and senator mccain apparently had recommended that i be the senate designee on the board at gallaudet university. gallaudet celebrated this week its 150th anniversary, it's an incredible place as senator mccain knows, the only one of its kind in the world. a school for the deaf created during the administration of president lincoln 150 years ago in 1864. one of the -- senator mccain, i know he's here on the floor for another reason but certainly will have reminiscenses and stories about serving on this board but my first dinner my first night at the university at the gallon death university -- gallaudet university, the students, all deaf came out and performed a dance for us. a number of people on the board here, and sign everything, and the students that were dancing to the music were able to dance because of the vibration withs they felt on the floor. you could see this drans troupe and -- dance troupe and you wouldn't have known they were better because they were dancing in exact rhythm with the vibrations on the floor in the ballroom where the dinner was for the gallaudet, gallaudet board. i

and it has -- again, named after thomas hopkins gallaudet, and then conferred university status by the congress. again, 150 years ago today, april 8, 1864, abraham lincoln signed it into law. so, madam president, i ask that -- that my statement on this appear in its full context in the record. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. harkin: madam president, with that i yield the floor. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the senate previous order, the senate >> as you heard the senate is in recess now for their weekly party lunches. they will return this afternoon at 2:15 p.m. to from maryland senator barbara mikulski who'll be on the floor for about an hour talking to legislation that would encourage employers to pay similarly qualified men and women the same wages for the same work. senate republicans will follow her also for about an hour to address legislative issues. you can see the senate at 2:15 p.m. eastern right here on c-span2. during this break we planned to also bring a pentagon briefing with deputy assistant secretary defense amanda dory and general davi