mr. mcconnell: i yield. mr.ssions: isn'it true that trent lott, the republican majority leader, sought cloture to give berzon and paez an up-or-down vote and those those of us who opposed berzon and paez, like i think the senator from kentucky did, we voted for cloture to give them an up-odown vote, and then voted against them when they came up for the up-and-down vote. mr. mcconnell: the senator from alabama is entirely correct. that's the way i voted. i think it's the way he voted. that's the way the senate ought to operate. that's a good model for how we ought to behave tomorrow. we'll have a cloture vote on justice priscilla owen. if the senate wants to operate the way it used to, we'll invoke cloture on justice owen and give her the up-or-down vote which she richly deserves. mr. prident, i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from new jersey. nawr thank you, mr. president. mr. lautenberg: the argument, the debate bounces back and forth, and we hear the complaints abo

mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. complonl: madam president, i have a consent --. mr. mcconnell: i have a consent that would set up these votes in a much more expeditious way than the way the majority leader is proceeding but first let me just say these are a dark days in the history of the senate. i hate that we have come to this point. we've witnessed the majority leader break his word to the united states senate and now our request for a joint meeting of all the senators has been set for monday night, a time when attendance around here is frequently quite spotty is, in an obvious effort to keep as many as of his members from hearing the concerns and arguments of the other side as possible. it remains our view that for this to be the kind of joint session of the senate that it ought to be, given the tendency of the senate to have sparse attendance on monday night, to have this meeting on tuesday before it's too late. having said that, a more expeditious wa

mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: i sat here patiently and listened to the majority leader's speech and i hope he'll do the same for mine since this is a very important day in the history of the senate. i want to make a couple of observations which i hope my friend, the majority leader, will listen to. first, he is trying to justify and advance what would be a very clear failure to honor his very clear commitment not to break the rules of the senate. what he is referring to in his own statements -- not mine -- regarding extraordinary circumstances. he said that, not me. in other words, to justify breaking his clear commitments not to break the rules of the senate in order to change the rules of the senate, he's attributing to me something somebody else said. and that somebody else, by the way, is him. attributing to me something he said. so we need to keep our commitments around here. not break them. and we need to be honest about quoting people around here. this is about trying to come up with excuses to br

mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the republican leader is recognized. mr. mcconnell: are we in a quorum call? the presiding officer: yes, we are. mr. mcconnell: i ask consent that further proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. mcconnell: this morning i'd like to start by remembering the sacrifice of two 18-year veterans of the capitol police, detective john gibson and officer jacob chestnut on this day in 1988, gibson and chestnut paid the ultimate price while standing in defense of the united states capitol. we know these men fell defending more than just a structure, though. we know they fell defending more than just the members sent here or even the staffs that helped each of us better serve constituents and our country. no, these men died while protecting everything this billing represents: our democratic way of life, the freedom granted to each us by a creator we often thank but never see. we honor these men for their lives, and we honor them for the final act of heroism that ended

mr. mcconnell had made on harry reid that i want you to promise that you will not even talk about making this rule change and reid said, no i'm not going to do that. >> what is the relationship at this point between harry reid and mitch mcconnell? they had some very harsh words before one another before the compromise was reached? where does that leave that? >> it's not good, dan. the two men i think generally have gotten along fairly well with a mutual respect. this is clearly damaged that relationship. it's not the end of the rule. they don't have to get along. but the way the senate worked it certainly would help somewhat. you know, the bigger problem might be for the republicans is that -- now you've got this unrest within their own ranks and, you know, there's a testy meeting on wednesday night, a private meeting in which mitch mcconnell was trying to distance himself from this deal and said i didn't know very much about it. one of the members said in -- words we can't use here saying that ain't so. [laughter] >> although small some progress in terms of bipartisan, does it pertain a

mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the republican leader is recognized. mr. cconnell: i, too, want to welcome the new senator from massachusetts to the senate. you will find presiding over the senate an enlightening experience, and if tradition is followed, you'll get to do it a lot. mr. president, there are many overused expressions huer in washington -- game changer comes to mind. but i think the worst may be the so-called pivot. i say this not just because it's used too much to really mean anything but also because it is a troubling frame of mind. i mean, the idea that the white house can simply pivot to jobs for day or two, then abandon it for a few weeks or months, anden this pivot back for a couple of days really epitomizes the attitude that turns people off from politics. it's the notion that job excretiocreation is somehow mort scoring points at convenient moments than just doing what's mess to get americans back to work. -- what's necessary to get americans back to work. this is the kind of thing that really angers folks in kentucky and across the cou

mr. mcconnell. you have honored me greatly. madam leader, thank you for your kindness. ht goodness and kindness into my life. thank you for that. my very special friend, mr. hoyer. and mr. cantor, thank you for your kindness. and to the esteemed members of the president's cabinet, i'm delighted to be with you, particularly madam secretary. we have worked together on so many things. i want to say i am probably the luckiest man. i am proud mostly of the friends that i have made. that has been the most important thing in my life. i have a wonderful wife. i want to tell her how much i love her today and how much she means to me and why. i was looking at some books and i found in the proverbs in the bible a set of verses, 31:10. if you will take a look at that, you will see why debra is so important and dear to me. i will endear her more to you. i have been blessed with a wonderful family. a father who was an inspiration to me and a mother whose goodness was cherished by all who knew her. i'm proud that my daughter is with me today. my son christopher and his wife cindy, than

mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: today the president will continue his campaign road tour in chattanooga. we hear he plans to make an announcement about corporate taxes. while i understand he's looking for headlines here, reports indicate that the policy intends to announce doesn't exactly qualify as news. it's just a further left version of a widely panned plan he already proposed two years ago, this time with extra goodies for tax and spend liberals. the plan which i just learned about last night lacks meaningful bipartisan input, and the tax hike it includes is going to dampen any boost business might otherwise get to help our economy. in fact, it could actually hurt small businesses and it represents an unmistakable signal that the president has literally backed away from his campaign-era promise to corporate america, the tax reform would be revenue neutral to them. not only is this a rebuke to one of his party's most senior senators, the finance committee chairman, it also represents a serious blow to

mr. mcconnell: mr. president? mr. president? the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: the senior senator from utah will not be known for quantity of his votes but for the quality of his work, a man of extraordinary character and we're happy to have this intermission here to congratulate him on yet another accomplishment in a long and outstanding career in the united states senate. [applause] [applause] [applause] the presiding officer: under the previous order, there will be two minutes of debate equally divided prior to a vote in relation to amendment number 1773, offered by the senator from iowa, mr. harkin. the senator from west virginia. mr. manchin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senate will be in order. the presiding officer: the senator from rhode island. mr. reed: just a point of order. i believe that we're prepared to voice vote this to move the procedure along. and at the proper time, i would ask that such a motion be made. mr. manchin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from west virginia. mr. manchin: mr. president, we ca

mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: like the president, ippreciate i apprecd literary context. a good writer can sum up a vision and inspire people. when douglas macarthur bid farewell to west point, he warned that "only the dead have seen the end of war." and the biblical references in j.f.k.'s famous inaugural represent another classic use of the well-placed quote. but i think a lot of people are still scratching their heads about president obama's promise yesterday -- his promise yesterday to bring americans an ocean of tomorrows. frankly, i don't even think that carl sandberg fans out there would get it. and i really wonder, does he? because the president himself said his speech probably won't change any minds. even the advisors who endlessly hyped this thing more or less conceded that there wouldn't be any "there" there, no groundbreaking proposals, no tack to the center, no promise to finally start working collaboratively with congress. well, they were right. so really, you have to ask, what was the poin

mr. mcconnell: madam president? the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: i'm glad the majority saw the light and stepped back from committing a tragic mistake. it's good news for our country and for our democracy. now that that's behind us we can get back to debating the issues our constituents are concerned about. a lot of my constituents are concerned about obamacare. this is that a law basically passed against their will and it's a law imposed on them by a distant bureaucracy headquartered here in washington. if the folks in d.c. are to be believed, its implementation is going just simmingly. the -- swimmingly. the democratic leader in the house of representatives called it fabulous. the president said the law is working the way it's supposed to. and my friend the majority leader said just the other day that -- quote -- "obamacare has been wonderful for america." fabulous? wonderful? these aren't the kind of words one normally associates with a deeply unpopular law or one that media reports suggest is having a very painful impact on americans

mr. mcconnell , from kentucky? >> i did. >> there's a story there about got ackground and why he there and why he wanted to -- can you tell us that. had polio as w he a young man, a young boy. lot of courage and and the help of his mother to get on and move on. t one point, he was interested in becoming an historian today. ery well read in american political history. but it was a tough decision. an he want to become academic or a practicing politician? > you say he had a goal of becoming a majority leader of the united states senate way back when. do that?uraged you to internship summer with senator john sherman of kentucky. >> a liberal republican. yes. there were some. and i just soaked that up. more power to internship programs. . that's such a crucial time in people's lives. then what was next? graduated. went to work for another senator from kentucky. marlo cook. for another one. tell genic, interesting gentleman. involved in the civil 1964 when he the cooper. john sherman experience in your did the senators i

mr. mcconnell, this is not the first time mr.bama's suspended the arrest -- statutes by executive decree but it is the most their face. in june the administration stopped initiating deportation proceedings against 11,000 illegal immigrants who can't the u.s. before the age of 16. refusedafter congress to enact the dream act, which would have allowed the individuals to stay. the president asked congress to pass the dream act. congress decided not to do that. the president said i will implement the dream act as if it had passed. first i would just caution my fellow americans today, including members of the fourth state that we need to be careful about president acting completely a outside the law, even if it is well-motivated, good policy from a subsidy to a point of view. the president does not have the authority to ignore the law. host: how will you and your republican colleagues respond to this? in divided government there is hardly any way that a democratic senator and republican house will reverse this. i would cry at the top

mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: mr. president, i just wanted to congratulate our good friend from south carolina on his maiden speech and the opportunity to obviously learn more about his inspirational early life and the bbilingual nature of your beginnings and the way you interpreted those lessons, both from your mother and from your mentor and to the extraordinary success you've had, both in the private sector and in the public sector. and i just would like to say on behalf of my colleagues, it's an honor to serve with you. a senator: thank you, mr. leader. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from wyoming. mr. barrasso: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, i want to join the republican leader in expressing my appreciation for senator scott. today it's a day not just for his maiden speech but we have new pages on the senator floor. it is their first time. and i see the bright eyes of these young people looking up to the senator as he gives his maiden speech because he talks about the next g

mr. mcconnell have said is the responsible thing to do.d to take half of that responsibility with them. we would hope they would join us in that effort. thator mccain has said some of my republican colleagues are already saying we will not raise the debt limit unless there's repeal of obamacare. senator mccain said i would love to repeal obamacare. but he said i promise you that will not happen on the debt limit. the president has made it clear it is not going to happen. someone would like to go on with his quote, so some would like to set up one of the shut down the government threats, and most americans are really tired of those kinds of sheen and against here in washington. that is senator mccain. i have quoted senator toomey and senator mccain who believe we need to come to agreement. quotedalso unfortunately senator -- congressman ryan who said he does not care what senator mccain thinks -- who was a candidate for president a few years ago. thespeaker, i want to ask leader if he expects we will take an up or down vote on a debt limit

mr. mcconnell's view, the only thing that would constitute bipartisan action by this president would be ife resigned immediately, described 47% of the nation as fektless freeloaders and then took a job at bain capital, is that right? >> that would be a good start, martin. >> that would be a start. >> the house republicans came out with a new slogan this week, stop government abuse. i think they should changing it to stop government. it doesn't really matter what this president is proposing, the answer is no. there was literally a debate in the house last week at which one moment he's being called a socialist and he's in the pocket of corporate america. it doesn't matter what he's going to do. you could argue maybe the president should go bigger in a broader tax reform proposal if they're going to say no anywhere, why not fight for something big as opposed to just reviving something he offered them in the past. the plain truth of the matter is, doesn't matter what he's saying, the answer is no. they're interested in going to a government shutdown on october 1st. >> i want to speak to one po

mr. mcconnell, help us rebuild this bridge. [ cheers and applause ] >> help us rebuild america. >> mcconneller, they have fought this president on every proposal that he has ever put on the table. >> what the president proposed so far is not serious and it's not a jobs plan. >> what we need to do is make sure that the workers reject sb5 and reject on issue 2 vote no on issue 2. >> what's driven my negatives up is the fact that we're trying to rein in and give local communities the ability to control their cost with public employees. >> i tell you what, i got a chair for the governor right here. >> today, they look down on us like we're the ones draining the middle class of all the money, you know, i don't see us getting big pay raises. i don't see us getting big bonuses. >> in a landslide issue number two has been defeated. the union-busting senate bill will not become law in the state of ohio. >> you know, when you get beat, you have to admit it and you got to congratulate and shake the hands of those folks who prevailed. >> today is my last day working across the street at sinsada and a fe

mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: you know there is not much to say about the president's speech yesterday other than he actually retreated from previous commitments to a more bipartisan revenue-neutral corporate tax reform and then tried to sell that rejection of bipartisanship as some -- quote unquote -- grand bargain. i mean, only in washington. let me say this, it really would be nice to see the president work with congress for a change to get some important things done for the american people. republicans have been eager to do this all along. but really, it's almost like there's a gone campaigning sign outside the oval office. a "gone campaigning" sign outside the oval office. and on the rarest occasions when he does come to the hill, as he will today, you find out it's basically just another internal campaign rally with democrats. so i hope he'll finally get serious and make one of his famous pivots this time in a new direction toward effective policy and away from the never-ending political sideshow.

mr. mcconnell: madam president? the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: over the years we've seen repeated instances of indifference to the rule of law on the part of this administration. it's a consistent and worrisome pattern. most recent example, of course, was just last week's announcement this the president had simply decided not to enforce a major piece of his health care law. that is, until after the midterm election. what the president was saying, in effect, was that if he doesn't want to implement the law he signed, he doesn't are to. -- he doesn't have to. if he doesn't want to implement the law he signed, he doesn't have to. i agree, it is a terrible law. i understand why people harmed by it would want it changed. in fact, i think we ought to repeal it altogether and opt instead for real reforms that would actually lower costs. for now, at least, it is the law. and it is the president's constitutional duty to enforce the law. yet instead of fulfilling his basic duty of his office, the president seemed seems to believe he gets to decid

mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: for more than a mornghts month, i have beening e floor to talk about student loan reform. this is an issue that should have been an easy, bipartisan slam-dunk. i have noted that the proposals put forward by both president obama and congressional republicans have been strikingly similar. we both agree on the need for permanent reform and that we agree on the need to help all students and not just some of them. yet here we are after the july 4 deadline and senate democrats are still blocking bipartisan student loan reform. you have to ask yourself, why? well, because they prioritized politics over helping students. they're basically -- there are basically two different democratic groups battling for sprem circumstance a more responsible, permanent faction, and a more political campaign permanently faction. in the first group are the sensible democratic senators who agree with both president obama and republicans that it's time to finally solve this issue that washington should

mr. mcconnell have said is the responsible thing to do. we are prepared to take half of that responsibility with them. we would hope they would join us in that effort. senator mccain has said that some of my republican colleagues are already saying we will not raise the debt limit unless there's repeal of obamacare. senator mccain said i would love to repeal obamacare. but he said i promise you that will not happen on the debt limit. the president has made it clear it is not going to happen. someone would like to go on with his quote, so some would like to set up one of the shut down the government threats, and most americans are really tired of those kinds of sheen and against here in washington. that is senator mccain. i have quoted senator toomey and senator mccain who believe we need to come to agreement. i have also unfortunately quoted senator -- congressman ryan who said he does not care what senator mccain thinks -- who was a candidate for president a few years ago. mr. speaker, i want to ask the leader if he expects we will take a

mr. mcconnell is nothing but a racist and a bigot along with john boehner.ing around with them. >> host: beth is joining us from gardenerville, nevada. republican line, good morning. >> caller: hello, yes. i just believe that, first of all, i'm from nevada. senator reid does not represent everybody here, and i just hope and pray that they have some professional and ethical opinions going on behind closed doors because it's awfully tough seeing how he handles some of these issues. and it's nothing to do with the color of the skin and has everything to do with the character. and how they choose their people who they want to place into positions of leadership in our country. and we have experienced nothing but a downgrade in our government, and it's not fair to those people who really truly believe in our constitution, in our historical judeo-christian values. and this is, they are not being represented in congress or in the state of nevada. it's really sad. and i appreciate the fact that we should not have anything doing nuclear vote, we should not be changing

mr. mcconnell says lawmakers confirmed the secretaries of energy, the interior, the treasury, the secretaryate, commerce, transportation, the director of the office of management and budget, the administrator of the centers for medicare and medicaid services, and the chair of the securities and exchange commission. let's talk about all of this, joe trippy is a former campaign manager for howard dean. ed rollins is a formal national campaign director for reagan, bush in 1984 a former white house political director and deputy chief of staff to president reagan they're both fox news contributors. let's talk about the apocalyptic sounding nuclear option, ed. what does this mean? is this possible? >> well, first of all it's absurd. the new senate sets its rules at the beginning of the session, which was after the last election. any change takes place midterm is by a two thirds vote. reid is trying to get around that. there's been no blocking of any nominees. the last was secretary of transportation. that was a 100-0 vote. they just passed a bipartisan immigration bill. if he makes this change he

mr. mcconnell: mr. president, today the senate will consider the nominations of thomas perez and gina mccarthy to head the department of labor and the e.p.a.. i'll be voting against both of these nominees, and i'd like to explain why. tom perez is someone who has devoted much of his career to causes he believes in. that's certainly admirable. but the duty of advise and consent is about more than just acertificate taeupbing -- ascertaining whether a nominee has good intentions. it's about how he or she went about pursuing them, about what he or she would do on the job. that is where the perez nomination begins to break down. because based on the evidence, tom perez is more than just some left-wing i had i don't see lodge. -- left wing idealogue. he achieves willing to bend the rules to achieve his end. it's so worrying to me about mr. perez. a few examples from his past paint the picture. media reports indicate that as a member of the county council in maryland, mr. perez tried to get the county to break

mr. mcconnell has been working on for a long time. he has finally pushed the envelope of the table. there is nothing getting done in washington. you know, everyone keeps saying, both parties are going, you know, throwing grenades at one another. that is far from the truth. this president has been to over backwards trying to up the to republicans halfway. you don't have anyone on the other side that is willing to negotiate. everyone knows the word negotiation with the republican is a bad word. and i have never seen a president this respect in the mean-spirited and treats so mean in this country. they even attacked his children. and that is supposed to be something -- that is supposed to be a rule that you don't ever attack the president's children. you know, everyone is supposed to be -- have their hands that -- not on that situation. >> to attack the president's children? >> well, you watch fox news and it will talk about the president's daughters went to so and so place. you know, when they went so why. or if they go out someplace. you never report the location of the president's c

mr. mcconnell, the leader of the senate, have said is the responsible thing to do. we're prepared to take half of that responsibility with them. we would hope that they would join us in that effort. senator mccain has said that some of my, and i quote, some of my republican colleagues are already saying we won't raise the debt limit, again, unless there's repeal of obamacare. senator mccain said, i'd love to repeal obamacare. he agrees with the majority leader, mr. speaker. but he goesen to say, but i promise you, that's not going to -- but he goes on to say, but i promise you, that's not going to happen, on the debt limit. the president's made it very clear it's not going it happen. we've made it very clear it's not going to happen. going on with senator mccain's quote, so some would like to set p another one of these shut- down-the-government threats and most americans are really tired of those kinds of shenanigans here in washington. that's senator mccain. i've quoted senators who believe that we need to come to agreement. i've also unfortunately quoted congressm

mr. mcconnell were going back on whether it was a bill or a law. i know a law is something that has been established. a bill is something in the works. how could the supreme court rule on a law that is still being written. we do not understand. could we be assured that anything, any law that is passed will not be susceptible to the when it comes to assuming that something is passed. sure ii am not understand the question. i do not know if he was talking about a specific law or bill. were you able to pick up the context? host: we can take another call. charles from west virginia. caller: i have two quick questions. tax, ibamacare is a thought it was under article one, section seven that any tax has to come from the house first and didn't obamacare start in the senate? guest: that has to do with the parliamentarian mechanics that we have in congress. all spending that and taxing measures have to begin in the house. the senateed was took a bill that was unrelated to obamacare and stuff their version into that bill and send it back to us. they did that

mr. mcconnell have an increasingly difficult time figuring out how to legislate good for the american peoplehen so many in their caucus are in the business of undermining that. host: this is a photograph from "the washington post" -- many places have become green spaces because people have left. at the population down to about 700,000. this is the front page of "the detroit news." basically saying to the president, you need to save detroit. brian walsh? guest: in the presidential campaign, a regular line of attack from president obama's campaign was that if it was up to mitt romney, detroit would have gone bankrupt. well, detroit has gone bankrupt. there are many, many factors that go back many years attribute it to it, but if you think it is a warning sign to all of us when we look at the federal government, which has taken on over $6 trillion in new debt and his administration. the long-term consequences of our debt. we need to pay our bills. the form is yours, good morning. caller: good morning, brother. since you mention detroit's dilemma, i will go there. it is very hard living in this

mr. clinton mitch mcconnell's obsession with destroying president obama and obama care knows no bounds.ow he'll even take on the nfl. here is how it happened. one week ago, hs secretary kathleen sebelius said pro athletes could help publicize the enrollment period for the affordable care act in fact was actively enthusiastically engaged because they see health promotion as one of the things that is good for them and good for the country. makes sense, right? that was all mitch mcconnell needed to hear. last thursday he cowrote a letter to the nfl commissioner registering his extreme ire. given the unpopularity of this bill -- actually it's a law, it's difficult to understand why an organization like yours would risk damaging its apolitical brand by lending its name to this promotion. notice the wording. mcconnell's wording of the unpopularity of this bill, and nfl balks. it's a baseball term at supporting health law after gop senator sends warning from the gop spokesman who said of their government, we never made any commitment or discussed any details. today senator mcconnell has secret

mr. mcconnell -- >> he is not on this committee. >> references have been made by any number of members of your committee on this side of the aisle -- the point is we do not want to see the irs targeting any group. correct? >> and we saw the targeting based on the key words, t party. >> they are targeting because they received an influx of 501c 4's and as a result they were trying to find a way to streamline the process and as it turned out, it wound up taking more time. the question for us is whether or not these entities are exclusively for social welfare purposes, which they are not, which goes to the fact that the law says exclusively for " -- social welfare purposes. now we are looking at these agents and expecting them to determine if something is primary or not. unless you do a specific audit of every organization, you will not know whether it was primarily for social welfare. >> i completely agree the you would never know, but will be find interesting is the number of 501c4's that went down and the number of tea party groups that went to application no. 1. by the time there was an

mcconnell. he has been mr. no, dr. no. a referendum on how you feel about mitch mcconnell, he's in deep trouble. >> that's interesting. famous mcconnell goal, make obama one-term president. actually, up to the voters, so, at a certain point, being the republican at the face has got to help you in some way in kentucky, but doesn't seem like mcconnell is getting much bang for his buck on that front. >> for all the vulnerabilities he does have. it look a long time for a democrat to get into this race. a lot of sort of excitement before allison grimes got in. we had the ashley judd thing and several democrats bowing out and some congress people there. so, i mean, it is a state where he is well known and he's been the senator for a long time and a state where running against obama the early indications are he's going to tie her to obama. >> i think that's a pretty safe bet. >> but, perry, what do we need to know about her? >> she's 34 years old. secretary of state and pretty new to politics. she was first elected in 2011 and onl

mr. hofacre, senator mitch mcconnell least a video that was paid for by his political campaign and i would like to read what it says. , but it know about you think the leader of the free world and his advisers have better things to do then dig through other people's tax returns. what they're trying to do is intimidate donors to outside groups that are critical of the administration. they have the irs, the sdc and other agencies going after the contributors." basicallye, you have already answer this question, but you have any knowledge personally of the president digging through white house to link to other people's tax returns? >> no, i don't have any personal knowledge. i have no knowledge. all againto thank you for being with us today. there has been a no greater defender of public employees. the great words of one of my favorite theologians who says so often the great things that people do unknown, unseen, unappreciated, and applauded. i take this moment to thank you for what you have done, continue to do, and thank you for being great public servants. thank you. >> we now go to the gen

mitch mcconnell this is we were talking about. mr a turtle you know what the shift. we really don't want president obama to have a functional cabinet we don't want to have functional ministration we don't have you know basically anything harry reid says no we would like you know the traditional the president has been able to appoint his own people and here's the here's the kind of debate between two. conferees from cabin snickers used to be free from the destruction once while there would be something but not very often mr president but under president obama cabinet nominees have faced unprecedented destruction and significant delays in some of their positions but already in the obama administration for cabinet secretaries have been filibustered and more filibusters are likely remember mr president he's done his three and a half years ago in his term of office yet the republican leader says there's no problem here status quo is fine and then mr turtle. has the audacity to actually threaten harry reid. as senator alexander noted no but georgia leader wants written on

mr. president there are ten unanimous consent requests for committees to meet during today's session. they have my approval and that of senator mcconnelli ask consent that these requests be agreed to and be printed in the record. 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. reid: mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent the quorum call be terminated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: what i should have done, and i do now, is that the time during this quorum call be divided equally between both sides. 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: quorum call: mr. merkley: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from oregon. mr. merkley: thank you, mr. president of i ask that the quorum call be lifted. officer without objection. mr. merkley: thank you, mr. president. i thought i would just make a couple of comments regarding the activities of this ch

mitch mcconnell said it was worse than the budget mr.n the senate. >> it's just a further left version of a widely panned plan he already proposed two years ago. this time with extra goodies for tax and spend liberals. >> mcconnell will hear more of the plan. the president wants to put pressure on them to support the budget ideas when they get back in town in september. they'll have just a few weeks to pass the spending bill and a few weeks more to raise the debt ceiling. steve, brian, alisyn. >> steve: we thank you very much. >> brian: usually we're talk being all the legislation that's passing, the big rush in conference committee. we don't do anything anymore. >> steve: there is not much going on. when the president was talking about oh, there is going to be a grand bargain and you examine it, not much of a bargain. look more like he's doing political posturing for the 2014 election. >> alisyn: the president was on the road yesterday in tennessee and he was talking about how he says that his plan, he keeps throwing out ideas to gin up

mr. reid: following the remarks -- let's do this again. after i am recognized and we do our statements, senator mcconnell and i, then the time until 12:30 be equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees, with senators permitted to speak for up to ten minutes each with the republicans controlling the first half and the majority controlling the second half. further that the senate recess from 12:30 until 2:15 to allow for caucus meetings. i would ask the chair if it's clear now what i muddled through. the presiding officer: it is clear. without objection. mr. reid: at 2:15, then i'll be recognized, i ask consent that be the case. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: mr. president, if there is no further business to come before the senate i ask it adjourn under the previous order. the presiding officer: the the presiding officer: the i have to define what that is because as we know today, we have students of all ages. we've got financial impact that is applied to a 19-year-old, entered for the first freshman year, and depending upon where the income of their family is depends on under the current sy

mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent that at at a time to be determined by me after consultation with senator mcconnell the senate proceed to consideration of calendar number 139, h.r. 11, h.r. 1911, that the only first degree in order to the bill be the manchin-burr amendment, the only second-degree amendments to the manchin-pw-r amendments be the following, the text of each is at the desk. reed of rhode island and warren and sanders. one hour of debate equally divided, three hours of debate equally divided between the chair and ranking member or their designees, senator boxer controlling 30 minutes of the democratic time, senator reid controlling 15 minutes of the democratic time, that no points of order or motions be in order other than budget points of order and the applicable motions to waive, that upon the use or yielding back of that time the senate proceed to vote in relation to the second-degree amendments in the order listed, that upon disposition of the sanders amendment the senate proceed to vote in relation to the manchin amendment as amended if amended, that upon disposition of the manchi

mr. richard cordray. i hear all kinds of, the democrats did this, but i have not heard a sound explanation from mitch mcconnellr any of the other right-wingers as to why they are holding this up other than they do not like the idea of consumers being protected by this agency. work they do not like the of the consumer board, as well as the national labor relations board. if you tune into c-span 2 this morning, you will probably hear arguments against those two agencies, the work they do, the nominees that president obama has put forth. our coverage on c-span 2 of the toate when the test votes get underway, they come in around 10:00 a.m. eastern. of richardote cordray is expected around 11:00 a.m., and then senator reid will put forth all the other nominees we talked about this morning. our coverage then on c-span 2 will continue when the senate recesses for their luncheon. that is when both parties gather and discuss the agenda. span 2, we30 on c- will be taking your calls and your tweets in reaction to what you heard on the senate floor leading up to that in this overall debate over changing filibuster rules.

mcconnell or the "pacific rim" either. >> we're up doing a breakfast with the major league baseball commissioner bud selig. >> how cool. >> mr has given me curveballs, sliders. >> spit balls. >> he's great. going to have a gate time with him. >> that will be good. what leads the playbook this morning. >> in the playbook, how republicans say there's been a sea change in their chance to take the senate in 2014. we've been saying it's pretty unlikely they need to pick up six, still an uphill battle but on saturday when the former montana governor brian schweitzer said he wasn't going to run that was a change because it looked like he was a sure hold for democrats. the left loves him. he was populace, popular speaker at convention, liberal flavor of health care, but he had what the republicans call a lot of rust under the hood. there could be a lot of issues that would have made it harder for him. now a jump ball, probably a favorite for republicans and they say now that they have a better chance for minority leader mitch mcconnell to become majority leader mitch mcconnell. >> also in the playbook, wheels in motion for the 2016

leaders, senator mcconnell and senator reid and so many others who have been actively engaged in the conversations that have been going on. i look forward to the vote as soon as possible on mr. cordray. i thank all of my colleagues for an evening i thought was very important in our relations in the united states senate. >> mr. president, we may have a way forward on this. i feel fairly confident. as you know that's why we need the time. so what we're going to do is go to quorum. i think everybody would be better -- would be well advised if they didn't talk a lot about substantive manners. if you want to talk about senator markey, that's fine. we have our i's to dot and t's to cross. i will speak to the vice president. we'll have a phone call with durbin, shummer and murray. mr. president, i will say that i hope that everyone learned the lesson last night that it sure helps to sit down and talk to each other. either stand and talk and whatever it is. it was a very, very good meeting. it lasted four hours. people were still as highly engaged at the end of that four hours as they were at the beginning. so i think we seed a way forward that will be good for everybody. and i --

leaders, senator mcconnell and senator reid, and so many others who have been actively engaged in the conversations that have been going on. i look forward to the vote as soon as possible on mr. cordray. i thank all of my colleagues for an evening that i thought was very important in our relations in the united states senate. >> the majority leader. >> mr. president, we are, we may have a way forward on this, i feel fairly confident. but it's, as you know, that's why we need the time. so, um what we're going to do is go into a quorum. i think everyone would be better, would be well advised if they didn't talk about a lot of substantive matters. if you want to talk about senator markey, that's fine. but we have a few is to dot and ts to cross, and i need my -- i have to speak to the vice president. we're going to have the phone call with durbin, schumer and murray, so everything's doing well. now, mr. president, i will say that i hope that everyone learned the lesson last night that it sure helps to sit down and talk to each other. stand and talk, whatever it is. it was a very, very good meeting. it lasted four hours. people were still as highly engaged at the end of that fou

leaders, senator mcconnell and senator reed and so many others who have been actively engaged in the conversations that have been on. i look forward to a vote as soon .s audible on mr cordray i thank all of my colleagues for an evening that i thought was very important in our relations in the united states senate. >> the majority leader -- -- mr.a president president, we may have a way forward on this. i feel very confident. but as you know, that is why we need more time. what we're going to do is is go into courtroom. quorom.courtroom -- i think everyone would be well- advised. dot and t's to cross. i have to speak to the vice president. we will have a phone call. everything we are doing well. i will say that i hope that everyone learned a lesson last night. it sure helps to sit down and talk to each other. it was a very, very good meeting . it lasted four hours. we were still is highly engaged hours.end of the four so i think we see a way forward that will be good for everybody. i have a lot of accolades to go around for a lot of people. i certainly appreciate my .onderful caucus one of my senators told me this -- something like this, a person has a lot of humili

mr. everett, they will meet behind closed doors. whose idea was this for the meeting and what is on the agenda? >> guest: i think it originated from senator mcconnell's office, the minority leader. i don't know, we haven't gotten any sort of agenda, a written agenda yet. i don't think we'll see one. i think it will be the opportunity for everyone to clear their mine and some sort of gang of ex-members if they go that route to stop the senate from pursuing a nuclear option and rules change. we'll look to see if there is a group trying to pursue some sort of compromise. >> host: the last time this was talked about in 2005 when the republicans controlled the senate, a gang of 14 came up with some sort of compromise proposal. >> guest: right. >> host: is there a gang in the works right now? >> guest: not that i'm aware of yet. senators may have been quietly chatting over the weekend but they haven't had any face-to-face time. they will get that today when the senate comes into session at 2:00. this came up even more recently than 2005. it came up six months ago, carl levin and john mccain called a compromise some people have been derisively referred to a