Floor Statements

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 suggest the absence of a quorum.

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of H.R. 4839.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read three times, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that during the recess or adjournment of the Senate, Senate committees may file committee-reported Legislative and Executive Calendar business on Tuesday, January 8, during the hours of 10 a.m. to 12 noon.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding the recess or adjournment of the Senate, the President of the Senate, the President pro tempore, and the majority and minority leaders be authorized to make appointments to commissions, committees, boards, conferences, or interparliamentary conferences authorized by law, by concurrent action of the two Houses, or by order of the Senate.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that on Tuesday, January 22, 2008, following a period of morning business, the Senate then proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 421, S. 1200, the Indian health legislation.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed to Calendar No. 546, S. 2483, the energy lands bills, at a time to be determined by the majority leader, following consultation with the Republican leader, and that when considered, it be considered under the following limitations: that the only amendments in order be five related amendments to be offered by Senator Coburn; that upon disposition of all amendments, the bill be read a third time, and the Senate proceed to vote on passage of the bill.

I mentioned this morning that we are going to do Indian health, FISA, and then we can to go this bill that I just got consent on dealing with energy.

There is a bill at the desk due for its first reading. It is the consumer product commission.

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

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, I have two consent requests that I have been asked to propound on behalf of Members on our side. These two bills are very important. There are objections on the Republican side. I would propound the requests, but I have been told the Republicans would have to bring somebody here, and there would be an objection, so I am not going to make that necessary.

The bills are H.R. 1216, Kids and Cars Safety Act of 2007, and H.R. 1254, the Presidential Library bill. These two pieces of legislation are important to Senators Clinton and Lieberman.

I would like to announce today that when the Senate returns for business in January, we will ask the consents again, and I hope at that time the minority, who are now objecting, will not be here to lodge those objections.

Mr. President, so it does not pass my mind, I want to express the appreciation of everyone involved here for the Presiding Officer spending so much time here today. We thought we would be out of here by 3 o'clock this afternoon. It is 8:30, and we are still not finished our work.

I can remember when I was a new Member of the House of Representatives, and it was a time about like this,

and I was asked to preside. Now, remember, there are 435 Members of the House of Representatives, and I was a freshman. Oh, was I happy--a great big podium and a great big gavel, which I did not have to use. I would not have known how to anyway. But I look back with a lot of fond memories to that 25 years ago.

But we appreciate the Senator being here today. Most of this work of this Senate is completed, and we have to have someone who is presiding. The Senator has been very patient with all of us. We appreciate it very much. But this speaks of who you are. You are always a very patient person. I am grateful to you, as we all are.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. President, as in executive session, I ask unanimous consent that, the provisions of rule XXXI notwithstanding, all nominations remain in status quo except the following: from the Armed Services Committee, Colonels Larry Arnett, Otis Morris, and Gilberto Pena to be brigadier generals; Colonel Marc L. Warren to be brigadier general; Colonel Mark W. Tillman to be brigadier general; Anita K. Blair, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Navy; from the Committee on the Judiciary, Steven G. Bradbury, of Maryland, to be an Assistant Attorney General.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session to consider Executive Calendar Nos. 117, 372, 377, 393, 408, 409, 411, 412 through 427, 433 through 438, and all the nominations on the Secretary's desk; that the nominations be confirmed, the motions to reconsider be laid on the table, and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Foreign Relations Committee be discharged of the following nominations: foreign service nominations listed as follows: PN 877, PN 955, PN 1006, PN 1007, PN 1015, PN 1034; that the nominations be confirmed, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Foreign Relations Committee be discharged of the following nominations: Mary Ann Glendon to be Ambassador to the Holy See, PN 1028; Charles Larson to be Ambassador to Latvia, PN 1087; that the nominations be confirmed, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Homeland Security Committee be discharged from the following nominations: Steven Murdock to be Director of the census, PN 660; Jeffrey Runge to be Assistant Secretary for the Health Affairs and Chief Medical Officer, PN 826; that the nominations be confirmed, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Judiciary Committee and the Banking Committee be discharged of the following nominations:

Scott Burns, to be Deputy Director of National Drug Control Policy, PN692; Cynthia Dyer, to be Director of the Violence Against Women Office, PN827; Nathan Hochman, to be Assistant Attorney General, PN1052; Joseph Russoniello, to be U.S. attorney, PN1070; Alan Mendelowitz, to be Director of Federal Housing Finance Board, PN989; Christopher Padilla, to be Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade, PN861; that the nominations be confirmed, the motions to reconsider be laid on the table, the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action, and the Senate then return to legislative session.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the HELP Committee be discharged of the following nominations:

Tracy Justesen, to be Assistant Secretary for Special Education, PN1051; Carol D'Amico, PN244; and Eric Hanusek, PN243, to be members of the board of directors of the National Board for Education Sciences; that the nominations be confirmed, the motions to reconsider be laid on the table; the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action, and the Senate return to legislation session.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the HELP Committee be discharged of the following nominations:

Howard Radzely, to be Deputy Secretary of Labor, PN562; Stuart Ishimaru, to be a member of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, PN845; Gregory Jacob, to be Solicitor for the Department of Labor Statistics, PN944; Keith Hall, to be Commissioner of Labor Statistics, PN944; Douglas Webster, to be Chief Financial Officer at the Department of Labor, PN964; that the nominations be confirmed, the motions to reconsider be laid on the table; the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action; and the Senate then return to legislative session.

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

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand in recess until 9:30 a.m., Friday, December 21, and that on Friday, the Senate meet in pro forma session only, with no business conducted; that at the close of Friday's session, the Senate then meet in pro forma session, with no business conducted, on the following days and following times and recess after each session: Sunday, December 23, at 11 a.m.; Wednesday, December 26, at 9:30 a.m.; Friday, December 28, at 10 a.m.; Monday, December 31, at 10 a.m., and that at the close of the pro forma session on December 31, the Senate stand adjourned sine die, pursuant to S. Con. Res. 61, as amended, until 12 noon, Thursday, January 3, 2008, for a pro forma session only, and the Senate then recess until Monday, January 7, at 9 a.m., to meet in pro forma session, as provided previously, and meet on the following days and recess over each period: Wednesday, January 9, 11 a.m.; Friday, January 11 at 9:30 a.m.; Tuesday, January 15, at 11 a.m.; and Friday, January 18, at 10 a.m.; that at the close of that session, the Senate then reconvene on Tuesday, January 22, at 10 a.m.; that 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 then there be a period for the transaction of morning business for 60 minutes, with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each, and the time be equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees, with the Republicans controlling the first half and the majority controlling the final portion, and that the Senate then proceed to S. 1200, as previously provided.

Mr. President, I now ask unanimous consent that the Senate stand in recess under the previous order.