Every other refugee problem in the world is being displaced by Syria, so the World Food Program is being devastated by Syria.

I think there is bipartisan support for trying to do a better job in terms of assimilating non-terrorist refugees in the United States.

What I am trying to lay out is that the worst is yet to come.

I think America has a pretty good track record of assimilating people.

Yes. Reserving the right to object, to my good friend from Illinois, all I can say is that the normal way the Senate has operated for a couple of hundred years has been destroyed this year, and asking that normalcy come about now is beyond…

Senator Ayotte mentioned this Washington Post editorial. The Washington Post is, in my view, a very good newspaper. I like the editorial board. They have been right on Syria and a lot of other issues. Sometimes we disagree, that is for…

The Presiding Officer is from Virginia, and I know he understands military men and women very well. It is a very patriotic State when it comes to their military footprint. I am confident that he and I--and others--will be able to fix the…

I ask unanimous consent to be able to engage the Senator from New Hampshire in a colloquy for about 20 minutes. I would appreciate it if the Presiding Officer would let us know when the 20 minutes has expired. I would like to discuss the…

I think the whole Middle East is going in the wrong direction at warp speed. Congress has some obligation to speak up, to do something about it, and to try to help the administration when we can. No. 1, a new round of sanctions, if we…

I think what the Senator has just described--the litany of chaos and mayhem spread by the Iranian regime that he knows probably better than anyone because he spent so much time there--it is Hezbollah but also Hamas. They are all in. The…

Now, here is the question. It is a good question. If they had a nuclear weapon, would they be likely to end such activity or would they be more effective in expanding it? Mr. McCAIN. May I interrupt? I forgot one aspect of Iranian behavior…

Well, I think the point Senator McCain is making is dead- on. Is it not true that our government has designated the Iranian regime--their government--as one of the largest state sponsors of terrorism in the world? Is that correct? Mr…

Well, the Senator is right. This interim agreement has not been implemented yet. They have 6 months to reach a final agreement but also an additional 6 months beyond that--a year, basically--to drag out these negotiations. The Senator…

Senator McCain is absolutely right. The interim deal does not dismantle the centrifuges. They are spinning as we talk. They disconnect, not dismantle, some advanced centrifuges that have been installed. What people need to realize is that…

what I am trying to do is this: We were told to come down here at 4 o'clock. I was glad to be able to discuss things earlier. So what I would like to talk about, with the Chair's permission, is the military retiree provision. The PRESIDING…

I think the Senator is absolutely right. We have a legislative process that could rise to the occasion if we would use it. For 200 years we have been doing business a certain way, and the Senate is changing, all for the worse. Like I say…

We need to fix it. We are creating a lot of anxiety for people who are going through enough anxiety. I hope we can rise to the occasion here at the end.

No one party can get you there. This is the way you have run the place. What happens when you fill up the tree? You cannot fix things. Here is what is wrong with that. You cannot fix the things that politically are bad for you and expect…

Just to respond, I think this is what happens when you are trying to get something done late in the year. We are all adults. We have had months to deal with these issues. I sort of hate the fact that you are dealing with important things…

The unraveling effect is what people worry about. If you fix it for the military retirees, what about the civilians? I am willing to look at that. But the bottom line is they fought hard. They fought long. They have earned what they got…

In all honesty, the provision does not take effect for a year or two. But I think what the Senator is saying is so important. Why leave any doubt in people's mind? They have enough to worry about already. Life is hard for all of us. For…

That is a good question. The best way is to fix it before it passes, and we have until January 15. Nobody wants to shut the government down. Again, the budget deal is just about numbers. We have to actually appropriate. But I think we…

I do. Before I do, I wish to say that the Senator from Mississippi asked a question in our conference: Tell me what this costs our retirees. All of us on the Republican side looked at him, me included--me included--I didn't have a clue how…

I thank the Chair. No. 1, I wish to say to our budget chairman we had a very good discussion with Senators Chambliss and Isakson about trying to figure out a way to fix this provision in the budget deal. I am very disappointed we can't…

I thank my colleague very much. My first thought is that America is not nearly as aware as we should be about the threats of a cyber attack that could come from a terrorist organization, a nation state, or a criminal enterprise. We are a…