I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The amendment is as follows: (Purpose: To restore funding for the trade adjustment assistance program…

if the chairman of the Committee on Finance and Senator Wyden will indulge me, I would like 2 or 3 minutes to explain the amendment and the importance of it. One of the most important reasons for the vote on Tuesday, I believe, is that a…

I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Toomey). Without objection, it is so ordered. ____________________

today, at this moment, we begin the debate on one of the most important bills to come in front of the Senate this year, to guarantee that Americans can find a more level playing field as we compete in the world economy to show that…

I call up Brown amendment No. 1242. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report. The legislative clerk read as follows: The Senator from Ohio [Mr. Brown] proposes an amendment numbered 1242 to amendment No. 1221.

Poor care coordination can lead to worse health outcomes, increased hospital admissions, and higher cost.

The impact they have had on preventive care has been pretty phenomenal.

What Mansfield did--Mansfield, OH, a city of about 50,000--they had two zip codes, one predominantly Appalachian white, one predominantly African-American, where they had very high low-birth-weight baby rates.

as this body moves to consider trade legislation, it is our obligation to make sure that our existing and future trade laws are enforced and that we are looking out for those hurt by our trade agreements. Nearly everyone who supports these…

I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Lee). Without objection, it is so ordered.

I want to thank Senator Wyden for his work on the Customs bill that we will be debating, the bill to which he is referring, especially his amendment that we worked on, the prohibition of child labor, closing an 85-year loophole, if you…

Thank you, Mr. President. The trade package we are considering today is missing important provisions that support American companies and American workers. We cannot have trade promotion without trade enforcement. Even supporters of…

I would just ask, the four bills that we passed in committee--African growth and opportunity, trade adjustment assistance, trade promotion authority, and the Customs bill--all passed out of committee by strong bipartisan majorities, right…

some in this body seem to be on the verge of approving the largest trade deal in our Nation's history with little debate, one rushed hearing, and barely any understanding of what we are signing on to. The last time Congress considered…

I think it is also important to always put it in the context of when we went into Iraq.

Thank you for holding this hearing. Dr. Shulkin, thank you for being here, and Ms. Council, thank you for testifying and for your willingness to serve our country.

We will act legislatively if we need to. We should not have to, and we expect not to have to.

I would ask, if you are confirmed, if you would work with the VHA to interpret the law so that veterans who are enrolled in the program are able to seek treatment at a medical facility that actually offers the necessary care.

I would like to work with you in doing that better because we clearly have not in the past.

the disconnect between the Department of Defense and the VA; the evidence was sort of indicative that Defense officials... did not have all that much concern for these men and women once they left the service.

We are all hopeful that by changing the distance to forty miles driving, not forty miles as the crow flies, more veterans will take advantage of the pilot program.

I strongly believe that if the medical facility within 40 miles does not provide the specific treatment required by the veteran, that veteran should be able to seek outside medical care.

We had a significant--thank you for that. We had a number of problems when I first came to the Senate almost a decade ago in Dayton, one of the oldest VAs in the country.

on behalf of Senator Leahy, I ask unanimous consent that Aaron Locke, an intern on his personal office staff, be granted Senate floor privileges for Thursday, April 30, 2015. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered…

it has been more than a year since the Food and Drug Administration issued its proposed tobacco deeming regulations. These regulations would give the Agency the same regulatory authority it currently has over traditional tobacco cigarettes…