A resolution expressing the sympathy and pledging the support of the United States Senate and the people of the United States for the victims of the powerful earthquake and devastating tsunami that struck Bangladesh, Burma, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, the Maldives, the Seychelles, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, and other areas of South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Africa, on December 26, 2004.

Mr. President, I send a resolution to the desk and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. President, on the morning of December 26, one of the worst catastrophes the world has ever seen slammed the coast of Southeast Asia, South Asia, and eastern Africa.

Deep in the Indian Ocean, an enormous earthquake, estimated at a magnitude of 9.0 on the Richter Scale--possibly one of the most powerful earthquakes ever in history--caused a devastating tsunami which has now killed over 150,000 people, seriously injuring another half a million, and displacing as many as 5 million individuals from their demolished homes.

Thousands of people were literally washed out to sea as the enormous wall of water, traveling at speeds of up to 500 miles per hour in the open ocean, struck the coasts of the Indian Ocean Rim. As those waves receded, they took with them whole towns and villages. They took with them families on holiday, fishermen at sea, and children who had gone down to the beach that morning to play.

One only begins to comprehend the enormity of the tragedy as the individual stories emerge, as they have over the last several days, such as the father who helped his daughter climb on to the roof of their hotel and drowned in his act of heroism or the 13-year-old boy who held his grandmother afloat as long as he could before she succumbed to the waves.

The tragedy continues for these already devastated people. Survivors now face the ``disaster after the disaster''--the risk of death from cholera, dysentery, malaria, typhoid, and diarrhea, all potentially on an epidemic scale. The lack of potable water and potential emergence of waterborne illnesses pose an enormous public health threat.

In the last week, I have spent hours on the phone with ambassadors from the affected countries, with senior U.S. officials and private citizens, to help coordinate some of those relief efforts. I am gratified--overwhelmed, in fact--by the generosity and commitment so many people have shown at every level, from local communities to our Government. Their outpouring of support and concern is truly remarkable.

One friend of mine, Carl Lindner, has a son who is putting together medical and relief supplies on a 747 charter to India this week.

Franklin Graham and my friends from Samaritan's Purse are in the field right now with assessments and are investing heavily through Samaritan's Purse, especially in rural areas that are far from airports or far from towns or far from those areas we can reach as easily.

Condoleezza Rice and our U.S. officials are working tirelessly to coordinate our efforts.

Fred Smith's company, FedEx, is transporting 150,000 pounds of Pedialite formula donated by Ross Labs. The shipment was loaded onto a FedEx aircraft yesterday morning in Columbus, Ohio, and should arrive in Sri Lanka tomorrow.

And, of course, the American people have shown extraordinary compassion and sympathy and empathy. By their own initiative, private individuals and charities and nongovernment organizations and businesses have raised millions of dollars to aid the tsunami victims. I am filled with admiration for the compassion demonstrated by our fellow citizens.

As we return to Congress, we will act quickly on a clean tsunami supplemental. President Bush announced on Friday that America has pledged $350 million in relief assistance, with $15 million already speeding toward the hands of relief organizations in the affected countries. The administration will continue to revise this number as the full extent of the disaster becomes known.

American military ships, airplanes, and helicopters are right now delivering food. Over 48 helicopters right now are operating, delivering these medical supplies and food and water. Medicine, tents, water, ladders, food--all being delivered through the compassion of the international community. We have more than 20 patrol and cargo aircraft that have been made available to assess the disaster and deliver relief supplies. Twelve thousand of our men and women in uniform are working around the clock right now to reach survivors in remote corners of the region and to participate in the delivery of that relief. Evacuation helicopters are bringing stranded victims to safety.

The United States has set up a 24-hour, 7-day-a-week Disaster Response Command Center at the U.S. Agency for International Development headquarters here in Washington, along with regional coordination centers in Thailand and Sri Lanka. Together with governments from around the world, America is leading the largest international relief effort in history.

As we speak, a delegation, led by Secretary Colin Powell and Governor Jeb Bush, is meeting with leaders of the affected countries to show America's support and solidarity, and to determine how we can continue to be effective, to maximize our effectiveness.

Later tonight I too will travel to the region to survey the damage, spending

Thursday in Sri Lanka touring disaster sites and visiting hospitals, surveying our relief efforts, and lending my help wherever I can, including medical assistance. Following that, I and others will travel to the southeast coast of India on a similar mission.

The purpose of our trip is several fold: to assure the people of the region that we are engaged and fully committed. The Senate is taking these first steps as an institution by adopting the resolution expressing our sympathy for the countries and victims affected and promising our full support of America's relief efforts.

While in the region, we will also make a personal assessment of what U.S. assistance is needed and will have the opportunity to meet with leaders of the affected countries and ask personally how America can best help. I intend to ensure that aid is following as efficiently and effectively as possible.

The Senate is taking its first step here today as we consider and adopt the Senate resolution expressing sympathy and pledging support to the victims of the earthquake and tsunami that struck the peoples of Southeast Asia, South Asia, the island nations of the region, and eastern Africa.

Senator Reid and I have worked closely on this effort in a bipartisan manner to express the unanimous agreement of this body, the U.S. Senate.

I also thank Senator Dick Lugar, who has shown steadfast leadership in this time of crisis and who has worked closely on this resolution with us as well. I know his committee in the coming weeks and months ahead will be delving into many matters relating to this disaster. We extend our great thanks to him.

Let me close my remarks by offering, on behalf of myself, the U.S. Senate, and the American people, our deepest sympathies to the victims of this terrible tragedy.

Our hearts and prayers are with you--the victims, the survivors, and their families. The struggle to recover will be long. We all know that. It will be difficult. There will be many sorrow-filled days as we learn the full impact of this tragedy, but throughout the United States will stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of these devastated lands. We are determined to help rebuild their communities and restore their hope.

America is a great nation because it is a compassionate nation. It is our solemn commitment and obligation as a free people to share the blessing of liberty, especially with those who are so desperately in need.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, the day after the tsunami, I had the opportunity to meet with scores of people from Southeast Asia. There were people from Sri Lanka. The person who put the event together was from Bangladesh. We had people from Thailand, India, many people. It was an event in my honor. They had bought out a restaurant that night. It was a festive occasion, but there was a pall over what we were doing as a result of the tsunami that had taken place.

This tsunami was so difficult. These people in Reno, NV, had come to our country for the opportunity to realize their hopes and dreams. Each one of them love America, but of course they also feel an abiding love for their native lands and cultures.

I have trouble comprehending the power of nature. I read that the earthquake that took place was a million times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Nagasaki--not one thousand times, a million times. It was so powerful it threw off the Earth's rotation. This was a powerful act of nature.

In today's world, there is no such thing as an isolated event. It hit 11 countries. We are all connected to those countries. One hundred or so years ago that wouldn't have been the case. Fifty years ago it would have been less the case. The earthquake that caused the deadly tsunami was estimated at 9.0 on the Richter Scale. It was first picked up in Hawaii. They thought it was 8.0. I thought to myself, 8, 9, is that a big difference? It is 100 times different.

The President pro tempore is from Alaska. It is my understanding that the only earthquake in recent history that was stronger took place in Alaska. Fortunately, there were not a lot of people in Alaska and there wasn't the deadly tsunami that occurred following that earthquake.

We don't know the death toll. They found 6,000 more dead people yesterday, 9 or 10 days after the event. It is probably 150,000 and counting. Tens of thousands of people are missing. Millions have lost their homes. We are all affected by this catastrophic loss. We all share the anguish of a mother who lost a child, a father who lost a child. We feel the bewilderment and fear of children who lost their parents. That is why I am happy this resolution contains a paragraph dealing with adoption.

We all want to help. Since this tragedy took place 9 days ago, the world has seen an outpouring of aid for the victims of this tsunami. I spoke with the Democratic ranking member on the Finance Committee. He also has to deal with Senator Grassley, the chairman. They are concerned that the outpouring of charity by the people of the United States will be recognized taxwise. We need to do that so they can get some benefit for the money they gave before the end of the year. I hope we can.

The American people have opened their hearts and wallets, donating millions of dollars to groups such as the Red Cross that are working to provide relief from this disaster. Two former Presidents with whom I had the good fortune of serving in the Congress, Bill Clinton and George Bush the first, have agreed to lead the charitable efforts for the United States.

We got off to a slow start. There is no question about that. At the event I talked about in Reno, we talked about Secretary Powell's press conference where he said we were going to provide $15 million. We were all terribly disappointed in that. I hoped that the Secretary didn't realize the full impact of the tragedy that had taken place. I couldn't imagine he would have done that had he known. Fifteen million is half as much as we are spending on the inaugural ceremonies this month. And then it took a while for the President to step forward. Let's put all that behind us. America has now stepped forward. I am proud of what we have done and what we are doing. We have a lot more to do.

I was glad to see the U.S. military, as stretched as we are, step forward with aircraft carriers and other resources that only the military can put forward. I listened to something on Public Radio today. It said that on one island in Indonesia, they had instructed the American helicopter pilots not to bring in any more wounded: People who are sick, we cannot take care of them. The American pilots brought them in anyway. As a result of that, the American military responded by setting up a field hospital that will take care of those people. We are doing a lot. We have more to do.

The magnitude of the disaster that befell this part of the world is unbelievable to most of us. I am glad that America is now responding. That is why this resolution is so important. We have increased our commitment. I have already talked about the aircraft, the ships, the helicopters that deliver the food and water and clothing. One of those aircraft carriers makes thousands and thousands of gallons of pure, fresh water every day. That will be taken off the aircraft carrier to people who have despoiled water, water that is contaminated.

The response of the American people and our Government is important for many reasons. Obviously, our efforts help relieve the suffering of these victims, but they also help show the world what kind of a nation and people we are. David Ignatius wrote a wonderful column in the Washington Post where he talked about our ability to respond to world situations when there is such a disaster. We are not going to be able to win the war against terror unless we are able to show the world that we are a country based upon laws, not men, that we are a charitable nation, that we are a nation that is concerned about people's rights, human rights.

If we are able to show by virtue of the example we are setting with the disaster that befell these 11 nations, we will be able to convert people who are sympathetic to evil terrorists. We have a lot of people who are sympathetic to what these evil terrorists are doing. With actions such as this, we will be

able to show to those people who are sympathetic to the terrorists that maybe their sympathy is not well placed. I am confident we can do that, and in the process we will win the war on terror that is being perpetrated against not only us but against the world.

I commend and applaud the majority leader for working to make the resolution the first order of legislative business in this session of Congress. It is important that we do that. Again, I appreciate the opportunity to speak.

Mr. President, today the Senate expresses its condolences over the recent tsunami disaster. Like most Americans, I watched in horror over the holidays as a tsunami battered thousands of miles of coastline across South Asia and Africa. The damage left in the wake of this disaster is almost overwhelming, and I feel a sense of personal and professional obligation to do whatever can be done to help those in need. Though the grim reports have varied in the days following this disaster, it is becoming clear that nearly 150,000 people have already lost their lives, and hundreds of thousands of others are in grave jeopardy because of the damage inflicted by the tsunami. Still more families are searching for loved ones, hoping for any news regarding their family members' whereabouts.

In trying to guide a humanitarian effort through the aftermath of this tragedy, the United States and the larger international community must help these countries face longer term obstacles of disease, the destruction of basic infrastructure, complete damage to coastal economies and other fundamental hardship. America has itself been the victim of great tragedies such as this, and indeed it appears that thousands of Americans living or traveling in South Asia and Africa have themselves been affected by this horrible natural disaster.

My heart goes out to all these victims of the tsunami. It is time for the world, particularly those nations that are most fortunate such as the United States, to move rapidly with a relief and recovery effort that is worthy of the size of this tragedy. I am encouraged that our Government, in cooperation with private sector charities and the business community, has now begun to focus on what can be done to help the affected countries. This tragedy provides America with an opportunity to show that we can lead the world, not just when it is our military that is needed, but when we can offer our generosity and expertise for a massive humanitarian effort. So many nations affected by this tragedy are looking to America for help and we have an opportunity to provide the world our leadership. In addition to it being the right thing to do, it is clearly in America's national interest to be a leader in helping these countries to recover.

In this spirit, I wholeheartedly support the administration's pledge of $350 million to the relief effort. I also commend the involvement of former Presidents Clinton and Bush in helping to organize a private relief effort. I would also like to commend the work being done by our private sector, particularly by nongovernmental organizations and the business community, to help those in need. This charitable work is quintessentially American, and these efforts are something for which we can all be proud.

I also want to share with my colleagues that we should be aware that the generosity of the American people in response to this disaster extends to the knowledge we have to share with the world regarding the monitoring and reporting of oceanic and climatic events.

There is important research and monitoring already being done by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on tsunami events, work that involves the University of Washington in my State. Scientists are learning how better to monitor patterns or impending developments in our oceans so we can be prepared for future possible events. We do not always focus on the good work being done by NOAA, until something tragic like this tsunami occurs. Congress has

an obligation to people on our coasts to fund NOAA and see that it can do its job well, and we should work to fulfill that obligation.

In the United States, NOAA's National Weather Service operates two tsunami warning centers, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii and the West Coast/Alaska Tsunami Warning Center in Alaska. In the event of a tsunami, the Centers will issue local tsunami advisories to the Emergency Managers Office of each potentially affected State. The decision to evacuate a coastal area rests with each responsible EM. The Seattle Post Intelligencer reported that the current U.S. network consists of six deep-sea sensors in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Hawaii, and near the equator off the coast of Peru. In addition to the six tsunami buoys, the warning system takes advantage of existing tidal monitoring stations and USGS seismic monitoring and reporting capabilities. The NOAA official in charge of the system described the current configuration as the ``bare minimum'' needed for adequate warning. There are plans to expand the system to 20 tsunami buoys in the next five years, 10 of which will be placed in the Aleutian Islands. NOAA is estimating one-time costs of $8.7 million and recurring costs of $8.5 million to enhance the current system.

NOAA also runs a Tsunami Research Program out of the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory in Seattle. The objective of the Tsunami Research Program is to improve warning guidance, hazard assessment, and implementation planning. The Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean, a partnership between NOAA and UW, has also worked with the Tsunami Research Program on hazard assessment modeling.

PMEL has also developed instruments it has named tsunameters. With six deployed in the middle of the Pacific since 2001 in waters 2.5 to 4 miles deep, the tsunameters can detect the perturbations in water pressure as a tsunami passes above. When it detects something, it sends a signal by sound waves to a buoy on the surface. The signal is relayed to a satellite and then back to Earth to tsunami warning centers in Hawaii and Alaska, a process that takes only 2 minutes.

No significant tsunamis have yet occurred in the Pacific for the tsunameters to detect, but they have prevented a false alarm. In November 2003, a magnitude 7.8 undersea earthquake occurred near the Aleutian Islands, spurring officials to issue a tsunami warning. When the wave passed over a tsunameter, they saw it was small and canceled the warning.

In conclusion, I again express my condolences and those of Washingtonians to those who have lost family members in this tragedy. The Senate should do all it can to help all those who face a long and difficult cleanup.

Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues to join me in commending the Government of Israel for its bold action in disengaging from the Gaza Strip and four West Bank settlements in the past few weeks. At considerable political risk, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has demonstrated his resolve by following through on his commitment to withdraw the Israeli presence from these areas. His government has made an unprecedented and unilateral sacrifice in the name of peace, surrendering land on which Israelis have lived continuously for almost four decades--land won in a war that was thrust upon them.

To be sure, the disengagement serves Israeli security interests, since it establishes a defensible line of separation that improves Israel's ability to defend its citizens from terrorist attacks. That is good news for both Israelis and Palestinians. Every day without bloodshed brings us one day closer to peace.

Mr. Speaker, I would particularly like to commend Israeli military and government officials for implementing disengagement in a way that allowed as many settlers as possible to express their remorse or anger while still encouraging them to vacate the area without resorting to violence. Even when some individuals or groups sought to provoke confrontations, Israeli authorities wisely avoided being drawn into fighting and, in the end, successfully and patiently evacuated even the most determined of dissidents. I am full of admiration for the Israeli military's achievement.

A significant majority of Israelis favored disengagement, and I think it is important for them to know that the American people are behind them, supporting them in their struggle against terrorism and in the search for peace.

But the decision of Prime Minister Sharon and his government to relinquish the settlements also creates an unprecedented opportunity for Palestinians who seek a state of their own. After this historic Israeli gesture, the burden to act now rests with Palestinian Authority leaders, who must prove that they can take on the challenge of securing and administering the territory just now coming under their control.

It is my hope, Mr. Speaker, that we will soon see a concerted effort on behalf of the Palestinian Authority to move against terrorist organizations. This means not only bringing to a halt the attacks against Israel, but disarming the terrorists as well. A lull in violence is simply not enough. Terrorist infrastructure must be dismantled if Gaza is not to become a permanent launching pad for attacks by Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other murderous fanatics. And I would urge President Mahmoud Abbas to insist that any group that wishes to participate in the January elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council first renounce violence in word and deed and divest itself of all arms.

President Bush recently noted in his first-ever interview with Israeli television that we are witnessing in Gaza ``an opportunity for the Palestinians to show leadership and self-government'' as well as ``an opportunity for democracy to emerge.'' Mr. Speaker, I invite Palestinian leaders to make this vision a reality, building a Gaza that is democratic and peaceful, free and open.

In the wake of Israel's withdrawal from Gaza, the international community should also do its part to assist the Palestinian Authority to move in the right direction, and Special Envoy James Wolfensohn is impressively leading the way. But there are additional responsibilities that fall squarely on the shoulders of Egypt and the Arab and Islamic nations.

Mr. Speaker, one of the most dramatic but least publicized aspects of the disengagement was Israel's decision to underscore the completeness of its withdrawal by removing its forces from Gaza's border with Egypt and allowing Egypt to send 750 troops to guard that border. This effectively alters the longstanding arrangement, based on the 1979 Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty, which prohibited Egyptian troops from that region. Egypt has now assumed the major responsibility for ensuring that terrorists and arms do not penetrate that border. Terrorists seek to make a mockery of Israel's disengagement by making Gaza an unrestrained launching pad for terrorism into Israel--just as opponents of disengagement predicted they would. It is the responsibility of Egypt, in cooperation with the Palestinian Authority, to win the confidence of the Israeli people by keeping Gaza peaceful.

The wider Arab and Islamic worlds also have a significant part to play. By pursuing normalization with Israel, they will demonstrate that steps toward peace will be met in kind. The very significant meeting last week between the Israeli and Pakistani foreign ministers is encouraging in this regard, as are recent reports of stepped-up Israeli contact with the United Arab Emirates and Tunisia.

Mr. Speaker, I applaud Prime Minister Sharon and his government for taking this wise and exceptionally courageous step toward peace--a step that is fraught with more risks than the media have acknowledged. I encourage the Palestinians to capitalize on this unique opportunity to demonstrate their own competence in governance and commitment to peace. And I call on the Arab and Islamic world to assume responsibility for proving to Israel that unilateral steps toward peace are not only appreciated but reciprocated.

Mr. Chairman, I rise to express my concerns with the United States and India Nuclear Cooperation Promotion Act of 2006, H.R. 5682. While I intend to vote in support of this legislation, I do so with serious concerns that must be articulated to the Administration.

The President and the State Department failed to seriously consult with Congress prior to announcing this proposed partnership, and therefore left little room for Congress to either voice concern or make any substantial change to the proposed partnership. Without any serious Congressional discussions on the issue, the Administration felt it acceptable to announce last July that it would seek to bypass the global nonproliferation regime that has served to provide international security for decades. The White House's tacit acknowledgement that such a proposition would require legislative approval once again shows how this Administration lacks any respect for the balance of powers enumerated in Constitution, and the principle that Congress is an equal branch of government.

In the face of this serious lapse of judgment on the part of the Administration, the Committee on International Relations should be commended for its bipartisan work undertaken to strengthen this legislation, and improve upon the poor proposal the Administration originally proposed. Chairman Hyde and Ranking Member Lantos took the serious concerns expressed by many members, both those on the Committee and those not, into consideration to drastically improve the bill now before us, guaranteeing Congress the right to see the agreement prior to final Congressional approval. In addition, India will open its civilian nuclear facilities to the International Atomic Energy Agency for inspections, and should India perform any weapons tests in the future, all U.S. cooperation would cease, permanently. India must work with the U.S. to conclude a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty as well.

The overarching goal of this legislation, to increase positive diplomatic ties between the U.S. and India, is laudable. India is the world's largest democracy, and is a growing economic and political influence not only in Southeast Asia, but in the greater global community. There is bipartisan agreement that India is a friendly and growing partner of the U.S. in many respects. When India reached out to the United States in the 1960s, seeking partnership and increased friendly relations with us, we rebuffed them. It was a mistake to do so then, and it would be a mistake to do so now and allow an opportunity to warm relations with India to slip by.

However, I have serious concerns that prior to any civil nuclear agreement can move forward, safeguards be in place to ensure that India does not use any of this technology to further its production of nuclear weapons. This legislation fails to ensure that India does not divert its domestic supply of enriched uranium to its weapons program, nor does it place India's military facilities under IAEA inspections, all regrettable. In addition, despite the fact that the five current nuclear weapons states are believed to have suspended the production of fissile material, this proposed agreement does not force India to do the same and operate under these same guidelines.

I am extremely disturbed by recent media reports, however, that the Administration was aware of two Indian firms that had sold missile parts to Iran, but failed to inform Congress prior to this bill being debated before us. The fact that the Administration failed to present to Congress on July 1 a mandated report regarding weapons suppliers to Iran and Syria, is a case of neglect, but the timing of this severe neglect of duty could not have been worse. The Administration, despite its assertions that India has an impeccable nonproliferation record, has deemed it proper to sanction the two companies, but did not feel that it would be prudent for Congress to know this information prior to this vote. This oversight demonstrates a serious lack of judgment on the part of the Administration, and calls into question all given assurances of security safeguards on the proposed nuclear deal. Had this information been available prior to this debate, I believe it would have greatly influenced not only the content of the legislation before us, but the outcome of the vote we are about to take.

I voted in favor of this legislation in Committee, and intend to support, this legislation now, in the hopes that the Administration would continue working to obtain assurances from the Indian government that there will be no transfer of nuclear technology, either deliberate or accidental, to either the Indian weapons program, or to rogue regimes who are attempting to develop weapons of mass destruction. I strongly urge the Administration to urge that all Indian facilities be placed under IAEA inspections, and that the Indian government voluntarily halt the production of fissile material.