it was a healthy place and that was the case working for the senate majority in the 70s senate carried over into the 80s even though we lost majority control of the senate so i love what i was doing. it was a great place. and running around like albright or alexander or collins i cannot even begin to fathom what it would be like now. all these bright people who want to work come to the senate, very busy and they do good work and you say we are not doing that. >> i want to hear your views but the evolution of the leader driven senate and the loss of the balance. >> i don't think the relationship factor is nearly what it was as staff members. and built across the aisle friendships and that really deteriorated over the years. and that is a very troubling aspect and that is what we are experiencing today with your book the last great senate with rave reviews i suspect this will to but what led you to write volume two? >> basically the late 70s and the 80s but from my publisher at that time and what happened since then so i wrote the epilogue and the senate has declined in stages and i felt

chairman, appreciate the tone of senator durbin's comments in the other comments that senator mcconnell's. let me make a sit session. i suggested this in a republican lunch today that we have a discussion among ours does about what the amendment process actually is and when corporations come to the floor because so many senders haven't seen it before. that is really been the problem. we can change all the rules in the book, but if alexander objects to the durbin amendment, then durbin objects to the alexander amendment and then the whole bill stops. we will have to have a consensus within each of our caucuses as senator shelby and senator leahy to be successful but as senator mcconnell moves to bring a bill to the floor that there is not an objection to that. he doesn't have to file cloture on it. that will delay things. the senator durbin moves an amendment that some of us don't like, we need to vote on it. we need to agree to a time consent or vote on it. that requires some unders handing at each caucus because i'm not sure senators know exactly how that works. >> will the senator yield

it would allow the senate to get to the other work the american people expect the senate to do. today and tomorrow we continue this process of waiting for the votes on the nominee to be secretary of state. prior to recent times it would've been right after the report was out. >> i come to the floor to speak on the pending nomination of mike pompeo to be secretary of state. i had a pose that nomination committee and i will oppose on the floor. i said publicly that this is not an open and shut case for me. i probably voted for more of the president's nominees that come before the senate the many of my democratic colleagues. i believe in a substantial amount of deference and who he chooses to serve him and his administration. there's been a number of applicants for cabinet posts i supported even though had misgivings about the policies they're going to be articulati articulating. i also believe director pompeo when he talks about the morale crisis in his sincere desire to address that. there is a morale crisis after secretary tillerson waged an assault on diplomats trying to push ou

the pleased to welcome senator to the committee. manyollow in the steps of a longippians fared history of service on the rules committee. .e are glad to have you here isator blunt: i think he talk to every member of the senate. his work here, we appreciate. the committee held a hearing on the resolution december the 19th 2017. the resolution was taken from a resolution that passed 78-16 in 108thndred and eight -- congress. once a majority of the senate , senators end debate would still be allowed to speak about all but the most serious -- senior executive and let judicial nominees speak. the most senior nominees would still be allowed to have debate for up to 30 hours. in 2013 judges as i did , would go to an eight hour debate. i support the resolution and look forward to today's vote. all senators, regardless of parties, should care and agree that the president should be able to appoint officials to carry out there agenda. excessive delays in the process make it harder for the newly elected president to take control of the governme

mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the senate now proceed to the en bloc consideration of senate resolution 489 through and including 500 which were submitted earlier today. the presiding officer: is there objection to proceeding to the measures en bloc? without objection. the senate will proceed. mr. mcconnell: i know of no further debate on the resolutions. the presiding officer: is there further debate? hearing none, the question is on the resolutions en bloc. all those in favor say aye. opposed nay. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it, and the resolutions are adopted en bloc. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the preambles be agreed to and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, all en bloc. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: now, madam president, i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today it adjourn to convene for pro forma sessions only with no business being conducted on the following dates and times and that following each pro forma session the senate adjourn until the next pro f

bad for the senate. it's unfair to the american people. that's why i support senator lankford's efforts to enact the very same rules change that a large bipartisan majority agreed to back in 2013 when the democrats were in the majority here in the senate. it would empower the senate to process nominations more quickly while preserving ample opportunity for debate. it is precisely the rules change that my friend, the democratic leader, supported back in 2013. i joined in that bipartisan effort along with a number of my fellow republicans. it passed 78-16. 78-16. the white house may have changed hands, but the last time i checked, fair is still fair, and common sense is still common sense. so senator lankford is giving my democratic colleagues their very own chance to show that principled convictions matter more than political convenience. i'm proud to back his proposal. i'm glad to see the rules committee advance it to the floor yesterday. there's no reason why every senator shouldn't be able to join us. otherwise, until our democratic colle

on the senate floor. inthe time he left office 1917, use of the expression on the senate or had become a more frequent occurrence. emergence ofudden majority leader during his tenure would seem to reflect that the position had by now evolved from being largely party position into a formal institutional role. mid-1920's and early s we knowhe position beyond to assume a recognizable form. but the majority and minority leaders still held little formal institutional power. the leaders authority, such as it was, was based on recent custom, not on a rule or formal procedure. that all changed during out in barkley -- during alben 's tenure. i see many of you are familiar with his life. i will provide just a brief overview of his life and then focus on an overlooked but very urgent event early in his tenure as majority leader. was born literally in a log cabin in 1877. hardscrabble upbringing that hammered in the importance of hard work. although he never graduate from high school, he studied at marvin college in

what additional pressure has that placed on the senate majority leader to maintain the majority in the senate? think for the reason you stated there is a lot of concern among republicans about losing the house. the senate majority, the senate republican majority is seen as a firewall by republicans and we have seen some new fundraising numbers today from one of the major outside super pac's, the senate leadership fund that is run by a close mcconnell ally. they are getting good numbers. attributesof the pac that to donors having the perception that the senate is the firewall and they need to give if they want to make sure that holds. even though it is difficult to see the math work to where democrats win back the senate, it is within the realm of possibility. that is definitely a focus for gop donors. heard the senator hoping they can get through regular order on appropriations deal with nominations. perhaps there is a rules change or perhaps not. are there any major pieces of legislation the senate is going to be able work through in the remaining months? >> i think that despite the o

the floor of the senate, and changes that will come to the future. these adaptations have made us a better senate and more reflective of the people we serve. i just can't say enough about my colleague, senator tammy duckworth, an amazing, amazing woman who served her country, activated in the illinois national guard as a helicopter pilot in iraq. when a grenade was shot into the cockpit and blew up and caused her grievous injuries, many people wondered if she would survive. she not only survived, she prospered. she is determined and brave. she now is the mother of two little girls, something just short of a miracle, and that motherhood is something that is a source of great joy to all of us who count tammy as a friend and a colleague and a great leader in the united states senate. let me also give a special recognition to two of my colleagues who made this resolution possible. senator amy klobuchar who worked closely with tammy duckworth on this issue and is our ranking democrat on the senate rules committee. amy put in a lot of hours and good humor a

. >> the senate was in it recess so they could attend a briefing on the conflict on syria. they return to session right now. live coverage on c-span2. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from hawaii. mr. schatz: i -- thank you, mr. president. i'm they're give some brief remarks about what we're on right now, which is a congressional review act vehicle to reconsider agency guidance. now, there's nothing that sounds more arcane and wonky than that. the issue at hand has to do with disparate treatment of people when they go into a -- borrow to get a car that there's plenty of evidence that black and brown people are taken advantage of and treated more poorly in the credit context than white people. and so the cfpb went to collect data and to require that people were treated fairly. and so i'll be voting against this c.r.a. vehicle, by i actually think there's a bigger, broader, more concerning issue. and i'm going to be trying to work with the parliamentarian's office and with the leadership of both parties to address it because although it's arcane, it

been in the senate is the vote on the nuclear option because what it caused republicans to do. to turn this around and head back in another direction. i think senator right for has the -- right approach, let's take a reasonable proposal we adopted once before and adopt it as a rules change in the right way and avoid piling on nuclear option after nuclear option is a nuclear option, which prelude to the destruction of the united states senate as a consensus building institution in this country. it is kind of like the lead up to world war i, which everyone agrees, i think, was an accidental war. nobody would stop it. it just kept going in that direction. i would appeal to my democratic colleagues to look at the lankford proposal. if you cannot vote for it, look for some version of it that you could vote for that will stop this prelude to the destruction of the senate as a consensusbuilding institution. we are fractured, we are an internet democracy. we have partisan impulses coming out our ears. what we don't have is inability -- an ability to work across party lines. all of us ha

the senate at 8:00 p.m. eastern here on c-span2. >> steve murphy and javier former dea agent who inspired the netflix series marcus talk about investigating colombian drug lord pablo escobar, counterfeit medicines and illegally imported fentanyl. the partnership for safe medicine hosted this event. ...

one element that is impacting those of us that cover the senate and the members of the senate themselves is how narrow the republican majority is at this moment. it is 51-49 split, and senator mccain is out ill as your viewers know indefinitely. that leaves leader mcconnell very little wiggle room on very many issues, and that is something we have seen come up just this week in a couple of instances. one where he had trouble getting the nasa administrator nominee through the initial cloture vote. he had to lean on senator flake to flip from no to yes. he brought up a coast guard reauthorization bill that was blocked. so many votes, even some that might be perceived as routine or are routine become a struggle because of that very narrow split. niels: as a reporter it is somewhat complicated by the fact that you don't necessarily know as well as you once did when something is going to become a fight. certainly we all know when we are watching say the confirmation hearing for mike pompeo to the secretary of state, or we know when there is a scheduled event that something is going to be cont

hyde smyth to the committee. senator you follow in the footsteps of lots of mississippians who have been on this committee. senator lott and senator wicker on this committee. a long history of service on the rules committee of mississippi senators and we're glad to have you join that. the this afternoon we meet to mark up senate resolutions 355, a resolution for improving procedures for the consideration of nominations in the senate. senator langford introduced this resolution in december of 2017. i think he has talked to virtually every member of the senate democrat and republican about it. >> senator langford has proposed a simple resolution that if adopted works allow the senate to vote on nominees in a streamlined manner. once a majority of the senate decided to end debate. senators would still be allowed to speak about all but the most serious -- senator would still be allowed to speak on all but the most senior executive and judicial nominees for eight hours and with the most senior nominees they would still be all

the presiding officer: the senate is in a quorum call. mr. cornyn: i would ask consent that the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. cornyn: madam president, yesterday, after some drama, in a rare ability of civility on the part of senator coons, for which i applaud him, the senate foreign relations committee approved the nomination of mike pompeo as secretary of state. this despite chairman corker's repeatedly pointing out how qualified for this appointment director pompeo actually is. but apparently it fell on deaf ears. this sort of treatment is unprecedented in my memory, certainly, for a secretary of state. director pompeo was, in fact, first in his class at west point, let the harvard law review, served his country in the military and served the people of kansas in congress. not to mention the fact that mike pompeo already serves in one of the most sensitive and important positions in the trump administration already, director of the central intelligence agency. i spoke yesterday about the confirma

the senate vote on the nomination. if cloture is invoked that the senate vote on the confirmation without intervening action or debate and with respect to both nominations, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, and the president be immediately notified of the senate's actions. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection, so ordered. mr. tillis: thank you, mr. president. mr. schatz: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from hawaii. mr. schatz: thank you, mr. president. in his confirmation hearing last january, e.p.a. administrator scott pruitt said there was evidence that climate change had actually leveled off over the past two decades. in response to mr. pruitt's comments, an atmospheric scientist in california pulled together some colleagues to study satellite data from around the world. they found, predictably, that mr. pruitt was wrong and they prepare to publish their findings in "nature scientific reports," but then something weird happened. a few of t

the roll. quorum call: quorum call: a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from georgia due i would ask that the quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. perdue: mr. president, i rise today to talk about a milestone here that just happened about three weeks ago. we've had a couple of interesting dates coming. april 15 just passed. we called it tax day but it was another date. it was also a date that we were supposed to complete the senate budget for fiscal year 2019 that starts in october 1 of this year. well, april 15 came and the i.r.s. deadline did indeed hit, but there was no budget completed. and that's part of the dysfunction that people back home are so upset about. today i want to talk about that, but first i want to talk about the derivative of that broken process. to date, mr. president, in my office we have a debt clock. in that debt clock a few weeks ago it passed a milestone. $21 trillion. and if that weren't bad enough, mr. president, the commitments of this federal government over

and the senate finance hearing on ways to address the opioid epidemic. r guest on c-span's newsmakers is oklahoma republican senator james lankford. he serves on the intelligence committee, the appropriations committee where he is chair of one of the subcommittees on financial services, homeland security and indian affairs. thank you for being our guest. sen. lankford: glad to be with you. >> to the reporters, erica warner, washington post, returning to our set this week, they cover the senate or their respective institutions. before we get to their questions, we are recording on thursday which is that there -- the 23rd anniversary of the bombing at the murrah building. you have been treating some expressions about it and talking to people, but i will move to current threats. over the 23 years, from your vantage point on homeland security and working in the senate, how has the level of threat to the american public changed? sen. lankford: there has been a dramatic change. the people of oklahoma city know very well from the 168 lives lost because someone w

he served in the senate from 1990 until his retirement in 2012. he made a farewell speech in december of that year. >> mom president, i rise to give my remarks and myeloma to the united states senate. . mom president, before i begin. >> i want to say that my good friend, my colleague for 36 years, my brother danny norrie. i wish him a speedy recovery and return to the senate. >> mister president, i mean mom president, i rise today to say hello ha to this institution. i have been honored to be a member of the united states senate for 22 years. it has been an incredible journey and i never imagined. as a senior in high school, which was noted as a military school, my wife life was changedforever . when i saw japanese fighter planes attacking pearl harbor . like most men in my generation, i joined the war effort. my path was forever altered. when the war ended, i believe i was suffering from ptsd. it was an act of congress that allowed me and the veterans of my generation to build a successful new kind of life. congress passed the g.i. bill and i say

i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from new jersey. mr. booker: thank you very much, mr. president. i rise with my colleagues in advance of the congressional review act vote. we are here for a c.r.a., congressional review act, vote, that is on agency guidance from 2013 that seeks to protect consumers from discrimination. they are rolling back rules, but not meant to apply to years' old guidance from agencies. this is a radical departure from a norm on statutory interpretation that will change the scope of the congressional review act. what then could possibly so important and so urgent that today we would break from longstanding tradition and have a vote on something that could set an entirely new precedence for this body. what is the guidance of the trump administration and republican leadership in this body are going so far out of their way to undo? what this guidance does is very simply and very clearly is try to prevent discrimination in purchasing. in 2013, the consumer financial protection bureau put this in place after well docum

he was the first native hawaiian to serve in the senate. his political career started in the house in 1976. he became a senator in 1990. at one time he chaired the senate affairs committee. this is about 15 minutes. mr. akaka: madam president? the presiding officer: the the senator from hawaii. mr. akaka: madam president, i rise to give me remarks and my aloha to the united states senate. madam president, before i begin, i want to say that my good friend, my colleague of 36 years, my brother dan inouye, hawaii's senior senator, i wish him a speedy recovery and return to the senate. mr. president, i -- i mean, madam president, i rise today to say aloha to this institution. i have been honored to be a member of the united states senate for 22 years. it has been an incredible journey that i never imagined. as a senior in high school going to kamemha school for boys, which was noted as a military school, my life was changed for school. when i saw japanese fighter planes attacking pearl harbor. like most men in my generation, i joined the war eff

[applause] >> shortly we'll go live to the u.s. senate where lawmakers will resume consideration of the nomination of mike pompeo for secretary of state. he currently is the u.s. cia director. we are expecting a procedural vote tomorrow as well as a procedural vote tomorrow on the nominee to be u.s. ambassador to germany. live coverage now of the u.s. senate here on c-span2. the president pro tempore: the senate will come to order. the chaplain, dr. barry black, will lead the senate in prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. eternal father, strong to save, whose arm has bound the restless wave, we honor your name. forgive us our sins and deliver us from evil. we thank you for food, drink, clothing, friends, and family. today, give our lawmakers faith to meet every challenge, courage to live by your precepts, and humility to serve others in these grand and critical times. may a high sense of patriotism reinforce their commitment to integrity, as they remember their accountability to you. and, lord, we thank you for the life and contributions of

take the seat vacant on the second circuit. because senators leahy, then chairman, honored the blue strip, a seat in the second circuit that belongs to wisconsin was held open for six years -- six years by refusing to approve two nominees by president obama. now the president has nominated a very conservative judge, mike brennan, who failed to earn the recommendation of the bipartisan commission. respected in wisconsin, set up by both senators, baldwin and johnson, one a democrat, one a republican to recommend nominees, but this administration has no real concern about the qualifications of the judges as long as they meet the long right checklist. despite the fact that senator baldwin did not return a blue ship, chairman grassley moved him out of committee anyway. the blue slip tradition was faithfully honored by the chairman. it was used to an extent that would certainly be, quote, historic obstruction -- six years a seat was vacant on the circuit court and not the only one that had long-term vacancies. and now all of a sudden because democrat

vice president pence: the president of the senate at the direction of the body appoints the following senators as members he of the committee on the part of the senate to escort his excellency emmanuel macron, the president of the french republic, into the house chamber. the senator from kentucky, mr. mcconnell. the senator from texas, mr. cornyn. the senator from missouri, mr. blunt. the senator from colorado, mr. gardner. the senator from tennessee, mr. corker. the senator from arkansas, mr. boozman. the senator from arkansas, mr. cotton. the senator from illinois, mr. durbin. the senator from washington, mrs. murphy. the senator from vermont, mr. leahy. the senator from minnesota, ms. klobuchar. the senator from wisconsin, ms. baldwin. the senator from new jersey, mr. menendez. and the senator from delaware, mr. coons. the speaker: members of the escort committee will enter the chamber through the lobby doors. asst. sergeant at arms: mr. speaker, the acting dean of the diplomatic corps. asst. sergeant at arms: mr. speaker, the president's cabinet. se sergeant at arms: the president

senator kennedy: in the back. >> senator, why did you reject the alternative of putting your strength behind senator mccarthy's drive for the nomination? senator kennedy: because i think, first, i think by -- he has strengths and i have individual strengths. i don't think that just supporting an individual delivers that. but i think, first, going across the country and -- that i have strengths that i can -- that i can contribute in opposition to what we are doing at the moment. and, secondly, which i think is terribly important, giving some alternatives -- alternative policies for the united states to follow as far as the future. i don't think this is a question of just opposition, and i know that senator mccarthy has some suggestions as to what we should do, but i also have some ideas. and i don't think that the democratic party or the people of the united states lose at all by considering those. and there is a greater possibility that more people that are involved in this, there is a greater possibility of having the strongest possible candidate. we've had a good deal of feeling in

the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: today senate democrats have filibustered legislation to reauthorize funding for our coast guard. in a dangerous world, the brave men and women of the coast guard are always ready for the call, whether it be to interdict drugs, secure our ports, or conduct daring maritime rescues. they citizen our support. they don't deserve a filibuster for the sake of political posturing. so let's have a little plain talk about why the bill failed. democrats filibustered this legislation because it contains an eminently sensible bipartisan provision to streamline regulations for the mariners and vessel on thers who drive america's maritime economy. it would cut back on duplicative rules and overlapping enforcement and provide a uniform standard that protects the environment and commerce alike. if this sound like commonsense bipartisan -- like a commonsense bipartisan measure, that's because that's exactly what it is. this legislation has been favorably reported by the commerce committee six times -- six time, mr.

a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from idaho. a senator: are we in a quorum call? the presiding officer: no. mr. risch: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, today i rise to speak about the nomination of mike pompeo to be our next secretary of state. by now we have all heard of director pompeo's accomplishments, first in his class at west point, u.s. army officer, graduate of harvard law school, editor of the law review, successful businessman and member of congress. it is rare that a nominee to this position has had so many diverse accomplishments. now, some of my colleagues who are opposed to director pompeo argue that he will not deliver tough messages to the president or outline all of the policy options. they argue that director pompeo is a hawk who would prefer armed conflict to diplomacy. i find these comments disappointing. that has not been my personal experience with director pompeo. in addition, military officers are frequently the last ones to seek a military solution to a foreign policy challenge because they know

the presiding officer: under the previous order, the senate the previous order, the senate outside the capital a rally marking tax day is underway today. members of congress, consumer advocates and union representatives are taking part. >> the idea that when we have massive income and income inequality they want to give tax breaks to billionaires and then cut programs at the middle class, the elderly, the children, the sick and the poor need is morally reprehensible. and you know what? they're not going to get away with that because the american people are catching on. we are going to vote them out in november. we are going to transform, we're going to transform our national priorities. we're going to make this institution start working for the working families of this country, not just the one person. person. thank you all for what you are doing. [cheers and applause] >> thank you, senator sanders. next, we going to hear from representative lloyd doggett. he's from texas and he served in the house since 1995 and is also the ranking member on the house subcommittee on tax policies. ple

he was the first native hawaiian to serve in the senate. his political career started in the u.s. house in 1976. he became a senator in 1990 and served as chair of the veterans affairs committee. in 2012 he delivered his farewell address. this is 15 minutes. i rise givesident, my remarks and my aloha to the united states senate. begin,resident, before i , my good friend, my colleague of 36 years, my oueye,r daniel in hawaii's senior senator, i wish him a speedy recovery and return to the senate. mean madamnt, i president, i rise today to say a loha to this institution. have been honored to be a member of the united states senate for 22 years. it has been an incredible imagined.at i never a high school -- as a senior at a high school for boys that was a noted military school, my life was changed forever when i saw japanese fighter planes attacking pearl harbor. like most men of my generation, i joined the war effort. my path was forever altered. when the war ended, i believe i was suffering from ptsd. thats an active congress allowed me and the veterans of a generation to build succ

this bill will not be taken up on the senate floor. the house will not pass it and the president will not sign it. is topropriate remedy offer a resolution expressing the sense of the senate. i cannot in good conscience sacrifice what justice scalia stated was the single and greatest most important guarantor of our liberties -- i mean the separation of powers because it happens to be politically expedient. i'm not judging the motivation of my colleagues. i cannot do it. believing as i do that it is unconstitutional. i want to reiterate what we all believe, the director mueller should be allowed to complete his work in due course. thank you, mr. chairman. >> you will speak after the vote. >> we will call the roll on final passage. >> no, >> i. >> no >> no >> aye >> no >> aye >> no >> aye >> aye >> aye >> aye >> aye >> aye >> aye >> aye >> aye >> aye >> aye are 14 aye -- >> 2644 will be reported to the floor. i will call on senator leahy. -- i will call on senator leahy. then durbin. is there any other republican who wants to speak? >> th

activists in the democratic base are clearly getting to some of these senators. but there is still time to put country above politics, national security over the next election, and principle poster posturing. i would urge all our colleagues to give this nominee the same treatment that the senate gave secretaries powell, rice, kerry, and clinton, and confirm mr. pompeo as our next secretary of state. call. the senator is recognized. mr. hatch: thank you, mr. president. as president pro tempore of the united states senate, i ask my colleagues to join us in voting swiftly and unanimously in support of mike pompeo's nomination. -- to serve as the next secretary of state. frankly, i am embarrassed by the naked partisanship that was on display during director pompeo's confirmation hearing. the director deserves better than this. that his nomination was nearly sent to the floor without recommendation is an utter disgrace. this is a graduate of west point, a man who served our nation honorably as a cavalry officer in the united states army. this is a talented litigator wh

i served with him for 20 years in the senate. i think he is doing a good job as attorney general and i'm glad the president is keeping him right where he is switching to syria, senator. i remember your colleagues as well. reminder on the republican and democratic side. have you got to be a little careful here. you can't willy-nilly go and bring us into foreign conflicts without any end game or consulting congress do you think the president was justified taking the action did he in syria, first off? >> i did. and eerily similar to what president obama did and what president trump did a year ago. message is if you are going to use chemical weapons in the 21st century against your own people or against anyone for that matter, the rest of the world needs to send you a message. and this was done very cleanly with our allies, the british and the french. >> if he were to do so again, senator, not getting rid of the chemical weapons or whatever, it would be justified again, this measure by senator tim kaine, bob corker to reign that in or

senator tillis? >> thank you, mr. chairman. for the last three years i've been on this committee as a non-attorney, ever every once in a while i wonder whether i wished i'd gone to law school and became an attorney and senator lee's comments make me glad that i didn't because i don't think there's any way i could match him on the arguments. in fact, it sounds like the arguments that may go before the court when equal numbers of people are on either side of the issue. back when i was speaker of the house when we would pass certain bills to try to assert legislative authority versus the executive branch i would have meetings like these in my office where it wasn't clearly decided. i never allowed a bill to advance where i think it was unconstitutional or inconsistent with the state constitution but i think this is an issue that's going to be debated. it may open up what senator lee asserts is a bad law decided by the supreme court but let me tell you the main reason why i have a problem with this amendment aside from the fact that it gut

to the constitutionality. i agree with senator lee. we take an oath to uphold and defend the constitution, no different from the judiciary, and marbury v. madison did not erase or independent obligation to assess the constitutionality and legislation our self. so that's the first reason i will vote against the legislation because it's unconstitutional. secondly, i believe it's unnecessary. the president is not going to fire director mueller i believe because repercussions of doing so would be disastrous for his presidency and for the country. third, this bill will not be taken up on the senate floor. fourth, the house will not pass it. fifth, the president the presit sign it, nor should he. i think it's instructed to go back and look as i have and perhaps many others have at the congressional research service history of the independent counsel, , statutes, and why we ended up with a special counsel that's provided for under department of justice rules. i know others have talked about the supreme court precedent, but i think it's j

it would allow the senate to get to the other work the american people expect the senate to do. today and tomorrow we continue this process of waiting for the votes on the nominee to be secretary of state. prior to recent times it would've been right after the report was out. >> i come to the floor to speak on the pending nomination of mike pompeo to be secretary of state. i had a pose that nomination committee and i will oppose on the floor.

this is the senate finance committee room. there is so much history steeped here and so much history the guy who is the chairman of this committee here. he is a washington institution. and he is with me next. i'm talking orrin hatch. stay with us. you are watching "your world." baby boomers, here's something you should know. there's a serious virus out there that 1 in 30 boomers has, yet most don't even know it. a virus that's been almost forgotten. it's hepatitis c. hep c can hide in the body for years without symptoms. left untreated it can lead to liver damage, even liver cancer. the only way to know if you have hep c is to ask your healthcare provider for the simple blood test. if you have hep c, it can be cured. for us, it's time to get tested. it's the only way to know for sure. where we're changing withs? contemporary make-overs. then, use the ultimate power handshake, the upper hander with a double palm grab. who has the upper hand now? start winning today. book now at lq.com. it's ok that everyone ignores it's fine. dr

barry black, will lead the senate in prayer. the chaplain: let us pray.

the reputation of the senate would have been tarnished were not for the interventions of a few of my colleagues and in particular senator chris coons. he thinks for himself. i wanted to recognize him today and thank him for his leadership. in a display of bipartisanship he switched his vote allowing pompeo to have a -- he did so because isaacson cannot be at the vote because who's delivering a eulogy. this act of bipartisanship reminds me of the senate i used to know. the institution worthy of its name. his well brought us back from a precipice. it was a timely reminder that this body is at its best when we put comedy and respect ahead of bipartisanship. his gesture was a class act, a loyal friend and a true gentleman of the senate. they we all take a cue from the bipartisan display. it was embarrassing to say the least. now, we have a second chance and opportunity to set things right. i urge my colleagues to do what's best for the senate in the nation by voting in favor of his nomination. let's get rid of the total partisanship around here. i think both sides are to blame. not just p

point madeddress the by senator corbin. have we heard to what you want in the judiciary committee, but former senator sessions would not approve. approvalney general's of what we do has nothing to do with our responsibility. we have a responsibility to the constitution and this committee to deal with the issues in a thoughtful way regardless of the opinion of the attorney general. the senate at of judiciary committee will be noted by the republican majority leader, i hope. it is not as if we are overwhelmed with work on the floor of the senate. there is a motion floating around about leasing the senate chamber for event, wedding receptions and memorial services , we use it so seldom. why can't we take up an issue like this when we return? let's have a vote. it would almost be like the united states senate if we had something like that and i hope that senator mcconnell will consider that possibility. i have said this in the past about the senate judiciary committee and its place in history. this is a day that pays tribute to

. >>> next, the cbs news report on senator robert f. kennedy's announcement, challenging sitting president lyndon b. johnson for the 1968 democratic presidential nomination. the announcement and press conference is followed by a cbs interview with minnesota democratic senator eugene mccarthy, who was also running for president. >> the program originally scheduled at this time will not be seen in in order that we may bring you the following special broadcast. the news conference of senator robert f. kennedy live from washington. first from new york, cbs news correspondent roger mudd. >> good morning. we are broadcasting this morning the announcement of democratic senator robert f. kennedy of new york that he will be a candidate for the presidency. you can't find but one in 1,000 who believes he will not make that announcement. the senator is doing so in the face of almost solid opposition from the democratic party professionals and the state chairman of the democratic party in this country, only three state chairmen, new york, oregon and

back then my colleague, the senior senator -- our colleague, the senior senator from virginia said he believed that pompeo would be an effective leader of the central intelligence agency at a time when the agency is facing many challenges. the junior senator from virginia added that pompeo has a keen understanding of the c.i.a.'s role and was knowledgeable about our nation's cyber threats. those seem like pretty nice compliments and prey accurat assessments to me. but now some democrats are saying they oppose pompeo's nomination for the state department and on what ground? is the c.i.a. any less important a job than the state department? to be for director pompeo as director of the central intelligence agency and against him for secretary of state seems to be unreconcilable. some have attempted to justify their opposition saying he is somehow antidiplomacy but that claim is frankly false. we just heard last night of the news of director pompeo's trip to north korea. two democratic senators from connecticut praised the groundwork that was being laid saying they're glad that preparation

to the senate: under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable cindy hyde-smith, a senator from the state of mississippi, to perfom the duties of the chair. signed: orrin g. hatch, president pro tempore. mr. mcconnell: madam president? the presiding officer: majority leader. mr. mcconnell: we all know the grief the opioid crisis produces -- broken families, stolen opportunity, lost loved ones. this epidemic has been especially severe in my moment state of kentucky -- in my home state of kentucky, claiming lives at a record pace. in light of this urgent problem, many a. proud congress is fighting back. we've passed substantial bipartisan legislation to give communities the resources they need. the most recent government funding bill provided billions of dollars of additional support. but the work to end the suffering continues. one of the most heartbreaking facts is the skyrocketing number of infants who are born dependent on opioids. defenseless children start their lives suffering from addiction. that's why in 2015 i sponso

we leave this now taking life to the floor of the senate about to start debate on the judicial nominationand there will be swearing in their new a senator today. she takes the seat left open by mississippi's pat cochran who retired. drop a week more work on nominations. the president pro tempore: the senate will come to order. the chaplain, dr. barry black, will lead the senate in prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. our father, god, as we bow our heads in your presence, may we also lift our hearts to the guidance of your divine providence.

it's characteristic of the senate at its best that a member of the other party. senator coons will almost certainly vote no on the floor but allowing the nomination to proceed for the full consideration by the senate is pretty much in the tradition the way the senate as usually operated. it's a good development. >> bret: you just saw senator paul leave the committee room. obviously had a change of heart after meeting with the president and also meeting with cia director and nominee pompeo. >> well, i think in the case of rand paul, he's idiosyncratic. he is one of a kind. he votes what he considers to be his conscience. in this case however, i think he must've had it in the back of his mind that donald trump is popular in kentucky and that if his vote were the decisive vote and it had the effect of killing the nomination which i don't think would've happened. if it had been, it would've been problematic for him. so he gets treated to a meeting with the president and a meeting with nominate pompeo and he gets some bland assurances from pompeo that he will support t