but i end where i started: senator johnny isakson. let's fight when there is something to fight about. there is nothing to fight about tonight. mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: i'm going to walk us through where we've been and where we are. after tonight's vote, i think the quickest and surest way to get fema disaster funds it tphaoepd and end -- needs and end talk of government shutdown would have been to take up the house-passed c.r. right away. as we know, our friends on the other side will not agree to that. earlier today, as we all know, fema indicated it already has the funds it needs for the duration of the current c.r., which is basically this week, without the billions more in funding that democrats have been calling for. quite frankly, i think this is a vindication of what republicans have been saying all along. before we spend the taxpayers' money, we should have a real accounting, a real accounting of what is actually needed. we also believe that in these days of hu

we have talked to the white house and the president about that, my good friend from georgia, johnny isakson, has been in the middle of all those discussions. we know what can happen here. but for it to happen, we have to get these agreements sooner rather than later. let's get them up here. let's get them passed. let's get them back in the hands of our new trading partners and see these jobs increase. i'm pleased to recognize and encourage the ongoing efforts for this effort of my good friend, mr. isakson. mr. isakson: thank you, senator blunt. thank you very much, senator johanns, for organizing this colloquy. i represent a state that is the home to the second-largest port on the eastern seaboard of the united states of america. the port is savannah. the poverty savannah directly employs 300,000 people in the southeastern united states. can you think what an impact this is going to have to increase that employment if we get these free trade agreements? let me give you an example that is amazing. south korea surpassed japan in 2010 as the second-largest northeast asian destination for south

. >> georgia republican senator johnny isakson says you have to pick your fights.ssible government shutdown than money the democrats and republicans were arguing over. guys, back to you. >> steve: wendell goler, north lawn of the white house, thank you very much for the live report. >> gretchen: let's talk about this, yesterday remember we told you about the story about a history teacher who was at a forum talking about illegal immigration and the dreamact specifically and he sort of got into it with the leader of the tea party in that community in san antonio and eventually ended up calling him a nazi. well, today that chair of the tea party came on to respond to that. >> again, folks, it's a person that they are -- that there is some unfair and unbalanced teaching going on in the school room. this is a generation that is being indoctrinated, in my opinion, and i just wonder what kind of teaching is going on regarding the constitution of the united states and the history of our nation. >> steve: so there you have george rodriguez, the president of the san antonio

as it relates to senator boxer and senator johnny isakson bill, today the administration is more focused implementation of a mass refines are significant and could cause some major unexpected consequences. supportive of helping consumers, but i also realize that there could be unexpected consequences, one of which is breaking contract law by waving appraisals. also the mortgage-backed security investors that today would be prepaid could have significant consequences on the secondary mortgage market if they would lose several hundred basis points of what they have in their portfolios. also and more importantly right now, we don't know for certain that these people who are going to be refinanced still don't walk away if they still have a negative equity even though you reduce their payments. so i am not against it. i just think it would be difficult to execute successfully without unexpected consequences. >> thank you. and in that context, that either of you want to share what you think the strengths or weaknesses are of the boxer/isaacson approach? >> well, i will first reiterate somethin

reid: this tonight is a johnny isakson solution. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion to concur with the amendment 665 offered by the senator from nevada, mr. reid. the yeas and nays -- there a second? sufficient second. the clerk will call the roll. vote: vote: the presiding officer: on this vote the yeas are 79, the nays are 12. under the previous order requiring 60 votes for the adoption of this amendment, motion to concur with an amendment the amendment is agreed to. the motion is agreed to. under the previous order, the senate will proceed to the consideration of h.r. 2017, which the clerk will report. the clerk: calendar number 156, h.r. 2017, an act making appropriations for the department of homeland security for the fiscal year ending september 30, 2012 and for other purposes. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent to withdraw the substitute. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: and call up amendment number 666. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: the senator from nevada, mr. r