mr. inhofe: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from oklahoma. mr. inhofe: mr. president, it's my understanding that at 4:00, there might be a unanimous consent request that will lead us to a vote at 5:00; is that correct? the presiding officer: the chair really has no knowledge about the vote at 5:00. mr. levin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from michigan. mr. levin: i would yield the time between now and 4:00 to the senator from oklahoma. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. inhofe: all right. mr. president, it seems like we're going to have an opportunity a little later on to -- to discuss this. we'll have another -- more time tonight. and while the -- in the capacity of the -- of the ranking member of the armed services committee, i have to say that i can't imagine having a chairman that with whom i cooperate on virtually -- and agree on almost every issue, like the chairman, chairman levin, and i really appreciate the work that we've done together. we b

mr. inhofe: i just reserving the right to object -- mr. levin: i'm not. mr. inhofe: okay. the presiding officer: there is no unanimous consent request. yes, the senator from michigan. mr. levin: i would ask the balance of my statement be inserted in the record. the presiding officer: without objection. all time has expired. the clerk will report the motion to invoke cloture. the clerk: cloture motion, we the undersigned senators in 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 s. 1197 to authorize authorization for the fiscal year 2007 for military activities, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year and for other purposes signed by 17 senators. the presiding officer: by unanimous consent the mandatory quorum under mandatory quorum under rule 22 call has been waived. the he is with question is, the it the sense of the senate that debate on s. 1197 for military activities of the deafen ch defends and for defense activities of the department of energy, to prescribe military

mr. inhofe: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call in progress be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. inhofe: mr. president, this has been a long system and a difficult one for me to go through. being the ranking member on the armed services committee, i have had constant contact with both the democrats and republicans on this bill. and i can this bill to be the most important bill of the year, and i've said that several times. i've given several speeches up here in the last week on this. and i've about decided with the last offer that was made by our side was to come up with 50 amendments, limit it to 50 amendments. the argument there -- that would not be 50 votes. if you look at it historically -- and i have the numbers going all the way back for the last 15 years -- for the last year, for example, we had 106 amendments, only 34 voice-voted, only recorded votes. so when we say 50, we're only talking about probably 20. now, of course the democrats would want to have 50 also. what i've decided that i'm going to do -- because i have to deci

mr. inhofe: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from oklahoma. mr. inhofe: i ask unanimous consent that my ten minutes might be extended by about ten more minutes. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. inhofe: let me start off, mr. president, before the leader leaves the floor, and i was hoping to do this before the chaplain of the senate, barry black, left. i had a horrible loss eight days ago, losing a son. and it was so touching to me, and i want to thank barry black, who included a good bit of some things about my son and about me in his opening prayer. and also the comments that were made, the very gentle comments were very helpful, were made by the majority leader. so i would like to through the chair thank harry reid very much for the comments he made. mr. president, we have something coming up that we're going to be talking about this week, and i'm a little disturbed because i don't know exactly when it's going to be coming up. i don't know how many objections there are going to be. i just know that there are some people who would want

mr. inhofe: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent the quorum call in progress be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. inhofe: mr. president, i -- i think everyone is aware that we have a lot of differences on both sides of the aisle and, quite frankly, i just had a meeting with some of the house people and so there -- there are some problems right now. i'm anxious for chairman levin to come back after the -- perhaps after our conferences and i will do the same thing and hopefully we'll be able to do it. i understand that -- that there's already a statement been made about the ayotte; -- is that correct? on guantanamo. and she's ready to debate and i think senator levin has a side-by-side amendment that he is ready to debate, too. so that, in my opinion, about as far as we've come on progress and i'd withhold any other comments i'd make until after the chairman has made his comments, which will probably be after -- after lunch. oh, by the way, i would continue -- i would ask our me

mr. inhofe: thank you mr. president. i would like to ask the leader if he would amend his request to add the following language. following the disposition of the mccaskill-ayotte amendment all pending amendments be withdrawn and the republican manager or his designee be recognized to offer the next amendment in order followed by an amendment offered by the majority side and that the two sides continue offering amendments in alternating fashion until all amendments are disposed of. mr. reid: mr. president? the presiding officer: will the majority leader modify his u.c.? mr. reid: mr. president we went through this yesterday. i reluctantly object. the presiding officer: objection is heard. is there objection to the majority leader's request? a senator: reserving the right to object. the presiding officer: the junior senator from oklahoma is recognized. mr. coburn: this is a very important bill for our country in terms of authorizing the defense of this country. and many of us have relevant amendments not amendments outside

mr. inhofe: i have a parliamentary inquiry. we were to be given equal time for the last ten minutes. i had three minutes and all i want to do is ask a question. am i -- mr. levin: i ask unanimous consent that that be allowed. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. inhofe: everything that my chairman has said i agree with. he's making my speech for me. it's critical that we get the bill. all i'm

and, lord, we ask you to comfort senator and mrs. inhofe, as they grieve the death of their son. we pray in your merciful name. amen. the president pro tempore: please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to the flag. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. mr. reid: mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. reid: i move to proceed to calendar number 236, the drug compounding legislation. the president pro tempore: the clerk will report. the clerk: h.r. 3204, a an act to amend the federal food, drug, and cosmetic act with respect to human drug compounding and drug supply chain security, and for other purposes. mr. reid: mr. president, following leader remarks, the senate will be in a period of morning business until 4:30 this dwraafternoon. at 4:30, the senate will proceed to executive session to consider the nomination of cornelia pillard. at 5:30 there will be a cloture vote on the pillard nomination. if cloture is no

mr. inhofe: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from oklahoma. mr. inhofe: first of all, let me say that i appreciate all the help that the chairman has given us during the course of this very difficult time. i would also suggest that we've gone through this same thing other years in the past. one of the things, there are so many people demanding or wanting to have a system where we could have more amendments, and i would encourage anyone who has amendments to go ahead and send them to the floor. it doesn't do any good to talk about them unless have you them down here, and i would hope that the chairman and i would get together and we could have actually more amendments. so those people who want to be heard on this, we have adopted this timing so we encourage you to come down and be heard. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from michigan. mr. levin: madam president, i want to thank my friend from oklahoma because he is -- said what needs to be said here, which is that we welcome amendments being brought to the floor, we will do our

mr. chairman. >> thank you, senator inhofe. general? >> chairman levin, ranking member inhofe and members of this committee, thank you for the invitation to speak today. if you'll just indulge me for a few seconds i'd like to begin by recognizing the service of ike as the chairman of the house armed services committee he was an incredible leader, mentor and champion of our soldiers, civilians and their families. what was interesting though in his farewell address he made a comment that i think is appropriate for the conversation we're having today. when he remarked, i've always considered each young man and woman in uniform as a son or daughter. they are national treasures and their sacrifices cannot be taken for granted. they are not chess pieces to be moved upon a board. each and every one is irreplaceable. and i think those words are very important today as we talk about the readiness of our force and as we consider future budget cuts and their impact on our national defense. it is impairtive that ke keep foremost in our minds the im

inhofe. >> thank you, mr. chairman.inh i appreciate very much.appreciae i've made a request to have thi hearing and another one before e this after the house have their skimming.chai, it's my concern, mr. chairman, everything he said is true but the general public is just not aware of it, the crisis were faced right now. over the last to get the significant cuts to our nationag security spending has forced our dan and women to endure as deep and damaging dropping capabilities andma readiness. we will have a chance to talk about this during the questions. historic lowest level. the army shrinks to a force we haven't seen since the turn of the 20th century. as our security is being threatened by terrorism, the rising china and roman nations like iran, north korea and men and women charged with protecting this nation are being undermined and forced to endure devastating cuts to the tools they need to keep america safe. we have been told that over the next three years as much as $150 billion of cuts will be taken

the clerk: senators boxer, baucus, carper, cardin, white house, vitter, inhofe, and barrasso. mr. bennet: thank you, mr. president. i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to calendar 233, s. 42. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: calendar number 233, s. 42, a bill to provide antiretaliation protections for antitrust whistle-blowers. the presiding officer: is there objection to proceeding to the measure? without objection, the senate will proceed. mr. bennet: i ask unanimous consent the committee-reported amendment be agreed to, the bill, as amended, be read a third time and passed,&the motions to reconsider -- passed and the motions to reconsider be laid on the table with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. bennet: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent the judiciary committee be discharged from further consideration of s. res. 277 and the senate proceed to its immediate consideration. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: s. res. 277, recognizing the religious and historical significance of th

mr. president. before i begin, i would like to offer my condolences to my friend and colleague from oklahoma, senator inhofe and his family, on the tragic loss of their son. both my wife and i will continue to keep their entire family in our thoughts and prayers during this very difficult time. mr. president, i rise today to talk about the president's broken promises on obamacare and there effects on the people of nevada. for more than a month now, the american people have witnessed just how poorly this burdensome law has been implemented. people all over the country are frustrated with the problems plaguing healthcare.gov, as they should be. the government spent hundreds of millions of taxpayers' dollars to overpromise and underdeliver on the signature legislation of this administration. but there are serious problems in addition to the web site, and one glaring issue, in particular, that i would like to focus on today. we have all heard from the law's supporter that obamacare would give uninsured americans access to health insurance. time and time again, they have promised that people who already had thei

mr. reed: madam president, i rise to express my deepest sympathy to the senator from oklahoma, senator james inhofe no and his wife kay on the sudden and untimely loss of their son perry this weekend in a plane crash. i extend my prayers to the inhofe problem. perry inhofe was a licensed pilot and flight instructor with a family of his own. flying is integral to the inhofe family. i know that from my service from senator inhofe on the armed services committee as cochair with him of the army caucus, a caucus he created along with senator dan akaka to support the men and women serving in the army pnd and i know his intense involvement in flying. i hope the memories of the time he had with his son will sustain him. senator inhofe is a man of great integrity, great dedication the to his state and to the nation and at this time of loss, again, i only hope that the memories, the example of this son, his son's service and his courage and faith and love will sustain the inhofe family. madam president, if i may on another matter, it's clear that we have honest disagreements about how we should address our b

mr. president, i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of senate res 294 submitted earlier today by senators landrieu, inhofe and others. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: senate resolution 294, expressing support for the goals of national adoption day and national adoption month. the presiding officer: is there objection to proceeding to the measure? without objection, the senate will proceed. mr. begich: i further ask the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. begich: i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to the consideration of senate con resolution 25 submitted earlier today. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: senate concurrent resolution 25 authorizing the use of emancipation hall in the capitol visitors' center for activities associated with the ceremony to award the congressional gold medal to native american code talkers. the presiding officer: is there objection to proceeding with the mea

mr. president. i want to, first of all, thank the chairman of the armed services committee and the ranking member, senator levin and senator inhofe, for the leadership they've provided to this body and to our nation in fashioning a bill, the national defense authorization act for fiscal year 2014, that truly serves our national security and preserves and enhances our national defense. and i want to thank my colleague, senator mccaskill, for the leadership that she has provided along with others like senator reed and senator gillibrand, all who have focused on the issues that are raised by the military justice improvement act, the need to reform and strengthen our system of prosecuting and providing justice to the survivors of sexual assault. i have joined with senator gillibrand in supporting the military justice improvement act because i think it embodies the kind of major reform that is necessary to provide enhanced confidence and trust in this system of military justice. major change that is needed to drive out the scourge of military sexual assault from our armed forces and provide the men and women of our military the strong

mr. inhofe: i object. the presiding officer: objection is heard. mr. reid: thank you very much, madam president. i have a motion to recommit s. 1197 with instructions at the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: the senator from nevada, mr. reid moves to recommit the bill to the committee on armed services with instructions to report back with an amendment numbered 2305. mr. reid: i ask for the yeas and nays on that motion. the presiding officer: is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the yeas and nays are ordered. mr. reid: i have an amendment to the instructions at the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: the senator from nevada, mr. reid proposes an amendment numbered 2306 to the instructions of the motion to recommit. mr. reid: i ask for the yeas and nays on this amendment. the presiding officer: is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the yeas and nays are ordered. mr. reid: i'm so sorry. i have a second-degree amendment at the desk i totally forgot about. the presiding offi

mr. inhofe: mr. president, reserving the -- first of all, let me say to my good friend, the leader, that i wholeheartedly agree that the two arguably the most significant amendments and most controversial amendments that have to be addressed would be on the guantanamo and then, of course, on the gillibrand amendment on sexual assaults. i -- i think we probably have different views and positions but i think we agree that these need to be addressed immediate immediately. my wish has been that we could do that and line up some of the other amendments but at the same time put ourselves in a position where we could have open amendments on our side. there's a great demand in our -- in our conference for -- to have open amendments on -- and it -- i'd like to get to the point where we can do that and have them somehow regulated so they be relative to the -- to the -- to the subject matter of the -- of the bill, of s. 1197. so that would be my concern. and for that reason, i would object. mr. reid: mr. presid

mr. president, the senate family was stunned yesterday with the news that our colleague, jim inhofe, lost his son per dmi a plane crash -- son perry in a plane crash in oklahoma. i extend my condolences to jim, the senior senator from oklahoma, and his wife kay and his family on the loss of their son. each year i always look forward to their christmas card. it is an amazing gathering, which grows by the year. it clearly is a strong, large family, which takes great comfort in one another's strength. at this moment, they will need it, having lost one of their own. i extend my condolences, along with those of the senate family, to all of their extended family, and i pray that they will have the strength -- and i'm confident they will -- to face this personal and family tragedy. mr. president, i ask that the following remarks be placed in a separate place in the record. officer sphe without objection. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: senator cornyn of texas came 2 to the floor to oppose the nominee nation of nina pillard to the d.c. circuit court. sadly, this did not come