Jeff Bingaman: “I look forward to answering any questions.”

Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) requested agency information on the amount of EAJA fees paid out by the U.S. Forest Service from 1999 through 2005.

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

We ought to be encouraging that. That should not be something that we just do for 3 years or 5 years.

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…