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, January 31; 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 proceed to consideration of H.R. 325 under the previous order; further, that following the first vote in relation to the debt limit legislation, the Senate recess until 2:15 p.m.

Mr. President, there will be one rollcall vote at about 12:15 tomorrow and as many as five additional rollcall votes after 2:15 p.m.

If there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask that it adjourn under the previous order following the remarks of Senator Chambliss and Senator Isakson, and they will speak for up to 6 minutes each.

Mr. President, I am so used to the President pro tempore allowing someone else to preside that I was speechless. I am very glad the President pro tempore is here. We have not seen him a lot, and it kind of keeps us on our toes. I am glad he is here.

Mr. President, following leader remarks, the Senate will be in a period of morning business until 12:30 p.m., with the majority controlling the first 30 minutes and the Republicans controlling the second 30 minutes. The Senate will recess, as we always do, for our weekly caucus meetings today at 12:30 p.m. until 2:15 p.m. We expect that the Foreign Relations Committee will report out Senator Kerry's nomination to be Secretary of State, and I look forward to full Senate consideration of that very important nomination today.

Mr. President, I am told S. 164 is at the desk and due for a second reading.

Mr. President, I object to any further proceedings with respect to this legislation at this time.

Mr. President, today women make up nearly half of the American workforce. More women graduate from college today than do men, more women were sworn in to the 113th Congress than any Congress before that, and there are more women in the Democratic caucus than ever before--and that is an understatement. Millions of women in the United States are the primary wage earners for their families, and women are now free to fight for this county on the front lines of battle. Yet, for millions of American women, no amount of valor, talent, or dedication will bring pay equality with their male peers. Women still bring home 77 cents for every $1 their male colleagues earn for doing exactly the same work.

I have five children. My oldest child is a girl, my daughter Lana. I mean, it is hard to comprehend that she is worth less than one of my boys who does the same work. It is unfair. And that is true regardless of whether a woman has a college degree, regardless of what job she holds, and regardless of how many hours she spends at the office or factory each week. They get paid 77 cents on average for every $1 a man makes.

Four years ago President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. I have gotten to know this dynamic, courageous woman, Lilly Ledbetter. She has campaigned around the country for people she likes and believe in her. I am so impressed with her and what she has been able to accomplish. This one woman has accomplished a great deal.

The Lilly Ledbetter legislation--the first bill President Obama signed as President of the United States--was the single greatest legislative step to ensure women have every chance to be full, equal participants in the workplace since the Equal Pay Act of 1963 was passed. But while this landmark legislation built on the legacy of the Equal Pay Act and narrowed the pay gap, it has not closed the pay gap, as I have just indicated. So the senior Senator from Maryland, Barbara Mikulski, introduced the Paycheck Fairness Act last Congress. The Paycheck Fairness Act is a logical extension of protections under the Equal Pay Act and the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. It would help close the wage disparity by empowering women to negotiate for equal pay and creating strong incentives for employers to obey the laws already in place. It would give workers stronger tools to combat wage discrimination and bar retaliation against

workers for discussing salary information. And it would help secure adequate compensation for victims of gender-based pay discrimination. It is simply not fair that any woman working the same hours in the same job should make less money than her male coworker.

Unfortunately, this commonsense legislation was blocked by a Republican filibuster last Congress. But Senator Mikulski, who has done so much to advance the pay equity issue, reintroduced the measure last week, for which I am grateful.

As we mark the fourth anniversary of the signing of the Lilly Ledbetter Act, I applaud Senator Mikulski and the women of the Democratic caucus for their dedication to American women and families-- and to the principle of equality.

Would the Chair announce the business of the day.

Oh, I am sorry, I did not see the Republican leader here, so my apology, Mr. President.

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

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that at 2:15 p.m. today, the Senate proceed to executive session to consider Executive Calendar No. 1, the nomination of Senator John Kerry to be Secretary of State, with 2 hours of debate equally divided in the usual form; that upon the use or yielding back of that time, the Senate proceed to vote without intervening action or debate on the nomination; that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate; that no further motions be in order; that any related statements be printed in the Record; and that President Obama be immediately notified of the Senate's action and the Senate then resume legislative session.

Mr. President, following leader remarks, the Senate will be in a period of morning business until 4:30 p.m. During that time Senators will be permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each. At 4:30 p.m. the Senate will begin consideration of the Hurricane Sandy emergency supplemental, H.R. 152. At 5:30 p.m. there will be at least two rollcall votes. The first vote is expected to be in relation to the Lee amendment to H.R. 152, and the second vote will be on passage of

Mr. President, there are seven bills at the desk due for a second reading.

Mr. President, I object to any further proceedings with respect to these bills en bloc.

Mr. President, last week, after the Nation celebrated the second inauguration of President Obama, I expressed a hope that this Congress would be characterized by its commitment to finding common ground.

I am pleased that a bipartisan group of eight Senators--four Democrats and four Republicans--will announce an agreement on a framework for comprehensive immigration reform as early as this afternoon.

No one denies America's immigration system is broken. As I have said, this is one of the most important legislative missions Congress will undertake this year. I applaud these eight Senators for setting aside partisanship to tackle a crucial issue facing our Nation.

This is a positive first step, but the true test of our congressional leadership will be to pass a comprehensive bill.

As a Senator from Nevada who has for years witnessed firsthand the difficulties our broken immigration system presents for immigrants and their families, it is very important to me personally that we finally resolve this issue. So I pledge that I will do everything in my power as the majority leader to get a bill across the finish line. Nothing short of bipartisan success is acceptable to me.

President Obama has already taken commendable executive action to suspend deportation of outstanding young men and women who were brought to this country illegally by their parents. I thank President Obama for his leadership and for making comprehensive immigration reform a top priority of his administration.

I am also pleased President Obama will present to the Nation his own ideas to fix the current broken immigration system during a visit to Las Vegas tomorrow. With bipartisan support building in both Houses of Congress, and a President who is eager to solve this issue, there is no reason we should not pass comprehensive immigration reform immediately. It will be good for our economy and good for immigrant families. But successful immigration reform cannot be piecemeal, and it must include a path to citizenship for an estimated 11 million undocumented individuals in our country.

Legislators must craft a comprehensive solution that, among other things, continues to secure our borders; punishes unscrupulous employers who exploit immigrants and undercut American wages; improves our dysfunctional legal immigration system; and requires the 11 million people who are undocumented to register with the government, pay fines and taxes, and go to the back of the line--not to the front of the line. They have to learn English, work, pay taxes, and stay out of trouble. Only then they, as I have indicated, get to go to the back of the line. But they do obtain legal status, which is so important.

The framework proposed by the bipartisan group of eight Senators meets these criteria. I hope we will soon have a bill to send through the committee process and bring to the floor for a vote.

I have long said when my Republican colleagues were truly ready to craft a commonsense legislative solution that was tough, fair, and practical, we would stand ready to cooperate. We have been doing this alone. It is good to have some friends and partners in this effort.

For years Democrats have been eager to pass comprehensive immigration reform, but the Republicans have been unwilling to work to find common ground. I am glad things have changed. I am so happy to see that my Republican colleagues--at least some of them--finally seem ready to find a bipartisan way to correct the flaws in this Nation's immigration system instead of just complaining that the system is broken.

Would the Chair announce the business of the day.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, following leader remarks, the Senate will be in a period of morning business, with Senators allowed to speak for up to 10 minutes each. The majority will control the first 30 minutes and the Republicans the final 30 minutes.

Would the Chair announce the business of the day.