The Senate is convened.

• Today --
  • We will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to the FISA  Bill (HR 6304).
  • We will vote on the confirmation of two district court judges today.
• Spoke on legislation before recess.
  • SUMMARY "all week long we've been stuck in the sand spinning our wheels. now, this is thursday, and thursday can be a magical day in the senate. but it's not automatic. it's not automatically a magical day. we have many things to do to in effect stop spinning our wheels. we have four major pieces of legislation that need to be considered before we can leave for the 4th of july recess"

• Spoke on FISA.
  • SUMMARY "as a result of democratic intransigence, our intelligence community has been handicapped to acquire new terrorist targets oversees. this was grossly irresponsible and many of us said so at the time. but now more than a year after the d.n.i. made his initial plea, house democrats have finally done the right thing."
• Spoke in honor of two soldiers who passed in Iraq.

• Propounded a UC that the Senate move immediately to and pass the the FAA Bill (HR 6327) with a highway trust fund fix.  (DeMint objected)

• Responded.
  • SUMMARY "it's inappropriate to make a decision on whether it's $6 billion or whatever the figure is. only a couple of months ago, we were all here on a technical correction bill. we had the opportunity to take a lot of money that was saved from projects that were not needed. we talked at the time on this floor about the fact that the trust fund was short. but instead of taking that savings and putting it back in the trust fund, we used it to add additional earmarks and to put more money into projects that were there."

• Responded.
  • SUMMARY "i'm disappointed but not nearly as disappointed as 50 governors. this is a situation where the s of this country are in desperate need of repair. construction, with the economy faltering as it is, with the housing market stumbling. this would be a tremendous help mr. president"
• Propounded a UC that the Senate move immediately to and pass the FAA Bill (HR 6327). (without objection)
• Propounded a UC that the Senate move immediately to and pass the Democratic Medicare Bill (HR 6331). (Gregg objected)

• Responded.
  • SUMMARY "there is obviously a great need to correct the problem of what will occur if the -- if we do not fix the doctors' reimbursement schedule. but there's also more ways do this than one, and the one that's being proposed is the house-passed bill by the majority leader. and we would suggest that since the senate should be heard on this matter"

• Responded.
  • SUMMARY "as i recall, house members voted for this. now, as far as putting the stamp of the senate on this bill, we've already done that. we passed a bill here. we had every democrat, nine republicans -- that's basically what the house has sent back to us, that matter that we took a look at earlier."

• Propounded a UC that the Senate move immediately to and pass a one month Medicare Extension. (Reid objected)

• Spoke on the FISA Bill (H.R. 6304).
  • SUMMARY "providing that immunity retroactive liability pr protection, more accurately, was critical to ensuring that they can continue to participate. they are loyal american citizens, and they wanted to be able to help. but when frivolous lawsuits seeking billions of dollars in damages are filed against them, whether they participated or no not, and there's no assurance that any telephone company so sued has participated, they can't use the defense that they didn't participate rkdz they have to -- didn't participate, they have to have protection."

• Spoke on the FISA Bill (H.R. 6304).
  • SUMMARY "my dear friend, senator specter, his solution is, well, let the lawsuits come forward, but shield the companies by having the government take legal responsibility and be subject to being sued. that's not the right answer either. our government wasn't doing a bad thing. our government was doing a good thing. our government was trying to find out what enemies of this nation were up to before it was too late"
  • SUMMARY "we have an opportunity here to come together as republicans and democrats and move forward on the surveillance program that is vital to our national security. and those who want to undo this deal because of special interest pressure are not exercising the leadership that the american people need at time of war."

• Spoke against the new military fuel tanker contract going to Airbus.

• Spoke on the FISA Bill (H.R. 6304).
  • SUMMARY "the requirement that the government obtain a court order prior to targeting them for any foreign intelligence collection. so, they get the same type of protection as does anybody in the united states. that's a first. before the attorney general could pretty much just say we want to target these people overseas and there was no court involved, there was no approval process involved legally, and now that cannot happen. so they are protected, and indeed are as the same as anybody in the united states."
  • SUMMARY "the fisa bill has a multitude of statutory provisions that provide the judicial and congressional oversight that is essential to protecting the civil liberties of all americans both here and abroad. they were not protected abroad. they are now."

• Spoke in honor of his mother-in-law and a former Governor of Alaska.
• Propounded a UC that he be excused from voting until July 1.

• Spoke on student loans.
  • SUMMARY "the increases in student aid that are beginning to go into effect next week are a down payment on america's future prosperity, on its future competitiveness. this investment could not have come at a better time. with college costs at an all-time high, neither student aid nor family incomes have been able to keep up"

• Spoke on Medicare extension.
  • SUMMARY "these private health insurance plans are big winners when it comes to making money but at the expense of medical care for the medicare patients. these are the same companies the republicans are trying to protect by objecting to our fixing this medicare reimbursement problem. it's a shame we're putting the health of american seniors on the line for the profit of a handful of private health insurance companies. the bush administration is disguising the truth. they claim the medicare advantage plans are helping when really they aren't doing a good job."

• Propounded a UC that the Senate proceed immediately to the consideration of the NOPEC Bill (HR 2264). (Domenici objected)
  • SUMMARY "this will allow the tone general to file suit against nations that participate in a conspiracy to limit the supply or fix the price of oil. in addition, it will specify that the doctrines of sovereign immunity and act of state do not exempt nations that participate from antitrust law"

• Spoke on renewable energy tax exemptions.
  • SUMMARY "we need to have a broad-based approach to finding all of the sources of american energy that we can possibly find to help make us less dependent on middle east oil and other energy supplies coming from outside the united states. it's important for our national security and it's also important for our economic security. so mr. president, the bill that i offered, the amendment i wanted to offer to the housing bill deals with alternative renewable energies."

• Spoke in honor of a poet from Ohio.

• Spoke against the actions of Robert Mugabe.
  • SUMMARY "the southern development african community and the african union have, frankly, too often been willing to sit on the sidelines. they need to play a sustained and active role in resolving this crisis in a way that respects the will of zimbabwe's people, and they need to do that now with the help of the european community and ourselves and the united nations itself."

• Spoke on the War in Afghanistan.
  • SUMMARY "the problems are well documented: resurgence of pro taliban, and rampant government corruption, insufficient resources for reconstruction, stalled development, fragile political institution and mind-numbing poverty."
  • SUMMARY "our mission in afghanistan is in jeopardy because we have still not defined long-term u.s. strategic objectives in afghanistan and by implication, across all of south asia. we have not linked our relevant military security operations to a political strategy or made a long-term strategic commitment to afghanistan in the eyes of the afghan people. we have decoupled pakistan from afghanistan instead of formulating a strategy that would address the inherent and historic relationship between the two nations."

• Spoke on food prices.
  • SUMMARY "according to economists across the administration, biofuels have caused a tiny fraction of the increase in global and domestic food prices. they're also responsible for only a small portion of even the increase in the price of corn. the fact is the greatest cost of oil and the increased cost of oil is the biggest driver against the increased price of food."
  • SUMMARY "while biofuels are easy to blame, it's intellectually dishonest to make these claims. but maybe intellectually dishonesty doesn't make any difference to the grocery manufacturers association."

• Spoke in honor of the 50th Anniversary of the Alaska Statehood Act.

• Spoke in honor of the 50th Anniversary of the Alaska Statehood Act.

• Spoke in honor of the 50th Anniversary of the Alaska Statehood Act.

• Spoke in honor of the 50th Anniversary of the Alaska Statehood Act.

• Spoke in honor of the 50th Anniversary of the Alaska Statehood Act.
• Spoke on the FISA Bill (H.R. 3604).
  • SUMMARY "these carriers must be protected from the costly and damaging lawsuits. such lawsuits could end the current level of participation in the vital intelligence program by these carriers and will likely deter other carriers and companies who might wish to step forward and join as volunteers as private citizens who might like to step forth and volunteer in helping us protect ourselves by virtue of the essential intelligence that we must monitor and collect every day."

• Spoke on the Democrat Medicare Extension (H.R. 6331)
  • SUMMARY "but the house, based on the work of the senate, as well, has passed by 355 votes, on a bipartisan basis, a bill to make sure that 44 million seniors and people with disabilities do not find themselves worse off as it relates to being able to get a doctor or being able to get the care that they need. so we're at a crossroads right now. the time is up"

• Spoke on the Air Force tanker contracts being awarded to Airbus.
  • SUMMARY "i would just say in the beginning and something i have committed to from -- throughout this process and that is that it should be a nonpolitical decision. a decision made by the united states air force based on the criteria set out in law"

• Spoke against the actions of Robert Mugabe.
  • SUMMARY "i recall this country was considered one of the wealthiest countries in africa, considered the bread basket of africa, it is now named the world's fastest that shrinking economies. in 2007 inflation rose above 8,000%, unemployment is estimated at 80% -- 80% of the population lives on less than $2 a day. mugabe's leadership is a disgrace"

• Spoke on gas prices.
  • SUMMARY "we have to bring discipline, accountability, and transparency, to the marketplace. so speculation is one area where we need to have legislation. that would help more short term than long term"
  • SUMMARY "number two under my legislation is impose a windfall profits tax on big oil and use that savings to redirect those dollars for relief for our families, especially low-income families, who are trying to make ends meet, they're trying to pay for health care, they're trying to pay for a mortgage, they're trying to pay for education, and on top of that they're paying four bucks a gallon at the pump or more for gas"

• Spoke on the FISA Bill (H.R. 6304).
  • SUMMARY "i think we in the senate have also been done a great service by our colleagues in the house of representatives who stood fast against bush efforts, the president bush administration efforts, to stampede this legislation through without proper negotiation and without the basic process of back-and-forth that improves legislation ordinarily. and it has made for a better piece of legislation and it also makes for a notable contrast with what happened a year ago when we first took up this legislation."

• Propounded a UC that the Senate move to executive session. (without objection)
  • SUMMARY "i thank the chairman of the committee and the majority leader for moving ahead with three confirmations earlier this week, and these two co confirmations. and, again, i renew my request that we may be able to move to a situation where we will avoid blocking judges, where we will proceed on up-and-down votes and we will not seek to hold vacancies in judicial nominee situations where there are judicial emergencies; for example, in the fourth circuit with the nomination of judge conrad pending from north carolina"

• Spoke on the nomination of William T. Lawrence (Exec. Calendar #627).
  • SUMMARY "i was pleased to commend william lawrence to president bush for co consideration. this selection was the product of a bipartisan process and reflective of the importance of finding highly qualified judges to carry forward the tradition of fair, principled, and collegial leadership. i have known bill lawrence for many years, and i have always been impressed with his high energy, his resolute integrity, his remarkable dedication to public service."

• Spoke on the nomination of G. Murray Snow (Exec. Calendar #628).
  • SUMMARY "what senator specter said a moment ago about arizona judge murray snow are my feelings as well. he's been nominated for the federal bench in arizona. he is superbly qualified, unanimously well-qualified according to the bar association and a fine appellate court judge already. he will make a fine addition to the federal bench"

• Spoke on the FISA Bill (H.R. 6304).
  • SUMMARY "the elements of article 1 really are improved. this is in article 1, a bill we can be very, very proud of. we will have our dispute about the immunity provisions. i have my thoughts on that for later. but there is much that has been accomplished and great credit that is due"

• Propounded a UC that the Senate move immediately to Executive Calendar items 627 and 628.
  • We will have the first vote soon and the second vote immediately afterward.

• Spoke on the economy.
  • SUMMARY "you know, when i go back home to vermont, as i did this past weekend, i suspect vermonters, i suspect was all americans, they're not really concerned about judicial nominations. i have not had anybody coming up to me as i was walking out of church or the grocery store, i have not had anybody come up to me and say, "we need more judicial nominations." what they are concerned about are gas prices have skyrocketed"
• Moved to vote on the Judicial Nominations.

The vote was 97-0, William T. Lawrence is confirmed as

U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Indiana.

(Vote results will be posted here within an hour.)

By voice vote G. Murray Snow is confirmed as

U.S. District Judge for the District of Arizona.

• Spoke on energy supplies.
  • SUMMARY "their plan is designed to have us continue to act like addicts. instead of supporting real plans to conserve oil or even transition to sustainable fuels, the bush-mccain plan is to search for our next oil fix. ending a bipartisan 26-year moratorium to open up the outer continental shelf to oil exploration is simply not a solution to our oil crisis."
  • SUMMARY "they seem to think that oil drilling in virginia water would only affect the state of virginia but oil spills do not sit still. remember that oil drilling spill in the gulf of mexico that traveled 6 hundred miles and the exxon valdez spill east coast of alaska, over 6 hundred miles wide? what would a similar spill look like on the east coast? it would mean a devastated coastline from new york down to south carolina."

• Spoke on his LIHEAP Bill.
  • SUMMARY " bottom line here, president, is pretty simple that is with the cost of energy soaring, we have many, many millions of americans wondering next winter how they're going to be able to stay warm. we have got to expand liheap funding to match the inflationary costs of home-heating fuel"
• Spoke on community health centers.
  • SUMMARY "according to the national association of community health centers the artificially low cap on medicare payments costs community health centers $50 million anually, money that could be used to provide primary care access to thousands more of our nation's seniors. an overwhelming majority of health centers, a full 75%, now lose money treating medicare beneficiaries. this inadequate and arbitrary payment system jeopardizes the ability of community health centers to continue to provide necessary primary care to the 1.5 million medicare beneficiaries that are seen at community health centers"

• Spoke on the FISA Bill (HR 6304).
  • SUMMARY "many critics of fisa, most notably in the house, tried to rewrite history and discredit admiral mike mcconnell, the director of national intelligence. this compelled me to speak out on it at the time. he, in my view, what i saw it, acted in good faith, and he was charged with not having done so. but it seems that there is another effort today to rewrite history"

• Spoke on the G.I. Bill.
  • SUMMARY "it will pay for tuition an books and a monthly stipend. roughly equivalent to the benefits given to millions of american veterans following world war ii. the first g.i. bill created a vibrant middle class that drives our economy to this day and makes america the envy of the world. this g.i. bill can do the same again"

• Spoke on the G.I. Bill.
  • SUMMARY "today, we are set to approve a measure that will shape today's military. the future of the military and the future of our nation for many years to come. today's new veterans will know that we honor the contributions they have made in service to this nation"

• Spoke on tax extenders.
  • SUMMARY "partisan obsession with a tax increase version of pay-go or pay-as-you-go will not, at the end of the day, trump bipartisan popular tax relief measures that millions of families are counting on and have been on the books for a long period of time. if i'm wrong i think that the spokes people for the democratic party should tell those millions of families and thousands of innovative businesses that their partisan agenda is more important than doing the people's business"
• Spoke on the 2001 and 2003 Tax Cuts.
  • SUMMARY "ironic, my democratic friends label the bipartisan tax relief "the bush tax cuts," yet they call their own tax plan, tax relief. especially when this so-called democratic tax relief is merely an extension of the 2001 reductions in tax rates for just certain taxpayers -- not all taxpayers."
  • SUMMARY "the democratic party and their presidential candidate are telling americans who make less than $2 50,000 a year their taxes won't go up if they vote democratic in november. i think it is intellectually dishonest and the folks in the media should call them on this and make it clear that it is otherwise. why do i say this? because my friends on the other side will increase capital gains tax. they will also increase the tax rate on dividend incomes."

• Spoke on futures markets.
  • SUMMARY "h.r. 6377 passed the house of representatives 402-10. so an outstanding margin of bipartisan support in the house of representatives that doesn't say the cftc may utilize its authorities; it says they shall. so it's very direct. it says that those of broad emergency authorities that include investigating excessive speculation, reducing position limits, basically overall st stricter position limits, and including limiting or suspending trading are things that the cftc shall do in its emergency authorities to make sure that excessive speculation and manipulation aren't occurring in the markets"

• Spoke on the Democrat Medicare Bill (HR 6331).
  • SUMMARY "this is the time to avert the cut in payments to doctors. that payment cut would devastate access to care for america's seniors. we cannot let that happen. we cannot let those cuts go through, which would devastate care for america's seniors."

• Spoke on Medicare extension.
  • SUMMARY "i think we ought to acknowledge that we're not going to let those cuts go into effect and scrap the sustainable growth rate formula by which those medicare reimbursements are calculated, because it's just not honest. it's not honest, and it's scaring not only medicare beneficiaries, it's impairing access to health care for those to whom we promised the medicare program would actually work."
• Spoke on energy costs.
  • SUMMARY "we need to produce more and use less oil as we transition into a cleaner, more independent energy economy. it would be better for our national security, it would be better for our economy, and it will actually help us control prices so that hard-working american families won't be spending all of their money"

• Spoke on tax extenders.
  • SUMMARY "why should not both be offset? however, the budget rules assume that the expiring spending provisions are automatically renewed as a matter of course with absolutely no requirement that the loss revenue be offset. this mismatch in budget policy produces a huge bias toward bigger government and more taxes. something my colleagues, many on the other side, just love."
• Spoke on the Democrat Medicare Bill (HR 6331).
  • SUMMARY "i want to continue to work with my colleagues on the other side of the aisle in order to get this done. we were so close to an agreement here in the senate earlier in the week. but after the house voted on tuesday, those discussions basically stopped, although we really could put this together in ten minutes if we worked together in a bipartisan way"

• Propounded a UC that the Senate proceed to and following debate, vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to HR 6331.  Further, if cloture is invoked, we HR 6331 read a third time and passed. Further,  if cloture is not invoked the bill be returned to the calander. Further, upon disposition of HR 6331 we will proceed immediately to HR 2642, the Emergency Supplemental. Following limited debate, we will vote on the motion to waive the Budget Act with regard to HR 2642 followed immediateately by a vote on the motion to concur. (without objection)
• Filed cloture on the motion to proceed to HR 6331, the Democrat Medicare Bill.
• Propounded a UC that on Tuesday, July 8th we consider the FISA bill, with only Dodd-Feingold, Specter, and Bingaman amendments in order and that the Senate vote on each amendment with limited debate on each.  Further, this be read a third time and followed by a vote on cloture, where, if cloture passes, the bill be voted upon immediately. (without objection)
• Filed cloture on the FISA Bill, (HR 6304).
• Moved to concur on the Amendment to the House striking amendments 6-11 to the amendment of H.R. 3221 and filed cloture.
• Propounded a UC that the cloture vote on H.R. 3221 occur at 5:00 PM Monday, July 1 with no other motions in order. (without objection)

• Spoke on accomplishing legislation.
  • SUMMARY "we've worked our way through a lot of difficult issues, and i say to my friend, the republican leader, you know, i, frankly, get upset at him sometimes but i always try to do it in a way that brings dignity to this body. he's got a job to do. i've got a job to do. and we'll continue to do that. i am happy that we've been able to get to the point where we are today."

• Spoke on the Medicare Bill (H.R. 6331).
  • SUMMARY "well, they're using as a good reason here to vote against this protection of medicare doctors that unfortunately it might involve some increase in taxes or changes in private health insurance. the real reason?  the real reason is this bill goes after, in a small way, but goes after private health insurance companies that are selling medicare coverage, the so-called medicare advantage companies."

• Spoke on the Medicare Bill (H.R. 6331).
  • SUMMARY "those discussions commenced. they produced a bipartisan agreement and then just before that agreement was brought to the senate floor the majority announced it wanted, instead, to substitute a partisan bill that we would seek to consider on the senate floor. we had a cloture vote on that bill and it failed to get cloture."

• Spoke on the Medicare Bill (H.R. 6331).
  • SUMMARY "for years, the finance committee has been the model of how a committee can work on a cooperative -- and that basically means on a bipartisan basis. i think we work best when we work together. for some reason that hasn't seemed to be the case this year and that's not senator baucus' fault. i've tried to work this year to get a bill that could get signed into law"

• Spoke on the Medicare Bill (H.R. 6331).
  • SUMMARY "i disagree with him. let me just point out -- there were three arguments made. first, that this is not bipartisan. it is clearly not the bipartisan agreement he and senator baucus were working to develop. but it is clearly a bipartisan agreement. i'm informed that 129 republicans in the house voted for this. that's two-thirds of the republicans who serve in the house"

• Spoke on the Medicare Bill (H.R. 6331).
  • SUMMARY "this is a solution that could become law right away. i hope the majority can find a way to take one of the solutions we're offering so that the physicians payments aren't cut and that seniors' medicare benefits aren't put in jeopardy"

• Spoke on the Medicare Bill (H.R. 6331).
  • SUMMARY "medicare is an important program. it's part of the legacy of our country, and it's -- we know our health care delivery system is really in trouble. but medicare is one of the strong parts of that, and we should continue it, not destroy it. and a "no" vote on this legislation tonight is destroying medicare."

The vote was 58-40, the motion to invoke cloture on

the motion to proceed to the Medicare Extension Act, H.R. 6331, is not agreed to.

(Vote results will be posted here within an hour.)

• Propounded a UC that the Senate consider immediately and pass a clean 30 day Medicare extension. (Reid objected)

• Responded.
  • SUMMARY "the republican leader, said he wants the ranking member grassley to lead us to a bipartisan agreement. mr. president, we have a leader. we have a leader. he's called the chairman of the committee. he's the chairman of the finance committee, max baucus, one of the most experienced members of this body"

• Responded.
  • SUMMARY "the path the majority leader just recommended we go down leads to a presidential veto and an expiration of this law at the end of the week and a certain doc fix rejection. in other words, the doctors' cut is going to go into effect at the end of this month because of this recalcitrant view, this excessively partisan approach that refuses to accept any input from this side of the aisle"
  • SUMMARY "we ought to be talking about the reality of this. the reality is that the refusal of the majority to approach this issue on a bipartisan basis as has been typically done in the past will lead to a presidential veto, a reduction in the reimbursement rates for doctors and expiration at the end of the week"

• Responded.
  • SUMMARY "we have a situation, mr. president, where we have a clear bipartisan piece of legislation. how bad could it be? when 355 members of the house of representatives -- the founding fathers set up two equal branches within the legislative branch. the house just is powerful as we are. they have every much right to do what they think is right as we do. they, on a bipartisan basis, 6-1, passed this"

• Responded.
  • SUMMARY " so if the president vetoes this bill, it is in the likely that the "fix" will be prevented at the end of the week?"

• Responded
  • SUMMARY "i don't know how many people are up here for reelection, but i'm watching a few of them pretty closely and i would say to all these people who are up for election if you think you can go home and say i voted "no" because this weak president, the weakest political standing since they have done polling, i voted because i was afraid to override his veto. come on!"

• Spoke on the Supplimental. (HR 2642)
  • SUMMARY "this is a new program. this is the first wartime g.i. bill benefit since vietnam. i would like to thank very much the people on both sides of the aisle for all the work that we've been able to do"

• Spoke on the Supplimental. (HR 2642)
  • SUMMARY "i worked very hard to put in that bill was the transferability of the education benefits that a person in the military now is able to transfer to a spouse or children. there are many people who don't want to leave the military to take that education opportunity but they would love to give their spouse or their child that opportunity. and it is now in this bill"

• Raised a point of order on the bill regarding the Budget Act.

The vote was 77-21, the Motion to Waive the Budget Act

with respect to the House amendments to H.R. 2642 is agreed to.

(Vote results will be posted here within an hour.)

The motion to concur in the House

amendments on H.R. 2642, is agreed to.

(Vote results will be posted here within an hour.)

• Propounded a UC that the Clean Boating Act (S. 2766) be read a third time and passed. (Murkowski objected)

• Spoke on cost sharing on New Orleans levees.
  • SUMMARY "still questioning whether the federal government's commitment to not only fix the levees, restore the levees and bring them up to the standards that were promised decades ago, if that promise is going to be kept, this bill gets us part of the way there but we still have an awfully long way to go. in the underlying bill that we passed, in large meaure crafted by the house leadership -- and i'm disappointed, i have to say, in this view; the house leadership -- they put in only a portion of the very critical levee funding that is needed for us to go forward to restore these levees to 100-year flood protection"
• Spoke in honor of a judge from Louisiana.

• Spoke on the Housing Bill.
  • SUMMARY "the heart of the economic crisis is the housing crisis.  the heart of the housing crisis is the foreclosure crisis"
• Tomorrow --
  • We will have two hours of morning business.
  • We will have no roll call votes tomorrow.
  • We will convene at 9:45 AM.

The Senate stands adjourned until 9:45 AM tomorrow.