mr. leahy: before the senator from illinois leaves the floor, i commend him for his statement statement, first on his nominee for illinois judgeship, something that's been delayed far too long through no fault of the senator from illinois. madam president, this weekend was a very difficult and trying weekend, for our families and so many other families, nothing compared to t families in newtown, of course. i pretty much stayed off the phone, spent time with children and grandchildren. made an exception for a couple of phone calls with the distinguished senior senator from illinois. i told him when we come back in a couple of weeks in the new congress, i'll work with him to make sure the senate judiciary committee has full and thorough hearings on the subjects he's

mr. leahy: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. leahy: mr. president, i thank the senator from new jersey for his comments. mr. president, you and i and other senators have discussed how we felt this weekend. i can't think of any thing that might so emotionally roil the nation. there have been few such events in my lifetime. all of us feel this senseless killings last friday in newtown, connecticut, just made no -- just hit everybody. if we feel so deeply, we can't even begin to imagine how the families must feel, the families and the parents of the children, the siblings or spouses of the adults killed. and you just pick up the paper, turn on the radio, listening to the television, one more wrenching story after another. in my family -- and i know in families from coast to coast, parents called their children, brothers called sisters, neighbors reached out to neighbors. we huddled with two of our three children, soon to be with a third one in vermont, hugged our grand

mr. leahy: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. leahy: i ask unanimous consent the call of the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. morning business is closed. under the previous order, the senate will proceed to executive session to consider the following nominations which the clerk will report. the clerk: nominations, the judiciary, mark e. walker of florida to be united states district judge for the northern district of florida. terrence c.berg of michigan to be united states district judge for the eastern district of michigan. the presiding officer: under the previous order, there will be 15 minutes of debate divided in the usual form. the senior senator from vermont is recognized. mr. leahy: thank you, mr. president. i ask unanimous consent to include my statements in the judicial nominees on the record. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. leahy: i ask unanimous consent to speak on my time without delaying

mr. leahy: mr. president? mr. coats: so members here -- i'd be happy to yield, but i'd like to finish my remarks, if i could, and then i know we all have time commitments. mr. leahy: i'm only going to make a very short unanimous consent request, if i can. mr. coats: i will be happy to yield. mr. leahy: i'd ask unanimous consent that upon the completion of the distinguished senator's remarks that the senate stand in recess subject to the call of the chair. ferraro is there objection? -- the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection, so ordered. the senator from indiana. mr. coats: mr. president, the concept behind this, of course, is to be as careful as we can with the taxpayers' money and make sure that each dollar spent is spent on something that has been thoroughly examined and looked at and vetted and scrubbed and determined to be necessary going forward. we have to determine the share -- cost share for the state and local communities, what that percentage ought to be that comes from the state. w

mr. leahy: and, mr. president, i ask unanimous consent in behalf of senator inouye that karen carrington and mike hansen, leblg laiflegislative fellows do the committee on appropriations, be granted privileges of the floor during the fiscal year 2013 disaster assistance supplemental. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. leahy: and, mr. president, just so senators will know, it is my understanding the first nominee, fernando olguin of california, will be a voice vo vote. and the second one for mr. dirkin will be a roll call vote, which i understand from the senator from iowa, which is, of course, perfectly acceptable to the democratic side. mr. president, i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. mr. grassley: would it be appropriate if i ask for a roll call vote on judge dirkin? presiding officer: the senator is correct mr. grassley: i ask for a roll call vote. the presiding officer: is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the yeas and nays are ordered. mr. gras

mr. leahy: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. leahy: mr. president, one of the managers of, i guess, of being president pro tempore, i get to preside more than i had for a while and hear some of the speeches of my colleagues, which i appreciate. the senate is a place i love, as i know the distinguished presiding officer does, and it is, as i've often said, a place that should be the conscience of the nation. there's only a hundred of us representing over 300 million americans. we should be able to stand up and be the conscience. i worry, though, as i hear the debate on this so-called fiscal cliff, and i hear some on other side say, well, we're not prepared to vote, we don't want to vote. well, that means you want to vote "maybe." none of us were elected on a promise to vote "maybe." if the other side wants to vote and give huge tax cuts to mult imillionaires, well, fine, then vote -- vote "yes" for that, if they want. but don't say we won't have any vote one way or the other; we'll vote "maybe." we're supposed to be willing to take the cons

mr. leahyman, i'm going to put in a quorum call in just a moment. the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. leahy: but i just want to prays the senior senator -- but i just want to praise the senior senator from maryland. she believes the words. it is a passion, and she cares. she and i have served on the appropriations committee for about 100 or 200 year, i think. she was a child when she came there. but we have served there together. we both have lost one of our dearest, dearest friend friendsn senator inouye. but over and over again in that committee, i've heard her stand up and say, there's people involved here, these are human beings that we ought to stand up for. and when it comes, as the distinguished presiding officer knows, she represents new york state, when you have a disaster that's unbelievable amount, the whole nation is supposed to come to. we're "the united states of america." we're enot the state of maryland, the state of vermont. we're the united states of america.

mr. leahy: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from vermont is recognized. mr. leahy: mr. president, i ask consent the call of the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. leahy: mr. president, i know we have senators who talked about bringing amendments to the floor. i wish and i know the distinguished majority leader is trying to get a finite list and a time to vote on it. i would hope that can be done. i would hope the senators who have amendments will bring them up, debate them and vote them up or down so we can get on with this bill. if you're a person whose home has been devastated or your children's school has been destroyed in this storm, or your business is only a pile of rubble, they really find it pretty difficult to see whether it's the united states senate or the other body sitting around saying we may have amendments, we may not have amendments, maybe we'll have something that's really not germane to what we have here but we want to make a m

mr. leahy: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. leahy: mr. president, i thank the distinguished senator from texas. as i said earlier on the floor this week, i will miss her in this body. we worked together on a number of things. mr. president, i know that my distinguished colleague, senator lindsey graham, has already spoken on the amendment of the junior senator from kentucky which would offset a portion of the cost of the supplemental by rescinding unobligated funds for the fiscal year 2013 continuing resolution for the department of state and foreign aid programs and operations of the u.s. agency for international development. and i agree with him in opposing it. the fiscal year 2013 c.r. provides $13.4 billion for these international programs. we're only 90 days into the fiscal year and $10.4 billion is not yet obligated. no matter how good a number like this might sound, let's talk about reality. these days we seem to have two types of arguments, those that go to symbols, but then those that go to substance. let me speak about the subst

mr. leahy: mr. president -- the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. leahy: mr. president, this is a matter i care a great deal about. we're rushing to rub irstamp a house bill that will extend the fisa amendments act for another five years. my amendment would allow the authorities to continue but it would give a lot better and more timely oversight. we passed this, it was not a last-minute thing. we passed this out in july of the senate judiciary committee. we did it quickly so that we would not be in this last-minute matter. this has no operational impact on the intelligence community, but it does ensure the strongest of oversight. i hope that -- i hope senators will support it and i yield the floor. mrs. feinstein: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from california. mrs. feinstein: i rise to oppose this amendment and indicate the administration opposes the amendment. we have just four days to reauthorize this critical intelligence tool before it expires. that's the reason for having the house bill before us today. the house bill is a clean bill.

mr. leahy: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. leahy: mr. president, first , i want to join my thoughts with those of the two senators from connecticut and the senator who justke, senator blumenthal knows, he and i talked this weekend during these terrible times, and i told him that the judiciary committee, the department of justice, and all, and the victims, were standing by to help him any way they can. mr. president, today is the first day since hawaii became a state that it's not represented by dan inouye, eeft as house member or as senator -- either as house member or as senator. when i look at my dear friend's desk here with the traditional white flowers and i can't tell you how much it pains me. he was one of the greatest members of this body ever to have served and a dear friend to so many of us. perhaps the best role model for public service any american could act ask for. senator inouye's story is one of great passion for his people, commitment to his calling of public service, and dedication and in finding a better way forward for

mr. leahy: madam president in. the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. leahy: madam president, i ask consent to set aside the pending amendments and call up my amendment, which is at the desk. the presiding officer: without objection, the clerk will report. the clerk: the senator from vermont, mr. leahy, for himself and others, proposes an amendment numbered 3437. mr. leahy: i ask consent that further reading be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. leahy: i apologize for my voice. i spent a little bit too much time in an airplane lately. when -- which i shouldn't say with the distinguished chair of the intelligence committee here, because her commute is a lot longer than a vermonter's commute. but when congress passed the fisa amendments act of 2008, they granted the government sweeping new electronic surveillance powers. we all know if they were abused or misused, they could impinge on the privacy rights of americans. there is no question surveillance powers established in the fisa amendment act have proven to be extraordinarily

mr. leahy: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. leahy: madam president, what is the parliament situation? the presiding officer: the senate is in a period of morning business. mr. leahy: i thank the distinguished presiding officer. i assume then that we're going back and forth? the presiding officer: the senator from louisiana. ms. landrieu: madam president, i would be happy to accommodate other senators, but i came to the floor to speak for about ten minutes on the supplemental. i see senator mccain. i don't know if he came to speak on senator inouye or the supplemental. senator merkley and senator stabenow want to offer an amendment or introduce an amendment. is that appropriate? the presiding officer: the senator is correct. that is appropriate. the senator from arizona. mr. mccain: i would request we do as usual in morning business, back and forth, if that's all right. if i could follow the senator from louisiana? the presiding officer: without objection. ms

mr. leahy: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. leahy: madam president, i applaud my colleague from vermont for what he has said. i think he expresses the feelings of so many vermonters across the political spectrum in our state, so i thank him for doing that. madam president, i ask consent that my full statement on the judicial nominations of john dowdell and jesus bernal be placed in the record at the beginning of the debate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. leahy: and i ask unanimous consent that i proceed using the time allotted to me as if in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. leahy: madam president, we are nearing -- no matter what calendar one goes by, we are nearing the end of this congress. we have only a few short weeks to end the stalemate and pass a farm bill. for months, house leaders have blocked a vote on a bipartisan farm bill. we passed one in this body. across the political spectrum, republicans and dem

mr. leahy: madam president, the senate is finally being allowed to vote today on the nomination of michael shea to be a district judge in the united states district court for district -- the district of connecticut. it has taken a long time for this day to come but he will be confirmed, and i congratulate him and his family on his confirmation and i congratulate the two senators from connecticut for finally having this come to a vote. i mention this not to urge that we confirm him because we will and i will very proudly vote for him, but michael shea is another nominee whose nomination was stalled for months for no good reason. the judiciary committee and the distinguished presiding officer serves on that committee will call we gave his nomination strong bipartisan support, more than seven months ago. he has the support of both home state senators, both senator lieberman and senator blumenthal. he has significant litigation experience. he is a graduate of yale law school. he clerked for the con

mr. leahy: while the senator from iowa is on the floor and i'll be very brief because there are others waiting to speak, i'm so moved and touched by what he had to say. i had the privilege of being in that room with the senator from iowa, senator harkin and senator dole, both senators dole, senator bob dole and senator elizabeth dole. you referred to justin darts -- justin dart's widow and his hat was there. you and i saw him wearing that hat the day the disability legislation was signed into law on the white house lawn. in fact, i have a photograph i took of you standing there. mr. president, i've had the privilege of serving in this body every day that tom harkin has been here. nobody has spoken out more eloquently than -- about the need for the disabled than senator harkin has. i know how he learned sign language this he could communicate with his brother. i've seen him with members of the disabled community. he is loved and he is respected. this was not the senate's finest day. it was not "

mikulski, for mr. leahy reports amendment 3403. ms. mikulski: i ask the amendment be considered as read. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. mikulski: mr. president this amendment simply provides authority to the state department to transfer up to $1 billion in overseas contingency operations appropriated in fiscal year 2012 for operations in iraq which are no longer needed in iraq due to reduced operations there and to use these funds for increased security at u.s. embassies and other overseas posts identified in the department's security review after the benghazi attack making additional funds available for this purpose is one of the recommendations of the accountable -- accountability review board chaired by ambassador pickerring and admiral mullen. this amendment is a permissive amendment. it is not a prescriptive amendment. it permits the transfer of funds between the diplomatic program and embassy security, construction and maintenance at which would otherwise be precluded due to percentage limitations on such transfers.

mr. watt, who worked diligently on this bill and i recognize the leadership of senator lay high and i -- leahy. and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas is -- the gentleman from texas -- mr. scott: i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia yields back the gentleman from texas. mr. smith: i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house concur in the senate amendments to h.r. 6029? those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended -- the gentleman from virginia. mr. scott: i object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make a point of order that a quorum is not present. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause of rule 20, further proceedings on this moe -- on this motion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. smith: i move that the house concur in of h.r. 6621, t c

mr. president, we proceed to h.r. 6621. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: h.r. 6621, an act to correct and improve certain provisions of the leahy-smith america invents act and title 35 united states code. the presiding officer: without objection, the senate will proceed to the measure. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent that the leahy-grassley substitute amendment which is at the desk be agreed to, the bill as amended be read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid on the table and that any statements related to this matter be placed in the record at the appropriate place as if read. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: i now ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 1:00 p.m. on sunday, december 30, that following the prayer and pledge, the journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning business 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 executive session under the previous order, and that following disposition of t

and i commend the senior senator from vermont, the chair of the judiciary committee in the senate, mr. leahy, for his leadership on the bill and i urge my colleagues to support this legislation so it can be sent directly to the president's desk to be signed into law. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia yields back. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. smith: mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time as well. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas yields back the balance of his time. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass senate bill 3642. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the -- mr. scott: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia. mr. scott: on that i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the y

mr. leahy: i thank my friend from rhode island. i will be very brief. i will be speaking later on about the senior senator from north dakota. mr. president, i've had the privilege to serve with several hundred senators since coming here, part of a very small list, those who are extraordinary both for their talents and for our personal friendship. kent conrad is in that short list very easily. in fact he defines it in many, many ways. because what we heard here, as i whispered to him a minute ago, it's nice to here a grown-up speak on the floor. and he has -- i've seen him reach across the aisle. we've been privileged -- both of us have been privileged to serve with fine senators from both parties here, but kent conrad is unique. marcel and i value more than i could possibly say here the friendship with kent and his wife lucy and the 101st senator dakota. as i said, i will speak later about this senator, but what we heard today was a real giant of the senate speaking, and i hope that all americans will listen to the lesson he gave us. i yield the floor. t

leahy, president pro tempore. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. reid: there will be an hour of debate on the galante nomination. at 2:00 p.m. there will be two roll call votes on confirmations of the nomination of carol greant to be assistant secretary at h.u.d. following those he votes thrib there will be a recess to allow for caucus meetings and the majority's meeting will begin at 3:00 today. would the chair announce the business of the day. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. under the previous order, the senate will proceed to executive session to consider the following nominations which the clerk will report. the clerk: nominations, department of housing and urban development, carol j. galante of california to be an assistant secretary of housing and urban development. the judiciary, department of justice, william joseph bare of maryland to be an assistant attorney general. the presiding officer: under the previous order, there will be 60 minutes of debate, equally divided in the usual form on th

leahy, president pro tempore. mr. reid: mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority leader is recognized. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent the clerks be authorized to modify the instruction lines on amendments proposed to the substitute amendment number 3395. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. reid: following leader remarks, mr. president, the senate will resume consideration of h.r. 1, which is the legislative vehicle for the supplemental appropriation bill involving the terrible storm that struck new england. the filing deadline for the first-degree amendments is 1:00 p.m. today. we will work on an agreement for amendments in order to complete action on the bill. we're also hopeful that we can complete the extremely important defense authorization bill today, and we're moving forward on fisa today. we're going to move forward one way or the other. i hope that we can get an agreement to move forward on it. if not, we will go forward without an agreement. we will need everyone to pay attention, as they alway

mr. president, i yield the floor. >> the senior senator from vermont and will present himself at the desk. senator leahy will be escorted to the desk. the vice president will be escorted to the desk. i am going to read the oath to you. let me stand here. do you solemnly swear that will support and defend the constitution of united states against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that you bear true faith, that you take this oath and obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of invasion, and that will will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of are about to enter, so help you god? >> i do. [applause] >> majority leader? >> senate resolution 622, notifying the house of residents of the election of a president pro tempore. >> is there an objection to proceeding to the measure? without objection, will proceed. -- we will proceed. >> without objection. >> i now ask the senate to proceed. >> the clerk will report. >> senate resolution 63 notifying the president of united states of the election of a president pro tempore. >> is there an objection to proceeding to the measure? witho

mr. president, on which we serve has a hearing announced this coming week, and i applaud chairman leahy and senator durbin in highlighting the need to get to the bottom of what happened in 2012 and in championing the need for reform. other members of this body have introduced bills as well. senators gillibrand and boxer. and i look forward to learning from them, what their proposals are and working more closely with them to harmonize our bills and make sure we have the best approach moving forward. if i can, mr. president, i'll make one last point. in addition to serving on the judiciary committee, i'm the chair of the african affairs subcommittee of the foreign relations committee. and in that role, i advocate for free and fair elections with african leaders every day. the united states is often cited as their role model. we need to act like it and we need to earn it. what kind of message are we sending to electoral commissions, to heads of state, to members of civil society and advocates for free, fair and open elections in the rest of the world when we so visibly and publicly fail to del

mr. president, one last thing. i ask this be placed in an appropriately in the record. >> without objection. >> i want to compliment senator leahy who is president pro tem of the senate. i have served with him all my 35 years. he is a strong, intelligent, hard-working senator and i am sure he will fill this position in every way it can possibly be filled. i know he, like i are both said we lost senator inouye. but senator leahy will be a worthy successor and he will have my support and i just hope everything goes well for him in this new transition, this new opportunity that he has. i yield the floor. >> mr. president lee >> senator from maryland. >> i too rise to pay tribute to the great senator daniel inouye. first, i want to express my deep and most heartfelt condolences to senator inouye's family. his wife irene, daughter jennifer, his son, jessica, their granddaughter maggie, to the people of hawaii, also our condolences because he loved them dearly and they reciprocated time and time back to the senate and i also want to express condolences to his very able and capable staff, the other inouye family, many of whom were amon

leahy, president pro tempore. the presiding officer: without objection the majority leader. mr. reid: new year's eve is fast approaching and for decades and decades the american people have watched the ball drop in times square. it's the countdown to midnight, the start of a new year. but this year, mr. president, the american people are waiting for the ball to drop but it's not going to be a good drop. because americans' taxes are approaching the wrong direction. come the first of this year, americans will have less income than they have today. if we go over the cliff, and it looks like that's where we're headed, mr. president, the house of representatives as we speak with four days left after today before the first of the year aren't here with the speaker having told them they'll give them 48 hours' notice. i can't imagine their consciences. they're out wherever they are, around the country, and we're here trying to get something done. they are not in washington, d.c. the house of representatives are not here. they couldn't even get the leadership together yesterday. they had

mr. president. i have the substitute amendment. i express my appreciation to the manager of this bill, senator leahy.he and i have worked together on the appropriations committee for more than a quarter of a century. i have a substitute amendment at the desk. i ask for its consideration. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: the senator from nevada, mr. reid, proposes amendment numbered 3395. mr. reid: mr. president, i have a first-degree amendment to the substitute which is at the desk. has the clerk reported the amendment yet? i'm sorry. the presiding officer: the clerk has reported the amendment. mr. reid: i have a first-degree amendment at the desk. it's an substitute. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: the senator from nevada, mr. reid, proposes amendment numbered 3396 to amendment number 3395. mr. reid: i ask for the yeas and nays on that amendment. the presiding officer: is there a sufficient second? there appears to be a sufficient second. the yeas and nays are ordered. mr. reid: i have a second-degree amendment and ask for it to be reported. the presi

leahy and senator cochran. finally, at 5:00 p.m., the senate proceed to executive session for the -- under the previous order. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: on monday then, mr. president, we'll begin consideration of the supplemental appropriation bill. there will be a 5:30 vote on confirmation of the nomination. if there is no further business to come before the senate, ski that we adjourn under the previous order. the presiding officer: the the presiding officer: the >> the u.s. ambassador to the united nations, susan rice, withdrew consideration to be secretary of state in president obama's second term. a group of republican senators said they would oppose her if nominated because of the comment made on the attack on the u.s. consulate in libya. she said it was, quote, spontaneously reaction to an anti-islam video. in a letter withdrawing consideration, see san said, quote, if nominated, i'm convinced the confirmation process would be lengthy and costly to you and our most pressing priorities. read the entire letter to the on c-span.org. more on that attack in benghazi next week. secretary of state, hillary clinton, testified be

mr. smith, to pass h.r. 6621 as amended on which the nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: a bill to correct and improve the leahy smith america invents act in title 35, united states code. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill as amended? members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.] the speaker pro tempore: on this vote, the yeas are 308, the nays are 89. 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended. without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from texas, mr. smith, to suspend the rules and pass senate bill 3642 on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: senate 3642, an act to c

mr. leahy be recognized, as the distinguished senior senator from maryland, the chair of the appropriations committee, is here, so i would name her as my designee. the presiding officer: okay. the clerk will report the motion to invoke cloture. the clerk: cloture motion: we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate, do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the substitute amendment number 3395 to h.r. 1, an act making appropriations for the department of defense and other departments and agencies of the government, for fiscal year ending september 30, 2011, signed by 17 senators. the presiding officer: by unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum call has been waived. the question is, is it the sense of the senate that debate on amendment number 3395 offered by the senator from nevada, mr. reid, to h.r. 1, an act making appropriations for the department of defense and the other departments and agencies of the government for the

leahy, president pro tempore. the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: following leader remarks the senate will begin consideration of h.r. 5949, the fisa reauthorization bill. at approximately 9:45 a.m. this morning, there will be several, up to 25, roll call votes. in order to complete action on the fisa bill and on the supplemental appropriations bill. the senate will recess from 12:30 p.m. until 2:15 p.m. to allow for caucus meetings. additional votes in relation to executive nominations are possible today. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. the senate will proceed to the consideration of h.r. 5949, which the clerk will report. the clerk: calendar number 510, an act to extend the fisa amendments act of 2008 for five years. the presiding officer: under the previous order, -- the presiding officer: the senator from oregon. mr. wyden: i ask unanimous consent to vacate the quorum call -- we're not in a quorum call. i ask unanimous consent to call up my amendment which is at the desk. the presiding of