Floor Statements

Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it adjourn under the previous order.

Mr. President, I can remember events 12 years ago so clearly. I was not far from here at the time. I was in S-219, which is a meeting room. That is where Leader Daschle held his leadership meetings every Tuesday morning at 9 a.m. I was the first one in the room. Senator John Breaux from Louisiana came in and said: Flip on the TV. There is something going on in New York.

We turned on the TV, and it looked as though something happened in New York. We just thought an airplane had malfunctioned or something had gone wrong to cause the plane to hit that tower.

So the meeting started and the TVs were off. We were doing our business of the day when suddenly a group of police officers came in and grabbed Senator Daschle and took him outside. He came back very quickly and said: There is an airplane headed for the Capitol. We have to get out of here.

There was a lot of confusion, to say the least, as staff and Senators were ordered out of the buildings--plural. As we left S-219, we looked out the window toward the Pentagon, and smoke was billowing out of it. We could see it so very plainly. At that time we didn't

know what was happening; we just knew we had been ordered to get out of the building.

Of course, we all have memories of what took place that day. I was the assistant leader, as was Senator Nickles from Oklahoma. Senator Lott was the Republican leader, and Senator Daschle was the Democratic leader. We were taken in helicopters from the west front of the Capitol to a secure location. When I was taken to the west front of the Capitol, the scene was eerie to say the least. There were lots of people in black uniforms trying to create order out of confusion. Without going into a lot of detail, we went to a location, and the Vice President was there. He met with us and kept us informed as to what was going on with the President. We spent the day there and then came back to the west front of the Capitol, where all Members of Congress gathered. Barbara Mikulski, for lack of anyone having a better suggestion, said: We should sing ``God Bless America.'' She got the song started, and that was extremely memorable.

We are going to have a ceremony in a few minutes out front, and I will talk a little bit there. The four leaders have been asked to talk out there.

We did have a moment of silence regarding the more than 3,000 people who were killed in New York, Pennsylvania, and the Pentagon. In addition to those 3,000 people who were taken from us permanently, thousands of other people were injured, some of them permanently injured. Some of them have missing legs, some are blind, and some suffer from paralysis. So we raise our voices today in celebration of America's spirit and perseverance. May we never forget 9/11.

It is also worth mentioning that on this day we also honor what took place a year ago in Libya, where one of our stellar Ambassadors was murdered along with three of his brave colleagues. They were all killed in Libya. Our country remains committed to seeking justice for them and every American victim of terrorism, and that is what the debate of Syria is all about--terrorism.

Before I began the caucus yesterday, when the President came, my introduction to the President was a film that was created by Senator Feinstein and others. It is about 12 or 13 minutes long, and it shows what went on in graphic detail with the brutal chemical weapons attack in Syria where these children were left to die. Remember, these poisons get the little kids first.

Senator Durbin has a Palestinian on his staff. We all know Reema. She does the whip count for Senator Durbin and for me. I had her listen to the film. I watched it and she listened so she could give me some idea of what people were saying there. They were yelling. It was so sad. Mostly they were praying. It was very, very sad to see people holding little babies and saying: Breathe, breathe. They couldn't breathe. We could see the perspiration on some of them. They dumped water on them-- anything to give them some relief. The video showed rows of dead people. Hundreds of them were little children. Some of them were dressed in their play clothes, little fancy, colorful T-shirts.

Even as we pay tribute to America's tradition of freedom for every citizen across the globe, an evil dictator denies its citizens not only their right to liberty but also their right to live. The Asad family is pretty good at killing people. The New York Times had an article over the last 24 hours about his dad, because of the failed assassination attempt, killing 30,000 people he thought needed to be killed--30,000. That country, Syria, denies its citizens the right to liberty, but even more significant the right to live.

Yesterday I showed the video at the caucus. No one wanted to see it. I didn't want to see it again. It was all I could do to glance up. I had already seen it. Those visions will always be in my mind. I showed my Senators a video of this: little boys and girls and grown men with their eyes crusted, frothing from the mouth. It was such unspeakable scenery. They were convulsing, writhing, spasms from the poison gas he used to murder his victims. It was hard to watch, but it confirmed all of our conviction that the United States must not let the Syrian regime go unpunished for using something that is outlawed. Those weapons are not to be used in a war, let alone used on a bunch of innocent people.

Yesterday the President spoke to two caucuses. He spoke last night and made a compelling case for military action against the Asad regime. As the President said, we have to send an explicit message not only to Syria but the rest of the world. Remember--who has more chemical weapons than Syria? Only one country--North Korea. Think about that. If they get away with this, what is North Korea going to do? Then are we going to have a marketplace for purchasing chemical weapons? The use of chemical weapons by anyone, any time, anywhere, including the battlefield, should not be tolerated.

Preventing these weapons from being used is not only in our own national interests, but it is in the interests of the world. Diplomacy should always be the first choice. That is who we are as a country. So we have been asked to temporarily suspend consideration of the Syria resolution to allow for these conversations to take place around the world.

Tomorrow our Secretary of State is meeting with the Russian Secretary of State, Mr. Lavrov, to explore in fact if this is a legitimate proposal. Talking and action are two separate things. So what the Republican leader and I have spoken about--and we will talk more about it today--is to see what we can do to give the President the time and space our country needs to pursue these international negotiations. We will report back at a later time. America must remain vigilant and ready to use force if necessary, and Congress should not take the threat of military action off the table.

I want to spend a little time talking to Senator Menendez, the chair of the committee. I want to talk to other Senators who are trying to work something out on their own, and I will do that.

Leaders in Damascus and Moscow should understand that Congress will be watching these negotiations very closely. If there is any indication this is not serious--that it is a ploy to delay, to obstruct, to divert--then I think we have to again give the President the authority to hold the Asad regime accountable. So it is our determination not to let Asad's atrocities go unanswered. How we answer is a question we will continue to pursue. But it is very clear that we wouldn't be where we are today--even my friend, the junior Senator from Kentucky, today said the reason we are having the possibility of a deal is because of the President threatening force.

It is interesting. Asad has even denied, until just recent hours, ever even having had chemical weapons. So it is in Syria's power to avoid these strikes, but that will require swift and decisive action on the part of the Asad regime to relinquish these weapons. We need a diplomatic solution to succeed, but saying we want one doesn't mean it will happen. So he must quickly prove the offer to turn over Syria's chemical weapons is real and not an attempt to delay.

All eyes are on the Russian President, President Putin. We all know he was formerly head of the KGB. We all know about the KGB. He is the President of that very big country. We are also grateful that even though relations aren't perfect with Russia, they are OK--so much better than they have been prior to the breakup of that massive country, the Soviet Union.

We hope Russia is a productive partner in these negotiations. Any agreement must also assure it is possible to secure these chemical weapons in spite of the ongoing civil war, to keep those stockpiles out of the hands of terrorists.

In short, I am happy we have some conversations going to see if this can be resolved diplomatically. I certainly hope so.

I apologize to my counterpart, the Republican leader, for taking so much time.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate be in a period of morning business until 2:30 p.m. this afternoon for debate only, with all other aspects of the previous order being in effect.

Mr. President, the Republican leader and I have spoken, and we are working on a way forward based on the President's speech and what has happened over the last few days. He and I will confer shortly again, but right now we will be in a period of morning business. Senators may talk about whatever they want. It is my understanding that the time is equally divided between the two sides; is that right?

Following leader remarks, the time until 2:30 p.m. will be divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees, with Senators permitted to speak for 10 minutes each. There will be a remembrance ceremony on the east side of the Capitol. Members will gather in the rotunda at 10:45 a.m.

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

Madam President, I have spoken with the White House, I have spoken with the Republican leader, and we have agreed on a way forward based on the President's speech last night.

As the President told the Nation last night, the President has asked Congress to postpone a vote to authorize the use of force in Syria and pursue instead a diplomatic path to see if that works.

Tomorrow sometime, in Geneva, Secretary Kerry is meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov. So it is right that the Senate turn from the Syria resolution while the Secretary of State pursues these important diplomatic discussions.

As I said this morning, Congress will be watching these negotiations very closely. If there is any indication that they are not serious, or that they are being used as a ploy for delay, then the Congress stands ready to return to the Syria resolution to give the President the authority to hold the Asad regime accountable for the pain, suffering, and death it caused with those chemical weapons.

In the meantime, the Republican leader and I have agreed the Senate will return to the Shaheen-Portman energy efficiency bill. Senator Shaheen, Senator Portman, and the chairman of the committee, Senator Wyden, have talked to me many times over a period of more than a year to move this legislation forward. So I think it is appropriate that, rather than us sit here and tread water, doing nothing, we should move forward on this legislation.

As the agreement will indicate, so as not to interfere with the diplomatic discussions going on, we have agreed that the Senate will consider no amendments on the energy efficiency bill relative to Syria or the use of force. I have talked to a number of the Republican Senators and that is certainly fine with them.

We look forward to considering amendments on issues domestic in nature and passing this important piece of legislation.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the motion to proceed to S. 1392 be agreed to, that no amendments or motions be in order relative to Syria or the use of military force during the consideration of the legislation, and that the time until 6 p.m. tonight be equally divided between the two leaders or their designees.

I think it would certainly be appropriate that we have at this time statements from the chairman and the ranking member, that is, Senators Wyden and Murkowski, and Senators Shaheen and Portman, the sponsors of this legislation. Then I would hope at that time--how long does the chairman need for his statement?

Twenty minutes. We will give Senator Murkowski the same amount of time.

And 15 minutes for Senator Shaheen and 15 minutes for Senator Portman. When that time is expired, we will see if we can have some amendments. So that would be the case. Those four Senators will be recognized for the next 70 minutes. As I have indicated, it is for debate only.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Amitai Bin-Nun, a fellow in the office of Senator Coons, be granted the privilege of the floor during consideration of S. 1392.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to S. Res. 222.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. President, I commend the managers of the energy efficiency bill, Senator Wyden, chairman of the full committee, Senator Murkowski, the ranking member, and the sponsors of this legislation, Senators Shaheen and Portman, for their work in bringing this bill to the floor and managing it today.

We have had a number of Senators who have tried to offer amendments. I was told by Senator Shaheen that she had a dozen or so bipartisan amendments that were waiting to be offered. There has been an attempt to offer amendments dealing with the bill but there is a little hurdle here with something that is totally nongermane that has been offered.

One of the amendments Senator Udall of Colorado would like to offer is a bipartisan amendment to promote energy retrofitting of schools. Senator Bennet of Colorado seeks to offer a bipartisan amendment to facilitate best practices in commercial real estate energy efficiency. Senator Klobuchar would like to offer her amendment to promote energy retrofitting of nonprofit buildings. But once again, Mr. President, once again my Republican colleagues can't help themselves. They have objected to the consideration of any of these amendments or any other amendments until the Senate considers an amendment--and not only considers an amendment but is guaranteed a vote on it.

Pretty interesting situation. The Senator's amendment is, of course, and everyone knows it, only for looks. It is a ``gotcha'' amendment. The Senator's amendment is the sort of amendment that is to help get some headlines in newspapers or some kind of news story. We recognize it is for show. But be that as it may, we will work with managers to craft a way forward on this bill, perhaps, or we may have to take the bill down. But we will make that decision at a subsequent time.

It is unfortunate, but that is the political world we live in now with the tea-party-driven House of Representatives. And by the way--of course everyone knows by now--they couldn't pass their continuing resolution today, so that is off the table. They were going to do that not today but tomorrow, and they pulled that down. Then we have our folks over here trying to just outmatch what they do over there so we wind up getting nothing done. Such a shame.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, September 12, 2013; and that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, and the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day; that following any leader remarks the Senate be in a period of morning business for 1 hour, with the time equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each, with the majority controlling the first half and the Republicans the final half; that following morning business, the Senate resume consideration of S. 1392, the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act.

Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it adjourn under the previous order.

Mr. President, I move to proceed to Calendar No. 166, S.J. Res. 21.

Mr. President, following my and Senator McConnell's remarks, there will be a period of morning business until 11 a.m. this morning. At 11 a.m. we will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to the Syria resolution. The time until noon will be divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees. The Senate will recess from noon until 2:15 p.m. to allow for our caucus meetings.

The leader and I have talked this morning--and prior to this morning--with regard to the energy efficiency bill. We automatically go to that bill at 11 a.m. We are trying to work out a way we can go to that bill. Senators Shaheen and Portman have worked for more than a year to come up with a bill. We have not done an energy bill in a long time, so there is a desire on both sides to move forward on this.

Senator Shaheen and Senator Portman have bipartisan amendments they want to offer to their bill, and I have expressed to the Republican leader that we need to move to that when we finish the Syria issue. I would like permission to move to that bill at the appropriate time. Once we get on the bill and we get the CR from the House, for example, I told the Republican leader--and everyone who wants to hear--that we don't have to finish the energy efficiency bill all at one time. We want to have an amendment process, and we will do that. I don't want to file cloture on the motion to proceed again, so we have instructed our staffs to try to come up with something before 11 a.m. that we can agree on.

I repeat. There will be amendments offered, and we will have adequate time to work on this. We may not be able to do it all at one time, but we will do it and finish this legislation.

Syria

Mr. President, we are engaged in a very important debate. The Syria debate is one that cannot be taken lightly, and I don't believe anyone has taken it lightly. The discussion and bipartisan resolution under consideration is simply too important to be rushed through the Senate or given short shrift. So it is right and proper that the President be given an opportunity to meet with Senators from both parties, as he will today. He will meet with us at 12:30 p.m. When he finishes with us, it is my understanding he will report to Senator McConnell's conference.

In addition to that, he is going to address the Nation tonight. He is going to speak directly to the American people about the potential for limited military action to Syria. He will do that at 9 p.m. tonight.

As I said last night, it is appropriate to allow other conversations to go on. We now have--as a result of some work done by other countries--France, Russia, and we understand Syria is involved in this as well. This is aimed at avoiding military action. We will have to see if this works out.

It is very important to understand that the only reason Russia is seeking an alternative to military action is that President Obama has made it plain and clear that the United States will act, if we must. Our credible threat of force has made these diplomatic discussions with Syria possible, and the United States should not withdraw from the direction we are taking as a country.

If there is a realistic chance--and I certainly hope there is--to secure Syria's chemical weapons without further atrocities of the Asad regime, we should not turn our backs on that chance. But for such a solution to be plausible, the Asad regime must act quickly and prove that their offer is real and not merely a ploy to delay military action or action by the body of the Senate.

Any agreement must also assure that chemical weapons in the hands of Syria can be secured and done in an open process, even in the midst of this ongoing war we have in Syria. Any agreement must ensure that Syria is unable to transfer its dangerous chemical

weapons to the hands of terrorists in that area. Such an attempt would be met with a rapid and robust response from the United States.

I am pleased the administration is considering this offer. I am pleased other countries are involved in addition to Russia. It is my understanding that France is heavily involved, as of a few hours ago, and I think that is the right direction at this time. We will move forward but under the general criteria I have suggested and outlined.

The Senate should give these international discussions time to play out but not unlimited time. That is why, although there is support to move forward and debate this bipartisan resolution reported by Senators Menendez and Corker--they did a terrific job for the committee last week--I didn't rush to file cloture, as I indicated last night, on the motion to proceed. We don't need to prove how quickly we can do this but how well we can do this.

The Syrian regime should fully understand that the United States is watching very closely. The Asad regime should be warned our country will not tolerate this breach of human decency and long-held international consensus against the use of chemical weapons.

Unanimous Consent Agreement--S. 1392

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order with respect to S. 1392, which is the energy efficiency legislation, be modified so that the motion to proceed be agreed to at a time to be determined by me with the concurrence of the Republican leader--not consultation with him but concurrence with him.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 191, the nomination be confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate; that no further motions be in order to the nomination; that any related statements be printed in the Record; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action and the Senate then resume legislative session.