mr. durbin: mr. president, last week during the senate recess, i traveled overseas to four countries: ukraine, turkey, georgia and armenia. it's a lot of ground to cover in five days. four countries. in a region with considerable history and great challenging issues. before i go any further on the matter, let me say for the record how impressed i am with the men and women who work representing the united states overseas. the ambassadors, all of their staff, the counselor service, the military attache do us proud every day and many make a personal sacrifice. they are on the front line. ambassador john teft, the ukraine, ambassador bass in georgia and ambassador hef r*eu n -- hefrin in armenia are a remind why the money makes a big difference in a world. this is a reminder of the legacy to challenges facing countries like ukraine, georgia, armenia trying to build independent nations. they inherited an environment that had been virtually destroyed by the soviets, broken economies built on a failed sovie

mr. durbin: mr. president, ask con scene the quorum call be suspended. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to i period of morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to calendar number 434, senate resolution 473. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: calendar number 434, s. res. 473, commending rotary international and others for their efforts to prevent and eradicate polio. the presiding officer: is there objection to proceeding to the measure? without objection. mr. durbin: i further ask the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid on the table with no intervening action or debate and any statements relating to this measure be printed in the record at the appropriate place. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to the immediate consider

mr. durbin: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent the quorum call be suspended. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: mr. president, politicians are used to waiting in nervous anticipation for certain events, specifically, their own elections and the elections of their friends. but it is an interesting feeling in this town today, in washington, d.c., awaiting with nervous anticipation of the supreme court decision tomorrow. it is a decision which will address the affordable care act. and this affordable health care act, i think, may be one of the most significant measures i've been asked to vote on as a member of congress. tomorrow the united states supreme court will hand down its decision on the affordable care act. it could one of the most consequential decisions handed down by the court in my tenure in congress, and maybe even longer. it's consequential not just because of the politics in washington. the decision will have consequences which will affect people, the lives of milli

mr. durbin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: mr. president, this is a good farm bill. it eliminates direct payments and a lot of subsidies, but there's one aspect of federal subsidy in this bill that goes untouched. it is the federal subsidy from our treasury to pay for the crop insurance premiums. 62%, the g.a.o. tells us, of crop insurance premiums are paid for by taxpayers, which means that those who are using crop insurance are really relying on the treasury. so senator coburn and i, a political odd couple, i will admit, said for at least those making over $750,000 a year, we're going to trim the federal subsidy by 15%. how many farmers would be affected by this? nationwide? 1,500 farmers out of 1.5 million. the thune amendment says you cannot reduce this subsidy even though it saves us $1 billion. you can't reduce this subsidy, in his language, if it adds any administrative expenses. so if it costs $1 to figure out who the 1,500 farmers are no way we're going to save $1 billion. vote against the thune amendment and vote for dur

mr. durbin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: mr. president, i want to thank the majority leader and especially senators boxer, inhofe, as well as their counterparts on the commerce committee, banking committee, who have put so much time in this bill, so much effort. we are trying now to get this important and complex bill right and then to secure the support of both sides of the aisle to move it forward. there has been a lot of work going into it. everyone is working hard to try to accomplish what the majority leader has spelled out exactly where we stand today. i'm sure he will tell us if there are any developments. i'd like to ask consent that the statement i'm about to make be placed at a separate part in the record from my previous remarks the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: mr. president, often -- for some time -- off and on for some time, i have come to the floor to speak about an issue that doesn't receive a lot of attention. it's

mr. durbin: mr. president, are we in morning business? the presiding officer: we're on the mess to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to the agriculture -- to the bill. mr. durbin: i ask consent to speak as if in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. durbin: mr. president, i listened carefully to the speech just given about health care reform and i'd like to put in perspective what the challenge is that faces america. absent health care reform, absent a change in the growing increase in the cost of medical care, not only families but businesses and governments will find it impossible to adequately fund the health care that americans need. if we don't come together, as we tried with our health care reform bill, and dedicate ourselves to reducing the increase in the growth of the cost of medical care and do it with an assurance of quality being protected, then net result of all of this i'm afraid is going to end up with america with medical bills it can't pay.

mr. durbin: mr.resident? the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: thank you, mr. president. i ask consent to speak in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: mr. president, today the united states supreme court announced its decision on s.b. 1070, the controversial arizona immigration law. the court, including conservative justices anthony kennedy and john roberts, agreed with the obama administration that a state cannot set up its own immigration enforcement system. as a result, the supreme court today struck down several parts of the arizona law, including the provision that would have made it a crime in arizona to be an undocumented immigrant and the provision that would have required legal immigrants to carry documents proving their legal status at all times. the supreme court is right. states do not have the right under the constitution to enact immigration laws that contradict federal law. many of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle

mr. durbin: i ask consent the quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: i ask consent to speak in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: 30 years ago the u.s. supreme court handed down a landmark decision, plyer versus dow. in 1935 the state of texas passed a law that allowed public schools to refuse admission to children who were undocumented. the law also withheld state funds from local school districts if they were to be used for education of undocumented kids. in the plyler case the court struck down the texas law and held it's unconstitutional to deny public education to children on the basis of their immigration status. justice william brennan who authored the opinion wrote -- and i quote -- "by denying these children a basic education, we deny them the ability to live within the structure of our civic institutions and foreclose any realistic possibility that they will contribute in even the smallest way to the progress of our nation." the year was 1982, and in the 30 years since plyler vs. dough was decided m

mr. durbin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: i thank the senator from tennessee for his comments and i share his concern about our deficit. i was a member of the simpson-bowles commission, voted for the report, bipartisan effort to reduce the deficit by $1.4 trillion over ten years. i think we set in place a description, maybe a guide post for how we can do this and i would agree with him that we need to take care in the money that we spend now which will add to the deficit, though i have to say my understanding is this transportation bill is paid for. there are revenue sources that are part of this. i know that the student loan continued decrease in interest rates to 3.4% for student loans is paid for. and i believe the changes within the flood insurance program which is part of this package as well, the republican leader spoke to this morning, reforms in that program will move it closer to sustainability and solvency. it is not where it needs to be but it is moving closer. but i want address if i can what has been the t

mr. durbin: and consent to speak in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: i just left a meeting a few feet away from here of the leaders of some of the american colleges and universities. they came to brief us on a challenge that we face across america, that we had better be aware of. it is the growing student loan debt. just in october of a year ago, student loan debt in america surpassed credit card debt. it is now $1 trillion. more students are going more deeply into debt, many of them into debt they can never repay. student loan debt is different than other debt. it is different because you cannot discharge it in bankruptcy, which means it is a debt you will carry for a lifetime. imagine that you're 19, 20 years old, that you've been told as long as you've been on this earth that education is the key to the future, and you're sitting across the table from a financial counselor who says you've just been accepted at this college. all you need to do is sign up right here for a loan. what's the natural instinct? of course it's to sign on the dotted l

mr. durbin: i ask consent the quorum call be suspended. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: would the chair advise me of the pending business? the presiding officer: the pending business is the motion to proceed to calendar number 415. s. 3240. mr. durbin: the farm bill, is that correct? the agriculture bill? the presiding officer: that is correct. mr. durbin: thank you, mr. president. i was advised of that and i wanted to double check. mr. president, three weeks ago, we passed a milestone in u.s. agriculture. the united states department of agriculture celebrated its 150th birthday. i take some pride in that coming from illinois because it was senator -- pardon me, then-president abraham lincoln who created the u.s. department of agriculture. he called it the people's department. among other things, it became a launching pad for the development of the united states. it was during that same period of the lincoln presidency that they started the land grant college system as well as the transcontinental railroad. these things literally settled and united our great natio

mr. durbin: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: ask consent to speak in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: i can't remember another day when so many americans were waiting for the supreme court to rule. today was one of those days. everyone understood that a decision just across that street by nine members of the supreme court was historic and politically significant. this morning, the supreme court handed down this decision, 193 pages with all of the major opinions and dissenting and concurring opinions included in the national federation of independent business versus sebelius. we all know this was the case to decide the constitutionality of the affordable care act. the affordable care act, of course, was one of president obama's first legislative undertakings when he was elected president. many of us who were part of the senate and house during this debate will never forget it. i've been lucky enough to represent my great state of illinois for quite some time in the house and senate, b

mr. durbin: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: i'd like consent to speak in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: madam president, let me follow up on what the majority leader spoke to on the issue of immigration because this is the right time to bring it up. i had a meeting, several meetings yesterday that were as touching emotionally as anything that i've witnessed as a senator. there were students who came from all over the united states of america to walk peacefully in front of the supreme court. they were dreamers: undocumented students who have attended schools or add tending colleges and schools in america. they're not asking for a special treatment. they are asking for a chance, a chance to earn their way into the only country they've ever called home. these poor kids out there literally have no country. they were brought here to the united states as babies and infants. they didn't have a choice in the matter. they were packed into a car or on to a bus, and they grew up in america.

mr. durbin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: i ask the quorum call be suspended. the presiding officer: without objection. under the previous order, the senate stands in recess until 2:15 p.m. >> the senate is in recess now to allow members to attend their weekly party meetings. when they return at 2:15 p.m. eastern, they will begin voting on up to 73 and amendments to the farm bill. live coverage of the senate resumes at 2:15 p.m. here on c-span2. tomorrow, the house oversight and government reform committee meets to consider a report holding attorney general eric holder in contempt of congress are failing to provide subpoenaed documents related to operation fast and furious. committee chair darrell ice said friday he would postpone a vote against mr. holder if the justice department comes forward with the document. they are scheduled to meet at 5 p.m. today to discuss turning over of those documents. will have live coverage of tomorrow's oversight committee meeting beginning at 10 a.m. eastern on c-span3. we hear more a

mr. durbin: thank you, mr. president.and let me just say to those who are following this debate, if yu go to the dictionary and look up the word "persistent," you will find a picture of senator barbaa mikulski of maryland. she has been our leader on so many important issues. the very first bill signed by president barack obama -- and se remembers the day, as i do. we were standing there when he signed the lilly ledbetter law which protected the principle of equal pay for equal work by allowing workers to pursue pay discrimination cases beyond the arbitrary, unreasonable window that had been set up by the supreme court. and when president obama signed that first bill, his first bill as president of the united states, he handed the first pen of that signing to senator barbara mikulski. it was entirely appropriate. no one has dedicated more of her professional and public life to this cause of justice than senator mikulski. it's been nearly 50 years after the passage of the equal pay act and we have to ask ourselves, well, ho

mr. durbin: for the record i want to be recorded in the affirmative on the previous nominee. the presiding officer: so recorded. mr. durbin: i come with my friend and colleague from the state of oklahoma, senator coburn, to discuss an amendment which we hope to offer to the farm bill which is i believe the pending business before the senate. i say to the senator do you wish to go first? i'll make a brief statement and then yield to my colleague from oklahoma. i come to the floor today to speak about an amendment i intend to offer with senator coburn. our amendment would reduce the level of premium support for crop insurance policies by 15 percentage points for farmers with an adjusted gross income over $750,000 a year. according to a recent g.a.o. report, the federal government pace on average 62% of crop insurance premiums for farmers. let me put that in perspective. these farmers are buying insurance so that they can protect themselves against the risk of low prices or bad weather. and the premiums that are charged to them are collected to pay to those farmers who collect a

it was dick durbin who suggested mr. shapiro ... >>he is the consummate professional and the u.s. his career when he was quoted as not knowing a lot everyone turns to for a price he has a great reputation and knows of a lawthe law >>there will be a committee for this application process that will meet in just a few days ... cooler temperatures today but the real heat is on the way. tom skilling is next with the full forecast. tropical storm debby has spawned two tornadoes and could produce more twisters today---after pummeling the gulf coast. severe rain continues to threaten florida with devastating floods. high winds hit the central portion of the state at 60- miles an hour-- wrecking several homes. one woman was killed in florida and a child was severely injured. the center of the storm is expected to hit shores later this week. some of those green accumulation totals have been phenomenal there ... many people need that rain... we hope it doesn't hit us with a vengeance after the drought like conditions we have experienced ... we are looking at huge moisture over our area but w

mr. reid: i appreciate very much the wonderful statements by senators durbin, schumer and murray. we have a problem in this country, based on what cantor said. here are the headlines." congress switching from policy to politicking." all that we said here today has been based on fact, and that's too bad. it's too bad, madam president, that we have somebody who is running the house of representatives who is trying to kill these important pieces of legislation that senator schumer outlined we have passed over here. we have passed all these things, worked very hard to get them done, and because of politicking , not policy, the majority leader of the house of representatives is killing all this legislation for reasons that we all understand. madam president, cloture has been invoked on the motion to proceed to the farm bill by an overwhelming vote of 90-8. senators stabenow and roberts are now as we speak working on agreements on amendments to the bill, and i am hopeful they can make significant progress over the weekend. there will be no roll call votes today. monday at 5:30, we'll ha

that's where you see the durbin of the of cocaine on the streets of the united states and the price up and the purity down to it >> the gentleman's time has expired. from colorado, mr. pollis. >> i wanted to get a clear answer to make sure the drug administration and enforcement administration is aware of some of the evidence. is crack worse for a person than marijuana? >> i believe all the illegal drug -- >> is methamphetamine worse for some piece of than marijuana cox spent i don't think any illegal drug chu is sherwen worse for some oneself than marijuana? amine caminhas camano khator i don't know. i mean, if you don't know, you can look this up to read you should notice as the chief administrator for the drug and for some of administrator to the time asking is heroin worse for someone's health than marijuana? >> all the illegal drugs are bad. >> does this mean you don't know? >> herron causes an addiction that causes many problems that's very hard to kick. >> does that mean that the health impact is worse than marijuana. is that what you're telling me? >> i think that you are asking a subjective question. >> it is subjective looking at the science on have read

mr. durbin: scoik i ask unanimous consent the quorum call be suspended. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: more than two centuries ago in the declaration of independence our founding fathers wrote all men are created equal. america has sometimes fall hen short of that bithe history of our country has been a slow march towards equality for all. we've seen presidents play a key role in expanding freedom and equality. who could forget harry truman's' segregation of the mill teafer which set the stage for a civil rights era that has changed the face of america. last friday was another case in point. president barack obama declared his administration will no longer deport immigrant students who grew up in america. this action will give these young immigrants the chance to come out of the shadows and be part of the only country they've ever called home. with that decisive executive decision, america took another step towards fulfilling the founders' promise of justice for all. madam president, it's been 11 years. 11 years since i first introd

mr. durbin: i ask consent the quorum call be suspended. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: mr. president, the bill to reauthorize the national flood insurance program may be included in a package that we'll consider tomorrow. the package of bills that might include the transportation bill and the student loan bill as well. the national flood insurance program needs to be addressed and part of the new reauthorization makes significant changes and necessary improvements in the program. i do want to join my colleague, senator pryor from arkansas, in raising concerns about one particular section in the bill. it creates a burden for many people across the united states, in illinois, in arkansas, in pennsylvania and california and other places. it's called section 107. it deals with mandatory insurance coverage areas. it redefines special flood hazard areas. under section 107-b, everyone in the united states living behind a levee, near a dam or near any other flood-control structure, a so-called residual risk area, will be required to purchase flood insurance. everyone. fe