i'll tell you, i'm one united states senator that ran for office not to become a united states senator, but because we're losing this country. we're bankrupting it. one of the things, when i'm talking around the country, i do make the point that fortunately i don't know of any parent who would willingly max out their credit cards, get in debt way over their heads never intending ever to pay it off, but fully intending to pass it off to the children and grandchildren. i don't know any parent that way, fortunately. but yet collectively as a society, that is exactly what we are doing. frequently in this political town, republicans are accused of waging a war on women. waging a war on immigrants. none of that is true. what washington is doing is we're waging a war on our children. we're mortgaging their future. it's absolutely immoral. americans have got to stop and consider what it is, what we're actually doing to future generations. so i left the dinner with the president tonight -- i think all my colleagues did, i hope the president did, with a pretty strong sense once again that there'

. >> let me say that senator paul was the one vote against the resolution in the united states senate that said we should not allow iran to acquire nuclear weapons. if you're going back to this joke i said -- >> shepard: i didn't mean it as a joke,. >> it was a joke and your saying i wanted to bomb iran and of course i never did. the party of ronald reagan is the party that believes that we should have peace through strength and that's the best way to prevent these things. i'm of the party of ronald reagan and there's been a debate in our party for years and years about whether we should withdraw the fortress america or not. but to say we're interventionists if a mislabeling and absolutely false. we are for a strong america, and we believe that is the best way to prevent war, rather than a weakened military, which many of my colleagues now support, who

i have watched a number of senators come to the united states senate. this senator from new york has done a magnificent job in the sense of the state of israel and the defense of freedom. . we recently had an encounter with the president of egypt i can assure you he will not forget the senator from new york. what is happening in iran is obviously, the centrifuges are spending. the latest effort had conciliation and some kind of agreement with the iranians have -- has failed. it is clear they are on the path to having a nuclear weapon. i do not think it is a question of it is a -- questionof whether -- question of whether. it is a question of when. the iranians are watching what happened in north korea. they just set off another nuclear device. it turned into failure. dan, i know we have a short amount of time. this latest offer on the part of the united states and our allies was doomed to failure. in tehran, it is seen as a weakness because of additional concessions. it is important that in tehran, they understand that in the united states, there isbetwe

so i say to the -- to my colleague, what i want to do is get this bill through the united states senate. working with my colleague, senator shelby, who i know was your ranking member the last years, who is so well versed on the content of the agreement. and that if we could essential essentially -- essentially the ideal thing would have been a regular order where we would have passed our bills before october 1. you could have been on the floor. but now we're in a -- something called a continuing resolution, a continuing funding resolution where the entire federal government is in one package, everybody's trying to parse it and understand it -- and they should. this is not the way to govern. and we shouldn't be threatened with these deadlines and kind of an ultimatum type situation. so we're going to try to make the best we can. the gentleman has made his point and done it robustly. he produced a great bill, along with senator shelby, in terms of coming out of the subcommittee. and then fashioned a -- not only great on content, on policy, on having a sense of getting value for the dollar

in many states and members of the united states senate are more greatly affected by this -- this cut, this elimination than my home state, and in fact this amendment has the sponsorship of 26 republican and democrat cosponsors. more democrat senators here are cosponsors of this amendment than republican, but it's -- it's senators roberts, inhofe, blumenthal, blunt, johanns, kirk, manchin, hagan, klobuchar, baucus, tester, enzi, vitter, wyden, warner, ayotte, shaheen, risch, crapo, murphy, rockefeller and wicker. it doesn't sound very provincial to me. in fact, 42 states will have their air traffic control towers eliminated. this amendment is broadly supported by the aviation industry. if there is an aspect of this that is unique to kansas, it's we manufacture many general aviation aircraft. we are the air capital of the world, but this amendment, while being supported by the aircraft owners and pilots association, by the national business aviation association, by the national air transport association, is also supported by the american association of airport executives and the nationa

they're united states senators. a big bill moving forward cobbled together, several appropriations bills, going to fund the government, and we only have four or five amendments? and serious amendments like senator moran with 28 cosponsors, republicans and democrats, were blocked, couldn't get an amendment. on a relevant issue involving the health and safety of america. so that has put us behind in the schedule. not anything we've done. not a problem on this side. if they had been given amendments, they would have been done in very short order and could have been completed monday or early tuesday. so here we are, we have under the law 50 hours of debate on the budget, 25 to a side, and unlimited number of amendments can be offered. so that's going to take time, as it always did, and i'm sorry that it's getting punched into the weekend. i'd also just say briefly that as time has gone by, i have been more and more convinced of what i believed from the beginning, and that is that this congress is not capable of producing

about anyone else ever talking or speaking or commenting on his votes during his brief run as united states senatorite," the final "rewrite" of scott brown's political future. remember the day after scott brown won ted kennedy's senate seat in a special election, and suddenly the republicans had a new big star and people started talking about scott brown as a possible presidential candidate? >> barack obama, jfk, they started eyeing the white house the day they started the senate. do you think you're presidential -- >> i haven't even been to washington yet. i don't want to say that's a silly question. >> turns out it was a very silly question. not just because scott brown supports a woman's right to choose and therefore could never win a republican presidential primary, but also because as we now know, scott brown was just a guy who got lucky in a special election as he proved in his campaign to hold onto his senate seat against elizabeth warren's challenge. >> professor warren. >> can you imagine 100 professor warrens down there? >> massachusetts voters only had to imagine one professor warren dow

who is the funniest united states senator from minnesota.u cast your vote, you might want to see the video of one of minnesota's senators doing standup comedy this past weekend. that's next. [ female announcer ] feel like you're growing older... waiting to look younger? get younger looking skin fast. with new olay regenerist micro-sculpting cream. with 2 new anti-aging ingredients. visible wrinkle reduction starts day 1. see younger looking skin before you finish one jar. new from olay. i honestly loved smoking, and i honestly didn't think i would ever quit. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. it put me at ease that you could smoke on the first week. [ male announcer ] some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of de

and, of course, you can use this tactic that is unique to the united states senate. you can use it to make good points. or you can use it to make terrible points. the heroic one man against the world filibuster back this the day of course was a favored tool of the segregationist senators from the deep south to slow down civil rights legislation and to try to look like heroes to the south for doing it. looking back at that as a cause is stomach-churning. but at least it was not some no fingerprints no effort anonymous tactic, like how this thing is used today. you actually had to stand out there and say your piece. with the exception of bernie sanders, we do not do it like that anymore. but then today it happened again. at 11:47 a.m., the republican kentucky senator rand paul took the floor of the senate and announced that he would not be leaving the floor of the senate any time soon. >> i yield the floor. >> the senator from kentucky. >> i rise today to begin to filibuster john brennan's nomination for the cia. i will speak until i can no longer speak. i will speak a

the senate is part of the grand messy political compromise it created the united states of america andhat compromise as expressed in the constitution is this. the senate of the united states shall be composed of two senators from each state. that means each state no matter how many people live in it, they get two senators and two senators only. not one, not three, not five. so it's not one person one vote in the senate. it is one state, two votes. but as "the new york times" points out today when we founded the nation the united states was composed of $4 million, not 300 million and the difference between the biggest state and the smallest was 11-1. 11-1. today, the difference between the biggest state and the smallest state between california and between wyoming is 66-1. from 11-1 to 66-1. i want to make this clear how unbelievably ridiculous this will get. the population of connecticut, of iowa, mississippi, arkansas, kansas, idaho, hawaii, maine, new hampshire, north dakota, alaska, vermont and wyoming kind is 38 million people and they have 42 senators. the population of california

there is an ongoing effort to undermine united states' sovereignty. before i was in the senate, i was the solicitor general of texas. we stood up to the world court and to the united nations. [applause] to the president of the united states, who happen to be a republican. i went before the supreme court of the united states and said, no president, republican or democrat, has the authority to give away u.s. sovereignty. [applause] we have seen republicans willing to stand up to republican presidents. my question to you is where were the democrats when rand and the rest of us were standing on the floor on drones? [cheers and applause] need to dothing we is we need to champion growth and opportunity. people are hurting right now. we are in the midst of what i call the great stagnation. of onlyt obama is one two presidents's world war ii to face double-digit unemployment. for the last -- but she post-world war ii to face double-digit unemployment. there was one only time when we have had less than 1% economic growth. 1883.was from 1979 to coming out of jimmy carter and following th

states. to talk further about these important differences and the values between the house and the senate budgets and to talk about its impact on the future of the united states, i'd like to yield seven minutes to my colleague from the state of rhode island, senator whitehouse. the presiding officer: the senator from rhode island. mr. whitehouse: thank you, senator coons. the senate budget resolution that we worked so hard on would first replace the harmful budget sequester whose effects are only beginning to be felt in our communities with balanced deficit reduction. second, it would invest in our crumbling roads, bridges and water infrastructure. our engineers give our infrastructure a d-plus. clearly, we need to make that investment. and it would support continued job creation and economic growth. despite this sensible, balanced approach, not a single republican supported this budget in committee. republicans prefer to raid the programs that the middle class depends on, while protecting the rich and the well connected. a cbs news poll conducted last september shows that 78% of americans favor continuing the current guarantee of medicare coverage for

it is an invitation to the president of united states and the senate democrats to come together to fix these problems. we do not think it is fair to let medicare go bankrupt. it is not fair to take more from hard-working families to spend more in washington. the most important question is not how to budget, but why. it is for the well-being of the american people. balanced budget will help provide economic security we need and help secure retirement for seniors and will help expand opportunities for young people looking for careers and jobs in the stagnant economy. final point -- we want to revive the budget process so we can have regular order. what does that mean? that means let's do our jobs. that means we want to pass a budget in the house. we are pleased the senate is going to pass a budget or lease attempt to pass a budget. that means we are reviving a process that is not in the back room, but shows how we will accomplish these goals. we want to revive this budget process so i the end of the day, we can have a vehicle to get something done. i do not think the president disagrees

. >> the united states senate now back to official business this morning, after very unexpected night13 hour filibuster by a senator protesting the use of drones in the united states and also the nominee to be the director of the cia. scott mcfarland was on captain million hill and he is back with us live this morning. >> reporter: it began at about noon yesterday, ended well after midnight. ran paul stayed on his feet the entire time talking about his concerns that the united states is using drones, about that man, the nominee to be leader of the cia. he also criticized the administration for not handing over enough information about him. >> here is a guy who the president promotes as being transparent, and wanting to give a lot of information to the american people, he won't respond to a united states senator. >> it's possible there will be a vote on the nomination saturday. that information being passed along to us in just the last few minutes. its clear that the senator's filibuster has at least delayed this vote but still his nomination and confirmation don't seem to be in seriou

we're united states senators and its time to get about the people's business.where is the people's business folks? you were elected to do that. buckle down and do your job. >> michael: omaha mayor jim suttle, i wish there were many more voices like yours in washington. we appreciate you being here on "the war room." up next, maybe it's because of his father. maybe it's because of ted cruz but rand paul just seems he should be from texas. weeks laterwell wayne slater from the dallas morning news is and we'll see him after the break. i think that the audience gets that this guy, to the best of his ability, is trying to look out for us. [ male announcer ] it's red lobster's lobsterfest our largest selection of lobster entrees like lobster lover's dream or new grilled lobster and lobster tacos. come in now and sea food differently. visit redlobster.com now for an exclusive $10 coupon on two lobsterfest entrees. they think this world isn't big enough for the both of them. but we assure you - it is. bites. little greatness. >> michael: welcome back to the war room. t

process of law, i would suggest it is integral to the oath of office of every member of the united states senate and every member of the united states house of representatives to stand up and say, mr. president, respectfully, no, you may not. the constitution gives you no such power, and each of us on entering office, in my case just a few weeks ago standing on those steps, the vice president asked me to raise my hand and take an oath to honor and defend the constitution. every member of this body took that oath. and it is our responsibility, especially when one branch of the government is overreaching, is usurping power that the constitution forbids him and that is threatening to the liberty of the people, it is the responsibility of all of us to stand up and resist that. you know, one of my all-time heroes, ayn rand in "atlas shrugged" how the parasitical class would put into place arbitrary power. standardless rules, precisely so, the productive citizens in the private sector would have to come on bended knee to those in government seeking special dispensation, seeking special favor because t

>> i think what we have to look at is what's at stake here and that's control of the united states senatei think that it's extremely important in the framework of this country to move us in the direction i'd like to see us go is to get control of the united states senate. and west virginia is considered one of the primary opportunities. i'm glad to be right there at the center of it, and i think i can be successful with it. groups coming in are really less important to me than my work ethic and my ability to communicate where i can go. >> do you sometimes think electability should trump ideology. >> i think people want to know that they can trust you, that understand their problems, and so electability is extremely important. >> all right. from west virginia, and your father, i believe, was governor back in the day of west virginia. thanks for coming on. >> sure. thanks. >> you're looking at some live pictures here of the apac conference going on. vice president biden brought down the house yesterday with a new warning to rather than, and moment ago secretary of state john kerry spoke to

is unconstitutional in our view for the death of united states senator -- united states senate -- a united states citizen in the united states by military action, this is the opportune moment because of the pending confirmation of the nomination of the head of the central intelligence agency. and so while today's order of business really is an administrative appointment, is this issue not so important that we need to utilize this moment, this time in the united states senate to make certain that that question is answered in a way that makes clear not only for today and for the current occupant of the c.i.a. and its administration, but for all future americans, all future c.i.a.'s, all future military leaders that it is clear that in the united states american citizens cannot be killed without due process of law. mr. paul: mr. president, i think it's a good point. i think it's also a point to be made that that would be also one resolution to this impasse would be to have a resolution come forward from the senate saying exactly that, that our understanding is -- and this has been some

once said the jewy lobby intimidate dates a lot people and i'm not an israeli senator i'm a united states senator. clearly this man doesn't understand that when it comes to israel, there are certain things you can't say. for instance, implying that there are certain things you can't say. which there aren't. you can say anything you want about israel, which i would, if there was anything to say. but there isn't. so there's nothing to be said. how dare hagel say it. now the administration's gonna make a big dilly-o about the fact that while he's over there, obama is going to get israel's highest civilian honor, the "presidential medal of distinction." but it's not that great, once you eat the chocolate. [laughter] and i'm not the only one who's suspicious of obama's committment to israel. so is the prime minister benjamin netanyahu. during the 2012 campaign, netanyahu all but endorsed obama's opponent-- what is your name? [cheers and applause] i know this. i know this. i know this. don't tell me. matz latke? bris schmaltzy? putz schmuckney? what, whatever. jim? >> prime minister netanyahu pretty mu

if god forbid a background checks bill, supported by 90% of americans fails in the united states senatee going to be ramifications and i would argue that if we can't get a bill passed, an amendment passed in the senate that gets these high capacity ammunition clips off the streets there's going to be ramifications for that as well. i doesn't flow why people here don't see it. admittedly it is largely republicans but there are going to be consequences at the ballot box. >> to that end, let's talk about fund-raising numbers which are showing right now the nra having its best month in a decade. look at this. 1.1 million in january. the intensity in this debate may be on the nra's side. do you think gun control advocates are starting to lose this debate, shockingly so, in the wake of newtown? >> absolutely not. if you look at the polls, they haven't moved. they haven't moved on assault weapons, 50, 60% of americans support getting assault weapons off the streets. and the fact is the nra just isn't the political force that they once were. in 2012 they put money into 16 senate elections and t

united states? >> mr. chairman -- >> do they need a bazooka? >> senator feinstein later apologized for her response saying that senator cruz had made her angry. the committee later approved the assault weapons ban though it is unlikely to get the votes needed to pass in the full senate. >>> elsewhere in the united states senate john mccain today marked the 40th anniversary of his release from a prison in vietnam where he had spent five and a half years as a p.o.w. in a place they called the hanoi hilton. mccain and 107 others were released march 14 of 1973. the former republican presidential nominee was tortured repeatedly after being shot down as a naval aviator captured by the north vietnamese in october of '67. on the senator floor today his colleague mitch mcconnell paid tribute to the former naval aviator and thanked him for his continued service. >>> you may have heard the headline from a new study on breast cancer making the rounds today. the news from it was scary. radiation therapy to treat cancer may lead to an increased risk in heart disease. b

president, to serve in the united states senate with a man -- excuse me. of america's great all-time basketball players. i, of course, being this -- always wanting to be the athlete that he was. i have admired him so much and enjoyed my friendship with him. but he came out today, this rhodes scholar, this brilliant man, saying we need to eliminate $1 trillion in taxes that are unfair and unnecessary. he said that. in addition to that, mr. president, our budget also makes nearly $1 trillion in responsible spending cuts across the federal budget. meaningful deficit reduction includes shared sacrifice, including contributions from the wealthiest among us. if you own a profitable corporation that shifts jobs to china, mr. president, or to india, democrats in congress can't stop you. go ahead. you can ship them. but we can keep you from getting the tax break for outsourcing, and that's what we want to do. if you're successful enough to own a second home or a yacht, more power to you, that's wonderful. that's an american success story. but democrats in congress

we ended up looking at a united states senate where we had 20 women now in the united states senate, representatives, and we know we've got a lot more work to do but we're getting there. >> mike barnicle. >> does emily's list select candidates? obviously there's a litmus test? >> we only support democratic pro-choice women. and then we look at what's going on in the state and the dynamics of the situation before we put a full-throated endorsement behind somebody. >> have you had any races where another woman is opposing another woman for the same office? >> we have, we have. sadly, it doesn't happen as nearly as often as it should, because it seems to be always the case with the men. but we are seeing that more and more and in some situations we stay out. if it's a democratic primary and there's two women, sometimes we stay out. we continue to run against republican women because we are democrats and we believe we have to keep growing those democratic numbers in congress as well. >> have you ever felt tempted to get involved and help a pro-choice republican woman when there's no bett

everybody that i talk to, and i'm not in that room not having been elected to the united states senateutely serious and in earnest and wants to reach a deal. and i think we will. but if we can get senator coburn, and i very much hope we can, it will only be because of one very small issue that in our view is a nonissue. that's the question of whether we should continue doing what we've been doing for 40 years, which is when you go to a licensed dealer, you pass your background check. the dealer keeps a record of that purchase for 20 years so that if that gun ever ends up at a crime scene, law enforcement can trace it back to the point where it entered criminal hands. he doesn't want to extend that record keeping obligation. if you extend the background check requirement to adithsal sales. we just don't think it makes any sense and law enforcement really feels that they need those records to stop criminals and find criminals who have used guns in their crimes. >> they do, indeed. mark glaze, thank you so much for joining us. >> thank you. >> and we'll be right back. and you want to buy

today we've the youngest senator in the united states, senator brian shots from hawaii was in the lobby and we had a chance to give him a tour of our port. i have met ambassadors and senators. i don't know what's next. that's it for my report. thank you for your time. >> i think commissioner adams were you going to say an n a few words? >> first of all i want to thank peter and jim. it's really a world class trip that we took. we were treated like heads of states and really with the port of san francisco we owned the world stage and i really think we lived up to the billing. the port of shanghai is the largest port in the world. shanghai is a city with it's own twist and twang. just buildings everywhere. we met with the union there, they are the largest union. we went to a great bulk facility. i can see it happening here in the port of san francisco as wii we bring in steel, lumber. it was really good and i think with the hard work. another thing about the port of shanghai is they are getting big into the cruising industry. they are getting up to 250,000 passengers and in 3 years they h

. >> she's seriously considering a race for the united states senate. >> reporter: sources tell abc news judd, a loyal obama supporter and international humanitarian, is eager to take her activism to a new level, challenging one of the country's most powerful senators. in the reliably red state of kentucky. >> i actually can wear the t-shirt that says, i do my own stunts. >> reporter: stunt or not, republicans say they'll take a judd candidacy in stride. >> the left is fully engaged down here in kentucky. they would love to take down the republican leader of the senate. we'll be ready for them. >> reporter: if she does run, she'll have advantages. name recognition, plenty of cash, and a reputation as a die hard university of kentucky basketball fan. >> in a celebrity-driven culture, a celebrity can occasionally eclipse a lifetime legislator. >> reporter: her views on the coal sfri, major kentucky employer, could hurt her. ads point out a potentially bigger hurdle. judd doesn't even live in the state she wants to represent. >> and it just clicked, tennessee is home. and it just clicked --

to use the filibuster to tie up the senate and make it impossible for majority rule in the united states senateon't have majority rule in the united states senate, you will never get anything over to the house that will force john boehner to put it on the floor and let the democrats and a few reasonable republicans pass it. that's what happened with the violence against women law, and that's what is going to have to happen on all this budget stuff. it is not going to be done with john boehner having full control of his own caucus. >> yeah. >> he has to get it out of the senate. and mitch isn't going to let him. >> congresswoman moore, is the president going the extra mile tonight? can he make any gains behind closed doors? >> i have to tell you, i think the president is taking advantage of the fact that he has seen that there are factions within the republican party. no longer are they sticking together like glue. and they have a lot of different priorities. and so i think that it's important for him to reach out to them. some are interested in his deficit-cutting strategies, looking at cutting

. >> shepard: a live look on the floor of the united states senator with a rand paul filibuster continuesbinet nomination and specifically about the rules for droning. who can be droned, when and where. now this memo indicating that there is some belief somehow some way that the government can decide if it's okay to drone an american citizen, to shoot an american citizen on american soil. as other worldly as it might sound that's what they are saying. person speaking now not rand paul but paul widen, interestingly a democrat in the state of oregon joining from the filibuster. none to happy himself about this droning memo. why are they doing it this way? why not do the auto filibuster as they have been doing for years? why stand up there and talk and talk? they want to draw attention to this. clearly it's working and another big story we are following coming from wall street this afternoon. look at the dow. it's up again. and the bells should ring right now. we're in a whole new record territory. good day to look at your 401(k). i'm shepard smith. now "your world." >> neil: let it snow and

a majority of the united states senate in fact adopted a plan that i talked about. we should get a chance to do the same thing. mr. cole: well, reclaiming my time. i'd be happy if the united states senate decided to operate collectively instead of individually. i didn't write their rules. we sent a lot of our friends over there and neither of them seem to be willing to sit down and change the rules to make them a more functional body. but i'm glad we moved a discussion to where we both agree away from our adversaryial discussion -- adversarial discussion. to senator reid and senator mcconnell, i think they'll produce a product to make sure that something will happen that shouldn't happen. i don't think the president wants the government to shut down. i don't think our friends in the senate want it to shut down. this is actually a pretty good day. it may not be a perfect bill from my friend's standpoint. it may not be a perfect bill from some on my side's standpoint. mr. andrews: if the gentleman will yield? mr. cole: i will in a moment. we will leave open an avenue o

. >>> okay, the united states senate, an image problem, and a yacht club. guess how these things fit together. that story is next. >>> as of today, we have an all but official lineup for the senate election in massachusetts to fill john kerry's seat. today was the deadline for certifying signatures for candidates who are trying to get on the ballot. now, on the democratic side, congressman ed markey and congressman stephen lynch both got their signatures certified and turned into today. congressman markey is still considered to be the favorite. the more conservative congressman lynch was really hoping to cut into that perceived advantage by getting the afl-cio to endorse him. but that did not happen. he did not get enough votes from the executive board of the afl-cio. so stephen lynch's hopes have been dashed, and the biggest labor group in the state is not going to endorse anybody in the democratic primary. so that means practically that ed markey is more favored than ever in the democratic primary. that's the democratic side. on the republican side, three

paul and i agree that this nomination, also provides a very important opportunity for the united states senateo consider the government's rules and policies on the targeted killings of americans. the executive branch should not be allowed to conduct such a serious and far-reaching program by themselves without any scrutiny, because that's not how american democracy works. >> the issue was reignited this week when attorney general eric holder ruled out the possibility of drone strikes on americans. he testified before the senate judiciary committee. >> does the constitution allow a u.s. citizen on u.s. soil who doesn't pose an imminent threat to be killed by the u.s. government? >> i do not believe that -- again, you have to look at all of the facts. the facts that you have given me, i would not think in that situation a use of the drone or a lethal force would be appropriate. >> general holder, i find it remarkable that in that hypothetical which is deliber e deliberately very simple, you're unable to give a one-word answer, no. >> not everyone shares senator paul's position. an editorial read

the clerk: senate resolution 76 designating room s-126 of the united states capitol as the senator daniel k. inouye room in recognition of the service to the senate and the people of the united states. the presiding officer: is there objection to proceeding to the measure? without objection. mr. reid: i further ask the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid on the table, there be no intervening veengs. the presiding officer: without objection -- no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: i understand there is a bill at the desk due for the firps reading. the presiding officer: the senator is correct. the clerk: s. 558 to prohibit the administrator of the environmental protection agency from awarding any grant, contract, cooperative agreement or other financing assistance under section 103 of the clean air act for any program, project or activity outside the united states. mr. reid: i ask for the second reading in order to provide the bill on the calendar under the provision of rule 14 but i object to m

does the united states government have the right to target an american here in america with a drone strike? we have a great person to address that question. senatorianne feinstein, chair of the united states senate committee on intelligence. anyway, late this afternoon before we get started, john brennan was confirmed to be the next head of the cia, the final vote was pretty strong, 63-34. brennan's nomination reig nated debate about the use of drones against american citizens overseas. and then senator rand paul added a wrinkle. he wanted to know can the government kill americans here on u.s. soil? last night he staged an epic nearly 13-hour filibuster on the senate floor to raise alarms about the possibility. earlier this week attorney general eric holder wrote that paul's seen care yo was entirely hypothetical, would only be possible under extraordinary circumstances. such as after pearl harbor or 9/11 attacks. that did not satisfy senator paul. let's take a look. >> very specific question we're asking is, does the president believe he has the authority to kill americans who are not engaged in combat in america with targeted drone strikes and

floor today to talk about the important budget debate that we'll have this week here in the united states senate. and we hope to get on that soon. we're disposing of some of last year's budget work before that, but i think this is really kind of an important moment for the united states senate because it's been four years since we did this. 2009 was the last time that the united states senate acted on a budget, and during the time in which -- the time that's elapsed, we have added $6 trillion to our national debt, so i would like to think that as we get into this budget debate, with we could do something about that. unfortunately, the budget that is going to be put before us by the senate democrats doesn't do anything to address the debt. i think the reason perhaps that we are finally doing a budget here is because there was a no budget, no pay act passed earlier this year which required that a budget be passed. it was moved by the house of representatives at least and it drew attention to the fact that the senate hadn't for four years done a budget and suggested that perhaps before the senate s

since 2010, we fell into this four-year pattern of not even having a budget debate in the united states senate. even though the law requires that the senate adopt a budget every year. finally, getting back to abiding by the law. coordination provided the means, then, between the budget and finance committee that allowed the finance committee to realistically address the demands of the tax, trade, health and welfare policies that were intended by a budget resolution. now, this usually happened in a bipartisan way, but this year is different. this budget resolution does not realistically address the needs or the capabilities of the finance committee. and by "capabilities," i don't mean that it's -- it's not there to get done and people willing to do it but the possibility of doing it is very remote based upon the unrealistic assumptions in this document. despite claims to the contrary, this budget is not balanced unless you believe balance is more of the same fiscal behavior of the last four years of the senate democratic leadership and fiscal policy. gher taxes, higher spending and yet higher d

senator feinstein has tremendous courage, as well as being one of the sharpest intellects in the united states senatee vast majority of her colleagues know that. cruz is a newbie. perhaps he doesn't realize the kind, the level of respect that has been earned from senator feinstein's colleagues. but to do that, what it did was really to marginalize senator cruz. now, clearly he's trying to stake out a political position to the right of the republican party and it keeps getting more and more difficult as every republican seems to kowtow to the nra with very few exceptions. but, you know, at some point, he keeps trying to get to the further and further to the right, he's just going to fall off the cliff in terms of rationality. >> just a final question, sir. this week the president has made extensive attempts to reach out to republicans, to try and reach some kind of agreement on a grand bargain of some kind. have you been disappointed by what you've seen at places like cpac which seems to suggest that there's just no willingness whatsoever to compromise at all? >> no, they really are there to make sure