I am going to urge my colleagues to reject this motion to instruct. I credit Senator Stabenow's instincts to approach the question of Medicare seriously. I am sure she knows we all take Medicare's future seriously. There are some problems…

we would be willing to accept this on a voice vote, and we yield back all time. The PRESIDING OFFICER. All time having been yielded back, the question is on agreeing to the motion. The motion was agreed to. Murray Motion to Instruct The…

I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session at 2 p.m., on Thursday, April 16, to consider the following nominations: Calendar No. 1 and Calendar No. 51; that the Senate then vote without intervening action or…

I ask unanimous consent that the Special Committee on Aging be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 15, 2015, at 1:30 p.m., in room SD-562 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct a hearing entitled ``Catch…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Veterans' Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, on March 26, 2015, at 10 a.m., in room SR-418 of the Russell Senate Office Building. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without any…

For the information of all Senators, this will be the first series of votes today. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll. The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, on March 26, 2015, at 1:30 p.m., in the LBJ in the Capitol. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without any objection, it is so ordered…

I ask unanimous consent to set aside the pending amendment to call up the following amendments en bloc on behalf of Senator Sullivan: Nos. 504, 505, 506 and 1011. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The amendments…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, on March 26, 2015, at 10 a.m. to conduct a hearing entitled ``Securing the Border: Defining…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, on March 26, 2015, at 11:15 a.m. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without any objection, it is so ordered. committee on Homeland…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 26, 2015, at 9:30 a.m. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. committee on foreign relations

I would like to take this moment to recognize Dr. Douglas Elmendorf's strong service to our country and, specifically, to the Congress. He leaves the directorship of the Congressional Budget Office today after leading this important agency…

I object. The vote is set aside for 12 noon. We could have 50 more people coming down and offering additional amendments. They will have an opportunity to offer those amendments. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard. Amendment No. 881…

I ask for a ``no'' vote. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senate will come to order. The Senator from Vermont.

how much time does our side have remaining? The PRESIDING OFFICER. There is no time remaining.

I urge the Republicans to vote aye. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll. The bill clerk called the roll. The result was announced--yeas 100, nays 0, as follows: [Rollcall Vote No. 113 Leg.] YEAS--100 Alexander Ayotte…

I want to declare that Republicans are committed to fair and equal treatment of pregnant women as well. Congress passed the Pregnancy Discrimination Act in 1978 and passed the Family and Medical Leave Act in 1993. Congress may need to…

here we go again. I will be asking the Senate to vote ``no'' on this amendment. Again, Senator Durbin has some good tax reform ideas. They probably have merit, but we should deal with these ideas through comprehensive tax reform rather…

I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this amendment. Some of Senator Stabenow's tax reform ideas might have merit, but they should be dealt with in the context of comprehensive tax reform rather than as a stand-alone proposal. Otherwise…

I ask unanimous consent that the vote on the Coons amendment be moved to occur after Kirk amendment No. 545. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection? Without objection, it is so ordered. Amendment No. 928 The PRESIDING OFFICER. There…

I urge my colleagues to vote no. In the committee, Senator Stabenow heard several different versions of this amendment. None of them passed muster with the Parliamentarian. I credit the Senator's instincts to approach the question of…

I ask unanimous consent to set aside the pending amendment to call up the following amendments en bloc on behalf of Senator Lee: Amendments Nos. 750, 855, 749, 856, and 759. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The…

I ask unanimous consent to set aside the pending amendment to call up the following amendments en bloc: Hatch No. 827, Hatch No. 1025, Hatch No. 533, Hatch No. 984, and Hatch No. 535. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection? Without…

for the information of all my colleagues, it only took us 6 hours 15 minutes to do 17 votes. The next tranche has 26 votes in it. I need to let you know that you don't have to wait all 10 minutes to turn in your vote. If you vote in 5…

this has been an important week for the Senate as we work to set spending goals for our Nation. Before this year, the Senate has only been able to pass two budgets in the past 6 years. Now that Congress is under new management, we are on…