Floor Statements

Before my friend leaves the floor, I had the good fortune to serve in the House, as my friend did, with Tony Hall, a very dedicated, thoughtful man. I wasn't aware of his doing this fast. That is a real fast. It shows how strongly he feels and has felt for many years about this. So it is nice my friend from Florida brought this to the attention of the American people.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the period of morning business for debate only be extended until 7 p.m. tonight, with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each, and that at 7 p.m. I be recognized.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that on Thursday, April 14, following any leader remarks, the Senate proceed to a period of morning business for debate only with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each until the Senate receives the papers from the House with respect to the following items:

H.R. 1473, the Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2011; H. Con. Res. 35, a correcting resolution relative to a prohibition of Federal funds for health care reform; and H. Con. Res. 36, a correcting resolution relative to a prohibition of Federal funds for Planned Parenthood; that when the Senate receives the papers from the House, the Senate proceed to votes on the two concurrent resolutions and passage of the bill in the following order: H. Con. Res. 35, H. Con. Res. 36, and H.R. 1473; that there be 2 minutes of debate equally divided prior to each vote; that there be no amendment in order to the bill or the concurrent resolutions prior to the votes; that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table; that the correcting resolutions and the bill be subject to a 60-vote threshold; that the only points of order and motions in order be budget points of order and the applicable motions to waive; further,

that the Secretary of the Senate immediately notify the House of Representatives of the results of the Senate's action on the House measures.

Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

I withhold that. My friend from Rhode Island is here. I apologize.

Madam President, following any leader remarks, the Senate will be in a period of morning business until 11 a.m. today. The majority will control the first half of that, the Republicans the second half. At 11 a.m., the Senate will proceed to executive session to debate the confirmation of two prospective judges, Briccetti and Kronstadt. At noon, there will be a rollcall vote on confirmation of the Kronstadt nomination. The Senate will recess from 12:30 until 2:15 to allow time for the weekly caucus meetings.

Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Madam President, it is my understanding S. 783 is at the desk and due for its second reading.

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

Madam President, it is my understanding that in this time for morning business, Senators are permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each; is that right?

Madam President, I am always moved to hear the Pledge of Allegiance that marks the beginning of a new legislative day in the Senate. On the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War, the words ``one nation, indivisible'' mean more today than most other days. Along with Chaplain Black's inspired invocation, the pledge motivates us and reminds us of the true purpose of our work. Together, they recall our responsibility to our country, to our countrymen, and to our conscience.

I am particularly pleased to see the Senate open this morning. As we all know, last week at this time, even as recently as just a few evenings ago, whether the government would stay open was a very real question. As I said here late on Friday night, I am pleased we reached an agreement on a budget in time to keep the country operating.

I am pleased that the budget will make historic cuts, saving the country money so we can lower our deficit and do a better job of living within our meanings.

At the beginning of this debate and throughout the last few weeks, I reminded the Senate that in this negotiation, as in any negotiation, neither side would get everything they wanted. From the start I also expressed my firm belief that what we cut would always be more important than how much. That is because our Nation's budget is a representation of our values and of what we value. It is one of the many ways we demonstrate as a Congress and a country what matters most to us, what is important. This concept is not unique to Democrats.

As the Speaker of the House and the chairman of the House Budget Committee have both said, our budget is a moral document.

Those following the budget debate have noticed something unmistakable. While both parties may agree in principle that a budget is more than simply a collection of numbers, our positions couldn't be more different. We stayed true to our values. We value the rights of Americans to afford a healthy life. That is why we passed historic health reform last year, but Republicans tried to use the budget to repeal those rights. We stayed true to our values, and we didn't let them.

We value women's health, but Republicans tried to use the budget to make it harder for women to get contraception that reduces abortions. Their budget also tried to make it harder for women to get cancer screenings, and they even tried to slash funding for cancer research. We stayed true to our values and we didn't let them.

We also value seniors' ability to support themselves, but Republicans tried to use the budget to slice the Social Security Administration. That would have meant delays for seniors and disabled Americans who count on the benefits they have earned over a lifetime of hard work. They also tried to use the budget to reopen the doughnut hole which would have sent seniors' prescription drugs skyrocketing. We stayed true to our values; we didn't let them.

We value our children's education, but Republicans tried to use the budget to kick little boys and girls out of prekindergarten programs and slash Pell grants that help so many students afford college. We stayed true to our values and we didn't let them.

We value our environment, but Republicans tried to use the budget to give polluters a free pass to poison the air we breathe. We stayed true to our values and we didn't let them. We value our economic security, but Republicans tried to repeal the promise we made to taxpayers that they will never again be asked to bail out a big bank when the bank loses its risky bets. They tried to use the budget to reverse rules we put in place to hold Wall Street accountable. We stayed true to our values and we didn't let them.

Finally, we value our responsibility to create jobs, but Republicans also tried to use the budget to reverse the momentum we have seen in recent months. The policies they tried to jam through the budget would have cost us

700,000 jobs and slammed the breaks on our economic growth. We stayed true to our values and we didn't let them.

There are many more examples in this vast budget, examples of programs Republicans wanted to destroy but Democrats demanded we protect. There are many examples where they wanted to cut recklessly and we insisted on cutting responsibly. Throughout this debate, we stayed true to our values. The American people noticed, and they are glad we did. By clear majorities our constituents are glad we stood up for health reform, women's health, cleaner air, and on and on.

This budget battle has once again illustrated for the American people the fundamental differences between the two parties. In some cases our priorities are poles apart. That is obvious to the American people, as well it should be. They are the ones who will always decide whether the morals of their representatives more closely match their own.

As we work toward finalizing this year's budget, we start the conversation about next year's budget, and we engage in the many other debates before us, Democrats will continue to insist on policies that reflect and respect our values.

I ask unanimous consent that my time be charged against leader time and not morning business.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that at 2:15 today the Senate proceed to morning business, for debate only, until 5 p.m. today, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

At 2:15, the Senator from Wisconsin, Mr. Johnson, will be recognized for up to 20 minutes for the purpose of his maiden speech. Further, at 5 p.m., I ask unanimous consent that I be recognized.

Mr. President, I have spoken to my counterpart, Senator McConnell, this morning. We hope to get an agreement on a way to move forward on the small business bill. There are a few issues outstanding and we would like to get that done. We are going to do our utmost to get an agreement and complete that bill.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the period of morning business for debate only be extended until 6 p.m., with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each, and that at 6 p.m. I be recognized.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 12, 2011, at 10 a.m.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 12, 2011, at 2:30 p.m.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 12, 2011, at 2:45 p.m.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 12, 2011, at 10 a.m., in room 366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Environment and Public Works and the Subcommittee on Water and Wildlife be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 12, 2011, at 10 a.m. in Dirksen 406 to conduct a joint hearing entitled ``Natural Gas Drilling: Public Health and Environmental Impacts.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Environment and Public Works and the Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 12, 2011, at 12:45 p.m. in Dirksen 406 to conduct a joint hearing entitled ``Review of the Nuclear Emergency in Japan and Implications for the U.S.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 12, 2011, at 10 a.m., in 215 Dirksen Senate Office building, to conduct a hearing entitled ``Best Practices In Tax Administration: A Look Across the Globe.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 12, 2011, at 2:15 p.m.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights, be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 12, 2011, at 10 a.m., in room SD-226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct a hearing entitled ``The Fair Elections Now Act: A Comprehensive Response to Citizens United.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism, be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, on April 12, 2011, at 2:30 p.m., in room SD-226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct a hearing entitled ``Cyber Security: Responding to the Threat of Cyber Crime and Terrorism.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs' Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 12, 2011, at 10:30 a.m., to conduct a hearing entitled ``Examining the President's Plan for Eliminating Wasteful Spending in Information Technology.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs' Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 12, 2011, at 2:30 p.m., to conduct a hearing entitled ``Financial Literacy: Empowering Americans to Make Informed Financial Decisions.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 142.

Mr. President, 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.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 143.

Mr. 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, there be no intervening action or debate, and that any statements relating to this measure be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, we are working on a way to move forward on the small business jobs bill. Staff has been working on this today. We have quite a number of amendments on which we are trying to get an agreement. We have not been successful yet. I hope we can be tomorrow because we need to wrap up that bill in anticipation of the work we have to do on passing the continuing resolution for the rest of this fiscal year.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 13; 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, and the Senate proceed to a period of morning business for debate only until 3 p.m., with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each, with the Republicans controlling the time from 11:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. for the purpose of a colloquy, and the majority controlling the time from 1 p.m. until 2 p.m., and the majority leader recognized at 3 p.m.

As I indicated, Mr. President, we are working to complete action on the small business jobs bill that Chairman Landrieu has been so patient in helping us move forward.

In addition, the text of the long-term CR has been filed in the House and is available for everyone's review. It is on the Internet. People can read it there also. We expect to receive it from the House on Thursday. Senators are encouraged to come to the floor to debate it tomorrow. Senators will be notified when votes are scheduled.

Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it adjourn under the previous order, following the remarks of Senator Harkin, which will not exceed 15 minutes.