Floor Statements

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, February 27, 2014; that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, and the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day; that following any leader remarks, the Senate be in a period of morning business for 1 hour, with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each, with the time equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees, with the majority controlling the first half and the Republicans controlling the final half; and that following morning business, the Senate resume consideration of S. 1982, the veterans benefits bill, with the time until 2 p.m. equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees, with Senator Sessions controlling 30 minutes of the Republican time and Senator Graham or his designee recognized at 1:45 p.m.

Mr. President, there will be a series of rollcall votes tomorrow starting at 2 p.m. We also expect to consider the nomination of Michael Connor to be Deputy Secretary of Interior tomorrow.

Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it adjourn under the previous order.

Mr. President, I move to proceed to Calendar No. 301.

Mr. President, following my remarks and those of the Republican leader, the Senate will be in a period of morning business until 11:05 a.m., with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each, with the majority controlling the first half and the Republicans controlling the final half.

At 11:05 a.m. the Senate will resume executive session to consider the nomination of James Moody to be a U.S. district judge for the Eastern District of Arkansas.

At 11:15 a.m. there will be five rollcall votes in order to confirm a number of district court nominations.

Order of Procedure

I ask unanimous consent that there be 2 minutes of debate equally divided between the two leaders or their designees between the votes in this series.

Mr. President, I would also note, these are 10-minute votes after the first one, and we are going to cut them off when the time is up. So if people are late, they are at their peril. We have a lot to do today, and we are going to move along. It is not fair to Members to keep them waiting around while someone else is finishing a phone call.

Following the disposition of the nomination of Beth Freeman to be a U.S. district judge for the Northern District of California, the Senate will recess until 2:15 p.m. to allow for the weekly caucus meetings.

Order of Procedure

I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate reconvenes at 2:15 p.m., there be an hour of debate equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees prior to a cloture vote on the motion to proceed to S. 1982, the veterans' benefits bill.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, today the Senate will vote to advance bipartisan legislation that expands and improves the health care and job training available to our Nation's veterans.

I thank the Senator from Vermont, Bernard Sanders, for his leadership on this issue and for his dedication to America's service men and women.

The 19th century British statesman George Canning said: ``When our perils are past, shall our gratitude sleep?''

``When our perils are past, shall our gratitude sleep?''

Although it is clear the world is still a very perilous place, the United States is finally winding down more than a decade of war in Afghanistan, and we are out of Iraq.

Mr. President, our gratitude shall not sleep. It is time to demonstrate the

depth and breadth of our appreciation to the men and women who have kept this country safe in spite of the risk to their lives and the sacrifices required of their families.

I think of a young man from Hawthorne, NV, who enlisted right out of high school, who was 18 years old. He was in Afghanistan for a matter of days, and one of those explosive devices blew off his legs at the hips. I think of him and his parents. What a struggle. That is what this legislation is all about.

This bill would not only improve veterans' access to health care, it would extend job training programs for servicemembers reentering the civilian workforce. It would bolster benefits for surviving spouses and children. And it would make the Veterans' Administration more transparent and more efficient.

Senator Sanders' legislation would allow the Veterans' Administration to open 27 new clinics and medical facilities in 18 States and Puerto Rico. These clinics will improve the quality of care and reduce travel time for our retired heroes, particularly for veterans who live in rural areas--as the young man I just talked about is from a very rural part of Nevada in Hawthorne.

This legislation would help the VA work to end the backlog of claims for benefits. Legislation contained in this package will also improve care and benefits for veterans who experienced sexual trauma while serving their country.

This measure also expands educational opportunities for recently separated veterans by securing in-State tuition rates for post-9/11 veterans at all public colleges and universities. And this measure renews the VOW to Hire Heroes Act, which has helped spur hiring of out- of-work servicemembers and has given more than 70,000 veterans access to job training.

Unfortunately, though, unemployment is still far too high among veterans transitioning back to the civilian workforce. Last year more than 700,000 men and women who served in the U.S. military were unemployed. This is simply unacceptable. No one who has fought for their country overseas should have to fight for a job here at home.

Instead, we should be helping veterans--especially those who have endured more than a decade of war--to continue to serve their country as productive citizens. That is why this legislation extends for 2 years a program that helps former servicemembers get the skills they need to compete in a civilian workforce.

This legislation has the support of virtually every veterans organization in this country--25 of them--including the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

The bill is fully paid for with the savings from winding down the two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that so strained our military and our financial resources for more than a decade. The Pentagon projects that war spending will go down as we continue to reduce the number of American troops in Afghanistan.

This legislation will lock in those savings, establishing caps on overseas war spending for the very first time. It is only fair that we use a small portion of those savings to invest in our returning veterans, who have given so much over the past 13 years to ensure our safety.

Even with the perils of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan past for so many of our servicemembers, our gratitude shall not sleep. We owe it to our veterans to make the transition to peace a very productive time.

Recognition of the Minority Leader

Mr. President, may I direct a question through the Chair to the distinguished chairman of the Judiciary Committee.

Does the chairman of the committee think we should have a recorded vote on this?

No one is standing. I yield back the time.

Madam President, Chairman Leahy has told me that he has no need for a rollcall vote. I would hope others would also agree.

Madam President, I have deep respect for my friend the senior Senator from Iowa. But he has been listening to himself talk too much and he is starting to believe it. Everyone knows we are in this situation because the Republicans are slow-walking every nomination-- every nomination. There is no reason, no reason whatsoever, that we are having votes on cloture on these judges, as Senator Leahy pointed out earlier, reported out unanimously.

It is a waste of the taxpayers' time to go through the process we have been going through. We are going to continue working to move the backlog. We have scores of judges, district court judges, and we have a number of circuit court judges. We are going to, in the near future, file cloture on all of them. If that is what the Republicans want us to do, then that is what we will do. The American people will see the colossal waste of time we have been going through, not only on district court judges but circuit court judges and all nominations.

I would suggest to my friend the senior Senator from Iowa he not believe his own words because they are simply not true.

I announce that the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Durbin), the Senator from South Dakota (Mr. Johnson), the Senator from Florida (Mr. Nelson), and the Senator from Virginia (Mr. Warner) are necessarily absent.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the vote on the motion to invoke cloture and the motion to proceed to S. 1982 now occur at 3:30 p.m. this afternoon and the time from 2:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. be equally divided between the two leaders or their designees.

Madam President, I have also spoken to the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and he does not desire a rollcall vote on this next nomination.

As do we.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on February 25, 2014, at 9 a.m.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on February 25, 2014, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing entitled ``Reauthorizing Tria: The State of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Market, Part II.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, on February 25, 2014, at 10 a.m., in room 430 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building to conduct a hearing entitled ``Examining Mental Health: Treatment Options and Trends.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on February 25, 2014, at 10 a.m., in room SD-226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct a hearing entitled ``Nominations.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Veterans' Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on February 25, 2014, at 2 p.m., to conduct a joint hearing with the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs for the legislative presentation of the Disabled American Veterans

The Committee will meet in room 345 of the Cannon House Office Building.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on February 25, 2014, at 2:30 p.m.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights, be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on February 25, 2014, at 2:30 p.m., in room SH-216 of the Hart Senate Office Building, to conduct a hearing entitled ``Reassessing Solitary Confinement II: The Human Rights, Fiscal, and Public Safety Consequences.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on February 25, 2014, at 3:30 p.m., to hold a Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs subcommittee hearing entitled, ``Lebanon at the Crossroads.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Oversight of the Committee on Environment and Public Works be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on February 25, 2014, at 2 p.m., in room SD-406 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct a hearing, entitled, ``Natural Resource Adaptation: Protecting ecosystems and economies.''

Mr. President, this resolution concerns a request for testimony and representation in a Federal criminal action pending in Montana Federal district court. The defendant is charged with, among other offenses, conspiring to defraud the United States by making fraudulent statements in connection with a grant of Federal money for a project serving disadvantaged youth.

The prosecution has requested the production of testimony from Senator Tester's chief of staff, who has information relevant to the charged offenses, which include the charge that the defendant conspired to represent falsely to Federal authorities that employees of the Senator's office were contributing in-kind services to the youth project at issue. Senator Tester would like to cooperate with this request by providing relevant employee testimony from his office.

The enclosed resolution would authorize the production of testimony from the Senator's chief of staff and any other current or former employee of the Senator's office from whom relevant testimony may be had, with representation by the Senate legal counsel.

Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, I thank very much the Senator from Maine, Mr. King, for his fluent reading of President George Washington's Farewell Address, a message to the American people at the close of his great Presidency--the first Presidency.

The annual reading of the farewell address is one of the Senate's longstanding traditions. The custom began in 1862 as a commemoration of the 130th anniversary of President Washington's birth. It was intended to boost congressional morale during the Civil War.

As then-Senator Andrew Johnson--by the way, I have a great painting of President Johnson in my office. I always tell people who come to my office to contrast that with the statue of President Johnson when he was Vice President. I have the good fortune of having Andrew Johnson's desk at the time Lincoln was assassinated. I have that beautiful piece of furniture in my office. It is stunningly beautiful. I haven't had a chance to talk about that before, so I took this opportunity.

As then-Senator Andrew Johnson of Tennessee said before the first recitation of the address:

The time has arrived when we should recur back to the days,

the times, and doings of Washington and the patriots of the

Revolution, who founded the government under which we live.

In 1888--the 100th anniversary of the Constitution's ratification-- the Senate then observed the ritual, and every year since 1896 the Senate has marked Washington's birthday, honored his legacy, and recurred back to those who founded the government under which we live, as we did today with the reading of Washington's Farewell Address.

As Senator King mentioned, President Washington prepared the address with input from James Madison, America's fourth President, as well as Alexander Hamilton, the Nation's first Treasury Secretary. Similar to our Nation's founding documents, including the Constitution, the Farewell Address was a collaboration between the great minds of our country's formative years. Each year, for 118 years, the Senate selects one of its Members, alternating parties, to deliver these valedictory remarks.

I am pleased the Senator from Maine, an avid student of history--and he truly is--was able to carry on this important tradition today. Senator King has delivered unique aspects of history to our caucus and, of course, on the Senate floor he has no parallel to his being able to pinpoint times of history. I admire him very much, as we all do.

With this bipartisan custom of honoring our Nation's founder fresh in our minds, the Senate embarks on a fresh work period today. I hope this session will be marked by a tone of cooperation. Washington's collaboration with Madison and Hamilton, among others, is proof enough that when patriots collaborate with the country's good in mind the product is vastly improved. Too often over the past few years our two parties have found themselves working at odds instead of pulling together for a common purpose. I hope to change that this work period.

In addition to considering a number of important nominations, the Senate will consider legislation that should draw overwhelming support from Members of both parties, a bill sponsored by the Senator from Vermont Mr. Sanders which expands health care and benefits for our Nation's veterans.

I also hope Democrats and Republicans will work together to pass the child care block development grant bill this period. It is bipartisan in nature, and I think it should pass. This measure ensures working families have safe child care options, protecting both children and working parents. This bipartisan bill, as well as the veterans measure we will consider this week, will offer an opportunity for Democrats and Republicans to find common ground and work together.

Mr. President, I now move to proceed to Calendar No. 301,

Following my remarks and those of the Republican leader, if any, the Senate will be in a period of morning business until 5 p.m. Senators, during this period of time, will have an opportunity to speak for up to 10 minutes.

At 5 p.m. this afternoon the Senate will proceed to executive session to consider the nomination of Jeffrey Meyer to be U.S. district judge for the State of Connecticut. At 5:30 p.m. there will be a cloture vote on the Meyer nomination, and there will be additional votes on nominations this evening.

Measure Placed on the Calendar--S. 2024

Mr. President, it is my understanding S. 2024 is at the desk and due for its second reading.

I object to any further proceedings with respect to this legislation.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that at a time to be determined by me, after consultation with Senator McConnell, the Senate proceed to Calendar No. 251, S. 1752; that if a cloture motion is filed on the bill, there be 2 hours of debate on S. 1752 and S. 1917, equally divided between the two leaders or their designees; that upon the use or yielding back of that time, the Senate immediately proceed to vote on the motion to invoke cloture; that if cloture is invoked, all postcloture time be yielded back and the Senate immediately proceed to vote on the passage of the bill; that no amendments, points of order or motions be in order to the bill prior to a vote on passage; that if the motion to invoke cloture on S. 1752 is not agreed to, the bill be returned to the calendar; that upon disposition of S. 1752, the Senate immediately proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 293, S. 1917; that if a cloture motion is filed on the bill, the Senate immediately proceed to the vote on the motion to invoke cloture; that if cloture is invoked, all postcloture time be yielded back and the Senate proceed to vote on passage of the bill; that no amendments, points of order or motions be in order to the bill prior to the vote on passage; that if the motion to invoke cloture on S. 1917 is not agreed to, the bill be returned to the calendar.

Mr. President, I reserve the right to object. There is no more important national security concern today than keeping Iran from getting a nuclear weapons capability. For our own national security and for that of Israel, our ally, we are committed to stopping Iran from getting that capability.

That is why President Obama has entered into international negotiations with Iran. The Senate has a long tradition of bipartisanship on this issue, including numerous strong bipartisan votes that we put in place to initiate the very sanctions that have brought Iran to the negotiating table.

In summation, I am terribly disappointed that my Republican friends are trying to turn this vital national security concern into a partisan issue by trying to inject it into a setting where it is clearly not relevant.

I object.