2 years ago, I came to this floor of the Senate to talk about the rules process and nominations in particular because, even 2 years ago, we were experiencing the beginning of what I saw to be a trend. When elected to office, every…

I have 8 requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority leaders. Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following…

I ask unanimous consent to speak on the floor for up to 5 minutes. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection? Without objection, it is so ordered.

it has been interesting to hear the debate today about how heartless it would be to protect the life of a child. The debate from the other side has come out fast and furious, saying that S. 311 is about a child who is not viable and that…

in the next 24 hours, the Senate will do what it should do, which is to actually go through the process of advice and consent with a nominee--this time, for an Attorney General-- William Barr. William Barr is eminently qualified. It has…

2\1/2\ weeks ago, Democrats and Republicans--the House, the Senate, and the White House--agreed to reopen the government for 3 weeks to be able to continue negotiations on border security. A very simple statement that was made by my…

only in Washington, DC, and the Federal Government would we say that we want to do something, but we can't do something. My hope is that we will do something. Long-term, we all see it. I agree that it is the same thing that we always deal…

pending, we have an amendment of mine coming up. We have a large lands package with the Land and Water Conservation Fund, with a lot of lands, transitional properties. A lot of things are coming up in this. There are multiple reforms that…

I ask unanimous consent to speak for 1 minute. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator has that right.

the Senate often does things by unanimous consent in areas in which there is really no common disagreement. This body will do a unanimous consent to congratulate the New England Patriots for winning the Super Bowl, and, unanimously, all of…

there has been a lot of conversation about the damage to our economy and to the basic operations of government from the shutdown. Rightfully so, it is something we should talk about and spend some time trying to figure out how to manage…

On behalf of the majority leader, I object. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The objection is heard.

it is amazing how much we talk about our kids. People talk about bipartisan things here all the time. There is a bipartisan conversation often about our families and about our kids and how proud of them we are and about sharing our lives…

we are in day 20 of a government shutdown. It is exceptionally avoidable, but it is also exceptionally painful and distracting to the American people. At the USDA, the Farm Service Agency loans have stopped. TSA employees are working…

I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The Senator from Oklahoma. ____________________

I know of no further debate. The PRESIDING OFFICER. If there is no further debate, the question is on agreeing to the motion to concur. The motion was agreed to.

I move to concur in the House amendment. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The motion is pending.

the Federal Government awards more than $600 billion in grant awards--$600 billion. We actually do more in grant awards than we do in contracting. Our current system is riddled with outdated reporting mechanisms that burden grant…

I ask the Chair lay before the Senate the House message to accompany S. 943. The Presiding Officer laid before the Senate the following message from the House of Representatives: Resolved, That the bill from the Senate (S. 943) entitled…

I am a little confused when every grant- making and requesting organizations--all of the universities around the country--are requesting this. Every single Democrat in the House has already affirmed this. There does not seem to be a great…

there is an error in the way this bill is drafted. There are a lot of entities that want to be able to engage in the process of working against recidivism and make sure we can actually help those individuals who are in our prisons go…

I ask unanimous consent that the preamble be agreed to and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The…

I know of no further debate on the bill. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there further debate? Hearing none, the bill having been read the third time, the question is, Shall the bill pass? The bill (H.R. 4032) was passed.

I know of no further debate on the measure. The PRESIDING OFFICER. If there is no further debate, the question is on agreeing to the resolution. The resolution (S. Res. 707) was agreed to.

I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time.