I thank the Chair. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Ayotte). Under the previous order, there will now be 2 minutes of debate equally divided prior to a vote in relation to amendment No. 474, offered by the Senator from Vermont. The Senator from…

I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The amendment is as follows: (Purpose: To establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund to protect Medicaid…

I don't know whose budget Senator Cornyn is presenting, but it is certainly not the President's budget. The President's budget recommends raising the minimum wage, and that is not in Senator Cornyn's proposal. The President's budget…

I wish to thank Senator Inhofe for his remarks on infrastructure. I hope we can all work together for what I would suspect every Member here sees as a serious problem. But this amendment says let's not kick the can down the road. Our…

this is a very important amendment, and I hope the American people listen carefully to what is in it. As Senator Hatch indicated, it protects current beneficiaries. In other words, they are not going to cut benefits for those currently on…

I appreciate Senator Fischer offering her side-by-side on equal pay. I am glad to see that this is, in fact, a stronger amendment than what my Republican colleagues have offered in the past. However, this amendment still does not go far…

Senator Portman's amendment touches upon a serious issue that I hope and expect will have broad bipartisan support, and that is the needs of children with serious chronic conditions. In the United States, over 3 million children have…

How much time remains on the Democratic side? The PRESIDING OFFICER. There is 6\1/2\ minutes.

if Senator Cornyn wishes to bring a proposal that has 2 years of free community college to the floor, which is in the President's budget, I invite my friend to do that. Is the Senator from Texas up for that? If Senator Cornyn wants to…

this amendment is very clear, unlike the Hatch amendment. This amendment says we do not support cuts to Social Security--not for current beneficiaries, not for future beneficiaries. That is what this amendment is about. The PRESIDING…

In the year 2015, it is unacceptable that women are still earning substantially less than men for doing the same work.

I ask unanimous consent to set aside the pending amendment to call up my amendment No. 474. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection? Without objection, it is so ordered. The clerk will report. The senior assistant legislative clerk read…

I thank the Senator from Rhode Island not only for his important remarks but for the work he has been doing for years to protect and defend Social Security. Let's be clear about a number of facts. When people jump up and say Social…

this is a very important amendment, and I hope the American people are listening. Social Security is probably the most important Federal program ever developed in the modern history of this country. It is an enormously popular program, and…

first I wish to thank Senator Wyden for his remarks. I concur with what he said, and I thank him for cosponsoring the amendment on infrastructure that we will be voting on in a few minutes. Senator Wyden and I understand that you cannot be…

I rise in very strong support of Senator Mikulski's amendment on equal pay for equal work for the women of our country. Senator Mikulski has been a tireless advocate for policies that bolster the American middle class and has been a…

how much time do we have remaining? The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator has 20 seconds remaining.

this is a pretty simple and straightforward amendment. Senator Ayotte mentioned a moment ago we have had problems at the VA. No question about it; veterans have waited too long to get the timely and quality care they need. What this…

Senator Portman's amendment touches on a very serious issue that I believe has broad bipartisan support, the need to deal with children who have serious, chronic conditions. In fact, over 3 million kids in this country have medically…

I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection? Without objection, it is so ordered. (The amendment is printed in today's Record under ``Text of Amendments.'')

I yield 5 minutes to the Senator from Michigan, Ms. Stabenow. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Michigan.

I call up amendment No. 323, which is at the desk. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report. The legislative clerk read as follows: The Senator from Vermont [Mr. Sanders], for himself and Mr. Wyden, proposes an amendment numbered 323.

let me just reiterate what I said a moment ago. The wealthiest people in this country are doing phenomenally well. Ninety-nine percent of all new income created in America today is going to the top 1 percent. Those people are doing great…

in a moment I am going to yield for Senator Kaine, but before I do that, I just want to make a few points based on the remarks from my friend, the Senator from Texas, Mr. Cornyn. When Senator Cornyn talked about military spending--and how…

I thank Senator Stabenow not only for her remarks this evening but for the great work she has done on the Budget Committee, and I certainly concur with the thrust of what she is saying. Our middle class is struggling, and the wealthiest…