mr. conrad, mr. conrad, mr. andrews and other members the congressional attention is one means of assuring it remains a high party. there is another thing you can do to help the in recent years we've encountered unprecedented budgetary uncertainty including no fewer than four shut down trails to which we plan and a long-term pension resolution and fiscal 11. a generated time-consuming and unproductive planning effort. i think i spend most of my time playing for things i hoped would happen. now face the prospect of sequestration and yet another long-term continued resolution. dealing with these extraordinary actions is sapping the time we could be spending on times -- the single biggest thing you can to help me would be to return to a more orderly budget process. we will close by reader in our full commitment to financial management goals of the department of defense including auditability. i take this series. i started in 1994, and i'm still trying to as dod comptroller. we always do all of you to do that. we go

mr. conrad: first, i thank my colleagues for their kind words. senator reid, our leader, and senator durbin of the my colleague, i very much appreciate those kind words. i also must say, i'm a little taken aback by what i heard earlier on the floor from some of my republican colleagues because it really does represent an attempt to rewrite history, at least the history that i've lived. i'm in my 26th year in the united states senate. i announced a year and a half ago, a little more than that, that i would not seek reelection. so i don't have a political ox to gore here. but i am here to report what i have seen after 26 years of service here. and let me just start by saying our republican colleagues at the leadership level decided early on that their strategy to be successful was to stop things from passing in the united states senate. it is very clear that has been their strategy. that's why we have seen more than 380 filibusters in this body, which is completely unprecedented in the history of the united states senate. because the republican lea

mr. conrad's announcement canceling the markup surprised republicans and democrats who were expecting him to produce a democratic budget that if passed by the committee would have been the first detailed deficit-reduction plan in three years." that's the way "the new york times" reported it. i say they're accurate. that's the way i saw it. senator joe lieberman caucuses with the democrats said he was -- quote -- "disappointed by the party's refusal to confront the issue, saying i don't think the democrats will offer their own budget and i'm disappointed in that. senator pryor said we've had three years with president obama and we're not able to get a budget resolution passed. it gets worse. not only have our democratic colleagues failed to do their duty, but they savagely attacked the house for producing a budget and laying out a plan. here's what senator conrad said today. senator conrad's a good friend, but give me a break, senator conrad. this is what he says: "the house plan fails any moral test of government." he said the house plan failed the moral test. and he said that several tim

mr. conrad: i've been listening to our colleague, the senator from georgia who is one of the real gentlemen of this body and i listened to his warm words about his friend who has passed and, you know, sometimes what people say about others is a better reflection on them than on who they're describing and in many ways i thought that about what senator isakson was just saying because what he just said about his friend, any one of us here in the senate could say about him. because he is a gentleman. and i very much was moved by the words of my friend, and we thank you for all you do to make this a better place. mr. president, i've come here on different business to talk about the budget circumstance that we're in, to try to answer the question that we have heard asked in recent days, are we better off now than we were four years ago. i believe the answer to that question is very clear. but i think to answer the question we have to take ourselves back four years and remember the conditions that we faced then. i will never forget as long as i live being called to an urgent meeting in the capitol

conrad state visa waiver program. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, pursuant to house resolution 788, i call up the resolution h.j.res. 118, providing for congressional disapproval of the administration's july 12, 2012, waiver of welfare work requirements and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the joint resolution. the clerk: union calendar number 489, house joint resolution 118, joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, united states code, of the rule submitted by the office of family assistance of the administration for children and families of the department of health and human services relating to waiver and expenditure authority under section 1115 of the social security act, 42 united states code 1315, with respect to the temporary assistance for needy families program. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to house resolution 788, the joint resolution shall be considered as read. debate shall not exceed one hour with 30 minutes equally d

conrad state 30 j-1 visa waiver program. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from texas, mr. smith, and the gentlewoman from california, ms. lofgren, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. mr. smith: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on s. 3245 currently under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. smith: and, mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: and the gentleman is recognized. mr. smith: mr. speaker, first of all i'd like to thank the senate judiciary committee chairman and ranking member for introducing this ledge slace and for working with me -- legislation and for working with me to help ensure that four key immigration-related programs do not expire at the end of this month. this congress must ensure there is a national business climate that fosters the ability of private enterprise to create jobs for americans and legal workers. s. 324

conrad hilton. from nancy lopez to brian urlacher, from georgia o'keefe, from dennis chavez to dolores verta and countless other new mexicans our impact on america's past, present e. and future cannot be overstated. mr. heinrich: as we continue to celebrate our centennial year i join with all new mexicans to honor our unique heritage and bright future. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from kentucky seek recognition? mr. yarmuth: request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from kentucky is recognized. mr. yarmuth: my colleagues from across the aisle like to talk a lot about personal responsibility. but their decision to adjourn congress for nearly two months shows how little they actually understand the concept. congress is facing serious deadlines right now and we should be dealing with the problems the american people sent us here to solve. instead, republican leadership has decided we should go home without doing any of it and taking with us one of the worst report cards in american history. for more than a year now republicans have i

mr. conrad: first, i thank my colleagues for their kind words. senator reid, our leader, and senator durbin of the my colleague, i very much appreciate those kind words. i also must say, i'm a little taken aback by what i heard earlier on the floor from some of my republican colleagues because it really does represent an attempt to rewrite history, at least the history that i've lived. i'm in my 26th year in the united states senate. i announced a year and a half ago, a little more than that, that i would not seek reelection. so i don't have a political ox to gore here. but i am here to report what i have seen after 26 years of service here. and let me just start by saying our republican colleagues at the leadership level decided early on that their strategy to be successful was to stop things from passing in the united states senate. it is very clear that has been their strategy. that's why we have seen more than 380 filibusters in this body, which is completely unprecedented in the history of the united states senate. because the republican lea