I want to note that right at this moment there are Senators of this esteemed body who are doing something that is not so esteemed. They are working to put into some of the must-pass legislation that we will be considering today and in the…

I know my colleague and I have talked about this--the number increases. I will say something like the CFPB has returned $3 billion, and my colleague will say: Oh, Senator, it is now $5 billion. And when I say it is $5 billion, my colleague…

So $11 billion in returns. I believe that number includes real cash returned to individuals but does not include the vast savings that have come from families who were never cheated in the first place.

I thank my colleague so much for presenting this idea before she came to the U.S. Senate and for helping--well, stepping in to be the initial Director, getting it up and running, and now being here to make sure we defend its ability to…

Thank you, Mr. President. I ask unanimous consent to conduct a colloquy with my colleagues from Massachusetts and Florida for roughly the next 30 minutes. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Appropriations Bills and…

I thank my colleague from Rhode Island for his comments and insights. Now we are going to turn to the Senator from Massachusetts. We will be delighted to hear her thoughts on this challenge of taking serious issues related to the Wall…

I thank the Senator very much. Mr. President, as we have heard from this colloquy--and I appreciate that Bill Nelson was here earlier, the Senator from Florida, to discuss his insights on these dark-of-night policy riders designed to…

One of the things we have a lot of concern about is making sure that predatory mortgages don't return. They were a key product in helping drive the collapse in 2007-2008. We are concerned those could return if the ability of the CFPB to…

I appreciate the remarks of the senior Senator from Massachusetts, who has brought so much personal research in the course of her career and passion and insight to this battle and who put forward the idea of the Consumer Financial…

7 years ago Wall Street imploded, sending us into a recession that we hadn't seen since the Great Depression. While our economy has slowly bounced back, the memory of that crisis is still fresh in the minds of many Americans, millions of…

I ask unanimous consent that my intern Jeff Slyfield and my intern Maria Givens be given privileges of the floor for the remainder of the day. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. ____________________

7 years ago, Wall Street came closer to imploding than at any other time since the Great Depression. Wall Street had stacked the deck for themselves and against consumers by turning a banking system that in the past had helped families and…

Let's address the core issue. Let's look at the fact that there are enormous economic consequences, that global warming is a huge assault on our rural resources.

I ask unanimous consent that my intern, Zachary Fergus, have privileges of the floor for the balance of the day. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Montana…

Thank you very much, Mr. President. I rise today to oppose the Congressional Review Act to derail the Clean Power Plan. It was Theodore Roosevelt who said, ``Of all the questions that can come before this nation, short of the actual…

I rise to recognize the damage global warming is doing to our beautiful blue-green planet and talk about a specific bill, the keep it in the ground bill, that can be part of the way we successfully address global warming. There is no doubt…

I ask unanimous consent that my intern, Peter Narby, be granted the privileges of the floor for the balance of the day. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

My colleague from New Mexico is absolutely correct. For these 50 years that he noted, the Land and Water Conservation Fund has protected millions of acres of our land, including playgrounds and parks, our most treasured national…

I rise today to speak about an issue that affects the health of our children in every single State. I ask unanimous consent that after I have completed my remarks, Senator Blumenthal, Senator Markey, Senator Boxer, and Senator Warren be…

reserving the right to object, I will note that we secured this language an hour ago. We have no complete insight on the impact of the language, and this is language more appropriately debated in the committee process. I wish to ask my…

I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 270, S. 2165, a bill to permanently authorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund; that the bill be read a third time and passed and the motion to…

Here we are with this paralyzed process where a few individuals say: You know, I guess it is not important to get toxic cancer-causing items out of our household products. Also, it is not important that our States get flexible funds to…

I absolutely share the Senator's perspective on this. In terms of the Toxic Substances Control Act, TSCA, or the Lautenberg Act, as we now call it, this is an effort to remove--and you have championed this in a bipartisan way. You have…

I ask unanimous consent that my intern Bria Justus, who is participating in a shadow day, have privileges of the floor for the balance of the day. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. ____________________

I would like very much to thank my colleagues for coming to the floor and speaking to this issue, my colleagues from Connecticut, Senator Blumenthal; from Massachusetts, Senator Markey; and Senator Warren, also from Massachusetts. I must…