I thank the Senator from New Hampshire for yielding on that point--more important, for the great work she is doing as a member of the Armed Services Committee. She has been a very active member of that committee and a strong and clear…

Mr. President, I would say to my colleagues who are here on the floor that this is a defining moment for our country. The most basic responsibility and the most important priority we have as Americans is to defend the country. If we don't…

The Senator from Alabama is correct. That is one of the remarkable things about this. The Commander in Chief, of course, is tasked with the responsibility of being just that, the Commander in Chief. Yet when it comes to the national…

I don't think the Senator from Alabama is wrong at all. In fact, that is what much of the news stories that have been printed in the last few days and reporting on the subject have said. Some of our colleagues on the other side have…

Mr. President, one of the foremost threats to our economy is the fiscal cliff. This is an issue my Republican colleagues and I have been talking about for several months now, calling for more transparency in the sequestration that will…

Madam President, before too long here we are going to be voting. We are going to have three votes, I think, on whether we are going to move forward on a tax bill. I frankly think there are things in the underlying bill that is before us…

Mr. President, when Congress began debating health care in 2009, the goal was to lower the cost of care and give Americans the care they need from a doctor they choose. Americans were promised that if they liked the insurance they had and…

Mr. President, are we in morning business? The PRESIDING OFFICER. We are in postcloture time. Health Care

Mr. President, today I wish to honor six brave airmen with the North Carolina Air National Guard who died or were seriously injured while fighting South Dakota's White Draw Fire. Lt. Col. Paul Mikeal, Maj. Joseph McCormick, Maj. Ryan…

Madam President, I come to the floor today to talk about our economy, the threat of the pending fiscal cliff, and the need to address the challenges we face. Two years ago last week, the Obama administration hailed the advent of the…

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Coburn), the Senator from Utah (Mr. Hatch), the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Kirk), the Senator from Arizona (Mr. Kyl), the Senator from Alaska (Ms. Murkowski)…

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded and that I be allowed to speak as if in morning business. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Taxmageddon