collins: madam president, i ask unanimous consent that proceedings under the call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. collins: thank you, madam president. madam president, i ask unanimous consent that i be permitted to proceed as if in morning business for 15 minutes. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. collins: thank you, madam president. madam president, moments from now president obama will unveil his administration's long-awaited proposal to restructure and reform our nation's financial regulatory system. i'd like to take a few minutes to share my initial reactions to some of the most important features in the president's plan. at the outset, madam president, let me say that the president and his financial team deserve considerable credit for tackling this critical issue. it's important that all of us recognize how critical federal financial regulatory reform is and that we not put this issue off until some distant future. when the pr*e present crisis is behind us -- when the present crisis is behind us, something we all hope will be sooner r

thank you, madam president. ms. murkowski: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from alaska. ms. murkowski: thank you, madam chairwoman. before i begin, i'd ask unanimous consent that three individuals from my staff -- catit, kimberly, be allowed to be on the floor during the debate on this appropriations bill. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. murkowski: madam president, i rise this afternoon in support of the legislative branch appropriations bill for fiscal year 2010. the chairman of the subcommittee, senator nelson, and i have worked collaboratively in this process of putting the bill together. i thank him for that. i think we had some real substance in our hearings and spent the time, energy, the focus that we needed to on these matters regarding this particular appropriations. when combined with the house items, the bill before us totals $4.7 billion, and while this is an increase of 5% over the current year, the bill that we reported out of the committee represented less than a 3% increase over fy2009, as the c

leahy: madam president, what is the parliamentary situation? the presiding officer: the senate is in a quorum call. mr. leahy: madam president, i ask consent that the call of the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. leahy: madam president, for the sake of my colleagues, i want to talk about the time of the hearing of the sonia sotomayor nomination. i talked with the distinguished ranking member last week on this -- on this schedule and i would note the concerns he had raised. but i'm announcing today that the senate judiciary committee will hold the confirmation hearing on the nomination of judge sonia sotomayor to be associate justice of the united states supreme court on july 13th. that's a reasonable schedule. it will be the middle of next month. it's in line with past experience. it's going to allow several more weeks for committee members to prepare for the hearing. several more weeks that if i held the hearing this month, and there's no reason to unduly delay consideration of this well-qualified nominee.

mccain: madam president, i yield the floor. mr. nelson: i respect greatly my colleague from arizona and his concern about spending. i share that. the presiding officer: i'm sorry, go ahead. mr. nelson: i share that concern. and as it is noted, the increase in the spending requested in the appropriations bill is about 2.4%. while $200,000 is a lot of money and it certainly is a lot for people today i think it's important to point out that this is associated with a the legislative branch in the following matter. the durham museum is seeking to provide a public service of federal interest making it appropriate to promote a public-private partnership. the funding of the project in this bill is only 10% of that total cost. the durham museum will be privately raising the remaining 90% and occur all ongoing operating costs. $200,000 requested to this bill for the durham museum is to begin the brez vacation and digitalization of the museum's photo archive collection that will create new jobs, preserve our history and improve access to these

roberts: thank you, madam president. i ask unanimous consent the call of the quorum be dispensed. .the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. roberts: i understand we're in morning business and i would ask unanimous consent i may be recognized for about 12 minutes. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. roberts: thank you, madam president. madam president, i rise today to discuss an issue and this is one of these believe it or not issues of waste and abuse concerning millions of tax dollars and stimulus funding. i've got some good news and then i've got some bad news. to report. first the good news. in the last 24 hours, we have been able to reverse a policy that would have used stimulus money to pave the same roads twice within a matter of months. now, i said yesterday, that just didn't pass the kansas commonsense test, or, for that matter, any state's commonsense test, and would be a huge abuse of taxpayer dollars. well, we have reversed this plan, this silly plan, in a bipartisan way,

with that, madam president, i yield back the door. mr. sanders: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. sanders: madam president, i rise today to introduce the energy market manipulation prevent act. madam president, as you know, we are in the midst of the worst economic crisis since the great depression. millions of our fellow americans are losing their homes, they are losing their jobs, they're losing their live savings and their ability to seep thei sends to college and the hope that their own children will have a brighter future and a better life than they have had and this is just the very unusual moment in the history of our country. in the midst of all of this concern and decline in the standard of living of millions of americans, the last thing, the last thing that our country needs right now is to see our people be ripped off at the gas pump this summer because speculators on wall street, some of the very same people who caused this recession, and who have received the largest taxpayer bailout in american history, are allowed

vitter: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from louisiana. mr. vitter: madam president, i ask unanimous consent to speak for up to 15 minutes as if in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. vitter: thank you, madam president. madam president, today i rise to speak on two crucial issues which i had hoped we would not only be debating in the context of this f.d.a. bill currently before the senate, but actually acting on in that context. and so i have to say, madam president, as i speak about these two issues, i'm really disappointed we're not taking this obvious major opportunity of acting on a major f.d.a. bill to, again, not only have me speak, but all of us act together on the crucial issues of, number one, the re-importation of prescription drugs. and, number two, meaningful generic drug reform so that we get generics to market sooner as a lower cost alternative for american consumers. i want to touch on each of these in turn, madam president. madam president, i was glad to support my friend, the distinguished senator f

brownback: madam president, i'd note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: harass madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. mr. harkin: on behalf of the majority, we yield back the balance of our time. mr. brownback: on behalf of the republican party, we yield back the balance of our time. the presiding officer: we are still in a quorum call. mr. harkin: i ask that further proceedings b of the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: twowks. mr. harkin: i ask that senators feingold and bennett and menendez be added as cosponsors. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. harkin: i yield back our time. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. brownback: an behalf of the republicans, i yield back our time. the presiding officer: without objection. question is on adoption of the resolution. all those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the yeas appear to have it. the ayes have it. the resolution is agreed to. mr. harkin: madam president, i ask that the -

madam president, i yield the floor. a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from tennessee. mr. alexander: how much time is remaining on the republican time? the presiding officer: 18 minutes. mr. alexander: thank you, madam president. will you please let me know when four minutes remain? the presiding officer: will do. mr. alexander: i would like to congratulate the senator from nebraska, and recognizing the importance of the united states to trade with our friends in the rest of the world, especially our friends in latin america, especially when they're taking advantage of low tariffs with us and we're not taking advantage of low tariffs with them. our principal concern on the republican side, and i'm sure many democrats too, is the cost of living for middle-class families in america. there are many issues that come before us that deal with that. the level of our taxes, the level of tuition. if we get medicaid spending -- excuse me -- under control, states will be able to fund the states of tennessee and nebraska better. bu

madam president, i yield the floor. a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: under the previous order, the leader ship time is reserved. under the previous order there will now be a period of morning business until 2:00 p.m. with senators permitted to speak up to 10 minutes each, with the first hour equally divided and controlled between the two leaders and their designees with the republicans controlling the first 30 minutes and the majority controlling the second 30 minutes. the senator from arizona. mr. mccain: madam president, i rise to discuss two issues this morning, health care reform, and also the pending supplemental spending bill that, according to news reports does not include the senate language that explicitly allowed president obama to keep photos of detainee abuse during the bush administration confidential. i want to thank my friend, the republican leader from kentucky, who has shown such impressive leadership on as he describes probably the most important -- domestic issue, certainly, that will be addressed by this congre

madam president, would you let me know when i have one minute left, please. the presiding officer: the senator has 30 seconds remaining. mr. alexander: i wonder if i exphiet for an extra one minute? the presiding officer: without objection. mr. alexander: thank you etch vy much. the main company was not consistent with the core business. we should give taxpayers its shares, get it back in the marketplace where it belongs. it is fast, sirnlings creates a market for the shares. this is not like the soviet union where people aren't used to handling shares. half of american families own shares of stock. it would create a fan base for the next chevy, like the fan base for general motors, where the people on

klobuchar: madam president, i ask that the quorum call vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. klobuchar: madam president, during these tough economic times, american families expect and deserve that we will do everything we can to get the economy moving again. and of course, that involves investing in our country, investing in our infrastructure, involves getting our financial system in order, involves getting the credit moving again. but we should not forget that one out of eight americans is employed in the travel industry. i chair the subcommittee of commerce that deals with tourism issues and i've cosponsored the bipartisan legislation to bring new visitors and new spending and new jobs to the united states. i want to thank senator byron dorgan for his leadership and hard work on this bill and i also want to thank senator ensign for his leadership. i spoke last week when we first started talking about this bill about the importance of the tourism and travel industry to our economy. tourism creates good jobs that can't be outsour

madam president, i yield the floor. a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from georgia. mr. isakson: how much time remains on our side in morning business? the presiding officer: 18 and a half minutes. mr. isakson: i'd ask that that time be divided between myself and senator mccain. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. isakson: thank you, madam president. to the senator from florida who left quickly -- and i'm sorry he left -- i want to associate myself with the first part of his remarks with regard to the tourism bill. he is a floridian. florida is a tourism destination and it is the number-one business in florida, but you got to go through georgia to get there. so i have to chime in and say that he is exactly right. given the economic conditions our country is experiencing right now, tourism is one business that we can be a catalyst for that will pay back both in terms of revenues and tax dollars, but more importantly, in terms of jobs. so i just want to associate myself with his support of the tourism bill and t

brown: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from ohio. mr. brown: i ask unanimous consent to dispense with the quorum. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. brown: thank you, madam president. i appreciate the comments of the senator from tennessee. i don't know how the vote will come out at 550 today but i know it -ps infrastructure -- come out at 5:today but we want the government to return wholly to the private sector, that this was an extraordinary situation i represent, as senator from tennessee represents. a lot of auto workers, in this case union and nonunion alike. i think all those companies that, certainly g.m. and chrysler, workers and people in the community want this industry back on its feet and want it run by the private -- by the private investors, as it should be. madam president, i ask unanimous consent to place my following remarks in a different place in the "congressional record." the presiding officer: without objection. mr. brown: thank you, madam president. today marks the 40th anniversary when the cuyahoga rive

shaheen: madam president, i believe i still have the floor. the presiding officer: the senator has the floor. mrs. shaheen: madam president, yesterday, along with senators boxer, senator klobuchar and 43 other senators, i introduced senate resolution 187, a resolution condemning the use of violence against providers of reproductive health care services to women. and expressing sympathy for the family, friends and patients of dr. george tiller. unfortunately, the murder of dr. tiller was not an isolated incident. our country has a history of violence against reproductive health care providers. since 1993, eight clinic workers have been murdered and there have been hundreds of additional attempted murders, bombings, death threats, and kidnappings. since 1977, there have been more than 5,800 -- 5,800 -- reported acts of violence against providers and clinics. my own state has been touched by such acts of violence. in december 1994, a man from new hampshire killed two workers at clinics in massachusetts, including a nurse from salem, new hampshire.

reid: madam president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. creed: i ask unanimous consent the call of the quorum be terminated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. creed: i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed -- mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to calendar number 140. the presiding officer: without objection. the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, department of state, harold hungu ko of connecticut to be legal advisor of the department of state. mr. reid: mr. president, i send a cloture motion to the desk.. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the cloture motion. 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 the debate on the nomination of harold hongju koh of connecticut to be legal advisor of the department of state. signed by 18 senators as follows: reid, pryor, whitehouse, inouye, feingold, dodd, burris, durbin, murray, tester, udall of colorado, klobuchar, reed o

madam president, i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: mr. martinez: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator florida. mr. martinez: i ask that further proceedings under the quorum call be suspended. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. martinez: this week the senate will be considering the travel promotion act, which is an important bill for my home state of florida. every year millions of tourists travel to the united states from overseas helping our economy, generating revenues for states and communities and creating job opportunities for millions of americans. but for most of this last decade, there's been a huge drop jooff in visiters to the united states if other countries -- a huge dropoff from visitors to the united states from other countries. the united states tourism industry has experienced 182 billion dollars in lost spending, $27 billion in lost tax receipts, and $47 billion in lost payroll, and we've also lost 245,000 jobs. one in every --

>> madame president? >> senator from connecticut. >> let me thank the colleagues -- >> let's have order in the senate. >> but we express gratitude to the colleagues on both sides of the divide. this was a bipartisan effort to allow us to get to the votes. i promised my friend if i have to vote against a point of order to make sure he gets up his amendment i will do so and tomorrow morning we will set a time for that. but all the germane amendments in the leadership will describe how that's going to amendments can be considered full and we will get to a final passage after that. but i'm very grateful to my colleagues. on both sides that made this possible. it's ten years waiting to get this bill that allows us to finally deal with the marketing of tobacco to children. that is a significant decrease in the country. 4,000 deaths a year, 4,000 kids start smoking every day. this bill for the first time will allow us to step up and require fda regulation of tobacco products. that is a great accomplishment for t

dorgan: madam president, rather than yield for a question let me yield the floor and ask him to explain the amendment and then get the floor back. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. sanders: this amendment enjoys widespread supports from a very diverse coalition of organizations throughout this country who shared the common concern that the price of gas and oil is soaring and they don't understand request. but what they do know, it is hurting consumers especially in rural areas like north dakota, vermont, throughout this country, and it is hurting business groups throughout this country. these groups, among others, include the poem markets association of america, it includes public citizens, the gasoline and automotive service dealers of america, the united egg producers, the peanut growers, friend of the earth, and new england fuel institute. all of these organizations for different reasons are worried about the impact of rapidly rising oil prices on consumers. madam president, all of us took economics 101. what they told us in economics 101 is that when supply i

madam president, health care reform cannot wait. the president has said that he wants a health reform bill on his desk by this fall and i will work hard with my colleagues to make sure we send him a good bill that good bill that guarantees every american high quality affordable health insurance and includes a strong public health insurance option much after so many years of delay and inaction, now is the time to act. madam president, i yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: will the senator withhold? golmr. feingold: i withhold the request on the quorum call. mr. gregg: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from new hampshire. mr. gregg: did the chairman wish to speak? mr. inouye: i'll speak after you. mr. gregg: i'm happy to yield to the chairman if he wishes to go before me. first off, this is a very important piece of legislation. i congratulate the chairman and ranking member, senator cochran and senator inouye for bringing it forward. it is critical that we adequately fund our t

madam president, i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent that the call of the quorum be terminated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: i now dishact we proceed to a period of morning business with senators allowed to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: madam president, as if in -- well, first of all, i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to executive session to consider calendar number 132, the nomination of william sessions to be the chair of the united states sentencing commission. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. mcconnell: madam president, we have not had an opportunity to get that cleared on this side as yet. so, therefore, i will have to object for the moment. the presiding officer: objection is heard. mr. reid: madam president, i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to executive session to consider

brown: thank you, madam president. i ask unanimous consent to dispense with the quorum. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. brown: and, madam president, i ask unanimous consent to speak as if in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. brown: thank you, madam president. as members of the senate and the house tackle health reform, two overriding objectives have become apparent cloob we must bring down costs and we must expand access while allowing people who are happy with their health chair to stay in the plan that they're in now. bring down cost, expand access, fix what's broken, preserve what works. perhaps nowhere are these needs more obvious -- to bring down cost and expand access -- than in the area of biopharmaceuticals or so-called biologics. they are the fastest-growing segment of prescription drug spending in the united states. with costs of biologics ranging anywhere from $10,000 to $200,000 per patient per year, biologic treatments pose a significant financial challenge for patients, for the insurance companies, for employers wh

a senator: thank you, madam president. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the substitute amendment is adopted. mr. dodd: the pending matter will be a vote at 12:30, in a couple of minutes, the cloture motion. is that correct? the presiding officer: the senator is correct. mr. dodd: let me just say we'll go to the vote right away. again, i appreciate the comments of my friend from wyoming. i would like the record to reflect that there were no objections on this side to any of the amendments being offered that were germane amendments. my colleague from wyoming is absolutely correct. i regret that that we didn't have a chance to debate those. let me say there may be a time and opportunity to deal with these and other vehicles as well. my hope is that we can vote cloture and move forward. madam president, i am prepared to yield back time and proceed to the vote. the presiding officer: the clerk will read the bill for the third time. the clerk: calendar number 47, h.r. 1256, an act to protect the public health by p

so, madam president, i thank you very much. i would yield the floor and i don't know if i need to say anything else -- and i will. i ask that morning business be closed. the presiding officer: without objection, morning business is closed. mrs. boxer: and i ask that the hour for debate prior to the cloture vote on the motion to proceed to s. 1023 be yielded back. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mrs. boxer: thank you very much. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: 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 hereby move to bring to a close the debate on the motion to proceed to calendar number 71, s. 1023, the travel promotion act of 2009, signed by 17 senators. the presiding officer: by unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum call is waived. the question is: is it the sense of the senate that debate on the motion to proceed on s. 1023, the travel promotion act o

madam president, i yield the floor. i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from colorado. a senator: i'd ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. bennet: thank you, madam president. there is an old saying that you don't know what you've got until it's gone. and it's true -- mr. udall: and it's true in particular when you're talking about water. we have a tendency to take water for granted since we're so used to it always being there when we turn on our faucets or showers or we want to water our yards. and we tend to use it inefficiently. we let the faucet run when we're brushing our teeth or we water our lawns in the middle of the day when evaporation are at their highest. but when you grow up in the desert, as i did, you'll learn to treasure water. everything in the west is shaped by it, and you know that it might not always be there when you need it. and this will become

thank you, madam president. i yield the floor. mr. kyl: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from arizona. mr. kyl: thank you, madam president. when it comes to health care, republicans want reform that respects patient freedom and choice and maintain the doctor-patient relationship. we believe doctors, not washington, shaw should tailor e car. washington, d.c. would dispolice millions of americans who are happy with their current health insurance. federal bureaucracies are not known for being efficient, innovative or hassle free. on wednesday, the majority bhip said -- and i quote -- "those who come to the floor of the senate defending the health insurance companies and saying they want no change in health care system have to defend the indefensible." well, who, exactly, has come to the floor and said that? who on the senate, in the senate, has come to the floor and said they want no change? i know of no one who has done that. this is a strawman argument usually made when you can't win an argument on the merits but it has become the familiar

madam president, i yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from california. mrs. boxer: i ask that the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mrs. boxer: and i ask unanimous consent that the period for morning business be extended until 12:30 p.m. with senators permitted to speak up to ten minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection. mrs. boxer: thank you, madam president. i came to the floor to speak in support of the family smoking prevention and tobacco control act and also to express my gratitude to senator kennedy and to my colleagues who have pushed so hard for consideration of

reid: madam president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent that the call of the quorum be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: i now ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to a period of morning business senators allowed to speak up to 10 minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to consideration of calendar 38. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: calendar 38, s. 256, a bill to enhance the ability to combat methamphetamine. the presiding officer: without objection, the senate proceeds to the measure. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent that the bill be read a third time passed, the motion to reconsider be laid on the table, there be no intervening action or deway. in statements related to this matter be placed in the record as if given. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: i ask that we proceed to h. con. res. 109. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: h. con

schumer: madam president, i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: mr. carper: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from delaware. mr. carper: madam president, i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. carper: thank you very much. madam president, in the constitution, we see laid out before us a framework of how our government is supposed to work, three branches, legislative, executive, judicial. and we also find in the constitution what our relative responsibilities are, not with great detail but with some definitiveness. ironically, one of the requirements that the constitution provides for us in this country is that every 10 years we try to count everybody. we have a census, and most nations do that, and we've been doing that since really for over 200 years. it doesn't get any easier. in fact, every year -- every 10 years it gets harder and it also gets to be more expensive. the record of the census does not

i thank you, madam president, and i yield the floor. a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from colorado. a senator: madam president, i rise today to speak about the urgent need for health care reform. and i want to thank both the finance and "help" committees for the enormous amount of effort they're putting into this monumental task. mr. bennet: when it comes to health care, colorado 0ians will -- coloradans will point you in the right direction. they want us to leave alone the parts of the system that aren't broken. they agree that all americans should have access to affordable and secure health care coverage. but, madam president, they're skeptical that washington can get this done without breaking the bank. they want us to find way to pay for these reforms now and not just pass on the cost to the next generation in the form of increased debt. that's a tall order, but the right one, and simple common sense. we will be tempted throughout the process to settle for half fixes at easier political victories that help a few people but don't

i yield the floor. >> madam president. >> the senator from alabama. >> madam president, i thank senator mcconnell for his thoughtful comments. he's a former member of the judiciary committee, a lawyer who studied these issues and cares about them deeply. i value your comments. i do think that as you know, senator mcconnell, while you're here that once a nominee achieves the supreme court they do have a lifetime appointment. and these values and preferences or principles that they operate on go with them and it's up to us, i think you would agree, to make sure that the values and principles that they bring to the supreme court would be consistent with the rule of law. and i appreciate. >> if the senator from alabama would yield? i commend him for his outstanding leadership on this nomination and his consistent statement that we would have time to read the job, read the cases, read the articles and get ready for meaningful hearing for one of the most important jobs in america. i think he's done a superb job and i want to thank him for his effort. >> thank you, senator mcconnell. i would n

mcconnell: madam president, this morning i'd like to turn my attention to the nomination of judge sonia sotomayor to the supreme court, and more specifically, to the so-called empathy standard that president obama employed in selecting her to the highest court in the land. the president has said repeatedly that his criteria for federal judges is their ability to empathize with certain groups, he said it as a senator and candidate for president and as president. i think we can take the president at his word about a judge wanting to exhibit this trait on the bench. based on a review of judge sotomayor's record, it's becoming clear to many that this is a trait he's found in this particular nominee. judge sotomayor's writings offer a window into what she believes having empathy for certain groups means when it comes to judging. and i believe once americans come to appreciate the real-world consequences to this view, they will find the empathy standard troubling as selecting men and women for the federal bench. a review of judge sotomayor's reviews an writings illustrate the point. the 2002

cardin: and with that, madam president, i would yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

president bush did it year after year after year, madam president. and this president says this is the last time, and i take him at his word. so i think it's important, instead of being so terribly negative, to at least give a balanced view here. many of the funds in this bill for afghanistan will go to help the women and the children of afghanistan. it's very hard for me to understand how anyone could oppose that. we have women who have acid thrown their face if they don't obey their husbands or they take off a face covering. we have children being stoned -- girls on their way to school -- and it seems to me we ought to give it a chance before we leave these women high and dry. i, for one, cannot do that. now, again, i have said, we have to do this right and we have to do it quickly, because i am not going to give my vote to an open checkbook for another war. but i believe this administration gets it. i believe they are training the troops in afghanistan. i believe they are working to build a civil society there. at the end of the day we can't be the

a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from missouri. mr. bond: madam president, i rise today to express my strong opposition to the nomination of mr. harold koh to be the legal advisor to the department of state. my concerns with mr. koh arise primarily from his own statements, writings and testimony before congress. in my opinion, he seems more comfortable basing his legal conclusions on partisan political opinions and trendy arguments rather than the facts and the law. we don't need more legal clerics in government. we need more legal realists in government, someone who pays attention to the hard work that we do in this body to pass laws. the department of state and the country deserve better than that kind of advice. let me provide a few quick examples. on september 16, 2008, mr. koh testified before the senate judiciary subcommittee on the constitution. his written testimony included the following statement -- quote -- "a compliant congress repeatedly blessed unsound executive policies by enacting nominal loophole-ridden bans on torture

reid: madam president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. reid: following leader remarks, the senate will be in a period of morning business for up to one hour. senators will be allowed to speak for up to 10 minutes eesm the majority will control the first 30 minutes and the republicans will control the final 30 minutes. following that morning business, the senate will proceed to consideration of the concurrent resolution relating to an apology for slavery. there will be up to an hour for debate equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees prior to a vote. we do expect that vote to be a voice vote. upon disposition of the concurrent resolution, the senate will resume consideration of the conference report to accompany 2346, the emergency supplemental appropriations bill. we hope to reach an agreement that would allow us to vote on motions to waive points of order. a time for a vote on adoption of the conference report. but if we're unable to reef an agreement, there would be a cloture vote on the conference repor

now, i mention that, madam president, because i have put together a schedule that tracks the process the senate followed by bipartisan agreement in considering president bush's nomination of john roberts to the supreme court in 2005. at that time i served as the ranking minority member of the judiciary committee. i met with our republican chairman, we worked out a schedule that provided for chief justice roberts' hearing 48 days after he was named by president bush. i might say that that agreement on time was reached even before the committee received the answers to the bipartisan questionnaire. and while justice roberts had not, then judge roberts had not decided as many opinions as judge sotomayor, he had been in a policy, a political policy position, in republican administrations for years before, and there were 75,000 pages of documents. in fact, some arrived almost on the eve of the hearing itself. and, of course, that nomination was to replace justice o'connor who was recognized as a pivotal vote on the supreme court. now, if something that significant required 48 days and repub

madam president, mr. president, these are questions i look forward discussing at judge sotomayor's upcoming hearing. >> i thank the distinguished presiding officer and my friend. i also want to thank senator menendez for the outstanding statements in the senate today. they spoke about judge sonia sotomayor and i could not them but think as i reviewed judge sotomayor's record in preparation for a confirmation hearing on july 13, i reviewed that was what all senators were doing. i was struck by her extraordinary career and how she has excelled in everything she has done. i know how proud her mother salinea, a registered nurse is of her accomplishments. this goes across political lines. i was glad to hear laura bush, the former first laid combri say recently she too is proud that president obama nominated a woman to serve on the supreme court. you know, i -- i recall that justice ginsberg since she was cheered by the announcement that she is glad she is no longer going to be the lone woman on the court. i con

quorum call: quorum call: a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from alabama. a senator: i would ask that the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. a senatormr. sessions: the nomif a new justice to the supreme court of the united states brings to our minds a core question both for the senate and the american people, than is what is the proper role of a federal judge in our republic? answering this question is not simply an academic task. it's fundamental to what we will be doing here. how the american people and their representatives and their senators, the ones who have been delegated that responsibility, answer this question impacts not only the future of our judiciary, but i think future of our legal system and the american experience, really. i would just say that from traveling the world as part of the armed services committee, i'm more convinced than ever before that the glory of our american experience, our liberty and our prosperity is based on the fact that we have a leg

a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from oregon. a senator: i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be lifted. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. merkley: madam president, i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today it adjourn until 10:00 a.m. on tuesday, june 23. that following the prayer and pledge, journal of proceedings be approved to date, the important hour be deemed expired, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day and there be a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak up to 10 minutes each with the republicans controlling the first 30 minutes and the majority controlling the next 30 minutes. further, i ask that the senate recess from 12:30 until 2:15 p.m. to allow for the weekly caucus luncheons. madam president, tomorrow we will work on an agreement to consider the legislative branch appropriations bill. if we are able to reach an agreement, we could have votes in relation to the bill. earlier today the majority leader filed nom

reed: madam president, at the conclusion of the senator from maine's remarks, i would ask unanimous consent to be recognized for five minutes and then following me, senator isakson of georgia be recognized for 10 minutes. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. so ordered. mr. reed: thank you, senator. thank youment ms. snowe: thank you. madam president, i'm proud to join my colleagues in expressing, first and foremost, my admiration for senator kennedy phos long-standing -- kennedy for his long-standing vigorous leadership which has certainly been the impetus behind this critical legislation. undeniably, senator kennedy continues to serve as the strongest of champions on so many issues related to health care and we are all grateful for his tireless contributions to this major initiative. i also want to commend senator dodd, who has been guiding this legislation here in the united states senate, and i certainly appreciate all of his efforts to make sure that this legislation becomes a reality. i also appreciate the public health agencies and the advocates who have work

menendez: with that, madam president, i yield the floor. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the senate stands in recess until 2:15 p.m. >> first i would like to say a few words about the situation in iran. the united states and the international community have been appalled and outraged by the threats, the beatings and imprisonment of the last few days. i strongly condemn these unjust actions and i joined with the american people in morning each and every innocent life that is lost. i've made it clear that the united states respects the sovereignty of the islamic republic of iran. it is not interfering with iran's affairs. but we must also bear witness to the courage and dignity of the iranian people and the remarkable opening with an iranian society. we deplore the violence against innocent civilians anywhere that it takes place. the iranian people are trying to have a debate about their future. some in iran, some in the iranian government in particular are trying to avoid that debate by accusing the united states and others i

mcconnell: madam president? the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: i ask that further proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: madam president, as the debate over health care reform continues, a number of different approaches have now emerged, but one thing unites us -- all of us agree that health care reform is needed. the question is: what kind of reform? a reform that cuts costs and expands access? or a so-called reform that leads to a government takeover, where premium are increased but health care is delayed, denied, and rationed?

i yield the floor. >> the center of california. >> madam president, i just want to be heard briefly,just years senator mccain attack this bill that is before us that primarily funds to wars. >> the were spending bill passed includes $1 billion for a program of incentives for car owners to trade in older cars for more fuel efficient vehicles. senator judd gregg of new hampshire tried to have that money taken out of the bill but his amendment failed. here is 20 minutes of that debate he meant. >> mr. president, i think the majority leader for his statement and another is controversy involved in the so-called cash for clunkers which is a kind of humorous name for a very serious proposal, let's be honest about where we are in america today. we have seen the largest decline in automobile sales and 50 years. sales down 29% and production down 46% from where it was 17 months ago. plummeting on all cells have reduced production and had a ripple affect across the economy forcing factories to close, we have lost 280,000 american jobs in the automobile industry. that is what this is about -- 28

well, as i said at the beginning of my remarks, madam president, i ask unanimous consent the supplemental earmarks and unrequested congressional add-ons be made part of the record at this time. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. mccain: so in what the american people believe was a time of change, the american people now should know that it's business as usual. a combination of lobbyists, industry, campaign contributions, unnecessary spending is continuing completely out-of-control. this was a piece of legislation that was supposed to fund the wars in iraq and afghanistan. so now we add billions of dollars to things like cash for clunkers, unneeded and unnecessary and unwanted military equipment that are made in certain powerful members of congresses home state. it's not good. sooner other later, the american people will demand it comes to an end. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from california. mrs. boxer: madam president, i just want to be heard briefly. we just heard senator mccain attack this bill that's before us that primarily >> there is

with regard to the new haven firefighters' case, i will just say, madam president, that we will be looking to enter that case in some length. stuart taylor did a very fine analysis of it. in his writing at national journal he recognized that no one ever found that the examinations these firefighters took was invalid or unfair. as he has explained, if the belated, weak and speculative criticisms obviously tailered no test will ever withstand a desperate impact lawsuit. well, that may or may not be judge sotomayor's objective, but it cannot be the law, says mr. stuart taylor in his thoughtful piece. the firefighters you see was told there was going to be a test that would determine row motion, that would determine eligibility for promotion. the tests were given at the time stated, and the rules had been set forth. but the rules were changed and promotions did not occur because the sotomayor court in a prefunctry decision concluded that too many nominees did not -- too many minorities did not pass the test. and no finding was made that the test was unfair. so we'll be looking at that and quit

madam president -- madam mr. president, threes questions i look forward to discussing at judge sotomayor's upcoming hearing. and now, mr. president, i rise to discuss the necessity of including a public option in the health care legislation congress is currently drofting. one of our top priorities as we undertake health care reform is increasing competition among health insurance companies in order to get costs under control and give consumers better choices. a recent "new york times"/cbs poll clearly shows that a large majority of the american people -- 72% in fact -- want a government-sponsored health care option that would compete with private health insurance companies. 72%. what's even more incredible, 50% of all republicans in this country want a public option. there seems to be a disconnect between my colleagues on the other side of the aisle and even their republican constituents. do you know why so many americans want a public plan? because despite what many of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle