Floor Statements

This motion to recommit purports to set discretionary spending at fiscal year 2011 levels for these three bills. But this motion is extremely misleading because increased mandatory spending included in the three bills--they are not touching that.

Agriculture alone would see a $7 billion cut due to increases in mandatory programs. If we include the emergency disaster relief, it would force an additional cut of $3.2 billion. The measure before us is within our 302(b) allocation scored by the CBO and the Senate Budget Committee, and it meets every requirement of the Budget Control Act.

I strongly urge a ``no'' vote.

Mr. President, as we continue to debate the three fiscal year 2012 appropriations bills, I want to take a moment to congratulate the managers of these individual measures, and to urge my colleagues to continue in the current bipartisan spirit as we seek to move additional bills in the coming weeks. Building on the progress we have made this week would make it

less likely that we will be forced to resort to an omnibus or year-long continuing resolution down the road.

The bills we are considering are both bipartisan and fiscally responsible. Senators Kohl and Blunt worked together to produce an Agriculture bill that is $2.2 billion below the President's request and $141 million below the fiscal year 2011 enacted level. Senator Mikulski and Senator Hutchison have managed a Commerce-Justice-Science bill that is $5 billion below the President's request and $631 million below the fiscal year 2012 enacted level. Senator Murray and Senator Collins have crafted a Transportation, Housing bill that is $677 million below the President's request and $117 million below last year's level.

As noted by the leadership of the respective subcommittees, all three of these measures were approved by the full committee with overwhelming bipartisan support. These measures reflect the austere fiscal environment we face. They are consistent with the framework established by the Budget Control Act, which establishes a discretionary spending level that is $7 billion below last year's level.

All of these bills present difficult choices. These bills are focused on a number of basic priorities: job creation, public safety, nutrition, housing, and transportation. Yet, despite the importance of these initiatives to the lives of every American, many worthy programs were either reduced or eliminated to meet our austere limits.

Some have argued that our national debt demands even further cuts in these vital areas. However, every credible nonpartisan analysis has concluded that any real solution to our fiscal problems lies with reforming mandatory programs and raising additional revenues, not cutting investments in roads, bridges, and public safety any further. But to date, the entire focus on deficit reduction has been on discretionary spending. Those who advocate further cuts must look elsewhere, even if it is more politically painful to do so. It is my firm belief that another round of ill-advised cuts to discretionary spending will quite simply put our Nation's security and economic future at risk.

In addition to the managers of these three bills, I thank the leaders on both sides of the aisle for their support in bringing these measures to the floor this week. As the House has not acted on the Commerce- Justice-Science or Transportation appropriations bills, the package we consider today is a creative bipartisan solution that enables all Senators an opportunity to offer amendments.

As always, the closer we get to regular order, the better our final legislative product will be. It is important that the Senate have an opportunity to debate these three measures and to focus on the matters that are germane to the bill.

When we complete action on this bill, there will be seven outstanding committee-reported Senate appropriations bills. It is my hope and my intention to move forward with additional appropriations measures when the Senate returns in November and demonstrate to the American people that Congress is able to complete its work in a responsible manner.

Once again, I commend the chairmen and the ranking members and their staffs for their fine work on this measure.

I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I rise today to support the nomination of Mr. John Bryson to be the Secretary of Commerce. The Secretary of Commerce plays a key role in overseeing a department that is responsible for spurring innovation, supporting small business, and providing our Nation with operational scientific information. In tough economic times we need strong leadership in this key cabinet position in order to ensure that our Nation's needs in these areas are met.

To that end, Mr. Bryson brings with him a strong record of business leadership and a sense of the importance of resource stewardship, a rare combination that I believe will serve him extremely well. Unfortunately, there are those who believe that his past association with certain environmental groups

or his eminently sensible support for a solution to our reliance on fossil fuels, should disqualify him from this post. I would suggest that these naysayers consider that Mr. Bryson has been endorsed by the Business Roundtable, the National Association of Manufacturers, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The support shown by these groups ought to demonstrate the nominee's commitment to growing American business and the American economy. I also suggest we should not fear a nominee who has shown a willingness to explore novel solutions to grappling with our dependence on foreign oil and the larger issue of climate change. Both of these issues are likely to be among the most important and, potentially, the most disrupting problems that we leave to our children and grandchildren. No one in this Chamber will deny that we must reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, which are a finite resource whether found here or abroad, and no one in this Chamber should deny that the climate is changing. To do so is to deny that which is in front of our eyes and history does not look kindly on those who ignore the obvious. We should therefore embrace those such as Mr. Bryson who have shown a willingness to work with the business community in seeking a solution to these issues.

In sum, I believe Mr. Bryson can provide the leadership we need at the Department of Commerce and I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting and confirming Mr. Bryson's nomination.

Mr. President, I rise today to submit a resolution recognizing May 16, 2012, as Hereditary Angioedema, HAE, Awareness Day. HAE is a rare and potentially life threatening genetic disease which impacts between 1 in 10,000 and 1 in 50,000 Americans. HAE is characterized by severe swelling throughout the body, including the digestive tract and airways. The swelling caused by episodes of HAE is both very painful and can cause sufferers to asphyxiate when the swelling impacts the airways. To date there is only one Food and Drug Administration approved treatment for HAE, but this treatment is only effective in about a third of patients afflicted with this devastating disease. It is clearly evident that more research is needed to combat this terrible disease.

On May 16, 2012, an international conference on HAE will be convened in Copenhagen, Denmark to discuss issues relating to HAE research, treatments, and awareness. The American component of this conference will be spearheaded by the U.S. Hereditary Angioedema Association, USHAEA, based in my home state of Hawaii. USHAEA is an organization that provides education, support, funding for research, and a voice to HAE patients, their families, healthcare providers and the general public at large. I urge my colleagues to support this important resolution and help find a cure for HAE.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, I rise today to recognize my chief of staff, Dr. Patrick DeLeon, who has helped me to serve the people of Hawaii and our Nation for 38 years. Dr. DeLeon is retiring, but he leaves behind a legacy of work that has greatly improved the lives of many of our citizens in Hawaii, particularly the native Hawaiians, while advancing the professional circumstances of doctors, nurses, and psychologists.

After joining my staff in August of 1973, Pat, a psychologist and attorney, directed my efforts to create and refine health and education policy. In the later years he would also serve as chief of staff for my Washington, DC, office. Pat helped to shepherd legislation related to native Hawaiians, immigrant children, the people of the Pacific, and higher education. Under his service the importance of nurses, psychologists, and other health professionals have been properly recognized.

He has been very active in helping our community college system in Hawaii become full-fledged 4-year colleges. For example, he played a major role in the establishment of a school of pharmacy and a school of nursing at the University of Hawaii's Hilo campus.

Pat also serves as a teacher, a mentor, and psychologist to my staff, a role that will be difficult to replace.

I thank Pat for his decades of hard work, his service to the people of Hawaii and this Nation, and, most importantly, for his friendship.

I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H. Con. Res. 83, which was received from the House.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any

statements related to the resolution be printed in the Record.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, this summer my wife and I spent some time visiting the forests in the Rocky Mountains and we were horrified at the rate of dead and dying trees throughout the region from the mountain pine beetle epidemic. Upon returning to the Senate and visiting with my colleagues, I learned that Montana has almost 5 million acres of trees impacted by this epidemic. Additionally, Wyoming has approximately 3\1/2\ million acres also impacted by this epidemic. These forests are in dire need and we must step up and empower the Forest Service to address this looming issue. The tactic of waiting for these trees to decompose while we solve our forest management battles does not work. While we wait, the timber infrastructure which can address this problem is also dying and

those jobs will be lost forever. The cost of performing timber work in the future will become more and more cost prohibitive, consuming the Forest Service budget.

We must step up and help our forest communities with this problem by providing the timber industry new tools and piloting different tactics to address these red and gray forests, all while balancing the needs of conservation. We must do this while restoring these lands and setting aside other lands for future generations. I believe Senator Tester's Forest Jobs and Recreation Act accomplishes this aim by designating 666,000 acres of wilderness for hunting, fishing, and hiking. This bill also puts another 375,000 acres into areas specifically for recreation so people can bike, ride, and snowmobile in more places. Additionally, this bill focuses on recovering our forests from the impacts of beetles and restoring these woods to prime habitat for fish, birds, and big game. All of this will create much-needed jobs, healthier forests, and more opportunities for outdoor recreation--and the economy it supports.

Decisions on how to use and protect our natural resources are never simple or clear cut. They require commitment and fortitude. They force conversations and compromise. They make us stronger by overcoming differences and looking toward the future. That is something the U.S. Senate could reflect upon. Senator Tester's collaborative approach of listening to his constituents who came together and found solutions to the problems facing their communities is a positive example of people working together to achieve their common goals of bettering this landscape for future generations. We cannot wait. The dead and dying trees become more of a hazard each day and the ability of mills to make something from this decomposing product will not last. The more proactive we can be, the less this will cost us in the long run.

Senator Tester's efforts and collaborative approach to address the beetle epidemic should be commended. This is why I am a cosponsor of S. 268, the Forest Jobs and Recreation Act, introduced by Senator Tester.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, the United States is considering H.R. 2608, a continuing resolution to ensure our vital Federal programs can continue in operation while the Congress completes action on our appropriations bills for this fiscal year.

As all of my colleagues are aware, I do not welcome the reality that we once again need to approve of stopgap measures as we prepare to begin the next fiscal year, but, unfortunately, that is the position we are in now. The acrimonious and time-wasting debate on raising the debt ceiling has led us to this place. Put simply, we have no choice but to pass this short-term measure.

I wish to point out, however, that unlike last year, we see this as a short-term need, not a long-term remedy, because even though there was neither an agreement on spending levels nor an allocation to the Appropriations Committee for discretionary spending until the August recess commenced, I am happy to inform my colleagues that the Senate Appropriations Committee has completed its work on 11 of the 12 bills required to fund our Federal agencies. In the past 3 weeks, the Appropriations Committee has met to review and favorably approve 10 bills for fiscal year 2012. Eight of those bills were reported out of committee in an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote, and by that I mean something like 29 to 1. The Senate has received five of these bills from the House. The Appropriations Committee is ready to take up any of these bills on the floor when time allows.

In the interim, enacting a continuing resolution is essential before the Congress goes on recess. The bill passed by the House provides the bare-bones minimum required to ensure that government functions will be continued without interruption. It also includes a few critical legislative provisions to sustain vital programs which otherwise would be terminated. There were many more items which the administration and Members of this body would have wished to include, but the House did not agree to include them. The House CR also provides a limited amount of disaster funding, which has been addressed by others.

I want to state for the record that I am particularly disturbed at the position of the House that fiscal year 2011 emergency disaster assistance would be offset by canceling the advanced technology vehicle program. It has long been a tradition of the Congress to approve disaster assistance without need for offset. Others will likely come to the Senate floor to challenge that remark. They will point out that in many, if not most, emergency supplementals the Congress has recommended using rescissions to offset the cost of the bill. They are correct, but as usual the details tell the true story.

The Appropriations Committee annually reviews unobligated balances that remain in programs and those that are unnecessary are recommended for rescission or reapplication to other programs. However, in the case of disaster assistance, I challenge my colleagues to review all appropriations bills for the past decade and find a single instance where the committee paid for disasters by rescinding funds from other programs. No one would find an example because, quite simply, there are not any. Equally important, as noted above, year after year the Congress rescinds unobligated funds, but only when they are no longer needed. In the case of the remaining balances for the advanced technology vehicle programs, these funds are needed. Hardly a day goes by that someone does not come to the floor and note the need for job creation. Here is a program that is creating good jobs with a future. Investing in new technologies to make our Nation more competitive in the international marketplace is exactly the type of program where Federal Government intervention makes sense. The notion that our Republican colleagues in the House would propose rescinding $1.5 billion in funding from this program in the current economic climate borders on the nonsensical.

Finally, I would note that today's balances in the disaster relief fund are now at $175 million. Our people are in need of assistance now. The Congress cannot wait any longer to address this need. All of my colleagues should come together in a bipartisan agreement to strip out the ATV offset, approve meaningful disaster assistance today, and return this bill to the House for reconsideration. I hope we have the good sense to resolve this matter.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, on the morning of September 11, 2001, nearly 3,000 people who would lose their lives in the most horrific attack on America since the bombing of Pearl Harbor began their day like it was any other.

Many got dressed and headed for work. Others packed their bags and went to the airport. All would leave their loved ones that morning believing they would be home soon to continue the lives they worked so hard to create.

Instead these innocents were murdered by terrorists at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and in a field in Shanksville, PA. This despicable act forever changed our great nation and the world. Families were shattered, a war began, and the relative peace and security we enjoyed was ripped away.

I recently toured the World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan and although the rubble has been cleared and great structures are rising from the earth, there is a solemn air that permeates the place.

Despite the bustling crews and the towering cranes stacking metal and shaping the new towers it is still the spot where husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers died in fiery fashion.

Being there reminded me of the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the formative years that followed.

I was a boy of 17 when I heard the announcer shout over the radio that Japanese planes were attacking Pearl Harbor. I remember running outside with my father to see the bright red suns painted on the wings of the Zeroes as they raced toward their target amid black puffs of anti-aircraft fire.

I knew at that moment that my country and my life would never be the same. Six decades later that moment came again when I watched passenger jets crash into the side of the World Trade Center.

After Pearl Harbor I put on the uniform and went off to fight for this country as did thousands of my brave brothers from the Greatest Generation. Our nation was shocked into action by the events of December 7, 1941 and a generation of Americans fought and died to shape the new world that came after the bombs fell.

America was awakened in similar fashion on the morning of September 11, 2001 and 10 years later we are still fighting and dying to create a future better than the one we lost that day.

Today, next to the new towers at the World Trade Center site, is the National September 11 Memorial and Museum at Ground Zero. It is a magnificent structure. Two waterfall rimmed pools, situated in the original foot prints of the fallen towers, sit side by side. The names of the fallen are engraved in panels that form a railing around each pool.

It is a fitting memorial for those who died but we must honor their memory by telling their story and educating the world about what happened on September 11, 2001.

Yes, it was America that was attacked, but the world changed forever that day and this memorial and museum is much more than a collection of artifacts, it is a symbol of America reborn and a reminder that the world order is always changing.

Today, I rise to introduce a bill that will allow the United States, through the Secretary of the Interior, to take ownership of the lands, the Memorial and the Museum, after the appropriate approvals are secured from the Governor of the State of New York, the Governor of the State of New Jersey, and the Mayor of New York City.

The Department of the Interior will enter into a cooperative agreement with the Board of the non-profit National September 11 Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center, Inc., which may provide technical and financial assistance to the Memorial and Museum relating to its operations and maintenance.

The legislation would authorize appropriations of $20 million in fiscal year 2013, the first full fiscal year after which the Museum is scheduled to open to the public, and in subsequent years.

All funds appropriated must be matched by non-Federal sources, such as admission fees, gifts and fundraising, with the resulting Federal share being about 33 percent or less of the overall budget of the Memorial and Museum.

It is our duty to help perpetuate this seminal moment in American history.

Let us take responsibility for preserving our past and driving our future by honoring the fallen and their families with this lasting tribute.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, on the morning of September 11, 2001, nearly 3,000 people who would lose their lives in the most horrific attack on America since the bombing of Pearl Harbor began their day like it was any other.

Many got dressed and headed for work. Others packed their bags and went to the airport. All would leave their loved ones that morning believing they would be home soon to continue the lives they worked so hard to create.

Instead these innocents were murdered by terrorists at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and in a field in Shanksville, PA. This despicable act forever changed our great nation and the world. Families were shattered, a war began, and the relative peace and security we enjoyed was ripped away.

I recently toured the World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan and although the rubble has been cleared and great structures are rising from the earth, there is a solemn air that permeates the place.

Despite the bustling crews and the towering cranes stacking metal and shaping the new towers it is still the spot where husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers died in fiery fashion.

Being there reminded me of the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the formative years that followed.

I was a boy of 17 when I heard the announcer shout over the radio that Japanese planes were attacking Pearl Harbor. I remember running outside with my father to see the bright red suns painted on the wings of the Zeroes as they raced toward their target amid black puffs of anti-aircraft fire.

I knew at that moment that my country and my life would never be the same. Six decades later that moment came again when I watched passenger jets crash into the side of the World Trade Center.

After Pearl Harbor I put on the uniform and went off to fight for this country as did thousands of my brave brothers from the Greatest Generation. Our nation was shocked into action by the events of December 7, 1941 and a generation of Americans fought and died to shape the new world that came after the bombs fell.

America was awakened in similar fashion on the morning of September 11, 2001 and 10 years later we are still fighting and dying to create a future better than the one we lost that day.

Today, next to the new towers at the World Trade Center site, is the National September 11 Memorial and Museum at Ground Zero. It is a magnificent structure. Two waterfall rimmed pools, situated in the original foot prints of the fallen towers, sit side by side. The names of the fallen are engraved in panels that form a railing around each pool.

It is a fitting memorial for those who died but we must honor their memory by telling their story and educating the world about what happened on September 11, 2001.

Yes, it was America that was attacked, but the world changed forever that day and this memorial and museum is much more than a collection of artifacts, it is a symbol of America reborn and a reminder that the world order is always changing.

Today, I rise to introduce a bill that will allow the United States, through the Secretary of the Interior, to take ownership of the lands, the Memorial and the Museum, after the appropriate approvals are secured from the Governor of the State of New York, the Governor of the State of New Jersey, and the Mayor of New York City.

The Department of the Interior will enter into a cooperative agreement with the Board of the non-profit National September 11 Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center, Inc., which may provide technical and financial assistance to the Memorial and Museum relating to its operations and maintenance.

The legislation would authorize appropriations of $20 million in fiscal year 2013, the first full fiscal year after which the Museum is scheduled to open to the public, and in subsequent years.

All funds appropriated must be matched by non-Federal sources, such as admission fees, gifts and fundraising, with the resulting Federal share being about 33 percent or less of the overall budget of the Memorial and Museum.

It is our duty to help perpetuate this seminal moment in American history.

Let us take responsibility for preserving our past and driving our future by honoring the fallen and their families with this lasting tribute.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, today Senator Alexander and I rise to recognize over 250 Nurse-Managed Health Clinics in a Resolution designating the week of October 2, 2011, as National Nurse-Managed Health Clinic Week. Nurse-managed health clinics provide primary care and wellness services to a diverse population through all age groups and ethnicities. These clinics provide care to over two million patients in underserved or vulnerable areas across this country. Nurse- managed health clinics offer a full range of accessible and affordable health services, including primary care, health promotion, and disease prevention to low-income, as well as un-and under insured patients, regardless of their ability to pay. The care is primarily provided by nurse practitioners working in partnership with an interdisciplinary team of health professions including clinical nurse specialists, registered nurses, health educators, community outreach workers, health care students, and collaborating physicians. As recognized by the Institute of Medicine's ``Future of Nursing'' report, the nurse managed clinics play a critical role in community-based preventive health care and have done so since their inception three decades ago.

A Senate resolution will help pave the way for this effort. We ask our colleagues to join us in supporting this tribute to Nurse-Managed Health Clinics.

Mr. President, Mr. Begich and I recognize that Alaska and Hawaii's educational and workforce needs are linked to the indigenous cultures, learning styles, and geographical realities of our home States. We would like to commend the University of Hawaii Maui College for their hard work and dedication in developing a Remote Rural Hawaii Training Project. Over the years, the University of Hawaii Maui College has led the way in education and workforce development. Since the inception of the Rural Development Project in 1997, the University has supported 300 hundred projects. The initial projects served over 29,000 participants. We would also like to praise Cook Inlet Tribal Council for their dedication and efforts relating to workforce development for Native Alaskans. For example, in fiscal year 2010 the Alaska's People Career center served 2,269 job seekers and they helped 58 people obtain their General Educational Development diploma. These initiatives, many made possible by the unique environment created by the natural resources of Alaska and Hawaii, have proved to be an invaluable source of current and future growth of workforce development and training programs. We are truly impressed by the innovative projects developed by these two organizations and we need continued support for workforce development in these unique populations in Alaska and Hawaii.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, Mr. Begich and I recognize that Alaska and Hawaii's educational and workforce needs are linked to the indigenous cultures, learning styles, and geographical realities of our home States. We would like to commend the University of Hawaii Maui College for their hard work and dedication in developing a Remote Rural Hawaii Training Project. Over the years, the University of Hawaii Maui College has led the way in education and workforce development. Since the inception of the Rural Development Project in 1997, the University has supported 300 hundred projects. The initial projects served over 29,000 participants. We would also like to praise Cook Inlet Tribal Council for their dedication and efforts relating to workforce development for Native Alaskans. For example, in fiscal year 2010 the Alaska's People Career center served 2,269 job seekers and they helped 58 people obtain their General Educational Development diploma. These initiatives, many made possible by the unique environment created by the natural resources of Alaska and Hawaii, have proved to be an invaluable source of current and future growth of workforce development and training programs. We are truly impressed by the innovative projects developed by these two organizations and we need continued support for workforce development in these unique populations in Alaska and Hawaii.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.