in the midst of fall celebrations such as Halloween or, for fans in Washington and Houston, the World Series, I want to take a moment to highlight another important annual celebration that occurred last week: Bat Week. It is fitting that…

I want to recognize Kathleen ``Kathy'' Ott, who recently retired from her role as the Director of the Library of Congress' Congressional Relations Office after 11 years of dedicated service to the Library and to Congress. Appointed in 2008…

Vermont sets the gold standard for the maple industry, and maple is integral to our State's economy and to our State's identity. The Vermont families and businesses that keep this sector vibrant and viable are also an essential part of the…

earlier this year, Vermonters who are expanding and elevating one of Vermont's most honored products-- cheese--were recognized with a record number of ribbons at the American Cheese Society's 36th Annual Awards competition in Richmond, VA…

I see my friend, the senior Senator from Alabama, on the floor. I want to offer my praise for him because we are going to vote on final passage of the fiscal year 2020 Senate Commerce, Justice, and Science appropriations bill, the…

today, the Senate is going to vote on whether to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to a package of appropriations bills that will include the Senate Defense appropriations bill, and the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, and…

today I am proud to honor the contributions of farm to school programs around the country by introducing a resolution that designates October as ``National Farm to School Month.'' I am glad Senators Collins, Brown, and Perdue joined me in…

as the Senator knows, Senator Shelby and I have been working very hard on the appropriations bills. I commend his staff and my staff for all the work they have done. It is not just the bill's first page and the number at the end that…

I don't see the Senator from Kentucky on the floor, but I will speak briefly in opposition to it as I know many others feel the same. His amendment will slash spending below the Bipartisan Budget Act, which we all negotiated, by over $14…

I ask for the yeas and nays. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second? The clerk will call the roll. The bill clerk called the roll.

today is World Polio Day, and I want to comment briefly about the funding to support global polio eradication efforts in the Senate version of the fiscal year 2020 Department of State and Foreign Operations appropriations bill, which was…

the travel section of the New York Times on Sunday, October 6, 2019, included a lengthy article about the extraordinary music of Cuba and the rich culture that has developed over many generations around the creation and performance of…

as the distinguished senior Senator from Alabama has said, we are going to be voting soon on our ``domestic minibus.'' We will vote on a cloture motion to proceed to H.R. 3055. I understand that once we are on the bill, Chairman Shelby is…

I understand we are waiting for another Senator, and when he arrives, of course, I will yield. H.R. 3055 Mr. President, I was just talking with the distinguished senior Senator from Alabama a couple of minutes ago. I know he has spoken…

I ask unanimous consent that Bob Ross, a detailee on the Agriculture Subcommittee, Faisal Amin, a detailee on the Interior Subcommittee, and Olivia Matthews, an intern on my Appropriations Committee, be granted floor privileges for the…

oceans, lakes, and rivers across our planet are filled with debris that litters shorelines and threatens public health, navigation safety, wildlife, and the environment. This debris causes serious damage to the health of ocean ecosystems…

I am pleased that the fiscal year 2020 appropriations bill for the Department of State and Foreign Operations was reported unanimously by the committee earlier today. There is a great deal in the bill that the American people can feel good…

today we remember and remind the world that nearly 1 year has passed since the premeditated murder of Jamal Khashoggi by the Saudi Government. That horrific crime, carried out so brazenly as if it were just a routine job, exposed the true…

I have been honored to know and work with many of the leaders in our military. One of the absolute finest I have known is General Joseph F. Dunford, Jr., the outgoing Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. I have known General Dunford for…

today the Senate is going to be voting on the motion to instruct conferees for the National Defense Authorization Act to backfill the military construction money the President stole from our troops to pay for his wall--a wall that he gave…

I agree with my distinguished colleagues from Washington State and New Mexico for what they have said. Sometimes casting a vote on the Senate floor is just a matter of course. It is something we do routinely, often without considering the…

killings of environmental defenders are shockingly common in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. The assassination of Berta Caceres in Honduras 3 years ago, orchestrated by top officials of a hydroelectric company and carried out by retired…

later today, we are going to vote on whether to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to H.R. 2740, the House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Defense, State, Foreign Operations, and Energy and Water Development…

throughout my years in the Senate, I have met with people from around the world who have been persecuted by their own governments, but the stories I have heard from survivors and family members of the victims of China's efforts to silence…

I ask unanimous consent to proceed as in morning business for up to 10 minutes. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.