Floor Statements

I ask unanimous consent that at a time to be determined by the majority leader, in consultation with the Republican leader, the Senate proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 61; that there be 3 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 Calendar No. 61; 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 to the nomination; that any statements be printed in the Record; and that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action and the Senate then resume legislative session.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Senator Isakson be added as a conferee for the FAA reauthorization bill, H.R. 658.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the HELP Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 158 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the amendment to the preamble which is at the desk be agreed to, the preamble, as amended, be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and that any statements be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed en bloc to the following resolutions which were submitted earlier today: S. Res. 166, 167, 168, and 169.

Mr. President, this resolution concerns a request for testimony and documents in an action before the Merit Systems Protection Board brought by the Social Security Administration against an administrative law judge in SSA. Among the matters for which SSA has brought this action against the administrative law judge is conduct by that administrative judge during a visit with staff in the office of Senator Landrieu in April 2009.

Counsel for the administrative law judge against whom the action is brought has subpoenaed for deposition two employees of Senator Landrieu's office and also sought by subpoena the production of documents from Senator Landrieu's office.

Senator Landrieu would like to cooperate and make the employees available for depositions. Accordingly, this resolution would authorize Sherae Hunter and Wes Kungel, the subpoenaed employees in Senator Landrieu's office, to testify at depositions in this matter. The resolution would also authorize production of relevant documents sought by subpoena, except where a privilege should be asserted, and would authorize representation by the Senate Legal Counsel of the two subpoenaed employees.

I ask unanimous consent that the resolutions be agreed to, the preambles be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table en bloc, that there be no intervening action or debate, and any statements related to these matters be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I believe there is a bill at the desk due for its first reading.

I ask for a second reading and, in order to place the bill on the calendar under the provisions of rule XIV, I object to my own request.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 2 p.m. on Monday, May 9; 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 proceed to a period of morning business for debate only until 4:30 p.m., with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each; that following morning business, the Senate proceed to executive session to consider Executive Calendar No. 62, and there be 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled in the usual form; that upon the use or yielding back of time, the Senate proceed to vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the nomination.

Mr. President, my colleague, who is a Member of the House of Representatives, Dean Heller, will, on Monday, at 2 o'clock p.m., be sworn in as a Senator representing the State

of Nevada. It will take place in this Chamber at 2 o'clock, as I indicated.

The next rollcall vote will be at 5:30 p.m. on Monday. That vote will be a cloture vote on the nomination of James Cole, to be Deputy Attorney General.

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, today we congratulate an important Senate employee on retiring after 34 years of dedicated service. Robert Cvar started working at the Senate Recording Studio on August 1, 1977, as a film technician. He worked his way up the ladder to become a broadcast production director. In addition to television studio production, Bob directs the very proceedings that many Americans are watching now on the Senate floor.

Bob plans to spend his retirement with his wife Rocio and their daughter Veronica, who turns 3 years old this week. As a native of Minnesota, Bob is a diehard Minnesota Vikings fan. This year, one of his lifelong dreams came true when the University of Minnesota at Duluth won the national championship for men's hockey.

I am proud of the many dedicated employees like Bob that help this Chamber function. The entire Senate family extends our best wishes to Bob Cvar in his future endeavors.

Madam President, following any leader remarks, the Senate will be in a period of morning business until 5 p.m. this evening. The Republicans will control the first 30 minutes, the majority will control the next 30 minutes.

The Senate will recess from 12:30 to 2:15 to allow for our weekly caucus meetings. We expect to have a rollcall vote this afternoon on the adoption of the resolution commending our Armed Forces and the intelligence community regarding the death of bin Laden. Senators will be notified when that vote is scheduled.

Additionally, there is a Senators-only briefing today--it is classified--on the U.S. operation that killed Osama bin Laden. That will be at 5 p.m. today in the Visitor Center.

CIA Director Leon Panetta will be there; Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff James Cartwright will be there; National Counter Terrorism Center Director Michael Leiter will be there; and Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg.

Order of Procedure

Last night I filed cloture on the small business jobs bill, S. 493. Senators should expect a cloture vote to occur tomorrow morning. I ask unanimous consent that the filing deadline for all first-degree amendments be at 2:30 p.m. today for S. 493.

Additionally, I also filed cloture on the nomination of John McConnell of Rhode Island to be a district judge for the District of Rhode Island. This vote may also occur tomorrow morning.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that at 2:15 p.m. today, the Senate proceed to consideration of S. Res. 159, which is at the desk; that there be up to 75 minutes of debate on the resolution equally divided between the two leaders or their designees prior to a vote on adoption of the resolution, with the final 10 minutes reserved for the two leaders, with the Republican leader controlling 5 minutes and the majority leader controlling the final 5 minutes; further, that upon disposition of the resolution, the preamble be agreed to; that there be no amendments in order to either the resolution or the preamble; that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and that the Senate then proceed to a period for the transaction of morning business for debate only until 5 p.m., with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. President, with this agreement, the vote on adoption of the resolution will occur at 3:30 p.m. today. I encourage Senators to vote from their desks. Senator McConnell and I have talked about this important resolution. We ask everyone to be in their seats 10 minutes before 3:30 so we can vote at 3:30 in a dignified manner on this most important resolution.

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

Mr. President, those watching around the world may not be able to see on their screens the scene in the Senate today. We have all come to the floor in a way we rarely do. We have come this afternoon to express with one voice our endless respect and admiration for the men and women of our military and our intelligence organizations.

``Resolution'' is an appropriate name for this legislation that is now before this body. It honors the resolution to a problem that has lingered for nearly a decade, one whose weight has grown heavier each day on the shoulders of the families whose lives were traumatized and the many more bin Laden terrorized. It honors the resolve with which our bravest stared down danger.

The world is still absorbing America's astounding accomplishment--the mission to bring Osama bin Laden to justice, one that began more than 9\1/2\ years ago and was accomplished just a little more than a day and a half ago. Mr. President, 9\1/2\ years after the worst morning in our memory, we woke up yesterday morning to a world without Osama bin Laden and with a palpable sense of justice.

Our military and intelligence operatives are the best in the world at what they do. As they set out to kill or capture our most valuable target, they captivated us with their skill and expertise, their patriotism, and their professionalism.

A flood of thoughts and emotions and analyses have been shared over the past 36 hours by many. As I said from this desk yesterday, the end of his life is not the end of this fight. It is a victory, but it is not ``the victory.''

A lot has already been said about what bin Laden's death means. So before we vote on this resolution, let me speak briefly about the American men and women who carried out this critical successful mission--a mission that was historically significant and tactically stunning.

Osama bin Laden was the most wanted and most hunted man in the entire world. His was the face of our enemy and the face of evil. There were few faces more recognizable to the American people and to the citizens of the world. Those who carried out the orders of the Commander in Chief this weekend could not be more different. The world doesn't know their names. We wouldn't recognize them if we passed them on the street today. That is exactly how they would want it.

This is the newest proud page in a long story of the American hero-- the unknown soldiers, the unsung saviors who sacrifice for our country's flag and our country's freedom. They do not ask for recognition, and they do not ask questions. They just answer the Nation when it calls.

Today the Senate stands in awe of the countless men and women who have toiled in obscurity, in the field and in every corner of the world; professionals who gather one small shred of evidence here and another clue there and pursue another lead somewhere else; the men and women who, over the course of 10 long years, pieced together the most meaningful of puzzles so that a few dozen of their fellow heroes could execute an operation the world will never forget.

These heroes confronted fear with brilliance and bravery. They met the worst of humanity with the best of America. The terrorists who carried out the 9/11 attacks did so with cowardice. The Americans who carried out this mission did so with unfailing courage.

No one has asked how these men and women vote or what their politics are. So we have come to the floor today to vote together on this resolution not as two parties, not even as 100 Senators, but as one body representing one grateful country.

Mr. President, on this resolution, Senator McConnell and I ask for the yeas and nays.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 160.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be laid on the table.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 161.

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