I want to take the opportunity to say a word or two while our colleagues from Alaska and Maine are here. These two colleagues, representing the far northwest and far northeast of the United States, have brought so much wisdom and so much…

I appreciate the comments of my colleague from Maryland, who has argued so well that the time has come to take a bold step in favor of equality, in favor of fairness in passing employment nondiscrimination. I too rise to speak to the…

I rise to continue the series of comments my colleagues have been making about the situation we find ourselves in at this moment, with our government shut down and with the possibility of a default on the payments of our Federal…

I ask unanimous consent to yield back all remaining time. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Hearing no further debate, the question is, Will the Senate advise and consent to the nomination…

I think the children across the country know that responsible individuals pay their bills and responsible governments pay their bills. I am sure this concept is common sense in the great State of Montana.

I am pleased to be here with my colleagues from Montana and Alaska to talk about some of the impacts in our various States. I thought I would share six or seven different aspects of the impact of a government shutdown and the potential of…

I thank my colleague from Alaska. He is correct in pointing out that essentially right now we have a shutdown tax being imposed on families and businesses across our country. Indeed, we are facing just a few days from now a default tax. A…

There is absolutely no value, no revenue raised that can be applied to the important aspects of running a government or reducing our deficit. Indeed, this is a burden on American businesses and American families that has no benefit in any…

Indeed, maybe you were planning to take out a home equity loan to repair your roof or make improvements to your house. You are going to pay a higher price. This is a default tax on all of America that does nothing productive at all. This…

If I could just emphasize the point the Senator from Montana just made, there are those who say they want to engage in a default strategy because they think it will somehow do something positive in controlling our deficit and controlling…

I ask through the Chair whether the Senator knows of any business group in Alaska that is arguing that the government shutdown strategy or the default strategy is good for business.

It is the same in Oregon. I don't think I have heard from a single business group that has argued in favor of the shutdown or default strategy. I know many businesses need the export license, and they need permission to take up the…

I appreciate my colleague from Alaska helping to organize this conversation. I must say, I think if we got 10 commonsense people in a room, they would agree to do that short-term continuing resolution. The Democrats have agreed to a…

The word's ``fiscal responsibility'' have echoed in this Chamber time after time and they have been put forward in defense of a series of strategies this year that can only be described as incredibly irresponsible. Let's turn the clock…

I really hope this point gets through to all of the colleagues on Capitol Hill of how this impacts ordinary working families, that when there is this sort of dysfunction just here in this square mile of Capitol Hill, how people across…

So it really seems like the path we are on right now is equivalent to creating a huge tax on the American economy, one that really hurts families across the board, hurts businesses, hurts employment, and yet we get nothing productive…

I ask my colleague from Alabama, if he has a moment or two more, after I read an official consent request, if he might stay for a moment and answer a question about how that budget conference committee works?

I will wrap up with a sentence or two and yield to my colleagues. Thank you for coming to the floor to continue the conversation. I think it is so important that we proceed to put our government back on track and quit careening from crisis…

the thing that puzzles me, if my colleague would still consider responding, is that there is a process on the floor of giving instructions to a conference committee. My colleague has left the floor, but the question I would have followed…

might I ask about a couple of other pieces to this puzzle. Why not, with that concern--I pass this question through the Chair to my colleague--why not, with that concern, simply ask the House delegates to carry that concern, rather than…

through the Chair, I want to pose a question about the budget conference committee. I think it is something that has puzzled a lot of people across America. We hear some folks standing and giving speeches saying for 6 months we have been…

Isn't it possible that in the name of reducing the deficit, this path could actually increase the deficit by decreasing revenues and increasing costs?

I ask unanimous consent to speak for up to 10 minutes. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. ____________________

I want to make a few comments about the crisis that is unfolding before us. Right now some colleagues in the Senate and others over on the House side are holding the entire American economy hostage to make their favorite point on policy. I…

do I need to request a specific amount of time in which to speak? Are we under any rules? The PRESIDING OFFICER. Senators are permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each.