That is quite a concern.

The legacy of the Senator from Oregon on this, with 10 years of work, is very impressive to this newer Senator. I appreciate so much what he and Senator Grassley have done over the years to begin to put an end to this practice. I think the…

You have taken a solemn oath and obligation to do impartial justice and you will honor that.

Either the hold will have been lifted, and then we can move to unanimous consent and clear these individuals who the President has nominated and get them to work for the American people or, two, the Senator who has the secret hold will…

I was proud to join him in recommending Jack McConnell to President Obama, and thank the President for recognizing in Jack McConnell the qualities that will make him a tremendous addition to the Federal bench in our state.

I, first of all, want to salute Senator Wyden of Oregon for his long work on this issue. He has been working on this issue since before I came to the Senate, before I had any experience of secret holds, and saw--as we are seeing right…

I can add my two cents on that, because I was probably even more disappointed and dismayed by the Supreme Court's decision than Jack McConnell was.

I do think that the Bible's presumption that there are turning points in a person's life when they put away things of the past and move into new responsibilities is something that is very much a part of the human condition.

You and I--you have been for me and you have been against me.

So to have 80 secret holds by one party, all at once pending in the Senate, is not consistent with the history of the use of this procedural tactic in this body.

I wish to talk for a minute about nominations and holds. The Senate's Executive Calendar contains the names of those individuals whom President Obama has nominated to serve in his administration, and those positions require Senate…

I appreciate the distinguished Senator's objection. We do have 101 nominees on the Executive Calendar. The objections have holds which are secret. They are holding up people, as I said, for an average of 106 days. While it is nice one or…

I couldn't agree with him more that the spectacle of colleagues scampering up to Wall Street to offer their services, and interfering with, obstructing, watering down, and impeding, of all things financial regulatory reform, after all we…

I want to applaud your steadfast defense of the principles of American justice as Attorney General.

I rise to describe the catastrophic flood damage in my home State of Rhode Island and to ask all my colleagues, to appeal to my colleagues, for swift action to deliver to our families and businesses badly needed aid. Rhode Island saw more…

I think his standard that we should be flexible, pragmatic, and aggressive in making those decisions is a good one.

I am very honored to have the chance to join my distinguished senior Senator Jack Reed on the floor of the Senate today to pay our respects to a friend of both of ours who has departed us. I will say a few words about our friend George…

I join my distinguished senior colleague, Senator Jack Reed, in applauding President Obama's selection of this very talented nominee. Judge Thompson's nomination has been an uncontroversial one and for good reason: She is a dedicated…

The last 2 years have seen the American economy on the brink of collapse, battered by an economic maelstrom not seen since the Great Depression and now slowly--too slowly--recovering its strength. President Obama's Recovery Act led the…

I think we're at the beginning of a process here in which a great number of interests will be engaged, but I am confident that we can find a way through.

The experience of a great number of debtors, mortgage holders, is that banks have become very difficult to work with.

I would appreciate very much, the hearing will stay open for--the record of the hearing will stay open for an additional week.

So, pretty considerable economic devastation around you, all for what one might call the want of a nail to keep the process supporting your business.

And the cost, as you have said, of the fact that the system could not accommodate you in that way has resulted presumably in fairly significant losses to your creditors.

Job retention and preservation should be, and is, the top of our legislative agenda.