mr. schumer: mr. president. the presiding officer: the democratic leader. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: thank you, mr. president. i have a few items i'd like to address this morning, but first i'd like to recognize our dear friend from mississippi, the senior senator, who will be delivering his farewell speech today. senator thad cochran has served in this body for decades with a sense of dignity decorum, -- dignity, decorum, and respect for his colleagues that was always appreciated but never confused for lack of conviction. when his issues were on the line, senator cochran fought for mississippi as hard as any senator. after all, he was first bitten by the political bug in his heat especially by the political bug in his run for head cheer will the gentleman yielder -- head cheerleader of ole miss. he joins that distinction with trent lott. of course, we new yorkers, eli manning, we like him,...

president pro tempore. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: mr. president, yesterday evening the house filed a landmark appropriations bill for the remainder of fiscal year 2018. months of in-depth, bicameral, bipartisan negotiations and committee work have led us to this point. the result is legislation that neither sides sees as perfect, but which contains a host of significant victories and important achievements on behalf of the american people. first and foremost, in my view, this bill will market the end of disproportionate and harmful cuts to the department of defense. it delivers the largest year-on-year increase in defense spending in 15 years. these new funding levels will ensure that the training and tools available to our service members remain on the cutting edge, and at long last veterans will receive more transparent and more accessible care. this has been a top priority on our side of the aisle especially. to deliver for our men and women in...

mr. mcconnell: mr. president. the presiding officer: majority leader. mr. mcconnell: when i learned that our distinguished colleague from mississippi would be retiring this month, i found it difficult to imagine the senate without him. that's for good reason. thad cochran arrived here in 1978. 254 senators have since followed in his footsteps. of those currently serving, 97 of us are newer at this than thad is. and every single one of us has been treated to a first-rate example of honorable service. a master class in the art of legislation and living proof that unwavering principle and unflappable collegiality can and should coexist. we all know thad had a knack for making things look easy. so many graces and talents seem second nature to him. but appearances can be deceiving. take the start of his political career. when you think about it, it's only natural that senator cochran liked to work on conservation issues. i expect his adventures as a mississippi republican in the early...