mr. president, i yield the floor. mr. carper: mr. president, before the -- the presiding officer: the senator from delaware. mr. carper: the bible study he's referenced is one that he and i and a handful of other democrats and republicans join in every thursday when we're in session with barry black, the chaplain of the senate. and it's been hosted literally in the hideaway of jim inhofe. so it's a home game for him but it's a home game for democrats. republicans, just to share some time together in prayer and faith and really some of the challenges we face. and some people across the country, if you watch the news all the time, you think we hate each other here. we never want to work together, never want to get anything done. thanks in no small part to jim inhofe's hospitality and participation and example, that's not the case. so i just wanted to add my comments as well. he's maybe the two-time chairman of the environment and public works committee and a great partner with me at reducing emissions from buses and diesel engines and s

mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: now, mr. president, before i begin, i want to extend a massive, massive congratulations to the syracuse orangemen's soccer team for winning the ncaa college cup championship last night in a heart-stopping 7-6 victory after penalty kicks. a big congrats to coach mcintire, all the players and staff. go orange! now, on the omni, a more serious subject, negotiations for a year year-long -- a year-long omnibus agreement go forward. there's a lot of work to do but we're opt mis-stick that if we preserve the good faith we've seen so far, we will get there. despite agreements about the ultimate package, there's little disagreement that an omnibus is by far the best solution for funding the government. still, we're going to need a little more time beyond this week to get an omnibus done. to avoid a shutdown this friday, the senate

mr. president. mr. president, i want to begin this morning by congratulating the south dakota state university football team on an incredible win saturday in brooking, south dakota. i was on hand. thanks to the great performances, which included five scores in the first five possessions, the jack rabbits are headed to the fcs national championship for the second time in three seasons. saturday's win is the latest in a banner season for the jacks, who have gone 13-1 and won the missouri valley conference to become the number one seed in the fcs playoffs. of course, saturday's game would not have been possible without the men and women who worked to clear the roads around brookings and the volunteers and staff who cleared the field and seats after a major snowstorm last week, when the game got under way temperatures were in the single digits, not including the windchill. when you add in the windchill, it was well below zero. i'm grateful for the hard work of all the staff who made it possible, which allowe

mr. president. mr. president, as a resident of a rural state, expanding rural broadband access has long been a priority of mine, and i'm not the only one. over the years, congress dedicated significant resources to closing the digital divide, and that has been especially true over the past three years. congress appropriated a lot, a lot of money for broadband lately, a whopping $79 billion to be precise, dedicated solely to broadband-related projects. $79 billion on top of the billions the federal communications commission disperses annually under its universal service fund. that is an unprecedented amount of money. with that much, we ought to be able to deliver gold and diamond-laced broadband to every household in the united states. but mr. president, appropriating money is not enough. we could throw trillions of dollars at the rural broadband problem and still not close the digital divide. all the money in the world is useless if not spent the right way. we have enough money we ought to deploy gold an

mr. president, i object. mr. reed: retaining my time. mr. president, i disagree obviously with the the senator from from missouri. the senate armed services committee had extensive oversight on afghanistan, seven public and closed hearings regarding the afghan war, lessoned -- lessoned learned. senator hawley had the opportunity to participate in each of these hearings. the fiscal year 22 national defense authorization act contained a provision that mandated the popular defense deliver quarterly briefings in unclassified and classified form on the security situation in afghanistan and ongoing counterterrorism efforts. the classified briefings have taken place on january 20, april 14, and july 21. the unclassified briefings have taken place on february 14 and april 25. an additional unclassified briefing will be held tomorrow. obviously senator hawley has full access to these briefings. the fiscal year 2022 national defense authorization act also contained a provision, section 1069, which requires a yearly assessment of our over the horizon co

mr. president.lemen, distinguished guests, the president of the french republic. [applause] president macron: [speaking french] >> thank you so much, mr. president, dear joe, madam, dear jil, ladies and gentlemen -- dear jill, ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests. president macron: [speaking french] >> we are both honored and moved, mr. president, to be here with you today at the white house. honored and moved, like you said, mr. president, because our two nations are sisters in their fight for freedom. frns from the beginning of the american independence, the inception of your country and the united states in the long sacrifice from the trenches of the somme to the beaches of normandy. president macron: [speaking french] >> accordingly, we bear a duty to the shared history. as war returns to the european soil following russia's aggression against ukraine, in the in -- and in light of the multiple crises our nations and societies face, we need to become brothers in arms once more. president ma

mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from michigan. mr. peters: mr. president, reserving the right to object. ill certainly fully appreciate senator hagerty's interest in protecting the first amendment and ensuring that legitimate speech is not unduly or unfairly restricted. i'm also committed to holding big tech companies accountable. i held a series of bipartisan oversight hearings on social media this congress, including bringing top executives in to testify and to answer tough questions. the legislation we are discussing today has not been considered by the homeland security and governmental affairs committee and i look forward to working with my colleague to explore these issues more fully. but given this bill has not been marked up by the committee, i object. the presiding officer: the objection is heard. mr. hagerty: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from tennessee. mr. hagerty: mr. president, i democratic colleague is objecting to legislation that simply allows the americans to see when the government is crying to censor them. m

mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from new mexico. mr. heinrich: i would ask unanimous consent to speak as if in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. heinrich: mr. president, i am truly honored to join my friend, my colleague, senator lieu lujan to represent staff sergeant hershey miamura who passed away. the state of new mexico ordered flags to be flown half-staff to honor one of our nation's greatest heros. a second-generation japanese american. he first volunteered for the u.s. army near the end of world war ii. he did so at a time when many of his fellow japanese americans, and that includes his future wife, were detained in american internment camps. he served in the storied 432nd infantry regiment, which was composed of those were japanese ancestry and one of the most decorated units. following the start of the korean war in 1950, the army rekiewld -- recalled him into active duty. the korean war is often labeled the forgotten war. it is true that far too many americans have forgotten the incredible sacrifi

mr. president. welcome, mr. president. mr. president, to start with you. your advisers often talk about how important, how critically important you view face-to-face interaction. i'm wondering after spending two-plus hours face-to-face with president zelenskyy what you learned, or what you took from the meeting that perhaps you couldn't glean or learn in the phone calls and the videoconferences. and somewhat tied to that, was there any discussion related to the u.s. assessment that russia would not take escalatory action now that patriots are being sent, the patriot battery will be delivered? pres. biden: let me answer the first question,

mr. president, mr. dragon, -- mrs.ederal chancellor, ladies and gentlemen and berliners, let the blockade become a symbol, not of suit -- two separate and hostile world but an open door where free ideas and peaceful competition flourishes. this vision of the future for love hope -- full of hope, which was your message, mr. president, to berlin five years ago. first visit echoes the sentiment -- your first visit echoes the sentiment of berliners. i do so in the behalf of berliners. welcome to berlin. [applause] [speaking foreign language] >> mr. president, you have come on the occasion of our anniversary celebrations. you have, as a good friend and a reliable partner. you have come to a dynamic and cosmopolitan city, a city which looks to the future with optimism. mr. president, we owe our liberty and security above all to the commitment of the united states of america. to -- together with great britain and france, your countries comes -- secured basis for the viability of our city. you share with us these -- these -- t

mr. president. i yield the floor. mr. scott: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent for another 30 seconds. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. scott: thank you, sir. this issue is an issue of america's future and america's now. today our kids desperately need quality education from sea to shinning sea. this cra provides a -- [no audi] mr. scott: i urge my colleagues to vote yes. the presiding officer: under the previous, s.j. resolution 60 is considered read a third time. the question is on passage of the joint resolution. is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. vote: vote: vote: vote: vote: vote: vote: the presiding officer: on this vote, the yeas are 49, the nays are 49. the joint resolution is not agreed to. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the senate will proceed to executive session to consider the following nomination, which the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, department of state, francisco mora, of florida, to be permanent representative of the unite

mr. president.nd gentlemen, distinguished guests, the president of the french republic. president macron: (as interpreted) thank you so much, mr. president, dear joe, madam, dear jill, ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests. we are both honored and moved, mr. president, to be here with to thehite house -— honored and moved, like you said, mr. president, because our two nations are sisters in their fight for freedom. france, from the beginnings of american independence, the inception of your country —- and the united states in the life sacrifice from the trenches of the somme to the beaches of normandy. accordingly, we bear a duty to this shared history. as war returns to the european soil following russia's aggression against ukraine and in light of the multiple crises our nations and our societies -- >> the white house state dinner for french president macron is live at 7:00 eastern tonight here on c-span. leaving this here to keep our over 40-year commitment to gavel-to-gavel coverage of congr

mr. president. interestingly enough, it turns out that guaranteeing seven paid sick days to rail workers would cost the industry a grand total of $321 million a year. a tiny fraction of the $21 billion in profits they have already made. if the major rail carriers can afford to spend 25 1/2 billion a year on stock buy backs and dividends, do not tell me that they cannot afford to guarantee paid sick days to their workers and allow these workers to have a reasonable quality of life. mr. president, the outrage over the lack of paid sick leave is not the only issue that rail workers in america have been fighting for. the rail workers of this country are sick and tired of unreliable scheduling, which is having a negative impact on their personal and family life. in america today. rail workers are on call for up to 14 consecutive days, 12 hours a day. in fact, it is not uncommon for many rail workers to be on call nearly 24 hours a day with the requirement to report to work within 90 minutes for shifts th

the presiding mr. durbin: the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: unanimous i ask unas consent that the senate proceed to the consideration of senate resolution 876, submitted earlier today. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: s. res. 876, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the coastal diswhroaning act -- zoning act. the presiding officer: without objection, the senate will proceed. mr. durbin: i ask unanimous consent the resolution be grieved to, -- agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: for ten months the ukrainian people have put up a valiant fight, a fight that many thought they would lose in just a few days, but here they are, still standing. as ukraine has liberated city after city, the world has borne witness to crime scene after crime

mr. president. >> mr. president, the senator from indiana, i come here to give an even simpler argument as it applies to many areas in education. senator scott, coming to the floor to ask for choice, opportunity, and competition all next in together. when you've got that, you got the description of a perfect marketplace whether it is for health care, education. country where expenses keep going up and up would be in health care. most families would put that up there right along with education k-12, having that ability to choose where you'd want your own kids to go to school is something that you should never be afraid of. if you're not interested in it, you're probably trying to hide something. and that would be in many cases where you're not mustering what it takes to minimally educate your own child properly. i was on a school board ten years, 2004 to 2014 in indiana. the public school system in one of the most catholic places in the state of indiana. i'll never forget a high school tried to start that wa

mr. schumer: madam president, i yield the floor. mr. portman: i rise tonight as we're hearing media reports that president zelenskyy of ukraine will be coming to washington tomorrow to address a joint session of the united states congress. i hope that is an accurate report. i think it's important that he come. this would be, by the way, the first time he has led ukraine -- left ukraine in 300 days, not since the start of the invasion, which is now 300 days from today. if against all odds, ukraine has held out against the russian assault. many thought they'd be able to hold out a week or so. instead, it's been 300 days. they pushed russia back in so many places. i'm glad he's coming because i know what he will do is talk about his deep appreciation for what the american people have provided. every time i've been with him, and i traveled to ukraine about ten times since 2014, he talks about that, but particularly over the last few months i've been to ukraine twice, and he focused on the fact that they couldn't do it without us, and the dee

mr. president. mr. president to start with you your advisors talk about how critically important for interaction. i want after spending two hours face-to-face president zelenskyy, what you learned or took from the meeting that could not glean or learn in the phone calls or videoconferences. was there any discussion related to the u.s. assessment that russia would not take escalatory action now that patriots are sent and delivered? president biden: let me answer the first part of your question. you know i get kidded for saying there didn't -- that all politics is personal. it is looking someone in the eye. i do not think there is any substitute for sitting down face-to-face with a friend or foe and looking them in the eye. that is exactly what is happening at this moment. we have done that more than once and we will continue to do that. as the winter setting in, putin is going after civilian targets and women and children in orphanages. in disguise. he will fail. he will fail and failed because he now kno

the presiding officer: the senator from utah. mr. romney:madam president, i have had both the good fortune and the misfortune of working closely with senator rob portman. i had the misfortune of debating him in 2012. he was kind enough to play the part of president obama in my debate practice sessions. he was relentless, determined, unforgiving, and anxious to delve into the most minute facts and figures in order to defeat me and to knock any complacency i might have had out of my heart. he more than made up for my debate whupping by tirelessly and repeatedly accompanying me across ohio and other states drumming up support for my campaign, raising money, and jousting with the wing nuts that tried to derail my campaign. when i came to the senate i found that many of those same qualities, his relentlessness, determination, tirelessness, and ability to dig into the details, have made him a singularly successful united states senator. i worked alongside him on several bills. on each occasion they became law because he dug into them, negot

mr. president. welcome, mr. president. mr. president, to start with you. your advisers often talk about how important, critically important you view face-to-face interaction. i'm wondering after spending two-plus hours face-to-face with president zelenskyy what you learned or took from the meeting that perhaps you couldn't glean or learn in the phone calls, video conferences and somewhat tied to that, was there any discussion related to the u.s. assessment that russia would not take es callaer to action now that patriots are being sent, the patriot battery will be delivered? pres. biden: let me answer the first part of your question. you know i get kidded for saying there's all politics is personal. it's all about looking someone in the eye. and i mean this sincerely. i don't think there's any, any substitute for sitting down face-to-face with a friend or foe. and looking them in the eye. and that's exactly what's happening at this moment. we've done that more than once. we're going to continue to do that. and the winter is setting in. putin is increasingly

mr. president -- excuse me. dam president, i ask unanimous consent that the committee on homeland security and governmental affairs be discharged from further consideration of s. 4294 and the senate proceed to its immediate consideration. i further ask that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: is there objection? a senator: add madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from michigan. mr. peters: reserving the right to object. this bill seeks to continue ill-advised efforts to fund and build an ineffective border wall. i agree, certainly, that we need to have strong border security, but we need to have smart and cost-effective security measures, not a wall that experts have repeatedly deemed ineffective. there's no one-size-fits all approach to this very complex issue and a wall is not the most effective way to secure our borders. i've long advocated for technology, personnel to help secure

mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from north carolina. mr. burr: mr. president, i rise today in the at the same time-honored tradition of giving my farewell remarks to the united states senate. this is an opportunity to thank my friends, my colleagues, the voters of north carolina who have supported me for 28 years through eight elections for the opportunity to serve and the ability to make a difference for my state and my country. 30 years ago i was a businessman with a happy family in winston-salem, north carolina, who decided things in washington, d.c., weren't working exactly right. so i decided to run for congress in an effort to help make that change for that better. my reason for running was a concern for the future for my two young sons and others of their generation. i lost that first race for the house in 1992, and i took it in stride thinking i've done my best shot. it was meant to be. not a politician. i'd never run for office before or been involved in politics except to vote. but by 1994, as congress was still raising taxes and increasing

thank you, mr president. your advisers - you, mr president.ut how critically important it is to view — talk about how critically important it is to view face—to—face - it is to view face—to—face interaction, _ it is to view face—to—face interaction, two - it is to view face—to—face interaction, two plus- it is to view face—to—face . interaction, two plus hours it is to view face—to—face - interaction, two plus hours for us to visit— interaction, two plus hours for us to visit president _ interaction, two plus hours for us to visit president zelensky, - interaction, two plus hours for us to visit president zelensky, what| to visit president zelensky, what you learned _ to visit president zelensky, what you learned what _ to visit president zelensky, what you learned what you _ to visit president zelensky, what you learned what you took - to visit president zelensky, what you learned what you took from i to visit president zelensky, what i you learned what you took from the meeting _ you learned what you took from the meeting that — you learned

mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to legislative session to be in a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that at 3:30 p.m. on tuesday, december 17, -- 13th, the senate proceed to legislative session, that the time until 7:00 p.m. be for debate equally divided between the two leaders or their designee on the motion to discharge s.j. res. 56 from the committee on foreign relations. with 30 minutes under the control of senator sanders and ten minutes under the control of senator menendez. upon the use or yielding back of time the senate vote on the motion to discharge the joint resolution. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: mr. president, i have one request for a committee to meet during today's session of the senate. it has the approval of the majority and north leaders. the presiding officer: duly n

mr. president. mr.. thomas jefferson jones from albemarle county. i move that the minutes is read. we approved and adopted. i second mr. president, your motion has been moved seconded those in favor of adopting the resolutions to the minutes well signify by saying i all those opposed the matter. dr.. now, we may begin the day with any new mr. president. mr. cobb. mr.. mr. cathcart, the gentleman from out of town, sir, i beg leave to offer the following resolutions. you may proceed to. resolved that a well-regulated militia militia comes close. the gentleman and yeoman is the only security and the natural defense of a free government. here, here. that's up to militia in this colony would forever preclude the mother company country from keeping among us a standing army of mercenary forces and would obviate the pretext of taxing us for their support. come on, mr. henry hopes that establishment of such a militia is at this time peculiarly necessary for the protection and defense of the country, and the

mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from colorado. mr. bennet: thank you, mr. president. this weekend families all across america will sit down at the -- that their dining rooms for a holiday meal. and they're going to have to pay more for that meal than they ever have before. they're going to have to pay more for bread and more for butter, potatoes, eggs, vegetables. literally almost everything that's going to be on america's tables this holiday season is going to be more expensive than it's ever been. and although there are several reasons for that, phenomenon, somewhere at the very top is the profound labor shortage that exists in american agriculture. today america's farmers and ranchers are short more than 100,000 workers all across this country to plant seeds, to pick berries, to raise cattle and do the hard essential work of feeding this country. it's why growers all across america are banging down the doors of this capitol pleading with us to fix the broken h-2a system for farmworkers. it is obvious to everybody who has anything to do with this system that it's co

mr. president. quorum call: >> mr. president i want to thank my colleagues for their statements earlier on the floor on the issue of immigration. a number of us are coming to the floor to discuss it today. it's a sad day, said because there were many people who were counting on this congress to do something, who understood that we have an immigration system that is terribly broken and paying a heavy price for it and there are many who are watching this proceeding today who are paying an even heavier price. if we do nothing to help those who are affected by daca and did nothing to help the dreamers court decisions may. this and for some these people to face the reality that they can no longer legally work in america and they are subject to deportation. many of these young people are and i'll tell you the story of one and just a man have their whole lives here in the united states. they have gone to our schools and they go to our churches and they go to their high school football games. they work at the dairy queen kids a

mr. president. mr. president. >> translator: thank you, mr. president. mr. esident, thank you ever so much for these words that very much reflect the discussions we just had but most importantly thank you very much for your warm welcome and indeed together with my wife brigitte, we're pleased to share this moment together with you and your spouse last night. and let me tell you how honored and moved we are both my delegation, myself to be here invited by you on the occasion of this first state visit by your administration and regarding the relationship we said it this morning and you said it again, this is based on sacrifice, on so much, i would like to say over centuries every time there was something vital at stake, we were there, one for the other without any doubt, without any hesitation and this is very much what should structure the rest of it. it is this spirit that is prevailing in the current circumstances since last february and i did not repeat what president biden perfectly described and, dear joe, indeed, you very much describe what we're doing i

president zelenskyy. will ripley, thank you. mr. airman, good to see you. >> good to see you, jake. >> world leaders coming to meet with president biden and address his congress while his country is engaged in war. to you, what is the significance of this day? >> well, the significance is he is coming to thank the american people for their support and also president biden for his leadership, coalescing a free world, literally, in support of ukraine. but second, he's reminding us that his fight is really our fight. that the ukrainian people are fighting for the values, for the morality, for the world order that have been the whole mark of american democracy and western europe diplomacy for decades. so he is here to thank you, and here to communicate that this is a mutual fight. and also as everyone's pointed out. he's here to continue the fight in his country and inspire the world. >> as you heard phil mattingly report just now, the u.s. is going to be giving ukraine the patriot missile defense system. russia threatened unpredictable

mr. president. >> thank you, mr. president. dear joe.nk you ever so much for all these words that very much reflect the discussions we just had. but most importantly thank you very much for your warm welcome and indeed, together with my wife, brigitte, we are very pleased to share this moment together with you and your spouse last night. and let me tell you how nonnorred -- honored we are, my delegation and myself, to be here. invited by you on the occasion of this first state visit by your administration. we have said it before and you said it again, our partnership is based on sacrifice, son of. i would like to say over the centuries, every time there was something vital at stake, we were there, one for the other. without any doubt. without any hesitation. and this is very much what should structure the rest of it. it is this spirit that is prevailing in the current circumstances, and i do not repeat what president biden described, dear joe, you very much show what had we are doing together in ukraine we immediately led all the diploma

translation: dear mr president, once again, - dear mr president, once again, president — dear mr presidentelations with the united states and the _ our relations with the united states and the american leadership. in the last 30 _ and the american leadership. in the last 30 days of this war we have started — last 30 days of this war we have started a — last 30 days of this war we have started a new phase of our intimate relations— started a new phase of our intimate relations with the united states. we became _ relations with the united states. we became real partners and allies. i felt today— became real partners and allies. i felt today during all of my meetings and during our talks, once again i would _ and during our talks, once again i would like — and during our talks, once again i would like to thank mr president biden— would like to thank mr president biden for— would like to thank mr president biden for his candid support and what _ biden for his candid support and what is — biden for his candid support and what is very important for the standing _ what is very important for the s

mr. president. mr. president, your advisors talk about how critically you view face-to-face interaction. i wonder after spending two plus hours with president zelenskyy what you learned and what you took from the meeting that you couldn't learn in the phone calls and other conferences? was there any discussion related to the fact that russians would take escalatory action now that the patriot batteries being delivered. pres. biden: you know i get kitted pursing all politics is personal -- kidded about all politics is personal. i don't think there is any substitute for sitting down face-to-face with a friend or foe and booking him in the eye, and that is exactly what is happening at this point. we have done that more than once and we will continue to do that. winter is setting in an putin is increasingly going after civilian targets, women and children, orphanages. this guy is, well, but he is going to fail, and he will fail and he has already failed, because he now knows that there is no way he will ever

mr. president, welcome, mr. president.r advisors talk about how important you view face-to-face interaction. i'm wondering after spending two plus hours face-to-face with president zelenskyy what you learned or what you took from the meeting that perhaps you could not learn in the phone calls or videoconferences, and was there any discussion related to the u.s. assessment that russia would not take escalatory action now that patriots are being said? president biden: let me answer the first part of your question. you know i get kitted for saying all politics is personal. it's all about looking someone in the eye. i mean that sincerely, i do think there's any steps to for sitting down face to face with a friend or a vote and looking him in the eye. and that's exactly what's happening at this moment. we've done that more than once, we will continue to do it. and putin is increasingly going after civilian targets in women and children orphanages. this guy is -- well. he's going to fail. he's already failed because he now knows

mr. president. the presiding officer: the junior senator from missouri. mr. hawley: mr. president, if i could, just a brief word of thanks and commemoration for my friend, the senior senator from missouri, roy blunt. it has been an incredible privilege to get to serve with senator blunt for these last for me three and a half years. in a sense i don't know that i would be here in the united states senate were it not for senator blunt. i think senator blunt was one of, maybe the first person to urge me to consider running for the united states senate. and it has been a true privilege to get to serve alongside him. he and abby have been so kind to me and to erin on a personal basis. they were with us throughout the campaign. he was through all of the ups and downs as anybody who has been through a campaign knows. roy was there. they were with us in the final days on the bus with charlie, as i recall, would along with -- between my boys and charlie, charlie was the calming influence on my kids. it was -- they were all the life of the party. but from that moment forward, roy a

mr. president, i yield the floor. [applause] >> madam president, it's hard to believe that my friend richard burr is leaving congress. he's someone i've known since my days in the house of representatives and we've been friends from the very

the presiding officer: we are. mr. shelby: i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. shelby: madam president, today i come to the senate floor which will be probably one of my last times. perhaps not my last time, but close. and i want to start off by thanking the people of alabama, my home state. they put their trust in me for more than 50 years. it's more than i could ever wish for. and this has been truly here an experience of a lifetime, something i could have never dreamed. i came to the house, some of you know, 44 years ago and served 8 years as a democrat, coming from the state of alabama. i had a good run in the u.s. house, and i appreciate that. i'm grateful for that, but i always wanted to come over here to the u.s. senate. in 1986, i ran for the senate against the incumbent, jeremiah denton, a prominent here, a great war man, and i won that race by 6,854 votes. it was razor, razor thin, as you can imagine. in 1994 -- some of you were here --