The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) faces many challenges in balancing the goal of strengthening responsible homeownership while minimizing the financial risk to FHA and the taxpayer.

This strikes me as not fair, but it also strikes me as leading to a perverse outcome.

It's too soon to tell.

I look forward to working with my colleagues in both the House and Senate to enact a responsible budget compromise.

A financially sound FHA is an essential component in the recovery of the housing market.

In order to avoid this problem, could HUD require lenders to set up an escrow account where, as with forward mortgages, property taxes, and insurance are paid out of that account and then added to the mortgage balance?

It's important because it provides mortgage insurance for the construction of multifamily housing, hospitals, healthcare facilities.

I remain concerned that we must reform our present housing finance programs, and in doing so, we must remain mindful of the need to limit the exposure of taxpayers to additional financial losses.

I rise to speak about legislation, the Small Business Tax Certainty and Growth Act of 2013, which I introduced today along with my friend and colleague, Senator Casey. Small businesses are our Nation's job creators. Firms with fewer than…

Obviously, $943 million is a lot of money and is of great concern to us, or to me.

I rise today to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the town of Berwick, ME. As the ninth incorporated town in Maine, Berwick holds a very special place in our State's history, and one that exemplifies the determination and resiliency of…

Eventually, FHA should play a more limited role, in my judgment, in the mortgage market and help encourage the private sector to reassert its primacy.

Is a reduction in market share a goal of this administration?

I rise today to introduce a bipartisan bill cosponsored by Senator King that would ensure the Department of Defense provides military recruits with athletic footwear made in the U.S.A. The Berry Amendment, established by Congress in 1941…

of course my friend and colleague from Colorado is exactly right, and I want to thank him for his leadership on this issue and for working with me to develop a bipartisan, commonsense plan that would help to mitigate the harmful effects of…

I understand that Senator Baldwin is on her way to make her maiden speech, and I promise I will stop talking the moment she enters the Chamber. I thank my colleague from Colorado. Later today, the Senate will vote on a resolution that has…

could the Presiding Officer inform me of whether there is an order to proceed right now or whether there is some additional time for morning business. The PRESIDING OFFICER. There is 4 minutes remaining for the majority in morning business.

I want to thank my good friend and colleague. It wouldn't have happened without his support. We took a bipartisan approach, and that is the kind of approach we are taking today in urging our colleagues to look at our bill and our leaders…

I just want to associate myself with the comments of the Senator from Arizona. It is accurate that no one on our side of the aisle supported the final budget. The fact is, for the first time in years, a budget was brought to the Senate…

we need to address the portion of the fiscal year 2013 budget shortfall with some sort of supplemental OCO request.

It certainly is ironic at the least. It is an opportunity for the Republican House to argue for its budget. I voted against the final version of the Senate budget, but I think we should go to conference and try to work out an agreement…

I yield to the Senator. Mr. McCAIN. Isn't it true that the people with whom the conference would be held on the other side of the Capitol happen to be a majority of our party? So we don't trust the majority party on the other side of the…

the impact of these budget shortfalls are serious and unacceptable.

With respect to the vital research and development on new drugs that the pharmaceutical industry does, isn't the American consumer really subsidizing that for the rest of the world?

Why don't I just quickly go down the panel?