I wish to thank my budget colleagues who are here with me today. They have spent many hours putting together a budget and coming to the floor with all of the Senate to work on over 100 amendments way into the middle of the night in order…

We believe that chain of command needs to change, so that someone can file a claim and not be fearful of being demoted, losing their job, not getting a good assignment, all the things that goes along with that.

The Senator is correct. Mr. McCONNELL. Parliamentary inquiry: Are we making a speech?

The Senator from Louisiana is correct. The UC I am requesting simply takes us to conference so the House and the Senate Members can agree--Republicans and Democrats alike--to work toward a bipartisan solution.

There is a UC before the Senate. If no one objects, I would be happy to answer a question.

reserving the right to object, and I will in a moment, we considered over 100 amendments on the Senate floor. All of those kinds of amendments were brought up, debated, and considered as part of the resolution, as we do on any debate. So…

I just wish to talk for a moment. I have heard a lot from my constituents that they are very tired of the dysfunction in Washington, DC. They are tired of political gridlock that impacts their businesses, their children's schools, and…

I come to the floor because I believe the great strength of our military is in the character and dedication of our men and women who wear the uniform. It is the courage of these Americans to volunteer to serve. That is the Pentagon's…

I ask unanimous consent that I speak in morning business, followed by the Senator from New Hampshire, Ms. Ayotte. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. (The remarks of Mrs. Murray and Ms. Ayotte pertaining to the…

I thank the Senator from Louisiana. I just have to say I am frustrated and shocked at the reaction of our Republican counterparts who have repeatedly--repeatedly--said to the Senate: You need to pass a budget. We did so under regular…

Having represented Eastern Washington and Fairchild Air Force Base in the Senate for more than 20 years, I know that a unique combination of resources makes Fairchild one of our Nation's top military installations.

I adamantly believe it's the wrong policy, wrong time. It needs to be replaced.

The issue in the fact that 62 percent of the sexual assault victims were retaliated against means that, when they said something, their chain of command officer made sure that they paid the price. That's just wrong.

I thank Senator Sessions, and I rise today to speak in support of Sylvia Mathews Burwell, whose nomination to be the next Director of the Office of Management and Budget was approved last week with strong bipartisan support by our Senate…

I would ask unanimous consent to speak for 5 minutes on the nomination of Sylvia Mathews Burwell. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Baldwin). Without objection, it is so ordered.

I strongly support the Administration's goal of expanding access to high-quality early learning opportunities.

And I'm hearing from some people that some air traffic control towers will be hit more in terms of operational ability.

Right. So that includes air traffic controllers, safety inspectors, and we are hearing it's going to lead to a lot of delays this summer.

We do need to hold the FAA accountable for how it spends taxpayer dollars.

Even if a capital program is fully funded, FAA still needs to have engineers there and traffic controllers on the job in order to get the work done.

So do you think it makes sense to close some down for the summer?

the FAA will furlough its air traffic controllers, close down contract towers, and delay NextGen.

I very much appreciate that.

Secretary LaHood has spoken out about the real impact these cuts will have on the FAA and our aviation system.

For too long, some members of Congress have been unwilling to reach a fair and balanced compromise on deficit reduction.