Floor Statements

Mr. President, I wish to express my sympathy over the loss of U.S. Army PVT Benjamin J. Slaven from Nebraska. Private Slaven died when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle while on patrol in Ad Diwaniyah, Iraq on June 9. He was 22 years old.

Private Slaven grew up in Plymouth, NE and received his high school equivalency diploma from Southeast Community College in 2005. He was deployed to Iraq in March after serving in the U.S. Army Reserves. Before being deployed, Private Slaven worked with developmentally disabled young adults at the Beatrice State Development Center in Beatrice, NE. He was a member of Detachment 1, 308th Transportation Company based in Lincoln, NE. Private Slaven will be remembered as a loyal soldier who had a strong sense of duty, honor, and love of country. Thousands of brave Americans like Private Slaven are currently serving in Iraq.

Private Slaven is survived by his mother, Judy Huenink of Plymouth, NE; father, Bruce Slaven of Beatrice, NE; and sister, Misti Slaven. Judy and Bruce both served in the Air Force, and Misti is training to be a medical lab technician in the Army Reserve at Fort Bliss, TX. Our thoughts and prayers are with them at this difficult time. America is proud of Private Slaven's heroic service and mourns his loss.

I ask my colleagues to join me and all Americans in honoring PVT Benjamin J. Slaven.

Lance Corporal Brent Zoucha

Mr. President, I also wish to express my sympathy over the loss of U.S. Marine Corps LCpl Brent Zoucha from Nebraska. Lance Corporal Zoucha died of wounds received while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq on June 9. He was 19 years old.

Lance Corporal Zoucha was a lifelong resident of Clarks, NE and graduated from High Plains Community High School in 2005. In high school, he was a standout athlete, earning second place in the high jump at the 2005 State track meet. He was also named honorable mention to the Omaha World-Herald's all-Nebraska basketball team. Lance Corporal Zoucha enlisted in the Marine Corps while still in high school and served with his brother, CPL Dyrek Zoucha, in the same unit in Iraq. He was a member of the 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, CA. Lance Corporal Zoucha will be remembered as a loyal soldier who had a strong sense of duty, honor, and love of country. Thousands of brave Americans like Lance Corporal Zoucha are currently serving in Iraq.

Lance Corporal Zoucha is survived by his mother, Rita; brothers, Dyrek and Dominic; and sister, Sherri, of Duncan, NE. Our thoughts and prayers are with them at this difficult time. America is proud of Lance Corporal Zoucha's heroic service and mourns his loss.

I ask my colleagues to join me and all Americans in honoring LCpl Brent Zoucha.

Private Tim Madison

Mr. President, I further express my sympathy over the loss of U.S. Army PVT Tim Madison from Nebraska. Private Madison was killed in a training exercise at Fort Carson, CO, on June 8. He was 28 years old.

Private Madison grew up in Bellevue, NE, and graduated from Bellevue East High School in 1997. Private Madison was a loving father of three children and loved being outdoors. He was a member of the Army's 2nd Brigade

Combat Team, Fort Carson, CO. Private Madison will be remembered as a loyal soldier who had a strong sense of duty, honor, and love of country. Thousands of brave Americans like Private Madison are currently serving in the U.S. military.

Private Madison is survived by his wife Melissa; children, Hailee, Jonathan and Michael of Fort Carson, CO; parents, Ken Madison, Sr., a retired Air Force master sergeant, and Nancy Madison; brothers, Kenneth Jr., Anthony, and Richard; and sister, Christina, all of Bellevue, NE. Our thoughts and prayers are with them at this difficult time. America is proud of Private Madison's service and mourns his loss.

I ask my colleagues to join me and all Americans in honoring PVT Tim Madison.

Mr. President, Memorial Day is a time for solemn remembrance and reflection. We remember the brave men and women who gave their lives in defense of our Nation. At cemeteries and memorials across America, in tributes both public and private, we gather to honor those who died in service to our country. On May 12, members of the SGT John Rice family of Winnebago, NE, paid final tribute to his wife Evelyn who was buried at Arlington National Cemetery next to her husband. The history of John and Evelyn Rice serves as an important reminder of the sacrifices soldiers and their families make in defense of freedom.

Sergeant Rice, a Winnebago Native American, was born on Nebraska's Winnebago reservation in 1914. After high school, he began looking for an opportunity outside of reservation life. He found that opportunity by serving in the U.S. Army during World War II. Rice received a Purple Heart after being wounded and was discharged from the Army in 1945. Rice reenlisted in the Army in 1946, and among the many duties Rice performed were escorting the bodies of war casualties being brought back to the U.S. to be buried.

Rice's service again brought him into battle in 1950 during the Korea war, where he was killed in combat early in the conflict. It wasn't until almost a year later that his body was finally returned home to Winnebago. Evelyn arranged for the burial to be at Memorial Park Cemetery in Sioux City, IA, because it was close to the family and near Winnebago.

Sergeant Rice's funeral proceeded as planned on August 28, 1951. It wasn't until after Evelyn and the family left the funeral service that cemetery personnel discovered that Rice was Native American. Evelyn was told that Sergeant Rice's burial would not be completed due to a cemetery rule that only Caucasians could be buried there. In an effort to try and solve the situation, the cemetery personnel proposed to Evelyn that she could sign a document stating that Rice was Caucasian and they would finish the burial. Evelyn rejected that offer and later stated that, ``When these men are in the army, they are all equal and the same. I certainly thought they would be the same after death . . .''

Two military officers who were present at the funeral alerted Army officials in Washington of the funeral's disruption. The day after Rice's funeral, news of what happened reached President Harry S. Truman, and he offered Evelyn a space for her husband to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Evelyn accepted the President's offer and arrangements were made a few days later for a ceremony to take place at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors. Sergeant Rice is believed to be the first Native American soldier to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Evelyn Rice passed away last year at the age of 83 and was buried earlier this month next to her husband at Arlington National Cemetery. Her courage in refusing to accept anything less than respect and honor for her husband's service and sacrifice is an example all Nebraskans can be proud of. Evelyn Rice embodied the best of America's spirit by standing up to injustice during a very difficult time for her and her family, community and country.

We must be vigilant in our efforts to remember the sacrifices of those we honor on Memorial Day. I authored a Senate resolution, which is now law, to observe a National Moment of Remembrance at 3 p.m. local time each Memorial Day. Reserving this moment to reflect on Memorial Day is one way to honor those who died in service to our country. I ask everyone to join me this Memorial Day in honoring America's fallen heroes and their families, like SGT John and Evelyn Rice, and thank all those who have served their country in uniform.

Mr. President, I thank you and appreciate the time from the distinguished chairman of our Judiciary Committee.

I rise in opposition to this budget point of order. I have listened attentively to the points made. Certainly, we are not a model of fiscal discipline in this body, in this Congress, as we have run up the debt in this country year after year. But let's be clear about some of the facts.

First, as you have heard from others who have spoken on behalf of this responsible comprehensive immigration reform bill, CBO has scored various dynamics of this. No matter what we do--and more importantly, unfortunately, we have not done much, but no matter what we do, it is going to cost some money. It is going to cost money to reinforce our borders and to do the things that all Members of Congress have felt strongly about--enhancing the security of our border--and what the President has talked about.

But let's go a little deeper into these numbers. The CBO numbers have estimated that this bill will increase total revenues by about $66 billion over a 10-year period. But even deeper than that, what happens when people go to work? What happens when people invest in communities? What happens when there is a multiplier effect in communities?

What happens is that there are more tax revenues. There is more employment. There are more opportunities. There is better education, a higher standard of living, more consumer spending. That is what happens. And that is what we are talking about in this immigration reform bill as much as any one thing.

Now, I do not know how many of my colleagues have actually looked at this bill. This is a pretty good-sized bill--I don't know--550 pages. I think the American people, if they took any time to really read this-- it would be boring, but if they would just peruse it, do you know what they would find? They

would find answers we have been debating on the floor of the Senate. They would find national security answers. They would find economic answers. They would find job and employment answers. They would find social fabric answers in this bill.

This is not a bill about one or two things. Yes, the first part is significantly focused on border security. And again, there is little debate about that. But the economic factor here, the consequences are significant, just as all have said today. But the fact is, to be dragged down into the underbrush with subsections of slivers of what we are trying to accomplish here is irresponsible.

Yes, this is an immigration reform bill. But it is also a job generation bill. It is an economic development bill. It is a social fabric bill. It says something about our country.

I think we have done pretty well over the last 4 weeks--in total what we have devoted to debating on this bill--in that we have been able to deflect and knock off amendment after amendment that has not taken a wider-lens view of what we are trying to accomplish.

If we do not address all of the pieces that are in play, the cost will be far more than my dear friends on the other side are talking about. The cost to this society, the cost to our economy will be far beyond what they are talking about. This is not a cheap deal--just border security alone. But I have had colleagues, from Senator Martinez to Senator Specter to Senator McCain, on the floor this afternoon explaining what the real facts are.

So I hope our colleagues would recognize this is another attempt to defeat this bill. If this budget point of order is sustained, it will defeat immigration reform, it will defeat the President of the United States, and it will defeat our country.

I yield the rest of my time to the chairman of the Judiciary Committee. I thank the Chair.

Mr. President, on behalf of my colleagues Senators Mikulski, Durbin, Murkowski, and Voinovich, I rise to submit a resolution recognizing the accomplishments of Ignacy Jan Paderewski on the 65th anniversary of his death on June 29, 1941.

Born in Poland in 1860, Paderewski is remembered for his contributions as a musician, philanthropist, statesman, and as one of the great men of his time. Paderewski was a brilliant and popular pianist who performed hundreds of concerts in Europe and the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, donating the proceeds to numerous charitable causes. During World War I, Paderewski played a central role in helping achieve Poland's independence, serving as the first Premier of Poland from 1919 until 1922, when he left politics and returned to music.

The German invasion of Poland in 1939 spurred Paderewski to return to politics where he fought against Nazi Germany in World War II and joined the exiled Polish Government, where he helped mobilize Polish forces against the Nazis.

Paderewski died in 1941. At the direction of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Paderewski's remains were placed alongside America's honored dead in Arlington National Cemetery. He did not live to see the U.S. and Allied Forces free Europe from the tyranny of Nazi control. Paderewski's legacy inspired movements throughout Europe, including Solidarity in Poland.

In 1992, Solidarity Leader Lech Walesa, the first democratically elected President of Poland since World War II, asked U.S. President George H.W. Bush to return Paderewski's remains to his native homeland. On July 5, 1992, Paderewski's remains were interred in a crypt at the St. John Cathedral in Warsaw, Poland.

Mr. President, Ignacy Jan Paderewski's life and legacy is testimony to the enduring bonds between the United States and Poland. As we near the 65th anniversary of Paderewski's death on June 29, 1941, my colleagues and I are honored to submit this resolution honoring Ignacy Jan Paderewski and ask that it be appropriately referred.

Mr. President, I rise to express my sympathy over the loss of Army SGT Lonnie Calvin Allen, Jr., from Nebraska. Sergeant Allen died when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle while on patrol northwest of Baghdad on May 18. He was 26 years old.

Sergeant Allen grew up in Bellevue, NE, and graduated from Bellevue East High School in 1998. After 2 years at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, CO, he enlisted in the U.S. Army. After his first enlistment was completed, Sergeant Allen reenlisted and was deployed to Iraq in August 2005. He was a member of the 10th Mountain Division based out of Fort Drum, NY. Sergeant Allen will be remembered as a loyal soldier who had a strong sense of duty, honor, and love of country. Thousands of brave Americans such as Sergeant Allen are currently serving in Iraq.

Sergeant Allen is survived by his wife Birgit, and parents, Lonnie and Sallie Allen. Our thoughts and prayers are with them at this difficult time. America is proud of Sergeant Allen's heroic service and mourns his loss.

I ask my colleagues to join me and all Americans in honoring Sergeant Lonnie Calvin Allen, Jr.

Mr. President, I would like to address the Kyl-Cornyn amendment tonight. I obviously have listened to some of this debate over the last hour. There is one thing I want to address before I get into what I think are the real critical issues here, not just on this amendment that we are going to be voting on but the bill, the purpose, underlying focus.

I heard the junior Senator from Alabama say that the White House, the President, was supporting the Kyl-Cornyn amendment.

That is not my understanding. As a matter of fact, the senior Senator from Arizona, Mr. McCain, and the senior Senator from Florida, Mr. Martinez, and I just got off the phone with the Chief of Staff of the President of the United States. He did not tell us what I just heard on the floor of the Senate as to the President's support of this amendment. There seems to be some confusion. I would welcome the junior Senator from Alabama or maybe the junior Senator from Texas clarifying that if they have some tangible evidence that the President is supporting this amendment. As I said, we just got off the phone with the Chief of Staff of the President of the United States.

I would even add further that maybe some of my colleagues didn't hear the President of the United States Monday night. I think most of America did. As a matter of fact, there seems to be some significant approval developing out there because the President of the United States articulated very clearly essentially the underlying bill that we are debating and have been debating this week on the Senate floor. Much of that is about the Hagel-Martinez bill. The President laid that out rather clearly.

I don't know if the President of the United States is withdrawing his position that he clearly articulated to the people of the United States, and why he felt the underlying bill was important. He laid out his principles. Those principles are the principles in this underlying bill.

I welcome clarification of where the President is on this. Maybe the White House would like to clarify that as well.

Let us talk about what this is about. This is a difficult issue. It is complicated. It is wide and deep. Yes. Why is that? Because we have essentially deferred this issue for years. We have provided no leadership for the American people. We have not had the courage to deal with it because it is political, because it is emotional, because it cuts across every sector and every line of our society. It is about national security. It is about autonomy, and our future. It is about our society, our schools, our hospitals. That is difficult. It is difficult.

But what the President of the United States did Monday night--and a number of my colleagues have been doing for a long time--was to try to find a resolution.

Mr. President, the American people have a very low opinion of you, of me, of the Congress, of the President--not because I say it. Read the latest polls. I do not know if the President takes any heart in the fact that his job approval numbers are higher than ours.

Why are the American people upset with us? Because we are not doing our job. We talk about: Let's run to the base. Let's run to the political lowest common denominator. That is not governing. That is cheap, transparent politics. That is why we are all down in the twenties and the low thirties. The people of this country have lost confidence in us, and no wonder. We run from every tough issue. We can get into the subsections on page 17 and 500 and 433 of the underlying bill--all imperfect, absolutely, because resolution on this issue will be imperfect, absolutely. But we are trying to do something. We are trying to come to some resolution. We are trying to find some answer for the American people.

What do we do with the 12 million illegal aliens in this country? Do the American people really believe we are going to ship them all out of here, go down to the bus depot? Is that really what they are going to do? Come on. That is not the answer.

Why are we so afraid of this issue? This issue brings out the best in our society and the worst in our society. Why are we afraid to deal with this issue? Do we really want, as Senator McCain, Senator Kennedy, and others have said, a second-class system in this country? Do we really want that? Do we know what the consequences of that are? I am not sure we do.

This Kyl-Cornyn amendment destroys every fiber of what many of us have worked for, including the President of the United States, to try to find some resolution, some common denominator center point, some consensus of purpose about how we do this. Sure, we can pick apart temporary worker visas. Does that really mean that somebody is going to stay longer or not going to stay longer? All imperfect, absolutely, but do you know what we were doing with a resolution like this, as imperfect as it is? What we are saying to our country, to the world? That we can deal with the tough issue. We, in fact, can put people onto a path of responsible behavior, of legal status, just like America has always stood for--hard work, opportunity, do your best, 12 million illegal immigrants. They are here illegally. Of course, they are. Yes.

This nonsense about amnesty. I said on the floor yesterday--Mr. President, you might remember 1978 when Jimmy Carter gave amnesty, unconditional, no questions asked: Come on back over the border, all of you who ran away from this country and didn't want to serve your country, didn't want to go to Vietnam, didn't want to be a part of our country. Jimmy Carter said in 1978, no questions asked, unconditional, come back. That is amnesty.

What we are talking about is not amnesty. The President said it very clearly Monday night.

We are talking about pathways to legality, responsible processes, opportunities for people to come out of the shadows.

Who are we helping with the current situation that we have today? How are we winning? People stay in the shadows, we don't collect the taxes we need, we don't have the complete involvement in communities that we have always had from our immigrants. There is a national security element to this. There is a law enforcement element to it. There is certainly an economic element to it.

Are we really winning? No, we are losing. We are losing everywhere.

What we are trying to do is find a way to move this forward so that we can start to resolve the issue. I will be the first to say, since I had a little bit to do with helping construct this and I have been at this for many years--I have not been at this as long as Senator Kennedy has, but I tell you, not many Senators on the floor of this Senate have been at this as long as I have. It doesn't mean that I am right. But I do know a little something about it. I have been down on the border. I have talked to immigrants and have spent personally thousands of hours on this issue, as has my staff. It doesn't mean I am right or that I am smarter. But I know a little something about it. I know a little about this country. I know how this country was built, and I know about the people of this country.

The people of this country want us to resolve the problem. It isn't perfect. That is what we have been doing this week. We have been adding amendments. Some amendments I did not vote for, some I didn't like. But adding to this, crafting something for the future, for our history, for our children, and for our society, that is what it is about.

If this amendment passes tonight, if this goes down, the entire compromise will go down. What will stand in its place? What will stand in its place?

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, thank you. I thank the distinguished Senator from Massachusetts for his continued leadership. I don't believe there is anyone in the Senate who has worked harder or done more or who understands the issue better than Senator Kennedy.

We are dealing with a very complicated, difficult issue. It is complicated and difficult for many reasons. Partly it is complicated and difficult because we have deferred this issue for years. We have refused to take a responsible position on all the different aspects of immigration reform.

I hear with interest from some colleagues that 11 million to 12 million illegal aliens don't deserve a pathway to legal status and ultimately citizenship. They, however, do not come forward with alternatives. Obviously, border security is the core, the beginning of immigration reform. I am not aware of any Senator who has questioned or contested that point.

In fact, the underlying bill that we are debating today is replete-- absolutely--in its focus on border security, enforcement of that border, doubling the border agents, doubling the budget, doubling the unmanned vehicles, doubling the technology, doing more in the fencing and physical protection of those borders.

That is not the debate. The debate, of course, resides around the difficult issues, the 11 or 12 million illegals now in this country.

This debate elicits great and deep emotions and passion--and it should. We were sent here to deal with the great challenges of our time, to resolve the issues, find solutions, not give speeches, not go halfway--just if we had a better border, if we could enforce our border in stronger or more effective ways, and the rest of it just sorts its way out. It doesn't sort itself out. That is leadership. That is what you saw from President Bush Monday night in his speech of 17 minutes; he laid it out clearly, succinctly. The American people could understand it.

It is a national security issue. It is an economic issue. It is a societal issue. You can take pieces of each and pick and choose which might make you more comfortable politically, but it doesn't work that way. It is all wrapped into the same enigma. It is woven into the same fabric. That is what we are dealing with.

On this issue of amnesty, I find it astounding that my colleagues who are straight-faced would stand up and talk about amnesty. Let me tell you what amnesty is. Some of you might recall 1978 when President Jimmy Carter pardoned those who fled this country, who refused to serve their country in Vietnam--unconditional forgiveness. That, my friend, is amnesty. This is not amnesty. So let us get the terms right.

The American people deserve an honest debate and exchange. Come on, let's stop the nonsense. If you have a better answer, step forward and give me a better answer for it. But let us at least be honest with the American people in what we are talking about. This is not amnesty. You all know what we are talking about. This is dealing with a set of criteria that people would have to follow in order to just get on a pathway.

Let me ask this question: Are we better off just to continue to defer this

and not allow the illegals in this country an opportunity to step out of the shadows? Who wins? Is it really protecting the security of this country? Is it really doing more in the way of enhancing our economy and our society to keep pushing these people back into the shadows? Where are we winning? How is this getting to the point, to the issue? How is this dealing with the issue that we must deal with? It is not. It is not.

I said this is a complicated, difficult issue. It is. There is not a perfect solution, or any solution we can come up with which is imperfect. Most solutions are imperfect. Most are imperfect. But it is going to take some courage from this body.

I don't think the American public sees a great abundance of courage in this town, in this Congress, in politicians today. Read the front page of the Washington Post today and read any poll.

But in this case, the President and the Congress are showing some courage to step forward in the middle of a difficult political year, where my own party, the President's party, is divided on this issue. But this is courage and leadership. It is leadership to take on the tough issues. What we are trying to do today and tomorrow and next week is find the common ground of responsible governance to deal with this issue.

This is one of those issues which tests and defines a society. It tests and defines a country. And the precious glue that has been indispensable in holding this country together for over 200 years has been common interests and mutual respect. I don't know of an issue that is facing our country today that is more important, that is framed in that precious glue concept more precisely than this issue.

I hope my colleagues will vote against the Vitter amendment. It is irresponsible. It doesn't present an alternative. I think what we have before us is an alternative.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I rise this afternoon to pay tribute to a former friend and colleague, one who contributed mightily to this great Nation over many years. Yesterday, in Meridian, MS, the former chairman of the House Veterans' Committee, Congressman Sonny Montgomery, was laid to rest. Two of our colleagues in this body, Senators Cochran and Lott, were in attendance and spoke at Chairman Montgomery's funeral. Senators Cochran and Lott were very close to Congressman Montgomery. They were Members in the House together for many years.

I had the privilege of knowing Sonny Montgomery for over 35 years. He was one of those unique public servants whom all who knew him, liked him, respected him.

He contributed to this country every day. He was a Democrat from Mississippi. He was proud of that fact. He never ran from it. He knew who he was, and he believed in things. But he always brought a sense of purpose, he brought a sense of importance, he brought a sense of bipartisanship, dignity, tolerance, and respect to the body and the institution he served.

At a time in American politics when we are lacking those graces, we look to people such as Sonny Montgomery and recall the impact he had on the Congress of the United States, how he brought people together. He formed a consensus of purpose. There were differences--there should be differences--but he was anchored with the belief first in his country, second in his responsibilities as a Member of Congress, and third in his party. He always represented his district, his State, and his country with great dignity.

Sonny Montgomery was a World War II veteran and a Korean war veteran. He became an Army National Guard general and served as chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs for 13 years.

There are many personal stories about Sonny Montgomery. One that is legend in Washington is his close, almost brotherly, relationship with the first President Bush. The first President Bush was elected to Congress on the same day Sonny Montgomery was elected--a Republican from Texas, a Democrat from Mississippi--in 1966. They became very close friends. As a matter of fact, Barbara Bush spoke yesterday at Sonny Montgomery's funeral.

That is but one example of the affection and respect that all who knew Sonny Montgomery had for him. Here is a man who led legislation that increased veterans eligibility for home loans, veterans life insurance, increased medical coverage for veterans, and he was the sponsor of a law that made the Veterans' Administration the 14th Cabinet department of our Government in 1988.

I had the privilege of serving with President Reagan as President Reagan's first Deputy Administrator of the Veterans' Administration, so I worked closely with Sonny Montgomery.

On a personal note, I met my wife Lilibet in 1982 when she was working for Sonny Montgomery. Lilibet is from Meridian, MS. That is where Sonny Montgomery was born 86 years ago. That is how Lilibet got a job on Capitol Hill, and that is how I met her.

It is those kinds of personal stories that are by the hundreds, people who somehow Sonny Montgomery was close to and had some responsibility for connecting. His reach was long, and it is appropriate that not only we recognize him but remember him and thank him, but again, as I said earlier, at a time when our country is divided in a very dangerous way--and that is reflected to a great extent in the Congress of the United States--there are those to whom we can reach back to inspire us to greater heights, to expect more from ourselves, and do more for our country, if we would take the Sonny Montgomery model of service to his country and service to those he had the privilege of leading.

I appreciate very much the opportunity to make these remarks about a dear friend, one we will all miss, especially those who had the opportunity to serve with him in some capacity over his glorious 30 years in the Congress of the United States.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for no more than 4 minutes as in morning business.

Madam President, yesterday America lost one of the preeminent public servants of our time when former Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger passed away at the age of 88.

An inventory of Cap Weinberger's service to our country is a tribute to his patriotism. He served in the Army in World War II. He oversaw the State of California's finances for Governor Ronald Reagan. That was during the 1960s. He served under Presidents Nixon and Ford as Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and as Secretary of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. He again served Ronald Reagan as our country's 15th Secretary of Defense, from 1981 to 1987.

Cap Weinberger understood America and he understood the American military. As Secretary of Defense during the tipping point of the Cold War, he led an unprecedented rebuilding of an American military that had been demoralized and devastated by Vietnam.

His legacy was the most professional and technologically advanced military the world has ever known. He knew we needed the world's best military not because we wanted war but because we wanted to prevent war.

I was struck by an excerpt from Cap Weinberger's memoir ``In The Arena,'' published in the Washington Post this morning. It said this:

Some thought it was incongruous that I did so much to build

up our defenses but was reluctant to commit forces abroad. I

did not arm to attack. . . . We armed so that we could

negotiate from strength, defend freedom, and make war less

likely.

Cap Weinberger stands out as the model--the model--of what a Secretary of Defense should be. When I was president of the World USO in the late 1980s, I had the privilege of working very closely with Secretary Weinberger. As a Senator, I sought often his wise counsel and sound advice. Without fail, he was always candid, thoughtful, and generous with his time and, I would say, always correct in his analysis.

All Americans owe this great patriot our gratitude and deepest respect. We have much to learn from the lessons of Casper Weinberger's service to his country and his exemplary life. Lilibet and I offer our thoughts and our prayers to Secretary Weinberger's family, as I know do all Americans.

Madam President, I yield the floor.

Mr. President, thank you. And I thank the distinguished chairman of the Budget Committee.

Amendment No. 3127

Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 3127 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Senators Isakson and Chambliss be added as cosponsors.

Mr. President, last October, I introduced legislation, S. 1889, to create a bipartisan entitlement reform commission. Senator Isakson cosponsored my legislation, and Representative John Tanner joined me in introducing this legislation in the House of Representatives.

In January, the President called on Congress to create such a commission in his State of the Union Address. The amendment I am offering today responds to the President's request.

My amendment establishes a reserve fund that would allow Congress to pass legislation later this year forming a bipartisan entitlement reform commission. This bipartisan commission would review America's three major entitlement programs--Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid--and make comprehensive recommendations on how to stabilize and keep solvent these programs for future generations.

The entitlement course that we are currently on is unsustainable. Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid have been vital components for millions of Americans as they have found a happier retirement. However, over the next 75 years, these three programs represent a $42 trillion unfunded mandate for the American taxpayer.

The Social Security trust fund faces a $4 trillion unfunded commitment and will pay out more money than it takes in beginning around 2017. The fund will be exhausted by 2041. The Medicare Part A trust fund--hospital insurance--faces an almost $9 trillion unfunded commitment and will be exhausted by 2020.

Where is the money to pay for these commitments going to come from? We must deal with these challenges today while we still have time and constructive options. To leave future generations burdened with paying for huge

entitlement commitments when they will be competing in a far more competitive world than exists today would be dangerously irresponsible.

This is not a Republican or a Democratic problem. This affects us all. Most significantly, it affects the most vulnerable in our society. Creating this commission will start us down the road to dealing with this problem and will protect the next generation from facing Draconian choices in their future.

Mr. President, I urge my colleagues to vote for this amendment today.

Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I rise today to recognize and honor the achievements of the Peace Corps.

This year marks the 45th Anniversary of the Peace Corps. Over the last 45 years, the Peace Corps has been one of the enduring symbols of America abroad. The Peace Corps has helped create opportunities and hope for people throughout the developing world as it has projected a positive image of America.

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps to promote world peace and friendship. Since then, over 182,000 Peace Corps volunteers have served in 138 countries. These volunteers have provided extensive assistance and expertise in agriculture production, business development, education, healthcare, and resource conservation--making significant improvements in the lives of individuals and communities around the world.

As we continue to face the challenges of the 21st Century, the mission of the Peace Corps is more vital than ever. Volunteers continue to offer support and development assistance to countries around the world. They are finding common ways to address global challenges such as endemic poverty and HIV/AIDS.

Today, Peace Corps volunteers, including 50 from my State of Nebraska, bring their communities an enhanced understanding of foreign cultures and traditions, building bridges of friendship between people that transcend borders, language, and religion.

I congratulate the Peace Corps on its 45 years of achievement and accomplishment and thank the over 182,000 Peace Corps volunteers-- including our Senate colleague Chris Dodd for their good work and important contributions to making a better world.

Thank you.

(At the request of Mr. Reid, the following statement was ordered to be printed in the Record.)

Mr. President, I rise to express my sympathy over the loss of Army 1LT Garrison Avery, from Nebraska. Lieutenant Avery died of wounds he suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his military vehicle while on patrol in Baghdad, Iraq on February 1. He was 23 years old.

Lieutenant Avery grew up in Lincoln and graduated from Lincoln High School in 2000. He received his parents permission to enlist in the Army at age 17 and graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 2004. During his junior year at the academy, Lieutenant Avery established an organization called, ``Light by Morning,'' to aid Iraqi orphans. After graduating from West Point, he successfully completed the U.S. Army Ranger School and the Sapper Leaders Course and was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division in Fort Campbell, KY. He was deployed to Iraq in October 2005. Lieutenant Avery will be remembered as a loyal soldier who had a strong sense of duty, honor, and love of country. Thousands of brave Americans like Lieutenant Avery are currently serving in Iraq.

Lieutenant Avery is survived by his wife, Kayla; parents, Susan and Gary Avery; brothers, Clinton and Johnathan; and sister, Elizabeth. Our thoughts and prayers are with them at this difficult time. America is proud of Lieutenant Avery's heroic service and mourns his loss.

I ask my colleagues to join me and all Americans in honoring 1LT Garrison Avery.

Mr. President. I rise to announce my intention to vote in favor of Judge Samuel A. Alito's nomination to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

The Senate Judiciary Committee and others have thoroughly scrutinized his background and credentials. Hundreds of documents and memos he produced as a lawyer have been reviewed, along with hundreds of judicial opinions he authored or participated in during his 15 years as a Federal court of appeals judge. Those documents have revealed a strong intelligence and a deep respect for the law and the Constitution.

Earlier this month, the Judiciary Committee held several days of hearings on Judge Alito's nomination. Everything in those hearings reinforced my impressions of Judge Alito from my meeting with him in November. He was forthcoming during the committee members' questioning, candidly answering hundreds of questions regarding specific cases, the law, and his judicial philosophy. His judicious temperament during the hearings was apparent.

During the hearings, I was also impressed by the comments of seven current and former Third Circuit Court of Appeals judges. They testified in support of Judge Alito's nomination to the Supreme Court. This support by the individuals most familiar with Judge Alito's skills and judgments carries great weight.

Finally, last month, the American Bar Association unanimously rated Judge Samuel Alito as ``well qualified'' for his appointment as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. This is the highest rating that can be given to a judicial nominee. Given Judge Alito's performance at the hearings and the strong support for his nomination, no one should be surprised by this top ABA rating.

I enthusiastically endorse and support Judge Alito's nomination. I believe he will bring a solid base of legal and judicial experience to the Court. The President has chosen wisely, and I encourage my Senate colleagues to join me in voting for this exceptional nominee.

Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote and to lay that motion on the table.

The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.