Floor Statements

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

Madam President, following leader remarks, the Senate will resume consideration of H.R. 933, the continuing resolution. The filing deadline for second-degree amendments is 4:30 p.m. today. Unless an agreement is reached, there will be a cloture vote on the substitute amendment today at 5:30 p.m.

Madam President, there are two bills at the desk due for a second reading.

Madam President, I object to any further proceedings with respect to these two pieces of legislation.

Madam President, I want to advise everyone as to what is happening with our effort to keep the government running. On Thursday we recessed for the weekend so negotiators could attempt to reach an agreement on a finite list of amendments to consider today. The bill managers, Senators Shelby and Mikulski, have worked very hard, and they have made progress over the weekend. They have condensed the number of amendments that are being seriously talked about. I commend them and their staff for all their efforts. I have spoken to both of them this morning; they have not yet reached an agreement. I think they are getting close--or at least I hope that is the case. Just before coming in here, I spoke to one of the staff members, and he is reaching out to Senator Shelby's staff before presenting it to the two Senators for their approval.

Frankly, I had trouble getting both sides to agree on a finite list of amendments. There were a lot of amendments that people wanted, but he objected to this and she objected to that. There is still hope that we can have a limited number of amendments and vote on those so we can move to final passage of the bill. One way or another, we have to move forward on this bill.

On Wednesday I filed a motion to invoke cloture on the pending substitute amendment and the underlying bill. On Thursday we postponed that cloture vote, anticipating that an agreement would be reached and that we could consider amendments today. Absent an agreement, we will vote on a cloture petition tonight. It is in the interest of all Senators that we move forward with this important legislation. The House is waiting on our action. There is a great deal of work to do on either side of the aisle before March 27 kicks in.

Also, the more time we spend on this continuing resolution, the less time we will have to vote on amendments to

the budget resolution. As a reminder, the budget resolution cannot be filibustered, but there is 50 hours of debate allowed. We must reserve time this week to consider a number of amendments on the budget. After all 50 hours expires, there will be unlimited amendments. So this is going to be a very full week. Senators should expect to work into the night as well as some late votes.

We will stay as long as it takes to complete work on both the continuing resolution and the budget resolution even if that means working on the weekend and into the Easter and Passover recess. I understand that Passover is on Monday, so if we don't finish over the weekend, we would have to come back after Passover, which would be terribly unfortunate, but we need some cooperation from Senators on both sides of the aisle. I am hopeful and confident we can get there.

Will the Chair announce the business for the rest of the day.

Madam President, I note the absence of a quorum.

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

I ask there be order in the Senate.

Madam President, I am going to propound a unanimous consent request. Everyone has to look at this from way up high and understand how much has been accomplished during the last week. Senator Mikulski and Senator Shelby have worked very hard to change the bill that came from the House of Representatives, and they have done a good job, a really good job. People have requested further changes to the bill, and we have tried hard. I say ``we,'' I have gone to Senator McConnell many times, Senator Mikulski, Senator Shelby, and others trying to come up with some way to move forward on this legislation.

There is a big spotlight on the Senate to see if we can do something. Whatever we come up with, what Mikulski and Shelby, what they have come up with, it is not perfect. I could improve it. The Senator from Tennessee could improve it. Anyone in this body could improve what they did, but they did the best they could--and it was hard.

Both of these Senators gave up things that help them in their States. They worked together on Commerce-State-Justice for many years. They know that subcommittee better than anyone has ever known that subcommittee. They both have many issues within their States that are affected by that subcommittee, but they gave that up for the greater good.

I am asking Senators here to give up a few things for the greater good, to try to allow us to get this done. The reason this is important is it will allow us to go forward and start having appropriations bills. We changed the rules at the beginning of the year to make it easier to go to certain bills, and what we had in mind was appropriations bills.

It has been hard to come up with this. I repeat, is it really, really good? No, probably not. But it is not bad.

I hope we could approve this unanimous consent request. We would have nine votes on matters that people believe are really important. There are other people who have things that are just as important, but this is legislation, the art of compromise.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the two cloture motions be withdrawn; that the following amendments be in order to the Mikulski-Shelby substitute: Coburn No. 69, Coburn No. 93, Coburn No. 65 as modified with the changes that are at the desk, Coburn No. 70 as modified with the changes that are at the desk, Inhofe No. 72 as modified with changes that are at the desk, Grassley No. 76 as modified with changes that are at the desk, Mikulski-Shelby No. 98, Leahy No. 129 as modified with changes that are at the desk, and Pryor-Blunt No. 82; that no other first-degree amendments to the substitute or the underlying bill be in order and no second-degree amendments be in order to any of the amendments listed above prior to the vote; that there be 30 minutes equally divided between the two leaders or their designees prior to votes in relation to the amendments in the order listed; and that upon the disposition of Leahy No. 29 as modified, the Durbin second-degree amendment to Toomey amendment No. 115 be withdrawn; that all the amendments be subject to a 60-affirmative-vote threshold; that the Senate proceed to vote in relation to the Toomey amendment No. 115; that upon disposition of the Toomey amendment, the Senate proceed to vote on the Mikulski-Shelby substitute amendment, as amended; that if the substitute amendment, as amended, is agreed to, the Senate proceed to vote on passage of the bill, as amended.

It is my understanding that the Toomey amendment has a point of order against it; is that right? I make that request.

The Senator has not objected; is that right?

Madam President, this is over with. There has been objection. I regret the Senator has objected to this reasonable request. It really is reasonable. I understand how strongly the Senator from New Hampshire feels about the issue. I am aware of the issue. I understand it very well. I have talked to a number of Senators. I can't get them to agree to this. They may be wrong, she may be right. She may be wrong, they may be right. I cannot make that decision. I cannot go forward if somebody doesn't agree to this.

Putting together a unanimous consent agreement like this, as I indicated, certainly has not been easy. The people I have empathy for are these two Senators here. They are veteran legislators. They have dedicated a large part of the last 2 weeks to this legislation.

We could have an alternative. We could just vote for what the House sent us. All the work they have done--down the drain. There are scores of Senators--and I say that plural--scores of the 100 Senators who have benefited from the work they have done. It has helped them in their States. It has rearranged things. What they have done does not spend any more money. We are spending the same amount of money the House did. But the House was very emphatic that they would not allow flexibility on nondefense matters. They have some control over what we do.

I just think it is such a shame that there is an objection preventing the Senate from being able to consider these amendments. There are nine amendments. This is a must-pass measure so we will need to move this Senate bill through the Senate back to the House to avoid the government shutdown. I think it is a shame, but that is where we are.

I ask unanimous consent that the Senator from Maryland, Ms. Mikulski, be recognized for up to 5 minutes, and the Senator from Alabama be recognized for up to 5 minutes prior to the vote on cloture.

Mr. President, my consent has been agreed to. In response to my friend from Kansas, everyone can give a heart-rending speech. We have tens of thousands of children who will not able to go to Head Start. I think that is pretty compelling. There are many other people in this body who could give a tearjerker--just like the Senator tried to do.

This is about compromise. We are trying to work through this so we can continue to fund the government and set up a pattern in this Congress so we can have appropriation bills for 2014.

Mr. President, I object.

Mr. President, this is an amendment offered by Reid on behalf of Senators Shelby and Mikulski.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that we proceed to a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, on March 18, 2013, at 2 p.m., in room SD-226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct a hearing entitled ``How Comprehensive Immigration Reform Should Address the Needs of Women and Families.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Judiciary Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 66, and the Senate proceed to its consideration.

Mr. President, this is a very important resolution. Thousands and thousands of people died from asbestos exposure. It is a dreadful product. People who have been exposed to it can get sick 30, 40, 50 years later. People who washed somebody's clothes who worked with asbestos can get sick and die. So I appreciate very much Senator Baucus and the others who sponsored this legislation.

I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to S. Res. 79.

I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid on the table, with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m. tomorrow morning, March 19; 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 resume consideration of H.R. 933, the continuing appropriations bill; further, the time during adjournment, recess, and morning business count postcloture on the substitute amendment to H.R. 933; finally, the Senate recess from 12:30 to 2:15 p.m. tomorrow to allow for our weekly caucus meetings.

Mr. President, it is my sincere hope that we can reach an agreement to complete action on the continuing appropriations bill on Tuesday so we can begin consideration of the budget resolution. Remember, Easter recess is staring us in the face. We have to get this done before we leave. If it spills over into next week, despite the fact that we have Passover starting on Monday, we are going to complete our work in this body before the Easter recess.

If there is no further business, I ask unanimous consent the Senate adjourn under the previous order.

Madam President, following leader remarks, the Senate will resume consideration of H.R. 933. There will be an hour of debate equally divided and controlled on the Harkin amendment. At 11:15 this morning, or approximately 11:15, there will be a rollcall vote on the Harkin amendment. We will continue to work through the amendments to the bill throughout today's session. Senators will be notified when votes are scheduled.

Last night I filed cloture on the substitute amendment and the bill. As a result, the filing deadline for all first-degree amendments is 1 p.m. today.

I understand S. 558 is at the desk and due for its second reading.

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

I suggest the absence of a quorum.