mr. reid: mr. president? the presiding officer: the democratic leader. mr. reid: before the republican leader leaves, in the weather reports today they forecast snow starting late today. so maybe thal -- that will calm down the generosity of offering amendments today because snow's going to continue until tomorrow. mr. mcconnell: i would say to my friend the democratic leader, the history of this exercise is the lateness of the evening affects the number of amendments we have, and we'll finish the process just as early as members would like to finish the process. i know the democratic leader and myself both look forward to it. mr. reid: mr. president? the presiding officer: the democratic leader. mr. reid: i appreciate the cooperation between senator sanders and senator enzi in our arriving at the point we're now here. the republicans had a totally different vision of what the country is and should be than we have. but the debate between these two good senators has been civil. it's been very polite and it's the way things should happen around here. i apprecia

mr. reid: mr. president? the presiding officer: the democratic leader. mr. reid: all over the country today, in newspapers and on electronic media there's a story -- i'll pick one out the front page of "the washington post" today headlined "c.b.o.: health law will cost less than expected." president obama's health care law will cost taxpayers substantially less than previously estimated congressional budget office officials said monday in an upbeat note for a bill that faced criticism since its passage five years ago. opposition has come from republican colleagues in the senate and the house. they voted 67 tiles -- times to repeal it in the house. of course each time it's failed. going on with this article "the nonpartisan congressional budget office attributed the savings to upgrading on medical care in coming years that will not be as great as previously forecast. as a result, the agency said insurers are not expected to charge americans as much for coverage and the government will save on s

. >> mr. reid supervisor campos supervisor christensen supervisor cohen supervisor farrell supervisor kim supervisor mar supervisor tang supervisor wiener supervisor yee absent oar the amended item passes. >> thank you mr. clerk, call the next item. >> item 67 adopt the fiscal year 2015-2016 transportation fund for the clean air transportation this is an action item. >> okay. colleagues if there are no questions or comments we'll open up for public comment any public comment on item 6 seeing none, public comment is closed mr. clerk, please call the roll. >> on item 6 arrest commissioner avalos mr. reid supervisor campos supervisor christensen supervisor malia cowen supervisor farrell supervisor kim supervisor mar supervisor tang supervisor wiener supervisor yee absent this item passes. >> so item no. 7. >> item 7 appoint angela miller to the advisory committee this is an action item. >> supervisor mar thank you, colleagues. i want to thank the programs and policy committee for forwarding ms. page m

mr. reid: mr. president? the presiding officer: the democratic leader. mr. id: mcclatchyness -- mcclatchy news has a story that i think is worth talking about. editorial pages around the country have not been kind to senate republicans this week. the collective is a reaction to an open letter that republicans penned to the iranian leadership which seemed designed to undercut its talks with the iranian leadership. here's what they said. senators who signed this letter should be ashamed said the pittsburgh post gazette. some of sounded embarrassed. another quote: cringe-worthy buffoonry. others seem worried about capitol hill's continued dysfunction. quote, has congress gone crazy wondered one. senator mark kirk of illinois has not been one of the crazies in congress particularly on foreign policy matters but he joined them here. noting their signature endorsing letter the concord monitor that's in new hampshire, -- quote -- "it's not every day that a united states senator attempts to undermine u.s. foreign policy and weaken the nation in one cursive sweep. in

mr. reid: mr.president? the presiding officer: the democratic leader. mr. reid: the longest sesqui member of this body -- the longest serving member of this body patrick leahy of vermont he came to this body in january of 1975, 40 years and two months ago. but nipping at his heels an individual well-known in this chamber, ruby paone has been working in the senate for decades, four decades, in fact. today marks ruby's 40th anniversary of working in the senate. she isshe has worked through seven presidential administrations 16 different sergeant at arms. after working were that many senators one would think that maybe she couldn't remember these names an faces. but nays not ruby. -- but that's not ruby. she remembers everyone and everything. during these 40 years in the senate a lot has happened. not the least of which is meeting her husband whom we all know marty. marty also worked in the senate for many, many years. and we all depended on him so much. in fact, ruby and marty were both here in the c

mr. reid: mr. president if i could through the chair ask my friend one final question, in my last trip to the national institutes of health, i met with dr. collins and others and one of the things they were so in tune with is they were close to having a universal vaccine for flu. how it has worked in the past is they come up with the best they can for a flu every year, and it's -- if we're fortunate, it's 50% effective. they are very, very close to having a universal vaccine for flu. tens of thousands of people in the united states die from flu every year. why didn't they proceed? sequestration. they didn't have the money to continue that research. i say to my friend, thank you very much for bringing this subject up. it is something that is devastating to not only our scientific community but people out there who would benefit from this research, who really don't know what is -- what could be in store for them, and it is such a shame to our country that china japan has done a good job for many many

mr. reid: mr. president. the presiding officer: the democrat leader. mr. reid: most issues that come before this body are complex and nuanced. rarely are we faced with simple issues but today we have a very simple clear-cut issue before us. it's as straightforward as any one could be, any one question. it is do you support american workers or do you not support american workers? under our law workers have the right to unionize and have their voices heard in the workplace. through elections workers choose for themselves whether or not to form a union. last year, the national labor relations board took an important step to modernize and streamline union election procedures. commonsense, simple advancements. the rule changes are good for workers and good for businesses. this whole fight doesn't deal with business for its workers. you have to search long and hard to find a business that opposes what the nlrb did. this is all the antiunion rhetoric of the republicans here in the senate. the reforms that nlrb pushed forward allows employers and unions to file for

to congratulate harry reid on his announcement that he's retiring from the senate so thank you, mr. reidat's it for now. i'm paul gigot. hope to see you right here next week. >>> so glad you could join us. joining us is dr. samadi. >> and dr. marc siegel author of "the inner pulse," unlocking the code of happiness. he's joining us from sunny los angeles, getting that tan. good to see both of you docs. we're going to begin with the shocking details of the germanwings tragedy, the co-pilo

board we have the density and other specific code requirements sponsored by supervisor wiener and mr. reid that is under buildings retrofit and is going to the mayor for signature and the general plan the housing general plan was heard and poolsz 9 to one supervisor farrell voting no and supervisor wiener absent there were two introductions this week one was a zoning map amendment supported by supervisor yee an ordinance e-mailed the zoning map on ocean avenue within the heath street from an rfp to an rh1 to the transit district and include to - sorry ocean avenue and 19 avenue from nc one to nc t one a 30-day extension for the planning commission to review the short-term rental that was sponsored by supervisor kim and is supervisor campos to the short-term rental ordinance could be continued it will be heard on april 23rd and an ordinance amending the administrative code to have the family and membership council by supervisor yee to be a voting member on the counseled and voting staff to have family housing in the city this will not come to you for review that concludes my report. >> comm

thank you, mr. reid. thank you to all of you for watching. i'm paul gigot. i hope to see you next week. >>> shedding light on the possible mindset of the germanwings pilot. he had been through a breakup with his fiance and he may have been grappling with vision problems that may have jeopardized his career as a pilot. i'm kelly wright. welcome. >> i'm heather childers in for julie banderas. a whole lot of news to cover for you. the revelations that kelly was talking about don't stop there. we're learning that the co-pilot may have visited an area near the crash site

the hard work to our staff and ben and other folks are opinion are involved supervisor wiener and mr. reid. >> thank you any public comment on this item? too bad this is exciting people. >> of course >> got one. >> first of all, it is long over due we're appreciative and welcoming the legislation it is pragmatic and practical and common sense but also something that right now the land is to says in san francisco a desire to go vertical hopefully, this will see people will see what they're getting into so this is just a great, great physicists legislation and i think it should sail through. >> any more public comment? please come on up >> i came to san francisco. >> can you speak into the microphone and state your name. >> hi, i'm benjamin i work at the square i came to san francisco to see live music and experience the independent i doesn't understand all the ins and outs it would be a shame not to help the venues the eastbound e elbow room is awesome that would be a shame that's it. >> thank you all right. is there any final public comment if not public comment is closed commissioners, i

thank you, mr. reid. that's it for now. i'm paul gigot. hope to see you right here next week. >>> so glad you could join us. joining us is dr. samadi. >> and dr. marc siegel, author of "the inner pulse," unlocking the code of happiness. he's joining us from sunny los angeles, getting that tan. good to see both of you docs. we're going to begin with the shocking details of the germanwings tragedy, the co-pilot who deliberately brought down that plane was suffering from depression. dr. samadi, i want to start with you. how common is it for depression to get that extensive? >> well, it's an excellent question you're bringing up. look, there's about 350 people all over the world, in the globe suffering from depression. the question is, how many of them go far enough to be able to take the plane into the mountains? and it's important for people to recognize what are the signs and symptoms of depression. if anything comes out of this, working next to the guy that works with you, it's good to know what the symptoms are. if somebody has sleep dist

mr. reid: mr. president? the presiding officer: the democratic leader. mr. reid: before the republican leader leaves, in the weather reports today they forecast snow starting late today. so maybe thal -- that will calm down the generosity of offering amendments today because snow's going to continue until tomorrow. mr. mcconnell: i would say to my friend the democratic leader, the history of this exercise is the lateness of the evening affects the number of amendments we have, and we'll finish the process just as early as members would like to finish the process. i know the democratic leader and myself both look forward to it. mr. reid: mr. president? the presiding officer: the democratic leader. mr. reid: i appreciate the cooperation between senator sanders and senator enzi in our arriving at the point we're now here. the republicans had a totally different vision of what the country is and should be than we have. but the debate between these two good senators has been civil. it's been very polite and it's the way things should happen around here. i apprecia

mr. reid: mr. president? the presiding officer: the democrat leader. mr. reid: i want to give those within the sound of my voice just a very brief tutorial on how serious republicans are about balancing the budget. mr. president, i led a trip to south america. we had 10 or 12 senators evenly divided between democrats and republicans. it was a wonderful trip. but i chose purposely kent conrad, who is the number-one person on the democratic side of the aisle on numbers. and i also decided to see if judd gregg who was the republican number-one person on numbers, to go. and these two good men sat together that whole trip hour after hour. they had their yellow tablets. they were doing what they love to do: play around with numbers. and when the trip was ended they had an idea. they were both experienced legislators, and they had been here when we did something that hadn't been done before. we had military bases in america going back to world war 1 that should have been closed, but we couldn't do it because of the politics of the senate. but we decided long ago t

mr. reid: note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: the presiding officer: a quorum is present. there are two minutes of debate prior to the cotton amendment number 269. mrs. murray: mr. president? mr. president? mr. schumer: can we have order mr. president. the senator from arkansas is recognized. mr. cotton: this amendment establishes a reserve fund to ensure the fish and wildlife service considers the cumulative economic impact of a habitat designation not just the critical habitat a. critical habitat designation provides additional protections for an endangered species but states like arkansas have seen critical habitat designations that do not take into account the full economic impact on farmers, ranchers and landowners. previously the full economic impact of a designation was. that's been modified recently so only the marginal impact between the endangered species listing and a critical habitat designation is considered. any reforms should not change the listing process and i would not suggest that we should change

mr. reid: madam president? the presiding officer: the democratic leader. mr. reid: life is really very simple. so said confucius. here's what he said: "life is simple. but what" -- i'm sorry "life is very simple, but we insist on making it complicated." that's very true, madam president. right now the republican senate leadership is insisting on making a good piece of legislation far more complicated than it should be. this human trafficking child pornography bill before the senate has wide bipartisan support. unfortunately, it also includes a previously unreported abortion provision that has brought us to a screeching halt on this legislation. but there is a quick and very easy solution: take the abortion language out of the bill. the republican leadership doesn't seem to be interested in a solution, though. the senate republican leadership they're all too anxious to shut down debate without fixing the problem. we can stand here all week and question how the abortion language got into the legislation. many believe it was by sleight of hand, but it doesn't matt

and now they want to talk to not just menendez but mr. reid. why? >> it doesn't count if you say it out of the side of your mouth. i think that's actually what the rules are. >> i'm feeling fat. >> exactly. then it would be fine. if harry reid had an emoji it would have a black eye. not just because of the bad fall he took it would be because not only did he lose an election and go into the minority but now he's got to deal with this serious corruption case that is swirling around congress. what it relates to is bob menendez, he is a democrat from new jersey. ranking member on the senate foreign committee has harassed the president on his foreign policy. mr. menendez points out he's not been charged with anything, but if you're holding a press conference and defending yourself against the noncharges it's not exact -- >> we do that every day we say nothing. >> also not charged. >> nor have i been charged. there you go. >> no charges today. >> harry reid doesn't want to get the call from the feds saying, hey you too, come on over here, sit down with us

. >> mr. reid and i have something in common. wells fargo. one of his best performers. of my favorites. old-fashioned. old school banking. simpler model. gives them a deposit base. a low funding cost. that's their advantage. they make loans. they continue to make more loans than their competitors. >> not doing the convoluted. was not doing the new york city banking. the midwest or midwest banking. it's going to work for them. as interest rates move up, they will along with other financials make more money on their net interest margins. >> what do you think? >> i certainly like wells fargo compared to the other banks. boeing. the company will enjoy its hundredth birthday next year. 1916 they came out. i'm a commercial pilot, charles. been following this company since i fst fle not justheew tenolo. th 737 7. anrde bok tat cld ki. >>5 tillnn 20 ear at'sust e nmber. 5rillion r them to split with airbus. hard business to get into. being in the market means managing your portfolio. not buying one stock or two. we keep talking about a basket of stocks. how do you manage it? i'

i worked under mr. reid when he was the whip. he loves the institution i can tell you.he united states senate. maybe his children. but he truly loved being in that place. loves his staff. and he's an institutionalist. he likes to make the place -- he just -- it's that closed network of 100. and so he will be missed i think, by a lot of people. not by a lot of republicans but by i think the majority of the democratic caucus who replaces him? chuck schumer. again, someone i worked for for a brief period of time. leader reid has endorsed him for that. senator schumer has not. and so i pt suspect that friction is very frustrating for those of us who have worked in the united states senate and want that place to work better more free openly with amendments and that sort of thing. but today is harry reid's day. that's what we should be thinking about is his legacy. it's one hell of a legacy no doubt about it. >> hold on, stephanie. everybody stay with me. we'll be right back with hillary clinton's listening tour. what she plans for after the big announcement. and is the first

mr. reid: mr. president? the presiding officer: the democratic leader. mr. reid: these budgets we deal with are more than just a piece of paper. it's a lot of numbers. each budget that we put forward and republicans put forward are statements of our values, and it tells americans basically whose side we're on. i think if you look at these budgets, you'll find that the budget that we propounded -- and you will see when the votes take place this week -- are those that put the middle class first s. a budget that supports hardworking families, creates jobs invests in our future. the republican budget, by contrast, they've developed a budget that attacks the middle class, preserves the interest of special interests and the super wealthy. how can i say that? i say that because it's the truth. for example here's some of the things that the republicans are proposing in their budget. they want to take away health care from 16.4 million americans now insured through obamacare. senate republicans' budget wreaks havoc on medicare at the is expense of america's seniors. t

mr. reid: mr. president. the presiding officer: the minority leader. the presiding officer: mr. eid: what is the business before the senate? the presiding officer: s. 178. mr. reid: i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: quorum call: mr. portman: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from ohio. mr. portman: i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: is there objection? objection is heard. mr. portman: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from ohio. mr. portman: i ask unanimous consent the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. durbin: reserving the right to object. the presiding officer: the senator cannot reserve the right to object. is there objection? without objection. the senator from ohio. mr. portman: thank you mr. president. i know that you have other places that you need to be and i'm going to be here in the chair in a moment and i will not offer amendments because my understanding even though we're on the

mr. reid: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senate democratic leader. mr. reid: i snents that the time -- i ask consent that the time i use for my opening statement not count against the time for the budget resolution. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. reid: mr. president as the republican leader mentioned it's hard to believe that five years have gone by since we passed the affordable care act but it has. five years. we can all look back to that cold cold winter day when we were able to finally get it done but to me, it doesn't seem that long ago. the memories of what took place to get where we did to pass that are very fresh in my mind. it wasn't an easy feat. presidents going back to truman and eisenhower had tried to pass something dealing with health care, and they were all unable to do it. so it was really a great accomplishment of congress to pass this. it wouldn't be a stretch to say that president obama risked his presidency by pushing for health care reform. it was really a defining moment for many, many people. republican o

it ignores that mr. reid spent weeks locking down the senate over homeland security funding and now over human trafficking." that is the story in today's "wall street journal" if you want to read more from kimberly strassel. lawrence is in north carolina on our line for republicans. good morning. caller: i want to agree with some of the callers on race and disagree with some of them respectively. obama is biracial. he chooses to check that box as black. stephen a smith, a sports commentator, said something the other day at a university, that he would like to get all people of color, black people or people who have grown up as democrats come to vote republican. if you fact checking the 1860's, lbj was a democrat, and the democrats disagreed with the selma and equal rights for blacks, but the congress was republican and they passed legislation that gave the pathway to blacks to further equal rights and everything. as far as some of these land disputes and every thing there are land disputes that go back that we

thank you, mr. reid. thank you to all of you for watching. i'm paul gigot. i hope to see you next week. >>> shedding light on the possible mindset of the germanwings pilot. he had been through a breakup with his fiance and he may have been grappling with vision problems that may have jeopardized his career as a pilot. i'm kelly wright. welcome. >> i'm heather childers in for julie banderas. a whole lot of news to cover for you. the revelations that kelly was talking about don't stop there. we're learning that the co-pilot may have visited an area near the crash site as a child as a member of the german gliding club saying between 1996 and 2003 lubitz's family were regulars at an airfield in the town of sisteron. all of this as crews continue to look for the victims who have to be i.d.'d by dna. amy kellogg is reporting live with the latest. amy? >> reporter: hi, heather. through locals they have been badly shaken by the tragedy. the fact that andreas lubitz spent a lot of time here is particularly haunting for them. and according to one friend he loved the a

mr. reid: is the senate in a quorum call? the presiding officer: it is. mr. reid: i would ask unanimous consent it be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: madam president, i was stunned a few minutes ago to hear the republican leader on the floor speaking about the trafficking legislation that's now before the senate. i'm glad he is speaking about the legislation. he has done that quite a bit. but as he spoke about the bill, he said that -- it's really stunning what he said. this bill is being hijacked and being used to debate something that is really -- that really doesn't have much to do -- i'm sorry. i will read it verbatim. this bill is being hijacked and being used to debate something that really doesn't have very much to do about and that is the subject of abortion. i totally agree with my friend from texas. this bill has been hijacked by an issue completely unrelated to human trafficking. i would suggest to the majority take it out. we can debate how it's in the

mrs. reid: i get a little upset sometimes when i hear politicians say that they're going to go and spend time with their family after they decide that they are not going to be in politics anymore. he's a wonderful husband and a wonderful father. so that's been more important than the other things that he's done with his life. ♪ senator reid: someone with my background, my upbringing, to have the experience i've had is really a miracle, i want people in the state of nevada to know that i am so grateful, and i have done my best. i haven't been perfect but it -- i really tried my hardest to represent the people of the state of nevada. ♪ >> with two years left, senator reid and said that he will support senator charles schumer to take his position. in a statement, senator schumer said," iem honored and humbled to have the support of so many of my colleagues and look forward to our senate to my credit caucus -- >> president obama said, " during my time in office, harry has a become not only an ally,

mr. reid: thank you mr. chairman. let me join you in welcoming secretary carter, general dempsey, gentlemen, i appreciate you being here to talk about the f.y. 2016 budget can request which is $38 billion over the budget control act discretionary funding. mr. reed: these coupled with cuts are necessary for military planning, create an urgent and growing strategic problem that we simply must address. indeed, in my view, it creates a problem for every federal agency and department and i think sequestration across the board must be ended. on january 28 this committee heard stark testimony from each of the service chiefs about the impact of reduced funding levels. all the services are working hard to maintain near-term readiness to meet the fight tonight requirement but only by assuming increased risks in the form of cuts and delays, and by curtailing quality of life programs. chief of staff general welch eloquently stated, when the bugle calls, we will win but the vulnerability sequestration introo deuces in our forces w

mrs. reid: i get a little upset sometimes when i hear politicians say that they're going to go and spend time with their family after they decide that they are not going to be in politics anymore. he's a wonderful husband and a wonderful father. so that's been more important than the other things that he's done with his life. senator reid: someone with my background, my upbringing, to have the experience i've had is really a miracle, i want people in the state of nevada to know that i am so grateful, and i have done my best. i haven't been perfect but it really tried my hardest to represent the people of the state of nevada. ♪ >> with tle years left in his term, he said he was endorsing new york senator chuck schumer to succeed him. he issued a statement saying in part i think harry reid for his friendship to my counsel, and steadfast leadership of our caucus over the last 10 years. i look forward to our caucus continuing to fight for the middle class. president obama had this to say about the

mr. reid's senate seat out there in nevada.y lee, memories of her old boss, we appreciate you joining us from california. thanks. >> thanks. >> i'll be back. >>> and now the latest overseas and the site where investigators in the french alps still on the scene where 150 people lost their lives onboard that doomed germanwings flight this week. we're learning more about the co-pilot accused of deliberately crashing that jet and the questions surrounding a motive. let's get the very latest now from amy kellogg. amy? >> reporter: hi, uma. well, in the last couple of hours there has been a flurry of new information that's come out on this case. most of it attributed to the german newspaper "bild" on sunday. they are saying that andreas lubitz's body parts have been identified here in france. now that's important obviously because they will need to be tested for drugs possibly for alcohol. so that is a key development if in fact it is true. also, they are reporting that he had problems with his vision and that could have been the rea

mr. reidtorney general of the united states. that makes her the longest pending attorney general nominee in more than four decades. the judiciary committee reported nominations favorably last week. so what's the wait? why can't we get this woman approved? it appears we're not going to do it this week. she has a spotless record, credentials that are above reproach. there is absolutely no reason she should have to wait any longer for a confirmation. our nation needs an attorney general. each day that passes without miss lynch's nomination being confirmed is yet another testament to republicans' inability to govern. mr. president, last december, rightfully the national labor relations board voted to make important changes to union election procedures. their rule changes are good for workers and businesses. they modernize the election process and help prevent delays and frivolous litigation. i am sure there are some businesses who oppose this but i haven't found them. this is simply a problem that

it has passed, democrats have been given greater opportunity to amend bills than republicans when mr. reidas leading the majority. occasionally cap, senders have to work on friday. mr. mcconnell has been impeded by internal struggles in his party. the latest mess, a stalled sex trafficking bill and mr. mcconnell's related refusal to bring a confirmation vote for president obama's nominee for attorney general. it was the discussions and the hold up for the nominee to replace eric holder that was part of a conversation posted by "having to post -- huffington post" and posted on their website. here's a part of the interview. [video clip] president obama: she has been a great prosecutor. she has prosecuted terrorist in new york. she has gone after organized crime. she has gone after public corruption. her integrity is unimpeachable. by all accounts, she is a great manager. the fact that she is now been lingering in this limbo for longer then the five previous attorney general nominees combined, makes no sense. we need to go ahead and get this done. >> what you think is behind it? president oba

mr. president, let me just thank senator reid for his prior words in strong support of what he yesterday called -- quote -- "vitter's stupid amendment." i yield the floor. perfect wyden: mr. wyden: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from oregon. mr. wyden: mr. president, i would ask unanimous consent to speak in morning business for up to 15 minutes. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. wyden: mr. president, this morning in the energy and natural resources committee there was a very valuable hearing on a bipartisan piece of legislation called the sportsman's act. obviously designed to promote hunting and fishing, activities which are so important to oregonians and something that our people just enjoy immensely. and i wasn't able to go to the whole hearing because we had important business in the finance committee but i got a flavor of it kind of listening to a part here and there and when it came to my turn to ask some questions i pointed out that you can't go into the woods and hunt and fish if the woods are burning up. and my sense mr. president particularly afte

thank you, mr. reid. >> thank you mr. chairman and thank you mr. secretary for being here. to open up, i want to recognize the work that we've done together in regards to revitalizing the american innovation act that got signed into law at the end of the year. we worked to get that done, and i did that working with the other side and with you in the white house. there is millions of hard working family that will benefit from that legislation. i offer my line of questioning along that vein. and i think that my colleague from california articulated something i have trouble with. when he talks about the social security disability trust fund, saying we're trying to create a manufactured crisis to split americans apart in regards to the crisis that truly is the crisis, the bankruptcy of the trust fund, i find that offensive. i also find his comments to be representative of the old guard the old school mentality that there's $3 trillion of social security money that supposedly is the federal government's to raid to bail out a failing disability trust fund. i think that is wrong.

that is what mr. reid told in an interview in his capitol office on wednesday. on the issue of trade, the "washington post" has the story focusing on senator ron wyden democrat of oregon, saying that the white house is counting on him to deliver -- help deliver a trade deal. 's's so far, it has not inspire confidence in republicans. senator orrin hatch was sold to finalize the deal -- senator orrin hatch told reporters that his plan to each his legislation would be delayed until april. for those of you that follow the trade deals on capitol hill, a little bit more for you. walter what you make of what the justice department had to say yesterday? caller: what the justice department had to say is very alarming. but you know, not to pick on missouri, but missouri has a history of things like that going all the way back before the civil war. host: ok. caller: they would kill people when they came in from kansas and that sort of thing. you look at the headline of the news a few days ago where the auditor general of missouri killed himself because they leaked he was j

senator reid. >> thank you mr. chairman.thank you, gentlemen, for your testimony, for your service. just to quickly following up, mr. secretary you have been through afghanistan, iraq and the region and also been in communication with foreign leaders, your counterparts across the globe. are they aware of the impending budgetary train wreck in the united states? and does this sort of create an anxiety and conclusion that we won't have the resources even if we have the resolve? >> well, in general they're polite enough not to raise this question. but when i have had conversations with foreign leaders, i think it is distressing to me because they hear everything we say. and they see everything we do. and they get a very clear picture of the dangers of sequester. they probably get an outsized picture of our lack of will but this isn't good for our friends. of course, i'm only talking to our friends, so i can only imagine what our foes are thinking but they're probably thinking the same thing. what are these guys doing to themsel

mrs. feinberg please join reid to welcome her. >> caller: - - [applause] >> it is such a pleasure to be hereoday. in my old role as a chief of staff for secretary fox is always appreciated the commitment that disorganization and shares with the goal to make the national transportation network safer, more interconnected, reliable and efficient. to your personnel manager abortive members of staff the key for your support and partnership over the years. i am honored to be here today as there are no greater friends at the department of transportation. but may get to my main points then we will get to the conversation but i want to talk about safety the of the importance of bringing a fresh perspective to old problems then brail and reauthorization an incredibly important opportunities we see there. as all of you know much to their credit of the people sitting in the room over the last decade total trade accidents are down. to build its are down down, crossing incidents have declined the rail industry to is safer than it has ever been in history it is good news sent you deserve great credit for t

mr. chairman. ranking member read -- reid. thank you for inviting me to be here with you today. and thank you for confirming me as secretary of defense. i am honored by the trust and confidence of president obama in appointing me to the senate and confirming me. my care and respect for the men and women of the finest fighting force with us ever known is as boundless as their skill and devotion. i know this committee shares the same devotion to them. and shares responsibility for them. and for the defense of our great country. and i hope that my tenure as secretary of defense will be marked by partnership with you on their behalf. i'm here to present the president budget for the fiscal year 2016. since i have been on the job for exactly two weeks it is plain that i did not have a role in shaping this budget. but i have studied it carefully. and i'm fully prepared to answer your questions about it. and to work with you to find common ground where you have concerns. most importantly, i strongly support the president in requesting a defense budget above the artificial caps of the bu

reid? -- reed? mr. reed: thank you for your extraordinary service to the nation. you represented combatant commands that are most engaged in the fight against al qaeda and isis and threats that don't know geographic boundaries and require a regional and sometimes translational approach to effectively dealing with them. the rise of military capable isis threatens to a race boundaries between iraq and syria, and the areas under isis control provide a training ground for foreign fighters who threaten to spread violence upon returning to their homes in europe, asia, or the united states. in iraq, there is recognition of the need for factions to overcome their divisions. the iraq he minister has taken steps to begin addressing grievances, and he needs our support. one could argue that ultimately the issues in iraq have to have a political solution and that military efforts will buy time. in syria, addressing the root cause that helped lead to the rise of isis requires providing conditions for a political arrangement. the growing influence of shia-dominant militia in ir

mr. bailey thank you. >> straight ahead, senator harry reid throws in the toul, and hillary clinton's word police are threateningment. i am totally blind. and sometimes i struggle to sleep at night, and stay awake during the day. this is called non-24. learn more by calling 844-824-2424. or visit your24info.com. introducing the new can-am spyder f3. with a cruising riding position and the most advanced vehicle stability system in the industry... ...you'll ride with a feeling of complete freedom and confidence. visit your can-am dealer and test drive the spyder f3 today. 19 years ago we thought, "wow, how is there no way to tell the good from the bad?" so we gave people the power of the review. and now angie's list... is revolutionizing local service again. you can easily buy and schedule... ...services from top-rated providers. conveniently stay up to date on progress. and effortlessly turn your photos into finished projects with our angies list app. visit angieslist.com today. if you're taking multiple medications does your mouth often feel dry? a dry mouth can be a side effect of many medications. but it can a

reid. >> thank you very much mr. chairman. good morning. and let me join the senator is not only welcoming the witnesses but also in thinking the van and the men and women of the command for the service to the nation. you are presented combatant commanders that are most engaged in the fight against al qaeda and isis and threats that no no geographic boundaries and require the regional and sometimes trans regional approach to effectively deal with the rise threat into the national boundaries between iraq and syria in areas providing a training ground to spread violence upon returning to their homes in europe, asia or the united states. in iraq there is a recognition for the kurdish to overcome the divisions in the isis threat. the prime minister has taken steps to begin to address the grievances and they support that one could argue that ultimately the issues in iraq have to have a political solution that military efforts will buy time but not ultimate and decisive success. addressing the course that leads would require promoting the conditi

tweeted that potus calls into nevada radio calling harry reid tough, unique and crumb muj on charm and i'll miss him. so now what for nevada the senate, mrthe conventional wisdom is wrong. chuck and i were just talking about this and he agrees which me. i think the sense is harry reid could never have won in 2016. as someone who said repeatedly publicly harry reid can't win in 2010 i learned my lesson there. i think he is stronger and would have kept a lot of major republican players out of that race not wanting to run against him and all that that entails. i always think open seats are better opportunities. think this is now a better opportunity for republicans not because of reid but the quality of candidate they might be able to get to run. i don't think that's brian sandoval would be the clear front-runner, but there's more good options for republicans and this is a swing state, both in presidential level in 2016 and will be competitive. >> it's going to be very important swing state but also the hispanic vote it will depend on who's on the tickets. >> if you're republicans, you're much happier running against harry reid's replacemen

earlier today, mitch mcconnell and harry reid came to the floor to discuss the fifth anniversary of the health care law and the republican budget plan. >> mr. president, we begin by remembering a failed idea from the past; obamacare. and we will end by passing balanced budget legislation about the future. five years ago today a partisan obamacare bill was signed into law over the objections of the american people. it was rushed through and defied the experts who warned it would result in higher cost fewer choices and broken promises for the middle class and tragically that is what we have seen. millions of americans lost health care plans they were promised they could keep ration premiums skyped deductibles sky rocketed and tax burdens were costly. and family doctors and trusted hospitals for too many fell out of network. listen to letters like karen from lewisville to know that americans deserve better than what obamacare has given them. karen was paying $325 a month for her health insurance and now she said her premium spiked to almost $550 a month with a deductible well in access of $6,000. i cannot afford this karen wrote, but i do not