To watch or listen to the Senate floor live please visit CSPAN2

The Focus of Today's Session will be
the FY2005 Budget Resolution

2:05 P.M.

Senator Mikulski of Maryland is speaking on the floor about a resolution that she and Senator Sarbanes introduced today that pays tribute to those that lost their lives in a water taxi accident in Baltimore this weekend.  She has also expressed thanks to first responders who helped with the rescue. 

1:40 P.M.

Senator Allard of Colorado is speaking about taxes for middle class families and how changes under the current budget may affect what taxes these families pay. 

1:25 P.M.

Senator Ron Wyden is speaking about the Medicare prescription drug program and how to reign in its costs.  He has advocated in favor of giving the Secretary of Health and Human Services the authority to negotiate with drug companies to provide lower drug costs to Medicare beneficiaries. 

12:45 P.M.

Senator Dorgan is talking about the outsourcing of jobs to overseas corporations.  He is commenting about whether Americans know that when they wear Levis they are not wearing American-made clothing and whether they know that when they eat Fig Newtons that they are eating a cookie made in Mexico.

12:30 P.M.

Senator Byron Dorgan is talking about the dramatically increasing federal budget deficit that would come as a result of the proposed budget resolution. He is asking "when will the Congress and when will the President be serious about these policies," referring to budget policies.

11:50 A.M.

Senator Frank Lautenberg is speaking of his desire to be able to pass along to his grandchildren a world that is stable and harmonious and has jobs available to them.

11:00 A.M.

Senator Don Nickles of Oklahoma, Chairman of the Budget Committee, is speaking passionately about social security.

10:15 A.M.

Senator Kent Conrad, Ranking Member of the Budget Committee, is responding to the earlier comments made by Senators Santorum and McConnell by saying that this is the first Administration since the Hoover Administration to have such a rate of jobs lost in the private sector. Senator Conrad is saying that if one wants to compare the Clinton and the Bush Administrations, one must look at the fact that during the Clinton Administration, 20 million jobs were created as compared to the loss of 3 million jobs during the Bush Administration. He is joined by Senator Senator Harry Reid who is stating that the Bush Administration has turned a budget surplus into a record deficit. 

9:55 A.M.

Senator Rick Santorum is joining Senator McConnell in saying that he feels that the economy is "moving dramatically in the right direction."

9:45 A.M.

Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky is expressing his opposition to the what he sees as the "Washington spin" surrounding issues such as the expiration of temporary unemployment benefits and the outsourcing of jobs to overseas corporations.   

9:30 A.M.

The Senate will convene this morning to resume the remaining forty hours of debate of S.Con.Res.95, the FY2005 Budget Resolution. The Budget Act limits debate on a budget resolution to 50 hours, including time taken for quorum calls but not including time taken for votes. In addition, the debate on an amendment is limited to two hours.  At the end of the fifty hours, amendments and motions may still be voted on; however, they may not be debated.