mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: america makes a promise to every man and woman who puts on the uniform. in exchange for their service, our country pledges that they will be well trained, well equipped and treated with the dignity and respect they deserve. it's the least we can offer to the brave soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines who put everything on the line so that we can live in freedom. it's a solemn pact and that's why the american people were so shocked to read some of the headlines we've seen over the past few months, headlines like "veterans languish and die on a v.a. hospital's secret list." and then as the obama administration tried to cover its tracks, headlines like this: "veterans affairs spies stone walls on people investigating it." it's a national disgrace. ails veterans being put off for months by a hospital system that should be rushing to their aid and veterans dying while waiting for care. according to the government's own report on these failures, we also know these problems were s

mr. mcconnell: would the senator yield for a question? mr. graham: absolutely. mr. cconnell: we all remember that 10 or 12 years ago israel, which had previously occupied hamas for the purpose of trying to prevent these kinds of devastating attacks left withdrew as a solid statement that we're uncomfortable occupying. and all we ask in return for our removal of our occupation is a peaceful border. and the center from south carolina has just outlined, periodically this is what they've gotten in return for basically leaving gaza alone and giving it a chance, if it chose to, to have a normal, peaceful existence. and yet they choose to continue the conflict as the senator from south carolina indicated because they're not in favor of a two-state solution. they're in favor a one-state solution. mr. graham: well, senator mcconnell is dead on point here. land for peace. give the palestinians land and in return israel gets peace. they gave the gaza strip to the palestinians and what have they got then in return? 2,500 rockets in the hast three -- in the last three weeks terro

mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: just for the information of my friend from vermont, we had anticipated after my remarks going to the comments of senator alexander and senator corker in connection with the life of senator howard baker, and so i'd like to ask consent at this point that the senator from tennessee follow my remarks on senator baker. the president pro tempore: reserving the right to object -- and i shall not, of course, because as i told the president in vermont last week, i had the privilege of serving with more than ten leaders in both parties since i've been here. it is impossible to find a finer leader than howard baker. i considered him a senator's senator and one of the finest people i've ever served with, so of course i will wait. and i'd ask to amend the conseno amend the unanimous consent, that following the remarks of the minority leader, the two senators from tennessee, i then be recognized for my rather,. the presiding officer:ed leader'leader's -- will the lear modify his requests?

mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. cconnell: are we in a quorum call? the presiding officer: we're not. mr. mcconnell: we're not? the presiding officer: no, we are not. mr. mcconnell: the ongoing humanitarian crisis at our nation's southern border demands a solution. it really just boggles the mind that the president of the united states would rather fund raise in hollywood than work with members of his own party to forge a legislative response to this tragic situation. to do something to prevent more yupg peoplyoung people from make perilous journey across the desert much the president initially laid out reforms that while modest represented a step in the right direction. the politikoas couldn't go along with that. so the president stopped defending his own policy reforms. instead, he demanded a blank check that would literally preserve the status quo, a blank check he knew wouldn't fix the problem, a blank check he knew couldn't pass congress, and a blank check that he knew members of his own party in congress didn't

mr. mcconnell: madam president? the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. cconnell: i ask further proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: yesterday secretary of defense chuck hagel wrote to the majority leader seeking $225 million in additional u.s. funding for production of iron dome components in israel, so that it can -- so they can maintain adequate stockpiles and defend their population. republicans are united in our support of our ally, israel. we have legislation that would allow congress to meet the secretary's request, and we hope our friends on the other side will join us in coming to a sensible, bipartisan solution that can be passed quickly. as most senators know, the iron dome missile defense system has played a critical role in defending israel's population from rocket attacks launched by hamas from within the gaza strip. while our friends in egypt are working to bring hamas to a cease-fire and end this barrage of rocket attacks, attacks that indiscriminately target the civil

mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: earlier this week i hosted a tele-town hall with people from across western kentucky from places like lyon county and webster county. these constituents shared their thoughts on a range of issues from obamacare to taxes. but one issue kept coming up over and over again. the kentuckians i spoke with were truly worried about the obama administration's war on coal jobs. they've seen the devastation in eastern kentucky and they know what the president's newest regulations will likely mean for middle-class families like theirs. skyrocketing utility bills, higher prices, fewer jobs. they know that the administration's war is an elitist crusade that threatens to ship good, well-paying jobs overseas, splinter our manufacturing base and throw yet another load on to the backs of middle-class kentuckians who have already struggled so much. the hardworking people i represent are worried enough just about making their mortgage payments and paying for car repairs and coping with energy bi

mr. mcconnell: the ongoing humanitarian crisis at the border seems to be getting washeworseby the day. large numbers of foreign nationals are unlawfully entering our country, and it's mainly due to the administration's failure to enforce immigration laws and secure the border. this is a real crisis, so we're taking a hard look at the proposal the president sent over. but we want to make sure we actually get the right tools to fix the problem. and that's not what we've seen so far from the president. what he appears to be asking for is a blank check, one that would allow him to sustain his current failed policy. last night in a speech that attempted to shift the blame from his failed approach, he doubled down on a blank check, which is what he's asked for. he led americans to believe that the problem can be solved if only congress would pass his last-minute request. but i.t it's not that simple. much more needs to be dorntion -- much more needs to be done, and the president knows it. his original letter called for reforms that we all know are needed. under pressure from the left, he has

mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. cconnell: the obama white house likes to pretend that its war on coal is about protecting the planet, and yet his newest regulations would hardly do a thing to impact global carbon emissions. the president's own e.p.a. administrator basically admitted it when she said a few years back that u.s. action alone won't meaningfully impact global co2 levels. they don't seem to care that their regulations would devastate the lives of coal families in my state, working class kentuckians who just want to put food on the table and give their children a better life. they don't seem to care that their regulations threaten to undermine kentucky's traditionally low utility rates, splinter our manufacturing base and shift well-paying jobs overseas. and they don't seem to care that the people who stand to be hurt most by their regressive policies are those who can afford it the least. as a candidate, president obama wasn't just open about his plan to make american energy bills skyrocket, he was pretty

mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. connell: today i'd like to begin by remembering two men to whom we owe so much -- officer j.j. chestnut and detective john gibson. exactly 16 years ago, these capitol policemen were shot in the line of duty, paying a terrible price in defense of every one of us, senators, staffers, pages, fellow officers and every american citizen who passes through these hallowed halls. these men knew the grave risks that came with the job, and yet they chose to wear the badge anyway. they made the decision to stand in defense of the democratic ideal that this building symbolizes. we owe these men a debt that can never be repaid, so let us never forget their lives or their final act of heroism. we're reminded every time we pass the capitol police headquarters which bears both of their names. we are reminded every time we notice the plaque in the capitol that commemorates them. and we're reminded by observing today's men and women of the united states capitol police as they continue to protect this ins

mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: we hear the president is planning to spend the week calling for congress to pass highway funding legislation that congress is already planning to pass. it seems odd for the president to be focusing so intently on something that's inevitable while ignoring other issues that really should be addressed, issues like obamacare. so many middle-class families in my state and across the country continue to suffer from the impacts of this law. and one thing that becomes increasingly clear with each passing day is the extent, the extent to which obamacare is particularly hard on women. research shows that women make about 80% of the health care decisions for their families in our country. and obamacare has caused countless women to lose the health care plans they had and liked when these women first spoke out about the betrayal they felt when they lost their plans, many of the law's supporters waved their concerns away or said they were making it up. they said they were lying or that

mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. connell: yesterday, the american people actually scored a victory in the ongoing battle against government overreach. they literally rose up, spoke out and they forced the obama administration to withdraw the latest gem from the department of terrible ideas over the environmental protection agency. and they showed two things in the process. first, the need for constant vigilance when it comes to protecting our liberties, especially with the current crowd down at the white house. and second, the impact ordinary citizens can actually have. the proposal in question was a uniquely awful idea. the goal was for the e.p.a. to grant itself the authority to garnish the wages of private citizens without even giving them a day in court. imagine, you receive a letter from the government accusing you of violating some obscure regulation, a regulation most likely you had never heard of and didn't even know you were violating. the government then hits you with massive fines, sometimes on the order of

mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: members of congress don't always see eye to eye on everything. that's fairly obvious. there are often strong and principled disagreements about taxes, the size and scope of government, obamacare, foreign policy; you name it. but let's be clear, when it comes to decisions about contraception, both parties believe a woman should be able to make her own decisions. now, some on the other side would like to pretend otherwise. they think they can score political points and create divisions where there aren't any by distorting the facts. and that's why there are increasingly outlandish claims, claims fact checker describes as -- quote -- "simply wrong" just keep getting debunked. even worse, our friends on the other side are now on record as saying that we should pretend the freedoms -- we should protect the freedoms of some while stripping away the freedoms of others. well, republicans continue to insist that we can and should be in the business of protecting everyone's rights. we

mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. onnell: there is a lot we can get done in washington when democrats are willing to put the politics aside and work together for bipartisan results. we saw an example of that yesterday when the president signed a bipartisan work force training bill into law, legislation i and others proudly supported. unfortunately, though, we've rarely seen such bipartisanship from washington democrats these days. working toward bipartisan solutions and helping the middle class, it always just seems like such a chore for them. just look at what president obama and the majority leader have planned for the coming days. the president's off campaigning for a work force training bill he's actually already signed. it makes no sense. but this is a man who just cannot stop campaigning. and apparently is suffering from a similar condition. he's busy turning the senate into a campaign studio. owe wants to spend more of the senate's time on a design to failed campaign bill loves to trot out before every national

mr. mcconnell: before senator ayotte loses the floor, i wanted to just commend her on her contribution tohis discussion, particularly the stories with regard to your last trip to israel. and also add i'm sure the senator from new hampshire agrees with me that the last thing the american government needs to be doing right now is trying to pressure israel into a bad cease-fire that doesn't allow this terror to be stopped. it at times appears to me as if the american administration is trying to push the israelis and to stop them before they finish the job. and we all know based on past history that unless this operation is completed, the challenges will continue. i just wanted to see if the senator from new hampshire shared my view on that. ms. ayotte: i would fully share your view. and really in order to end this threat, we need to support israel and its right to eliminate the tunnels, to address the missiles and eliminate the missiles and the stash that hamas has that they are targeting israel with, which, by the way, would have had many more civilian casualties but for the iron dome syste

mr. mcconnell -- ms. nancy pelosi. we want this to happen for national security reasons. it needs to be focused on the leadership and if they are hearing from other members in the senate and house that they would give up jurisdiction, they would give up a subcommittee and they tell their leadership and are willing to do that, it may happen. it has a better chance. lastly, i would say the great thing about our system in is when the people weigh in. not just a third-party interest groups but the people. c-span viewers, if they call and say we are not going to take this anymore, we want congress to do its job. we will not reelect 95 cents of the congressmen and women if they are not doing basic national security issues. they do their collins and they weigh in, that -- if they will do that, then i think you would see an even bigger chance for this change. >> those are great thoughts to end on. i'm sorry. we've run out of time. i'm very sorry. unfortunately we do have to move yourcause i know most of probably very hungry. i just want to make a few comments. [no audio] i would

mr. mcconnell, we want this to happen for national security reasons. i think tom is right that it needs to be focused on the leadership. if the leadership is hearing from other members in the senate and house, that they would give up jurisdiction. they give up one subcommittee and tell their leadership that their they've willing to do that, this may happen. this has a better chance. lastly, i would say the great thing about america in our system is when people weigh in. the people. c-span viewers and if they call and say -- we're not going to take this anymore. we want congress to do its job. we're not going to re-elect 90 or 95% of the congress women and men if they're not doing their basic national security issues and they do their call-ins and call the hill and they weigh in, that's probably, if they'll do that, then i think you'll see a bigger chance for this change. >> those are great thoughts to end on and thank you. i'm sorry. we've run out of time. >> i'm sorry and we'll be happy to take your question you've line. we have to move on. mostly bec

mr. mcconnell -- we want this to happen for national security reasons. i think tom's right that, you know, it needs to be focused on the leadership. but if the leadership is hearing from other members in the senate and the house that they would give up jurisdiction, they'd give up one subcommittee and they tell their leadership that they're willing to do that, this may happen. this has a better chance. and lastly, i would say the great thing about our system in america is when the people weigh in. not just the third party interest groups, but the people. c-span view yores. and if -- viewers. and if they call and say we're not going to take this anymore, we want congress to do its job. we're not going to reelect 90 or 95 percent of the congresswomen and men if they're not doing national security issues and they do their call-ins and they weigh in, that's probably -- if they'll do that, then i think you could even see a bigger chance for this change. >> well, those are great thoughts to end on, and thank you -- >> thank you very much. >> i'm sorry, we've r

mr. mcconnell, the leader from kentucky who is up in 2014 had this to say in response. >> it becomes increasingly clear that the extent to which obamacare is particularly hard on women. research shows that women make about 80% of the health care decisions for their families in our country. and yet obamacare has caused countless women to lose the health care plans they had and liked when these women first spoke out about the betrayal they felt when they lost their plans many of the law's supporters waived their concerns or said they were making it up. they said they were lying. or that their plans were junk because, of course, the critics knew better. it's a pattern that continued ever since. american women also have fewer choices of doctors and hospitals under obamacare. the bill supporters have continually waived those concerns aside, too. millions of americans are using flexible spending accounts, but obamacare imposes limits on how much of a family's hard-earned money can be set aside, and the law -- from using them to pay for common expenses like allergy medicine or cold medication. obamacare

mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent that at a time determined by me with the concurrence of senator mcconnell senate proceed to executive session to calendar number 952, that there be four hours for debate equally divided in the usual form, upon the use or yielding back of that time, the senate proceed to vote with no intervening action or debate on the nomination, that if confirmed the motion to reconsider will be considered and laid on the table with no intervening action or debate, no further motion be in order to the nomination, any statements related to the nomination be printed in the record, that the president be immediately notified of the senate's action, and the senate then resume legislative session. 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:

several political fact-checkers are saying mcconnell didn't actually vote for the measure mr.is referring to. >>> on msnbc.com, a new study links oklahoma earthquakes to fracking. evidence that fracking may cause earthquakes is mounting. the magazine "science" outlines a strong link between the placement of fracking wastewater in underground disposal wells and increased seismic activity. and that is your morning dish of "scrambled politics." >>> so, right now i am joined by "washington post" reporter ed o'keefe. good morning, ed! >> good to see you, betty. >> let's talk about president obama. he's going to be in texas today for fund-raisers and to talk border security. do you expect any real progress on the issue during this visit? >> no, i think the most critical part of this trip will be the meeting with governor rick perry, who, of course, has been a big critic of the administration's handling of the situation. initially turned down a request to meet with the president at the tarmac, and i guess they're going to instead meet in dallas while the president's there raising cam

looking forward to talking to mitch mcconnell about his vision for reforming the department of veterans administration both in the short term as well as in the long term. like mr. gibson to mitch mcconnell is exhibiting extraordinary courage and commitment for taking on this role at this very important time. i also like to thank the veterans service or decision for joining us today. you have been strong and relentless advocates for the well being of our veterans. you've done an excellent job in holding all of us in congress and the department accountable. you are a key stakeholder to this whole debate with the department of veterans affairs. you need to be active, engaged in the process of long-term reforms for the department of veterans administration. i want to thank all the vsos as well for your continued effort that you've been doing and tv about what's happening with the department, and for joining us today. so it again, mr. chairman, i want to thank you for having this very important hearing. without i yield back the balance of my time. >> thank you very much. before begin i want to recognize some dispense them in the audience with those, the american le

senate minority leader mitch mcconnell complained the president was asking for a blank check. mr. obama says he needs the money to care for more than 50,000 immigrant children who have come here since october. and to expand facilities so that illegal immigrants can be sent home more quickly. the governor of texas says he has a solution to this crisis. republican rick perry shared his idea with president obama in a meeting yesterday. and he shared it with our major garrett today. >> i told the president, i said you can address this, and you can address it very quickly by picking up the phone, directing the department of defence to put a thousand national guard troops on that border, move them to the border, along with the texas law enforcement surge that we have going on, along with the local law enforcement. >> what you are saying is the send to the american countries and the parns considering putting the children, need to see a militarized presence on the u.s.-mexico borders a deterrent, the mere pictures will speak louder than anything you or the president might say. >> i would

mr. speaker, leader reid, leader mcconnell, my dear friend and majority leader of the house of representativesored this legislation, foreign minister built, speaker westerberg, members of the raoul wallenberg foundation, and ladies and gentlemen. i am pleased to be here. unfortunately as i've said, leader pelosi could not be with us this afternoon, but she asked me to convey her greetings to all of you and to express her gratitude. nina, to you, and the entire wallenberg family, along with her congratulations on the presentation of this gold medal. i quote, whoever destroys a single soul, it is considered as if he destroyed an entire world. and whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world. raoul wallenberg saved 100,000 worlds and the descendants of those whose lives were spared because of his courage and conviction number like the stars. today's gold medal ceremony is not only a moment to reflect on his heroism, and his role as one of the most consequential, righteous among the nations. it is also an opportunity for all of us here to remember the lesson he taught us a

mr. speaker, leader reid, leader mcconnell, my dear friend the majority leader of the house of representativesgn minister speaker westerberg and members of the raoul wallenberg foundation, ladies and gentlemen, i am pleased to be here. unfortunately as i have said leader pelosi could not be with us this afternoon. she asked me to convey her greetings to all of you and to express her gratitude nay to you and the entire wallenberg family along with her congratulations on the presentation of this gold medal. but, teaches and i quote whipper destroys a single soul, it is considered as if he destroyed an entire world. and whoever saves a life it is considered as if he saved an entire world. raoul wallenberg saved 100,000 worlds and the descendents of those whose lives were spared because of his courage and conviction number like the stars. today's gold-medal ceremony is not only a moment to reflect on his heroism and his role as one of the most consequential righteous among the nations, it is also an opportunity for all of us here to remember the lesson he taught us all through his example. a lesso

mr. speaker, leader harry reid, leader mitch mcconnell, eric cantor, kirsten gillibrand, gregory meeks, whonsored the legislation. members of the raoul wallenberg foundation. i am pleased to be here. unfortunately, nancy pelosi could not be with us, but she asked me to convey her greetings to all of you and express her gratitude to the entire family along with her congratulations on the presentation of this gold medal. whoever destroys a single soul, it is considered as if he destroyed an entire world. whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world. raoul wallenberg saved 100,000 worlds. the descendents of those whose lives were spared, because of his courage and conviction, number like the stars. today's gold medal ceremony as not only a moment to reflect on his heroism and his role as one of the most consequential righteous among the nations, it is also an opportunity for all of us here to remember the lesson he taught us all through his example. a lesson as applicable today as it was amid the horrors of the second world war and the holocaust. that lesson is for us

mr. president. this resolution is sponsored by me and the republican leader and senators menendez and corker and others. i want the record to reflect here that senator mcconnell and i have talked about this personally and we agreed without any hesitation what this legislation did. mr. president, i have always been a supporter of the united nations. my whole career. mr. president, what i saw last week disgusted me. as a u.n. human rights council in geneva voted to adopt a resolution accusing israel of human rights violations on the ongoing gaza conflict, the resolution was so incredibly one-sided in its anti-israel bias that it makes zero, none mention of hamas and the atrocities hamas has committed by indiscriminately barraging israel with rockets and using palestinian civilians as human shields. hamas perpetrated this conflict, mr. president. they wantonly fired rockets, and they don't care where the rockets go. hamas has fired almost 3,000 missiles during a three-week conflict. in fact, the very day that the united nations human rights council exonerated hamas, they fired dozens of rockets into israel the same day. now, mr. president, these aren't firecrack

mcconnell. what this amendment does in short, mr. president, it allows communities recovering from a natural disaster to rebuild damaged infrastructure without having to acquire or maybe i should say reacquire federal environmental permits. now, there's no question we all agree it's vitally important we protect our environment. i should point out there is nothing in my amendment that would change federal environmental permitting requirements for any new construction, nothing at all. we should also recognize that states have their own very substantial standards in place to protect their environments, including during the construction of transportation infrastructure projects. there is nothing in my amendment that would weak then any way or change in any way any state environmental laws or regulation. the fact is, mr. president, our federal environmental permitting process for infrastructure is broken. it's too cumbersome, it takes too long, it's too costly. it's a huge problem. i think the most damming stick -- damning statistic i can

mr. obama says perry raised four areas of concern and made suggestions. >> useful question for the governor, john boehner, mitch mcconnell and other members of the texas delegation is why won't you give us a bill to give us additional resources to solve the problem you say is urgent? >> the president says if congress passes hi request he'll have resources to take steps perry recommended. >> donald sterling said he would never sell the los angeles clippers he vowed to spend his life suing the nba and said his wife, shelly had deceived him. and is challenging her decision to have him declared mentally unfit this, is over remarks made to a former assistant a few weeks ago. mrs. sterling said her husband should be examined for alzheimer's disease as she approached him after testimony, he shouted "get away from me, you pig". >> there is a gun fight in an east bay park tonight between nature lover that's want to continue shooting on public land and those who want to continue outdoors in peace. in east bay hills there is an owes yeahsis. listen, you'll hear something you don't expect to hear in nature. i 65 acre range. range ha

mr. obama says perry raised four areas of concern and made suggestions. >> useful question for the governor, john boehner, mitch mcconnellother members of the texas delegation is why won't you give us a bill to give us additional resources to solve the problem you say is urgent? >> the president says if congress passes hi request he'll have resources to take steps perry recommended. >> donald sterling said he would never sell the los angeles clippers he vowed to spend his life suing the nba and said his wife, shelly had deceived him. and is challenging her decision to have him declared mentally unfit this, is over remarks made to a former assistant a few weeks ago. mrs. sterling said her husband should be examined for alzheimer's disease as she approached him after testimony, he shouted "get away from me, you pig". >> there is a gun fight in an east bay park tonight between nature lover that's want to continue shooting on public land and those who want to continue outdoors in peace. in east bay hills there is an owes yeahsis. listen, you'll hear something you don't expect to hear in nature. i 65 acre range. range has bee

. >> you think there's a shot mcconnell loses here despite what mr. mike allen is telling you? hink there's a clans. if you put your money on it, you put it on mcconnell given that the state is conservative and mcconnell is a ruthless campaigner and is going to have so much money. it's close enough that it's one you have to keep an eye on. i think georgia has a much better chance of flipping, still a tough one for democrats, but an easier one than kentucky because of what kasie was talking about. georgia has changed a lot more than kentucky t rise in the minority population, it is run of the states that is changing and could potentially change in profound ways over the next couple election cycles. if there's one state to watch, if you watch these things casually, watch georgia because it tells you a lot about the country and a lot about the new south. >> jim vandehei and kasie hunt, thank you very much. >>> the donald sterling continues. >> dear god, no. >> he sues the nba as head coach doc rivers claims to leave the team if this issue isn't settled before the season begins. ♪ ♪

mr. reid: there are eight unanimous consent requests for committees to meet during today's session. they have been approved by senator mcconnell and by me. i ask consent that these requests be agreed to and be printed in the record. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding the rule 22, following the confirmation vote on calendar number 777, disbrow, the senate consider and vote on calendar number 919, mendez, 920, rogoff and 921, andrews. further, at a time to be determined by me in consultation with senator mcconnell, the senate consider calendars number 915, kaye -- okay. i was a little stunned there. same person. one is to be member of the commission, the other is to be chair. that's 915, 916, kaye, 913 mohorovic, 744 mckie i don't know. that there be two minutes for debate equally divided between the two leaders or their designees prior to each vote. that upon the use or yielding back of that time the senate proceed to vote with no intervening action or debate on the nominations. further, that if any nomination is confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made

senator reid, senator mcconnell and also with senator levin, our dear colleague, jon lewis, the chair of our congressional black caucus. marcia fudge and with our democratic assistant leader mro join my colleagues in thanking the king family for sharing your mother and father with us. we are deeply in your debt. as senator levin said, this is the congressional gold medal and certainly not enough thanks but as a token of our appreciation to martin, to dexter, to bernice and to dr. king's sister christine king ferris. thank you for being with us today. this day, of course, would not be possibly without your parents and certainly would not be possible at all without president lyndon johnson, so thank you, lynn do d.inda johns and senator robb. clab cl [ applause ] again, as we gathered n the rotunda under the gaze of president lincoln we recall the gettysburg address when the great emancipator harkened back not to the constitution but to the declaration of independence. ours was a new nation, he said, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men were created equal. that is the promise of america and in making that promise come true that was the dream of dr

mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that at a time to be determined by me after consultation with senator mcconnell, senate proceed to consideration of the conference report to accompany h.r. 3230, the veterans access to care act. that senator coburn or designee be recognized for the purpose of raising a budget point of order against the conference report. that if the point of order is raised then senator sanders or designee be recognized for a motion to waive. that if the motion to waive is made, there be up to 10 minutes equally divide between senators coburn and sanders or their designees. that upon the use or yielding back of that time, the senate proceed to vote on the motion to waive. that if the motion to waive is agreed to, the senate immediately proceed to vote on adoption of the conference report. that the vote on adoption be subject to a 60-affirmative vote threshold that. if the conference report is adopted, the senate then proceed to the consideration of h. con. res. 111, that the concurrent resolution be agreed to and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid on the table.

mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent that at a time to be determined by me, after consultation with senator mcconnell, the senate proceed to consideration of calendar number 438, s. 2244, that the committee-reported amendments be aged to, the bill as amended be considered original text for the purposes of further amendment, that the only amendments in order to the bill be coburn 3549, vitter 3550, flake 3551, tester 3552. that each amendment have an hour of debate equally divided between the proponents and opponents, and there be one hour of general debate on the bill equally divided between the two leaders or their designees. that upon the use or yielding back of that time the senate proceed to votes in relation to the amendments in the order listed. that there be no second-degree amendments in the order -- in order to any of the amendments prior to the votes. that upon disposition of the tester amendment, the bill be read a third time, consent to proceed to vote on passage of the bill as amended. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: so, mr. president, we understand that getting this

senator reid, senator mcconnell and also with senator levin, our dear colleague, jon lewis, the chair of our congressional black caucus. marcia fudge and with our democratic assistant leader mro join my colleagues in thanking the king family for sharing your mother and father with us. we are deeply in your debt. as senator levin said, this is the congressional gold medal and certainly not enough thanks but as a token of our appreciation to martin, to dexter, to bernice and to dr. king's sister christine king ferris. thank you for being with us today. this day, of course, would not be possibly without your parents and certainly would not be possible at all without president lyndon johnson, so thank you, lynn do d.inda johns and senator robb. clab cl [ applause ] again, as we gathered n the rotunda under the gaze of president lincoln we recall the gettysburg address when the great emancipator harkened back not to the constitution but to the declaration of independence. ours was a new nation, he said, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men were created equal. that is the promise of america and in making that promise come true that was the dream of dr

mcconnelled -- talked about that legislation today on the senate floor. we'll show you their remarks now starting with the democratic leader. >> mr. president, almost two years ago, within a few days two years ago, we were in las vegas to dedicate this beautiful new veterans facility. taxpayers' money spent on that was about $700 million. it's a beautiful facility. it's the second one we've been able to do in southern nevada. we've built a nice little hospital. we tried with a joint venture between the veterans administration and the air force. but with all the wars, especially in iraq, became overwhelmed with veterans. i'm sorry, with the air force active duty folks -- because they were going to afghanistan, iraq, and so there's no room for veterans. so we came really, became very difficult for veterans. we have a huge veteran population in southern nevada. we have all kinds of military bases that they come and are stationed there, and they decide they want to live in southern nevada. we had a, so we built a huge, actually didn't build it, we rented a huge outpatient clinic, and it was wonderful, mr. president, it was great. exce

mcconnell voted for a procedural vote in favor of that budget. it would not pertain to mr. disney. claimrst attack ad defense over some of the inaccuracies in the story. where he is from does not exist. it's not actually account. he is from cumberland county. host: but he is a real kentucky resident? caller: yes. we are talking about the new ads that have been released and that -- in that kentucky senate race. another ad from april mcconnell group criticizing rhymes for hiding her policy positions. newse bowling green daily says she waffles on the issues. fromrom voters -- hides voters. she is nearly impossible to pin down. refused to sayy this week whether she voted for obama care. >> declined to expand on her general message. >> what is she hiding? explain the kentucky opportunity coalition. caller: they are a 501(c)(3). they are not technically a super pac, but they are doing super pac duties. they are april mcconnell super pac. they have loaded the airwaves. mcconnelle a pro super pac. we saw the primary night on may 20 that a lot of those coal producing counties have been sayi

mcconnell. >> the one republican seat, georgia sometimes, too. democrats looking at the map, not trending in their favor. margaret, peter, thanks. hope mr. >> if i, i would have let you film me and give you a discount because you're a red sox fan and charge you only $500,000. >> getting lower and lower. >> i would never sue you, mr. berman. it would frivolous. >> appreciate t.john king, appreciate it. >> last time i want to hear legal jargon from you. >> thanks, john. great talk. >>> coming up on "new day," on the heels of the toddler's death in georgia that we followed so closely, that investigation in the case, yet another hot car death to tell you about. this one in texas. why are these awful cases happening? [ female announcer ] you never know what might be out there. the ambulance racing by you. the ambulance chaser... chasing the ambulance. a rollerblader with headphones who's oblivious to everything. the cab driver who's checking out the rollerblader. it's 360 degrees of chaos out there. but with driver-assist technology, including a blind spot system and a rear-view camera, the ford fusion will help tell you when it's coming. ♪ t

mr. mcconnell: later today, the president will sign a bipartisan work force training bill into law. it's commonsense legislation that will help my constituents gain new skills to become more competitive. i was proud to support it, and i'm glad to see the president is going to sign it. unfortunately, though, bipartisan accomplishments like this one have become increasingly rare in the democratic-controlled senate. last week, president obama took to the campaign trail to urge congress to pass a new highway bill. he really didn't need to, though. the republican-controlled house of representatives had already passed the highway bill earlier in the week. in fact, it sailed through on an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote 367-55. and the president said he would sign it if congress sent it to his desk, and i expect that the senate will do just that in fairly short order. but only if the democrats who run the senate can put their never-ending political campaign on hold for just a minute. because rather than focus on passing bipartisan legislation, not to mention the dozens of job creation bills