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Patrick Leahy is a former United States Senator from Vermont, serving from 1975 until 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the longest-serving senator in Vermont's history and held significant leadership roles, including President pro tempore of the Senate. Throughout his tenure, Leahy was known for his work on issues such as civil liberties, health care, and environmental protection. He played a key role in various legislative efforts, including the Violence Against Women Act and initiatives to reform the criminal justice system.
Obviously, I am not going to take the majority leader's time. Certainly, if anybody on the Republican side seeks recognition, I will immediately yield the floor to them. I was hoping they would be here. I note the chairman of the Judiciary…
I think we are doing what we did in the Schiavo matter: We are playing politics with the basic rights of people, and it is wrong. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Who yields time?
This is the way we normally have done it. I think it works best. The Senator from Colorado certainly is respecting that tradition, and I would agree with it. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Sununu). Without objection, it is so ordered.
I was going to say, if the chairman will yield, that if we move to table now, we would have to vote now. I would have no objection if the chairman would give me some idea when those votes might be.
I am not making a unanimous consent request. I am saying I am relying on the representations of the distinguished senior Senator from Pennsylvania.
I won't make a unanimous consent request. I will rely on the expertise and long experience of the chairman of the committee to get that vote in before 5:30.
I would note to the distinguished chairman, one of the reasons I agreed to this schedule, to come here and do this debate now, was that there would be a vote now. I am going to be off the Hill for a period of time around dinnertime, and I…
The amendment simply extends for 18 months the Western Hemisphere travel initiative on the northern border.
Now, are you telling me that tens of millions of Americans are involved with al Qaeda? If that's the case, we've really failed in any kind of a war on terror.
I was going to proceed for about 5 minutes, but if the Senator from Massachusetts wishes to go first, that is fine.
Is the Senator from Massachusetts seeking recognition for a unanimous consent request?
Yes, I do. And I would add that the amendment also provides that up to $8.5 million should be made available to support the activities of the United States Institute of Peace in Iraq.
If the Senator will yield a moment on that, I have commended the Senator before for his indefatigable leadership. He worked extraordinarily hard. I commit to the senior Senator from Pennsylvania that on the Democratic side we will continue…
Before we do that, I believe the distinguished Senator from Connecticut wishes to speak.
No, starting right now. We have one pending. I mentioned that several Senators, including a majority of Senators from the Republican side of the aisle, have amendments that we could be voting on.
Of course the Senator from Pennsylvania and the Senator from Vermont were both here, missing all those recesses. As much as I have enjoyed the company of my friend for over a quarter of a century, I did not enjoy it so much that I wanted…
May it be in order to ask consent that when the distinguished Senator has finished speaking, the senior Senator from Florida be then recognized to speak, all sides retaining their rights, of course, on the offering of amendments?
For offering an amendment, it would require, of course, unanimous consent. I have not included, just because it gets too complicated--that is why I wanted to work out with the distinguished chairman when such amendments might be offered…
We have a number of people who want to speak on both sides, and the distinguished chairman is here. I was going to ask unanimous consent--let me discuss one thing first before I do--to first allow the two distinguished Senators from…
One minute each prior; and I wonder if the distinguished Senator from New Hampshire would be willing to amend his unanimous consent to make it in order to ask for the yeas and nays at this point on both votes.
The understanding is that I will be done by 4:15 to accommodate the Senator from West Virginia.
I would need about 6 minutes. And that is cutting down a half-hour speech to accommodate the Senator from West Virginia, but I have been here for a couple hours ready to give this speech.
I don't want to interfere with the Senator. I see quite a few pages of remarks there. I don't want to interfere with that, but I understood the Senator from Virginia and the Senator from Arkansas were going to introduce legislation, to be…
This is in opposition to the position. I will reserve my 15 minutes for the Senator from Pennsylvania and myself.
Senator Specter, thank you for that clarification. As you are aware, there has been overwhelming support for this legislation. It has been very heartening to see such overwhelming support for this important bill. Counterfeiting is a threat…
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