Patty Murray

These multiagency Federal/local partnerships require cooperation and compromise, and they require a leader who can bring people with competing interests together.

He will be faced with the difficult task of balancing the need to secure our Nation's borders and ports of entry with the need to respect and preserve the civil liberties enjoyed by American citizens.

As a former police chief, Director Kerlikowske understands the importance of partnerships between Federal, State, and local law enforcement.

I want to welcome Director Kerlikowske and congratulate him on the honor of being nominated as the next Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection at the Department of Homeland Security.

Yes, the bipartisan budget agreement reached between the House and Senate replaces some of the sequester cuts that otherwise would occur in 2014 and 2015. By avoiding sequestration and reaching agreement on bipartisan funding levels for…

I am not sure--I do not object to the President pro tempore's request for 1 minute.

The Senator from Vermont is correct. It is my intent that existing contracts to use the services of not-for- profit servicers are not terminated by this bill and that they will be permitted to compete with the Department of Education's…

I thank the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. It is quite clear by the extensive work the committee has done on the U.S.-Mexico Transboundary Hydrocarbon Agreement that the committee has an expertise in international…

I thank the Senator for his question, and I appreciate his leadership as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. I understand his concerns and can assure him that the language in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 was not…

I would just state to all of our colleagues that this motion is an effort to bring this bill down----

The Senator from Pennsylvania is correct. We intended for Commerce to follow notice-and-comment rulemaking procedures in the establishment of the certification program.

The Senator from Florida is correct. That is absolutely our intention. There is nothing in law that prevents the continued public release of the Death Master File while the Commerce Department sets up the certification program. This act…

Ending this claims backlog and building a timely, accurate claims processing system is one of the absolute top priorities for our veterans.

I cannot stress enough how important it is for everyone to help us pass this agreement so that we can get away from governing by crisis and presenting another government shutdown in January and protecting our veterans as we did in the past…

I have heard some concerns from my State that a rating system could harm institutions that serve a large percentage of disadvantaged students, like our community colleges.

I know too many parents who are helping their kids fill out forms. These kids don't have a parent to help them fill out the form.

We have asked they restore those numbers.

Our system of Government is at its best when good people step up to the plate and are willing to serve.

I am very pleased to report to you that Stan Bastian was unanimously recommended by Democrats and Republicans alike to be the next Federal judge in eastern Washington.

I'm very proud of the work that's been done in my State to provide access to quality affordable coverage.

We've got to get them to return to the site--the crisis of confidence that Senator Mikulski talked about.

When we passed the Affordable Care Act, we really designed it to have States lead the way and drive market reforms by building their own marketplaces.

I would say to the chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee, that is absolutely correct.

I ask for 1 additional minute. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.

As my colleagues know, California has a grant agreement with the Department of Transportation, and California has spent funds consistent with that agreement. I was extremely careful to draft the Senate bill to ensure that California will…