Floor Statements

If there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask that it adjourn under the previous order.

Mr. President, following leader remarks, the Senate will be in executive session to consider the nomination of Richard Cordray to be Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. At 10:30 a.m., there will be a cloture vote on the Cordray nomination. If cloture is not invoked, the Senate will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to S. 1944, the Middle Class Tax Cut of 2011. As a reminder to all Senators, cloture has been filed on the motion to proceed to S. 1944. Unless an agreement is reached, that will be tomorrow morning.

Mr. President, shortly the Senate will vote on the confirmation of Richard Cordray to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Again, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. I stress ``consumer.'' By now we all know my Republican colleagues will filibuster Mr. Cordray's nomination. They said they will. This is not an up-or-down vote. In the Republicans' effort to not allow this vote, they are stopping a vote on this very qualified man.

They are not blocking this nomination because of any fault, real or perceived, in this candidate. He has bipartisan support and is eminently qualified. He has a long history of protecting consumers against the unfair practice of financial predators. He currently serves as chief of enforcement at the Bureau.

Before that, Mr. Cordray served as Ohio's attorney general, a very important job in a very heavily populated State. While there, he recovered billions of dollars from pension funds on behalf of retirees, investors, and others. He took action against fraudulent foreclosures and predatory lending. He is qualified, and he is a man of diligence.

The Republicans are blocking his nomination and not allowing a vote because they don't like the Federal agency he would lead, an agency established by law. This is the first time in the Senate's history that a party has blocked a qualified candidate solely because they disagreed with the existence of an agency that has been created by law.

Republicans are doing this to undermine the system of law we have in our country. Democrats fought to pass Wall Street reform last year to protect against the greed of big banks. Well, without a director, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau doesn't have the tools it needs to get the job done. It is shocking that despite the economic crash in our rearview mirror--it is easy to look back and see what happened because of Wall Street greed--Republicans, in spite of that, would leave consumers without a watchdog to guard against the greed of Wall Street. That is unfortunate.

Would the Chair announce the business of the day.

I ask that a quorum be called and the time be equally divided between the two sides.

Mr. President, I am saddened to have learned this morning that five people were killed late yesterday in the terrible helicopter crash just a few miles outside Las Vegas. My sympathy is with the families of those who died, including pilot Landon Nield and four passengers. My thoughts are with them as the recovery efforts continue this morning and as they lay their lost loved ones to rest.

Reports indicate the aircraft was on a tour of Hoover Dam. It crashed into a remote and rocky terrain in the River Mountains between Lake Mead and Henderson, NV, a few miles from Las Vegas.

I have taken those helicopter tours. It is an exciting trip. People don't realize this, but we are just a few miles from the Grand Canyon there in Las Vegas. It takes just a short time to travel to that beautiful canyon to see where millions of people go every year to see the Grand Canyon. Hundreds of thousands of tourists come from Las Vegas to see it.

I am truly grateful for the efforts of the National Park Service rangers, the metropolitan police department, the search-and-rescue team, and the Henderson fire departments that responded rapidly to the scene of the accident.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating this accident as we speak. I will continue to monitor the investigation as well as the recovery efforts that are in progress.

Hundreds of thousands of tourists, I repeat, enjoy these helicopter tours each year. I am sorry innocent people lost their lives in such a rare tragedy. Nevada puts great stock in protecting the safety of its tourists, whether flying over the Grand Canyon or walking down the Las Vegas strip. I hope the inquiry into the cause of this crash will help us better protect helicopter pilots and passengers in the future.

Again, my heart goes out to the families as they mourn this awful tragedy.

I note the absence of a quorum.

Madam President, this will be the last vote of this week. We will have a couple of votes on Monday night. I will announce later as much of the schedule as I am able to do. Right now, I can't do that, but I will before the day is out.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent we proceed now to a period for morning business, with Senators allowed to speak for up to 10 minutes each until 6 o'clock this evening.

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

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent the mandatory quorum under rule XXII be waived in each instance; that on Monday, December 12, at 4:30 p.m., the Senate proceed to executive session to consider the following nominations concurrently: Calendar No. 360 and Calendar No. 501; that there be 1 hour of debate, equally divided, in the usual form; that upon the use or yielding back of that time, the Senate proceed without interviewing action or debate to vote on Calendar No. 360; and that if cloture is invoked, the Senate immediately vote on confirmation of the nomination, and following disposition of Calendar No. 360, the Senate proceed to vote on cloture on Calendar No. 501; further, that if cloture is not invoked on Calendar No. 360, the Senate proceed to vote on cloture on Calendar No. 501; that any statements be printed in the Record, and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action and the Senate then resume legislative session.

I ask that the Chair lay before the Senate a message from the House with respect to S.J. Res. 22.

The PRESIDING OFFICER laid before the Senate the following message from the House of Representatives:

S.J. Res. 22

Resolved, That the resolution from the Senate (S.J. Res.

22) entitled ``Joint resolution to grant the consent of

Congress to an amendment to the compact between the States of

Missouri and Illinois providing that bonds issued by the Bi-

State Development Agency may mature in not to exceed 40

years.'', do pass with the following amendment:

Strike out all after the resolving clause and insert:

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate concur in the House amendment, that the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and that any statements related to the measure be printed in the Record.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Homeland Security Committee be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 2061 and the Senate proceed to its consideration.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read the third time and passed, that the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and that any related statements be printed in the Record.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to consideration of H. Con. Res 86, which was received from the House.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the concurrent resolution be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and that any related statements be printed in the Record.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. 1974.

I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read a third time, passed, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table; that there be no intervening action or debate, and any statements related to the bill be printed in the Record.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 2 p.m. on Monday, December 12, 2011; that following the prayer and pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, 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 until 4:30 p.m. with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each; and that following morning business the Senate proceed to executive session under the previous order.

Madam President, there will be at least two rollcall votes at 5:30 p.m. on Monday in relation to the Eisen and Aponte nominations. Next week, we have additional nominations we expect to consider, and we have to do either a CR or an omnibus spending bill--or one of each, which is possible. We have the balanced budget amendments, the payroll tax, we have unemployment insurance, Medicare reimbursement, tax extenders, including the Medicare reimbursement, and, of course, what we are talking about there is the SGR or the doctor fix.

All of these matters are set to expire at the end of the year.