mr. john walsh's the comptroller of the currency of the office of comptroller of the currency. i thank you all for being here. secretary, you may begin your testimony. >> thank you. jarman johnson, a ranking member shall be, members of the committee, i appreciate the opportunity to update you on the treasury department implementation of the dodd-frank act. although our economy and financial markets have made progress towards recovery, we cannot forget what the congress passed and the president signed the dodd-frank act last year. in the fall of 2008 we witnessed a financial crisis of a scale and severity not seen in decades. the crisis exposed from the entel failures in the financial system. our system favored short-term games over stability and growth. the system was weak and susceptible to crisis and the system left taxpayers to save it in times of trouble. we had no choice but to build a better, stronger system enacting dodd-frank was the beginning of that process, and as we move forward with implementation from our efforts are guided by a broad principles. we are moving qui

mr. john walsh's the comptroller of the currency of the office of comptroller of the currency. i thank you all for being here. secretary, you may begin your testimony. >> thank you. jarman johnson, a ranking member shall be, members of the committee, i appreciate the opportunity to update you on the treasury department implementation of the dodd-frank act. although our economy and financial markets have made progress towards recovery, we cannot forget what the congress passed and the president signed the dodd-frank act last year. in the fall of 2008 we witnessed a financial crisis of a scale and severity not seen in decades. the crisis exposed from the entel failures in the financial system. our system favored short-term games over stability and growth. the system was weak and susceptible to crisis and the system left taxpayers to save it in times of trouble. we had no choice but to build a better, stronger system enacting dodd-frank was the beginning of that process, and as we move forward with implementation from our efforts are guided by a broad principles. we are moving qui

let me ask marie johns, mrs. john, if you could put the chart up. the 39 programs that were either created or enhanced under the small business jobs act of 2010. out -- most of them are completed by your agency. and you were the implementer for this, i understand. and most of them have been completed. but there are two particularly, there are 28 provision that is have been completed, that's 72%. nine provisions in the process of being completed and two provision that is are not complete. the two, i understand, are not complete are the expert assistance centers and one on contracting policy. can you comment on why the delay on those two particular programs, or do you have any comments about that at this time? >> yes, chair landrieu. for the thank you for the question. i want to thank you and to ranking member snowe we greatly appreciate the support that made their way into the act. export -- overall, i'm very proud of the way that the sba has moved forward. we took the role seriously because we know that small businesses were waiting for the tools to

mr. manes reports that john chapman who died in 1845 was a voracious land speculator whose western travels helped pave the way for future settlers. this 45 in that event took place at the johnny appleseed educational center and acm at urbana university in ohio. >> welcome. i am the director of the johnny appleseed society here at urbana university in urban eye, ohio. we are located for this program and the johnny appleseed educational center and museum in historic bailey hall here at the university. we are here to listen to howard means talk about his brand-new book. this is his tenth book and he has written a biography of johnny appleseed or john chapman and is here to tell us all about it. the name of the book is johnny appleseed, the man, the myth and the american story. so i welcome howard. [applause] >> thank you, thank you very much. my book was published only five days ago and since then i've done some taping sessions with some of the nationally syndicated radio shows that this is

mr. john walsh's the comptroller of the currency of the office of comptroller of the currency. i thank you all for being here. secretary, you may begin your testimony. >> thank you. jarman johnson, a ranking member shall be, members of the committee, i appreciate the opportunity to update you on the treasury department implementation of the dodd-frank act. although our economy and financial markets have made progress towards recovery, we cannot forget what the congress passed and the president signed the dodd-frank act last year. in the fall of 2008 we witnessed a financial crisis of a scale and severity not seen in decades. the crisis exposed from the entel failures in the financial system. our system favored short-term games over stability and growth. the system was weak and susceptible to crisis and the system left taxpayers to save it in times of trouble. we had no choice but to build a better, stronger system enacting dodd-frank was the beginning of that process, and as we move forward with implementation from our efforts are guided by a broad principles. we are moving qui

thank you mr. chairman and i yield back. >> the chair now recognizes the ranking member of the military personnel subcommittee the gentlelady from california, mrs. davis for any comments she would choose to make. >> i want to thank you mr. chairman and certainly the ranking member for maintaining the bipartisan environment of this committee. it is a testament to the historic way in which this committee has worked to ensure the national security of our nation and i want to add this well my thank you to the staff. it is amazing how well they transitioned and works together with all of us and i really appreciate that. it has been outstanding in the way you have done that. i certainly want to thank you mr. wilson as well as a said the staffer the way you have worked together. bismark continues the committee's efforts to ensure that we support our warfighters and their families. for over a decade or

but let me ask marie johns, mrs. johns, if you could put the chart up, the 39 programs that were either created or enhanced under the small business jobs act of 2010, most of them are completed by your agency, and you were the implementer for this, i understand, and most of them have been completed. but there are two particularly, there are 28 provisions that have been completed. that's 72%. nine provisions in the process of being completed and two provisions that are not complete. the two i understand that are fought complete are the export assistance centers and one on contracting policy. can you comment on why the delay on those two particular programs? or do you have any comments about that at this time? >> yes, chair landrieu. thank you for the question. i also want to thank you for your leadership on the small business jobs act and to ranking member snowe, we greatly appreciate your support. many of the provisions that made their way into this act. export -- overall, i'm very proud of the way that the sba has m

but let me ask marie johns, mrs. johns, if you could put the chart up, the 39 programs that were either created or enhanced under the small business jobs act of 2010, most of them are completed by your agency, and you were the implementer for this, i understand, and most of them have been completed. but there are two particularly, there are 28 provisions that have been completed. that's 72%. nine provisions in the process of being completed and two provisions that are not complete. the two i understand that are fought complete are the export assistance centers and one on contracting policy. can you comment on why the delay on those two particular programs? or do you have any comments about that at this time? >> yes, chair landrieu. thank you for the question. i also want to thank you for your leadership on the small business jobs act and to ranking member snowe, we greatly appreciate your support. many of the provisions that made their way into this act. export -- overall, i'm very proud of the way that the sba has m

caroline was born in 957, john in 960 -- 1960, mrs. kennedy is part and parcel of the baby boom. this, i'm convinced, is why my mother who was having her own baby boom in our family, packed my two older brothers and me in october of 1960, drove us to downtown louisville, kentucky, to see senator kennedy come true and give a campaign speech. she loved politics on a grand scale, but she didn't marley like the rough and tumble grassroots politics. she did like to -- she didn't like to drive downtown, and she didn't like crowds. and yet this family -- senator kennedy, mrs. kennedy, caroline at that time so drew my mother, a catholic housewife from louisville, kentucky, to go see her new political hero. and she would say to me forever more, don't you remember? we got there early, and we were right in front of the podium, and your brother shook hands with soon to be president kennedy, and i say, mother, i'm trying so hard to remember, but i was 4. i remember the balloons, the confetti, i remember that one of her earrings got dropped off, and we found it on the way out. someone had step

caroline was born in 1957, john jr. in 1960. mrs. kennedy is part and parcel of the baby boom. this, i am convinced, is why my mother who was having her own baby boom in our family, packed my two older brothers and me in october of 1960, drove us to downtown louisville, kentucky, to see senator john phenomenal kennedy come through and give a campaign speech. my mother looed history, and she loved politics on a grand scale. she did like the drive downtown, and she didn't like crowds. and yet this family, senator kennedy, mrs. kennedy, caroline at that time so drew my mother -- a catholic housewife from louisville, kentucky -- to go see her new political hero. and she would say to me forever more, don't you remember? we got there early, and we were right in front of the podium, and your brother shook hands with soon to be president kennedy, and i'd say, mother, i'm trying so hard to remember, but i was 4. i remembered the balloons, the confetti, i remember that one of her earrings dropped off and got stuck in a pile of confetti, and we found it on the way out. someone had stepped

john conyers said mr. chairman, will you yield. all of the congressmans behind me are whispering, here it goes. he's going to go nuts. he's going to scream it's a farce. they are putting them on to impeach the president. i'm thinking conyers is going to kill us. conyers said i joined with my colleague the chairman in welcoming congressman jim rogan to this committee. congressman rogan, a former judge, a fine man, a great statesman. he's going on and on about what a wonderful edition of the committee. all of the republicans are starting to do this. looking at me. you know, what's this all about? they are looking at me suspiciously. he goes on. i want to welcome him. then he looked at lindsey graham, and he said, mr. chairman, i yield back the balance of my time. collecting campaign helped me out. i wasn't on the committee long when newt gingrich called and said he had a home work assignment. he said, you know, we don't know what's going to happen with this special prosecutor ken star was working in secret. we didn't know what he was

caroline was born in 1957, john j.r. in 1960. mrs. kennedy is part and partial of the baby boom. this is why i'm convinced my mother having her own baby boom packed my two older brothers and me in our 1956 sheafy, drove us to kentucky to see senator john f. kennedy come through and give a speech, a campaign speech. my mother loved history and politics on a grand scale, but didn't like the rough and tumble of political rallies, did like to drive downtown, and she didn't like crowds, and yet, this family, senator kennedy, mrs. kennedy, caroline at that time so drew my mother, a catholic housewife from louisville, kentucky to see her new political hero. she said, don't you remember, we were there early in front of the podium, and your brother shook hands with soon-to-be president kennedy. i said, mother, i try to remember, but i was four. i remember the balloons and confetti and one of her earrings dropped off and got stuck in a pile of confetti and we found it on the way out. somebody stepped on it, but she bent it back. i told my mother she turned me into a political science at th

if mr. mcconnell is so bad for business, why are business leaders in the state reflecting on his qualities and giving him accolades and predicting that he will be a distinguished jurist? john harputian, another major republican attorney in the state, a distinguished attorney, in my view, however, the most important attribute is integrity. time and time again jack has proven that he's a man of great principle and integ tickers while -- and integrity, while being a vigilant advocate for his clients in his professional career, jack has always conducted himself in the most ethical and professional manner, a trait unfortunately sometimes not found among lawyers today. one of the greatest characters i admire about jack is that he's never allowed any type of differences -- and this is mr. hutian's words, he's never allowed those words to cloud his judgment. i'm hard pressed again to believe that the suggestions that have been made that in some way mr. mcconnell is not a completely ethical person, s

why don't we go right into the testimony from administrator marie johns and mr. don graves. >> good morning. chair landrieu, forgive me, ranking member snowe and shaheen and members of the committee. as has been cited a time or two, this is national small business week, it's a week we empower small businesses that drive our economy, keep america competitive and importantly create jobs. the sba is hosting a three day conference here in washington, d.c. where we're honoring small business owners with awards. small business persons, chair landrieu of the year, and more. these small business owners and others like them have gotten a big boost from the small business jobs act. since the passage of the jobs act in september 2010, the sba has worked hard to implement the many provisions that affected our programs. the jobs act affected all of sbab's largest programs including our support for access for capital, small business contracting, counseling and training and exporting. some of these provisions were quick fixes and easy to implement. others take more time, but re

mr. reid: i now ask, mr. president, unanimous consent to proceed to executive session and consider the nomination of john j. mcconnell jr. of rhode island to be united states district judge for the district of columbia. the presiding officer: without objection. the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, the judiciary, john j. mcconnell jr. of rhode island to be united states district judge for the district of rhode island. mr. reid: mr. president, i ask consent that it be in order at this time to waive the mandatory quorums under rule 22 with respect to both cloture motions. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: now, mr. president, i got a little ahead of myself. there's a cloture motion. i would ask the clerk to report it at this time dealing with john mcconnell. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the motion. the clerk: cloture motion. we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate, hereby move to bring to a close the

john mccain says okay, not mr. obama. >> how did the mccain hearings come about? >> the people on the democratic party initiated hearings in the majority party in the senate and the initiative hearings and held hearings of senator mccain and ted olson if i remember correctly. they submitted briefs and the matter was voted on and was made that he was a natural born citizen. >> i recall that. the question is have you sought to initiate that kind of process? >> through congress? we don't have the right to do that, your honor. only members of congress. >> you don't have a right to petition congress? >> we can petition them but only a member of congress. >> so you're saying that -- nobody pressed them to do that? >> i don't know, your honor. but the ruling by converse was in essence non-binding. it didn't have the weight of the wall. >> i would like to reserve my time if i may. >> thank you, your honor. >> to start the clock again. each side gets ten minutes. >> ten minutes? >> each gets ten minutes. >> 20 to push a button? i'm sorry. >> it's right below you there. you

mr. durbin durbin: mr. presidene was an article, a column written in this morning's "washington post" which was extraordinary. it was written by one of our republican colleagues, senator john mccain of arizona. john mccain and i came to the house of representatives in the same year, in 1983. and though he came to the senate first, we have worked on many things together over the years. we have our differences, that's for sure, but there are times when john does extraordinarily good things and this morning was one of them. he wrote a column in "the washington post" about the issue of torture. it's an issue that's been in the headlines for the last two weeks after the capture and killing of osama bin laden and questions were raised as to whether or not so-called enhanced interrogation techniques, or torture in another parlance, were used to obtain information that led to osama bin laden. a few years ago, that issue came up on the floor of the united states senate. i had strong feelings about it, but senator mc

[laughter] >> we're back to old labour. >> mr. nigel dodds. >> mr. speaker, doesn't the visit of her majesty of the queen demonstrate not just her own personal courage to visit the severe dissident threats but it also demonstrates whatever some of us reservations might have in one aspect of her visit. it demonstrates the extent of the improvement in relations between the irish republic and the northern kingdom and it also demonstrates a demonstration of the status and bold the cooperation who plague the terrorists who plague us in the northern island and persian gulf. >> i think this is a remarkable visit. i think it demonstrates that the relationship between britain and the republic of ireland is strong and probably has never been stronger and with a successful of devolution of proce process, i think the visits her majesty to heal the wounds in the past and look to a very pry future between the two countries are remarkable and certainly welcomed. >> mr. speaker, since it's the peop people, couldn't the banks be denationalized and give them shares an

mr. president, you ought to compare the way we do space shots and the way the russians to. the russians do it in secret. you never know whether it was a success or villere. we invite radio and television to cover our spaceshot not knowing what will happen. we want the press there and every body to share that experience. the president didn't say that's good, that's bad, anything. finished changing his shirt, we went downstairs, and at this point i was introduced and the vice president johnson was in the oval office and we all walked out to get in the car and i thought to myself i better get in the second part because we've but the president commander shipper, mrs. shepherd, vice president, he says no, no, you take one of the seats and we will take the other jump seat. so we are driving through the park to what was then chariton and the president was in a very a brilliant move because this had been such a success, he slapped linden, back and said you are the chairman of the national space c

john mccain says okay, not mr. obama. >> how did the mccain hearings come about? >> the people on the democratic party initiated hearings in the majority party in the senate and the initiative hearings and held hearings of senator mccain and ted olson if i remember correctly. they submitted briefs and the matter was voted on and was made that he was a natural born citizen. >> i recall that. the question is have you sought to initiate that kind of process? >> through congress? we don't have the right to do that, your honor. only members of congress. >> you don't have a right to petition congress? >> we can petition them but only a member of congress. >> so you're saying that -- nobody pressed them to do that? >> i don't know, your honor. but the ruling by converse was in essence non-binding. it didn't have the weight of the wall. >> i would like to reserve my time if i may. >> thank you, your honor. >> to start the clock again. each side gets ten minutes. >> ten minutes? >> each gets ten minutes. >> 20 to push a button? i'm sorry. >> it's right below you there. you

. >> host: can he be reappointed, mr. mueller? >> guest: it would take a special act of congress to extend his term, something i don't think we're going to see. >> host: thank you for your long before he put his john hancock on the declaration of independence he was arguably among -- arguably the wealthiest merchant banker in america living in a mansion on top of the boston's beacon hill with a commanding view of the massachusetts landscape and seascape. far from espousing individual liberty, hancock and his fellow merchants and new england governed their businesses and communities with economic ruthlessness that often left their competitors homeless and penniless. like today's tea party movement , the colonial tea party had almost nothing to do with t. there was nothing more than a social beverage for wealthy women. men seldom drink and it ranked below what americans consumed most. the tea party movement that sparked the american revolution actually began 20 years earlier in the 17 50's and 60's when a new wrinkle in the business

. >> first john ensign's farewell speech on the senate floor. >> mr. president, i rise today to deliver a difficult speech. this will be my farewell speech to the united states senate. serving as nevada's 24th united states senator has truly been the greatest professional privilege of my life. growing up with a single mom in very humble surroundings, i simply never imagined that one day i would end up as a member of such an adjust body as this. unfortunately, the amazing experiences that stem from the more than ten years of my senate service cannot be summed up in one single speech. i owe a humble thank you to many people who helped to get me here and who have served me effectively. from campaign volunteers, staff, donors, to some of the best people who i have ever worked, my senate staff. i cannot thank you enough for the honor of the past many years. each of you has helped me to achieve more than my individual talents alone could have ever accomplished. when i look back over my time, both here and in the united states house of representatives, i'm ve

our first witnesses is drmplets john watson, chairman and c.e.o. of chevron. second, mr. marvin odum. u.s. president of shell oil company. third, mr. lamar mckay, chairman and president of b.p. america. fourth, mr. james mulva, the chairman and c.e.o. of conocophillips, and finally, rex tillerson, chairman and c.e.o. of exxon mobil. mr. watson, why don't you begin? you probably know our customary procedure here is have your statements included in the record. if you could summarize, around five minutes. thank you very much. mr. watson? >> mr. chairman, ranking member hatch and -- half and members of the committee. i am john watson, chairman and chief executive officer of chevron corporation. fortunately, our nation is endowed with adunn ant supplies of energy including oil and national gas. each time we come to capitol hill we advocate for measures that would better helm develop our oil supplies. it's one of the most effective ways to counter rising energy prices and stimulate economic growth. tax increases on the oil and gas industry, which will result if you change long-

mr. whitehouse: madam president, 50 years ago on this day, john f. kennedy addressed a joint session of congress and he presented to our nation a bold challenge. he said -- quote -- "i believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal before this decade is out of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to earth." it was and remains a memorable challenge. to meet it would require long-term commitment and unprecedented resources. it had great risks and it had no simple solutions, but president kennedy put his faith in the talent and dedication and discipline of america. he believed that his challenge could mobilize our country to meet this challenge and succeed, and he was right. president kennedy's goal to in ten years put a man on the moon and return him safely was clear, was direct and was accountable. the result was a vast mobilization of private and public resources that collaborated in innovative ways to achieve that singular purpose, and we did. i come to the floor today to call for a similar challenge to reform our

john adams was a harvard man. washington is very impressed by webster. he said that is interesting idea. he is a great delegator so he says i will give it to mr. madison if possible. he gives it to madison and webster's pamphlet becomes instrumental in drafting the constitution. in 1787 webster is at the constitutional convention. these forest gump moments are moving into mover and shaker moment. in 1787 at the constitutional convention as soon as washington arrived the first thing he does is knock on webster's dorr. he is not a delegate. he is there as a journalist, so-called convention men realize his talent and right after the convention they ask him to draft a pamphlet in support of the constitution. he does that and historians have compared that pamphlet to the federalist papers and it may have been more influential because it was circulated through the entire country and was ready, was published after the convention and the federalist papers were circulated mostly in new york. i have a chapter called courtship at the constitutional convention becau

mr. leahy: mr. president, i would ask consent for five minutes more. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. leahy: there are 13 judicial nominations on the calendar that the democrats are prepared to consider. each of these nominations should be considered without unnecessary delay. if we do them, we could reduce the judicial vacancies to 80 for the first time since july, 2009. in this case, we have an outstanding lawyer, jack mcconnell. the president has nominated him three times. he has more than 25 years of experience as a lawyer in private practice. he has the strong support of both rhode island senators. individuals and organizations across the political spectrum of rhode island have called for his confirmation. the providence journal endorses his nomination by saying in his legal work and community leadership, he has shown he has a legal intelligence, character, compassion and independence to be a distinguished jurist. leading republican figures in rhode island support him. n

our first witness is john pistole of the social security administration. i first worked with mr. pistole when we did a magnificent job on counterterrorism, dedicated to help public servants and certainly he's been no stranger to being on the receiving end of attacks from various sources over the last six months trying to do his job goes under the heading no good deed goes unpunished, with director pistole is an adult standing american and i'm proud to have him you today. as close to five minutes as you can get. >> thank you for those comments, ranking member thompson, distinguished members of the committee. it's good to be here this morning to discuss the efforts of the tsa partnership with fema and/or state, local and industry leaders to ensure the best possible mass transit rail security. our efforts to combat terrorism go beyond any one individual which is why we remain focused on dhaka critical mission protecting the traveling public and the transportation system. tsa will continue to evaluate and implement the screening measures based on related intelligence. we ask the trav

by the time ike returned to the white house july 15, 1956, john foster dulles decided to remove from the aswan dam because congress was opposed. on july 19, 1956, dulles and a 12 minute meeting, and obtained his consent to a decision to withdraw the offer of aid to the aswan dam. his recovery from surgery was difficult and had depression and that afternoon dulles and for the egyptian ambassador of the decision that the next day dulles told friends the united states had made a big chess move and now they were in one hell of a spot. one week later after retaliation nasser nationalized the suez canal company. saying he would use the profits to build the aswan dam. the british and french had control of that company for decades. two-thirds of the oil from western europe came through the canal. now it was the united states and its allies power in one hell of a spot. immediately the british and french prepared to go to war. but eisenhower was adamant war was not justified. said egypt had a right to nationalize it because it was located in egyptian territory. the only question is if they wou

taxpayers, mr. boehner has been a surrender is, if that's a word, who waved the white flag before the first shots are fired. before the battle is even joined. instead of delivering that 100 billion promise cuts, mr. boehner opened his baby at 35 billion cash at his bidding at 35 billion obtained 20 billion, spit in the ocean, folks. worth about five days worth of u.s. borrowing. y.? it seems house speaker john maynard boehner and his fellow rino republicans in name only fled to spend other peoples money just as much as the democrats. last year the house republicans minority joined with the tea party to fight fiercely against obamacare. but once in power this year, nader's house republicans majority, after a hollow purely symbolic repeal vote have adamantly refused to use their genuine power to fix obamacare, medicare, medicaid, or any of the other out of control entitlements in abusive washington spending which threatened to bankrupt our nation and destroyed our currency. not even a question. washin

. >> thank you, mr. chairman. >> senator reid. >> thank you mr. chairman and ladies and gentlemen. chairman bair, let me join my colleagues in thinking you for your extraordinary service and i wish you well room. your testimony reflects on one of the most pressing economic problems we have in the country and that is the housing crisis. we've taken extraordinary measures to assist the financial sector. we have taken very few effective measures to assist homeowners, 28% of homeowners in the united states are under water today. that is probably the biggest and my view drag on economic recovery that we face. yet the most recent attempt by the regulators to provide some clarity in my view is woefully inadequate. i wonder if you might comment on that and what we have to do to be as fair to homeowners as we have to the financial industry. >> i do think the regulatory orders are just one step and the examination focused on the issues didn't really get into broad issues of whether the loan modification is evaluated and app

john adams was a harvard man. washington was in college. he's very impressed by webster and it's a very interesting idea and he's a great delegator. so he says i'll give it to mr. madison as soon as possible. he gives it to madison in webster's pamphlet becomes instrumental in the drafting constitution. in 1787, webster's at the constitutional convention. they are now evolving into mover and shaker moments. in 1787 he set the constitutional convention. as soon as washington arrives, the first thing he does is not on webster's door. he's not a delicate. if there is a journalist at the convention than realizes talent. right after the convention may ask them to draft a pamphlet in support of the constitution is compared to pamphlet to the federalist papers and may have been circulated throughout the entire country and was ready and published right after the convention is supposed to federalist papers which were mostly in new york. i have a chapter called courtship and constitutional convention because at the convention they meet the women who

mr. reed: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the remaining time postcloture be yielded back and the senate proceed to vote on the confirmation of nomination of john j. mcconnell jr. to be the u.s. district judge for the district of rhode island. that the motion be reconsidered -- the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate, that no further motions be in order to the nomination, that the president be immediately notified of the senate's action, the senate then resume legislative session and proceed to a period of morning business for debate only until 7:30 p.m. with senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection, so ordered. the question is on the nomination. yeas and nays are called for. is there a sufficient second? there is. there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. vote: vote: vote: vote: the presiding officer: are there any senators wishing to vote

mrs. boxer: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that i may speak for up to 20 minutes and then followed immediately after with -- by senator isakson as much time as he may wish to consume. the presiding officer: without objection. mrs. boxer: mr. president, yesterday the senate ethics committee voted unanimously to release the special counsel's report regarding the actions of former senator john ensign. the committee also voted unanimously to refer several findings to the department of justice and to the federal election committee. federal election commission. because we have reason to believe that senator ensign violated laws within their jurisdictions. i want to thank, from the bottom of my heart, the senators who participated in this investigation. many of whom are on the floor today. my vice chairman, the extraordinary leader, senator isakson. and i say leader, i mean a leader on the committee, and i consider him to really be a co-chair with me. and senator roberts, who has been on this commit

mr. putin became the president we were the first paper writing about some occasions where he was hero. i mean, yes. but now, 11 years later we have so many bloggers and so many people who consider the civil journalists who write about the corruption on high level russian authorities. and in some way right now when we don't feel ourselves are -- a civil society becomes to join around those bloggers and it's the amount of information, how -- how reach our government actually, i begin to feel the impact. for example, there is a very famous russian website, it's called -- it's about corruption in government, human process it documents about -- what kind of money it pays for cars, tables, chairs and so on. and this website began to be very popular. actually, the first time for russian internet at this collect for several days, $30,000. it's a lot for russian, internet. and the person who does this, alexander, begin to be a very popular person, a very popular pop -- politician actually. he mana

john pistole of the security administration. i first worked with mr. pistole when he was with the fbi, the dedicated public servants and certainly he's been no stranger on the receiving end of the tax sources of the last six months and trying to get those jobs shows no good deed goes unpunished i'm privileged to have him here today. mr. pistole, you're recognized for five minutes. >> good morning, chairman and for the comments. ranking member thompson and members of the committee to discuss the efforts of the tsa partnership with fema and the many state, local and industry leaders to ensure the best possible mass-transit security and the president sunday night announcement that bin laden had been located and killed gets to the heart of a profound issue how to change the threat we face here in the u.s. as it relates to mass-transit. our efforts to combat terrorism go well beyond any one individual which is why we remain focused on the critical mission of protecting the traveling public and the transportation system. tsa will evaluate and implement measu

mr. alexander: thank you. a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from kansas. mr. roberts: thank you, madam president. i rise to speak in favor of the legislation that has been introduced by my friend and our republican leader, senator mcconnell, that would take our country in the direction of greater domestic energy production and certainly robust job creation, as opposed to taxing or trying to the very people who provide our energy. madam president, as every american knows, few issues today are more critical to the american taxpayer than the price of energy. whether it's powering our homes or fueling farm equipment or filling up our cars at the pump, the price of energy directly impacts the cost of goods and operating expenses for our american producers. now, while there is a multitude of variables that impact the cost of gasoline, it's important we don't overlook the main factor impacting prices at the pump. and one more time for my colleagues across the aisle, that is the global supply and demand of crude. wit

[laughter] >> we're back to old labour. >> mr. nigel dodds. >> mr. speaker, doesn't the visit of her majesty of the queen demonstrate not just her own personal courage to visit the severe dissident threats but it also demonstrates whatever some of us reservations might have in one aspect of her visit. it demonstrates the extent of the improvement in relations between the irish republic and the northern kingdom and it also demonstrates a demonstration of the status and bold the cooperation who plague the terrorists who plague us in the northern island and persian gulf. >> i think this is a remarkable visit. i think it demonstrates that the relationship between britain and the republic of ireland is strong and probably has never been stronger and with a successful of devolution of proce process, i think the visits her majesty to heal the wounds in the past and look to a very pry future between the two countries are remarkable and certainly welcomed. >> mr. speaker, since it's the peop people, couldn't the banks be denationalized and give them shares an

that troubles me, not due to any doubts about mr. brennan's capabilities, but because of that choice, that structure undermines the statutory role of the dni. we assess therefore the fundamental question, are changes in the long required in order to realize the potential of the dni, or is this simply a matter of more fidelity to the 2004 law. admiral, thank you for being here today, and i look forward to hearing your testimony. >> thanks very much, senator collins. admiral blair, it's all yours. thanks for being here. [inaudible] >> sir, could you just push the button on the microphone. they can expect think you for inviting me here today. it's common to improve the effectiveness of government after some disaster or crisis. and, in fact, intelligence act of 2004 the board of 9/11 as you mentioned, mr. chairman. but i think that reform in the wake of success also has a history. those who live the great victory of world war ii knew that there were major improvements to be made in the national security organizations and when the prayed

thank you mr. chairman. i want to take just a moment to have the committee recognized the hard work that our staff has done both on the majority of minority side. we literally could not do our jobs without their incredible talent and ability and tireless work. they work all hours of the day and night, do a great job for us and we definitely want to thank them for that. and in particular i want to thank betty gray. this is hurt 30th -- 30th markup which i think is amazing. [applause] [applause] >> she does an amazing job. i will tell you, she knows everything. if you want to ask a question about how this committee functions we all know right where to go so it is just been great rigging with her. i haven't been here for this old 30 years but have been for half of them. she is a traffic asset to this committee and also a great person. love working with her and i know i. >> for everybody on the committee on that so thanks to betty and thanks for a staff is always a fantastic job they do for committee a

we'll start from my left and your right, mr. ashkan soltani. >> chairman franken, ranking member coburn, and established members of the committee. thank you. my name is ashkan soltani, a technology researcher and consultant specializing with the internet. i am here on my own not representing the view of my previous employers. unlike desk top computers, mobile devices introduce privacy challenges. users carry their phones and tablets with this everywhere they go from homes, offices, day care, to the grocery discoer. a device's location is determined ewes a number of different technologies including gps, information about nearby cell towers and points and other techniques. while the accuracy varies depending on technology used, it can be sense titch and perm in all cases. if you live in -- it's reasonably easier to know where you work and play. this information reveals who you are as a person and how you spend your time. this is why consumers are surprised by the recent stories of how their data is collected. with the expansion of

. >> thank you for your testimony, mr. zywicki. dr. evans, you have five minutes. >> chairman and members of the subcommittee, thank you for asking me to testify. shortly after the u.s. department of the treasury proposed the act, professor john reichs from george mason and i started studying and the rational being put forward for it. early last year we published an intend to study. based on the research, i'm quite concerned the board could make it harder. just because someone puts the words consumers protection in the title of administrative agency doesn't mean that's what it's going to do. there are two reasons in my view to believe that the cfpb could become an anti-lending and borrowing bureau that could harm consumers and ultimately reduce economic growth. the first is that there's an anti-borrowing bias. professor warren wrote in 2008 and laid out the rational and agenda in some detail. she claimed that consumers aren't rational, consumers make lots of mistakes, and consumers end up in the end borrowing too much. professors wrote

finally, mr. president, number five, members of my party, the republicans, are working to repeal the president's payment advisory board. senate republicans are taking a stand against this rationing board, against more government control. senator john cornyn of texas has introduced senate bill 668. it is the health care bureaucrats elimination act. this bill repeals the president's payment advisory board, ensuring medicare patients can get the care they need from the doctor that they choose. and i'm proud to be a cosponsor, original cosponsor of this piece of legislation. and that's why, mr. president, i come to you today again on the floor with a doctor's second opinion, as somebody who for a quarter of a century in wyoming has taken care of patients on medicare, many patients on medicare, to provide a doctor's second opinion that this health care law is bad for those patients. it's bad for providers, the nurses and doctors who take care of those patients. and it's bad for the taxpayers. with that

. >> thank you, mr. chairman. and the ranking member of the full committee, senator hutchison? >> well, thank you, madam chairman. i think you certainly stated the case very well. i want to welcome you as the chairman and john thune as the new ranking member of the subcommittee and look forward to working with you especially on faa reauthorization which has just been hotlined for the 19th time to be extended. and i hope that we can come together in the next month and pass a bill that all of us worked very hard to get across the floor of the senate, and be it's now in conference. so this'll be a major mission for your subcommittee. and your topic today, of course, is very timely, and i appreciate all of your being here. i want to say i do think that we have had such a safe aviation safety performance, and in general the air traffic controllers have done a superb job. we pass 790 million people per year through our system, and there are 29-30,000 safe flights every day. that is a mark in our favor. however, of course, in the last five months we have had alarming lapses, and the -

like many in the administration, mr. cole disagrees. in 2002, after 9/11, not long, he wrote an op-ed, published it, criticizing then-attorney general john ashcroft's decision to try the 9/11 terrorists in military commissions. they researched the law. attorney general ashcroft knew what he was doing. they decided they were going to try these individuals by military commissions. at his hearing -- but he had written an op-ed attacking the attorney general for it, so now that's the man we have got to nominate for deputy attorney general of the united states. at his hearing last congress, mr. cole repeated a prevailing and confusing justice department position that decisions regarding whether captive terrorists should be tried in civilian courts or in military commissions -- quote -- should be made on a case-by-case basis based on all the relevant facts and circumstances available at a time of a suspect's capture." close quote. is this going to happen in yemen? afghanistan, pakistan, wherever else they may be? in the united states? it's no

mr. faucet has helped generations of new immigrants and low-income students see something greater in themselves, more than just a poor immigrant child trying to make it. he encourages students to learn language and speech and culture through lines of a play or a musical, through elocution lessons and his guiding presence. again, another teacher that focuses on the individual, unique needs of a child, a child that may have been born in another country, may have parents that don't speak english coming here. that child has some different childhoods from what i had with educated english speaking as a native language parents in mansfield, ohio, with lots of ideas and privileges. i was taught by my parents to read before i started kindergarten because -- because i was smarter than other kids, because i had parents that knew that mattered for me to get ahead and for the advantages i would have. mr. faucet clearly focuses on each child's individual, unique personality, needs, situation, all that.