like everyone else in America, we need to tighten our belts and learn how to do more with less. For the first time in over 8 years in the Senate, we will reduce spending in an area of the budget known as entitlement spending--for the first…

I further ask consent that following the disposition of S. 1932, there then be 1 hour of debate equally divided between the two leaders or their designees for debate only and that following that time the Senate proceed to a vote on the…

Let me make a statement now. I ask unanimous consent my statement be made on our time on the reconciliation. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered. ____________________

a couple of things. First, we do not want to delay any votes that will delay when we finally are able to depart. Within the next 48 hours we will have a number of votes. We will work on scheduling so we can let people know with certainty…

indeed, he is going to do his very best. Votes tomorrow, where the other side of the aisle causes us to have rollcall votes on motions to proceed and then cause us to file cloture, make it difficult. I was ready to get out 2 days ago. If…

And with regard to that, we have a number of nominations, we have a number of judges, as well, we very much would like to be able to address. There are other issues with regard to the PATRIOT Act, Labor-HHS. We have a lot to do, all of…

tomorrow we are moving to finish our final business. We have several critical matters to dispose of before we break for the holidays, and there will be, as we said earlier, a series of rollcall votes on the deficit reduction conference…

Thomas Friedman, in his book ``The World Is Flat,'' concludes that jobs in this country--and he says this with a backdrop of global competitiveness--ultimately depend on education of our young people. More specifically, jobs of the future…

I will return later tonight to make further announcements about the schedule for tomorrow. I wish to emphasize what the distinguished minority leader has said. There will be a lot of votes tomorrow. We will begin voting around 10 minutes…

my goal would be to be out, for sure, tomorrow. I think we can work on that. I appreciate the appeal from that side of aisle to be out tomorrow. We can't have obstruction. Getting the votes done and finishing everything tomorrow would be a…

I do not, but we will be able to decide shortly after talking among everyone when that vote will be. For sure we will have these cloture votes tomorrow morning. We need to make sure all Members are back for the postcloture votes with…

our intention has been to go to the Omnibus deficit reduction bill, but apparently not all the papers are in order at this juncture; therefore, we will postpone that for a bit of time, although as soon as that paperwork is available I will…

in a few moments--there are a few details being worked out in the next few seconds--we will be moving to hopefully get the clock started on the omnibus deficit reduction bill. As our colleagues know, as I outlined this morning, we have 10…

we have returned this evening to session awaiting various conferences to finish their work and for House action on the remaining conference reports. We need to remain in session this evening in case those conference reports do become…

tomorrow we expect to have the remaining conference reports from the House of Representatives. Much of the activity tonight and all of the activity over the course of the day has been the generation of those conference reports. Since…

a very brief comment on this time of year, with a few reflections on a very special time--Hanukkah. Earlier this year, I had the opportunity, once again, to visit the State of Israel. I say without reserve, the land of Israel touches my…

through the Chair, I know it has not passed the House yet. I will have to check and see what the current status is on the Department of Defense authorization. I will have to check and see what the current status of that is. It was my…

I think that is a perfect goal and that we mutually share that, that we could start voting as early as Monday morning. Since we will be in tomorrow, if we can update that because most of our--many of our Senators are out around the…

I want to make a very brief statement on an issue that I believe requires action before we leave. It is something we have addressed on the floor of the Senate, actually in several different capacities, but I want to restate the importance…

Defense appropriations will likely be tomorrow. There are several items that remain to be wrapped up. Most of the meetings over the course of last night and today have been with the objective of having that wrapped up as soon as possible…

today I do not anticipate a lengthy session, but we are here for important work. We need to pass a short- term continuing resolution, and we are waiting for the House to send us a joint resolution. We expect to clear a package of…

Tomorrow, we will return to session to continue to work on the remaining business before we leave. We will need to come in tomorrow in anticipation of the conference reports which will arrive from the House. I do not believe we will need…

we will be finishing tonight. I say that because we will be leaving the floor tonight, but there is a lot of work going on here in the Nation's Capital as we try to bring to closure the Nation's business for this first session. So a lot of…

this bill, the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005, is a hugely important bill that is now passed and, once signed by the President, will save lives. There is amazing, remarkable work with these cord blood transplants. Cord…

as I stated earlier this morning and yesterday, I oppose a short-term extension of the PATRIOT Act. The House opposes such an extension. The President will not sign such an extension. Why? Because extending the PATRIOT Act for a short…