mrs. feinstein: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senior senator from california. mrs. feinstein: thank you very much. i ask unanimous consent that two fellows in senator rockefeller's office, dale orps and janet phillips be given floor privileges during consideration. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mrs. feinstein: thank you mr. president. i have served in this body for many years and i have never been more dismayed, more frustrated than i have been these past few days. and every day it gets a little bit worse because day by day our country grows closer to defaulting on our sovereign debt, something that has never ever happened in the history of this country. and the repercussions of this protracted and public debate on whether our government will honor its financial obligations are already evident. so this is what we know for sure. the stock market has seen several days of decline as investors sell off securities. the united states is at high risk of a credit downgrade. gold prices are climbing as people try to protect themselves from a ratings do

mrs. feinstein. mr. franken. mrs. gillibrand. >> no. >> mr. graham. >> all right. so what they're doing is a roll call vote on this harry reid proposal to move forward. they need 60 votes in order to break a filibuster. they're not going to get the 60 votes, we're told so, the debate will continue. but they want to keep this harry reid legislation as a framework throughout there in order to -- if, in fact, there's a bigger agreement between the white house, the republicans and the democrats in the house and the senate, they will at least have this electricityive framework to move the process forward and the clock is clearly ticking before this deadline on tuesday. joe johns i think is up on capitol hill. is he standing by live right now? let's bring in joe johns. joe, walk us through this little theet they're's under way right now. i say theater respectfully. it's very significant because they will need a legislative framework to get whatever ultimate deal they negotiate through the senate then the house. >> absolutely, wolf. and the bottom line here is the reid pr

mr. chairman, i want to welcome all the good colleagues here. i appreciate all three of them, and i also will put my statement in the record. >> thank you, senator feinstein. you're the sponsor of this bill. would you like to say something? >> thank you very much. very briefly, mr. chairman. let me thank you for your leadership because you made this a historic day in holding the first hearing ever on this subject, so it is very special, and very historic. doma was wrong in 1996, and it is wrong today. 27 of my colleagues and myself have introduced the respect for marriage act. our bill is simple. it strigs doma from federal law. i'd like to make a few quick points. family law has been the preserve the state law. it therefore varies from state to state. marriage is the preserve of state law. divorce is the preserve of state law. adoption is the preserve of state law. inherents rights are the preserve the state law. the single exception is doma. chief justice wrote that family law "has been left to the states from time in memorial and not without good reason." he was right. my second point is that same sex couples live their lives like all married couples s

feinstein. it reads, "dear mrs.vin, it is a pleasure for me to join your friends, family, and colleagues in recognizing you for all the work you have done in the fight for civil rights. thank you for dedicating your life to the cause of equality. you have given so much to this country. when you refuse to give up your bus seat on march 2, 1955, it ignited a spark within montgomery, alabama, that helped begin the process of change. the landmark united states supreme court case that eventually ended segregation on all buses within this country could not have been achieved without your valiant efforts that began with your testimony against the montgomery public transportation system. i commend you for your passion, courage, and dedication. very few people could have demonstrated the level of conviction you showed at the young age of 15. young people today view you as a role model and as an important figure in the history of the civil rights movement. as united states senator representing the people of california, i comm

mr. seroy, who is andrew feinstein?> andrew feinstein is most likely the world's leading expert on the global arms race, the kind of black market in arms around the world. he was an south african by birth, a politician who now lives in exile in london. and he is the go to person for every media organization and every ngo on the global arms race. >> y. in exile? >> well, it's a long story but it has to do with the corruption of the government and his attempt to stand up against it a few years ago. >> in south africa. >> correct spent and i want to ask you about a nobel economics prize winner, author that you have,. >> that is daniel. we like to say is the most influential author you never heard a. he won a nobel prize in economics for his psychological thinking. his area is decision-making, and he's been very influential are not complied well and all sorts of people who are in, who work in the area of business and how we make decisions we do. and this is his first time in print with a book for the general reader. super w

mr. nichols? >> chairman feinstein, so- >> could you turn on your mike? great. >> chairman feinstein, co-chairman grassley, senator whitehouse and senator udall, thank you for your opportunity to discuss u.s. governmt counter narcotics programs in afghanistan. the department of state's bureau of international narcotics and law enforcement affairs or inl which i help to lead administers a va vie ri of counter narcotics rule of laws corrections and police training programs in afghanistan in support of u.s. policy objectives and at the direct request of the government of afghanistan. our efforts there are part of the larger interagency and international fight to stem the narcotics trade that helps fund the insurgency, fuels corruption and drivesrippling addiction amonafghan families. in concert with our afghan and international partners we have made major strides in reducing pop sy cultivation, cutting opium yields an increasing the ofessionalization of the afghan police, prosecutors and judges that go after the traffickers. since 2007, afghan poppy cultivat

mr. nichols? >> chairman feinstein, so- >> could you turn on your mike? great. >> chairman feinstein, co-chairman grassley, senator whitehouse and senator udall, thank you for your opportunity to discuss u.s. government counter narcotics programs in afghanistan. the department of state's bureau of international narcotics and law enforcement affairs or inl which i help to lead administers a va vie ri of counter narcotics rule of laws corrections and police training programs in afghanistan in support of u.s. policy objectives and at the direct request of the government of afghanistan. our efforts there are part of the larger interagency and international fight to stem the narcotics trade that helps fund the insurgency, fuels corruption and drives crippling addiction among afghan families. in concert with our afghan and international partners we have made major strides in reducing pop sy cultivation, cutting opium yields an increasing the professionalization of the afghan police, prosecutors and judges that go after the traffickers. since 2007, afghan poppy

mr. solomonese, please proceed. please limit your opening remarks to five minutes. your full statements will be placed in the record in their entirety. as senator feinstein just recognized, there is a new vote which may require us to do a little juggling to manage. mississippi solmonese, please proceed. -- mr. solmonese, please proceed. >> thank you, mr. senator. on more than one million members and supporters nationwide, i want to thank you for the opportunity to offer testimony in today's historic hearing. i also want to thank senator feinstein for her leadership on this legislation and on behalf of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people in california and all across the country. every week i have the opportunity to travel this country and to speak with members of my community with their families, with their friends, with their religious leaders and with their employers about the distinct difficulties that they face in the form of discrimination. now, i have the privilege of bringing their stories and their concerns before this committee. gay and lesbian couples work hard. they work hard to provide for their families, they work hard to provide

mr. deco sta and a few others. the design intent is not being met. supervisor cohen, i am glad you're asking some many good questions. we have senator feinstein senator boxer and th

whitehouse boxer casey sanders lautenberg brown of ohio, reed of rhode island, feinstein merkley cardin, levin, schumer. mr. reid: mr. president i now move to proceed to calendar number 91, h.r. 2055. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the motion to proceed. the clerk: motion to proceed to calendar number 91, h.r. 2055 an act making appropriations for military construction, the department of veterans affairs and so forth and for other purposes. mr. reid: i have a cloture motion at the desk, mr. president. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the cloture motion. the clerk: cloture motion. we, the under undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate, hereby move to bring to a close the debate on the motion to proceed to calendar number 91, h.r. 2055 an act making appropriations for military construction the department of veterans affairs and related agencies for the fiscal year ending september 30, 2012, and for other purposes. signed by 18 senators as follows. mr. reid: mr. president, i would ask unanimous consent that the reading of

mr. deco sta and a few others. the design intent is not being met. supervisor cohen, i am glad you're asking some many good questions. we have senator feinstein senator boxer and others. they have worked so hard to get the system going. i want to implore the officials -- muni officials. look at light rail as an organic entity. also, all of them, they are modern designers. these urban systems are treated almost as living entities. we are just barely able to makee discomfort and dissatisfaction. in these to go beyond. -- they are showing the discomfort and dissatisfaction. it needs to go beyond. say, wow, that is now my job is there. that is out. that is the benchmark. [chime] thank you. these are $2 i did not pay for on the fair coming here. i will make a donation to the treasurer's office. thank you. supervisor cohen: thank you. well, to wrap up all the public comment and testimony, thank you to mta. thank you for answering questions. although we did not have any members of the public that actually were lined out the door, believe me when i tell you -- and i have the data to prove this -- i hear from residents all the time complaining about t

mr. chairman, welcome. >> thank you, chairman feinstein. thank you, vice chairman chambliss, senator coats, good to see you in senator wyden, senator udall come senator warner. i'm delighted to be to introduce matt olsen. his parents are from north dakota, people live in a very long time. matt's roots are deep in north dakota. he returns every chance he gets with his family, his wife and his children, elderly come and meet and will come his sister, susan, is with us as well. as i said, i've known this family for a very long time coming and they are the best that it gets. his father was the chief of staff to the man the white defeated for the united states senate. and so i know how good he really is. van passed away three years ago, but i know he's looking down with a twinkle in his eye today proud of matte and all that he has accomplished. you know, after defeating the boss for the united states senate, i came here with some trepidation of what my relationship might be like with a van and his wife, the treated me with the greatest courtesy

mr. chairman, welcome. >> thank you, chairman feinstein. thank you, vice chairman chambliss, senator coats, good to see you in senator wyden, senator udall come senator warner. i'm delighted to be to introduce matt olsen. his parents are from north dakota, people live in a very long time. matt's roots are deep in north dakota. he returns every chance he gets with his family, his wife and his children, elderly come and meet and will come his sister, susan, is with us as well. as i said, i've known this family for a very long time coming and they are the best that it gets. his father was the chief of staff to the man the white defeated for the united states senate. and so i know how good he really is. van passed away three years ago, but i know he's looking down with a twinkle in his eye today proud of matte and all that he has accomplished. you know, after defeating the boss for the united states senate, i came here with some trepidation of what my relationship might be like with a van and his wife, the treated me with the greatest courtesy

mr. olson indicated that a decision had not yet been reached on the transfer of the detainees. >> i do understand his frustration. i did not mislead. >> and senator feinsteint committee, shep, wants the confirmation process through by august 2nd. the full-timing is not guaranteed. members are getting an opportunity to submit more questions for olson, shep. >> shepard: before we go, catherine, gitmo came up today. >> it did. critics of gift mow, including the white house, say the detention camps are recruiting terrorists. the president's own nominee said there was no evidence to support that claim. >> i have not seen from, again, my perspective both on the task force and much more limited perspective in my current role the national security agency anything in specification response to your question to that effect there is a change in recruiting based on the current government policy. >> and for context, olson was the executive director of the team that was tasked by the white house to close guantanamo. as you know, that never happened, shep. >> shepard: catherine herridge our terror pixie live in washington tonight. >> thank you. see you later. >> shepard: