I suggest the absence of a quorum. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll. The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.

I object. Some Members on my side of the aisle have concerns about certain aspects of the Senator's amendment, so on their behalf, I object to setting aside the pending amendment. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.

today, in that same spirit, I urge all Senators to come together to confirm Loretta Lynch to be our next Attorney General and the first African-American woman ever to hold this position. The delay of her confirmation is unprecedented and…

a few minutes ago I was talking about why I had hoped that after 121 days we could finally have a vote on the confirmation of Loretta Lynch to be Attorney General. She has been supported by leading Republicans and Democrats. She has been…

I welcome the Senate's action today to confirm two well-regarded practitioners to important leadership positions charged with protecting and promoting intellectual property. Michelle Lee, who is nominated to serve as the Director of the…

what is the parliamentary situation? The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senate is in morning business until 5 p.m.

this past weekend, Americans gathered in Selma, Alabama. They did that to mark the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. Many of us are old enough to remember that day when hundreds of brave men and women marched across the Edmund Pettus…

nearly 4 months ago--not 4 weeks ago but 4 months ago--President Obama announced his intention to nominate Loretta Lynch to be our country's next Attorney General. I had the privilege of attending that White House ceremony. In fact, I took…

I suggest the absence of a quorum. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Toomey). The clerk will call the roll. The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.

In January, Ms. Lynch testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee for nearly 8 hours. She has now responded to nearly 900 questions for the record. I have been here 40 years and I have a hard time remembering somebody who has answered…

The reason I ask that, I look at what happened 9/11 and hindsight is always 20/20, but you look at the mistakes made where people were not listened to, where dots were not connected.

You do not believe that the right to judicial review would jeopardize national security.

The Department of Justice has recommended expanding the number of persons who whom a protected disclosure could be made.

Lake Champlain means a lot to us. This has been a non-partisan issue in Vermont.

I started raising years ago the question of what has happened with white-nose syndrome, putting money into various budgets on it.

I am concerned about maintaining economic incentives for private landowners to own and maintain forest habitat.

What is happening with the bats is creating a huge ecological problem to half of the continental U.S.

One of the final acts of the 113th Congress was to approve legislation designating over 46 miles of the Missisquoi and Trout Rivers in Vermont as wild and scenic.

If you have strong whistleblower protection, do you believe that would also give us better national security, not less national security?

If we lose these bats, it is going to cost our farmers in a whole lot of States, 25 States, billions of dollars in pesticides and everything else, as well as ecological problems.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to thank you for holding this hearing.

I sometimes think you have cloned yourself because you have to protect our natural resources and you have to manage them.

last week marked the end of Francis Brooks' tenure as the sergeant-at-arms of the Vermont State House. The position of sergeant-at-arms is one of great importance, playing a pivotal role in maintaining the order and decorum that Vermonters…

this weekend the United States will mark the 50th anniversary of the march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. Those of us who are not old enough to remember 50 years ago have read the history. Those of us who were old enough at that time…

I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning business. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Lynch Nomination