I ask unanimous consent that I may speak in morning business. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Washington is recognized. ____________________

I come to the floor once again with a simple message for Senate Republican leaders: Do your job and let me do mine. When President Obama sends us a nominee to fill this vacancy on the Supreme Court, Republican leaders need to stop playing…

While I appreciate the Department's attention to this critical issue to date and the investments in the fiscal year 2017 budget request, there is more work to be done.

the safe transport of crude-by-rail is of great importance to me and my constituents.

I come to the floor as well today to speak in support of Dr. John King's nomination to serve as Secretary of Education. This is really an important time for students when it comes to early learning. We have seen improvements, but we have…

I ask unanimous consent to speak for 5 minutes following Senator Alexander. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection? Without objection, it is so ordered.

The safe transport of crude-by-rail is of great importance to me and my constituents.

Education is such an important part of building our economy that grows from the middle out, not from the top down.

I am also pleased the budget includes $190 million for the comprehensive literacy development program that I created in the Every Student Succeeds Act.

I, as you know, have been pushing the Department for some time now to make sure that the Federal student loan servicing quality reaches the highest standards of customer service and complies with the law.

I was very proud to work with Senator Alexander, who is here as well, to find a bipartisan path to make sure all of our students have access to a quality education.

Students should not be subject to arbitration agreements. That should just be a disqualifier right from the beginning.

Our veterans, our students, our families deserve better.

I was glad to hear that, when this year's inflation factor was announced recently, HUD was better able to capture that drastic increase.

I am worried about that because the number of cases that remain unresolved for more than 180 days has increased from 315 at the end of fiscal year 2009 to 1,311 at the end of fiscal year 2015.

Not all for-profits are predatory, but there are a few that have been very misleading in the way they appeal to students.

Campus sexual assault and violence is a growing national crisis. Depending on the survey that you look at, we know that at least one in five women are being sexually assaulted while on college campus, and that is the lowest of the…

He lives with a daunting umbrella of student debt weighing on him.

I really think it's important that the Federal Government does all it can to help provide the resources in coordination with State and local authorities.

I am proud to be the lead sponsor in the United States Senate of the bill, America's College Promise.

I am really pleased the budget will increase investments in the Pell Grant program, and it would reinstate the year-round Pell Grants and establish a $300 Pell bonus for students who are on track to complete their degree program.

I just want to ask for your commitment to continue to examine that renewal funding inflation factor.

I'm going to work to continue to protect those existing vouchers and, of course, work for more.

So when do you actually expect those refunds to be issued to the borrowers themselves?

I did want to thank you, again, for your staff's hard work on the Moving to Work.