Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) on Thursday called on the Obama administration to adopt "more robust rules of engagement" in the ongoing U.S. battle against piracy in the Gulf of Aden.

"My hope for the future is that we can have far more robust rules of engagement empowering … commanders … to eliminate the threat of piracy," said Kirk.

Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) said he is working on bill that would allow the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to wave debt owed by individuals who were mistakenly given disaster assistance by the government.

The bill would allow FEMA to forgive debts from individuals who benefited from their services under the following circumstances:

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) on Thursday said President Obama's speech on the Middle East and North Africa did not answer any of the key questions members of Congress are asking and said she hopes Obama can work closely with Congress to put forward a "comprehensive and consistent regional policy."

One detail many members of Congress were listening for was the extent to which the U.S. military would stay involved in Libya. Obama committed U.S. forces to Libya without congressional approval, but many believe approval is needed under the War Powers Resolution after the first 60 days, which elapses late this week.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Thursday he believes University of California Professor Goodwin Liu has a "repugnant" view of how judges should act and that he therefore will vote against his confirmation to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

On the Senate floor Thursday afternoon, McConnell said Liu wrote recently that the 2010 election gives liberals a "tremendous opportunity" to implement the "progressive vision" of the Constitution and U.S. law.

House Republicans next week plan to approve another bill targeting the automatic federal funding of healthcare programs that was established in last year's healthcare law.

Republicans plan to take up H.R. 1216, which would terminate more than $200 million in funding over the next decade that is currently slated to fund training for graduate-level medical students. That funding was put in place by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act last year, through language that amended the Public Health Service Act.

Two senior Republican senators on Thursday noted that the Senate had not passed a full year's budget for 750 days and suggested Democrats are incapable of producing a plan that works.

"I think they are paralyzed, actually, by putting a plan on paper," said Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), ranking member on the Senate Budget Committee. "They are not able to produce a budget that their caucus supports, that the American people would support that would get a job done.

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), the former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Thursday he opposes the confirmation of Goodwin Liu to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, in large part because Liu seems to have dramatically reversed his judicial philosophy after being nominated.

"This has been about the most stunning confirmation conversion I've seen in all my time in the Senate," the six-term senator said on the floor.

Reid's approach differs from legislation backed by House Republicans as well as proposals from other Democrats.

The Senate will vote on Goodwin Liu, President Obama’s controversial nominee to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, on Thursday afternoon.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) scheduled a cloture vote for 2:15 p.m.

Expect a feisty exchange of words on the Senate floor Thursday morning. Conservatives who oppose Liu fault him for a variety of reasons, including his opposition to two justices nominated by former President George W. Bush and confirmed to the Supreme Court, Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Samuel Alito.