I ask unanimous consent that the time in the quorum call be equally divided. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

I ask unanimous consent that the time until 2 p.m. be equally divided between Senator Cruz and myself or our designees; that at 2 p.m. the Senate proceed to vote in relation to the Cruz amendment; that there be no amendments in order to…

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…

could we just have quiet. We are going to have our first vote on this bill. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the Cruz amendment.

I wish to say the Senator who currently now chairs the Subcommittee on Defense will speak on the amendment of the Senator from Arizona. I wish to speak about the process and about sequester. First, the Appropriations Subcommittee on…

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…

Absolutely. I see my colleague from Maryland, such an able and active Member, a member of the Finance Committee that is known to make a contribution. We want him to make a couple of trillion dollars' worth of contributions, as a matter of…

I want to express my deep condolences to the family of LT Valerie Delaney who was a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy in 2009, whose life was cut short by jet crash in Washington State. Lieutenant Delaney graduated from the Naval Academy…

I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Iowa. Amendment No. 53 To Amendment No. 26

We could exchange a lot of things about diamonds, but that would be quite a benchmark. This is what I am going to say: What we would like to do is return to regular order where the Senator could have brought his bill to the floor all by…

before the Senator leaves the floor, the chair of the Budget Committee--first of all, I want to compliment her on the work she has done on the Budget Committee. It is indeed impressive. I want to compliment her because she is headed for a…

First of all, I know the Senator has been waiting patiently to file his amendment. I have been waiting patiently for him to be able to do it. As I understand it, we are trying to negotiate a sequence to vote on the Harkin amendment and for…

Well, I want to share the Senator's sense of urgency to get her bill done. In order for her to get her bill done, I need to get my bill done. I want to pledge my cooperation, and I believe that of my vice chairman, Senator Shelby. We have…

the Senate is not in order. I know there is a lot of gloating over this amendment--I don't mean yours. Could we kind of keep it quiet so Senator Inhofe can offer his amendment. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oklahoma.

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 ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, on March 12, 2013, at 10:15 a.m., in SD-226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to continue its executive business…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be authorized to meet, during the session of the Senate, to conduct a hearing entitled ``Job Corps Budget Shortfall: Safeguarding Workforce Training for…

I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 12, 2013, at 10 a.m. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. ____________________

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…

you have heard me speak to the Democratic caucus and to the press that moving the continuing resolution, or I should call it the continued funding resolution-- remember, continuing the funding for fiscal year 2013 to our fiscal New Year's…

a question for the majority leader. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maryland.

I am rising to speak on the continuing resolution to keep government funded for the rest of the year. I chair the full committee of the Appropriations Committee. My very able and esteemed colleague, Senator Shelby, is the vice chairman. We…

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 12, 2013, at 10 a.m. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Committee on…

parliamentary inquiry: Has all time expired from the respective parties utilizing their morning business allocation? The PRESIDING OFFICER. It has. ____________________