I ask unanimous consent to be recognized for 5 minutes at the conclusion of Senator Johnson's remarks. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection? Without objection, it is so ordered.

today I am introducing the bipartisan LIHEAP Protection Act, along with my colleagues Senator Snowe from Maine and Senator Sanders from Vermont, and many of our colleagues on both sides of the aisle. I am pleased to see such broad support…

You cannot undermine all of these regulatory structures and then expect to have very low capital levels because there is no protection for the taxpayer.

I think that capital is central here.

I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning business. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. PAYROLL TAX CUT AND UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION

I rise today to urge my colleagues to extend and expand the payroll tax cut and to fully extend unemployment compensation insurance immediately. The payroll tax cut and full extension of unemployment insurance are two of our best tools for…

Bank regulation is looking at the solvency of the bank. SEC regulation is looking at things like conflict of interest.

I am not against raising the level. Maybe it should be adjusted.

Eroding investor protections can have a deleterious effect on investor confidence and actually, and ironically, reduce investment in our capital markets.

To be effective, knowledge of the facts must be actually brought home to the investor.

If they 'go dark,' bad things happen in the dark.

I thank you, and I thank the Senator from Delaware. As I have indicated, I would like to make some comments about how I think we can improve and clarify the legislation that was adopted last evening by unanimous consent. But, first, let me…

if it is in order, I would like to speak on the bill. Last evening we passed the Leahy-Graham amendment, which would, by law, make the head of the National Guard Bureau a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. As we go forward in our…

I rise in support of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012. I wish to commend Senator Levin and Senator McCain for their leadership in bringing this piece of legislation to the floor. All my colleagues in the Armed…

today I am introducing the PCAOB Enforcement Transparency Act of 2011 along with Senator Grassley. One of the largest securities frauds in history began unraveling in August 2001 when an Enron vice president expressed her concern that the…

I rise to underscore a crucial challenge facing our Nation. There are 14 million Americans who are looking for work. Six million have been unemployed for more than 6 months, and the average length of unemployment is 40 weeks, the longest…

today I introduce the National Guard Technician Equity Act to correct inconsistencies in the dual-status technician program. Over 48,000 National Guard dual-status technicians serve our Nation. They are a distinct group of workers, as…

We actually could have force-on-force conflict.

Just to try to, in my own mind, at least, clarify, these contracts were approved by FHFA, not by the Department of Treasury, is that correct?

we do not want to compromise the independence of FHFA, but we do not want an agency that is paralyzed because of the complexity of the issues they face

Are they moving aggressively to fulfill your recommendations and to correct this, and do they have the resources to do it?

But as you suggested, going forward we still have a relationship in terms of FMS, in terms of not only our diplomatic presence, but there is always the possibility, because that is not precluded by the 2008 SOFA, of amendments which in the…

But I think, basically, the remaining question rests on this whole topic of how well they are doing maintaining the value as a conservator.

I think you will have to, because you have identified this key fault line in the Agency.

You are very clear in your September 23 evaluation that the FHFA has too few examiners.