my friend the Republican leader talked about the old forces of gridlock when he talked about cyber security. He and his caucus were those old forces of gridlock. We tried for 5 years to pass a cyber security bill; it was filibustered every…

60 years ago today Rosa Parks boarded a city bus in Montgomery, AL. She had worked hard all day. She was riding a bus. She was asked to give up her seat by the busdriver, who was a White man. She was sick of having to give up her seat and…

one need only watch the news to see how our Nation is facing threats abroad. We are doing the best we can, but as the world grows more dangerous, Senate Republicans continue to block and obstruct the President's national security. They are…

I appreciate the Republican leader cheering for all of the great things that have happened here in the Senate, but the facts are that--look at any political scientist, anyone who watches what goes on here in Washington and add up the…

as we speak, in faraway Paris, France, 194 countries are gathering to negotiate an international agreement to address climate change. Fortunately for the world, President Obama is committed to doing something about that climate change. I…

this year is quickly drawing to a close, as I mentioned earlier. That means the Senate has precious few days left to finish vitally important legislative matters, and it is not a small list. Before we leave this year, we need to address…

our Nation is stunned following last week's wanton murders at the Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs, CO. That heinous attack left three dead: a police officer, a mother of two children, and an Iraq war veteran. Nine others were…

we all know that the Federal Government has many obligations, but chief among them is to protect the American people from harm. That responsibility is now at the forefront of talk here in our Nation's Capital, and rightfully so. ISIS…

in the Capitol Visitor Center, there is a statue of a Nevada Paiute woman named Sarah Winnemucca. Each State gets two statues; one of ours is Sarah Winnemucca. I wish the other one would just go away, but it all has to be done…

I too agree with the distinguished Republican leader that it is good we are moving through the appropriations process. The key to getting this done is December 11. I have checked with the subcommittees, I have been in touch with the White…

for the first 6 years of Barack Obama's Presidency, Republicans have tried to block nearly every nomination that has come to the Senate. From a record backlog of judicial nominees to the first-ever filibuster of a Secretary of Defense…

at 11 a.m.--a few minutes from now--a number of us will be down in S-117, which is the Foreign Relations Room. At that time, we will receive Ambassador Gerard Araud, who is the Ambassador from France to the United States. We are going to…

President Obama has announced to our gratification that our own Senator Barbara Mikulski will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She is an inspiring figure. She and I came to the Senate together and we will leave the Senate…

the Clean Power Plan that has been promulgated by the President will avoid 3,600 premature deaths, 1,700 heart attacks, 90,000 asthma attacks, and 300,000 missed work and school days in just the next 15 years. It will also lower power…

I suggest the absence of a quorum. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Tillis). The clerk will call the roll. The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.

as the Senate convenes today, the world faces yet another horrific terrorist act, this time against America's oldest ally, France. Across our great Nation, Americans have displayed the French flag across buildings, monuments, and Facebook…

today I want to address more directly the Republican leader's remarks that he gave yesterday regarding the Iran nuclear agreement. In short, no matter how Republicans misrepresent the Iran nuclear agreement, the agreement brought about the…

I share the Republican leader's hope that we can conclude the Military Construction-VA bill later this morning. I commend the managers of that legislation for doing a good job. There is no Senator I admire more than Jon Tester from…

later today the Republican leader and I will host Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, as we have done on many other occasions. It is always a pleasure to meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu and reaffirm America's longstanding commitment to…

the Fifth Circuit Court's decision yesterday was a political move that ignores past precedents on Executive action on immigration. The Republicans have spoken out against the President's action on what he has done on immigration. Why did…

as I mentioned yesterday morning, the Republican leader is right about a lot of what he talked about regarding the Military Construction-VA-HUD legislation, but the one thing he just glossed over is that as a result of our holding firm--we…

I am pleased that the Senate passed several lists for more than 600 career promotions in the Foreign Service. I spoke earlier this week about these promotions, and I am pleased that Senator Grassley has allowed these lists to pass this…

today the Senate continues its consideration of the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs appropriations bill. This appropriations bill is a modest step in the right direction. It provides resources and will address the veteran care…

for more than 3 months, the senior Senator from Iowa has been blocking the confirmation, the promotion of more than 20 career Foreign Service officers. These Foreign Service officers are career diplomats. They are some of the finest people…

I look forward to meeting with the Prime Minister of Israel tomorrow, and I will have more to say about that in the morning. ____________________