we did that here in the senate. they're willing to dodge it when we pass the transportation bill, which is so important to this country. but now their excuse for stalling a tax cut for 98% of the american people is an old procedural trick that the american public does not understand and rightfully so. if republicans in the house fail to act on this bill, taxes will rise by $2,200 for the typical middle-class family of four. that's $2,200 less to spend on gas, groceries, rent and life in general for these people. this tax hike on ordinary families couldn't come at a worse time, just as our economy is doing its utmost to get back on its feet. republicans should not force middle-class families off their fiscal cliff to protect more wasteful giveaways to millionaires and billionaires, an average of $160,000 a year per millionaire. democrats believe this country can't afford more budget-busting giveaways for the top 2% of earners. mr. president, again, republicans in america agree with us. it's only here in the senate tha

of the senate. since when did that go out of fashion? we have a big difference of opinion here about the way this place is being run. and it's not a rules problem. it's an attitude problem. it's a looking for somebody else to blame game. my friend, the majority leader, i think what we need to do is get busy with serious business confronting the american people. where is the defense authorization bill? where are the appropriations bills? don't blame it on the house. don't blame it on us senate republicans. we want to go to these bills. all of our members have been involved in developing this legislation in the armed services committee, in the appropriations subcommittee, senate republicans are involved in that legislation. we'd like to see it brought up on the floor, debated and considered. what is more important than funding the government? what is more important than the defense authorization bill? why is it on the floor? that's my question of the majority leader. we can have the rules debate later.

he calls it the 80-20 rule. he and senator ted kennedy were able to accomplish so much as the -- prior to ted's death when they were the two senior leaders on the senate committee on health, education, labor, and pensions committee. and i said to senator enzi, i said, how come the two of you, very different people, one democrat, one republican, are able to get so much done? ted and i agree on about 80% of what needs to be done on most issues and we disagree on ther to%. somewhere along the way, he said, we just decided to focus on the 80% on which we agree, said set the other 20% aside to another day. the cybersecurity legislation that we're debating here this seek an 80-20 bill. i think it is worth asking, is it worth passing a bill at that achieves only 80% of what we want to do or even only 70% of what we want to do? to that i would say, well, compared to what? compared to doing nothing? compared to zero? given all that's stake in today's dangerous world, you bet it is worthwhile. so let's get it done. like many of my colle

the senators, the republican senators from oklahoma were right. he's a stellar candidate and by every measure, a great guy. please, don't make him a victim of last-minute political campaigning in this last week before the recess that we take for our democratic and national convention and republican national convention. he shouldn't be a victim of this presidential campaign. he deserves a chance to serve. mr. president, i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from alabama. mr. sessions: mr. president, i don't like to get involved in the back and forth on this issue. it just bothers me. chairman leahy goes into all these numbers, and they are distorted for the most part in connection with the reality. i've said that i simply will not, however, stand by and see the record misconstrued and the picture painted is something from what it is. president bush's judicial nominees were filibustered extraordinarily. unlike anything we'd ever seen before. and this is the way it happened. i was here, i remember it very distinctly. president bush was

quorum call: a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. leahy: mr. president, i ask consent the call of the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. under the previous order, the senate will proceed to executive session to consider the following nomination which the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, kevin mcnulty of new jersey to be united states district judge. the presiding officer: under the previous order, there will be 30 minutes of debate equally divided in the usual form. mr. leahy: mr. president, i know also today we'll be debating on the disclose act. when you read the horror stories of secret money going into campaigns if we can't restrict the amount of money, at least let's know where it comes from. it's bad enough the supreme court says corporations people as though electing general eisenhower as president, we could now elect general electric as president or electing yahoos like millard filmore as vice president, we could elect yahoo as vice president. but the secret money, there should be only

president, i believe in the senate. i believe in the rules of the senate. but especially i believe in the comity that thomas jefferson believed in in this body. otherwise, the senate falls apart. i yield back the balance of my time. the presiding officer: the question is on the nomination. the yeas and nays have been called. is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. vote: vote: the presiding officer: are there any senators in the chamber wishing to vote or change their vote? on this vote, the ayes are 91, the nays are 1. the motion -- the nomination is confirmed. under the previous order, the motion to reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table. the president will be immediately notified of the senate's action, and the senate will resume legislative session. a senator: i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: quorum call: a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from north dakota. mr. conrad:i ask further proceedings under the q

president, the senate is not in order. the presiding officer: the senate will be in order. the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: as i was saying, for weeks the president -- republicans asked the president to tell the american people how he phrapbgs to carry out -- how he plans to carry out these cuts. he simply refused to do so. so last week congress passed legislation requiring him to do so. in fact, it cleared the senate, i believe, unanimously. then yesterday there was this, an assistant secretary down at the department of labor is now telling people they're under no legal obligation to let employees know if they will lose their jobs as a result of these cuts. we've got an assistant secretary of labor yesterday said employers are under no legal obligation to tell their employees they may lose their jobs as a result of these cuts. in other words, the president is trying to keep those folks in the dark about whether they can expect to lose their jobs or not. why? well, i think it's pretty obvious. to insulate himself from the political fallout that will result. the presiden

i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from north dakota. mr. hoeven: thank you. i rise today to discuss the need for pro--growth tax reform. i've been down last week and this week on the subject and i'm here again today to talk about the need to get started and get going right now on pro-growth tax reform that will unleash the private investment in this country and help us grow our economy and create jobs for the more than 13 million people that we have unemployed today. now, the current tax code changes at the end of the year. if we fail to act, the current tax code changes. that's a fact. simply put, tax rates go up. the income tax rates rise, capital gains taxes go up, the death tax goes up. now, today we voted on a measure regarding outsourcing. its goal was to encourage u.s. companies to invest and hire workers here in the united states rather than overseas. but at best -- at best -- that's a piecemeal approach. the reality is the taxes increases which will occur at the enof the year will do far more to -- end of the year will do far mo

a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from north dakota. mr. hoeven: madam president, i rise to speak on the need for pro-growth tax reform rather than a tax increase. president obama's proposed raising taxes. he says we should raise income taxes on individuals and small businesses, that we should raise capital gains taxes on investments and that we should raise the estate tax, meaning raise the death tax on american families. for example, take the estate tax. you've got a farmer right now. he wants to pass his farm on to the next generation for any value over $5 million he has to pay estate tax. generally, families may be able to do that, may be able to borrow the dollars required and pass the family farm on to the next generation. but under this proposal, that changes instead of paying estate tax on anything over $5 million, now that farm family would have to pay estate tax on anything over $1 million. so think about a farmer in my home state of north dakota or maybe in minnesota or anywhere throughout the midwest. now, how do they pass on tha

the u.s. senate is about to gavel in for the day. senators today will continue work on a bill cutting tax for multi-national businesses that move jobs to the u.s. the bill's sponsored by michigan democratic debbie stabenow. a procedural vote on moving forward with the debate on the bill is expected today at about 2:15 eastern. now live to the u.s. senate floor here on c-span2. the presiding officer: the senate will come to order. today's opening prayer will be offered by reverend elizabeth evans hagan, senior pastor of washington plaza baptist church in reston, virginia. the chaplain: let us pray. our gracious god, we thank you for being the source of all life, all wisdom and all grace in this world. and truly as your people we are so very blessed: we are blessed with breath as we rose to this new day. we are blessed with communities of friends and family that support us. we are blessed with hope that our gifts and talents can be channeled into meaningful work. help all of us, o god, to remember the richness of our blessings so that w

i want thank its sponsors, senator lieberman, chairman of the committee, senator collins, the ranking member, senator feinstein on the intelligence committee, senator rockefeller on the commerce committee. they've put a lot of time and effort into this important piece of legislation. and they've worked together on a bipartisan basis. they've listened to a wide range of comments, including a few that i've offered, and i'm pleased that the revised cybersecurity act of 2012 incorporates many suggestions. it will help make america safe by enhancing our nation's ability to prevent, mitigate, and rapidly respond to cyber attacks. the bill contains important provisions for securing our nation's critical infrastructure. every day without thinking about it, we rely on power plants, pipelines, electric power grids, water treatment facilities, transportation systems, and financial networks to work, to live, to travel, to do so many things we take for granted. all of these critical systems today are increasingly vulnerable to cyber attack from our enemies. last year, there was a 400% increase in

reid: i would now yield to the senior senator from the state of iowa, senator grassley. the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. mr. grassley: mr. president, it's my privilege to introduce pastor john fuller to my fellow senators, and i thank pastor fuller for opening the senate with prayer. it's my privilege to highlight my home pastor and church. pastor fuller and his wife kay are visiting the nation's capital this week. since 1998, pastor fuller has been the senior pastor at prairie lakes church in cedar falls, iowa. pastor fuller is a native of iowa. his family moved to sheridan, wyoming, when he was in eighth grade. he graduated from high school in sheridan. he played both high school and college football. he is to this day obviously a die-hard bronco fan. you won't know that, but i sure know it. he is a 1986 graduate of the university of sioux falls, and a 1990 graduate of denver seminary with a masters in divinity degree. he was an associate and preaching pastor at the first baptist church, forest city, iowa, before coming to cedar falls. he came there in 1998

i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from new hampshire. mrs. shaheen: mr. president, i rise today to join my colleagues who have been to the floor earlier this afternoon to emphasize the importance of getting the house to act to pass the violence against women act. we passed a bipartisan reauthorization in the senate and now it's time for the house to do the same. there are provisions in the senate version of the bill that offer critical protections for survivors, for native americans, for immigrants, for the lgbt community and for students, for young women who are on college campuses and it's that importance of protecting those victims on college campuses that i want to specifically address this afternoon. according to the department of justice, 25% of college women, that's one in four, 25% of college women will be victims of rape or attempted rape before they graduate within their four-year college period. the rape, abuse and incest national network reports that college-age women are four times more likely than any other age group to face

how do we try this first case in the senate. the first trial in the senate in 100 or so years. who do we call as witnesses? what exhibits do we use? how do we use the tapes. i'm trying to figure it all out. some people are helping me but not a lot of help. not a lot of people on staff who tried a lot of case and none of us tried a case in the senate. as an aside, i'll get back to this, jim st. clair at one session of the committee when he was there he said to me you know, you and i are learning obsolete skills. i said what are you talking about? i'm learning how to defend a president and you're learning how to prosecute a president and neither one of us will have much use of this in private practice. that may be true. i started laughing. in any event, i figure out how to try this. i'm sitting in my office and i remember i think it was dorr who said bernie, the president is about to speak, all sorts of rumors, like he might resign, said why don't you come. we set up a television in the common room and why don't you come. i said no, i don't want to watch. he's not going to resign.

the last six years -- if you've served in the senate, the only time in the senate, as it would be the case for some of our senators in the senate, the last six years you haven't had chance to say what you are for. we've added to the legislate tough dialogue normal phrases that didn't use to be quite as normal like the continuing resolution, and what's the continuing resolution? that means you basically can't get your work done for the next year, so you're just going decide to put a couple of band-aids on whatever the rules were for last year and move forward. when you talk about continuing resolutions, that's a failure. and when we come back in september -- we're going to have a few more days here in july, early august, then as congress has always done we'll go home and hear a lot of complaints in august this year because we're not getting our work done. we're going to come back in september. the fiscal year -- the spending year ends the end of september. and what are our choices going to be? we're not going to have good choices. we've had no appropriations bills, so the choice is to

the presiding officer, senator merkley, has also been a key member of the task force. senator bennet, who is going to be speaking after me, another member of the task force. and we so appreciate all of us getting together. and one of the things we need to be reminded of this evening is where we are. we just took a vote to try to get on to the disclose act bill. 51 democrats said let's get on to the bill, and 44 republicans, not a single republican voted to allow us to get on the bill. basically what we're in in the senate, as senator bennet and senator whitehouse and senator merkley know, we're in the mode of a full filibuster now. we're on a motion to proceed. we're not allowed to get on to the bill. and so people should just recognize that's the posture we're in right now, and yet we're going to be down here, we're going to be talking about this issue. and i join my colleagues today to talk about about this serious problem of campaign finance reform, one that threatens the very nature of our democracy. and that threat is the unprecedented flow of money into our electi

the senators were in there the aides were in there. when this passed, as i said, senator russell went home to the georgia and said, it is the law of the land. we have to support t now we're coming up on what the chairman of the federal reserve board has called "the fiscal cliff." the fiscal cliff. this is a convergence of big issues, ranging from the debt ceiling to how we pay doctors, to the spiraling out of control entitlements we have, to a need for simple -- simplified tax code, to a need for lower rates. we've been working on this in various ways across party lines for several months. there's a growing consensus that the time to act is after the election. it will require presidential leadership, whether it is a newly inaugurated president obama or a new president romney. and our job, mr. president, will see that the newly inaugurated president succeeds, whether he is a republican president or a democratic president, because if he does, then our country succeeds. and what are the stakes? the foreign minister of australia put it very

and i have great respect for those two members, the senator -- the junior senator from florida. but he came to the floor to -- in a very critical diatribe, if you will, against some of president obama's policies. and i have not been a great supporter of the president's energy policies and -- and actually appreciate some of the views that senator rubio holds about the fact that we need to drill more in the country. but i want to show you something that i think florida should be mindful of and suggest that the senator from florida could start making that speech at home in florida, because florida is one of the state that virtually produces no energy from any source. and it's been a bone of contention for me for many years that we have senators that come to the floor and talk about what so and so doesn't do and so and so doesn't do. and i just wanted to remine the senatoremind thesenator from fle gas that keeps the lights on in florida actually comes from the mobile bay. and these are the pipelines that mississippi and alabama and texas, 9,000 miles of pipelines and drilling, that w

the roll. quorum call: a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from utah. mr. hatch: i ask that the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. hatch: madam president, the american people are struggling. our economy is barely keeping above the water -- its head above the water. millions of citizens remain out of work. president obama has spent trillions in taxpayer dollars, and there's nothing to show for it. he talks about investments, investments in infrastructure, in roads and in bridges. well, he has spent trillions. where are the roads? where are the bridges? where's the new electrical grid? his reckless spending is a sin of commission. but the administration's sins of omission are perhaps worse. with businesses and families lacking any certainty at all about their tax rates next year, the president and his liberal allies have nonetheless steadfastly refused an extension of the 2001 and 2003 tax relief. even worse, they are so committed to raising taxes on small businesses, the same small businesses that must be cultivated t

of the senate. ince when did that go out of fashion? we have a big difference of opinion here about the way this place is being run. and it's not a rules problem. it's an attitude problem. it's a looking for somebody else to blame game. my friend, the majority leader, i think what we need to do is get busy with serious business confronting the american people. where is the defense authorization bill? where are the appropriations bills? don't blame it on the house. don't blame it on us senate republicans. we want to go to these bills. all of our members have been involved in developing this legislation in the armed services committee, in the appropriations subcommittee, senate republicans are involved in that legislation. we'd like to see it brought up on the floor, debated and considered. what is more important than funding the government? what is more important than the defense authorization bill? why is it on the floor? that's my question of the majority leader. we can have the rules debate later.

we have 12 members of the senate who have co-sponsored this legislation including majority leader senator harry reid is co-sponsor. racial profiling is un-american. it's against the values of our nation. it's contrary to the 14th amendment to the constitution, equal protection of the laws. it's counterproductive in keeping us safe. it's wasting the valuable resources that we have and has no place in modern law enforcement. we need a national law, and that's why i encourage the committee to report 1670 to the floor. it prohibits the use of racial profiling, that is, using race, ethnicity, national origin, or religion in selecting which individual is to be subject to a spontaneous investigation, activity such as a traffic stop, such as interviews, such as frisks, et cetera. it applies to all levels of government. it requires mandatory training, data collection by local and state law enforcement, and a way of maintaining adequate policies and procedures designated to end racial profiling. the states are mandated to do that or risk the loss of federal funds. the department of justice has gran

the senate underway. we go to the floor of the senate on c-span2. this quiet moment when we can lift our hearts to you. today, may the highest incentive of our senators be not to win over one another, but to win with one another by doing your will for all. make them faithful agents who are determined to bring your purposes to pass. correct their mistakes, redeem their failures, confirm their right actions, and crown their day with the blessing of your approval. we pray in your loving name. amen. the presiding officer: please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to the flag. 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 presiding officer: the clerk will read a communication to the senate. the clerk: washington, d.c., july 11, 2012. to the senate: under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable kirsten e. gillibrand, a senator from the state of new y

of the senate. since when did that go out of fashion? we have a big difference of opinion here about the way this place is being run. and it's not a rules problem. it's an attitude problem. it's a looking for somebody else to blame game. my friend, the majority leader, i think what we need to do is get busy with serious business confronting the american people. where is the defense authorization bill? where are the appropriations bills? don't blame it on the house. don't blame it on us senate republicans. we want to go to these bills. all of our members have been involved in developing this legislation in the armed services committee, in the appropriations subcommittee, senate republicans are involved in that legislation. we'd like to see it brought up on the floor, debated and considered. what is more important than funding the government? what is more important than the defense authorization bill? why is it on the floor? that's my question of the majority leader. we can have the rules debate later.

to the senate: under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable richard blumenthal, a senator from the state of connecticut, to perform the duties of the chair. signed: daniel k. inouye, president pro tempore. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. reid: i now move to proceed to calendar number 341, s. 2237. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: motion to proceed to calendar number 341, s. 2237, a bill to provide a temporary income tax credit for increased payroll and so forth and for other purposes. mr. reid: mr. president, the next hour will be equally divided between democrats and republicans. we will -- the majority will control the first half, republicans the final half. at 11:30 today, the senate will proceed to executive session to consider the nomination of john fowlkes to be united states district judge for the western district of tennessee. then there will be a roll call vote on nomination of that confirmation. the senate will then recess from 12:30 until 2:15 p.m. to allow for our weekly

the roll. quorum call: a senator: the presiding officer: the senator from nebraska. mr. dent, i ask that the quorum call be set aside. the presiding officer: without objection. under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. under the previous order, the time until 2:15 p.m. will be equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees with the republicans controlling the first 30 minutes and the majority controlling the second 30 minutes. mr. johanns: madam president, i come to the floor today to discuss a wholly predictable and forseeable economic disaster, and i ask why the senate continues to waste valuable time while we continue barreling toward a fiscal cliff. in a little more than five months the current tax rates are scheduled to expire for every single american, resulting in the largest tax increase in history. it's hard to imagine this massive tax increase is what the president wants. just two years ago he warned that you absolutely should not raise taxes in a poor economy. yet today the economy is actually in worse shape. so what

the roll. quorum call: a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from nevada. mr. heller: i would ask that the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. heller: thank you, mr. president. last week's jobs report reinforces what many of us have known for some time. unlike what the president would like you to believe, the private sector is not doing fine and the administration's policies are not providing effective solutions to our nation's problems. the health of our economy hinges upon grob joat and it clearly has not received the attention it deserves. our nation has no road map and it is past time for genuine effort to work in a bipartisan manner to create the certainty and stability that will allow american businesses and families to thrive. every morning, nevadans wake up, grab their hometown newspaper, turn on their local news. are some getting ready for work, others starting -- others start another day to try to find a job. these nevadans have become all too familiar with the headlines of nevada leading the country in unemploy

a think the senator from utah as on the floor now. another project that is not authorized, i will filibuster the bill until i am -- until i fail to do so. i wrote a letter to the senator from utah in september 1997. i said i am writing about the recent efforts to add funds to appropriations measures for the 2002 olympics. i went on to say, i recognize the proper preparations are vital. it seems the best course of action would be to require the committee in coordination with congress to prepare and submit a comprehensive plan detailing the funding anticipating from the taxpayers. please call me so we could start work immediately to establish some rationality in the process of preparing for the olympics of that. in a surprising breech of senatorial courtesy, the senator never responded. i wrote him another letter a year letter asking for the same and never got a response. the gao determines that $1.3 billion, $974,000 for the utah state. the agency network, $3 million to olympic regional development authority upgrades. $2 million for bu

the presiding officer: the senator from new york. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: thank you, mr. president. today i want to talk about a bill that will reduce taxes for 97% of all small business owners. i want to talk about a bill that will keep $2,200 in middle-class pockets next year. i want to talk about a bill that will extend tax cuts for those making less than $250,000 per year. i want to talk about the middle-class tax cut act and why it should pass with overwhelming and bipartisan support. my colleagues across the aisle have said they want to get our country back on its feet. well, i know our prosperity has always stemmed from and been measured by the success of the middle class. they're the ones who get in early and stay late, they take on a second job to make it just a little bit easier to pay for college, they wait to retire to save more to help their children and grandchildren. under no circumstances should middle-class people be worried

president, the senate is not in order. the presiding officer: the senate will be in order. the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: as i was saying, for weeks the president -- republicans asked the president to tell the american people how he phrapbgs to carry out -- how he plans to carry out these cuts. he simply refused to do so. so last week congress passed legislation requiring him to do so. in fact, it cleared the senate, i believe, unanimously. then yesterday there was this, an assistant secretary down at the department of labor is now telling people they're under no legal obligation to let on the cybersecurity bill this afternoon. this is live coverage here on c-span2. a member of the united states marine corps, that you no long -- though you no longer wear the uniform, i believe once a marine, always a marine, and your service in vietnam and to the nation as secretary of navy is just well known and well appreciated. you know, mr. president, you've served as a marine corps -- in the marine corps and as secretary of the nevada and now a -- navy, and now you're in the sena

the roll. quorum call: a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from connecticut. mr. blumenthal: thank you, mr. president. i ask that the quorum call be lifted. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. blumenthal: thank you, mr. president. i am here today to express my sincere appreciation and thanks and admiration to a number of our distinguished foreign service officers who were similarly lauded by senator mccain earlier today. i heard his remarks and i wish to be associated with them. in expressing my thanks to three very brave and able men who have served this country under the most demanding and difficult conditions requiring huge personal courage as well as insight and strong action. they are ryan crocker who has served as ambassador to afghanistan, his deputy who will replace him shortly, james cunningham, and our ambassador to pakistan, cameron munter. what they share and what they have given us in these two critical posts are the best of our nation's public service and foreign service. i had occasion to meet both ambassador crocker and ambassador cunningh

boehner has been screwing the senate republicans since day one. and saying hey look we have done our job, why don't you do your job. knowing full well what the house passed would never pass -- >> right. >> and now mcconnell gets to say, hey, here is our bill. >> basically a taste of their own medicine. >> again, we're talking to ryan grimm, from the "huffington post," huffingtonpost.com. and you can follow him on twitter at ryan grim. >> they are saying over the next ten years or so the affordable healthcare act is going to be cheaper than they thought. reduced by $84 billion. why do those savings come from? >> well, more misery. about 6 or 7 million people who were expected to be covered won't be covered because john roberts said that, you know, states can opt medicaid. >> expansion of medicaid. >> right. >> so in the short-term it will be slightly cheaper, obviously that's the result of a lot of people not getting treated. >> it's a good news-bad news story. >> sure. >> the bad news is we're saving money by taking health care away from a lot of p

i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from arizona. mr. in: here we are with 41 months of over 8% unemployment in america, the national defense authorization bill languishing in the shadows while we continue to have this debate, and obviously there's no doubt in most people's minds that with the full knowledge of the sponsors of this legislation that it will not pass, it is obviously for certain political purposes. i oppose cloture on the motion. my reasons for opposing this motion are simple. even though the subject of campaign finance reform is not. in its current form, the disclose act is closer to a clever aattempt at political gamesmanship than actual reform. by conveniently setting my thresholds for reporting requirements, the disclose act forces some entities to inform the public about the origins of their financial support while allowing -- allowing others, notably affiliated with organized labor to fly below the regulatory radar. as my colleagues i am sure i have a long history of fighting for campaign finance reform and to break t

presiding officer: the senate is in a quorum. mr. chambliss: i rise to pay tribute to lieutenant ronald l. burgess, jr., the director of the intelligence agency and one of the leaders in the intelligence community and in the united states military. lieutenant general burgess requires this summer after a distinguished 38-year career. during his career lieutenant general burgess has been recognized with numerous awards and decorations which include the defense distinguished service medal, defense superior service medal with two oak leaf clusters, the legion of merit, joint service commendation medal, united states special operations command medal, army commendation medal, army achievement medal, nato medal, former republic of yugoslavia parachutist badge, and army staff identification badge. as a driving force in the intelligence community general burgess will soon conclude a career marked by exceptional leadership and strategic vision, both of which have significantly advanced u.s. national security interests while also strengthening o

i want to commend the work of the senator from louisiana, the senior senator, for her work on this legislation but for her many years laboring in the vineyards, so to speak, on job-creation strategies to help our small business owners across the united states. i rise to speak about this legislation as well because when i go to pennsylvania and travel across our state, i get two basic messages from the people of our state. and they're very clear about this. they say two things: work on job creation, put your time into putting in place ways to create and incentivize the creation of jobs. that's the first message. the second message is, work together, get things done, work with people in both parties to move forward a strategy to create jobs. and i think this legislation does both. it's -- it's focused on creating jobs, especially as it relates to our small business owners and their workers and their communities. but it also is a way to bring democrats and republicans together to create jobs. the small business jobs and tax relief act will indeed help small businesses hire people by reducing the

the entire history of the senate. in the years when the democrats were the minority they used i think the highest was 79. two years ago the republican used it 140 times. 137. 112. they have said our priority is to make him a one-term president. our idea of compromise is he does exactly what we do. even the ideas that had their genesis in republican think tanks, things like cap-and-trade or things like an insurance mandate, the republicans -- because it's obama -- refuse to even listen to him. your nominee said, "i wouldn't take a deal giving me $10 in spending cuts for $1 of revenue increase." so i guess when i hear you say, well, you know, both sides have their issues and they're really divisive, the reality that i'm watching seems very different than that >> a couple things on the filibuster. that's kind of something people really senatey-in. is that a word >> jon: if it isn't, it is now very senatorial but there's more to it than just that. the truth of the matter is that the current leadership of the senate doesn't

to the senate: under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable richard blumenthal, a senator from the state of connecticut, to perform the duties of the chair. signed: daniel k. inouye, president pro tempore. mr. reid: mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. reid: i move to proceed to calendar number 467. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: motion to proceed to calendar 467, s. 3412, a bill to amend the internal rev of knew code of 198 -- revenue code of 1986 to provide tax relief to middle-class families. mr. reid: mr. president, i now ask unanimous consent that the senate now observe a moment of silence for the victims of the shooting in colorado. [moment of silence] mr. reid: mr. president, this afternoon the senate pauses to remember those killed in last week's horrific shooting in colorado. among dead was 26-year-old jonathan blunc, a graduate of hud high school in reno, nevada. a navy veteran, father of two. my heart goes out to his loved ones, to all the victims and their fa

if it's mark pryor for the u.s. senate or whoever it may be, there are lots of rules that govern that. and that's the way it should be. the problem is outside the campaign, the extracurricular activities. that's where the real challenge is and that takes us to citizens united. i must say, with all due respe respect, that i think it is naive to hold that money does not have a corrosive effect on politics. it does. we've seen it for two centuries in this country, we've seen that money has a corrosive effect on politics. there have been various reform movements that have been designed to curb that corrosive effect, but unfortunately the citizens united case just kicked the door open wide, as wide as it's ever been kicked in american history. i don't want to criticize the supreme court, but i certainly hope that after the 2012 elections, they will have an opportunity to revisit that decision. and i hope that they are looking at the press reports where these super pacs and other groups are saying that they're going to raise and

to the senate: under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i herebyappoint the honorable mark r. warner, a senator from the commonwealth of virginia, to perform the duties of the chai. signed: daniel k. inouye, president pro tempore. mr. reid: mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. reid: we're now on the notion road to s. 3414, which is the cybersecurity bill. this is postcloture. at 4:30 today, the senate will vote on robert bacharach to be united states circuit judge for the 10th circuit. this likely will be our last vote on a circuit judge for this congress. i hope that we can be successful. this is a person that i'll talk about a little bit later. sinnerlcertainly well-qualified. at 5:30 today, there will be a cloture vote on the nomination. if cloture is not invoked on the bacharach nomination, the? the will proceed to a motion to itoproceed to the cybersecurity act. the clerk: an act replace within the 60-day review period president obama's proposed final outer continental shelf oil and gas leasing program and so forth an

of the 100 senators in the u.s. senate, 17 senators are women. so the senate is 17 women, 83 men. and the 435 members in the u.s. house of representatives, 7 iii women, 360 men, two vacancies. why are there so few, especially relatively speaking, when it's very vivid, women in the congress, eleanor? >> because they have better things to do, and i'm not -- >> now wait a minute. >> i'm not just trying to be -- >> are you slurring the political -- >> i'm saying there are so many opportunities available now to women where you don't have to put your whole family on display, you don't have to make your tax returns public, you don't have to turn your life over seven days, 24 hours, and you don't have to put up with all the criticism from your opponents. politics is a tough profession but there are like a dozen pretty high-profile women running for the senate and the house in this election cycle, mostly democrats, some are republicans, and so there are some predictions that we could get the numbers up this time. the year of the woman in 1992, four women, democratic women, were elected to

next month both the house and senate will take a one-month recess. f dealing with tax rates and spending cuts until after the election. so do lawmakers have any other plans to actually fix the budget? senator john thune is on the budget and finance committees. we spoke with him a short time ago. >> nice to see you, sir. >> not to see you. >> this week the chairman ben bernanke was up here and said we are in deep run and need action. what are you going to do with it? >> i think there are two things we need to do to avoid going over the fiscal cliff. one is to extend the tax rates that are set to expire at the end of this year, which would result in a massive tax increase on people, americans all over the board next year. and secondly, to do something that would avert the defense cuts that are going to just devastate our national security priorities and replace those with cuts elsewhere in the budget. those are two things we could do. right now the fiscal cliff, as it's been described, consist of really those two elements. and the concern is, according

one in the senate. again with an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote, and here with not an overwhelm bipartisan vote, and the violence against women act, a ver very important subject that has been in -- there was a very significant 62-37 vote in the senate -- excuse me, that's not the exact figure. that's on the postal bill i'll ask you about in a second. 68-31. 68-31, even more bipartisan than the postal reform bill. back on april 26 some months ago with 15 senate republicans joining in favor. i don't see that on the schedu. i don't know whether the gentleman believes it's a possibility we'll be able to pass that bere the election. i yield to my friend. mr. cantor: mr. speaker, i respond to t gentleman and say as he knows the senate bill is unconstitutional because it contains revenue measure in it. soe are unable to get to conference with the senate. i think i as well as the speaker have indicated that we support going to conference with the senate. they need to produce a bill so that we can go to conferenc

it passed the senate by a vote of 51-48. vice president joe biden was even on hand to gavel the bill through, marking the historic occasion of the senate kind of working. so this was really a remarkable turn of events. the senate was functional today. it went as it was supposed to go. both sides put up their plans and in the end, one side prevailed. in this case, it was the democrats. the only thing, as there's a little catch i need to tell you about. the reason the republicans allowed that vote today, the reason they didn't filibuster like they usually do, is because there is a rule in the constitution which says if any bill relating to taxes must originate in the house, it has to begin in the house. it cannot begin in the senate. this bill did not originate in the house. and that is why mcconnell didn't filibuster. he said, quote, the only reason we won't block it today, the bill, is that we know it doesn't pass constitutional muster and won't become law. what today's votes are all about is showing the people who sent us he

today the congressman and i are sending a letter signed by senators and 53 members of the house asking senator holder to close the loopholes in the racial profiling guidance. congress should also pass the end should also pass the end racial profiling act that senator cardin of maryland, who has taken up this cause, from our colleague senator feingold, and he's here today to testify. let's be clear, and i want to say this and stress it, the overwhelming majority of law enforcement officers perform their jobs admirably, honestly, and courageously. they put their lives on the line to protect us every single day. but the inappropriate actions of a few who engage in racial profiling create mistrust and suspicion that hurt all police officers. we'll hear testimony to what has been done in a positive way to deal with this issue, by superintendent of police. that's why so many law enforcement leaders strongly oppose racial profiling. racial profiling undermines the rule of law and strikes at the core offer nation's commitment to equal protection for all. you'll hear from the experts on our pan

i served with him in the state senate back in the early 2000s. he was the senate president at the time, and we worked together on some good things. i was the president, not president, chairman of the state affairs committee, the so-called killer committee to either pass bills or kill bills, as the case needed, and we had a lot of fun times doing that, didn't we, john? okay. anyway, it is now my real honor to introduce one of the real stalwarts in the u.s. senate. i'm honored to be here, senator tom coburn is the person i'm privileged to introduce now. he and his wife carolyn have a great history in oklahoma for all the accomplishments in their lives. of course, one of the greatest would be their three children and six grandchildren. outside of that, mr. coburn and his wife are both graduates of oklahoma state university, and i'm sure along with t. boone pickens they want to see a national championship come their way. senator coburn has a track record of a lot of wins in other areas. these wins would be found with his family, faith, business. form

the democrats run the senate. it was the democrats in the senate who voted unanimously against obama's own budget. so the idea that somehow he has these great ideas the republicans are stopping, his budget is so lousy the democrats in the house and the democrats in the senate voted it down. the president said please, republican house and senate, pass my tax bill. it was reid who stopped the vote from taking place. the democrats rejecting his entire budget has been voting down by every democrat. the republicans are upset by that. -- >> senate rules. we've got to get beyond this filibuster in the senate and actually be age to bring real bills to the floor. >> reid -- >> democrats oppose -- >> democrats oppose because what this requires is leadership and people willing to make tough votes. when the house republicans refused to make the tough votes, the democrats in the senate said wait a minute, why are we falling on our sword here? that's exactly president obama said for every dollar in new revenue he has proposed, h

>> in the senate, cybersecurity legislation is on the floor. there is a democratic bill, i won't say democratic bill, a bill sponsored by senator joe lieberman called the spiber security act. there is a republican bill sponsored by john mccain and kay bailey hutchison, the secure i.t. act. we are going to see some amendments to the bill. senator -- >> from this morning's "washington journal." the u.s. house about to gavel in. 19 bills on the agenda today. legislative work at 3:30 eastern. the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. the prayer will be offered by our chaplain. chaplain conroy: grant them the generosity to serve you as you deserved. to give of the industry and not count the cost and fight for their convictions and not heed the political wounds, to tylenol and not seek to rest, to labor and not ask for reward except for knowing that in being their bestselves they do your will and, dear, god, on this day we ask your blessing on the family of tim. grant them peace and consolation as they mourn the loss of his mother. may all