Floor Statements

Mr. President, following any leader remarks, there will be a period of morning business. Senators will be allowed to speak for up to 10 minutes each during that time. Republicans will control the first 30 minutes, and the majority will control the final 30 minutes. We are going to recess from 12:30 until 3:30 today to allow for a caucus the Democrats are having.

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

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

Mr. President, last night we began the rule XIV process on two important bills--the DREAM Act and Firefighters Collective Bargaining.

It had been my intent to file cloture on both of these bills. However, supporters of the original bills requested that modifications be made.

Those changes are reflected in the bills we introduced last night, and I intend to move forward on both of these.

In addition, I intend to file cloture this week on the 9/11 health bill. So I will file cloture on all three at the same time.

The current continuing resolution expires this Friday. We are awaiting House action on short term CR which we will receive later this week.

I hope Members on both sides of the aisle will allow us to act quickly on this short term CR when we receive it.

As we work to clear the short term CR, the House and Senate Appropriations Committees are working on legislation to fund the government for the remainder of the fiscal year.

Earlier this morning, I received a letter from my Republican colleagues indicating they will filibuster any legislative matter brought to the floor prior to the completion of the spending and tax bills. No one is more eager to put both these issues behind us than I; however, passing either will require Republican votes. I wish I could report we are close to wrapping up action on both bills, but we are not.

The first meeting that was requested by the President is taking place this morning. Senator McConnell chose Senator Kyl to represent Republicans. I chose the chairman of the Finance Committee, Senator Baucus, to represent Democrats. So they are moving forward on that to see if there is something that can be worked out. My Republican colleagues knew this, as they

drafted this letter; therefore, they also know that the true effect of this letter is to prevent the Senate from acting on many important issues that have bipartisan support. With this letter, they have simply put in writing the political strategy the Republicans have pursued this entire Congress; namely, obstruct and delay action on critical matters and then blame Democrats for not addressing the needs of the American people. It is cynical but obvious and transparent.

We must move forward on matters of importance. We have numerous judges who need to be taken care of. I am trying to work something out with the Republican leader on those. I hope everyone understands there are issues we need to deal with. There are meetings going on as we speak to try to help us move forward and to allow us to complete action at the earliest possible date.

I suggest the absence of quorum and ask unanimous consent that the time be charged equally.

Mr. President, the good priest has a wonderful person as one of his parishioners, someone we all look up to, someone we will miss dearly. For me, it is a personal loss. He is very proud of his religion. Obviously, the guest Chaplain is one reason.

Of course.

Mr. President, after any leader remarks, the Senate will resume consideration of the food safety bill. There will be 2 minutes for debate prior a series of three rollcall votes. We will have the Coburn motion to suspend rule XXII for the purpose of proposing and considering Coburn amendment No. 4697, a Coburn motion to suspend rule XXII for purposes of proposing and considering Coburn amendment No. 4694, and then passage of this most important bill, the food safety bill.

Upon disposition of the food safety legislation, there will be a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each, and the Senate will recess from 12:30 to 4 p.m. to allow for party caucus meetings. They are a little longer today than normal because of organizational things we are working through.

At 4 p.m. today, Senator Dodd will be recognized to give his farewell speech to us and the country.

Mr. President, S. 3985 is at the desk and due for a second reading.

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

Mr. President, I have on many occasions spoken of my affection for my friend Chris Dodd. At the caucus today--the Presiding Officer was

there--I indicated very few people have had the opportunity and the challenges in a single Congress as Chris Dodd. He found himself chairman of the Banking Committee at a time when the country was collapsing, the banks were collapsing. Yet he led the way to working with the Republican President to do the so-called TARP. It was something that was done on a bipartisan basis. There was never a better example in my entire government career of a more cooperative group of Senators, Democrats and Republicans, House and the Senate, working together to create something that was badly needed.

Then we had, of course, many other issues beginning with Wall Street reform. Then, to complicate his life and to add to the challenges in his life--the best friend a man could ever have was Chris Dodd's best friend, Ted Kennedy--Ted Kennedy was stricken very ill. Senator Dodd knew he would not be back to the Senate. Very few people knew that, but he knew that. He, in effect, was chairing two major committees at the same time, the HELP Committee and the Banking Committee. He did it in a way that is so commendable, so exemplary.

I have so much, I repeat, affection for Chris Dodd that I am not capable of expressing how deeply I feel about this good man. I will have more to say later, but I did want to take this opportunity, as soon as the Republican leader makes his remarks, to allow his colleague from the State of Connecticut to speak following the two leaders, if that is OK.

I ask unanimous consent that following the remarks of Senator McConnell, Senator Lieberman be recognized.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, following any leader remarks, there will be a period of morning business until 4 p.m. today, with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes during that period of time. Following morning business, the Senate will resume consideration of the Food Safety Modernization Act. At 5:30 today, Senator-elect Mark Kirk will be sworn to be a Senator from the State of Illinois. At 6:30, the Senate will proceed to vote on the substitute amendment to the food safety bill. Under an agreement reached before the recess, if cloture is invoked, all postcloture debate time will be yielded back except for the time allotted in agreement and the only amendments or motions in order are motions to suspend the rules offered by Senators Johanns and Baucus, both relating to 1099 forms, and two offered by Senator Coburn, one relating to earmarks and another, a complete substitute for the bill. If cloture is invoked, we will debate the motions and then stack the votes for later tonight. There is up to 1 hour total on the Johanns and Baucus motions and 4 hours on the Coburn motions. Upon disposition of the motions, the Senate will proceed to vote on passage of the food safety bill.

I spoke to Senator McConnell earlier today. It was suggested that what we would do, if we can get permission from the Senate, is have the two votes. We will have the cloture vote and Johanns and Baucus, and then there is 4 hours of debate, which would put us until 11, 11:30 tonight. I think Senator McConnell and I believe it would be to everyone's interest to have those three votes in the morning at 9 o'clock. Senator McConnell and I have a meeting at the White House, and we would have to have the votes start at 9. That is where we will try to get to, so everyone should be alerted to the schedule issue.

Mr. President, when you talk about the top teams in college football since the start of the century, you have to talk about Boise State University. A lot of people know about their famous blue turf and their quick, creative offense. Even casual college football fans can talk like experts about the stunning trick plays that led the Broncos over a heavily favored Oklahoma team in a 2007 bowl game.

It is decidedly one of the most dominant programs of the decade. How dominant? Since Boise State joined the Western Athletic Conference in 2001, it had lost just four conference games in 10 years.

On Friday night in Reno, it lost its fifth.

Boise State came in ranked third in the country and was on track for its third undefeated season in 5 years. It had a shot at the national championship. But thanks to the University of Nevada Wolf Pack and its brilliant head coach, Chris Ault, Boise State is no longer in the running. And now when you talk about the top upsets in college football, you have to talk about Nevada.

Nevada and Boise State have been rivals for a long time--back when they played in the Big Sky and Big West Conferences, and in the Western Athletic Conference where they play

today. They will soon leave the WAC together to join the Mountain West Conference, and the rivalry will continue. Although some recent games have been close--the 2007 one went to four overtimes--Nevada had not won since 1998.

But this year's Nevada team has been among the best in school history. It leads the conference in offense, rushing yards and points scored. After this weekend's win, it is ranged fourteenth in the country.

Still, beating a powerhouse like Boise State was no piece of cake. No one had beaten the Broncos since December 2008. The Wolf Pack were 14- point underdogs. They were down 17-0 late in the second quarter. Then quarterback Colin Kaepernick led an incredible second-half comeback and forced overtime.

They won the game when a 5-foot-6 freshman from McQueen High School in Reno, a young man named Anthony Martinez, kicked the most important field goal in State history.

It was not that long ago that the University of Nevada did not even field a Division I team. Now our proud program has knocked off one of the toughest teams in the Nation.

It is no fluke. Coach Chris Ault is an exceptional leader and a good man. I am proud to call him a very good friend.

I have known Chris for a long time. When he was just 23 years old, he became the youngest high school head coach in the state, leading the Bishop Monogue Miners in Reno. I was a member of the school's athletic booster club, and I was impressed with Chris Ault from the day I met him.

He led the Wolf Pack as its quarterback in the 1960s, as its athletic director two decades later, and has been its head coach three times, totaling 26 years. He is one of the smartest coaches in the country. A few years ago he invented the Pistol offense. Now schools across the Nation, and even some NFL teams, are copying it.

In fact, only two men enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame are still actively coaching at the sport's highest level: the legendary Joe Paterno and Nevada's Chris Ault.

At the end of October, I was in church in Reno when a tall young man sat down next to me. It was Nevada's quarterback, Colin Kaepemick, preparing himself spiritually for the next game. In Friday's game, he became the first player in NCAA history to throw for more than 2,000 yards and run for 1,000 yards in three straight seasons.

Sometimes it is true what they say--that it is just a game. But this is one of those times when it is much more. This remarkable, memorable win means so much for an underrated and underappreciated athletic program, for a great university and for the whole State of Nevada.

Congratulations to Coach Ault, Colin Kaepernick, Anthony Martinez and the Wolf Pack. I never doubted you would pull it off.

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

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

Mr. President, I am told that S. 3975 is at the desk and due for a second reading.

Mr. President, I would object to any further proceedings with respect to this piece of legislation.