I announce that the Senator from California (Mrs. Boxer), the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Durbin), and the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Sanders) are necessarily absent. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber…

my friend the Republican leader can't see the forest for the trees when it comes to health care. I understand that. He has given many speeches denigrating ObamaCare. The facts are that more people are getting access to health care today…

every Senator wants to keep America safe, and that is why every Senator should be concerned about a particular threat to our national security. This threat to our national security is called sequestration. Sequestration puts in place…

I have watched over the last decade Senator McConnell focusing attention on Burma. It is remarkable the good he has done for that country. His vigilance in watching literally every move that government has made has been good for that…

I ask unanimous consent that Aja Kennedy, a fellow in my office, be granted floor privileges for the duration of this session. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent…

over the past several years, we have seen a very disturbing practice which is becoming commonplace in the Republican-dominated U.S. Congress. Governing by brinkmanship, manufactured crisis, flirting with deadlines, a game of chicken--we…

if my friend the majority leader is concerned, as he should be, about why the country is less secure-- especially in the last couple of weeks--he should look in the mirror. We have a situation where he has tried to divert attention from…

reserving the right to object, we are not the sort of minority party that objects to virtually everything. We want to help move things forward. But I also want to be clear that we are not going to require a vote to move forward on the…

I think it's ridiculous.

I think it's horrible that they're even thinking about the short-term extension.

we are here facing yet another manufactured crisis with the vitally important PATRIOT Act provision set to expire in a matter of hours. In fact, we have less than 8 hours before the expiration of this critical national security program…

I join in my feelings about the Joe Biden family. I was saddened beyond words to hear of the passing of Beau. He was such a fine young man. He was a devoted husband, father, son, a dedicated servant to the people of Delaware, and a…

We would be happy to cooperate in passing a surface transportation bill by voice, but I do say this--and I mentioned this to my colleague away from the microphones. For those of us living in the West, we cannot get back on a Sunday…

as I read this morning's news, I was intrigued and struck by a Pew Research poll. Pew conducted a national survey to gauge Americans' satisfaction with Congress. Unsurprisingly, Americans are disillusioned with the Senate and the House…

I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Republican Leadership In Congress

I think everyone knows that I disagree with the reasoning for the trade bill. Based on my experience of looking at trade bills that have passed the Congress in years past, it is not going to help the people whom I want to help. I am happy…

reserving the right to object. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?

I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record. There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: S. 1436 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of…

I rise today in celebration of Rabbi Yocheved Mintz' 10th anniversary with Congregation P'nai Tikvah in Las Vegas, NV. Through her dedication to serving others, Rabbi Mintz has helped further Congregation P'nai Tikvah's commitment to…

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

I think it would be appropriate--we have gotten to where we are--that we have a quorum call so we can find out where we are on amendments. There is agreement out there; we just have to see how we can get it arrived at. So I suggest the…

No objection. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Measure Placed on the Calendar--H.R. 2353 Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I understand there is a bill at the desk that is due for a second reading. The PRESIDING…

at the end of this month, Republicans will have been in charge of the Senate for almost half a year. After all of this time, what have they done to address issues facing the middle class? Zero. Let's take a quick look at what the…

Will the Chair be kind enough to tell us what the business is today in the Senate? ____________________

2 years ago the American people first became aware that the National Security Agency was collecting private information about their phone calls. This is called the Snowden revelation. Under the banner of national security, the National…