Barbara Mikulski

I request a voice vote. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The question is on agreeing to the amendment. The amendment (No. 65) was agreed to.

We have some good news. The good news is that the Senator and I have reached an agreement. There is an acceptable modification. I didn't know if the Senator wanted to speak on this amendment. May I continue. This amendment ensures that the…

What is the next regular order? Amendment No. 65 to Amendment No. 26 The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The next amendment is Coburn amendment No. 65.

I thank the Senators for their comments and would be pleased to work with them on this important issue and ways to maintain a 50-State weatherization program.

I appreciate the tenacity and persistence of the Senator from Kansas in being an advocate for his constituents. I would hope that during this noon hour--I can give no promises. There are leadership concerns on both sides of the aisle. But…

Absolutely. I am so pleased, if I may comment, that the Senator brought this to the attention of the full Senate. I will submit my own statement. We would welcome to know how to get in touch with the Athens family. But let me say it to the…

Before we proceed to debate on the Toomey amendment, I say to my colleague from Ohio that his strong advocacy for working people is appreciated. From the standpoint of discussion, the Senator has some excellent ideas, and I hope he and the…

That is more than agreeable. We know the topic and we are anxious to hear it. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Warren). Without objection, it is so ordered. The Senator from Texas.

Reserving the right to object, I will not, I just want to seek clarification from the Senator from Texas. About how long will the Senator seek recognition?

I note that the Senator from Oklahoma is on the floor. I yield the floor. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Oklahoma. Amendment No. 66 to Amendment No. 26

I have a unanimous consent request that I understand has been cleared on both sides of the aisle. I ask unanimous consent that it now be in order for Senator Coburn to call up his amendment numbered 66; that there be 60 minutes equally…

That is right. An open and transparent process in that legislation that we put together over a weekend, 571 pages. Senators McCain and Coburn were right, but I could not do any more because I did not get it from the House until Thursday…

The Senator is correct. If I might comment back, we sound like two war horses at the VFW Hall. The next thing, if it wasn't prohibited, we would be doing shooters on the Senate floor.

I wish to speak on the bill and comment on the amendment. First of all, I want to say to the Senator from Iowa how much I admire him and the fantastic job he has done on behalf of the poor, people who didn't have health care, and the…

And for the Senator from Utah, we all have scheduling issues. What we would want to do is make sure everybody has their say. If the Senator from Utah has a statement he wishes to put into the Record or wishes to return, we welcome him…

As the manager of the bill, I thought we were going to--of course Senator Cruz has offered his amendment--but we were going to rotate speakers from the Democrats and Republicans. There was no agreement to do roundrobin here, where the…

Well, in the dignified way of the Senate and the way we talk, go for it. ____________________

Does the Senator from New Hampshire know what regular order is? This is not a quiz.

The Senator from New Hampshire is a member of the Appropriations Committee; is that correct?

This is tough, but the leader has to govern the Senate and move the bill. But a question for the people who watch us and don't know what all these parliamentary maneuvers mean. If there is an agreement to move forward with amendments, is…

We would appreciate it in any way the Senator feels he can exercise his traditional due diligence. We are not going to engage in arguments, but we would like to go ahead if we could get something going even later on this evening. Mr…

I just wanted to assure the Senator from Arizona of that and I have respect for the Senator and his regard for the purse. Does the Senator from Arizona have a sense of when he will be finished reviewing the bill? Mr. McCAIN. I think in a…

So just to prove our policy goal here, we cannot have government funding expire. The consequences of a government shutdown would be horrendous. What would it be on the Virginia economy?

When we are moving the continuing resolution and he talks about being in the cafeteria and going table to table, which is something I do myself, and I know he enjoys it,--is it his point that we protect the men and women in uniform but the…

I thank the Senator from Virginia for his comments. He and Senator Warner are on the other side of the Potomac, and sometimes we are friends, sometimes we are rivals. But it is such a dynamic State. The junior Senator from Virginia knows…