I rise today to speak about the real-world consequences of failing to achieve a fair and balanced solution to avert the automatic tax hikes and spending cuts that would otherwise occur at the end of December--the end of this month. Failing…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on December 13, 2012, at 10 a.m. in room 432 of the Russell Senate Office Building, to conduct a…

It is very disturbing to have a report that shows 1.4 percent negative equity in a critical fund, and this is an issue that has not suddenly emerged.

I ask unanimous consent that a detailee to the Committee on Banking, Housing, Urban Affairs, Catherine Topping, be granted the privileges of the floor for the remainder of this session. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection…

I yield the floor. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from California.

I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered. The Fiscal Cliff

we all recognize the country faces many challenges. Too many of our neighbors are still looking for work, and too often those with a job have not seen a raise in quite some time. Indeed, for many years people in Rhode Island and across the…

I would ask that a copy of his letter be entered into the record.

I want to extend my sympathies to all my colleagues whose constituencies were affected by this storm...

Providing the State fiscal relief in the form of additional Federal fiscal year through disaster and CDBG funding...

I rise today in support of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013. I wish to commend the work of my colleagues on the committee, particularly Chairman Levin, who is here, and Ranking Member McCain, for their incredible…

I want to recognize obviously my colleague Senator Whitehouse, who has been such a powerful force.

All America, our hearts literally go out to them and to their representatives who are doing so much to help them.

Despite this damage, we know the outcome for our State could have been far worse had the storm followed a slightly different track.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for yielding time to me today. I rise, Madam Speaker, in support of the proposed legislation to repeal Jackson-Vanik. To me, what this represents is an opportunity for American manufacturers and American farmers to…

Your leadership helped to prevent a large cut that was being proposed in the U.S. House of Representatives.

One of the flaws with Basel II was that there was a great deal of reliance on internal risk models, that banks were essentially grading themselves on their capital.

Senator Shelby was just as astute when Basel II was before the Committee.

And that is something that we have had in the United States, but this is a new aspect for Basel III for the whole community.

We do not have any legal obligation. It is not a treaty.

Indeed, but one of the problems which I think we mentioned with Basel II was that banks were--they were categorized, but they were the ones who were essentially evaluating their capital status.

today I am introducing the Housing Assistance for Veterans Act along with my colleague Senator Johanns. Our veterans have made many personal sacrifices in service to our nation. We must honor our commitment to provide them with the care…

today I am introducing the Mortgage Modification Outreach Act. Despite some promising indicators in the housing market, many homeowners continue to face the threat of foreclosure. In my home state of Rhode Island, 22.6 percent of mortgages…

we know that public education lays the foundation for economic growth and the ongoing vitality of our democracy. We also know that there is more work to be done to improve our schools. To achieve this goal, we need to focus on the…

But our marketplace has been evolving very quickly and it is not clear that our rules have kept up.