It does indeed. I was disappointed by the fact that in the Judiciary Committee, on which the Senator and I both serve, we had a lot of amendments. I do not remember exactly how many votes we had in the committee, but it was in the dozens…

Yes. In fact, I find it appalling. I find it repugnant to the system of government under which we are supposed to be operating. I find it even repugnant to article VI in the Constitution, which makes clear that there is one kind of…

One of the distinguishing characteristics of a democracy is that you have choices, you have options. I am not intimately familiar with the inner workings of the Soviet government. But I have it on good authority that they had elections in…

That is exactly right. The movement described is a spontaneous grass roots movement that started in 2009 in response to an observation that swept across the country that the Federal Government has become too big and too expensive, in part…

There certainly are some similarities. I will point out at the outset there are some differences, one of them being we have, fortunately, actually had the text of this for a little bit longer than I think Congress had the text of the…

The Senator mentioned a few moments ago that in some circumstances there has been some indication that perhaps the Secretary of Homeland Security believes she is above the law. In some respects, when reading through this bill, we can…

I guess it wasn't tough enough and they are trying to make it even tougher. Yes, that is an interesting point. A lot of people got caught up in that kind of mindset even before the bill was released. The Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce, an…

Yes. Yes. One of the most galling aspects of this entire debate and what has occurred today, as this amendment is being crafted behind closed doors in secret, we have had dozens and dozens of amendments that are written, that have been…

if I may ask my friend from Vermont, we would love to see us move forward. Why don't we both propose three of our respective side's top amendments, come up with a unanimous consent agreement right now, and there would be six amendments we…

I certainly share the concern of my friend and colleague from Colorado, and I thank him for his remarks. We do, as an institution, have an alarmingly low approval rating. I have even said we are slightly less popular in America than the…

I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Heitkamp). Is there objection?

It certainly would have been the case that had we started voting earlier today, I think we could have gotten through the list. I was surprised by what our friend from Vermont said a few minutes ago, suggesting that Republicans have held up…

I suppose in that respect all Senators are equal, but some are simply more equal than others. It is disturbing that happens from time to time, when we discover that the equality that is supposed to serve as the hallmark of this…

Perhaps it is for that reason that for many people the pathway to citizenship component of this bill is perhaps the single most contentious issue. I don't think there is any issue that even comes close to the pathway to citizenship in…

It is interesting. When I have individuals and groups come through my office telling me they would like me to support this bill, I ask them, of course, why. Inevitably they will point to usually just one or two of the countless provisions…

That is one of the reasons why I think if we were to break it up into its constituent parts and debate and vote on each one as a separate bill, I think the American people would be better served. I think more of the American people would…

We will see, indeed. There have been just a couple of occasions when I have seen the Senate work as I think it should work and casting a lot of votes. That is how it is supposed to function. That is the kind of body we all thought we were…

I think that is an important observation my friend has made. In so many ways, this practice that the Senator has described--a practice that results in minimizing rather than maximizing the number of votes we cast--has as its ultimate…

this amendment, if enacted, would require fast-track congressional approval at the introduction of the Department of Homeland Security strategies before the award of registered provisional immigrant--or RPI--status begins and at the…

I ask unanimous consent to call up amendment No. 1208. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The clerk will report the amendment. The legislative clerk read as follows: The Senator from Utah [Mr. Lee] proposes an…

amendment No. 1208 would require fast-track congressional approval at the introduction of the Department of Homeland Security border security strategies before the award of registered provisional immigrant, or RPI, status--before the…

We are talking about a procedural strategy. We are not even talking about an outcome here. We are talking about the full utilization of the procedural rights of each and every Member of this body. We have been asked to give our consent and…

in that case, I object. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard. The Senator from Virginia.

this week we continue a very important discussion about how to fix our broken immigration system. One of the most important concerns we have is that the border is simply not secure. Despite the fact that this assertion is almost…

Is my colleague suggesting that we stop altogether the practice of issuing U.S. treasuries to finance the operations of government or is he suggesting that we go without a budget or that we simply halt the issuance of Treasury instruments…