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For the second time this week, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) used his morning floor address to attack President Obama's proposed budget for 2012.

"It's more of the same," said McConnell. "More spending, more taxes, more borrowing. And we see this budget from a president who doesn't seem to understand the gravity of the crisis." 

Other members of the Republican Conference are seizing every possible opportunity to tear into the proposal.

During time designated for debate on the pending Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) authorization bill on Wednesday morning, Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) criticized Obama for "raising taxes rather than cutting spending."

A few Republicans even used portions of their speeches supporting non-controversial judicial nominees to express horror at the spending levels in the president's proposed budget for fiscal 2012.

Several Democrats are standing by the president's five-year freeze on spending, although some lawmakers want further cuts and are worried the proposed budget doesn't do enough to cut the debt.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) took to the floor to voice their support.

"The president is trying to chart a course that moves us forward in a responsible way, cutting spending where it will not hurt economic recovery and growth, and investing with the federal funds we will spend in programs that count," said Durbin.

Reid spoke about the budget just once this week, during leader time on Tuesday, and offered support with minor reservations.

"What I found deep in this budget was affirmation of our principles," said Reid. "He did not just talk about tough choices, he made them."

But Reid added, "I do not agree with all of his choices. I disagree with some of his cuts."

The House overwhelmingly approved a resolution Friday intended to eliminate burdensome regulations in a 391-28 vote.

D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) became visibly emotional on the House floor Tuesday as she decried Republicans' plan to ban the use of all federal funds for abortion and count funding for the District of Columbia as "federal funds."

"Get out of our affairs," said Holmes while raising her voice. "You have enough to attend to here."

Washington, D.C., is a federal city, according to the Constitution. As such, a bill that is working its way through the Judiciary Committee that would ban the use of federal funds for abortion would cover D.C. monies. The measure is backed by Republican leadership.

But Norton argued in her speech that the use of funds that come from the residents of D.C. should be determined by the people, not the Congress.

"Don't cross the line between democracy and autocracy and dictate to a local jurisdiction how to spend its own local funds, which you had nothing to do with raising," said Norton.

Norton was replying in part to a hearing on the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act held by the House Judiciary subcommittee on the Constitution on Tuesday. Norton had petitioned the subcommittee to testify on behalf of the District, but her request was denied.

"Shame on the Judiciary subcommittee," said Norton on the House floor in response to her denial. "What are you afraid of?"

"Our new bill is designed to permanently end any U.S. government financial support for abortion whether it be direct funding or by tax credits or any other subsidy," Rep. Christopher Smith (R-N.J.) said as he explained the bill last month.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) offered her regards to Nancy Reagan in one of two speeches from Democrats.

A debate over adding more long-distance flights to and from Reagan Washington National Airport is holding up the entire Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) authorization bill, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said in a floor speech Tuesday morning.

Reid said he would file cloture on the FAA bill Monday even if senators had not managed to come to an agreement. He also suggested senators should finish backroom dealings and bring all amendments to the floor for a vote.

Federal law allows only 12 long-distance flights (non-stop over 1,250 miles) to and from Reagan each day. The remaining long-distance flights are diverted to Dulles Airport and Baltimore-Washington Airport (BWI), both about 30 miles from the District.

West Coast senators in particular, such as Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), want to add slots at Reagan National to stimulate long-distance travel to and from their states. They say their constituents have a right to easy access to the nation’s capital.

Members of Congress who represent districts including, or near, BWI and Dulles airports, however, fear their districts could suffer if Reagan National is given more long-distance slots.

Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) has argued such a move would “subvert” and “undermine” the local transportation economy.

Reid Monday called on members to reach an agreement.

"We all know there is a lot of feigning going on around here and a lot of posturing," said Reid. "It will not be resolved except for here on the Senate floor."

“We are not playing around with this slot issue for another year,” said Reid. “This issue [FAA funding] has to pass."

The Senate on Monday confirmed three judicial nominations, including one that failed to be confirmed in the last two Congresses and was originally appointed by President George W. Bush.

The Senate confirmed Marco Hernandez of Oregon by unanimous consent to be the U.S. district judge for the District of Oregon. Before his approval, Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) took to the Senate floor and said Hernandez's position is now seen as an emergency post to fill, and lamented that the Obama administration did not re-nominate him earlier last year, which might have let him be confirmed in 2010.

The Senate also confirmed Diana Saldana of Texas to be the district judge for the Southern District of Texas. She was confirmed in a 94-0 vote.

The Senate then confirmed Paul Holmes of Arkansas, by a 95-0 vote, to be U.S. district judge for the Western District of Arkansas.

A small cadre of Democratic senators welcomed Slovenian Prime Minister Borut Pahor to the Senate floor at around 4:35 p.m. on Monday.

Sens. Patrick Leahy (Vt.), Tom Harkin (Iowa), Jay Rockefeller (W.Va.), Richard Blumenthal (Conn.) and Amy Klobuchar (Minn.) pointed out different aspects of the chamber, including the location of various senators' desks and the press gallery in the balcony.

The group, which stood in the back of the chamber across from the dais, shared a few laughs — one in particular when Leahy claimed that he had a full head of hair when he was first elected to the Senate. Leahy is now almost entirely bald.

Blumenthal, who had been presiding as president pro tempore until the Senate went into recess, came down from the podium and told Pahor he "admires" his work.

Slovenian ambassador to the United States Joseph Mussomeli also joined the prime minister and senators on floor.

The House late this week is expected to pass a resolution instructing 10 House committees to single out existing and pending regulations that impede economic growth and job creation.

That effort will supplement — or, more likely, compete with — the Obama administration's own effort to minimize what the president has called burdensome regulations on U.S. companies.

The White House took steps Monday to remind Congress it already is working to streamline regulations.

In a morning blog post called "Smarter Regulation," Cass Sunstein, administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, noted that President Obama signed an executive order last month asking federal agencies to produce plans by May for a government-wide review of regulations.

Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) and five other House Democrats, as expected, sent a letter to House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) Monday morning requesting an emergency resolution to stress support for Egyptian pro-democracy demonstrators.

Other signatories were Reps. John Conyers, Jr. (Mich.), Jim McDermott (Wa.), Michael Honda (Calif.), Raul Grijalva (Ariz.), and Keith Ellison (Minn.).

Over the weekend, the intensity of street protests in Cairo faded as many began a return to a semblance of normal life following nearly three weeks of demonstrations. But thousands of protesters remain in Tahrir Square demanding the immediate resignation of President Hosni Mubarak.

Michael Steel, who is the spokesman for Boehner responded to the letter with this statement to The Hill Monday afternoon.

“As the White House has said, President Mubarak has not sufficiently addressed the legitimate concerns of the Egyptian people.  Moving forward, all parties need to address legitimate grievances, renounce violence, and to ensure respect, dignity, and political freedom are equally and consistently applied to all.”

This post was updated at 4:26 p.m.

The only committee meeting scheduled for next week is a Senate Finance Committee markup of legislation to fund the Airport and Airway Trust Fund Reauthorization Act of 2011.

The committee is expected to mark up the legislation, which provides funding for between 75 and 85 percent of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) authorization bill, currently pending on the Senate floor.

The remainder of the FAA bill is funded by the General Fund.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said the Senate will likely pass the authorization bill at the beginning of the following week.

The Senate will adjourn on Tuesday next week to accommodate a Democratic caucus retreat.