mr. president. mr. president, i am opposed to late-term abortions and would support legislation to ban them, except in unusual circumstances. a carefully drawn short list of exceptions to apply in those rare cases should have been included in this bill. regrettably, mr. president, the bill before us provides no exception for when the physical health of the mother is at risk of serious harm. the most glaring deficiency in this legislation. mr. president, let me give just three examples of devastating conditions that could threaten the physical health of a pregnant woman. an extremely serious condition triggered by pregnancy in some women is pre pre-clampsia, which tends to develop after the 20th week of pregnancy. this condition can lead to serious long-term health consequences for a woman, including liver and kidney problems, vision disturbances, seizures, and strokes. another example would be a woman diagnosed with cancer who requires chemotherapy and radiation but cannot be treated while pregnant. a ma

mr. president. i yield back my time. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from oklahoma. mr. lankford: mr. president we as a nation treat bugs in a very unique way. we have a little bug called the american burrowing beetle. it is in many areas of the country, all over oklahoma. in southeastern oklahoma, a the love areas for commercial construction have to wait through the early part of the spring because in the springtime the american burrowing beetle lays its eggs and that's eggs multifly underground and little -- multiply underground and little bugs start crawling up. the fish and wildlife service tell us not to step on them because they could be threatened. construction needs to stop during the springtime so the earth is not disturbed because those eggs might be damaged and we'll have fewer of the american burrowing beetle. now, i bring that up not because i am so enamored with that bug but because our nation has a history of protecting life, life where every it may be -- wfer it maywherever it may be. for some strange r

mr. president. mr. president, i rise to support reauthorizing the perkins loan program, which will expire tomorrow, september 30, if the senate does not act. yesterday the house of representatives passed legislation to extend this vital program for one year. i urge my senate colleagues to support this bill and send it immediately to the president for his signature. i want to recognize and thank my colleagues, senator balance bal, senator casey, senator portman for their leadership in highlighting the importance of this program. i am pleased to join with them in introducing a senate resolution urging its extension. mr. president, since 1958, the perkins loan program has helped to make college affordable for millions of students who have financial need. in the state of maine, more than 5,000 students received a perkins loan last year, providing $9.2 million in aid. last friday i had a conversation with the president of the university of maine, who told me just how critical per ki perkins are to maine s

mr. president. mr. president, back in may, congress passed and the president signed legislation guaranteeing congress the chance to take an up-or-down vote on any nuclear deal with iran. that was widely debated here in the senate and in the house of representatives. votes were held. and in the united states senate, 98 senators, 98 senators, both sides of the aisle agreed that we should pass legislation requiring congress have a choice and through congress the american people have a voice in something that is so important to america's national security interests. and yet here we are four months later and the same democrats who have -- who voted for that at the time who joined republicans, 98, 98 united states senators voted for the american people to have their voice heard on this. these same democrats are now chosen to stifle the voices of the american people by refusing to allow an up-or-down vote on the president's nuclear agreement. twice now, when we attempted to move to a final vote on the deal, the

mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from nebraska. mrs. fischer: i would ask that the quorum call be vitiated, please. the presiding officer: without objection. mrs. fischer: i rise today to express my support for the pain-capable unborn child protection act, a bill that protects children from late-term abortions. as a cosponsor of this commonsense proposal, i'm grateful that the senate will be taking a vote on this very important piece of legislation. our constituents should know where we stand on this issue. the american people support reasonable limits on dangerous late-term abortions. a november, 2013, quinnipiac poll shows that 60% of americans support legislation limiting abortions after 20 weeks. in line with this prevailing view, several states have already passed laws limiting late-term abortions. i'd like to note, mr. president, that nebraska was actually the first state to pass language like the federal pain-capable unborn child protection act. i was a member of our legislature at the time, and i was proud to be a cosponsor of th

mr. president. mr. durbin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the minority whip. mr. urbin: i ask consent to speak in morning business for five minutes. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: mr. president, there are many brokenhearted people today in the small town of fox lake, illinois. they're mourning the loss of lieutenant charles joseph glenowitcz. his friends called him joe, and at work g.i. joe. that all identify -- all-american names was nearly 35 years of service in the army and army reserves and to his appearance and demeanor. at age 52, the lieutenant was fit and strong. he stood ramrod straight. he wore his hair high and tight, like a drill sergeant. but the physical characteristics that people mention most about lieutenant glenowitcz, was his smile. everyone knew g.i. joe in fox lake, illinois. he served on the town's police force for 32 years. he was supposed to retire at the end of last month but he stayed on just one more month to ensure a smooth transition to a volunteer youth programs to which he donated over thousands of hours for nea

mr. president. welcoming iran with open arms to the global marketplace will provide untold future riches to tehran's revolutionary government. the current sanctions are not perfect, but they're in place for a very, very good reason. to restrict iran's access to resources that we know its radical leaders will use to acquire nuclear weapons and continue exporting terrorism, not only throughout the region but throughout the world. this isn't a matter of speculation. it's not a matter of hyperbole. it's exactly what iran's own leaders have told us in no uncertain terms. these sanctions were originally put in place in response to iran's repeated violations of previous nuclear agreements, and it's complete fantasy to believe that they can be revived in the future when, not if but when they cheat on this deal. fact number 2. nothing in the agreement will prevent iran from developing a nuclear weapon, and it won't. under the terms of this deal, the iranian government will be allowed to conduct research on mo

mr. president? >> the senator from maine.erm >> thank you, mr. president. >> mr. president, i am opposed t to late-term abortion. and with support legislation and so to apply in those rare cases, it should have been included in this bill. this [inaudible]egis they are at risk of serious hara >> mr. president, let me give of just three samples of devastating conditions and an extremely serious condition triggered by pregnancy and somep women and this condition can lead to long-term consequences for help for a woman including liver and kidney problems, a vision disturbances, seizuresith and stroke. and another example would be aed woman diagnosed with cancer who requires chemotherapy and radiation but cannot be treated while pregnant. ather a massive infection is yetous another case of a grave illness that could cause grievous mrpresid situations for a woman and her physicalun health. mr. president, almost every country in europe that limits late-term abortions allowed for, the physical health of thessiss, mother. and states like alabama, arkansas,re louisiana, missi

mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: i assume we're in a quorum call. the presiding officer: we are. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent to proceed to s. 230. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the motion. the clerk: motion to proceed to calendar number 230, h.r. 36, an act to amend the united states code to pertain to unborn and so forth. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent we take. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate, do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the motion to proceed the calendar number 230, h.r. 36, to amend united states code to protect pain capable unborn children and signed by 17 senators. mr. mcconnell: i ask the reading be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the senat

mr. president, i yield the floor. mr. corker: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from tennessee. mr. corker: first of all, i want to thank our honored president pro pro tempore for his outstanding comments, but while our distinguished friend from illinois is here, i thought i would talk through a unanimous consent. i think it has been cleared. i ask unanimous consent that time be further ditchedded as -- divided as follows. from 10:00 until 11:00 would be republican time. from 11:00 until 12 would be democrat time. from 12:00 until 1:00 would be republican time. from 1:00 until 2:00 would be democrat time. from 2:00 to 230republican time. from 2:30 until 3:00 would be democrat time. from 3:00 until 3:45 be equally divided between the leaders or their designees, and that senator menendez be given 15 minutes of the republican time and 15 minutes of the democrat time. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. durbin: if i might ask the senator from tennessee to clarify? the last part of his request relates to the period between

mr. president. >> mr. president. >> senator from west virginia. >> mr. president, when i go home to my beautiful state of west virginia i have always said if i can't explain it i can't vote for it. when this process began i was supportive of the diplomatic efforts led by secretary kerry and moniz i always believed to be truly a superpower you must engage in super diplomacy. whenever i'm able i will choose diplomacy over war because these stakes are so high for west virginia and our entire country which in our state of west virginia we have one s highest rates military service in the nation participationwise but as i struggle with this decision i can not ignore the fact that ran, the country that will benefit most from the sanctions lifted refuses to-yea change 36-year history ofl sponsoring terrorism. for me this deal had to be more about preventing iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon for the next 10 or 15 years. terrorist actions. without doing so it would reward iran's 36 years of deplorable behavior and do nothing to stop its die instructive activitie

mr. president. >> mr. president, i am opposed to late-term abortion and supports the legislation to ban them except in the unusual circumstances. a carefully drawn extension to apply to the rare cases should have been included in this bill. regrettably mr. president the bill before us provides no exception for when the physical health is at risk of serious harm for the most glaring deficiencies in this legislation mr. president, let me give just three examples that could threaten the physical health of a pregnant woman and extremely serious condition triggered by pregnancy in some women is preeclampsia for the 20th week of pregnancy this condition can lead to various long-term consequences including liver and kidney problems, seizures and strokes. another example would be cancer requires chemotherapy and radiation but cannot be treated such as it is yet another case of a grave illness that could cause harm to break redmond woman -- pregnant woman to the physical health. mr. president, they allow for excepti

mr. president, i yield the floor. mr. corker: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from tennessee. mr. corker: first of all, i want to thank our honored president pro pro tempore for his outstanding comments, but while our distinguished friend from illinois is here, i thought i would talk through a unanimous consent. i think it has been cleared. i ask unanimous consent that time be further ditchedded as -- divided as follows. from 10:00 until 11:00 would be republican time. from 11:00 until 12 would be democrat time. from 12:00 until 1:00 would be republican time. from 1:00 until 2:00 would be democrat time. from 2:00 to 230republican time. from 2:30 until 3:00 would be democrat time. from 3:00 until 3:45 be equally divided between the leaders or their designees, and that senator menendez be given 15 minutes of the republican time and 15 minutes of the democrat time. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. durbin: if i might ask the senator from tennessee to clarify? the last part of his request relates to the period between

mr. preside? the presiding officer: the senator from florida. mr. nelson: mr. president, i rise to announce my decision on the iranian nuclear agreement. the joint comprehensive plan of action. this decision of mine comes after considerable study of the issue, as have our colleagues in the senate taken this quite seriously. i have talked with folks on all sides of the issue. these include colleagues as well as constituents. it includes experts on the middle east and central asia, arms control experts, foreign allies, and as we say in my constituency, it includes just plain folks. i want to say that secretary moniz, a nuclear physicist, has been especially helpful. needless to say, i wish that the three americans jailed in iran and bob levinson, a former f.b.i. agent missing in iran for rateight years, i wish they had been a part of this agreement to return them. the levinson family in florida is anxious for information and help to return bob. this is personal for me. i'm a strong supporter of israel, mr. president, and i recognize that country as one of america'

mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from montana. mr. tester: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be viscerated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. tester: thank you, mr. president. i want to talk today about the bill that we're considering currently, the milcon-v.a. bill that's before us. you know, i really do urge the senate to take up and pass an appropriations bill that does right by our nation's veterans. i think it is very, very important. but this milcon v.a. bill before us today -- and i might add, along with the rest of the appropriations bills -- is shackled to an unwise and un unrealistic budget that locks in destructive sequestration cuts and vastly underfunds programs vital to this nation's security and prosperity and doesn't deal with the challenges that veterans of that agency has to take care of our nation's veterans. but make no mistake about it, america's veterans would be severely shortchanged by this bill as it is currently drafted. coming from the state of mt. -- montana where we have the second

mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from florida. mr. nelson: i ask consent that the quorum call be lifted. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. nelson: mr. president, i want to talk about what's happening to our environment in south florida as a result of sea level rise. now, we can put this in the political terms of climate change, but that seems to be an issue that some want to deny, so i want to talk about what you can't deny, and that is that the sea is rising particularly as shown in south florida. mr. president, i brought the commerce committee a year and a half ago to miami beach and brought a whole series of witnesses, one of which was a nasa scientist who testified that measurements -- now, this is not forecast, this is not a projection, this is measurements of the level of the sea over the course of the last four decades that the sea that is risen in south florida between five and eight inches. and the reason i am bringing this to the attention of the senate today is i just returned from miami where the latter part of

mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator maryland. mr. cardin: again i want to thank senator kaine for his leadership on the review act and i know his statement and position is heartfelt and one that he comes to with full passion. i'm now pleased to yield to senator sanderses. the two of us came to the united states senate together. we served in the house of representatives. he is one of the most passionate voices in this country, and it is an honor to have him on this issue. i yield to senator sanders. the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. sanders: i thank nigh my frd -- i thank my friend from maryland. i rise to talk about the joint comprehensive plan of action, the agreement that the united states negotiated. i support the agreement and will oppose the resolution of disapproval, as i believe that this approach is the best way forward if we are to accomplish what all of us want to accomplish; that is, making certain that iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon, an occurrence which would destabilize the region, lead to a nu

mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from utah. mr. lee: i ask unanimous consent to suspend the quorum call. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. lee: mr. president, last month before the august recess the senate took up legislation introduced by my friend, senator joan knee ernst, that would have ended federal funding for planned parenthood. unfortunately, the bill failed on its first vote. but the questions raised by the planned parenthood scandal and the challenges it presents to congress and to the american people have only grown since then. at issue are undercover videos released over the last few months that provide an unprecedented, behind-the-scenes glimpse inside america's leading abortion provider. these undercover videos were captured by a pro-life organization called the center for medical progress, and they contain i am annals and conversations -- images and conversations unlike anything ever before submitted for public scrutiny. so far, mr. president, c.m.p. has released 16 hours of footage depicting what appears

mr. president? the presiding officer: the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: joseph ponder was proud to be a kentucky state police trooper. he was eager and just absolutely loved his job. it's how the state police spokesman described. ponder tragically lost his life in the line of duty this week. we're thinking of that 31-year-old kentucky native today here in the senate. we're praying for his family and for his friends. i know his fellow officers in the law enforcement community feel the loss and so do the kentuckians that he worked every day to protect. so i ask the entire senate community to join me in honoring troop ponder. now, mr. president, on a different matter. as the senate continues debating president obama's deal with iran today, i think it's appropriate to consider a quote from the president himself. here's what he said. he said, "i believe congress owes the american people a final up-or-down vote. we need courage. you know in the end, this debate is about far more th

mr. president? mr. president? the presiding officer: will the majority leader clarify the time of the vote. mr. mcconnell: mr. president, i withdraw that consent and propound another one. i ask consent that notwithstanding rule 22, the cloture vote on the substitute amendment to h.j. res. 61 occur at 3:45 p.m. today with the time until 3:45 equally divided between the two leaders or their designees. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. reid: mr. president, reserving the right to object. i have a few brief remarks. the presiding officer: the democratic leader. mr. reid: a few brief remarks, and then i will respond to my friend. by the end of the day, the senate will have spent three days debating one of the most critical national security issues of our time, and that's probably an understatement. whether to support the agreement to stop iran from getting a nuclear weapon. from the beginning of this process, democrats have done everything within our power to support this debate. we allow the senate to begin

mr. president? the president pro tempore: the senator from minnesota. mr. franken: thank you, mr. president. i want to thank reverend camille cook murray for our opening prayer this morning. reverend murray currently serves here in our nation's capital as the 20th senior pastor of the georgetown presbyterian church. the church was founded in 1780, and reverend murray is the first woman pastor. reverend murray grew up in my home state in monamedai, minnesota. she holds degrees from princeton and oxford and wesleyan seminary. reverend murray's congregation is nonpartisan with the belief that god transcends that which divides us. i'm so happy that she led us today in prayer. thank you very much. mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: mr. president, the democrats have chosen to deny the senate a final vote on the president's deal with iran. they made their choice, but that doesn't mean the discussion is over. today we'll have another opportunity to address the lifting of congressionally mandated sanctions as called for in the joint comp

mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from texas. mr. cruz: i move to table the amendment for the purpose of offering my own amendment, 2901, and i ask for the yeas and nays. the presiding officer: is there a sufficient second? there does not appear to be. the question is on the motion. all those in favor say aye. all those opposed say no. the noes appear to have it. the noes do have it. the motion is not agreed to. mr. cruz: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from texas. mr. cruz: mr. president, there is a reason the american people are fed up with washington. there is a reason the american people are frustrateed. the frustration is not simply mild or passing or ephemeral. it is volcanic. over and over again, the american people go to the ballot box, over and over again, the american people rise up and say the direction we're going doesn't make sense. we want change. over and over again, the american people win elections. in 2010, a tidal wave election. in 2014, a tidal wave election. and yet, nothing changes. in washingto

mr. president? the presiding officer: is not frr illinois. mr. durbin: how much time is remaining on the democratic side? the presiding officer: 16 1/2 minutes. mr. durbin: thank you very much. mr. president, i don't know that we've faced a debate of this historic importance for 12 years, because it was about 12 years ago that swreeted on the floor -- that voted on the floor of the united states senate on whether to invade iraq. senators don't forget those debates. what's at stake is war. what's at stake are human lives. not only then m the enemy but is and those who are friends. i remember that debate very well. there were 23 of us who voted against the invasion of iraq. one republican, lincoln chafee, 22 democracy. -- 22 democrats. at the time we were told by vice president cheney, secretary rumsfeld and others that iraq had weapons of mass destruction, and we had to stop them for fear they would use those weapons against our allies and friends, even against the united states. it turned out there were no weapons of mass destruction. none. after

mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from south carolina. mr. scott: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, i have watched and wondered in amazement as the obama administration attempts to justify what is clearly a misguided gamble and a bad deal with iran. we saw the signs of how bad this deal is almost immediately. as during the same speech in which he announced the deal, the president threatened to veto any legislation that opposes it. i've been a business owner, mr. president, and when you lead with threats, you typically are covering a really bad deal. because when you're building support for your product -- in this case, the iran deal -- you don't tell folks that you're talking to that disagree with you that they're crazy. that's simply something you don't do when you have confidence in the deal. if you're leading with threats, you're showing your hand, mr. president, and the president is trying to bluff while holding a 2, a 5, an 8, and a 10. and, mr. president, we didn't even b

mr. president. in that race for president that you won, you were very clear that you were going to reach out your hand and see if we could avoid another war in the middle east, and i hope and pray that this senate will give us and the world this opportunity. as the president has said, a military option is always on the table. it's in our constitution that the president can respond to a threat. so nothing in this agreement takes a military response off the table, but it does say diplomacy should have a chance to work, and this diplomacy includes much of the world, mr. president, and that's why it's so remarkable. i also want to give special thanks to two former secretaries of state -- colin powell, a republican, and hillary clinton, a democrat -- for weighing in on the side of diplomacy. now, as senators, we deal with thousands of issues in the course of our careers, but we will long remember those, long remember those that actually changed the course of history. those kind of votes are votes of consc

mr. president? mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: the senate's not in order. the presiding officer: the senate will be in order. mr. mcconnell: mr. president, i move to proceed to the motion to reconsider the motion to i invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to h.r. 2685. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion to proceed. all those in favor say aye. all those opposed say no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. mr. mcconnell: i move to reconsider the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to h.r. 2685. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the motion to invoke cloture. the question is on the motion. all those in favor say aye. those opposed say no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. mr. mcconnell: mr. president, i ask consent the time until 12:00 noon be equally divided prior to the cloture vote. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. mr. mcconnell: mr. president, almost exactly a year ago, pr

mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from oklahoma. mr. lankford: i would note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: quorum call: mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the quorum call be dispensed with. the the presiding officer: i ask unanimous consent the senate be in a period of morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of calendar number 238, s. 2078. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: calendar number 238, s. 2078, a bill to reauthorize the united states commission on international religious freedom and for other purposes. the presiding officer: is there objection to proceeding to the measure? without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask consent the bill be read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: with

mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from massachusetts. mr. markey: mr. president, last year --. the presiding officer: we are in a quorum call. mr. markey: thank you, mr. president. i ask unanimous consent that there be a vitiation of the quorum call. the presiding officer: without objection, gladly so for. mr. markey: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, last year i had the opportunity to travel to the vatican. during my visit i had the chance to overlook st. peter's square from the vatican balcony. as i had the chance in that square, the sun glinted off the future, the square i saw the rooftop of pope paul 6:00's on the grounds covered with solar panels. it was clear from that view that the vatican takes climate change seriously and this generational issue that touches every living secret on the planet. i -- creature on the planet. i was at the vatican as a group of legislators from around the world who are already working to address climate change in their countries. we made cardinal petral rodigan and peterson, who are both responsible for writing

mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from wyoming. mr. enzi: mr. president, i want to supplement my remarks from last week with some insights from alan dershowitz's book "the case against the iran deal." all of us received a copy of this last week. i read it last week. and, incidentally, he's been a consulconsultant to several presidential commissions, and has advised presidents, prime ministers, u.n. commissioners and members of congress. he has sold millions of books worldwide in a dozen i languages and he is a law professor emeritus at harvard. he is an accomplished attorney and has been active in politics, and i make that point because he endorsed president obama in 2008. so i think his comments might be particularly telling. i want to start by discussing the point mr. dershowitz makes that i find the most intriguing: the president is not the commander in chief of foreign policy. mr. dershowitz notes that the constitution does not make the president commander in chief, period. rather, article 2, section 2, clause 1, of the constitution makes the

mr. president. and i yield my time. mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: i send a cloture motion to the desk for a substitute amendment number 2640. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the motion. the clerk: cloture motion. we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rulings of the senate, do hereby move to bring to a close debate on senate amendment number 2640, signed by 17 senators as follows. mr. mcconnell: i ask consent the reading of the names be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: and i send a cloture motion to the desk for the underlying resolution, h.j. res. 61. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the motion. the clerk: cloture motion. we, the undersigned senators, in accordance of the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate, do hereby move to bring to a close debate on h.j. res. 61, a joint resolution amending the internal revenue code of 1986, and so forth. signed by 17

the presiding officer: without objection. mr. risch: thank you, mr. president. i mr. crapo: i come before the senate to discuss the agreement between the p-5 plus 1 nations and iran. mr. crapo: with regard to iran's capacity to build a nuclear weapon. i strongly oppose this agreement for a number of different reasons. before i get into the specifics of those reasons, i want to back up a little bit about two years ago. i serve on the banking committee, which i don't think most people in america realize is the committee that has jurisdiction over the sanctions legislation, which deal with iran and other sanctions legislation throughout the world. we have over the years developed a very powerful and effective sanction regime with regard to iran. this regime has involved not only the united states but the participation and agreement of nations around the globe, including sanctions that were followed by us through the united nations. those sanctions increasingly after four or five different investigators of them, increasingly tightening them down, had worked very effective

mr. president. >> we love you pope francis. host: official welcoming ceremony from this morning at the white house, the president, first lady and the pope waving to the crowd, the first of a number of day-long activities for the pope in the nation's capital. the pope in st. matthew's cathedral and meeting and praying with bishops and cardinals. that should wrap up shortly but look in on c-span.org. later this afternoon, live coverage on the campus of catholic university. a look there from the "washington post" at the basilica, one of the major catholic churches and mass for the missions. our live coverage at 4:00 p.m. eastern and busy all the way up until yesterday evening making preparation for the crowd and television coverage. video shot last night on the campus of catholic university. campus and a church that sits well above washington in an area not far from where the lincoln summer cannotage is just across north capitol street. and more coverage this afternoon. the mass coming up at 4:00 p.m.

mr. durbin: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: madam president, wednesday night is the deadline. on wednesday night the authority of the government of the united states to do business ends. the funding for our government ends. it's a scary time. we don't want that to happen. most of us, because we know it's catastrophic. there will be people who will suffer if we fail to do our job. now this isn't the first time we've been up against a deadline. we've faced it before. and many times we have to buy a little extra time to negotiate the budget. that's understandable. in this circumstance, though, we actually have announced candidates for presidency of the united states who are calling for a government shutdown. what happens when our government shuts down? well, it's pretty obvious. agencies stop doing business as usual. what we find is that the impact, though, goes far beyond just that simple statement. i went back to illinois this last weekend, and i took a visit to scott air force base. it's the largest single employer in th

mr. president: in 2013 from this very stage i called for combating violence and extremism. consequently you the members of the international community unanimously gave it a seal of endorsement and hence the application came to be. well intentioned solutions and the use of experiences gained in the realm of diplomacy. i am pleased that by placing together the support for the joint comprehensive plan of action with the invaluable support for waif we may now devise a plan to revive a shattered middle east. with a view to fighting ignorance dictatorship poverty corruption terrorism violence and their social political cultural economic and security impacts, i would like to invite the whole world, and especially the countries of my region, to form a joint comprehensive plan of action to create a united front against extremism and violence. this front must create a collective and global movement to tackle regional problems in a serious manner through dialogue. prevent the slaughter of innocent people and the bombardment of civilians, as well as the promotion of violence and killin

the presiding officer: without objection. mr. cornyn: i would ask unanimous consent that the senate stand in recess as if under the previous order. the presiding officer: without objection. under the previous order, the senate stands adjourned -- or stands in recess until 2:15.uz:? the presiding officer: the senator from texas. mr. cruz: mr. president, there is a reason the american people are fed up with washington. there is a reason the american people are frustrateed. the frustration is not simply mild or passing or ephemeral. it is volcanic. over and over again, the american people go to the ballot box, over and over again, the american people rise up and say the direction we're going doesn't make sense. we want change. over and over again, the american people win elections. in 2010, a tidal wave election. in 2014, a tidal wave election. and yet, nothing changes. in washington. mr. president, i'd like to share with you and the american people the real story of what is happening in washington, why is it that our leaders cannot

mr. president? i am glad to be sure to hear the comments from senator scott that made me glad i can sit by him on the senate floor to hear his reasons that your good and have been repeated why this is not a way for word for the united states or for the middle east and in fact, he did a great job talking about what was in the deal or what was sent but nothing that the president said would be there when the negotiations started. the administration said iran would never be allowed to have nuclear weapons, we would find out everything they have ever done to develop nuclear weapons weapons, anywhere anytime inspections and the sanctions were the only be lifted with real progress made in the first three areas. that is where we were negotiating for and none of those things happen and/or our event disagreement. but the question that we have when we talk to people about disagreements, one question is the congress giving away its power? help -- how was a possible this could happen and that congress could not d

mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from indiana. mr. coats: ever since february -- the presiding officer: the senate is in a quorum call. mr. coats: i ask unanimous consent that the call of the quorum be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. coats: thank you, mr. president. since february, i have been coming down to the floor every week on the senate floor to talk about the waste of the week. you know, back in 2010 when i made the decision to answer a call to run for the senate again, one of the primary reasons for my decision to go forward with that was my alarm over the plunge into deficit and debt that was taking place. and, mr. president, at the time the national debt of this country was a little over $10 trillion. it is alarming that i stand here five years later and our debt has nearly doubled. it's close to $19 trillion, in just the five years that i have been here. now, there were alarm bells ringing in 2010, and those alarm bells were saying that we cannot stay on this course, that it's going to come back to ha

mr. president.cheering] >> a little bit of background. pope francis was born in buenos aires, argentina in 1936. he was ordained in 1969, taking the name of francis in march 2013. he is the first hope to be named after pope francis -- st. francis of assisi. as pope francis heads to capitol hill to adjust a joint meeting of congress, our live coverage gets underway at 6:00 eastern. then washington journal looks at security preparations for the pope's visit to capitol hill. the topics that are likely to come up in his speech. we welcome your calls and comments on facebook and twitter. >> the pope's visit to the u.s.. c-span has live coverage. the first up -- the first stop. c-span's live coverage begins at capitol hill where he beat comes the -- what he becomes the first pontiff to address the congress. then at 10:00, live coverage from new york on c-span3, c-span radio and c-span.org. later at 1130, he will hold a service at the world trade center. life on c-span.org. >> now the pope gives a mass at

mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from california. mrs. feinstein: mr. president, i rise today in strong support of the nuclear agreement with iran. i do so because i believe this diplomatic achievement provides the only option that prevents iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. i'd like to take just a moment to say thank you to our negotiating team and commend them on a job that i believe is -- was well done and to thank them for their concerted effort to explain the agreement to the congress over the past two months. i've been in this body for a long time. there have been many different agreements. i can never remember a time where this senate has been briefed more assiduously than it has with this agreement. and as you know, mr. president, we sat this morning for two hours and listened to the top heads of our intelligence agencies discuss with us the particulars of this agreement. american negotiators have worked with negotiators from the world's major powers -- the united kingdom, france, germany, china, russia and the e.u. -- and reached an agreement

mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from missouri. mr. blunt: mr. president, i am glad to be here and hear the comments of my friend from south carolina, senator scott. made me glad that i get to sit by him on the senate floor and to hear the reasons -- and they are good and they have been repeated many times -- about why this is not a way forward for the united states, it's not a way forward for the middle east. in fact, senator scott did a great job talking about what was in the deal. but what wasn't in the deal. what wasn't in the deal was nothing the president said would be there when the negotiations started. when the negotiation started, the administration said that iran would never be allowed to have nuclear weapons, that we'd find out everything iran had ever done to try to develop nuclear weapons. that we'd have anywhere, any time inspections. and that sanctions would only be lifted when real progress was made in those first three areas. that was the framework. that was what we were negotiating for. and, mr. president, none of those things h

mr. president. mr. president, i want to thank the chairman of the foreign relations committee for his leadership on t this issue, fors briefing us, for arranging for briefings, for his very thorough analysis and i also want to commend the senator from maryland for his vote of con conviction, for doing what he believed was correct, for showing the courage to cast a vote of true conscience. and, i was honored to be here on the senate floor to listen to his comments today.esid mr. president, president obama'e agreement with the iranian government, with respect to itsl nuclear program is one of themo most important foreign policy e decisions ever to face the united states senate. the vote that we shall cast will not be an easy one. the security of our nation, and the stability of the middle east, as well as america's leadership in the world, are affected by this agreement known as the joint comprehensive plan of action or the jcpoa. let me begin by making clear that i supported thenist administration underta

mr. president, ladies and gentlemen, is it not time to end this injustice? is it not time to stop the suffering? is it not time for the racist annexation wall to be dismantled? it is not time for the humiliating and degrading check points and barriers set up by these israeli occupying forces in our land to be removed? is it not time for the israeli blockade imposed on the gaza strip to be lifted so that our people can move in freedom and dignity in their own homeland and outside? is it not time to end the racist, terrorist, colonial settlement of our land, which has destroyed a two-state solution? it is not time for the 6,000 palestinian prisoners to see the light of freedom and live among their families and communities? is it not time for the longest occupation in history -- >> -- 24/7, 365. we're living in a very different world, and terrorists have learned how to exploit that media in all kinds of ways. we also need to exert pressure in support of peace. >> translator: -- despite [ inaudible ] we and until this moment have worked incessantly to build the

mr. president snr. the presiding officer: the senate's in a quorum call. mr. whitehouse: mr. president may i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be lifted. the presiding officer: without objection. the senator from rhode island. mr. whitehouse: thank you very much mr. president. i'm here today for the 111th time in my "time to wake up" series urging this body to wake up to climate change. it is happening all around us and it is happening right now not in some distant future. and the warnings of what's to come if we fail to act are sobering. congress has the ability and the responsibility to change the course that we are on but we can't do it until senate republicans step up and start debating real solutions. smart climate policy can align with conservative values. conservative values like prudence in the face of risk. like protection of property rights and individual liberty. and like market-based solutions for solving problems. senator schatz and i have proposed a fee on carbon emissions, correcting a market failure that currently allows major emitters to pollute for f

mr. president. want to thank you for the opportunity to speak with me today. >> thank you. >> my question is due to the russian activity in syria and the possibility of future activity how will that affect your current military strategy within the region? >> thank you for your service and please tell everybody in your unit. as i indicated in my opening remarks we have done a great job going after and dismantling the core al-qaeda network operating in the fata region between afghanistan and pakistan. they still pose a threat but it is much diminished. what happened with this radical violent extremism is that it is metastasizing and spreading to other areas. and right now, ground zero for those activities is in syria with isil. our strategy has consistently been that we will use our air power to support effort by forces on the ground and moderate opposition in syria to push back on isil and put pressure on them to go after their financing, go after their networks, their supplies. a lot of their operat

mr. president. >> the senator from georgia. >> mr. president i rise to speak today about president obama's nuclear deal with iran. i've cast all the votes received to an up down vote on the nuclear deal however according to president obama in his frustration congresses review period and sedate than the other still controversy about that i want to applaud the ranking member of the judiciary committee and the chairman. the ranking member senator cardin in the senate today and senator corker for getting us to this point. a unanimous vote in our committee we got this bill brought to the house and the senate and we had a 98-1 vote in a bipartisan effort to bring this before the american people and today we sit here with a small minority of americans that support this deal and yet it's about to become law. this administration chose not to consider this as a treaty but is a nonbinding political agreement that means in the low for a year of our determine whether or not they will abide by this deal with iran. my question is what can we do now r

mr. president. >> we love you pope francis.heers and applause] hotehote the welcoming remony for host: just a quick headline from this speech by the pope this morning on the white house lawn. here's "national journal." immigration, refugees and climate change on the top of his agenda. our coverage this afternoon, :00 p.m., the mass for the founder of california missions. looking at matt flemming who tweets, catholic university waiting out of room waiting for the pope to arrive. photo of members of congress, u.s. capitol police motor cade with senators to see the pope and the mass coming up in 45 minutes. sean zeller of the number of catholics in congress. one in three and in the senate, 144 in the house and 26 members in the senate. and back to this morning's visit of the pope. pomp and circumstance and 21-gun salute. and why no 21 gun salute for the pope at the white house ceremony? the white house decided it against based on consultations with the vatican. josh earnest was asked about it at today's white house briefing. porte

mr. president, the world will be a very different place in 10-15 years. if we can buy this much time instead of iran developing a nuclear bomb in the near future, then that is reason enough for me to vote to uphold this agreement. and if the u.s. walks away from this multinational agreement, then i believe we would find ourselves alone in the world with little credibility. but there are many more reasons to support this agreement. the opponents of the agreement say that war is not the only alternative to the agreement. indeed, they as articulated by the israeli ambassador, say we should oppose attempt by refusing to lift congressionally imposed sanctions and the result will be that the international sanctions will stay in place, that iran will continue to feel the economic pinch, and therefore, iran will come back to the table and negotiate terms more favorable to the united states and our allies. but, mr. president, if the united states kills the deal that most of the rest of the world is for, there's no question in this senator's mind that the sanctions

mr. president xi. i have a president for president obama.ing can he ceremony this morning recently made remarks you indicated the u.s. welcomes peace, stable and prosper china and supports the china to play a big role in the international stage. would you please elaborate? what have you done to enable the region and we are more interested for the remainders of the office what will you do to further reach that goal? >> well, first of all, i think the united states has provided a platform in the postworld war ii era in which the asia region has been able to stabilize and the conditions in which china was able to grow so rapidly were maintained, and we're very proud of the work that we did after world war ii to help rebuild both asia and europe, to help establish the international norms and rules that facilitated global trades and connections and travel and interaction and to help maintain the peace. since i've been president, my goal has been to consistently engage with china in a way that is constructed to manage our differences and to maximi

mr. pres., president, i yield floor. mr. president i have listen carefully to the eloquent remarks of the distinguished senator from california. all the countries around the world that embrace this deal and i didn't hear once mention the nation of israel, our most significant and important ally to the middle east. in fact they do not approve of this. as we have heard from the prime minister minister several months ago, this paves the way to a nuclear weapon. it paves the path to a nuclear weapon. as i was contemplating this debate, i decided it was important for me to visit with rick koepke of arlington texas. he was one of 53 americans who were held hostage and held for 14 months and arrange them at the time of the iranian revolution. at one of the newspapers in fort worth he was asked about this deal with iran and he said this is probably one of the worst agreement that i've seen in my lifetime. this is an experience foreign service officer. i don't know why they think the iranians are going to abide by any agreement. they

mr. president. good afternoon. >> good afternoon. >> i'm from texas and my question is what made you initiate nbk in february 2014 and will you create something similar for females and what will you miss the most once you are no longer president after oval office? >> what part of texas are you from? what we are referring to when we talk about nbk, my brother's keeper. one of the most important principles is that no matter who you are, no matter what you look like, if you work hard, you can get ahead. there's poverty in places where people don't have an opportunity and that's particularly true among young men who too often are ending up in prison instead of going in school or serving military. what we are trying to do is set up mentorship programs to make sure they are aware of what's going on, provide them with job training. i had a meeting with folks in new orleans, young men who had come from terrible circumstances, terrible neighborhoods. we want to make sure that they're aware how they can break