Floor Statements

Mr. President, I now move to proceed to Calendar No. 471.

Mr. President, following my remarks and those of the Republican leader, if any, the Senate will be in a period of morning business until 2 p.m. this afternoon. Senators will be permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each during that period of time.

Measures Placed on the Calendar--S. 2772 and S. 2773

Mr. President, I understand there are two bills at the desk due for a second reading.

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

Mr. President, I am satisfied and pleased that we have a number of Senators on the floor wishing to speak. I am going to say just a few brief words, and then we are going to go into a quorum call until the Republican leader comes. He has some things to do here. So we will wait for him.

Mr. President, we find ourselves at the end of this work period having done not a lot. There is a lot of blame to go around, and we could spend all day blaming each other, but the fact is we need to do better.

I am grateful, though; yesterday we were able to pass the veterans conference report. It wasn't what we passed out of the Senate, but it was OK. It will help. I admire very much the people who were able to get that done.

Bernie Sanders worked extremely hard, and I am not sure he could have completed that without the work of the senior Senator from Arizona.

The bill was dead, the conference was really dead, a week ago. But the senior Senator from Arizona weighed in, and with his influence with Democrats and Republicans, it was made possible to move forward and was brought back on track.

I am surprised my friend from Arizona is here. I acknowledge the work that he did. Others worked on it, of course, but without his McCain- like advocacy last Friday and Thursday night, it wouldn't have happened.

Mr. President, I am not only grateful for the conference report we got on the veterans matter but also the highway bill. Now, I think we need a long-term highway bill, and I think we will get one in the near future. The work done by Senator Boxer and others to have a long-term bill because they wanted us to finish something this year didn't come to fruition. We passed it here. But we worked together and have a bill that will allow construction to continue.

In the House, I regret they weren't able to overcome Republican resistance to funding a response to the humanitarian crisis at the border. Again, we could stand here for the next couple hours and affix blame as to whose fault it is. The fact is I don't think it is going to get done.

I watched the House closely. I have heard commentators. It is surprising but I am told that even Charles Krauthammer today said: This is a little unusual. They weren't able to complete their work yesterday and the day before. So what they have done is demanded that President Obama do things on his own, for which they have sued him. That is a little inconsistent. One of the Republican senior House Members was on ``Morning Joe'' this morning. He said the same thing. But the House appears to be heading from bad to worse as the House Republican majority hunts for votes on border policy.

So let's be clear about what is happening today on the other side of the Capitol.

House Republicans will vote to deport children who have been living in the United States their entire lives, all in a pathetic attempt to appease the tea party. The worse the bill gets the more votes they are getting over there. That is the harsh, wrong-headed idea. If the House does pass a bill, I can't imagine it could be cleared on either side over here.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 220, H.J. Res. 76; that a Reid-McConnell-Mikulski substitute amendment at the desk providing emergency appropriations for the Iron Dome defense system in Israel be agreed to; that the joint resolution, as amended, be read a third time and passed; that the Reid-McConnell-Mikulski title amendment, which is at the desk, be agreed to; and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid on the table, with no intervening action or debate.

I appreciate the words of my three friends.

Mr. President, there are times when partisanship does not exist. I hope everyone will note that last night when we couldn't get this cleared--I, we--there was no finger-pointing. I understand the person objected. He is a fine man. He is a man of principle. But I have faith in this institution and our sticking by our friend. So I am happy to be here today to be a part of this conclusion.

The situation in Israel is grave. We think this Iron Dome protects Israel. It protects a lot of Israel. But Israel does not have enough Iron Domes--plural--to protect them. They need more. But this will certainly be a step in the right direction.

Three thousand rockets have been fired in the last 2\1/2\, 3 weeks-- 3,000. But for this technology that was perfected by the Israelis, they would be in dire straits. There would be a war in the Middle East that we cannot imagine.

Let's be realistic. Are we going to benefit from what they have done? Of course we are. They are sharing this technology with us as we speak.

There was a cease-fire that lasted about 2\1/2\ hours. It is terribly unfortunate what is going on over there, but, as David Brooks said on ``NewsHour''--this conservative columnist said he had never known of a conflict in history where one side says: Kill more of us. It is hard to comprehend. When the Israelis notify someone ``there is going to be action taken in this building you are in; would you leave,'' the leadership in Gaza tells them to stay there, and unfortunately a lot of them do. This is something that is hard for me to comprehend, that something like this goes on.

That little country, that tiny little country is the only democracy in that whole area. That is it.

Netanyahu--if I were in Israel, I may have voted for someone else, but the Israeli people determine who leads that country. I don't know of a bond of friendship that we have or ever had in world history better than this one, and so I will stand by Israel. I will stand by Israel for a lot of personal reasons but certainly for political reasons, and I have no hesitation in declaring to the world that is how I feel.

I note the absence of a quorum, please.

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

Madam President, is the motion to proceed to S.J. Res. 19 now pending?

Madam President, I have a cloture motion that I ask be reported.

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

I ask unanimous consent that the vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed occur on Monday, September 8, when the Senate resumes legislative session following confirmation of the Pryor nomination.

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

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Banking Committee be discharged from further action on H.R. 4386 and the Senate proceed to its consideration.

I ask unanimous consent the bill be read a third time and passed, and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, and there be no intervening action or debate.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed to the consideration of H.R. 5195, which was received from the House and is at the desk.

The clerk will report the bill by title.

I ask unanimous consent the bill be considered read a third time and the Senate proceed to vote on passage of the bill.

I ask unanimous consent the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of Calendar Nos. 507 to 511, all post office naming bills.

I ask unanimous consent that the bills be read a third time and passed and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table en bloc, with no intervening action or debate.

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

I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to S. Res. 536.

I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be made and laid upon the table.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that during the adjournment or recess of the Senate from Friday, August 1, through Monday, September 8, the majority leader and Senators Rockefeller, Reed, Levin, Coons, and Cardin be authorized to sign duly enrolled bills or joint resolutions.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding the previous order, following the vote on confirmation of the Pryor nomination, on September 8, 2014, the Senate proceed to executive session and consider Calendar Nos. 910, 911, 908, and 909; that there be 2 minutes for debate equally divided between the two leaders or their designees prior to each vote; that upon the use or yielding back of that time the Senate proceed to vote without intervening action or debate on the nominations in the order listed; that any rollcall votes, following the first in the series, be 10 minutes in length; that if any nomination is confirmed, 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 to the nomination; that any statements related to the nomination be printed in the Record; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action and the Senate then resume legislative session.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it recess until 11 a.m. on Tuesday, August 5, 2014; that following the prayer and pledge, 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, there be a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Madam President, there will be no rollcall votes on Tuesday. The next rollcall vote will occur at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, September 8. And when I say Tuesday, that is this Tuesday coming up a few days from now.