I am a strong supporter of MCC. I think it has been responsible for not only dealing with poverty issues, but also dealing with good governance issues and dealing with important security issues.

What has made the MCC successful has been its unwavering commitment to the principles upon which it was founded--democracy, rule of law, good governance, and transparency.

I rise today to speak about the highway trust fund, HTF, and the conference report we will be considering shortly to accompany the surface transportation reauthorization bill, which is called the Fixing America's Surface Transportation…

I am not going to ask for a record vote on this amendment, and I hope that will help others try to move the process along. This amendment is very similar to the next amendment, the Coats amendment, in that it is a clear indication that the…

I would urge my colleagues to vote against this amendment because of how it is paid for. Seniors who have $85,000 of income have to pay a higher Part B premium today. We have indexed that because, as I think Members on both sides of the…

I call up amendment No. 2913. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report. The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows: The Senator from Maryland [Mr. Cardin] proposes an amendment numbered 2913 to amendment No. 2874.

Let me remind our colleagues we are talking about the Ambassador to Sweden. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session to consider the following nomination: Calendar No. 263; that the Senate proceed…

I wish to address the nomination of Cassandra Butts to the post to be Ambassador to the Bahamas. Cassandra Butts is currently a senior advisor to the CEO of the Millennium Challenge Corporation in Washington, DC. She is a leading attorney…

Azita Raji has been nominated for Ambassador to Sweden and Samuel Heins as Ambassador to Norway. Having representatives on the ground in Scandinavian countries is urgently needed. Both Sweden and Norway are key strategic allies and members…

I next would like to address the nomination of David Robinson to the position of Assistant Secretary of State for Conflict and Stabilization Operations. The Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations has an important role to play in…

I certainly understand the right of the Senator to object. I would just hope that this could be resolved. It is not about the State Department being put at a disadvantage by not having these confirmed positions; it is the American people…

I ask unanimous consent that the Senator's comments come off Republican time. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?

shortly I will be asking consent to advance certain nominations of the President for confirmation by the Senate. I do that in my capacity as the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. There are seven that I will bring…

the nominees I went through unanimous consent requests--all are important to our national security. We are talking about Ambassadors. We are talking about career people whom we depend upon for advice, for handling conflict areas. It is in…

I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The amendment is as follows: (Purpose: To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend the…

as the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, my highest priority is America's security. Let me share with my colleagues how the climate change summit that is taking place in Paris affects global and U.S. security…

I am very pleased that the Senate may soon consider bipartisan legislation which I recently introduced with Senators Portman and Klobuchar: the Church Plan Clarification Act of 2015, S. 2308. By introducing this bill and asking for a…

I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning business. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Paris Climate Change Summit

I wish to honor the life of Anita Ashok Datar--a loving mother, beloved daughter and sister, and dedicated humanitarian from Takoma Park in my home State of Maryland. She was one of 19 victims killed on November 20 in a terrorist attack in…

I wish to pay tribute to Dr. Katharine Blodgett Gebbie, the past director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology's--NIST--Physics Laboratory and its successor, the Physical Measurement Laboratory. On December 10, 2015, the…

today I wish to commemorate the 28th World AIDS Day. This day is a time to recognize the tremendous progress we have made in combating the human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome, HIV/AIDS, and to…

I rise to call for urgent action to prevent widespread violence and mass atrocities in Burundi. Let us not allow Burundi to become the next Rwanda or Darfur. We are at a critical juncture. I call upon the Burundian Government and…

We want to gauge our OECD partners to make sure that we have more uniform rules in determining allocations of costs and revenues.

I filed the Progressive Consumption Tax Act that incorporates two major provisions that seem to be reasons why we have not been able to advance this in the past.

first I thank Senator Shaheen for her leadership on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and for her leadership with regard to the nomination of Gayle Smith to be the Administrator of USAID. This is the U.S. Agency for International…