Floor Statements

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the clerk be authorized to modify the instruction lines on amendments proposed to the substitute amendment No. 3395.

Mr. President, following leader remarks, the Senate will resume consideration of H.R. 1, which is the legislative vehicle for the supplemental appropriations bill involving the terrible storm that struck New England. The filing deadline for the first-degree amendments is 1 p.m. today. We will work on an agreement for amendments in order to complete action on the bill.

We are also hopeful that we can complete the extremely important Defense authorization bill today, and we are moving forward on FISA today. We are moving forward one way or the other. I hope we can get an agreement to move forward. If not, we will move forward without an agreement.

We will need everyone to pay attention as they always do but maybe more so today. There are a lot of things going on here, and people need to understand that we have things to do if we want to be able to get home for a few days for Christmas, even though we will be back on the Thursday after Christmas.

Mr. President, I wish to take a few minutes today to honor my colleague, the senior Senator from New Mexico, Jeff Bingaman, as he retires from a long career of service to our country.

For 30 years Senator Bingaman has been a dedicated representative of the people of New Mexico, but for 26 of those years he was the junior Senator from New Mexico. The only person I know of who was a junior Senator longer than Senator Bingaman was Fritz Hollings. He was a junior Senator for many decades to Strom Thurmond. But 26 years as a junior Senator still makes you a fairly senior Senator. Jeff served alongside Senator Pete Domenici, the longest serving Senator in New Mexico's history. Until 2009 he was the most senior junior Senator.

Jeff Bingaman has never been one to get hung up on titles and credits. If there was ever a conscience of this body, it is Jeff Bingaman, a man who has been called by others, including Byron Dorgan, a workhorse. That is really true. For three decades he has quietly but diligently fought for the people of New Mexico and this country.

American industrialist Henry Kaiser once gave this bit of advice: ``When your work speaks for itself, don't interrupt.'' And that is Jeff Bingaman. That could have been written for Jeff Bingaman by Henry Kaiser. That has been Jeff Bingaman's motto for years. He is not one for flashy press conferences. Most of the time he is too busy.

Jeff learned humility in the small town of Silver City, NM, where he grew up. His father was a professor and his

mom a teacher, and they instilled in him a love and appreciation for education--and that is an understatement. He got his bachelor's degree from Harvard and his law degree from Stanford. Those are two of the finest educational institutions in the world, and he has a degree from both of them, Harvard and Stanford.

At Stanford, where he was going to law school, he met his wonderful wife Anne. I have such warmth for this woman. We have traveled together. I can remember trips we took on Senate codels; she was always the life of the party. She is a great match for Jeff--Jeff being quiet, subdued; Anne, not always so. I love them both. Anne is a political powerhouse in her own right. She served 3 years as head of the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice under President Bill Clinton.

After they finished their law degrees, Jeff and Anne returned to New Mexico, and they both entered the private practice of law. There, Jeff spent 6 years in the Army Reserve, and at that time he and Anne had their son John. Senator Bingaman served a year as assistant attorney general before being elected attorney general of New Mexico in 1978. Four years later he was elected to the U.S. Senate.

As time evolves here, you see it in the face of our children. I can remember that when I first came to this body, Jeff had already been here 4 years. We had our Senate retreats, and there was little John, and I watched him grow as we did the retreats. I saw him just a short time ago, this handsome young man, now working on his own in New York in a very important job.

In addition to being a committed advocate for the people of New Mexico, Jeff has been a distinguished chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. As chairman, he has pushed for solutions to perhaps the greatest crisis of our time: global climate change. He has run into brick walls many times. As the Presiding Officer knows, it has been difficult to get much done. But it is not because Jeff Bingaman hasn't tried. I am so disappointed that Jeff is leaving that committee with so much unfinished work. Certain Senators have held up hundreds of bills in that committee. What a shame. But that is what has happened.

The Energy Policy Act of 2005--passed thanks to Senator Bingaman's leadership--changed the Federal Government's role in energy policy. It created energy efficiency and renewable tax credits that have grown the crucial green energy industry. He led that charge. Two years later Jeff guided Congress to raise vehicle fuel efficiency standards for the first time in 32 years.

Senator Bingaman also serves on the Finance Committee. He is tireless there, whether working on ObamaCare--and he was instrumental in the progress of that, working with Senator Baucus, Senator Conrad, and others. He has also served on the Joint Economic Committee. He has been a valued Democratic Member of this body. In the caucus, he has been terrific.

He has been someone I can call upon to ask for advice. Over the years we have served together, he didn't come and visit with me often, but when Jeff Bingaman wanted to see me, I knew immediately that he had thought through and knew what he wanted to talk about and knew what he wanted me to help him with. I think so much of him, I admire him, and I appreciate him. I will always remember this good man and the work he has done. I am sorry to see this brilliant, hard-working leader depart this body.

When Jeff announced his retirement a couple years ago, this is what he said:

It is not easy to get elected to the Senate, and it is not

easy to decide to leave the Senate. There is important work

that remains to be done. That is true today, and it will be

the case at the end of this Congress. It will be true at the

end of every future Congress as well.

Again, he hit the mark: There is plenty of important work left to be done. I am only sorry he won't be here to help us do that work.

I congratulate Senator Bingaman and his wife Anne on their long, productive careers. I wish them the very best in the years to come.

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

Mr. President, I rise today to honor a woman by the name of Janice Shelton for her friendship and 32 years of dedication as an employee of this body, the Senate. Twenty-five of those years Janice worked as my executive assistant. She has demonstrated sincere dedication to me, my office, my family, and this body, the Senate. It is an understatement to say she will be sorely missed. She will be. She has always been kind and thoughtful to me, to my wife Landra, all my children, and to everyone with whom she comes in contact. If there is a problem, everyone knows: Go to Janice. No one has had my ear over the past 25 years like Janice Shelton has.

She has spent her professional career creating order where there could easily be chaos. Over the course of her productive career with the Army, the White House, and the Senate, each benefited from her unique expertise, professionalism, and hard work.

She began her professional life at the Department of the Army as secretary to the Chief of the Personnel and Training Division Headquarters. Her gift of completing tasks quickly and with ease, all while maintaining a positive outlook, served her well when she moved on to a position of trust at the White House. It is not merely her professionalism but the equally valued personal qualities she has brought to the job: graciousness, unflagging energy, and a willingness to take on any task, large or small, that made her so treasured to everyone who came in contact with her.

From the White House she transited to the Senate with Senator Hawkins and Senator Mikulski and, as I said, for the last 25 years has been a source of calm and order in my office, despite the often long hours and the endless to-do lists that come with working with me. I say with certainty that had it not been for Janice, my office would not have functioned nearly as smoothly as it has over the years.

She is also a woman of tremendous faith and her life revolves around her family. She has been married to Robert Lee Shelton for 58 years. They have two daughters, Robin LeCroy and Laurie Nelson. She has eight grandchildren and one great-grandson. I know four of her grandchildren. I got up every Sunday to see what happened in Shelton's college football game. Shelton was big. He was an offensive lineman--played at the college level. He must have weighed 300 pounds of muscle.

I followed Shelton's little brother--little brother?--6 foot 3 or 4, a big, strapping, left-handed pitcher; also a college baseball player. And then I had two of her granddaughters who worked for us as pages, Rebecca and Holly.

She spends long hours at her desk. I do not go home early but I could call and she would be there at 9, 10 clock at night, and that is no exaggeration. But when she is not at that desk, Janice was usually in Georgia or North Carolina with her children or grandchildren.

She has probably been a little bit political, but I think she has gotten a little more political working for me. She has made sure each of her grandchildren understands the importance of their political voice. During the recent election she called those eligible to vote to make sure they had voted. I did not press very hard, but she may have urged them how they should vote.

While Janice's professional accomplishments deserve great recognition, it is really Janice herself who will be missed so dearly. She has served not only as a deeply trusted and committed assistant to me, but as a mentor to many who have worked with her. I know I am not the only one who will note her absence. She has been so wonderful to my family. During times of crisis, my boys know: Call Janice. They can always get through to me through Janice. She has given them advice. She has counseled them. My wife Landra is a dear friend of Janice and conversely the case, Janice is her good friend. She has helped Landra in so many different ways--social events that Landra has committed to take care of here, because of what I do, and other reasons.

During Landra's very bad accident Janice was always there. She was the one who walked to my desk and said to me: Landra has been hurt pretty bad. You have to stop doing what you are doing--and we were trying to do a health care bill. During Landra's battle with breast cancer she has helped her in so many different ways. I am so indebted to Janice for how she has treated my family in addition to how she has treated me and everyone who comes in contact with her.

At our Christmas party last night, we gave Janice a little present. I told everyone there that she and I had shed all the tears that we were going to. I guess it was not true.

She combined an unflinching honesty with a generous and kind nature. One always trusts she has one's best interests at heart. Her charm causes even the hardest cases, many times, to crack a smile. And her quick wit often brings a grin or a smile, sometimes a laugh. These traits, more so even than her skill and dedication, have made her successful.

I will miss her both as an employee and as a person. Today is her last day--just a few more hours to work here.

On the back of my desk I have a picture of my mentor, Michael O'Callahan. In fact, I have two pictures on my credenza right behind my desk. He was my mentor and my best friend. He taught me something that I have always remembered: You can buy a resume, you can buy good looks, education, experience, but the one thing you cannot buy is loyalty. There is no one who has ever been more loyal to me than Janice Shelton.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that at a time to be determined by the majority leader, after consultation with the Republican leader, the Senate proceed to executive session to consider the following nominations: Calendar Nos. 834, 835, and 877; that there be 30 minutes for debate equally divided in the usual form; that following the use or yielding back of time, the Senate proceed to vote without intervening action or debate on Calendar Nos. 834, 835, and 877, in that order; that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate; that no further motions be in order; that any related statements be printed in the Record; that President Obama be immediately notified of the Senate's action and the Senate then resume legislative session.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that at a time to be determined by the majority leader, after consultation with the Republican leader, the Senate proceed to the consideration of the conference report to accompany H.R. 4310, the Department of Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013; and that there be up to 1 hour of debate equally divided between the two leaders or their designees prior to a vote on adoption of the conference report.

Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Madam President, following leader remarks, the Senate will be in a period of morning business for 1 hour; the Republicans will control the first half, the majority the second half.

Following morning business, we will resume consideration of the supplemental appropriations bill. I mentioned last night we are going to have to move forward on this bill. I have been told the Republicans want to have a substitute, and we look forward to whatever that might be. We can set up a series of votes to satisfy those people who want to change this bill in some manner.

I would note that in the Northeast--other States but principally New York and New Jersey--there are about 700,000 people who have lost their homes. Tens of thousands of those homes have been destroyed, and other people are still living in very difficult situations.

When we had the devastation in the Gulf, we got the aid to those States very quickly. The population of those States--Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama--is very sparse compared to New York and New Jersey. We have to make a decision on this very important legislation before we leave this week, and we are going to do that. I hope everyone would cooperate, but we have to do this. It is very unfair to the millions of people who are suffering as a result of this devastation.

We have had some devastating wildfires in the West. They are terribly damaging to the environment and on occasion there is lost life and often there are property losses. But relatively speaking, compared to the millions of people involved in this storm, we have to get our priorities right. It is unfair to those people who are suffering. It is not only individual people, but it is also businesses. I hope we can finalize this matter in the next day or two.

Madam President, it is often said a man is only as good as his word. In this new world we live in, the same applies to women. This is a world we live in where men and women, as much as we can, are treated equally. A good man is somebody who has his word that is good. A good woman is a person who has their word that is good. I believe that is true.

If that fact is true, then Mr. Kent Conrad, the Senior Senator from North Dakota, is a good man, indeed.

When he was running for the Senate the first time, he promised the people of North Dakota he would not run for reelection if the Nation's budget deficit was higher at the end of his term than at the beginning of it.

We came to the Senate together. I can remember 27 years ago in the LBJ Room where I first met Kent Conrad--we were running for the Senate--this studious man, very intense. I can still remember that. We have been friends now for all those many years. But think what he did. He could have been reelected so easily and he probably could have figured out some way around it: It was my intention to reduce the debt, but we weren't able to do it.

But he didn't follow that path. He said: I am not running for reelection, and he didn't. It is amazing what he did. He takes the national debt personally. He takes it very seriously. Kent announced he wouldn't seek reelection. I was stunned. Kent, how could you do that? He said: I gave my word. But fate, as we know--and we are feeling it today with these flowers here behind me--fate is rarely anticipated. After his first term was set to expire and he had announced he wasn't running for reelection, Quentin Burdick, with whom I had the pleasure of serving, died, and so he ran for his seat and was elected. So he has held both Senate seats in North Dakota. He ran in that special election to replace Senator Burdick and won. The Senate, the people of North Dakota, and every American who cares about controlling the Federal debt have benefited from his faithful service.

Every time we have done something dealing with the debt in the last 26 years, Kent Conrad has been at the forefront. ObamaCare, he was on top of that. He was one of the Gang of 6, it was called at the time, and took months and months. He came up, of course, with the magnificent idea, he and Judd Gregg--two people who know the finances of this country as well as any other two men in the world--they were going to do something about it, and they introduced legislation. It was patterned after the base closing commissions. They would do their work--the Commission--come back to the Senate, no filibusters, no amendments. That was Kent Conrad and Judd Gregg's idea. As we know, the problem was the Republicans who supported the legislation, cosponsored it, wouldn't let us get it on the floor; six or seven of them voted against that. The Bowles-Simpson Commission; the Obama-Boehner talks, two rounds of those; Biden-Cantor, he was involved in every one of those; the Gang of 6, the Gang of 8. Even though he wasn't personally one of the three people on the supercommittee, Chairperson Murray was leaning on him all the time for information.

He has been terrific. As chairman of the Budget Committee, no one could do more than he did. I can remember he managed the bills we had on getting budgets. He was here, my seat was there, and he wanted me to help him. Why? Because he didn't have time to deal with procedure. He was dealing with substance. I still joke with him about this. He was so intense; we could see that mind of his working. So he was happy I was here working with him to get the budgets through.

He has been a powerful voice against runaway deficits but always being totally reasonable, recognizing that we are in a time of economic slowdown and we have to do something about the debt. But he also believes that during any of these periods of time, we need stimulation of the economy; they go together.

As I have indicated, no one cares more about addressing the national debt than Senator Conrad. But he also understands the balance between fiscal responsibility and funding our national priorities.

Kent Conrad has been bipartisan. Sometimes some criticize him for being so bipartisan. He has never been afraid to reach across the aisle to keep our country on a responsible path. He is a person who is not an ideologue. I could be wrong, but I think he was the first person to endorse Obama. Obama was a Senator who gave indication he wanted to run for President. I think Senator Conrad was the first to endorse him. We know Senator Obama didn't sell very well in North Dakota, but that didn't stop Kent Conrad. He thought he was the best person to be President of the United States.

The proposal I mentioned with Senators Conrad and Gregg was a blueprint for what the Bowles-Simpson Commission then came up with. As I have indicated, every bipartisan deficit reduction since then--and some partisan efforts--anytime there was involvement with the debt, he was there.

Although we have yet to reach a solution or a conclusion to the very serious fiscal challenges this country faces, I credit Kent Conrad for the progress we have made to this point. He will continue to be a voice for reason and moderation even in his retirement. See, Kent has always had a brilliant mind for numbers. He is a step above an accountant's mind. I truly like accountants. My daughter-in-law is an accountant, but he is a step above that. He is of the mathematician's caliber; he is so very smart.

After graduating from college, he worked for the North Dakota State Tax Commission. The person who ran that tax commission was Byron Dorgan, who later joined him in the Senate. In 1980, Kent succeeded Byron as the commissioner of taxes in North Dakota. They are the best of friends. He served as tax commissioner for 6 years.

He is a fifth-generation North Dakotan, born in Bismarck. Kent Conrad was raised by his grandparents. When he was 5 years old, his parents were killed by a drunk driver and so he was raised by his wonderful grandparents and he has told me so many times about how good they were to him.

He was always interested in politics. At his retirement party, he talked about coming to Washington, DC, and he went back to his room or wherever he went that evening and wrote on a piece of paper that he was going to be a Senator. He was just a boy, a little kid. He was a teenager, but at least in my view of a 16-year-old today he was still a little kid. He said he wanted to be a Senator to himself. ``It so inspired me that I thought someday I'd like to be down on that floor and I'd like to debate the great issues of the day.''

He has done it. He has done it for 24 years.

Today Kent doesn't just debate the great issues of the day, he also is famous for making sure people understand what he is talking about. He has visual aids--we call them charts--that explain all his numbers and make them understandable. In 2001, the Rules Committee gave him his own printer since he was producing more charts than all the rest of the Senators combined--and that is the truth. He is famous for his charts.

He is renowned for his dog. He loves that little dog named Dakota. It is a fluffy white dog, a bijon frise. Everywhere Kent goes, Dakota is with him. They love that dog like only people can love animals. I often question how--I used to question; I don't anymore. I have a daughter. My oldest child is a daughter. She is allergic to cats. Her husband, trying to be nice to her, bought her a cat that had no hair. Frankly, it was kind of an ugly little animal, but my daughter loves that cat. They named the cat Olivia. The cat got out at night--they live in a suburb here--and a racoon attacked the cat so the cat was never the same after that. But my daughter spent lots of money on this cat.

I finally said: Lana, why are you spending money on the cat?

She said: Dad, I love that animal.

So that was the beginning; I don't question it anymore. If my daughter feels that strongly about a cat, I am going to stop criticizing people who spend money on animals.

I am reminded of my daughter every day I see him with Dakota because she loved Olivia like he loves Dakota. He and his lovely wife Lucy have spent lots of money on that little dog. They love that dog. He calls him Little Guy; that Little Guy.

I am going to miss Kent a lot. He is my friend, my pal. I wish him and his family well. He has a lovely family. His wife Lucy was the long-time chief of staff for Byron Dorgan--two Senators, both representing the same State, one Senator's wife is the chief of staff for his colleague. She went out in the private sector fairly recently and has done a great job. She has been involved in Major League Baseball. She and Kent love baseball. Kent always talks about he talked to Pete Angelos, the owner of the Baltimore Orioles; that he is looking forward to his retirement because Angelos promised him a tryout. He is going to try to play professional baseball. He loves baseball. They go to spring training when they can. I hope they will still have a presence in Washington. I think so much of both of them. They are wonderful people.

They have two children, a daughter who wrote a book about politics, and one grandson. Kent always boasts about how smart his daughter is. I went to the book signing. I am sure she is smart because she has such a brilliant father.

I value both Kent's friendship and leadership. While he will be missed in the Senate, he should rest assured that his legacy will remain long after he leaves.

Mr. President. Our former colleague, now Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has written a letter in memory of our departed colleague Dan Inouye. I ask unanimous consent that the letter be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I yield the floor, and I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I express my appreciation to the manager of this

bill, Senator Leahy. He and I have worked together on the Appropriations Committee for more than a quarter of a century.

Amendment No. 3395

(Purpose: In the nature of a substitute)

Mr. President, I have a substitute amendment at the desk and I ask for its consideration.

Mr. President, I have a first-degree amendment to the substitute which is at the desk.

Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays on that amendment.

Mr. President, I have a second-degree amendment at the desk, and I ask for it to be reported.

Mr. President, I have a cloture motion to the substitute at the desk.

Mr. President, I have a first-degree amendment to the text of the language proposed to be stricken which is at the desk, and I ask it be reported.

Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays on that amendment.

Mr. President, I have a second-degree amendment which is at the desk, and I ask for it to be reported.

Mr. President, I move to commit the bill, H.R. 1, to the Appropriations Committee, with instructions that are at the desk.

Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays on that motion.

Mr. President, I have a first-degree amendment to the instructions at the desk, and I ask the Chair to have that reported.

Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays on that amendment.

Mr. President, I have a second-degree amendment at the desk, and I ask for it to be reported.

Mr. President, I have a cloture motion to the underlying bill at the desk.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed to a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. President, I filed cloture on the substitute amendment and the bill itself. I have had a conversation with the Republican leader earlier this evening. I am hopeful we can get a list--a short list--of amendments and a path to complete work on this bill as soon as possible. The FISA bill is something we have to do before we leave. I have said that several times this week. I have had conversations with several interested Members. I am hopeful we can get an agreement to complete action on this matter tomorrow.

The DOD authorization conference report, they have completed that work. It has been tedious and very hard. Senator McCain and Senator Levin have worked very hard. We are hopeful we can lock in an agreement to vote on that tomorrow. We also have to confirm three district court judges. We hope to be able to do that tomorrow. We have a lot of work to do.

The House, as we speak--how to say this in a kind way. They are trying to come up with something. They have had to work all day to come up with something. We are waiting for their ``something.''

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, it is tradition in this body to have flowers on the desk of the departed. We have flying in from Hawaii now a lei that will be more Hawaiian than these roses.

I ask unanimous consent that we now have a moment of silence in honor of our departed friend, Dan Inouye.

Mr. President, following leader remarks, the Senate will be in a period of morning business. The majority will control the first 30 minutes and the Republicans the second 30 minutes.

We are in a unique time in history. The Presiding Officer, Senator Coons from Delaware, is the President pro tempore until 11:30 today. As a result of his being given this charge yesterday morning, it spills over into today. Senator Biden is going to come today to swear in Senator Leahy as the President pro tempore of the Senate.

All things in life are interesting. Senator Biden lost his wife when he was a brandnew Senator in a terrible automobile accident. She was killed and his two boys hurt badly and a child lost. He has taken this day off for 30-plus years to think about the tragedy in his life, but he indicated yesterday that he would be able to be here at 11:30. So everybody is sacrificing now, and we appreciate it. I know the Presiding Officer had lots to do this morning, and we thank him for being part of the program. We appreciate it very much.

The Senate will recess from 12:30 to 2:15 to allow for the weekly caucus meetings.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that we be in a period of morning business until 12:30 to allow for tributes to Senator Inouye and the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy.

Mr. President, following that recess, we will resume consideration of H.R. 1, the legislative vehicle for the supplemental appropriations bill.

I yield to my friend, the Republican leader, for a few minutes.

Mr. President, I came to the floor yesterday minutes after Irene--Senator Inouye's wife--confirmed the death of her husband, my friend, a friend of all of us here.

I was, frankly, very emotional and announced to the Senate and the country the death of one of the Senate's all-time greats. So today, upon contemplation and reflection, I am going to say a little bit more about Senator Inouye.

His personal friendship I valued so very, very much. He was a colleague

but really a friend. He helped me so many times. He helped me to do my best here. My best has been with the help of him.

As I mentioned briefly yesterday, he always had so much confidence in me. Years ago, when I was a Senator struggling, as all Senators here, he told me two decades ago I would be running the Senate someday. I never even contemplated, thought about, or desired that. Things worked out that he was right.

Senator Inouye, one of the finest men I have ever known, was a real American hero. My friend who is on the Senate floor, the assistant leader, has heard me talk about my mentor, Michael Callahan, who taught me in high school, helped me with money as I was going to law school, and he was on a pension. He was a disabled veteran. He was such a good friend of mine. He and Senator Inouye were friends. They talked about what it is like to not have a limb. While Callahan's was a leg, Inouye's was an arm. They talked and they were friends, and Michael Callahan worked back here as an aide to Senators Cannon and Bible in the summers and got to know Senator Inouye.

My thoughts are, of course, with his family, including his wife Irene, his son Ken, their daughter-in-law Jessica. He has a stepdaughter Jennifer, and a granddaughter Maggie, named after, of course, his first wife. Their loss is the Nation's loss.

Last night we lost a noble soul. Dan Inouye lived a long productive life. Still, I speak for Dan's Senate family when I say we are devastated by his passing. While we will all miss him, his legacy will live in the Halls of the Senate and the State of Hawaii as long as history is written. His place in the history books will not fade.

As the second longest serving Senator in our history, Senator Inouye's career in Congress spanned the life of Hawaii's statehood. Elected to the Senate in 1962, only Robert Byrd served longer. But Senator Inouye's tradition of service began long before he came to the U.S. Senate.

He was working as a medical volunteer when Japanese war planes attacked Pearl Harbor. He was just a boy, a teenager. From the time he was just a kid, he wanted to be a medical doctor. But a different fate awaited Dan Inouye.

After the attack, as we all know too well, Japanese Americans were deemed enemy aliens and were therefore not subject to the draft. More than 110,000 people of Japanese ancestry were imprisoned in American internment camps. We have seen the pictures. We have heard the stories. They were in prison. Yet Dan Inouye and other Japanese Americans, in spite of the unfair designation of being an enemy alien, volunteered to fight for this Nation's freedom overseas, although many of their own families were denied freedom at home while they were overseas.

Senator Inouye fought courageously with the famous 442nd Regimental Combat Team in World War II and was grievously wounded in battle in Italy.

A paragraph or two is written about why a Medal of Honor recipient was given this award. The words for his Medal of Honor are as follows:

On April 21, 1945, Inouye was grievously wounded while

leading an assault on a heavily-defended ridge near San

Terenzo in Tuscany, Italy, called Colle Musatello. The ridge

served as a strong-point along the strip of German

fortifications known as the Gothic Line, which represented

the last and most dogged line of German defensive works in

Italy. As he led his platoon in a flanking maneuver, three

German machine guns opened fire from covered positions just

40 yards away, pinning his men to the ground. Inouye stood up

to attack and was shot in the stomach; ignoring his wound, he

proceeded to attack and destroy the first machine gun nest

with hand grenade and fire from his Thompson submachine gun.

After being informed of the severity of his wound by his

platoon sergeant, he refused treatment and rallied his men

for an attack on the second machine gun position, which he

also successfully destroyed before collapsing from blood

loss.

As his squad distracted the third machine gunner, Inouye

crawled toward the final bunker, eventually drawing within 10

yards. As he raised himself up and cocked his arm to throw

his last grenade into the fighting position, a German inside

fired a rifle grenade that struck him on the right elbow,

severing most of his arm and leaving his own primed grenade

reflexively ``clenched in a fist that suddenly didn't belong

to me anymore.'' Inouye's horrified soldiers moved to his

aid, but he shouted for them to keep back for out of fear his

severed fist would involuntarily relax and drop the grenade.

As the German inside the bunker reloaded his rifle, Inouye

pried the live grenade from his useless right hand and

transferred it to his left. As the German aimed his rifle to

finish him off, Inouye tossed the grenade off-hand into the

bunker and destroyed it. He stumbled to his feet and

continued forward, silencing the last German resistance with

a one-handed burst from his Thompson before being wounded in

the leg tumbling unconscious to the bottom of the ridge. When

he awoke to see his concerned men of his platoon hovering

over him, his only comment before being carried away was to

gruffly order them to return to their positions, since, as he

pointed out, ``nobody called off the war!''

That is the citation on his Medal of Honor.

His arm was later amputated in a field hospital, and he was sent back to the United States to recover. But it took years for him to recover.

I remember in the LBJ Room over here, after Patty Murray and others talked about what a difficult time returning veterans were having from Iraq, him talking about some of his experiences. They trained him to drive vehicles. He took driver's license tests in more than one State. He became very personal and talked about some of the things they taught him--missing an arm--that he had to do. It was a remarkable presentation that he made.

Senator Inouye did not talk very much. He was a silent man--did not talk very much at all. He had a dynamic voice. We have not felt that voice in the last few years because he has not been as powerful as he was as he has aged, but what a beautiful voice he had. In that hospital they took him to in Michigan, Senator Inouye made two lifelong friends: one, Senator Bob Dole who, as we know, became majority leader in the Senate and Republican nominee for President of the United States; his other lifetime friend the late Senator Phil Hart, who was known as the conscience of the Senate. The Hart Building, the massive Senate office building, is named after him.

Asked by his son why, after being classified as an enemy alien, he and the members of the famed 442d fought so heroically, Senator Inouye said, in his usual calm manner, ``for the children.'' And for the children there could be no finer role model than Senator Dan Inouye. He was a recipient of the Medal of Honor and the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor the Congress can bestow. He received the Distinguished Service Cross, a Bronze Star for valor and, of course, a Purple Heart. Dan Inouye showed the same dedication in Congress that he displayed on the battlefield.

I want to take a little bit here and talk about a meeting I had--I mentioned it very briefly last night, but it was 10 days ago. I knew Senator Inouye was not feeling well so I went down to his office. He has a remarkable office. It is a beautiful office. But there is not one single thing on the walls depicting what a great man he is. There are no awards, there are no commemorative statues. All he has in his office are pictures of Washington and Hawaii. That is the humility he showed his entire life.

There was no staff there, just the two of us. We talked for an hour. I would have always remembered it, but his having passed away yesterday, it will be embedded in my mind. As we left, we both lamented the fact that we had not been able to sit down and talk like that enough. He professed at that time--these were his words--how ``lucky'' he had been his whole life. He said, ``I've got a little emphysema now.''

I said: It is not from smoking. I have never seen you smoke.

He said: No, I learned to smoke in the war as a boy, a teenager. He smoked from 1944 to 1967, when they told him he had lung cancer. They were wrong, but in the process they took part of his lung out, half of his lung. He talked about how lucky he had been, surviving what he thought was lung cancer, but also how lucky he had been his whole life. For example, the war. I am sure that most people would not reflect on such massive injuries as being lucky, but he considered it lucky that he lived.

There were other examples he gave. He had been called upon, with three other soldiers, to cross a river in the dark of night to find out what was going on on the other side of the river. He and his companions, in the dark of the night--they didn't have all this fancy gear to see in the dark; they did their best--they crossed that cold, cold

river. It took many hours. They came back, did their report, and he laid down on his bunk. He had an ingrown toenail that hurt every step he took. So he is lying on his bed and he said, ``Here is why I am so lucky. A medic came by, looked at me, looked at my foot, and he said you have gangrene poisoning; we have to get you out of here.

They took him out and he said: How lucky I was I was not in battle that day--when half of his companions were killed.

He also talked about preparing for another battle. He is getting ready to do this. He is a private; he may have been a corporal, I don't really remember. He said a sergeant came to him and he said: ``Inouye, report to the colonel.'' He doesn't know what is wrong. He goes, reports to the colonel. The colonel says very curtly: ``You have to meet with the General today.'' He said the only reason he would know of to meet with the General was a court martial, because that is what everybody thought. So he goes to headquarters. He sees the General. The General tells Senator Inouye: ``I am promoting you to be a lieutenant.'' It was a battlefield promotion. But he said: ``I was lucky. I was lucky I became an officer but,'' he said, ``I was lucky I was not in the fight that day because we also had huge losses.''

When he was scheduled to come back to America--another one of his lucky experiences--they had a transport plane to take him back. His arm is gone by then. He is told we don't have room for another litter, for another patient on the airplane. You can't go. He of course was disappointed. The plane crashed and killed everybody on the plane.

So Dan Inouye was a person who considered himself lucky. Those of us who knew Senator Inouye consider ourselves lucky, just being able to know the man.

After Hawaii received its statehood in 1959, Dan Inouye served as its first Congressman. Three years later he was elected to the Senate, and he was a soft but powerful voice for the people of Hawaii ever since.

There are many personal courtesies he extended to me that I will never forget. It may not seem like much, but I was scheduled to be in Florida and I promoted this--I was a new Senator--and the great Senator Inouye was going to be there. I got a call from Henry Giugni. Most of us who served here knew him. He used to be Sergeant at Arms. For a long time he was Senator Inouye's chief of staff. He said, ``I checked his schedule and it's his wife's birthday and he is not going to be able to go.'' I said I understand that.

Within an hour I got a call from Senator Inouye. He said Millie understands that totally. He said we will celebrate the birthday the day after tomorrow, when I come back. He was someone who was so self- sacrificing for other Senators.

As Senator Inouye's colleague from Hawaii, Senator Akaka, said last night:

His legacy . . . can be seen in every mile of every road in

Hawaii, in every nature preserve and every facility that

makes Hawaii a safer place. He fulfilled his dream of

creating a better Hawaii.

He was a strong supporter of the University of Hawaii, a strong supporter of George Washington University Law School. He got his bachelor's in Hawaii, his law degree at George Washington. He was a determined representative of this Nation's fighting men and women, a long-time leader of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.

As I mentioned briefly last night, there has been, in my many years in the Congress--I have been here as long as my friend the assistant leader here who is seated next to me today; we have been here 30 years--there has been no one I have ever known in my 30 years who did more and fought more for the fighting men of this country. He believed that the Nation's commitment to the members of his Armed Forces did not end with their service.

For fear it would be lost, and it should not be lost, I want to spread on the Record what this good man did at a prayer breakfast a couple of months ago. I can't remember if the Presiding Officer was at the prayer breakfast, but I know my friend the assistant leader was there. Senator Inouye had never, ever in his 50 years in Congress spoken at a prayer breakfast, but he decided to come. He had great vigor until just recently. He campaigned in this last cycle. He traveled to Alaska to help Senator Begich a few months ago. He campaigned in Nevada, in Arizona, all over the country. He had great vigor. But he came to the breakfast and talked to us about his experiences.

When he was a boy, he never, ever had a gun. That was not anything people did in Hawaii. So he was surprised after he got in the Army that he was such a great shot. He was the best--the best. As a result of that he became a sniper in the European theater. With great humility he explained he could remember killing his first person. He could remember they were trying to take a farm house and they shot a bazooka into it and he rushed in and there was a man there. The man reached in his pocket. Of course Senator Inouye thought he was reaching for a weapon, and the man was killed. And Inouye saw that he was reaching for a picture of his family. He said he came to the realization at that time that he was not killing enemy soldiers, he was killing other human beings.

Although he had to continue doing what he did, he ended his presentation by saying, ``I know exactly how many people that I killed.'' He said, ``A lot of people go to bed at night counting sheep. Even though I am an old man, I go to bed at night many times counting people.''

He was somebody who, as a result of his experiences, voted against war from then on. He did not support the Vietnam War, Iraq War 1 and 2, Afghanistan--even though he made sure that these people had all the supplies they needed, our military force. They are the greatest fighting force in the world. A lot of that is directly attributable to Senator Inouye.

Talking about bipartisanship, he lived that. He was a fine Democrat. He was a progressive Democrat and was proud of that. But he never hesitated to cross over and work with other Senators. The best example of that was Senator Stevens, who was killed in an airplane crash fairly recently in Alaska. Hawaii and Alaska--these two fine men representing the two newest States in the Union, became like brothers. That is the truth.

It is really a shame that Dan is not with us anymore. He was never afraid to speak out against discrimination and was an important advocate for Native Hawaiians and Asian Pacific Islanders. He was the Chair of the Indian Affairs Committee. Prior to that time, with all due respect to all the other Chairs, it was not a committee people knew much about. Senator Inouye made that committee a powerful committee. He traveled the country receiving all the accolades from these tribes that had never been recognized, that had never had someone who became their advocate--and he was. He put the Indian Affairs Committee on the map.

He served as chairman of the Commerce Committee, the Appropriations Committee, the President pro tempore of the Senate, the first Chair of the Committee on Intelligence. He served as a member of the Watergate Committee and was chairman of the Special Committee Investigating the Iran-Contra Affair. I repeat, this man has been one of the greatest Senators in the history of this great country.

He had a deserved reputation as a bipartisan bridge builder. He always put his country first and his party second. In 1968 Senator Inouye gave a memorable keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention. He spoke eloquently of the country's struggles with racism at a time of deep division. He also spoke from the heart. This is part of what he said:

I wish to share with you the most sacred word of Hawaii. It

is aloha. To some of you who visited us it may have meant

hello. To others aloha may have meant goodbye. But to those

of us who have been privileged to live in Hawaii, aloha means

I love you. So to all of you, my fellow Americans, aloha.

That is what he said those many years ago. So today it is with a heavy heart that those of us who loved Senator Inouye say ``aloha'' to a great man, a legend of the Senate. His final, dying word was ``aloha.'' He did not mean goodbye. He meant, ``I love you.''

Senator Inouye, I love you.