Floor Statements

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 2, Treaty Document No. 110-21; that the treaty be considered as having advanced through the various parliamentary stages, up to including the presentation of the resolution of ratification; that any committee reservations and declarations be agreed to as applicable; that the DeMint amendment, which is at the desk, be agreed to; that any statements be printed in the Record; further, that when the vote on the resolution of ratification is taken, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid on the table, and the President of the United States be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Mr. President, I ask for a division vote on the resolution of ratification.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate consider Calendar Nos. 5 and 6, Treaty Document Nos. 110-7 and 110-10; that the treaties be considered as having advanced through the various parliamentary stages, up to and including the presentation of the resolutions of ratification; that any committee reservations and declarations be agreed to as applicable; that any statements be printed in the Record; further, that when the votes on the resolutions of ratification are taken, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid on the table en bloc, and the President of the United States be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Mr. President, I ask for a division vote on each resolution of ratification.

I ask unanimous consent that the Foreign Relations Committee be discharged en bloc from the following nominations: PN2091, Nancy Lindborg; PN2098, Donald Kenneth Steinberg; and PN2128, Cameron Munter; that the Senate then proceed en bloc to their consideration; the nominations be confirmed en bloc; the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid on the table en bloc; that any statements related to the nominations be printed in the Record; the President of the United States be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Foreign Relations Committee be discharged en bloc of the following nominations: PN1991, PN1988, PN1992, PN1952, PN1994, PN1989, PN1995, and PN2129.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed en bloc to their consideration; that the nominations be confirmed en bloc, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table en bloc, that any statements relating to the nominations be printed in the Record, and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Mr. President, I now ask unanimous consent that the Agriculture Committee be discharged en bloc of the following nominations for membership on the Board of Directors of the Commodity Credit Corporation, and that the Senate then proceed en bloc to their consideration: PN832, PN833, PN834, and PN836; that the nominations be confirmed en bloc, the motions to reconsider be considered

made and laid upon the table en bloc, any statements relating to the nominations be printed in the Record, and the President of the United States be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Mr. President, I now ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration en bloc of Calendar Nos. 1102, 1103, 1104, 1105, 1106, and 1107; that the nominations be confirmed en bloc, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table en bloc, any statements relating to the nominations be printed in the Record, and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Mr. President, I now ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 1172, the nomination of Maria Raffinan, to be an associate judge of the DC Superior Court; that the nomination be confirmed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table; that any statements relating to the nomination be printed in the Record, and the President of the United States be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of Calendar Nos. 1140 to and including 1170 and 1171, and all nominations on the Secretary's Desk in the Air Force, Army, and Navy; that the nominations be confirmed en bloc, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table en bloc; that no further motions be in order, that any statements relating thereto be printed in the Record, and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Judiciary Committee be discharged en bloc from the following nominations: PN1499, PN1976, and PN2071; that the Senate then proceed en bloc, to the consideration of those nominations, that they be confirmed en bloc; the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table en bloc; that any statements relating to the nominations be printed in the Record; and that the President be notified of the Senate's action.

I ask unanimous consent that the Senate consider en bloc the following nominations on the Executive Calendar: 500, 501, 1108, 1054, 810, 1109, 1110, 1111, 1112, 1113, 1115, 1116, 1121, 1122, 1123, 1124, 1125, 1126, 1127, 1128, 1129, 1130, 1131, 1132, 1133, and 1134; that the nominations be confirmed en bloc; the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table en bloc; and that the Senate then proceed to Calendar Nos. 1009, 1010, and 1011, and that the Senate proceed to vote on each of these three nominations.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table; that any statements relating to the nominations be printed in the Record; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Mr. President, it is my understanding that in addition to what we have already agreed to, we have to have the question laid before the body on Calendar Nos. 1009, 1010, and 1011. I ask that the Chair consider first No. 1009.

It is now my understanding we are going to move to Calendar No. 1110 and 1111 en bloc; is that right, Mr. President?

I want to make sure the Record reflects that I have asked consent on the numbers I read before in addition to 1009, 1010, and 1011; and that the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table; that any statements relating to the nominations be printed in the Record; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action, and that the Senate now resume legislative session.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to proceed to Calendar

No. 577, S. 3815, and I have a cloture motion at the desk.

I now withdraw the motion.

Mr. President, I move to proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 561, S. 3772, and I send a cloture motion to the desk.

Mr. President, I now withdraw that motion.

Mr. President, I move to proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 247, S. 510, and I send a cloture motion to the desk.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum with respect to the cloture motions be waived; further, that any pro forma sessions not count as an intervening day.

I express my appreciation to the Senator from Washington for allowing me to conduct this business.

Mr. President, the 111th Congress will be recorded as one of the country's most historic. It will be rightfully remembered for the landmark legislation we passed to help our economy recover from recession and to help Americans afford to recover from health problems and for the passion that characterized the debates over many of these laws. But it will also be remembered for the replacement of remarkable Senators, under remarkable circumstances, by dedicated and devoted appointees.

Two years ago, for the first time in half a century, the men elected President and the Vice President of the United States were sitting U.S. Senators. One year before the last time that happened, in 1959, Robert C. Byrd was sworn in for the first of his record nine consecutive full terms in this body.

In the 111th Congress, three pairs of the biggest shoes in American history needed to be filled, three public servants were chosen to sit in the seats vacated by the President, the Vice President, and the longest serving Member of Congress. That has never happened before and will probably never happen again.

Though Senators Edward Kaufman, Roland Burris, and Carte Goodwin were selected and not elected, none was content to be merely a footnote of history or the answer to a congressional trivia question. Each made the most of his time in the service of his State.

Before he became the junior Senator from Delaware, Ted Kaufman was an engineer, a university professor, and Vice President Biden's right-hand man in this body for two decades. He spent nearly all his political career behind the scenes but impressed everyone in his State and in the Senate every time he stood up on the Senate floor or spoke out in a committee hearing.

Rarely has an appointed Senator serving such a short term made such an impact. Senator Kaufman wrote legislation to make sure no Wall Street bank is too big to fail and made it easier for Federal prosecutors to root out financial fraud. His ideas on how to crack down on health care fraud are now the law of the land.

He served less than one Congress, but he was no rookie. His knowledge of parliamentary procedure is vast, and he was a great legislative partner to me personally over the last 2 years.

But among the most remarkable things Senator Kaufman did in his time here were the 100 tributes he gave on the Senate floor honoring Federal employees of all stripes: military engineers, intelligence analysts, nuclear scientists, Medicare benefits administrators, advocates for the homeless and the sick, and so on everyone from administrative secretaries to assistant Cabinet Secretaries.

Senator Kaufman knows that the 2 million selfless public servants who choose to spend their careers in the Federal Government often make personal and financial sacrifices to work in relative anonymity and rarely receive recognition. He knows they often bear an undeserved reputation as part of a vast bureaucracy. But Senator Kaufman, a great former Federal employee himself, has both the character and class to publicly honor them for their good, hard, and honest work. He should be recognized for the same.

Roland Burris came to the Senate under difficult circumstances, but he impressed our caucus by rising above the controversy and concentrating on doing his job for the people of Illinois. He had already built an impressive record in that State, becoming the first African American to ever hold statewide office in Illinois and spending more than three successful decades in the public and private sectors.

During his time here, Senator Burris stood up for many progressive causes, including advocating for better civil rights education and writing legislation in support of our servicemembers overseas. He also presided over the Senate Chamber far more than anyone else during the 111th Congress, soaking in every minute of it along the way.

Senator Goodwin succeeded the irreplaceable Senator Byrd with humility and honor. He was here only briefly, and he didn't waste any time before delivering for West Virginians. In his first day as a U.S. Senator, he cast our caucus crucial 60th vote to break a filibuster and extend unemployment insurance for the millions of Americans who had lost their jobs and exhausted their benefits while looking for new ones. In the aftermath of this year's Big Branch Mine disaster that killed 29 West Virginians, Senator Goodwin fought for comprehensive mine safety reforms.

In his young career, Senator Goodwin has worked as a lawyer, as the general counsel to the Governor of West Virginia, the chairman of his State's School Building Authority, and the Independent Commission on Judicial Reform. He will soon be a 36-year-old former Senator, and my colleagues and I eagerly anticipate following the bright career he has ahead of him.

Senators Edward Kaufman, Roland Burris, and Carte Goodwin represented their respective States with distinction. They will forever hold a special place in American history for the good work they did in the short time they were U.S. Senators.

Mr. President, although September is coming to a close, we are right in the middle of Hispanic Heritage Month. Every fall we recognize how the invaluable contributions America's 47 million Latinos--Americans with roots in dozens of nations--strengthen our own Nation, and the way their rich cultures enrich our country.

It is a special time every year. But this Hispanic Heritage Month is even more exciting than most. This year we are also celebrating the bicentennials of four great nations' independence: Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Mexico. More than 200 million people in these great countries are commemorating 200 years of freedom, liberty and opportunity, and the United States of America celebrates alongside our global neighbors.

It is no secret, though, that the past year's challenges have tested our communities and our resolve closer to home. It has been tougher on Nevada than any other State, and tougher on Hispanics than any other group.

But in the year that has passed between last Hispanic Heritage Month and this one, we have achieved so much:

We affirmed the promise that affording to live a healthy life in America is the right of every citizen--not just a privilege for the wealthy few.

We cleaned up Wall Street so this kind of recession can never happen again, and ended the era of big-bank bailouts. That law also brings transparency to the remittance industry, which saves customers and their families millions of dollars.

We cracked down on mortgage fraud, including funding Spanish-language ads to stop scammers from preying on Latino homebuyers. I directed my staff

to help Hispanic families in danger of foreclosure, and my office has held a number of housing workshops to help Latino homeowners avoid mortgage scams and stay out of foreclosure.

Important credit card reforms went into effect this summer that protect consumers from crippling late fees, protect college students from predatory lenders, and protect families from having to pay a fee to simply pay a bill.

And just a week before last year's Hispanic Heritage Month started, Sonia Sotomayor heard her first case as a Supreme Court Justice.

We're going to make this year even better. Hispanic Heritage Month is as much about the past as it is about the future. It is as much about honoring tradition as it is securing a legacy of honor for the next generation.

I will continue fighting for tough, fair and practical immigration reforms, including giving the children of immigrants the opportunity to serve America--the only nation they have ever called home--and to earn an education and contribute to our society.

I believe that everyone who grows up as an American and wants a quality American education should have the chance to pursue it. And I know our economy will not recover if we don't give everyone the opportunity to repair it.

Mr. President, on Tuesday, September 7, 2010, John Kluge passed away at a family home in Charlottesville, VA. He was 95.

Mr. Kluge was a successful businessman who parlayed the money he earned from a Fritos franchise into a multibillion-dollar communications company, Metromedia. This conglomerate grew to include 7 television stations, 14 radio stations, outdoor advertising, the Harlem Globetrotters, the Ice Capades, radio paging and mobile telephones.

Mr. Kluge was born on September 21, 1914, in Chemnitz, Germany. His father died in World War I. After his mother remarried, John was brought to America in 1922 by his German-American stepfather to live in Detroit. He began work at the age of 10, working for his stepfather's family contracting business. At the age of 14, he left home to live in the house of a schoolteacher, driving by his desire to have an education.

He worked hard to learn and speak well the English language and get the grades he needed in high school to win a scholarship to college. He first attended Detroit City College, which was later renamed Wayne State University, and transferred to Columbia University when he was offered a full scholarship and living expenses. He graduated from Columbia in 1937 and went to work for a small paper company in Detroit. Within 3 years he went from shipping clerk to vice president and part owner.

After serving in Army intelligence in World War II, he turned to broadcasting and, with a partner, created the radio station WGAY in Silver Spring, MD, in 1946. In the 1950s he acquired radio stations in St. Louis, Dallas, Fort Worth, Buffalo, Tulsa, Nashville, Pittsburgh and Orlando, FL. Meanwhile, he invested in real estate and expanded the New England Fritos Corporation, which he founded in 1947 to distribute Fritos and Cheetos in the Northeast, adding Fleischmann's yeast, Blue Bonnet margarine and Wrigley's chewing gum to his distribution network.

In 1951 he formed a food brokerage company, expanding it in 1956 in a partnership with David Finkelstein, and augmented his fortune selling the products of companies like General Foods and Coca-Cola to supermarket chains.

Mr. Kluge served on the boards of numerous companies, including Occidental Petroleum, Orion Pictures, Conair and the Waldorf-Astoria Corporation, as well as many charitable groups, including United Cerebral Palsy.

His philanthropy was prodigious. The beneficiaries of his gifts included Columbia University and the University of Virginia.

Mr. Kluge also contributed to the restoration of Ellis Island and in 2000 gave $73 million to the Library of Congress, which established the Kluge Prize for the Study of Humanities.

In his business endeavors, Mr. Kluge savored the chance to move into new areas of high technology and often took Wall Street by surprise with some of his commercial decisions. He never lost his zest for developing new businesses or his taste for complex financial deals. Mr. Kluge once said, ``I love the work because it taxes your mind.''

At the time of his death, Mr. Kluge was deeply involved in a new biological cancer treatment that has a positive effect on multiple organ cancers, with no side effects. He also was engaged in a new treatment for diabetes.

He is survived by his wife Maria, sons John, Jr. and Joseph, a daughter Samantha, a grandson Jack, and stepchildren Jeannette Brophy, Peter Townsend, and Diane Zeier.

Mr. President, when the earthquake on Wall Street sent shockwaves throughout the country, Nevada got hit the worst. The economic collapse took down our housing and job markets along with it.

When so many Nevadans lost their jobs, they lost much more than just a place to go to work in the morning. They lost their incomes, their savings and their retirement security. Many lost their gas money and their grocery money. Some lost their children's tuition payments. They have lost a measure of dignity. All of this through no fault of their own.

But even after losing so much, they haven't lost hope. Now they wake up every morning and look for new work, a new way to support their families.

It hasn't been easy. Jobs are harder to come by today than at any other time in recent memory. The Labor Department reports there is only one open job in America for every five Americans desperate to fill it. As a result, nearly half of the unemployed in this country have been out of work for 6 months or longer.

One of those people is Scott Headrick of Las Vegas. Scott's been out of work for more than two years. He wrote me recently because he's angry how some on the other side are trying for political reasons to stigmatize and demonize the unemployed.

He has good reason to be upset. One of the top Republicans in the Senate called unemployment assistance a ``disincentive for them to seek new work.'' Another senior Republican Senator said these Americans-- people who want nothing more than to find a new job--``don't want to go look for work.'' And a third senior Republican Senator argued, ``We should not be giving cash to people who basically are just going to blow it on drugs.'' That's a direct quote. Others have made the absurd allegation that you can make more money on unemployment than through a honest day's work.

These comments are not only offensive; they're also dead wrong. And that's why Scott was so upset. He wrote me the following:

``I've been unemployed since July 2008 and have not been able to obtain a position at a supermarket packing groceries. I've been religiously seeking, searching and applying for work without any luck. I have since left my family in Las Vegas, a wife and five children, to look for work in other states and again, without any luck.''

While people like Scott seek, search and apply for work, they rely on unemployment insurance to get by. No one gets rich off of unemployment checks. They merely provide a fraction of one's old income to help keep food on the table this week, and keep a roof over a head this month, and keep the heat on this winter.

Unemployment insurance doesn't only help the out-of-work make ends meet--it can also help our economy recover. Respected economist Mark Zandi calculated that every time a dollar goes out in an unemployment check, $1.61 comes back into the economy. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that number could actually be as high as two dollars, meaning we double our investment.

It is easy to see why. When you are desperate, you don't keep that check under your mattress. You turn around

and spend the money. You immediately pay your bills and go to the store and keep up with your mortgage payments.

You spend it on the basics and the bare necessities while you look for work. The money goes right back into the economy, which strengthens it, fuels growth and ultimately lets businesses create the very jobs the unemployed have been looking for, for so long.

But those benefits don't last forever. They expire. And in a crisis like today's, expiring benefits are leaving too many out in the cold. The Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation said that 22,000 Nevadans have exhausted both their state and federal benefits. Nationwide, that number reaches well into the millions.

I am proud to cosponsor Senator Stabenow's bill to help the hardest hit among us: out-of-work Americans who have exhausted their unemployment insurance. It is called the Americans Want to Work Act, and it is called that for a very good reason.

Contrary to the other side's reckless and heartless spin, the people we are trying to help want to find work. They're trying to find work. And they would much rather get a paycheck than an unemployment check.

These are people who have tried and tried to find work, who scour job listings, who send out resumes, who fill out applications, who go to interviews--but who haven't had any luck for weeks and months and, in some cases, years.

The Americans Want to Work Act recognizes that we can do more to help those who lost their jobs through no fault of their own.

First, it extends unemployment benefits for an additional 20 weeks-- the longest extension ever to match the most painful crisis we've seen in generations.

Second, it takes the powerful and successful incentives we're giving businesses to hire and makes them even better. We passed a bill this year--the HIRE Act--that says to businesses: If you hire unemployed workers, we will give you a tax cut--you don't have to pay the Social Security payroll tax this year. These incentives are already working; businesses are starting to hire because of it. Senator Stabenow's bill will extend that tax credit through next year, too.

It will also double the tax credit we're giving businesses for keeping those previously long-term unemployed workers on the payroll for at least one year. The HIRE Act gave businesses a $1,000 tax credit for each such new hire. Senator Stabenow's bill will raise that tax credit to $2,000 for workers who have exhausted their unemployment benefits.

Hundreds of thousands of Nevadans and millions of Americans want to work. Like Scott Headrick, they seek, search and apply, but time and again they hear nothing but ``no'' in return. What a shame it is that they are hearing the same answer from Republicans in the Senate when we propose sound legislation like this to give them a hand when they're hurting the most.

Americans need jobs. Nevadans need jobs. And it is our job to help them.

Following any leader remarks, there will be a period of morning business until 11:10 this morning, with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each, during which Senators may make tributes to the late Senator Ted Stevens.

At 11:10 a.m., there will be 20 minutes for debate prior to a rollcall vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to S. 3816, the Creating American Jobs and Ending Offshoring Act, with the time equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees. At 11:30 a.m., the Senate will proceed to a rollcall vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to the offshoring bill. If cloture is not invoked, there would be a second vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to H.R. 3081, the legislative vehicle for the continuing resolution.

As a reminder, former Senator Ted Stevens will be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery at 1 p.m. today. Buses will depart the Senate steps at 12:15 p.m. today.

Madam President, as I came into the Chamber, I saw my friend Arlen Specter standing behind me. There will be other times I will say more about Arlen Specter, but I think it is appropriate to say a few words today about Arlen Specter. After the beginning of the year, he will no longer be with us as a Senator.

I have followed very closely his career. I have read his book--he has written a number, but I read the book about his life--and it was fascinating, about his prosecutorial skills in Pennsylvania.

We all know of his academic approach to the law in the Senate. When he comes to the floor, he is someone who speaks after having given serious, long thought to what he was going to talk about, as I am sure he will today. I have spoken in recent days with him at great length about something he strongly believes in; that is, making the Supreme Court something the American people can identify with by having cameras in and watching the arguments before the Supreme Court, not having to read a stale transcript but listen to the give-and-take of the lawyers and the Court.

As I said, I will have a lot more to say about Arlen Specter at some time in the future, but I have appreciated his astute awareness of the law and his being so good to me. It doesn't matter whether he is a Democrat or a Republican, he is a Senator who I think is exemplary.