mr. mcconnell: mr.president? the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: later today the senate is likely to finish the highway bill, and once we do, i listened carefully to the majority leader's remarks -- once we finish the highway bill, we ought to immediately turn to the bipartisan jobs bill that passed the house last thursday. the vote was 390 to 23. let me say that again. the vote in the house was 390 to 23. the president has also indicated he would sign the house bill, so it strikes me with the jobs emergency that we have in this bill with 8.3% unemployment, many more millions of americans having given up trying to get into the workforce, the thing to do is to pocket this broad, bipartisan bill and rye to create jobs immediate -- and try to create jobs immediately. i a heard my friend, the---- i'e heard my friend, the majority leader, say he wants to recraft it. all that will do is slow down the process and make it more difficult to get this important jobs legislation to the pres

mr. mcconnell: i'd be happy to yield. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent the cloture vote on s. 2204 which is set for 11:30 be moved to start at 11:15. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. reid: senators should not be worried about this. we'll keep the vote open until at least noon so everybody that was scheduled to vote at 11:30 can still do that. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: mr. mcconnell: across the street with great interest. while we have preferences, none of us knows at this point how the supreme court will rule. one thing we should all be able to agree on is the health care's -- president's health care bill is an a mess, an absolute mess. the american people clearly don't like it, polls show the majority want the law repealed. more than two-thirds of the public including most democrats believe the core of this bill is unconstitutional and it's loaded, literally loaded with broken promises. t

mr. mcconnell: mr. president, reserving the right to object. the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: the problem with accepting the boxer amendment is that it would shut down the federal aid highway program, which means states wanting reimbursements for projects will not get paid. it would cause additional nervous state department of transportation directors to cut back further on work because there will be no reimbursements on federal projects. and it would cause the highway -- cost the highway trust fund $100 million per day for any day the gas tax is not collected, thereby adding to the deficit. therefore, i object. the presiding officer: objection is heard. is there objection to the original request? the senator from maryland. mr. cardin: reserving the right to object. i was listening to the distinguished republican leader. let me just challenge some of the assumptions that maybe we can get to a consent here. i am very confident in talking to members of the house of representatives that there's ample support to pass not

mr. mcconnell: madam president? the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. reid: may we have order? the presiding officer: will the senators please take their conversations out of the well. please. now. the majority leader. mr. reid: madam president, we need order in the senate. people should take their seats. the republican leader has some words he wants to share with the senate. the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: madam president, on me leader time very briefly, there is substantial support on this side of the aisle for the ex-im bank. however, it's important that we get this bipartisan jobs bill that passed the house overwhelmingly, that the president supports, on down to the president. so it's going to be my recommendation to my members, which i hope they will follow, that we oppose cloture on adding the ex-im to this bill. and i would say to my friend, the majority leader, i've discussed with virtually all of my members. we believe that if you turn the kph-pl matter we can -- the ex-im matter, we can pass in very short period of

mr. mcconnell: mr. president. the presiding officer: the republican leader is recognized. mr. mcconnell: i suggest that the quorum be dismissed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent that senator grassley be allocated 45 minutes of the republican time during the debate on h.r. 3606. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: mr. president, later today the senate will take up an attempt to pass the jobs act, and so we find ourselves once again on the cusp of passing a bipartisan jobs package that will make it easier for entrepreneurs and for innovators to get the capital they need to build businesses and create jobs. as i said yesterday, this bill had overwhelming bipartisan support over in the house. nearly 400 members voted for it, and the president himself says that it will create jobs. he supports it and he would sign it when we get it to him. yet, for some reason, some in the democratic-controlled senate seem intent on slowing it down and

mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the republican leader is recognized. mr. mcconnell: i ask that further proceedings under the quorum call being dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i'd like to start out this morning by saying that i'm tblad we're turning to the bipartisan jobs bill that passed the house last week by such a lopsided margin. here's a chance not only to help entrepreneurs build their businesses and create jobs but to show that we can work together around here to get things done on a bipartisan basis. unfortunately, some of our friends on the other side don't seem to like that idea very much. apparently they'd rather spend the time manufacturing fights and 30-second television ads than helping to create jobs. first, they tried to even keep us from bringing this jobs bill up for debate in the senate. now we read they're trying to figure out ways to make this overwhelmingly bill controversial. they want to pick a fight rather than get this bill to the president's desk. then they're going it use the same strategy

measure failed today fifty six to forty two but eleven democrats voting in favor of the measure now mr mcconnell says the president is out of touch he's referring to all the job opportunities that supporters say could come from the construction of the pipeline even a former president bill clinton has shown support for the pipelines capabilities and speaking of jobs has become a divisive issue for the labor unions one hand some labor unions are in favor of projects other projects potential for job creation touted in ads like this one. the pipeline will produce over two hundred one thousand nine hundred sixty. seven. private industry to produce something that really. stable source of. north america. now according to union websites it turns out that more union members are actually opposed to the pipeline and those that are in favor of it i got this chart three point three million union members favor keystone four point nine million have come out against it and those union members who signed with obama say the president has done the right thing putting the environment first and they believe that he'

mr. mcconnell: mr. president, what we're seeing in the senate this week is exhibit a in what the american people just don't like about congress. gas prices have more than doubled under president obama and the democrat control of the senate. this is an issue that affects every single american, drives up the cost of everything from commuting to groceries. and what's the democratic response? well, it's legislation that even they admit won't do a thing to lower the price of gas at the pump. we've got seven democratic senators on record saying this bill doesn't do a thing to lower gas prices. one of them has actually called it laughable. yet, that's what they're proposing here this week at a time when gas prices at a national average are nearly $4 a gallon. this is what passes for a response to high gas prices for washington democrats, a bill that does nothing about it. i can't think of a better way to illustrate how totally out of touch and irresponsible the democratic majority has become. look, democrats k

mr. mcconnell: madam president? the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: this week the average price of the gallon of gas is $4. the national unemployment rate is 8.3%. and if one includes those who are frustrated, so frustrated they've stopped looking for work altogether, of course the unemployment rate is much higher than 8.3%. with all of this, the democratic majority is about to spend more of the senate's time on another heavy-handed power play that won't get them anywhere. but it will make clear yet again how out of touch they are with the needs of the american people. first, we need to make clear what this is about and what this is not about. this is not about making sure the president's judicial nominations are being treated fairly. despite what the majority would like you to believe, the president is doing quite well on that score, as is clear from both the facts and the admissions of our democratic friends themselves. as senator alexander noted yesterday, the senate confirmed 76 out of 78 district court nominees whom president obama subm

mr. mcconnell would accuse the president of being responsible for the collapse of the ottoman empire as well your reaction to that? >> they have no credibility. i love these republicans who run to the floor of the house and senate and with one hand they finger point at president obama for high gas prices and with the other hand, they put their voting cards in and vote for $40 billion in subsidies of oil company profits. i'll tell you when gas prices will come down. when republicans quit devoting their lives to protecting oil company profits. when they put the middle class ahead of oil company executives, then maybe we have a shot at bringing oil prices down in this country. >> well, that's a fairly strong response. what promised to be yet another ugly fight over medicare is about to rear its head again in the congress, as you know. is this a win for democrats or republicans in an election year? because you and i know, this is an extremely sensitive area of policy. >> every time the republicans put millionaires ahead of medicare, democrats win. unfortunately, if the republicans gets their way

mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the republican leader is recognized. mr. mcconnell: last night the two parties reached an agreement on amendments to the highway bill. as the majority leader will indicate shortly, or may already have before i came to the floor, we'll be able to move forward on that later today. i'm also happy to report there are a number of strong, very strong job-creating measures in the mix. one that stands out is senator hogan's amendment on the keystone x.l. pipeline, that massive private-sector project that will create 20,000 jobs almost immediately. most americans strongly support building the pipeline, and of course the significant number of construction jobs that would come along with it. it's incomprehensible to me that the president of the united states, i read, is actually lobbying against keystone pipeline amendment. there is a report this morning the president is personally making phone calls to democratic senators he thinks might vote for the amendment, asking them not to. frankly, it's hard to even comprehend how out of touch,

mr. mcconnell: i will not be objecting but i want to make a comment. this is the result of a successful discussion among the majority leader, the white house and myself. based on the white house's assurance that there will be no recess appointments during the upcoming adjournment. i will not be objecting and i want to say to my friend, the majority leader, this is the way we ought to be conducting business here. i think it was a successful negotiation, and i certainly do not object. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: mr. president. the presiding officer: so ordered. mr. reid: very quickly. i know the republican leader is in a hurry. i agree. this is the way we should legislate. aeupbd hope maybe -- and i hope after the two week period when we come back, we start doing appropriations bill. we are both committed, the republican leader and me, we are committed to doing appropriations bills this year. we've got to do that. we can't let other things stand in the way of getting them done. i appreciate the cooperation of the white house and m

mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. evening tornadoes hit several counties across kentucky, including mcgaughlin, martin, johnson and tremble. might say, mr. president, these weren't just tornadoes. these were very severe tornadoes, all over the southern and midwestern part of our country. leaving an incredible trail of devastation across many of our states. in my state, the storm caused at least 20 fatalities and more than 300 people in kentucky were injured. 48 kentucky counties suffered damages from the storms and tornadoes friday evening. i'm told that about 19,000 people were without power yesterday. this morning my colleague, senator paul, and i sent a letter to the president urging him to approve governor steve bashir's request for federal assistance. yesterday, mr. president, i had the chance to visit arguably the hardest-hit of our communities, west liberty, kentucky. it was a scene of total devastation. the whole community has either been evacuated or is in the process of being evacuated. the county judge -- i

mr. mcconnell: madam president? the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: last week i came to the senate floor to speak out on an issue that's on the minds of a lot of americans these days: the rising cost of gas at the pump and how the administration's policies are actually making matters worse. the president may try to take credit for production gains that are entirely the work of others, but more to the point is the fact that production is up on private lands and down on federal lands. the property, the president and the interior secretary actually manage is the property upon which production is down. in fact, when it comes to the rising cost of gas at the pump, it's my view that the administration's policies are actually designed on purpose to bring about higher gas prices, a view that shouldn't be the least bit controversial given the fact that the president's own energy secretary has suggested on a couple of occasions now that his goal certainly isn't to drive gas prices down. for the president's part, he often says americans should judge hi

mr. mcconnell: madam president. the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: if i may just add, the colloquy between the majority leader and my good friend from arizona certainly underscores once again the extraordinary contribution that legal immigration has made to our country for over 200 years. i think as an example my own wife who came here at age 8 not speaking a word of english, and the majority leader was just pointing out an immigrant from vietnam has done well. senator mccain has said the same thing that all three of us said on numerous occasions, so it is indeed something to celebrate. and, madam president, yesterday afternoon, i came to the floor to suggest that what has been happening in the senate this week is precisely the kind of thing the american people really don't like about washington. gas prices have more than doubled under president obama, and the democratic-controlled senate. this is a problem that affects every single american. it drives up the cost of everything from commuting to groceries. and yet, the democratic response

mr. mcconnell: mr. president. the presiding officer: the republican leader is recognized. mr. mcconnell: it's my honor to be here this afternoon to extend on behalf of the republican conference of the united states senate our respect and admiration for the senior senator from maryland on achieving this important milestone. i'm sure she would be the first to tell you that becoming the longest serving woman in the senate -- in the congress wasn't easy. a life in public service is filled with many highs and lows, but barbara is nothing if not both tough and resilient. barbara would point to her upbringing as the daughter of a baltimore grocer where she learned firsthand how hard work, honesty and determination can lead to a successful and rewarding life. she later learned while fighting a freeway that would have destroyed several baltimore communities, including her own, that if you fought hard enough for something you believed in, you, too, can make a difference. so if you knew barbara back then, it wouldn't surprise you we are honoring her here today. last year when senator miku

mr. mcconnell.ight about this stage of the race. >> i emphasize going to tampa because one of the things tonight proved is that the elite media's effort to convince the nation that mitt romney is inevitable just collapsed. >> and there you have it. it's the elite media's fault again. pete dominic, i'm going to start with you. i got a little bit confused about that one because i always thought the elite media was connected to the left but yet mitt romney is on the right. what the heck was he talking about? >> i really have never really understood that claim of elite media or mainstream media which newt gingrich has always been a part of and has made a lot of money off when he was a contributor to fox news. but newt gingrich is so full of ego. he's running on ego and almost running on hatred for mitt romney at this point. it's absolutely time for him to go out. the only reason he should be going to tampa is to retire. he had a showing last night in those two states, but they're overwhelmingly born aga

mr. mcconnell: for the past several months, i and others have been calling on the democratic majority herein the senate to take up and pass the various bipartisan jobs bills that house republicans have been sending across the dome. these bills on their own certainly won't solve the jobs crisis, but they will make it a lot easier for entrepreneurs and innovators to get the capital they need to build businesses and create jobs. and because these bills are more concerned with getting washington out of the way than getting it more involved, these bills also send an important message that the economy and the country are a lot better off when folks have more control over their economic destinies, not less. last night, we were on the cusp of passing a collection of bills known as the jobs act. this bill had overwhelming bipartisan support in the house. nearly 400 members voted for it, and the president himself says that it will create jobs. he supports it and would sign it into law. unfortunately, a handful of democrats here in the senate want to slow it down. they denied americans this bipartisa

mr. reid: and the time that senator mcconnell and i use prior to the vote not count against the 90 minutes. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: so the vote will be somewhat after 11:00 but it shouldn't be long after 11:00. we hope that when we get rid of this amendment that we'll be able to make an agreement with the republicans to move forward on this bill. we've been unsuccessful in doing that to this point. mr. president, too often cooperation is in short supply here in the senate. so i was pleased when we began consideration of a truly bipartisan jobs bill. as i've said here a number of times the past week or so, if there were ever a bipartisan bill, this is it. progressive barbara boxer, conservative jim inhofe have agreed to move forward on a bill that wail save 1.8 million jobs and create about a million more jobs. so this would put millions of people to work right away. although our economy has grained momentum there are still millions of americans out of work. so it should be obvious why we can't afford to delay efforts to rebuild our roadways and brims. almost a t

mr. mcconnell: i've spent a lot of time in my senate career defending the first amendment and most of thatve focused on the part that deals with free speech. but recent actions by the obama administration related to the president's health care law have prompted many of us here and many across the country to stand up and in defense of another freedom that's covered in the first amendment, and that's religious freedom. let me just say at the outset that most of us didn't expect that we'd ever have to defend this right in a body which every one of us is sworn to uphold and defend the u.s. constitution. boast of us probably assumed that if ploinls liberty were ever seriously challenged in this country, we could always expect a robust, bipartisan defense of it, at least from within the congress itself. but, unfortunately, that's not the situation we find ourselves in. democrats have evidently decided they'd rather defend a president of their own party regardless of the impact of his policies. so rather than defend the first amendment in this particular case they've decided to engage in a campai

mr. mcconnel has asked for the jobs bill to be on the floor.ould be a problem for a republican to object to. i would once again advise the gentleman, i think my statement was correct. the senate minority leader has asked for every single one of these 30 bills that have been passed by the house to be debated and voted on and republicans have pledged their support -- mr. polis: reclaiming my time. just as many are sponsored -- just as many are sponsored by democrats as republicans. it will take votes from both sides to get to 60 votes, i think they can do that if however many of these members, many of the bills have had over 400 votes, 09% of this body, hopefully they will command similarly large supermajorities in the senate comprised of both democrat, many of whom sponsor these bills, an republicans who may be opposed to certain elements but hopefully in the name of moving -- moving the country forward will pass this jobs act. here's what this bill will do. first of all, it's not a jobs act per se, the jobs name san acronym. it actually is call

mr. mcconnell: as americans filled up their cars with gas this weekend, i'm sure a lot of them wondered how much higher gas prices could actually go. well, today the democratic controlled senate plans to send these folks a message. if they had their way, gas prices would be even higher. today, democrats will propose raising taxes on america's energy manufacturers, something common sense and basic economics tell us will lead to even higher prices at the pump. this is the democratic response to high gas prices. frankly, i can't think of a better way to illustrate how completely and totally out of touch they are on this issue and that's why republicans plan to support moving forward on a debate over the legislation, because it's a debate the country deserves. we're going to use this opportunity to explain how out of touch democrats are on how gas prices, and put a spotlight on the commonsense ideas republicans have been urging for years. ideas that reflect our genuine commitment to the kind of all-of all-of-the-above approach the president claims to support but actually doesn't. this isn't ter

thanking the secretary for being here tonight, i want to thank senator mcconnell for having this committee -- for allowing this objection. mr. mccain: after a year of bloodshed, the crisis in syria has reached a decisive moment. it's estimated that more than 7,500 lives have been lost. the united nations has declared that syrian security forces are guilty of crimes against humanity, including the indiscriminate shelling of civilians, the execution of defectors and the widespread torture of prisoners. bashar al-assad is now doing to homes what his father did to hamah. aerial photographs procured by human rights watch show a city that has been laid to waste by assad's tanks and artillery. a british photographer who was wounded and evacuated from the city described it as a -- quote -- ," a medieval siege and slaughter," the kinds of mass atrocities that nato intervened in libya to prevent in benghazi are a reality in homes. indeed syria today is the scene of some of the worst state-sponsored violence since milosevic war of crimes in the balkans or russia's an nile hraeugs -- annihilation of the chechnyan city of grahzi. a spre

marco isn't budging it's as though he got his marching orders from mr our job is to make obama a one term president senator mitch mcconnell who by coincidence is making this whole fiasco worse you see president obama made the mistake of appointing a marco was acting director back in two thousand and nine a decision the president immediately regretted doing demarco turned out to be just a shill for the bankers in the republican party. so the president last year now i'm a native north carolina banking commissioner joseph smith to replace the marco and finally give aid to struggling homeowners in the way i just described unfortunately mitch mcconnell's republican senators you know those guys and said hey our first oath is to the republican party and to make sure that president obama is a one term president doesn't matter what's best for the people of america the homeowners they have refused to confirm smith was keeping to marco in his temporary acting job he's not even the director right there good smith the guy that they want to have as the director the republicans won't have a hearing in the united states senate to confirm

steaks made of model beef this mrs cook using natural wood cold called a hot spot no suspicion equipment is used to preserve the freshness of the meat. demanding clients mcconnell firstly it's made of july aged meat dishes like that have the reach of flavor you know restaurant owners is true to have a special draw aging machine to put meat that's not older than on. days in it and it's kept there for twenty one days there was a song at a time for shows to do things. if you'd rather create a meat recipe on the road there are plenty of other places in the russian capital to buy fresh meat. and for a real experience of shopping for meat. markets in central moscow is a perfect place for all kinds and varieties of meat although this place shop is definitely not for vegetarians or the lighthouse is. here is very fresh it doesn't lie around unsold here as there are so many customers every day also there's a laboratory where every product is calling attention to. if you fancy a. serious and grand. jury spectacle hotel might be a choice for you. in french onto a coach means a premium cut of beef and of course on the high quality meat produced is used at the restaurants t

mr. reid: madam president, i'm pleased that my friend, senator mcconnell, and i have been able to reach an agreement to approve a number of judicial nominations in the coming weeks. the senior senator from vermont, chairman leahy, has kindly added his wisdom to make this a better agreement. for that i'm very grateful. this is a victory for our nation's justice system. while i still believe the senate should confirm all these nominations this afternoon to address the judicial vacancy crisis we face had this country, the step forward is one we should all feel good about. the senate will hold up-or-down votes on seven district court judges before the end of this work period. we'll vote on another five district court and two circuit court nominations by monday, may 7. on monday, the senate will consider miranda du. miranda du is a very well-known lawyer in nevada, but the interesting thing about this good woman is she is representative of a true american success story. she was born in vietnam and at the end of the war in vietnam, people who were of vietnamese an ssesstory could not leave, if t

university of laval.e the father of our prestigioushe mcconnell scholars program, andd recently had a chance to meet-- with the students. i hope that mr. secretary, you can see what a wonderful young people we have.e university. we are also proud that his proud archives and the civic education center is here at the university. senator mcconnell has made strengthening kentucky's research generosities one of his top prioritieass. he understands the university'st serve as engines for economic growth and for solving problems of thee future. and as with everything he does, the senator went about rengngthening kentucky's universities with his trademarks focus and tenacity. he has provided unprecedented support for research andt for ar infrastructure projects as kentucky's university. and with his help you -- you'll has been able to invest an important undertakings, thes cardiovascular innovation institute, the center fore, c translation research, and their research building. he has also fought to make higher education more affordable setting aside for a valuable theation is helping thousands of kentucky families prepare ana cleged their chi

mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: later today the senate is likely to finish the highway bill, and once we do, i listened carefully to the majority leader's remarks -- once we finish the highway bill, we ought to immediately turn to the bipartisan jobs bill that passed the house last thursday. the vote was 390 to 23. let me say that again. the vote in the house was 390 to 23. the president has also indicated he would sign the house bill, so it strikes me with the jobs emergency that we have in this bill with 8.3% unemployment, many more millions of americans having given up trying to get into the workforce, the thing to do is to pocket this broad, bipartisan bill and rye to create jobs immediate -- and try to create jobs immediately. i a heard my friend, the---- i'e heard my friend, the majority leader, say he wants to recraft it. all that will do is slow down the process and make it more difficult to get this important jobs legislation to the pre

mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: i'm not going to continue the debate much further, but i would point out there are demands for amendments on both sides here. we're very close to getting an agreement. and i think a "no" vote on cloture is not the end of this bill but the beginning and it gives us an opportunity to go on and wrap up discussions that have gone on entirely too long, it seems to me, and i know the majority leader's been frustrated by it and so have i, but we're very close to getting an agreement on a list of amendments and should be able to finish this bill by the end of the week. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. reid: mr. president, i am, for lack of a better word, disappointed. these amendments are going to do nothing to advance the work product of almost 3 million americans. none of them. we should just invoke cloture. and i ask my republican colleagues, break this impasse, do something that is good for the american people, invoke cloture. stop a filibuster, another one. the p

mcconnell: mr. president. the presiding officer: the minority leader, the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: mr. president, i would like to associate myself with the excellent remarks the majority leader made about senator boxer and senator inhofe and the way they have worked together in a collegial way to bring us to this point on the highway bill. let me also say that the majority leader and i have worked out an agreement to go forward and handle judges. and also i'm pleased that he has agreed to turn to the -- to the jobs bill next. i think that's something everybody in the senate here will be pleased about. and so i am happy to say that we have reached an understanding here that we will have an opportunity to explain to our colleagues in the next hour or so. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. reid: if i could, before you recognize the senator from vermont. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. reid: i have learned in my years in the senate especially