god bless the united states senate, and god bless the united states of america. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from maryland. mr. cardin: mr. president, yesterday, i had an opportunity on the floor to talk about senator mikulski, but i just want to take one minute because i know a lot of my colleagues here want to speak, to thank her on behalf of the people of maryland. mr. president, yesterday, i was at the inauguration with senator mikulski of katherine pugh, our new mayor of baltimore city, and as is the tradition on programs, the senior senator speaks and then the junior senator speaks, so i had the opportunity to speak after the dynamic remarks of senator mikulski. that's been a burden that i've had now for ten years, so as i pointed out to the people of maryland, we are losing one of the great giants and advocates for our state, and that's going to be a great loss. the only benefit i can see is that i will not have to follow senator mikulski on the program in the future. we are living part of a legacy, and we know that, and we know that what

it's really been a pleasure to serve with him in the united states senate. this is an incredible place to serve and senator reid has certainly made this senator's life in the united states senate much more enjoyable and productive. with that, mr. president, i would suggest the absence of a quorum. i ask my entire statement be made in the record. the presiding officer: without objection. the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: mr. cornyn: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from texas. mr. cornyn: mr. president, are we in a quorum call? the presiding officer: we are. mr. cornyn: i would ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be rescinded. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. cornyn: we moved the defense authorization bill across the finish line. this authorizatio legislation a- encounter the i've involving threats emanating around the world. the defense authorization bill will also give our men and women in the uniform the most up to date weaponry and the other equipment they need including advanced aircraft, ships, and ground veh

, won election to the united states senate and was reelected in my home state of ohio and i served with him during part of his time. i was in the house, he worked in the senate, he was on the same committee as my colleague from delaware, both have chaired it, government affairs committee, he loved the government. one of his big issues with stopping unfunded federal mandates. i was the sponsor on the republican side, he was democrat sponsor, we were in the rose garden for a ceremony. he was tenacious was an issue not all democrats agreed with him on but he did it in the name of good government. we worked on other project that his focus was always on his state, the people he represented and how to make their lives better. after his senate career he started a new project, public affairs at ohio state university. i had the honor of teaching there before running to the senate. i was a co-teacher of four different courses and got to know john glenn in a different way. he asked me to join the advisory board. i am still on the advisory board, we elevated the school to a college. this was j

god bless the united states senate, and god bless the united states of america. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from maryland. mr. cardin: mr. president, yesterday, i had an opportunity on the floor to talk about senator mikulski, but i just want to take one minute because i know a lot of my colleagues here want to speak, to thank her on behalf of the people of maryland. mr. president, yesterday, i was at the inauguration with senator mikulski of katherine pugh, our new mayor of baltimore city, and as is the tradition on programs, the senior senator speaks and then the junior senator speaks, so i had the opportunity to speak after the dynamic remarks of senator mikulski. that's been a burden that i've had now for ten years, so as i pointed out to the people of maryland, we are losing one of the great giants and advocates for our state, and that's going to be a great loss. the only benefit i can see is that i will not have to follow senator mikulski on the program in the future. we are living part of a legacy, and we know that, and we know that what

joe biden served six terms in the united states senate and became vice president of the united states. but he is exactly the same person today as he was more than 40 years ago when he took that first train trip from wilmington to washington to be sworn in as a united states senator. he is everybody's friend but nobody's fool, and while joe biden changed washington, washington never changed him. it is an article of faith among those of us who know and love joe biden that nothing is more important to him than family. it is therefore irony that this good and decent man has faced so many family tragedies during his long and fruitful career in public service. although he has been sorely tested by several wrenching losses, vice president biden's irrepressible spirit has never been broken. he is as optimistic about his country today as he was in 1972 when, as a county councilman, he defeated a long-serving senate incumbent and began the journey that ultimately led him to the second highest office in the land. and with his cancer moonshot initiative, joe biden once again has turned personal t

she brought that fearlessness to the united states senate. that fearlessness made her the first woman to serve as chair of the appropriations committee of the united states senate. it doesn't get more important than that in setting policy and determining impact on people's lives in our country. priorityizing interests the american people in every funding decision. that fearlessness was on display when she helped bring us closer to the lilly ledbetter fair pay act of 2009, to equal pay for equal work, to make it closer to equal pay for equal work than it's ever been before. oh, and she fought for health care, and i was proud to join senator mikulski in making sure that women can receive preventative care without a co-pay. she led us to make sure that women were truly represented, our needs in health care reform, and that will continue to impact all of the lives of women across the country. or when she turned her eyes to the stars wondering what was up there and made sure that the goddard space center was a leader in exploring the unknown, and l

joe biden served six terms in the united states senate and became vice president of the united states. but he is exactly the same person today as he was more than 40 years ago when he took that first train trip from wilmington to washington to be sworn in as a united states senator. he is everybody's friend but nobody's fool, and while joe biden changed washington, washington never changed him. it is an article of faith among those of us who know and love joe biden that nothing is more important to him than family. it is therefore irony that this good and decent man has faced so many family tragedies during his long and fruitful career in public service. although he has been sorely tested by several wrenching losses, vice president biden's irrepressible spirit has never been broken. he is as optimistic about his country today as he was in 1972 when, as a county councilman, he defeated a long-serving senate incumbent and began the journey that ultimately led him to the second highest office in the land. and with his cancer moonshot initiative, joe biden once again has turned personal t

for the first time in the history of the united states senate, for the first time in the history of the united states senate the republican majority refused to give merrick garland, the president's nominee, a hearing or a vote. it has never -- underline that word -- never happened before. so we hear the plea from the senator from texas for cooperation. we've got to get along here. well, we should. we owe it to the country. but, for goodness sakes, let's be honest about where we stand. there are dozens of names here of men and women, highly qualified to serve this nation, who went through the process of being nominated by the administration, of being approved by republican-majority committees who have been languishing on the floor of the united states senate because of the refusal of the republican leadership. and judge merrick garland, who was judged highly qualified to serve on the supreme court by the bar association, never even got a hearing before this republican-controlled senate. in fact, the leader of this senate and many others said, we will not even meet with him; we won't disc

one of the great pleasures of my life is serving in the united states senate and the friends i've madea new senator boxer when she was congresswoman boxer and i knew her incredible talent that we became buddies in the united states senate. people from california have been blessed to have an incredible advocate on their behalf on so many issues. the global community has been blessed. their summary things we can talk about with senator boxer and environmental issues. what you have done around the world is just incredible. in afghanistan you have made a huge difference in the lives of so many young children. i really wanted to know how much we all appreciate what you have done. this is a family and we are very proud of our sisters so congratulations for your incredible career. >> thank you so much. i just want to say you know this is such an honor to have this resolution. good lord it so special that you got this done. no one said i signed the protest, that was good. we have worked so well together and sometimes we have flocked, once in a while not that often but i can truly say every mem

united states. through his presidential theaign, and his work in united states senate, he was a person who represented the interests of the west to the general population and presented a new idea of what the west could be. the first material we will look at today is this lovely handwritten ledger which presents the first minutes of the arizona territorial normal school. father was thes first president of the territorial school. you can see his signature at the bottom of the first minutes of the normal school on july of 1885. so being a leading citizen he saw the great opportunity to bring a great educational institution to tempe. normalhen, attended the and went on to stanford university. u.s.came our first 1912 thentive in became an important member of the united states senate. i have selected some materials from the haden papers -- hayden papers. this file has to do with highway construction and planning. we can see it is a fairly typical file containing publications about the topic he is working on. , andve draft legislation correspondence from constituents. this letter going back to the secretary

i'm proud to have fought with richard in the fox hole of the united states senate for our veterans. there is much left to be done. with the passage of this act today which is named after senator blumenthal and congressman jeff miller who is retiring in the house, we're making another downpayment on what we owe our veterans. there other other payments soon to come. i met earlier today with john mccain. we've made a commitment to make sure veterans choice is made permanent to our veterans and work to see to it that veterans have the best choice they can have. not to privatize the v.a. but optimize the exposure of veterans to health care services wherever they need them. i met last night with jon tester, our colleague from montana, who will replace richard as the new ranking member on the committee. he is equally committed with us to see to it that we move beyond the current sunset of the choice program to solve the choice program as well as the other problems that confront our veterans. we're a team of americans, not republican americans or democratic americans but committed americans

joe biden served six terms in the united states senate and became vice president of the united statesy the same person today as he was more than 40 years ago when he took that first train trip from wilmington to washington to be sworn in as a united states senator. he is everybody's friend but nobody's fool, and while joe biden changed washington, washington never changed him. it is an article of faith among those of us who know and love joe biden that nothing is more important to him than family. it is therefore irony that this good and decent man has faced so many family tragedies during his long and fruitful career in public service. although he has been sorely tested by several wrenching losses, vice president biden's irrepressible spirit has never been broken. he is as optimistic about his country today as he was in 1972 when, as a county councilman, he defeated a long-serving senate incumbent and began the journey that ultimately led him to the second highest office in the land. and with his cancer moonshot initiative, joe biden once again has turned personal tragedy into a publ

and i must say that by that measure, she is a very towering figure in the united states senate and the history of the united states, and i thank her. finally our leader, harry reid. much has been said about harry today. i will not go over the extraordinary tale of a young man from searchlight, nevada. he's been many things: a boxer, a capitol police officer while he was working his way through law school. he has always been a fighter and a fighter for those that need help. not for the powerful but for the powerless, people without power. for those without voice, he has given them a voice. i've always appreciated his counsel, his guidance and his support that was important to my p constituents but important to all americans. and we've worked on numerous pieces of legislation together to address the housing crisis, extend unemployment insurance, to make college more affordable, to improve mental health services. as he said today in his remarks, one of the achievements is to be able to give health care protection to millions of americans that didn't have it. and if it's taken away, will n

i did not think that i would be a united states senator then. i was going to pass my bar exam and go back to vermont, which did i -- to practice law. vermont was home, is home, and continues to be home. what i hear from vermonters every day is, it's about time -- it's about time we changed that policy. so as the castro era ends, our policy today is focused on the next generation of could you bangs -- cuban entrepreneurs, activities, students, and leaders. the they are cuba's future. we should endeavor to engage with them in every way we can. i met with some of them as did a bipartisan group of house and senate members earlier this week. bright young people who are starting their own businesses. what a refreshing attitude they had toward life. will it change overnight, madam president? no. but it's changed considerably from what it was from over 50 years ago. i'd like to think that my children and my grandchildren see a different world than this young law student saw back then. so, madam president, i'm going to yield the floor, but before i do, i

that's the kind of leadership i intend to provide as president of the united states. >> senator clintonthat's a clear swipe at you. >> really? >> i've come to speak to you about how the war in iraq will end. >> less than six wee after he was inaugurated, he told the troops his plans for withdrawal. >> i intend to remove all u.s. troops from iraq by the end of 2011. god bless the united states of america. semper fi. >> president obama not only wanted to get america out of iraq -- >> thank you, sir. >> -- he wanted america to learn from the war and rethink its role as a global superpower.

is it senator, what message would you like for us to take back to her students about the united states senate and the future of our country? >> guest: i think the senate has been the indispensable legislative body because that is the place where things are sorted out. the place were only rarely does the majority good things exactly their own way. the place where stability can occur. most people don't think that in an area in which everybody wants instant gratification, if if you're looking for instant gratification or perfection, the senate would not be a good place for you. >> and at a time when many americans are not optimistic about our country's future, what, what would you want those teachers to tell their students about their future in this country? >> guest: i think because of our ignorance of american history we always think the current time where in is tougher than others, we have had nothing like the civil war time we've never had a single incidence were a senator almost spee-02.the senator from massachusetts. america has massachusetts. america has had tough challenges, world wars,

senator, what message would you like for us to take back to our students about the united states senate and the future of our country? >> guest: well, think the senate has been the inin -- a place where only rarely does the majority get things exactly their own way. the place where stability can occur. and most people obviously don't think that. in an era in which everybody wants instant gratification, if you're looking for instant gratification, or perfection, the senate would not be a good place for you. >> host: and at a time when many americans are not optimistic about our country's future, what would you want those team teachers to tell their students about their future in this country. >> guest: well, look, i think because of our woefulling nose orr american history we always think the current time we're in is tougher than the others. we have had nothing like the civil war period. not a singlele incidence where a congressman from south carolina came over and almost beat to death a senator from massachusetts. america has had plenty of tough challenges, world wars, depressions, this

united states. through his presidential campaign and his work in the united states senate, he was a person who represented the interests of the west to the general population and presented a new idea what the west could be. the first material we will look at today is this lovely handwritten ledger which presents the first minutes of the arizona territorial normal school. -- senatorden foss hayden's father was the first president of the territorial normal school and you can see firstgnature here at the normal school in 1885. being the leading citizen in the town, he saw a great opportunity to bring the institution to tempe. school,ended the normal graduated in 1896 and went to stanford university. we mentioned he became our first u.s. representative from arizona and became an important member of the united states senate. i have selected some materials from the hayden papers. to doarticular file has with highway construction and planning. we can see it's a fairly typical file containing publications about the topic he is working on. andave draft legislation correspondence from constituents. to they going ba

some of them are harry reid, the current democratic leader in the united states senate. the new democratic leader in the united states senate, chuck schumer is strongly on board. as our senators elizabeth warren, martin heinrich, tommy -- and al franken and chris murphy and tammy duckworth. i want to thank all of them. many many colleagues of keith in the house, john conyers, maxine waters, many others who are supporting keith. too many to name it i want to thank them also. i also want to thank mayor bill de blasio of new york who today came on board keeps campaign. thank you very much, mayor deblasio. i furthermore want to thank the ndi and president ra weingarten for using their livestream. thank you. are over.ank yous what we are doing tonight is not sexy, and it is not going to make the headlines in the newspapers all over the country. but it is unprecedented for the democratic party and for the long-term future of our country and it is of enormous consequence. at a time of low voter turnout am a other time as you all know, when millions of americans are demoralized p

and it's despicable, and that's beneath the dignity of us here in the united states senate. to be honest, these tactics are really not about senator sessions at all but about the power of those who are using these tactics. they have to mark their territory, flex their muscle, and show that they are still a force to be reckoned with. if such things as fairness, integrity, truth, or decency have to be sacrificed in that power struggle, so be it, i guess. i hope my colleagues not only will resist these tactics but that they will join me in exposing and rejecting them. they degrade the senate, they mislead our fellow citizens, and they quor road our democrats -- corrode our democracy. let us stay focused on our people here, which is to evaluate whether the president-elect's nominee is qualified. we n -- we know that he is. we no he that he is superbly qualified and will be a strong and principled leader for the justice department. in closing, i want to groat that letter by -- i want to quote from that letter by bipartisan drug policy officials. they say this about senator session

some of them are harry reid, the current democratic leader in the united states senate. the new democratic leader in the united states senate, chuck schumer is strongly on board. s our senators elizabeth warren, martin heinrich, tammy baldwin, al franken and chris murphy and tammy duckworth. i want to thank all of them. and there are many, many colleagues of keith in the house, john conyers, maxine waters, elijah cummings, many, many others who are supporting keith. too many to name but i want to thank them also. i also want to thank mayor bill de blasio of new york who today came on board keith's campaign. thank you very much, mayor deblasio. i furthermore want to thank the afp and president randi weingarten for using their livestream throughout the country. randi, thank you very much. [applause] nator sanders: now the thank yous are over. we have to be polite. what we are doing tonight is not sexy, and it is not going to make the headlines in the newspapers all over the country. but it is unprecedented for the democratic party and for the long-term future of our country

the chair nominates robert bozzuto to deliver these documents to the president of the united states senate in accordance with the resolution. the package will be open with the other 49 states, the district of columbia on friday, january 6, 2017, in a joint session of the united states senate and united states house of representatives for the purpose of determining the national electoral vote for the president and vice president of the united states. in addition, the signed documents must be distributed for the purpose of maintaining the public record. the chair recognizes the honorable richard stewart of cumberland county with the purposes of offering a resolution. >> thank you, mr. president. resolved that the president or -- onee elect elector to take charge and ensure two packages of all legally required documents are directed to the secretary of the commonwealth of pennsylvania, one of which will be held subject to the order of the president of the senate of the united states, the other to be preserved by the secretary for one year and shall be a part of the public records of his offic

as required by law, copies of today's certified vote will be sent to the president of the united states senate and the national archives and chief federal judge for this district. my office will also maintain additional copies of the certification of the vote for public inspection. in order for this business to proceed, i would like to have the rollcall. each elector shall respond by -- "present."nt." [roll call] [roll call] >> the chair declares there are 18 of the 20 electors for president and vice president are in attendance. electors carrie austin and john daly are unable to attend today's proceedings. in accordance with the provision of the illinois compiled statutes, the remaining presidential electors must elect a replacement to the vacant seats. in accordance with the statute, i hear a motion to nominate a replacement elector. >> thank you, secretary white, mr. chairman. i nominate patrick daley thompson to serve as an elector to serve in place of carrie austin. to tolliam a. brant, jr., serve in place of john daly. >> patrick daley thompson has been nominated to serve in place of carr

house and the united states senate. barbara mikulski, first woman to ever serve as head of the powerful senate appropriations committee. but barbara, very self-deprecating, has often said she's never been interested in simply being the first. she wants to be the first of many. and she has been. when maryland voters sent barbara mikulski to the senate in 1986, there were two women in the entire body: nancy landon kassebaum of kansas, a republican. barbara mikulski of maryland a democrat. it two women in this chamber out of 100 senators. today there are 20 women senators and after they're sworn in january 3, there will be 21. great progress but not nearly enough by barbara mikulski's standards. senator mikulski also had the brainchild of making sure that the women in the senate became an even more powerful force. her bipartisan women senators-only dinners were a rare display of bipartisanship in an institution too often divided. the discoveries of common cause, common trust, common purpose resulting from those dinners hav

[applause] >> john sidney mccain the third, the senior united states senator from the great state of arizona. senator mccain all of his father and grandfather, both four-star admirals and world war ii veterans into the united states navy graduating from the united in hees naval academy 1958. became a naval aviator, flying ground attack aircraft from aircraft carriers. during the vietnam war he was , almost killed in the 1967 forest hill fire. on a bombing mission he was shot , down and seriously injured and captured by the north vietnamese . he was a prisoner of war until 1973, having refused a added sequence early repatriation offer. he retired from the u.s. navy as a captain in 1981. elected to the u.s. house of representatives in 1982, senator mccain served two terms and then he was first elected in the united states senate in 1986. winning reelection easily five 2016. most recently in congratulations, sir. how appropriate is it to have this great american hero, statesmen, and patriot here today at the national world war ii memorial to commemorate pearl harbor remembrance day. ladi

i lead a little group in the united states senate. this goes back to the time john beau ton was the ambassador to the united nations from the united states. every time, most of the time, the u.n. comes out with something that is not in the best interest of the united states, we would sent a communications up and john beau ton would take it to him saying we in the united states are going to withhold our funding of the united nations. this infewer yaturiates them. they don't like to be accountable to anyone. what was their plan. come with their only source of funding. that source of funding, all in detail in the last chapter in my book. you need to look at that. that's a thing people don't really understand. so they came up with this thing. if they are able to come up with a co2 tax or something like that, they don't have to then be accountable to anyone. that's really what it was all about. you remember some of the early statements, even people that were not our friends were honest about the evaluations of the whole global warming thing

united states for a generation. that's what you brought, louisiana. we need partners in the united states senate to support the president-elect's nominee to the highest court in the land. we will nominate people who will uphold our constitution, stand for the sanctity of life, and all of our god given rights. and that's john kennedy. i'm here to say thank you. but i'm also here to ask you for your help. one more time for one more week. make sure that we have a part in the united states and giving us what we need to -- the president-elect's agenda to make america great again. and so, i stand before you, louisiana, simply to say that we need john kennedy in the united states senate. we truly do. by electing john kennedy as your next senator, you're going to put an exclamation point at the end of a great american victory in 2016. so let's make it happen, louisiana. like president-elect donald trump, john kennedy's community repealing obama care, reducing taxes, rolling back the kind of regulatio regulations that are stifling american energy here in the gull. john kennedy's going to work with the pr

one of the great pleasures of my life serving in the united states senate are the friends i made. i knew senator boxer when she was congresswoman boxer, and i knew of her incredible talent, but we became buddies here in the united states senate. people of california have been blessed to have an incredible advocate on their behalf on so many issues, but our nation has been blessed, indeed the global community has been blessed. there are so many things we can talk about senator boxer on the environmental issue. on this committee what you've done for women and girls around the world is incredible. in afghanistan, you have made a huge difference in lives of so many young children. i just really want you to know how much we all appreciate what you have done. this is family and we're very proud of our sister. congratulations for a career, just an incredible career. >> thank you so much, my colleagues. i just want to say, this is such an honor to have this resolution. good lord. we don't agree on anything so this is special that you got this done. and no one said, "i signed in protest." t

i was there in the united states senate when we dealt with the savings-and-loan crisis in the 1980's. was there when we had to deal with the failure of long-term capital management in the 1990's, and i was there in the aftermath of the enron debacle in 2000, which reminds me of that old bad joke -- claude and maude in the late 1990's thing on the porch, and claude looks at maude and says, remembered world war i, i was g assed, and you took care of me, and remember we bought that little drug store, and he goes through all of these things, and then i got drafted in ww2, and that's when i lost to be as fingers on my hand, and he says, maude, i was thinking. you are bad luck. [laughter] vice president biden. maybe i am bad luck to have been : through all of those. i was there. [laughter] vice president biden: when it comes to the great recession of 2008, we knew the specific underpinnings were complex, but also that we could avoid repeating them again. banks and other financial companies knew that they could turn around and sell these loans in a heartbeat. so they often threw lending stan

as required by law, copies of today's certified vote will be sent to the president of the united states senate and the national archives and chief federal judge for this district. my office will also maintain additional copies of the certification of the vote for public inspection. in order for this business to proceed, i would like to have the rollcall. each elector shall respond by saying present. district one. [roll call] [reading names] district 16 [reading names] the chair declares there are 18 of the 20 electors for president and vice president are in attendance. electors carrie austin and john daly are unable to attend today's proceedings. in accordance with the provision of the illinois ohio statutes, -- illinois compiled statutes, the remaining presidential electors must elect a replacement to the vacant seats. in accordance with the statute, i hear a motion to nominate a replacement elector. >> thank you, secretary white, mr. chairman. i nominate patrick daley thompson to serve as an elector to serve in place of carrie austin. william brennan junior to serve in place of john daly. >>

. >> hello, i'm the united states senator for wyoming. cities, towns and big families have spent the last seven years struggling under the health care law known as obama care. last month americans demanded accountability and voted for change. are tired of living under a costly and complicated health care law that broke one promise after another. poll, eight out of every 10 americans favored changing the health care law significantly or replacing it altogether. the election gives all of us the opportunity to take back control of our health care. americans can look for to getting the care they need from the doctor they choose at a lower cost. that means a health insurance that meets your family's needs. health care lets patients and doctors decide what is desperate families health. and health insurance you can afford. no amount of taxpayer bailout is going to make obamacare work. it needs to be replaced and repealed. repeal is only the first step. it clears the path for a replacement that works better than what we have now. the mandate that

now i lead a little group in the united states senate that goes back to the time john bolton was the ambassador to the united nations from the united states and every time, which is most of the time the u.n. comes out with something that is not in the best interests of the united states, we would send a communication up and john bolton would take it to them saying we in the united states are going to withhold our funding of the united nations, and this infuriates them. so the united nations don't like to be accountable to anyone. what was their plan so they wouldn't have to be accountable? kill them with their only source of funding. this is all in detail in the last chapter in my book and you need to look at that. that's the thing that people don't really understand. so they came up with this thing, if they're able to come up with a co2 tax or something like that, they don't have to then be accountable to anyone, and that's really what it was all about, and so you remember some of the early statements, even people who were not our friends, honest about the evaluation of the whole glo

2016 electoral college will send one certificate by registered mail to the president of the united states senate and one to chief judge robert yonker of the united states district court for the western district of michigan. two certificates will be delivered to the michigan secretary of state and two certificates will be delivered to the archivist of the united states, national archives and records administration in washington, d.c. i now invite all electors to come forward and sign the envelopes. the sergeant-at-arms will begin by releasing electors one at a time. now that you've signed those six, we have to put them in the appropriate envelopes with your signature, so we're asking you to get up and make another trip. this is in line with healthy michigan. you're getting your steps in today. [applause] gov. snyder: thank you, electors, i appreciate your patience. i appreciate your patience in the gallery. it's great to have such a great group of people here today to witness this historic moment. i think you for that. our benediction today will be by bishop isaac combs. thank you for your invoca

and the united states senate. serving the senate since 1993, senator boxer has been the longest serving woman in the history of this committee on foreign relations with 18 years of service. i want to thank her for her patriotism and commitment to this institution and our country. when i ran for the senate, was elected ten years ago, senator boxer was well known in tennessee. and i just want to say it's been a privilege for me not to know you as a well-known senator but to know you well. been a blessing. we wish you well. [ applause ] >> mr. chairman, if i might, if i can say a word or two and perhaps yield to senator boxer, then i'd like to say a few more things about the day's agenda and about our committee. but one of the great pleasures of my life serving in the united states senate were the friends i made. i knew senator boxer when she was congresswoman boxer, and i knew of her incredible talent, but we became buddies here in the united states senate. people of california have been blessed to have an incredible

about the day's agenda and our committee, one of the great pleasures of my life serving in the united states senate, the friends that i made. i knew senator boxer when she was congresswoman boxer and i knew her incredible talent that we became buddies in the united states senate. people of california have been blessed to have an incredible advocate on their behalf on so many issues but the nation has in blessed in the global community has been blessed, so many things we can talk about on environmental issues but on this committee what you have done, women and girls around the world is incredible. in afghanistan you have made a huge difference in the lives of so many young children and how much we appreciate what you have done. we are very proud, congratulations for an incredible career. >> i want to say this is an honor to have this resolution that we don't agree on anything. no one said i signed in protest. that was good. each of you as i look at you we worked so well together. sometimes, once in a while, not that often but i can truly say every member of this committee i worked with on issues we

it's the honor of my life to serve as united states senator. i never have a high honor and group which you have had to lead in the senate both the majority and minority. but you have served at the behest of people of your state who trusted you consecutively to represent them. i can't think of any greater honor and you have done it so well, harry. the may close with the quote from john adams. one of my favorite quotes by the senate. john adams said and i quote the senate is the colossus of the constitution. no republic he said can ever be for any duration without a senate and a senate deeply and strongly rooted, strong enough bear up against all popular storms and passions, that's the place i am the proudest of. because of men and women like you, harry still fill that role. there is another quote substrata goes like this. an institution like the senate, an institution is little more than the lenten shadow of a man or a woman. the reason why is a colossus, still. it's because of men like you, harry. i love you, pal. i know that in bear suits you,

in 1988 he was elected to serves and senator coats was appointed to the united states senate and he won reelection in 1990 and 1992. for ten years he continued his legacy of service to our beloved state. and as i mentioned, he's thewe senior senator and i'm the junior senator so whenever we have football discussions, he wins every time a. he assured the country was more secure and prosperous. he returned and was soon called back then when they asked him to serve the country again.w on september 8, 2001 we know how much the world changed three days later and how important his job became to ensure they construct the relationship keeping all of us safe he not only formed a relationship but also played a key role in thef establishment in the heart of berlin. it's hard to stress how critical the leadership was at the time. as he used american diplomacy to help maintain american security. in 2011 he made his return totho the senate. over the last six years he's produced a steadfast leadership on the finance committee and the joint economics committee. on a more personal note, i've always been

the senior united states senator from the great state of arizona. in followed his father, his grandfather both four star admirals and world war ii veterans into the united states navy. graduated from the united states naval academy in 1958. he became a naval aviator flying ground attack aircraft from aircraft carriers. during the vietnam war, he was almost killed. in the 1960s, forced a fire. in 1967, while on a bombing mission over anoi he was shot down, seriously injured and captured by the north vietnamese. he was a prisoner of war until 1973, having refused out of sequence early repatriation offer. he retired from the u.s. navy as a captain in 1981, elected to the u.s. house of representatives soon after in 1982. senator mccain served two terms and then he was first elected into the united states senate in 1986. winning reelection easily five times. most recently in 2016. congratulations, sir. how appropriate is it to have this great american hero, statesmen, and patriot here today at the national world war ii memorial to commemorate world war ii

the great traditions in the united states senate. the way in which we all are democrat and republican would use this place as ultimately sort of a healing at the end of the day. some of the biggest in the 44 years i've been here. some of the most monumental i can tell you occurred right here in this room. the most controversial supreme court hearings in history. the whole watergate era. but every single time, every single time the nation seems so divided. there are a few democrats or a few republicans who crossed over and embraced one another. howard baker. bill collin in the house. i can go down the list. so it seems appropriate to mention -- i want to personally thank you for it. landra, you know, when we honor members of the senate, we really don't spend much time taking the time to honor your spouses. no man or woman with a spouse or significant other has a right to run for office of the united states senate without it being a joint agreement. because there's no way, no matter what we say, no matter what we do, that you can avoid

with me. 39 years later, former senator john glenn walked me down the center aisle of the united states senaten. like the eagle scouts of four decades earlier, all the new senators wanted to meet their american hero. -- to kind to senators, that she was kind to senators -- he was kind to senators too. i watched the retire senator -- retired senator reconnect with senator kerry in 2000 four, with senator biden in 2008. i saw him for the first time meet the young senator from illinois and the immediate connection that the american icon and the future presidents made. this was a decade after his retirement from the senate. john glenn got off the bus, which jumped over the ditch, and spoke -- and shook the outstretched hand of an appreciative farmer. boarded an older winnebago, with the ohio democratic ticket to campaign through small towns in world -- in rural ohio. the rest of us began to get car sick. of course not the 85-year-old astronaut, who simply smiled at us. and i saw the elder statesman as he got off the bus and spoke to one of adoring crowd after another, transferring some of his magi

bill done today, let me say that last week i had the honor of for the lastobably time, in the united states senate over the senate as they moved to pass the 21st century cures act. probably one of the last times that i will get to preside over the senate and maybe one of the most important moments in my career. on behalf of the administration, let me thank all of the bipartisan leadership. let me make this clear, this bill would not ever have occurred not without the leading voices, republican voices, in the house and the senate, as well as democrats. it would never, ever have occurred. i hope this bodes well for what , that we aret year back working together. this is a consequential piece of legislation that was extremely important and cost a lot of money and it was done in a .ame-duck session without the true bipartisan support, this piece of legislation would never have occurred and it is going to help millions of people. the 21st century cures act is going to harness america's best minds, science, medicine, and technology to tackle some of our biggest and most complex health challenges today.

would make a great supreme court justice but my goodness that would be a terrible loss in the united states senate. he has become in the united states senate a think tank unto himself. he is kind of an entrepreneurial conservative who is trying to think ahead of where we are right now, trying to tap into what we need to tap into as conservatives. he's putting together right now an agenda that's centered around federalism or subsidiary or localism, you can describe it a lot of different ways. i think he's identified the major force of what needs to drive the conservative movement over the next decade. we have an opportunity right now as conservatives to bring a lot of new voters who came in the last election in for good, to keep them there. but i think the only way you keep them there is by actually having an agenda that em pouters localities and states and deescalates the game of federal politics and makes the game of local politics far more important. and mike lee gets that and that's why he's putting this agenda together. he's the number one guy to look to in the united states senate. please joi

the department of of state the certificates which we have signed with the president of the united states senate, the secretary of state of the state of new york, the new york state board of elections, the chief judge of the united states district court for the northern district of new york, the national archives, and the records administrator and the rare book and manuscript library of columbia university. >> i think you got it all in. thank you very much. thank you. the chair recognizes the honorable tom denapoly of nassau county. >> i second the motion that the certificates be filed in the manner so well described. >> thank you very much. it has been moved and seconded that we file the certificates in the manner described. all those in favor signify by saying aye. opposed. the motion is carried. the chair now recognizes the honorable carl hasty of bronx county. >> thank you, mr. president. i now move that the electors of this college unanimously agree to forego their compensation as electors and have the money designated to an organization which assists the brave men and women who wish to mak

it comes from a democrat or republican, frankly, and it was not the work of anyone in the united states senate. and i say to my friends on the republican side, i don't blame you for this in any way, shape or form. you did not do this to me and to us and to the salmon fishermen. you did not. it was done by a house member who represents big agriculture. and he did it because he could. when are we going to stand up and say no? you know, my colleague elizabeth warren was speaking about this, and she said something to this effect. i'm not quoting her exactly right. she said you take a beautiful piece of legislation and you add a pile of dirt on it and then you stick a little maraschino cherry on the top. whether it's flint, you know, whatever it is. and then you put people in a horrible position. so i know this vote may not go the way we want. that i had hoped that it would. but i understand why it might not. but when are we going to stand up and say this is wrong? we have a chance to do it tonight. and send a message to everyone. this isn't the way to legislate. this is why people can't stand cong

as hard as they could to pull off the incredible upset and and joe biden was elected to the united states senate. his life has been unique in special. on and then to be elected to the senate at 30 years old. and then just a few weeks later tragedy struck card. injured in a terrible car accident just days before christmas. not even sworn in as a senator pat. his wife was killed the baby girl was killed and grievous -- majorly injured and hospitalize. to be grief-stricken is an understatement and i am usher to have to boys to raise he was not of great means in strongly considered by cannot be sworn in to the senate. those that treated him as fathers. in with the help of his sister his life would have been completely different because what he got from her from democratic republican senators she wasn't there to replace their mom she was there to help with the boys.reps joe was a remarkable man. this is a big deal. gcs senator come to nevada. he had one of his boys with the maritime he traveled. with his sister support and other members embarking on a 36 year career unsurpassed in the history of the