Jeff Bingaman: “This is not just Louisiana's problem. This is America's problem.”

He knows the crucial role that Congress plays in setting policy and in overseeing how that policy is carried out.

I wouldn't be here without it.

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs' Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on December 19, 2012, at 10 a.m., to…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on December 19, 2012, at 10 a.m., in room SD-226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct a hearing entitled ``The…