the presiding officer: the democrat leader. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: good morning, mr. president. now, yesterday, we all learned that our colleague, senator flake, would be retiring at the end of his term. after senator corker's announcement a few weeks ago, this was a blow, another blow to this body. senators flake and corker are both men of principle, decency, conscience. in his address here on the floor shortly after this announcement, senator flake alluded to the great figures of history who toiled at these desks to remind us that our time here is only temporary. he is certainly right. it should comfort him, however, that history will judge senator flake and senator corker as two men of the greatest conscience to have graced this chamber on either side of the aisle in a long time. this senate will be much poorer for their departures. now, on taxes, mr. president, last week, the senate...

or their designees. mr. mcconnell: mr. president, are we in a quorum call? the presiding officer: we are not. the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: senate republicans had a productive discussion with president trump yesterday about our shared agenda. we were particularly focused on how to bring tax relief, economic growth, and jobs to the middle class through tax reform. it's clear we share a lot of the same goals. it's clear that we're united in an effort to take more money out of washington's pockets and put it more in middle-class pockets. it's also clear that we're excited about this once-in-a-generation opportunity to get america going again and growing again and so we're watching our friends in the house with anticipation as they consider the comprehensive, responsible budget that cleared the senate last week. we anticipate they'll pass it by the end of the week. once they do, we'll have important legislative tools to move tax reform forward. that's something everyone can look...