Mr. Carper mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from delaware. Mr. Carper mr. President , i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be vitiated. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Carper thank you mr. President. Well mr. President Congress Says here we do a lot of oversight, oversight thats focused on what is going right and also what is going wrong in our government. Theres a lot of each actually. That oversight is critically important work. Sometimes overlooked but critically important. I think its also important to stop and recognize where things are going right from time to time and people that are doing the right thing. Following in the footsteps of one of our former colleagues here i dont think the presiding officer had a chance to work with him but ted kaufman served here for two years. He succeeded joe biden and went off to do some other job. I think Vice President maybe thats what he is. And then before senator chris coons was elected two years later,
Exhibitions of being a professional in her line of business and if shes not confirmed it would be a shame to the congress and it would be a shame to america. This is a very sharp, intelligent woman who is very professional who answered all their questions. And came across as an excellent, excellent candidate for attorney general. And if she is not confirmed, everybody in the senate ought to just resign their positions is what should happen. On to alexander in pennsylvania on our republican line. This is barry of the just make sure folks, you turn down your television or radio when you call in. Barry, go ahead. I think one of the Top Priorities for any attorney general should be able to distinguish and define the word illegal and making a statement that illegal aliens have as much right to work as citizens i think crosses the line of not being able to distinguish or to determine the definition of the word illegal. Ive watched unfortunately not all of this questioning. But i think thats
Very important issues that need to be highlighted. I would note the constituent is a friend, i have long thought highly of your commitment to public engagement, your volunteer efforts to make a difference in our political discourse, and i wanted to ask you as a citizen who engaged in the political process, how did it make you feel to be targeted by the government for persecution . It takes your breath away when you dont know quite where true north is, and it begs the bigger question, what is this country and where am i raising my children, where is their safe harbor . This panel and questions are critical. We have to understand what we have just come through. I hope we want to head in a decidedly different direction. President nixon attempted to use the irs to target his political enemies. He did not succeed, but he was roundly decried in a bipartisan manner. In this instance, the attempt sadly bore fruit. It has been well over a year since the news broke. Do you feel in the over a yea
Ask consent that the call of the quorum be dispensed with. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Leahy mr. President , the senate will vote later on the confirmation of dr. Ashton carter to fill a critically important cabinet position, that of secretary of defense. I think we all know that dr. Carter is a dedicate, a distinguished public servant. Hes actually been confirmed twice unanimously to two senior positions in the pentagon. Hes a fourtime recipient of the department of Defense Distinguished Service medal. Hes been awarded the Defense Intelligence medal. I have no doubt that the vote on dr. Carter will be overwhelmingly favorable. That the Defense Department faces important timely, and difficult decisions in the coming months and years they have to learn how best to balance renew our fiscal constraints with not only existing but emerging international challenges. He served as the daytoday Financial Officer of the pentagon so hes one of the few people who really understand
Rules, a vote of 32, expected here, but we had contentions going into the vote. Basically, what they are arguing here is over the future of the internet, whether internet broadband providers will be allow to charge fees to specific websites for faster lanes and faster access to their own customers. Those websites lobbied against it, and broadband providers lobbied for it. In the end, the loss goes to the broadband Provider Companies like comcast, a parent of this network, and Time Warner Cable and others that provide those services. The debate in the room, though guys that framed the debate over the future of the internet. We have a commissioner, speaking against this skeptical this does not lead to more regulations and taxes on the internet saying it threatens the Internet Freedom itself. Take a listen. The internet has become a powerful force for freedom, here and around the world. So it is sad to witness this morning the fccs unproduce dented attempts to replace freedom with governm