You think you are going to solve that by cutting Medicare? It is simply not right.

that is the responsible thing to do to save money; which, of course, is a preposterous and ill-informed idea.

That is an inept way of thinking about health care.

I very much appreciate the remarks of my friend, the Senator from Alaska. This is truly a bipartisan concern. There are Senators on both sides who feel very aggrieved by what took place, Senators from Alaska and Maine, on the two sides of…

I ask unanimous consent that a fellow in my office, Mr. Derek Griffing, be granted floor privileges for the remainder of this Congress. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered. ____________________

I ask unanimous consent that no points of order be in order to the Lee amendment or H.R. 152, prior to a vote on passage of the bill. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered. ____________________

I know the distinguished Senator from Alabama is waiting and I will wrap up. Peter Orszag wrote in the Providence Journal: In January 2009, [CMS] projected that expenditures would reach 19.8 percent of gross domestic product in 2017. This…

I ask unanimous consent for an additional 2 minutes. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.

we are now entering a postfiscal cliff phase of budget negotiations, and a troubling but familiar refrain is already beginning to echo through this Chamber which goes something like this: In order to fix our deficit, we must cut Medicare…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on January 24, 2013, at 10 a.m. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Select Committee on…

I also ask unanimous consent that two fellows in my office, Mr. Todd Bianco and Mr. Benjamin Cady, be granted floor privileges for the remainder of this Congress. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.

The Senator from Florida is welcome. It was one of my great pleasures to sit next to him on the Intelligence Committee for these many years. To tell a brief story, whenever Senator Nelson said, Well, I am just a country lawyer from…

I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on January 24, 2013, at 2:30 p.m. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. ____________________

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 ``Assessing the State of America's Mental Health System'' on…

I ask unanimous consent that an Army fellow in Senator Cornyn's office, MAJ Malcolm Warbrick, be granted floor privileges for the remainder of this legislative session. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.

I will yield the floor for my distinguished friend from Florida, Senator Nelson, with the understanding that I will be recognized at the conclusion of his remarks. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Florida…

Thanks to the work of the Office of the National Coordinator of Health IT and the leadership of Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, there have been tremendous advances toward creating standardized communication guidelines.

The efforts that Senator Whitehouse has championed regarding expanding coverage for Behavioral Health providers to be included in the HITECH Act are foundational to set up a different U.S. mental health system.

I ask unanimous consent that Jacqueline Emanuel, who is a fellow in Senator Mark Udall's office, be granted floor privileges for the Senate's sessions of the 113th Congress for the remainder of the month of January 2013. The PRESIDING…

I ask unanimous consent that the period for morning business be extended until 6:30 p.m. today and that all provisions of the previous order remain in effect. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

we all know in the Senate and in the House of Representatives about the low grades Congress receives in public opinion polling. Everybody knows what the public reports: Congress is partisan. Congress is divided. Congress is dysfunctional…

I think that is true, and nobody is more alert to this than the Senator from Oregon, but it is my belief there has been a little transformation in the nature of the filibuster. It always used to be the individual right of individual…

I believe the Senator has the floor, but I will stay and engage in a brief colloquy, if that is the Senator's desire.

I appreciate the point the Senator from Alabama is commenting on, and I think it is important that we recognize that is a floor or a minimum number of amendments and not a ceiling. I think the more we can allow Senators amendments, the…

That is also true. In fact, I believe there have been multiple filibusters of the various steps on the way to a conference committee, even after all amendments have been considered. So the Senator, I believe, is correct.