Harry Reid

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that if the Senate receives an adjournment resolution from the House identical to the text which is at the desk, the concurrent resolution be considered agreed to and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that either on Monday, February 25, or Tuesday, February 26, I be permitted and the Republican leader be permitted to introduce a bill to replace the sequester required under the Budget Control Act; further, that if a leader introduces such legislation, his bill be placed directly on the legislative calendar; finally, that motions to proceed to these bills be in order the day they are introduced.

Mr. REID. Mr. President, the purpose of this--and I have had meetings with Senator McConnell--is that we are each going to have a piece of legislation to hold the sequester from kicking in, and this is the easiest way to do it without a lot of procedural motions, and I appreciate everyone's cooperation in that regard.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding the upcoming recess or adjournment of the Senate, the President pro tempore and the majority and minority leaders be authorized to make appointments to commissions, committees, boards, conferences, or interparliamentary conferences authorized by law, by concurrent action of the two Houses, or by order of the Senate.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that from Friday, February 15, through Monday, February 25, Senator Levin be authorized to sign duly enrolled bills or joint resolutions.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn and convene for pro forma sessions only, with no business conducted on the following dates and times, and that following each pro forma session, the Senate adjourn until the next pro forma session: Friday, February 15, at 12 p.m.; Tuesday, February 19, at 10:30 a.m.; and Friday, February 22, at 10:45 a.m.; and that the Senate adjourn on Friday, February 22, until 2 p.m. on Monday, February 25, 2013, unless the Senate adopts an adjournment resolution pursuant to the previous order, and that if the Senate adopts such a resolution, the Senate adjourn until 2 p.m. on Monday, February 25, 2013; that on Monday, following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, and the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day; and that following any leader remarks, the Senate be in a period of morning business until 5 p.m. with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each; further, that the Senate then proceed to executive session, under the previous order.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, the next rollcall vote will be on Monday, February 25, at 5:30 p.m., on confirmation of the Bacharach nomination.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask that it adjourn under the previous order.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to proceed to S. Res. 36.

Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Madam President, following leader remarks, the Senate will be in morning business. The Republicans will control the first 30 minutes and the majority will control the second 30 minutes. We will seek an agreement for the consideration of the nomination of Senator Hagel to be Secretary of Defense during today's session. In addition, sometime this afternoon, we hope to have a vote on the Kayatta nomination to be a circuit court judge for the First Circuit.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Madam President, last night the President of the United States laid out an agenda to strengthen the middle class and expand upon our economic progress. He outlined an agenda that will restore the core value that makes this Nation great: fairness. Senate Democrats stand ready to work with the President to make this vision--a vision in which every American shares the prosperity as well as the responsibility--a reality. President Obama's agenda calls for commonsense investments in our future, investments which will breathe new life into a struggling middle class, investments which will make America a magnet for jobs and manufacturing once more, investments which have been deferred for too long due to the worst recession since the Great Depression. The President's plan will give American manufacturers the support they need to thrive, while ending giveaways to companies that ship jobs overseas. His plan will create jobs building world-class roadways, railways, and bridges which our economy may rely upon tomorrow. The plan will prepare current and future workers to compete in a global economy by making K-12 schools the best in the world again and college affordable for every graduate. His plan will break our addiction to foreign oil and encourage investments in reliable energy, a change which will be good for the environment and for the economy. As he said last night, it will be done without adding a single penny to the deficit. These investments in a strong middle class are not just right for our country, they are right for our economy as well. Our efforts to restore prosperity will mean little unless Congress acts immediately to deal with arbitrary, across-the-board spending cuts set to take effect. If the looming sequester strikes, 70,000 young children would be kicked off Head Start and 10,000 teaching jobs would be at risk. The Small Business Administration will be forced to reduce loan guarantees to small businesses by up to $540 million. Democrats believe we should replace this harsh austerity with a balanced approach that targets wasteful spending, tax loopholes, and asks the wealthiest among us to contribute a little more to reduce the deficit. The American people know we can't cut our way to prosperity. They agree. We can't ask the middle class to bear the burden of the entire deficit reduction. Later this week Democrats will release a plan to avert the so-called sequester. Republicans say they agree the deep cuts they voted for will be damaging to our economy and to national security. Republicans would rather cut Medicare, education, and medical research than close a single wasteful tax loophole or ask a single millionaire to contribute a little more. The Republicans should stop protecting millionaires, billionaires, and wealthy corporations and start working with us to pass an alternative to these terrible cuts that protect the middle class. We want to start to do something to begin changing this so we protect the middle class. We must not jeopardize the progress of the last 4 years. Even though our work to restore economic prosperity must continue, we should take pride in the 35 months of private sector job growth and 6.1 million new American jobs. Imagine how many more jobs could be created with just a little cooperation from our Republican colleagues. Now our friends across the aisle have another opportunity to engage constructively. They have a second chance to work with Democrats to rebuild the middle class by investing in that which in the past has made Americans strong--world-class roads, bridges, dams, peerless schools, industrial factories, and creative entrepreneurs who are the best in the world. President Ronald Reagan, in his first address of a joint session of Congress, spoke of these building blocks of prosperity. Ronald Reagan said: Substance and prosperity of our Nation is built by wages brought home from the factories and the mills, the farms, and the shops. They are the services provided in 10,000 corners of America: the interest on the thrift of our people and the returns for their risk-taking. The production of America is the possession of those who build, serve, create, and produce. He didn't say the substance of our Nation is built on profits gleaned from shipping jobs overseas. He didn't say the prosperity of America is the possession of investment banks or wealthy oil companies alone. Rather, he said, our substance and prosperity are earned in factories, mills, farms, and shops. The rewards belong to all those who build, serve, create, and produce--not only to the few strong enough or rich enough to take for themselves. It is time to return to those roots. It is time to remember fairness is not just a principle for which to strive but a powerful engine of growth and prosperity for all Americans.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that at 2 p.m. today the Senate proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 8, the nomination of William J. Kayatta, to be circuit judge for the First Circuit, with 30 minutes for debate, equally divided in the usual form; that upon the use or yielding back of time, the Senate proceed to vote without intervening action or debate on the nomination; the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid on the table, with no intervening action or debate; that no further motions be in order; that President Obama be immediately notified of the Senate's action, and the Senate then resume legislative session.

Mr. REID. Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. REID. Miracles never cease.

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I have spoken with Senator Inhofe, the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. It is very clear that he and a number of Republicans are not willing to enter into an agreement on the Hagel nomination.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I send a cloture motion to the desk and ask the clerk to report.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. This is the first time in the history of our country that a Presidential nominee for Secretary of Defense has been filibustered. What a shame, but that is the way it is. I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum under rule XXII be waived.

Mr. REID. I also ask that under the rule the cloture vote will occur on Friday. Membership should plan accordingly.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 10. The clerk will report:

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on February 13, 2013, at 2:30 p.m. in room 253 of the Russell Senate Office Building.

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on February 13, 2013, at 10 a.m., in room 215 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on February 13, 2013, at 3 p.m.