Wednesday, January 17, 2018

8:14 p.m. The Senate adjourned.

6:53 p.m. Senators Durbin, Graham, Flake, Menendez and Bennet engaged in a colloquy on immigration.

6:52 p.m. Majority Leader achieved UC that following the colloquy on immigration the Senate adjourn until 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 18th.

6:41 p.m. Senator Moran paid tribute to Bob Dole.

6:33 p.m. Senator Hirono spoke about the emergency alert in Hawaii on Monday.

6:22 p.m. Senator Lankford paid tribute to Martin Luther King.

6:04 p.m. Senator Whitehouse spoke for the 193rd time on climate change.

6:03 p.m. Senator Lankford achieves UC for the Senate to vote at 12:15 p.m. on Thursday on the motion to concur in the House amendment to S. 139, the legislative vehicle for the FISA bill. 

4:37 p.m. Senators Heinrich and Wyden spoke on section 702 of FISA.

4:29 p.m. Senator Wicker spoke about tax reform.

4:22 p.m. Senator Cotton spoke on section 702 of FISA.

4:11 p.m. Senator Toomey spoke about tax reform.

3:51 p.m. Senator Merkley spoke about legislative action in 2017.

3:27 p.m. Senator Cardin spoke about offshore drilling.

3:09 p.m. Senator Scott spoke about tax reform.

3:02 p.m. Senator Alexander spoke about the Jackson magnolia tree at the White House.

2:53 p.m. Senator Gardner spoke on veterans affairs issues.

2;45 p.m. Senator Thune spoke on the tax reform bill.

2:15 p.m. Senators Feinstein and Cornyn spoke on section 702 of FISA.

12:47 p.m. The Senate recessed until 2:15 for the weekly caucus luncheons.

12:32 p.m. Senator Lee spoke about the 4th amendment.

12:13 p.m. Senator Reed spoke about tax reform and DACA.

12:00 p.m. Senator Sullivan spoke about military spending.

11:48 a.m. Senator Hatch asked u.c. that the Senate recess from 12:30-2:15 p.m. to accomodate the weekly caucus lunches.

11:33 a.m. Senator Hatch spoke about the deadline for government funding and CHIP legislation. He also spoke on immigration reform.

10:45 a.m. Senator Durbin spoke about freedom of the press. He spoke about immigration.

10:37 a.m. Senator Klobuchar spoke about freedom of the press.

10:22 a.m. Senator Flake spoke about freedom of the press.

10:12 a.m. Minority Leader Schumer spoke against Senator McConnell’s proposal for the continuation of federal spending. He spoke in favor of a bipartisan alternative under discussion in the House. He spoke about trade with China.

10:02 a.m. Majority Leader McConnell spoke about the economy and the tax overhaul. He spoke about the reauthorization of foreign intelligence surveillance rules. He spoke about extending federal spending authority, reauthorization of the children’s health program and immigration.

He paid trubute to a departing staffer, Reb Brownell.

Senator McConnell took steps under Rule XIV to place on the Senate calendar S. 2311, to revise federal law regarding unborn children.

*****

The Senate will convene at 10 a.m. and will resume post-cloture consideration of the House message to accompany S. 139, the legislative vehicle for reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).

These amendments are pending to the surveillance measure:

  • McConnell amendment (#1870) to change the enactment date;
  • McConnell second-degree amendment (#1871) to McConnell amendment #1870, to change the enactment date.

The vote to invoke cloture for the FISA measure concluded shortly after 7 p.m. Tuesday, so if all post-cloture time is used, a vote on passage could occur after 1 a.m. Thursday.

Weekly caucus luncheons are expected to take place from 12:30 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. today.

NOTE: At 3:15 p.m., Senator Duckworth and Representative Gallego will hold a pen & pad briefing in the Senate Press gallery (Room S-316 of the Capitol).
              Topic: The costs of war with North Korea.   ( @SenDuckworth and @RepRubenGallego )