I do not know that any of us have ever walked in the shoes of trying to raise a child with medical difficulties earning a modest amount.

I rise to address the motion to proceed we are currently debating. Essentially, this is a motion to proceed to a bill that would sustain the 3.4-percent interest rate on Stafford student loans. Earlier, we had a vote to attempt to conclude…

Should they hold their deadline solid and get those rules implemented in July?

I am not pleased to be able to introduce the Rebuilding Equity Act in order to try to capture this concept and see if we can take this forward in the Senate.

I did not know if that was a piece you were working on.

the fierce urgency of now

this is about fundamental fairness, the idea that--it is exactly as you say.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you, Mr. Secretary, for your testimony and, more importantly, your work on these many strategies to try to help address the challenge of refinancing, and particularly families underwater.

we ought to fix it looking forward as well into the future.

I absolutely take your point about this is for families being current.

I appreciate that, that separate fund.

Thank you very much again for your testimony. I join you in considering this as something we should be working on day and night until we can put it in place for the families and for our economy.

It is housing that brought us into this recession, and certainly, depending on how we manage it, it is either going to lengthen the time that we are in the economic ditch or it is going to help us find a path forward.

So here, we have homeowners who saw the Government respond vigorously and generously on helping major financial institutions, and little tweaks in the law could save a family $8,000.

I, quite frankly, was shocked by the numbers that you presented, that the monopoly strategy in HARP 2 results in the difference between--I think it was between $15,000 and $4,000 in refinancing.

I am going to continue with a different question because I will be running out of time...

I rise today to address an issue that goes to the very heart of our rural communities: our rural post offices. I am speaking while negotiations are going on regarding the Postal Service reform bill that has many dimensions to it…

I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet during the session of the…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, to conduct a hearing entitled ``Effective Strategies for Accelerated Learning'' on April 18, 2012…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 18, 2012, at 10 a.m., in room 432 of the Russell Senate Office building to conduct a…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 18, 2012, at 10 a.m., to hold a briefing entitled ``Intelligence Update on Iran and Syria.'' The PRESIDING…

I ask unanimous consent that my intern, Sarah Smurthwaite, have floor privileges for the remainder of today's session. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness of the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 18, 2012, at 2 p.m., in room 215 of the…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 18, 2012, at 10 a.m., in room SD 226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct a hearing entitled…

I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces of the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 18, 2012, at 2:30 p.m. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so…