Floor Statements

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, following leader remarks, the motion to proceed to S. 815, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, will be adopted and the Senate will begin consideration of the bill.

Senators will be notified when votes are scheduled.

Mr. President, Kimberly Cates is no stranger to the struggles that come with living without health insurance in America. She works at a health clinic that treats uninsured Kentuckians. The clinic does not provide its employees with health insurance. Over the last few years she has racked up $15,000 in medical bills and recently filed for bankruptcy. Last week, after a month of considering her options, Mrs. Cates signed up for health insurance for the first time in many years. The plan will cost $17 a month--I repeat, $17 a month-- and every hospital near her home will accept her new insurance. This is the difference ObamaCare is making, and Mrs. Cates is only one example of the success of Kentucky's new health insurance exchange created under the Affordable Care Act.

More than 1,000 Kentucky residents have signed up for affordable health insurance every single day since the exchange opened, according to the Huffington Post, which reported Mrs. Cates' story.

Across the country, in States such as Kentucky that have opened their own exchanges, Americans are signing up for quality, affordable, insurance plans, often for the first time in many years.

The national rollout of the ObamaCare Web site was rocky, to say the least. Problems with the site must and will be fixed. But we should not lose sight of important victories happening in living rooms and libraries and community centers across the country, victories like the one Mrs. Cates celebrated last week. ObamaCare is more than a Web site. For tens of millions of Americans who have been living without insurance, ObamaCare is a lifeline. But rather than work with Democrats to fix the problems in this landmark law, Republicans in Washington are busy complaining about it instead. Meanwhile, Republican Governors in States such as Nevada, Ohio, New Jersey, and Michigan are helping more residents of their States access health care by expanding Medicaid coverage.

One Nevada woman contacted my office saying that she is counting the days until January, 2014, when her new health insurance plan will take effect and she can finally go to the doctor.

In the past she has been denied health insurance because of a preexisting condition, but now she qualifies for a plan she can afford under Nevada's Medicaid expansion, led by Republican Governor Brian Sandoval. Thanks to ObamaCare, Americans like her can no longer be denied insurance because they are a cancer survivor, a woman, a diabetic, or had acne when they were younger. That is one of the many benefits of this new law.

Under ObamaCare, insurance companies will no longer be allowed to cancel your policy when you get sick or because you are a woman or set an arbitrary limit on the care you receive. In Nevada alone, tens of thousands of seniors have saved tens of millions on medicine because ObamaCare closed the gap in prescription drug coverage.

More than 3 million young people, including 33,000 young adults, stayed on their parents' health insurance plans because of ObamaCare, and hundreds of

thousands of businesses that already offer their employees health insurance are getting tax credits for doing the right thing because of ObamaCare.

A new study shows 17 million Americans have also qualified for tax credits to purchase coverage and many more are eligible for Medicaid because of ObamaCare.

Unfortunately, 5 million people living in States that did not expand Medicare eligibility are left out in the cold. It is shameful that Americans who simply want access to lifesaving medical care will be denied insurance for political reasons.

There is no better example of that than Texas. They have far more people who are eligible for Medicaid coverage who will not get it. That is unfortunate. We know that healthcare.gov is not perfect. I know that ObamaCare is not perfect. But ObamaCare is worth more than a Web site, and whenever Republicans are willing to stop complaining and are willing to start working to improve the law, Democrats are ready and willing to work with them.

Madam President, I have an amendment to the committee- reported substitute at the desk.

Madam President, I ask for the yeas and nays on that amendment.

Madam President, I have a second-degree amendment at the desk.

Madam President, I have an amendment to the underlying bill which is at the desk.

Madam President, I ask for the yeas and nays on the amendment that was just reported.

Madam President, I have a second-degree amendment at the desk.

Madam President, I have a motion to recommit S. 815, with instructions, which is at the desk.

Madam President, I ask for the yeas and nays on the motion.

Madam President, I have an amendment to the instructions at the desk.

Madam President, I ask for the yeas and nays on the amendment.

Madam President, I have a second-degree amendment at the desk.

Madam President, I move to proceed to Calendar No. 236,

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Will the Senator yield for a unanimous consent request?

Mr. President, I appreciate the courtesy of my friend from Delaware. He and I have been together for 31 years and I appreciate him. I wanted to make sure Senator Collins was on the floor.

Mr. President, I withdraw my motion to proceed to Calendar No. 236,

I ask the Chair what the pending business is now before the body.

I have a cloture motion at the desk.

Mr. President, I want the record to reflect also that Senator Jeff Merkley is on the floor, who has been instrumental in allowing us to get to the point we are on the bill.

I ask unanimous consent the mandatory quorum under rule XXII be waived.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that at 11:45 a.m. on Thursday, November 7, the motion to recommit and the pending amendments to the underlying bill be withdrawn; that the Reid of Nevada amendment No. 2020 be withdrawn; that no further motions to recommit or points of order be in order and the Senate proceed to vote in relation to the pending Toomey

amendment; that the Toomey amendment be subject to a 60-affirmative- vote threshold; and upon disposition of the Toomey amendment, the substitute amendment, as amended, be agreed to; and the Senate proceed to vote on the motion to invoke cloture on S. 815, as amended; that if cloture is invoked, the time until 1:45 p.m. be equally divided between the two leaders or their designees; that at 1:45 p.m., all postcloture time be yielded back, the bill be read a third time and the Senate proceed to vote on passage of the bill, as amended; finally, if cloture is not invoked, I be recognized.

Mr. President, I appreciate everyone's cooperation. This is how we should do legislation, work together. This is something we have done together and I appreciate everyone's work. It has not been easy for everyone. Not everybody is satisfied, but a lot of people are satisfied.

I now ask unanimous consent we proceed to a period of morning business with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each, until 7 p.m.

I yield the floor and I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, following my remarks and those of Senator McConnell, the Senate will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to S. 815, the Employee Non-Discrimination Act postcloture. The Senate will recess from 12:30 to 2:15 p.m. for weekly caucus meetings. If we can reach agreement, we will move forward on the bill today.

Mr. President, I am wondering whether my friend from Delaware wishes to make a speech regarding the guest Chaplain. If so, I will be happy to yield to him.

I am told that H.R. 3204 is at the desk and ready for a second reading.

I object to any further proceedings at this time regarding this legislation.

Mr. President, I have spoken to the Republican leader on more than one occasion, but I want to make sure all the Members understand that we have a 4-week work period. This is the second week of a 4-week work period, and we have certain work we have outlined that needs to get accomplished. I hope everyone understands what we have to get done this week, next week, and the week after.

The reason we are pressing so much work into this limited work schedule is, first of all, it is necessary for a number of reasons and, second, this Senate has worked over the last number of years really hard during holidays. I have traveled, trying to get home for Christmas. I was here on Christmas Eve; I have done that twice. It has been extremely difficult for Christmas, Thanksgiving, and, of course, New Year's.

It is wonderful to be able to go home to our families, our friends, but we also have work to do. We represent our States, and there is work we cannot do when we can only go home for weekends. Some of us live a long ways away--it takes a day to get there and a day to get back--so it really is more complicated for those who live west of the Mississippi.

The whole point is to communicate to everyone that we are going to try to take Thanksgiving week off and the week after. The Republican leader and I really want to get that done, but we cannot do it if we are held up on procedural matters that are unnecessary.

I have outlined what we need to get done. I have explained this to the Republican leader and explained it to my caucus on more than one occasion. The issue at hand is this: We have a few weekends left. We are going to be out Monday because it is Veterans Day. But all weekends until we leave here for Thanksgiving are going to be work weekends in order to get our work done.

I know people have schedules, but understand that you better keep them pretty loose; otherwise, you are going to be missing some votes around here.

We voted on EDNA last night, and we were able to move that, get past the cloture aspect of that. We have a way of going forward. There is no reason to eat up the whole 30 hours that are postcloture.

I am just telling everybody who is in effect forcing us to do this that it may impinge upon the holidays, the situation dealing with Thanksgiving. I hope we can get out of here on the Friday before Thanksgiving, but it is up to people who I think have gotten into the habit of having unnecessary delays. I need not say more. I really would like, for myself personally and for the Senate, Democrats and Republicans, to have those two weekends off.

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

I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed to a period of morning business with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each.

I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed to executive session to consider Calendar Nos. 393 through 402 and 419, and all nominations on the Secretary's desk in the Air Force, Army, and Navy; that the nominations be confirmed en bloc; the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid on the table, with no intervening action or debate; that no further motions be in order to any of the nominations; any statement be printed in the Record; and that President Obama be immediately notified of the Senate's action and the Senate resume legislative session.

I ask unanimous consent we now proceed to Calendar No. 231.

Mr. President, I ask further the bill be read a third time, passed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid on the table with no intervening action or debate.