In July, Ranking Member Heitkamp and myself proposed legislation to ensure that agencies plan for retrospective reviews from the outset.

I need somebody to prove me wrong on this.

How do you balance the two of those where it is we are tough on dollars to be able to do it?

Before we move on, can I ask, that economist, is that the one economist that would do the cost-benefit as well for all of this?

Senior leadership has to make the decision where they are going to invest budget dollars.

there is a football coach in Washington State. He is the head coach of the JV team, and he is the assistant coach of the varsity football team. Tonight is the last game of the season for them, but he will not be coaching on the sidelines…

people in my home State are trying to figure out what they missed on this budget deal. It was announced by the White House today that this is a great job-creating achievement, but all they see is more spending and no change in the status…

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 October 28, 2015, at 10 a.m., to…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on October 28, 2015, at 2:30 p.m., to conduct a hearing entitled ``Assessing the State of Our…

it is just past the middle of football season in America--a sad thing for a lot of us who are football fans. This is the time when some fans are thinking seriously about the playoffs and other fans start thinking seriously about trying to…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Veterans' Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on October 28, 2015, at 2:30 p.m. in room SR-418 of the Russell Senate Office Building, to conduct a hearing entitled…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on October 28, 2015, at 3:30 p.m., to conduct a hearing entitled ``Nominations.'' The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without…

reserving the right to object, I would like to ask that the consent be modified to pass a short-term extension, S. 2169, with my amendment, which is at the desk. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Does the Senator so modify his request?

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on October 28, 2015, at 2:30 p.m., in room SH-216 of the Hart Senate Office Building, to conduct a…

I object to the modification. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oklahoma objects. Is there objection to the original request?

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on October 28, 2015, at 9:30 a.m., to conduct a hearing entitled, ``The U.S. Role and Strategy in the Middle East.'' The…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on October 28, 2015, at 10 a.m., in room SR-253 of the Russell Senate Office Building. The PRESIDING…

Thank you for letting me join the conversation. The argument here is not against whether I would want or other Members would want cancer-causing items or would want to have the degradation. The problem is the degradation in our public…

Like I said, it is encouraging to hear that.

This is an issue we have to solve, and it is more than just, 'We are going to call you occasionally,' because now we are stringing someone along.

I think this is a very important topic.

That is a long 9 years of trying to fight for employees.

Do you feel like the agencies now have the understanding of the things that are in their tool kit so they can be more agile in these moments?

That is what I am trying to talk about, is how do we actually make sure in the bureaucracy and of all the different options they are chasing.

That is encouraging to hear.