Senator from Massachusetts for a remarkable tribute to the late Senator Robert Byrd. It was beautifully delivered, beautifully written. It captured the spirit of this wonderful Senator and…

Mr. President, I would like to talk about the underlying bill that we are actually on today, which is the extenders package. The Democrats negotiated in very good faith with the Republican Party to try to figure out a way to get tax…

Mr. President, I come to the floor this afternoon to speak on a couple of different subjects. Briefly I wish to say a few words about our extraordinary and great colleague who has left the Senate and left this world, but his spirit will be…

The Independent Community Bankers Association has sent to Senator Snowe and me a strong recommendation. They say: On behalf of 5,000 members and our State partner community banking associations, we strongly support the proposed Small…

Mr. President, as we continue the important work of the Senate this week on a number of important bills, one of them being the small business package that is before this body now, we are always mindful, as we come to the floor with the…

Mr. President, before I speak briefly about the subject I came to the floor to speak about, which is small business--I am chair of the Small Business Committee--I want to thank our colleague from Florida for his advocacy for the gulf…

Absolutely. It is my desire to have many conversations over the weekend. There are just a few points that need to be worked out. The Finance Committee has done its portion of the work, and I thank Senator Baucus and Senator Grassley…

Mr. President, as Chair of the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, I am pleased to introduce the Native American Small Business Assistance and Entrepreneurial Growth Act of 2010. This vital and timely legislation codifies and…

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning business for about 15 minutes. It might go to 20 minutes. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. gulf disaster