senator blunt: madam president, a moment ago when i saw senator shelby and senator leahy shake hands warmly in the middle of the aisle, i thought of it as a century of service in the congress. it is a century of learning lessons that fortunately they have both been able to share with us. i mentioned in my farewell remarks the other day senator shelby and senator leahy and how, working with both of them on the appropriations committee and the rules committee, i had learned so much from them. but i was reminded today -- i have heard a number of the speeches in the time i have been in the senate, and i don't think anybody ever has reminded us quite so well of the oath we take. the we take to the constitution, oh the oath we take to do this job as well as we can, and the promise we make, frankly, to find a solution. and it is a lot easier in washington these days, and in the senate, these days, to find a fight, then it is to -- than it is to find a solution. we have kind of fallen into a place where so many people now run for office talking about what they will never do. frankly, when yo

we had here in the senate, the line of the senate, denny -- democrat, senator ted kennedy.ht here. he was involved in a lot of stuff. a lot of it i voted against. some of it i didn't, though. he would reach out. one thing about senator kennedy. if you'd told you something he kept his word. that is so important, not just in the senate, but everywhere. i remember my good friend bob carey, congressional medal of honor winner, former governor of nebraska, senator. we served together on the intel committee and appropriations committee. on the banking committee, his stalwart here, paul servings of maryland. we had our differences, philosophically, but i was ranking, then i was chairman, then he was ranking, and i was chairman of the banking committee. we made things work, because we worked together toward that end. senator harry reid, former majority leader -- right here. old friend of ours from our house days. personal friend. people knew that. he said, why are you speaking today? i said, well, we are talking about everything. maybe personal, maybe not. but then we had senator c

senator tillis, senator portman, senator sinema, who worked extremely hard to persuade our colleagues on both sides of the aisle that we could advance both religious liberty and the rights of the lgbtq community. and we did. >> senator baldwin, with that religious liberty component, that seems to be the most difficult part of these negotiations. can you talk about the friction and if this final product provides enough protections for lgbtq families? and marriages. sen. baldwin: the original version of the respect for marriage act, essentially would have left the status quo unchanged with regard to religious liberties, but as you know my colleagues on both sides of the aisle but certainly on the republican side hear from constituents and opponents to marriage equality who suggest otherwise. i think what is really important where we could clarify in the bill -- they had something to point to when their constituents suggested there would be some curtailment of religious liberties. that that is what we needed in order to build the larger coalition that ultimately got us 12 republican vote

prior to the scheduled vote -- senator collins, senator reed, senator cardin, and senator coons. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. collins: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, i rise to pay tribute to a fellow new englander and a truly extraordinary senator, our friend patrick leahy. in his memoir, senator leahy said that one word came to him time and again as he prepared to announce his retirement. that word is conscience. the senate at its best, he wrote, has been the nation's conscience, a place where members keep their word and work together for the good of our country. we heard him expound upon that today when he talked about the currency of the senate being trust. he went on to say it has been a place where the minority have not just had a seat at the table but a voice as well. it has been a place where leaders join together across party lines to protect and strengthen our precious democracy. for 48 years, mr. president, patrick leahy has been such a leader. as we celebrate the fact that he's the longest-serving current senator and the longest-serving in ve

senator stabenow: thank you. senator smith. senator smith: thank you, madam chair. thank you very much to both you and ranking member boozman for holding this hearing today and thank you for being here, mr. chair. so the collapse of f.t.x. has been shocking but i think it would be hard to say it's surprising. there is still a lot that we need to learn about what's happened, but it looks like this crypto exchange and its related trading firm alameda research completely failed to safeguard the money that people entrusted them with. we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that billions of dollars essentially evaporated overnight and that was real money, including the retirements and savings of americans who had no idea that their savings were at such risk. the fact is that these crypto assets are highly volatile and risky and that risk is made worse by a lack of basic consumer protections. and this is why i joined senator durbin and senator warren to call on investment firms like fidelity to keep crypto out of retirement plans. look, people can invest or bet or gamble or r

you might not think the senior senator from michigan, a democrat, and the junior senator from ohio, a republican, would be friends. after all, our states share a long and passionate rivalry particularly on the football field. this rivalry is especially intense on game day. like recently when the michigan wolverines defeated ohio state buckeyes 45 to 23, i am just saying. i particularly wanted to say this out loud to make sure senator brown heard it also. of course my friend rob portman may have been cheering and he may never really say this but i often wonder if behind-the-scenes you are cheering both sides and that because he never advertised, up to this point but let me say today that he is a graduate of the university of michigan law school and now she is retiring maybe you can say it out loud. we are glad to have you there. senator portman has been a wonderful partner on issues important to both our states, great lakes and trade. we served as co-chairs of the senate task force since 2017 and we've gone to bat together on behalf of our beloved lakes time and time again. we've intro

senators -- senator collins and senator manchin, and the group who worked painstakingly for months to come to an agreement on this bill and on this committee that includes senator warner, who is with us today, as well as a sense of history in his state, and we thank them for their work on the bipartisan group that drafted the bill before us. i also appreciate their support as well as senator manchin and senator collins support for the manager's amendment. finally i want to recognize our good friend senator king for his early, early leadership on this issue. he was ahead of his time as always, and drafted legislation that he and i and senator durbin introduced in february and a number of the provisions in that draft bill have stood the test of time and are included in both the senate and house versions of this effort. we are here today after months of bipartisan effort, as i noted, to find common ground on reforms to the outdated and antiquated electoral count act. i appreciate the work of my colleagues and the appropriate help from experts including an -- a productively -- i know that

senate. -- right here in the united states senate. as rob explained in his maiden speech, he spent his own formative years in and around a different family business. bill risked everything in early middle age to strike out and start an equipment business. joan kept the books. and the way i've heard it, young rob's own involvement was about as hands-on as it gets. there wasn't just no nepotism, mr. president, there was negative nepotism. one summer break, rob was put to break grinding old paint off the trucks. even his supervisor called it, quote, the lowest job in the place. this team -- this whole team effort grew portman equipment from five jobs created to more than 300. rob saw firsthand how growing prosperity, if it's done right, can create big win-wins for both small businesses and well-paid workers. so there were two family businesses in rob's blood line. a crossroads where statesmen hashed out decisions and a company that created jobs and helped workers support their families. and our

, senator baldwin is a leader and senator tellis and portman and center sinema, who really worked extremely hard to persuade our colleagues from both sides of the aisle, that we could advance both religious liberty and the rights of the lgbtq community and we did. >> senator baldwin, was that religious liberty component and negotiation the similarly the most difficult part of these negotiations and so can you talk about the friction there and you know is is the final product providing enough protections for lbd dq families and marriages. >> yes, so original version of the respect for the marriage act, essentially whatever lots of steps will regard to religious liberties but as you know, my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and certainly on the republican side, here from the constituents and opponents to the marriage equality who suggest otherwise and i thank you so really important when we could clarify it will until they have something to point to win their constituents and suggested that there would be some curtailment of religious liberties this will be needed in order to build a lar

klobuchar: let's start with senator warner and will go to senator cruz and senator capito. sen. warner: i want to acknowledge what y'all have indicated, that some of this seems pretty simple, but i can tell you in the bipartisan group, and it was a broad bipartisan group, it was 20 plus senators who met literally for weeks on end, and as senator mcconnell said, there is enormous complexity in this. we did spend a lot of time trying to get it right. i really appreciate you and ranking member blunt not inking that you had to reinvent the wheel the way some committees would. i think that approach, i'm grateful to both of you. i would echo what senator blunt said, i think the hearing you had was really helpful. there were a lot of witnesses that had technical changes that were extraordinarily important. so i think we have come to a very good product. the only compromise is not getting all you want. i want to point out two things for my colleagues that i hope we can revisit at some point. one is, some will clearly fall within the jurisdiction of this committee. i've not pitched senat

senate. it's where friendships are made and where we work together to get results for the people who sent us here. if i have any regrets about the operation of the senate in recent years, it's how much leadership ignored the work of the committees, and in many cases ignored the expertise of our staff. the senate needs more committee consideration of bills, and serious issues, less consolidation of decision-making in the hands of a few. mr. president, thomas jefferson once said, i like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past. so let me look forward in my remaining time, rather than just reminisce the past. i've never been more optimistic about america's future. during the next two decades we'll see technology and innovation at a speed none of us can envision today. technology platforms will emerge that change the global economy and at a pace that will be hard for this institution to keep up with. breakthroughs will transhormuz -- transform health care, agriculture and manu

senator bob stafford, senator jim jeffords, senator bernie sanders, representative peter smith, and of course, representative, and now senator-elect, peter welch. i couldn't be more grateful that congressman and senator-elect peter welch will be carrying on after me in his own agenda. i might mention, you're going to like and respect the new fellow senator. i think people will on both sides of the aisle. our collective efforts are why, in so many ways, vermont continues to set an example for the thatition to follow -- for the nation to follow. but marcelle and i leave with the same conviction that brought us to washington in the first place, that the brighter horizons of tomorrow hold the hope of the future. i am still carrying that same sense of reverence about the place i felt as a law student, i've had it and still have, so many pinch-me moments. one of the last ones will be etching my name inside my desk. and i'll forever carry with me the enduring bond of my fellow vermonters, their common sense and goodness when i tried to represent as their representative. what a place this is.

things to the senate. what disturbs me, though, the senate was, although imperfect, we could be concerned the conscience of the nation, obviously, that congress was violated there. segregation, all that. but senators of both parties would try to work out what's best for the nation was not best for that evening's headlines or in today's what's next on social media and i've seen that fall apart and that's why i said if i was leaving, i was going to write a book about what i hope was a good and the bad of the senate. so would you, senator, was it who told you that? did anyone ever tell you you were too young to be a u.s. senator? i don't think i. i don't identify. and there was jimmy. oh. was the dean of the senate. president pro temporary? i thought, my god, i'll never be around here long enough to be the dean of this in president pro tempore. so sorry about that. gerald. here's what you write in the in the epilog of your book. you say the senate is a broken place or institutions are not. what mike mansfield

the remarks of senator sullivan and senator murkowski. the presiding officer: without objection. the senator from alaska. ms. murkowski: mr. president, it is nice to be here on the floor on a monday evening and to hear final passage by unanimous consent of a bill to recognize and honor the life of our former congressman don young. don passed in march unexpectedly after 49 years in service and it's always hard to figure out appropriate ways to recognize the life of a true public servant as congressman young truly was. and so the alaska delegation, senator sullivan and myself at the time, really reached out to try to find those ways that might be appropriate means of recognition. and we can name buildings as we are doing in this legislation, renaming a federal courthouse in fairbanks after congressman young. we can rename institutions as we are doing in this bill and in recognizing the alaska job core center now as the don young alaska job corps center. and you can also do it through naming of monuments and we have certainly a fair number o

then senator regal. senator dimatto. senator graham, phil graham. senator sarbanes. senator sarbanes, we worked together like youtwo. we had our differences. we were good friends. we traveled together. we ate together. we did some good things together. we thought, you know, for the american people. i remember sitting here with so many smart, good people. both sides of the aisle. both sides. but i want to say, we've had since i've been on the committee smart staffers, good staffers, they flocked to be on the committee from everywhere. on both sides. working together. i want to thank all of them for what they've done over the years. a lot of them are gone, as you know, doing bigger, greater things. i served on the chair for other committees. this is an interesting committee. thank you for your kind remarks. i will miss you but carry on. thank you very much. senator brown: thank you. senator toomey? senator toomey: thank you very much. today's hearing is about the cfpb. it wouldn't be a surprise if mre last time he'll appear before me. last time he appeared before the c

senator schumer: we have great senators. we have a large number who are up, in democratic -- in trump's republican-leaning states. look, they're great candidates. we're going to do everything we can to help them. reporter: you talked about -- you talked about vice president harris having a little more time on her hand -- senator schumer: she has plenty to do, believe me. reporter: does this mean now your phone will be constantly calling joe manchin and back and forth and krysten sinema, that changes the power dynamic? senator schumer: they are great members of our caucus. they don't always agree with us on certain issues but they are tremendous contributors to our caucus. and we'll take to work with them. reporter: now that you do have subpoena power, more control over committees, do you anticipate taking the mantle of any of the investigations happening in the house now that house democrats are -- senator schumer: not speculating about the next congress. we have to sit down. we have to talk to our members. we have to figure

each senator is different.s they bring different things to the senate. what disturbs me, though, the conscious of the nation. it was violated during segregation and all of that. but senators of both parties have tried to work out what is best for the nation not being best for that evening's headlines. what is next on social media. i sawap that fall apart. that is why decided, i was going to write a book. the goodte and bad of the senat. >> which senator was it that told you, has anyone ever told you you are too young to be a u.s. senator. >> i don't think -- jim eastland who was the dean of the senate. president pro temporary. i thought, my god, i will never be around here long enough to be 50. [laughter]ld sorry about that, jim. >> here is what you write in the epilogue of your book. you say, the senate is a broken place. jerry ford and ted kennedy and john and barry goldwater knew them to be. some of that change is good. a lot of it is tragic and all of it simply is what it is. you can point fingers or you can point forward to better. what is a change

in a sense i don't know i would be here in the united states senate if not for senator blunt. i think he was the first person to urge me to consider running and it has been a true privilege to serve alongside him. he and abby have been so kind to me and iran a personal basis and were with us on the campaign, through all of the ups and downs. roy was there and with us in the final days on the bus with charlie between my boys and charlie they were the life of the party that from that moment forward roy and abby were such goods. friends and mentors he gave me advice of what it's like to raise a family and politics give me advice a large and made time to go through this four years ago and has been there over time and needed to understand something and it's a privilege to work together veterans in the home state to lead a resolution honoring schmidt who was one of the marines who lost just over one year ago. and then discontinuing efforts working together to get the nation's laws change to make sure the tragedy restart table rock lake involving and the recreational vehicles and wha

senator of vermont. he was president pro tempore of the senate, making him third in line for succession. he chaired several committees including agriculture, judiciary and most recently, appropriations. he gave a farewell speech on the senate floor with just a few days left before his retirement. sen. leahy: there are some things we experience in life that we can never prepare for, no matter how hard we try. embarking on a life with the person you love is one. having, raising and loving a child is another. and then there is this one today. i have been here 48 years. perhaps to the dismay of hundreds of distinguished presiding officers, i have delivered many floor statements. some more eloquent than others. some less. but i have never delivered a speech like this. and i so appreciate all of you indulging me. my friends and colleagues, marcelle and i have such warm and lasting memories of so many who have served in this chamber, now and through many years. including mentors from the first day i arrived her

senator durbin, senator leahy, senator schumer, and then senator, now president, joe biden. this is not an accident. this was a deliberate policy choice for the reasons i have stated. the equal act, though, would not just reduce sentences for those dealing drugs now. it would also retroactively allow crack cocaine traffickers in federal prison to seek early release. nevertheless, i've heard, as we heard today, for years, about the so-called disparity, as if it were an accident or unintentional, a loophole in the law, rather than people like senator schumer and senator leahy and then-senator biden and the congressional black caucus seeking it as a deliberate policy choice. oftentimes it is attributed to racism. again, the disparity is in if the law because of the facts i've cited. however, i'm willing to try to meet the other side halfway. i have a different plan to eliminate -- i have a different plan to eliminate the disparity. rather than reduce the sentences, i propose that we increase sentences for powder cocaine trafficking to eliminate this disparity. especially with c

senate. may each of us seek to serve the common good of all, both in our great nation and in the world at large. and send some snow upon the ski slopes of vermont soon. we ask this in your holy name. amen. the president pro tempore: please join me in the pledge of allegiance. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the president pro tempore: under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. morning business is closed. under the previous order, the senate will proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the following nomination which the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, the judiciary, frances kay behm of michigan to be united states district judge for the eastern district of michigan. the president pro tempore: the senator from michigan. mr. peters: i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: -- the president pro temp

both hbcu grad, whittemore as and a recent senate staffer we stolen from senator warnock. you can have him back, sorry. social candidates from community colleges picked natalie because this is near and dear to our heart but also a great source of talent of people who have gone and pursued associate degrees and who can find positions where they can serve anywhere in the administration. .. >> because if we do the things we've been trying to do from the beginning, disrupt assumptions about what makes someone qualified for a job, sourcing candidates from new pools of talent. many of them are coming into the administration never having worked in that agency before and most of these agencies like the hill are funny places. the systems are weird and hierarchies are different and politics, if we don't support from day one and invest in their growth we're not going to be successful and they're going to leave and subsequently bad for the american people. we're thinking of management, feedback, making sure that managers are managing and that's our source for the next couple of years.

>> senator baldwin and i went to see senator schumer i believe it was mid-september, around september 15. we had been counting votes and it was looking good. but what we were hearing from those on my side of the aisle was nthe fear that senator schumer would try to use this vote for political purposes in the upcoming midterm election. so we went to see senator schumer and we asked him to delay the vote until after the election and i know this was very hard for senator baldwin. for tammy. but it was the right thing to do. much to my surprise he readily agreed. and he told us he had a very personal stake in this legislation and he been very open about that. he has a daughter who is married to another woman and they're expecting their first child. of very joyous occasion. so for him it was very personal rather than political. so he agreed to our request. i will concede that until i knew the personal part of this, i was dubious and shared a lot of the concerns of my republican colleagues that this could be used for political reasons and it shouldn't be. and fortunately chuck schumer recog

tester: i echo senator padilla, senator cornyn, and senator murkowski from alaska for working on this important issue. this is a place oftentimes where common sense tends to take a leave of absence. this is a great example of a commonsense bill, where folks came together from both sides of the aisle, to address challenges facing our local governments. earlier this month, senator murkowski and i introduced the local assistance fairness act. this fixes an error in the american rescue plan that prevented consolidated local governments from accessing this critical funding. back in montana, this impacted two of our counties and municipalities, both counties can use this help. this legislation will help them continue to keep folks safe, improve infrastructure, and lay the groundwork for bringing good-paying jobs to the region. i appreciate my friends from texas, california, senator murkowski, to be able to include this bill in the cornyn-padilla bill. we thank you very much for that, and i look forward to getting this to the president's desk for his signature. i yield. the presiding officer

senator moran and senator wicker have joined senator graham as cosponsors. we have so -- we are so grateful to the veterans who have pressed for this. as my colleague from south carolina has just said, we will not stop fighting for the men and women who served alongside us, who supported our mission, who were a part of our evacuation and who are now here. i cannot imagine a worse moral outcome than to force them back to afghanistan. and this piece of legislation has crafted a solution that allows for in-person vetting for every single afghan in and this country in exchange for which they would have a path for legal status. after the vietnam war, thousands of those who served in the military in south vietnam came to the united states also as refugees and they were given legal status. that is what we're seeking to do here, those here temporarily on humanitarian parole face uncertainty and difficulty. we should resolve this, the opposition of a very small number of senators has blocked this from moving forward. we want to focus on getting this done. to those ve

senator shaheen: thank you. senator menendez: senator portman. senator portman: thank you for stepping up. you talked about the untold suffering that's occurring in ukraine and i appreciate your views on that. how do you feel about sanctions, sanctions on russia based on the february 24 invasion and ongoing war on ukraine? since then we had data yesterday about a 7.1% decrease of the g.d.p. in russia in the fourth quarter. about 4% last year. in ukraine it's about 40%, 50%. i believe our sanctions are not having the impact that we had intended. can you talk about the sanctions on russia? and what we should do, perhaps, to make them more effective if you believe that's the right course? ms. tracy: senator, i absolutely agree that the right course is to stay the course on sanctions, to continue tightening the sanctions. one area that i know you are very familiar with and that we've talked about is reducing russia's energy revenues. one mechanism that is projected to come into place is the oil price cap. i think that is already showing some signs. i

senate. joining us, michael chanel is with us. thank you for giving us your time this weekend. >> thank you so much for having me. >> it doesn't deter the power, but what is the senate watching for today? >> the implications of today's senate race is really important with how you can legislate the senate. of course, if raphael warnock does wind today, that will give me 51 to 49 seat majority. that is significant implications. that will no longer be split evenly between democrats and republicans, but if warnock wins, he will have a majority on the committee, which will mean the senate no longer has to use that power for the agreement. and schumer and mcconnell had agreed to it last year. that will be significant, because it can really speed up the committee process when it comes to president biden's nominees. especially the judicial nominees on that judiciary committee. it would then be the majority that democrats would be able to -- them winning an extra seat with a majority could mean that t

it passed the senate. i'm disappointed house members blocked it and urge colleagues to get it done in the next congress. our investigations this year reveal china's malign influence to undermine the us federal reserve. we must do more to safeguard our homeland from foreign adversaries especially china. i appreciate senator heinrich for the artificial intelligence caucus to ensure thoughtful bipartisan policymaking on ai. bills to ensure safe and coordinate use of artificial intelligence have become law. since 2015 when my improvement act was signed into law in title 40 one of the fast act i worked to update our relating infrastructure and create good jobs while expanding and streamlining permitting process. thanks to senator sinema and senator sullivan for their passion on this issue and their leadership passing the jobs act to make these key provisions and the permitting council permanent which speeds up the permitting process for the largest infrastructure projects resulting on average 45% time tables an

senator? >> guest: well, i don't think i identify, but it was jimmy, the dean of the senate, the president pro tempore. i thought, my god, i'll never be here rounding up to be president pro tempore, so sorry about that. >> host: here's what you write in the epilogue of your book. you say, the b senate is a brokn place. our institutions are not what mikeke mansfield and hugh scott and jerry ford and hubert humphrey and ted kennedy and john stennis and barry goldwater knew them to be. some of that change is good, a lot of it is tragic, and all of it is simply is what it is. you can point fingers or you can point the the way for to something better. some of the change is good. what is the change that you've seen in the senate did you think is good? >> guest: i think there's more transparency in the senate, which i think is good. i remember the debate over having television in the senate, and televising hearings and all that. but today of course with the ability to do that, it's much easier to get

of the senate.a announced that she decided to leave the democratic party. the democrats would still control the senate floor with vice president kamala harris casting tie breaking votes when necessary. but sending the senate back to its current 50/50 status would mean equal numbers of democrats and republicans on committees where the tie votes create extra procedural difficulties for the democratic chairs of those committees. and for majority leader chuck schumer, senator sinema's choice to announce -- not to an audience of voters of arizona, the way that jim jeffords announced his dramatic party change in 2001 to his voters and vermont. instead, she chose a friendly washington television interviewer to announce that she was changing her voter registration in arizona from democrat to independent, in an announcement that has no real meaning in the united states senate. the only question to ask a senator in that situation is a very simple one, and no other question matters. that question is, who are y

i think we should start a post-senate support group. come january, this place loses a great intellect, and a great friend, ben sasse. i think, ben, you should hold the meetings at the university of florida, if it's okay. okay, done. so to my colleagues, i've worked with every one of you in one way or another. thank you for that privilege, and god speed as you continue to serve your constituents and continue to carry that torch of freedom forward. thank you.

the way it works a in the senate now is anybody who's a senator can threaten filibuster. they notify the senate majority leader or committee chair and then the basically starts the process where the caucuses have to figure out if they're 60 or not 60 to proceed. the argument for the filibuster is it promotes more bipartisan consensus on bills. you have to have a least ten people in the current senate to agree to move forward with the bill. the argue against it is that prevents majority rule and one ofen the arguments even from the founding that is the nature of congress and his maturity body, it's not a super majority body. feeling super majority exceptions to the constitution for congress are two-thirds votes foror like impeachment, passing constitutional amendments. so those are the primary two arguments. >> now, you say that when somebody's going to conduct a filibuster they need to articulate that ahead of time. has ever been a surprise filibuster? >> well, i think occasionally people have gonee rogue. back in the pre-1970s era, huey long, the senator from louisiana w

senate.e in the majority only because the vice president of the united states, kamala harris, can come and break ties on issues that only take a simple majority to move forward. it will make a critical difference to have a majority of 51 democrats and 49 republicans. that all is at stake in georgia. not to mention that senator warnock has been an outstanding senator for the people of georgia. i have had the honor of working with him on so many issues, including lowering the cost of insulin for seniors and trying to close the medicaid gap that stands -- we need him for these fights, georgia needs him. i am hardened by the number of folks who have shown up in the early voting, really proud that they have fought so hard for weekend voting. not this past weekend, but the one before. all of that is making a difference and these numbers are really encouraging to me. i do think that this is -- i think we are going to pull it off. i can't wait to celebrate a victory for senator warnock. >> at this pi

and senators baldwin and senator collins, thank you so much for your time today and are you both 40 the signing ceremony tomorrow the white house. >> you bet. >> you bet, sure. >> that's right well thank you so much for your time and i really appreciate it and enjoy the conversation aays and thanks again. >> the u.s. senate returns tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. eastern, senators will continue work on more president bidens judicial nomination, with both spiking throughout the day at on the floor, negotiations continue on funding to keep the federal government operating past barney's midnight deadline wi-fi coverage of the senate, here on "c-span2". >> tonight senators chris coons and tom young both of an foreign relations committee will be on a panel discussing it was competition with china and with that ships act and the security farmhouse, watch at 930 eastern on "c-span2", online at cspan.org, or with her free mobile video out, cspan now. earlier today, iowa republican senator chuck grassley pay tribute on the senate floor to retiring vermont democratic senator, patrick of the heat, he's per

as senator cardin and graham as senator cassidy and senator blackburn and brown and wicker others have been part of my work life for a long long time together we face big challengest after 911 new terrorist threat and i was in the middle of that discussion the continuity of government and sudden realization that a government could dramatically change we had not thought about club might have benefited change and give her my fellow missourian and democratic leader in the time and i came up with this structure purpose 911 compensation forio the victims worked and unfortunately, it is worked hollowing out with number of tragedies but it was something that i was able to be there as he put it together and atim the time, the senator president bush said we would bring our enemies to justice bring justice to our enemies and four presidents have now followed that standard. and for me the legislative highlights would of course include what happens in nih where i been able to be part of increasing by 50 percent over eight years with senator murray and others in the commitment we made to healthcare

after that heroic day, senator blunt and i worked with senator portman and senator peters to hold hearings and issue a bipartisan report with recommendations that could be implemented without delay. this is our sixth hearing that capitol security. significant progress has been made to implement our recommendations. the majority have been put into effect entirely. through these efforts, the department has improved its handling of intelligence by hiring a new intelligence director and sharing information with rank-and-file officers, prioritize operational planning and used the resources in last year's legislation to ensure officers have the training and equipment that they need. we will never forget the stories of the riot gear left in the buses. we will never forget the stories of what a high percentage of our officers were not equipped with riot gear and the people attacking them headgear -- had geer that they did not have found themselves. i appreciate your work, chief, to take this on, to restore morale and confidence in your ranks. i still remember when i knew the morale was improving.

, senator pat leahy. as many of you know, the senator from vermont also happens to be a talented photography. his photos have been published in the new york times, usa today, and elsewhere. senator leahy has also appeared in front of the camera in batman movies. but this shutterbug was bitten by the political bug and made his mark in vermont politics. at age 34 he became the youngest and very first democrat elected to the united states senate from the green mountain state. and today he's vermont's longest serving senator, having put his name on the ballot two dozen times during his political career. a year ago in november, my friend and colleague announced that he would not seek reelection to a 9th term. at vermont's state house he happened to be there to announce his very first senate campaign. it was at the vermont state house that he did that. and pat at that time recalled the words of edmund burke, who served in the house of commons during america's revolutionary war. the words that burke imparted to

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 and abby were such good friends and mentors to us. roy gave me advice about what it is like to raise a family in politics, something i was just starting out to do. he gave me advice on things large and small in the senate, helping me understand how the floor worked, helping me to choose my first committee assignments. he made time to sit down and talk with me through that about this time. gosh, four years ago now. he has been there every time i've had a question,

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senator. everyone knew he was not, including, thankfully, enough georgia voters, which is windy and, what did it do? it blew up in their faces. and it's not like they weren't warned. that's kind of thing has been happening to republicans for years. it's the maga error in a nutshell. donald trump floats a transparently bad idea, no one has the courage to stand up and tell me it's a bad idea, they'll disco along with it and pretend it's fine. not just pretend it's fine, or if you speak out against it, they go out in public, and they push for it. they say, oh yeah, this is a great idea. great idea. and then, the idea that's bad, that everyone knows is bad, blows up. and sometimes, and the worst cases, and causes huge damage. sometimes, misery for real human beings. pain. and cost to the country. sometimes, as in this case, it just politically backfires on the republican party. and then, what happens is all republicans get mad at trump. oh, that donald trump! he tricked us! sometimes a few hours l