mr. baucus: mr. president i ask unanimous consent the following staff of the finance committee be allowed on the floor for the discussion on the debt limit, ama did a summers, yohanas, sarchson chin, irene doga, daistled schar, and amanda barton. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. baucus: benjamin franklin said, nonperformance will turn friends into enemies. we should be clear about what the debt limit means and when it does not mean. raising the debt limit does not authorize new spending. let me make that clear. raising the debt limit does not authorize new spending. it does not mean an increase in future spending. what does it mean? it simply means that the united states will be able to meet its obligations. increasing the debt limit only permits the treasury department to pay the bills we have already incurred. it does not authorize new spending. it says -- it permits the government to pay the bills that ihave already been incurred. they've been incurred. we owe the obligation. it says,

mr. baucus: thank you. madam president, 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 new mexico. the presiding officer: i would ask that the quorum call be lifted. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. udall: madam president, i rise today to discuss h.r. 3801, the ultralight aircraft smuggling prevention act of 2012. and i urge the senate to pass this legislation today. passing this bill will not only help to secure our southwest border but it also affords us the opportunity to honor an incredible colleague. i had the privilege of serving with congresswoman gabby gifers in the house oygiffords in the f representatives. and she is the force behind this legislation. she originally introduced it in 2012 before the senseless act of violence that took place, and she won its passage. but the senate failed to ache it up -- failed to take it up. over this past year, we've been working with gabby's staff and i was honored to introduce th

with that, i yield to senator baucus for comments he may wish to make. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i think this has been a good initial meeting. i join in with mr. reed and the big benefit of the open conference is to get to know each other a little bit. i've heard a lot about you, al, but i like you. [laughter] it's good we're meeting here like this, and same with other new members of the congress. that's great. i hope we can continue open conferences. i think it's something we should pursue. second, i'm very impressed with the general unanimity here. everyone agrees we should extend the payroll tax cut for a year. i've heard nobody disagree with that. i think there's general agreement, too, more than general, no one -- could be difference of opinion, but everyone wants to continue ui. we all want to give continued access for our seniors to medical care. we all agree to that. you know, there's not a lot here that we disagree on. now, contours might change a little bit. there's a question of extraneous, that's a little in the eyes of the beholder, but i urge all of us when we meet