I ask for the yeas and nays. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second? There appears to be a sufficient. The clerk will call the roll. The assistant legislative clerk called the roll. Mr. MERKLEY (When his name was called)…

I see my friend from Iowa on the floor, but I want to express for the record my concern about this kind of unprecedented obstruction. And it is unprecedented. I have been here 38 years, and this has never happened before, this…

I wish to speak about the Comey nomination. James Comey, Jr., should be confirmed to be our next Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. I feel it should be done without delay. Director Mueller has served very well, but his term…

what is the parliamentary situation? The PRESIDING OFFICER. The nomination of Mr. Comey to be the FBI Director.

I ask unanimous consent the quorum call be rescinded.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

last week the Department of Justice announced that the total U.S. prison population declined 1.7 percent from 2011 to 2012. I was encouraged to see that sentencing reform at the State level continues to pay dividends by simultaneously…

on Tuesday, the Senate adopted an amendment offered by the junior Senator from Louisiana, which effectively imposes a lifetime ban on individuals who have been convicted of certain serious crimes from obtaining Federal housing assistance…

10 years ago this week, Congress passed a watershed piece of legislation. The Prison Rape Elimination Act was the first comprehensive legislative effort to prevent something we had long been reluctant to even acknowledge existed--the…

today the Senate considers President Obama's nomination of Tony West to be the Associate Attorney General, the No. 3 position at the Justice Department. He is a superbly qualified veteran of the Department of Justice who has been serving…

last night, the National Museum of Women in the Arts hosted a screening of the documentary entitled, Crisis: Behind a Presidential Commitment. As we prepare to observe the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington, this important film…

more than 3 weeks have passed since interest rates on subsidized Stafford loans have doubled for students next year. Unfortunately, this rate increase has taken effect despite numerous attempts by the Senate to extend the lower rates while…

I think it is long past time that we take action and end this unfortunate chapter in our Nation's history.

As long as we keep this detention center open at Guantanamo, it will continue to serve as a recruiting tool for terrorists.

yesterday was a good day for the Senate. I want to praise the majority leader, who brought the Senate back from the brink, and the hard work of Senators from both parties who listened to each other during a lengthy discussion. In…

We cannot afford to lose it now, and it is our obligation as Senators and Representatives to continue it.

if you protect the right to vote for everybody, it is one of the greatest steps you can take to protect a democracy.

It is on an issue that affects all Americans: our right to vote.

I hope that is going to continue.

I welcome everyone to this important hearing.

Our sacred Constitution guarantees that an American citizen cannot be kept from exercising his or her God-given right to vote because of race or color.

I am committed to working to pass a constitutional response to the Shelby County v. Holder decision.

today the Senate will vote on the nomination of Jennifer Dorsey to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada. Jennifer Dorsey has spent her entire legal career at the Las Vegas, NV firm of Kemp, Jones & Coulthard…

She has argued 32 cases before the Supreme Court--I mean, that would be a career for anyone--another 36 before federal courts of appeals.

I appreciate the comments of the two Senators from Mississippi, both good friends of mine, and the two Senators from Virginia, also good friends.

I think if we have a fair hearing today, we are going to agree that these nominees are deserving of bipartisan support, all of them.