I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. ____________________

today we are going to vote on last year's unfinished business. We are going to vote on a continuing resolution that will fund the government through this fiscal year, which ends on September 30. The proposal we have before us in order to…

the American credit card is maxed out. We continue to add about $1 trillion or $1.5 trillion to that credit card every single year to where it is now at $14 trillion. The amazing thing is, right now it is about noon, and between now and…

tomorrow night at midnight, unless steps are taken, we will be facing a government shutdown. When I say steps are taken, steps are taken to avoid that. That can happen one of two ways: That could be an agreement that funds the government…

in a couple of hours from now the Senate will vote on the Inhofe-McConnell amendment which would prevent the EPA from moving forward with dangerous--I said ``dangerous,'' but certainly harmful to business and certainly costly--greenhouse…

this Friday we run out of the current-- which is now the sixth continuing resolution--short-term continuing resolution which we have been operating under since the end of the fiscal year, which was September 30 of last year. We started a…

I want to thank you for holding today's hearing on how increasing energy prices are impacting farm and ranch families across this country.

I would like to thank Senator Hutchison for her determination to improve bus safety. She and Senator Brown have been committed to advancing bus safety legislation since 2007.

Bus safety improvements have been delayed for too long, but I am encouraged that we can move forward to reduce preventable crashes and to protect passengers when accidents do occur.

This is the year this is going to happen.

These rulemakings would require updates to bus safety technologies.

These tragic, yet seemingly preventable fatalities have devastated families and communities.

Using the new test does 'raise the bar' for proficiency testing.

They lost loved ones and turned that grief into action.

I rise also to speak to the issue of the health care reform bill, which my colleague from Arizona has pointed out is now seeing its 1-year anniversary. I think it is good to put in perspective the issues most Americans care about. As I…

I rise to talk about our Nation's security and what the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, ADM Mike Mullen, recently said is the greatest threat to America's future. He mentioned not too long ago that the greatest threat to America's…

I am here particularly, too, because Ann Begeman is appearing before this committee.

Ann has... an extraordinary record of accomplishment over a long period of time.

I am pleased to join this morning's nomination hearing.

I want us to remember why we are here. The reason we are here right now debating this issue is because last year the Democratic majority failed to pass a budget. They did not pass a budget and did not pass a single appropriations bill…

I certainly would not want these employees to sustain a tax increase just to switch from paper to plastic.

The bottom line is we have an opportunity to fix our broken-down infrastructure to get millions of workers back on the job.

I am particularly concerned by the $50 billion up-front transportation infrastructure plan for 2012 that sounds very much like another stimulus program.

In a time of tight budgets and fiscal constraint, we simply cannot impose new taxes or fees on the American people and our businesses who are still struggling to emerge from a deep recession.

It is a short-sighted view in my estimation. It ignores past achievements like the George Washington Bridge, which was built during the Depression.