Floor Statements

If there is no further business to come before the Senate today, I ask unanimous consent it stand adjourned under the previous order.

Madam President, following leader remarks, there will be a period of morning business for an hour. Senators will be permitted to speak for 10 minutes each. Under an agreement reached last night, we are going to turn to the consideration of H.R. 3357, the highway trust fund legislation, among others things. Rollcall votes are expected to occur throughout the day.

The Senate will recess from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. to allow for a Members- only briefing with Secretary Clinton and Secretary Gates, who both just returned from overseas--the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense.

I have not had an opportunity to speak to the Republican leader today, but we will probably have the four votes after the briefing we will have with the two Secretaries. We will stack them, and we should be able to complete all the debate at that time. The legislation has not yet arrived from the House, but I think it will be here in the next half hour or so.

Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

I move to lay that motion on the table.

The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Madam President, for the information of all members, I have had

a number of conversations with Senator McConnell this afternoon. It appears, at this stage, we have a path toward completing our work next week. We are going to move forward with the Agriculture appropriations bill this evening. We will be on that tonight and tomorrow, and it will be open for amendments. It appears, on that matter, we will either have a vote after 5 o'clock on Monday on final passage or on cloture on that appropriations bill.

Tuesday, we will move to the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor. I haven't had a chance to talk with the chairman and ranking member of the Judiciary Committee. With their approval, we will move to that matter on Tuesday.

We will set a time certain to vote on cloture on the Travel Promotion Act. We need a time certain because, as everyone knows, Senator Mikulski is in the hospital now having repair work done on her leg as a result of a fall. We will set that time. And there may be some nominations we will need to deal with.

At this stage, I think that is where we are headed. There will be no votes tonight or tomorrow. It appears the next vote will be Monday afternoon. I have spoken to Senator Kohl and Senator Brownback, and they agree on the appropriations bill that is the way to move forward. I appreciate everyone's cooperation.

Mr. President, we have come so very far.

But there are some who think we should scrap everything we have accomplished and go back to square one. The truth is that throwing out all the great work we have done until now would be a terrible waste of time, energy and hard work.

There are some who do not think now is the right time to reform health care. In reality, for many who feel that way, there will never be a good time to reform health care.

It is easy to talk only about the part of the road we have yet to cover. As any parent knows, for some, the only question is, ``Are we there yet?''

But it would be a mistake not to also acknowledge and appreciate the great distance we have traveled.

For generations, we have been working to fix our broken health care system. This has been the No. 1 issue on our agenda for a long time now. Throughout this year alone, we have explored numerous proposals in numerous bipartisan roundtables, committee hearings and constituent meetings.

Harry Truman recognized long ago that we must do more to make it easier to live a healthy life in America. Shortly after the Second World War, he lamented the fact that millions of our own lack ``a full measure of opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health.'' He knew it was wrong that

Americans had no security against what he called ``the economic effects of sickness.''

Truman knew in 1945 that ``the time has arrived for action to help them attain that opportunity and that protection.''

Senator Kennedy--the man who, more than any other, has dedicated his life to our fight for fair health care--echoed Truman's call. He said:

One of the most shameful things about modern America is

that in our unbelievably rich land, the quality of health

care available to many of our people is unbelievably poor,

and the cost is unbelievably high.

Senator Kennedy did not give this speech last month, though it would have been very timely if he had. He did not give it last year, though it would have been equally relevant and true. He did not even give it last decade, or the decade before that.

It was in 1978 when Senator Kennedy decried our shameful system. Yet his words and his cause are as urgent today as ever. In fact, since then our need for reform has gotten significantly worse.

Today we are closer than ever to getting it done. But I know Senator Kennedy agrees that it should not have taken more than 30 years for Truman's call to compel his echo, that it should not have taken another 30 years for us to come as far as we have today. And I know we cannot afford to wait another 30 years--or even 1 more year--to act.

But for some, more than 60 years of work to stabilize health care for those who have it and secure it for those who don't is ``rushing it.''

Someone who was born when Harry Truman first called for reform in 1945, but lived his or her entire life without the ability to afford health care as it got more and more expensive every year, would today-- finally--be just months away from becoming eligible for Medicare. I don't think that's ``rushing it.''

For too many, the interests of the insurance rackets still outweigh the interests of the American people.

The difference is that those of us who know we cannot wait any longer know that the American people must come first.

Those who oppose the reform we so desperately need like to talk about it in the abstract.

They use code words, scare tactics and sound bites. They rely on misinformation--like the myth that your government wants to control your health--and misrepresent the real issues.

But reforming health care is not about the abstract, because health care isn't just theoretical. Neither is it about rhetoric or politics. It is about people.

Unlike just about any issue we debate and discuss in this body, health care affects every single living, breathing American citizen.

So I find it curious that in the weeks and months we have talked about health care this year, I haven't heard our opponents say a single word about real families with real problems--families with real diseases, real medical bills and real fears.

This is what health care is about: It is about people like Lisa, in Gardnerville, NV. Lisa lost her job and with it her health care. Now she can't afford to take her sick daughter to the doctor to find out why she gets seizures.

It is about people like Braden in Sparks, NV. Braden owes a hospital $12,000 for a trip to the emergency room--the only place he could afford to go for medical care because he doesn't have health insurance.

It is about people like Alysia from Las Vegas, NV. Alysia has suffered with a kidney disease since birth, but she can't get coverage because in the language of the insurance business, her lifelong disease is a preexisting condition.

It is about people like Steve in Henderson, NV. No health insurance company will cover Steve because he has Parkinson's disease. That doesn't just mean he can't get the care he needs to help him cope with this terrible illness--it also means that if Steve gets the flu, or breaks his arm or needs a prescription, he can't afford any medicine or treatment at all.

It is about people like Caleb, a high school student from outside Reno, NV. Caleb was born without legs, and needs new pairs of prosthetics as he grows bigger in his teen years. But his insurance company has decided it knows better than Caleb's doctors, and has decided that last year's legs will have to do.

When we say we are fighting for health care reform that lowers costs, we aren't talking about a balance sheet--we are talking about people like Lisa, Braden, Alysia, Steve and Caleb.

When we say we are fighting for reform that brings security and stability back to health care, we aren't talking about policies and contracts--we are talking about people like Lisa, Braden, Alysia, Steve and Caleb.

When we say we are fighting for reform that will no longer let insurance companies use preexisting conditions as an excuse to deny you the coverage you need, we aren't talking about fine print--we are talking about people like Lisa, Braden, Alysia, Steve and Caleb.

We are talking about the hundreds of thousands just like them across Nevada, and the millions like them across the country.

This cannot be about politics. This must be about them.

Nearly half a century ago, America fearlessly confronted the most confounding medical and economic issue of its day. And a former Senate majority leader reminded us that we must resist the temptation to let the legislation on the written page distract us from its application in the real world. We were asked to look beyond policy and look instead to the people it affects.

It was 44 years ago today--July 30--that President Johnson signed into law the bill that would create the Medicare Program. And on this day in 1965, in Truman's hometown and with the former President at his side LBJ said the following:

Many men can make many proposals. Many men can draft many

laws. But few have the piercing and humane eye which can see

beyond the words to the people that they touch.

Few can see past the speeches and the political battles to

the doctor over there that is tending the infirm, and to the

hospital that is receiving those in anguish, or feel in their

heart painful wrath at the injustice which denies the miracle

of healing to the old and to the poor. And fewer still have

the courage to stake reputation, and position, and the effort

of a lifetime upon such a cause when there are so few that

share it.

But it is just such men who illuminate the life and the

history of a Nation.

Today, each of us can be that leader. We each can fulfill the vision of Harry Truman and Lyndon Johnson--each of whom brought honor to this Senate chamber--and of Ted Kennedy, who still does.

Today, if we can each look past our partisan passions and see the patients, the parents, the people who need our help, we can once again renew the life and history of America, and of all Americans.

Mr. President, this morning, following the remarks of the two leaders, the Senate will resume consideration of the Energy and Water appropriations bill. Cloture motions were filed last night. As a result, there is a 1 p.m. filing deadline for first-degree amendments. Rollcall votes are possible throughout the day. I would hope that people who want to offer amendments will do so, so we can complete this legislation. There is no reason we should not finish it today.

As I announced last night, I am going to turn to the Agriculture appropriations bill as soon as we complete the action on the bill that is now on the floor of the Senate.

Mr. President, I am pleased that the Senate has included my amendment to allocate $75.7 million in Desert Terminal Lakes funding as part of the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, 2010. The legislation builds on the many projects and research to benefit all of Nevada's desert terminal lakes--Walker, Pyramid, and Summit. I appreciate Senator Ensign's cosponsorship of the amendment.

Briefly, the legislation allocated $8.5 million for continued work in the Truckee River Basin. The bill provides $1.5 million to help the city of Fernley and the Pyramid Lake Paiutes continue their efforts towards accomplishing their mutually beneficial goals of securing a municipal water source and protecting a renowned resource, Pyramid Lake. The bill also helps the States of Nevada and California, the Truckee Meadows Water Authority, the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, and the Federal watermaster implement the Truckee Settlement Act and the Truckee River Operating Agreement. I am committed to seeing the full implementation of the Operating Agreement, and my legislation supports this effort.

But I rise today primarily to discuss this legislation's $67.2 million allocation for work in the Walker River Basin.

Over the years, money that I have secured for work in the Walker River Basin has created jobs and other opportunities for Nevadans.

For example, this funding has resulted in world-class research completed by some of Nevada's best faculty and researchers at the University of Nevada, Reno, and the Desert Research Institute. A resulting publication and international conference on desert terminal lakes will feature their work.

The Walker River Paiute Tribe has accessed funds to implement a 5- year water leasing program for its farmers, develop efforts to strengthen a fishery at Walker Lake, and work on efforts to combat invasive species along the stretch of the Walker River that runs through their reservation and to Walker Lake. Working with the tribe and others, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other Federal agencies have been able to develop long-term plans to strengthen the presence of Lahontan cutthroat trout at Walker Lake, one of Nevada's most interesting and threatened treasures, and improving the Walker River riparian habitat. Funding is also being used to increase the instream flow of the Walker Rivers that end in Walker Lake.

But today's legislation is different. I believe it marks a new chapter of collaborative efforts in the Walker River Basin.

The legislation brings new partners to develop solutions to address competing water uses in the Walker River Basin.

Working with local partners, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation will coordinate the Walker Basin Restoration Program, a program that includes a water rights acquisitions program, a demonstration water leasing program, various conservation and stewardship activities, and an alternative agriculture project.

Of particular importance to their efforts, the foundation brings the necessary expertise to complete complex water transactions in a way that preserves and protects the Walker River watershed. Working in the Columbia River Basin, the foundation has the experience of working with Federal and State agencies, tribes, municipalities, irrigation districts, and individual farmers and ranchers to bring about creative, business-wise, and responsible solutions to balance the many demands on water uses--for agriculture, for municipal use, and for fishing and recreation. I am pleased with their commitment to work with Federal and State agencies in Nevada, Mineral and Lyon Counties, the Walker River Irrigation District, the Walker River Paiute Tribe, and many individuals in Smith and Mason Valley and to develop a local entity to guide their efforts in the basin.

In addition, the Walker River Irrigation District has accepted a leadership role in finding a cost-effective way to increase in-stream flows in the Walker River while preserving agriculture interests. The district has agreed to administer and manage a $25 million, 3-year demonstration leasing program that will help get water to Walker Lake while providing farmers an additional opportunity to strengthen their operations. I appreciate the years of negotiations and conversations that has led to the district taking on this important program, and I hope that it is successful in achieving its purpose.

I support the agricultural communities in northern Nevada, and I have pushed for this demonstration leasing program and $200,000 for alternative crops and agriculture cooperatives. Providing farmers and ranchers with more resources to manage their businesses and opportunities to explore new markets will stimulate the agriculture economy in Lyon County, NV, and maintain the agricultural setting and livelihood enjoyed by generations of Nevadans.

Throughout the years, I have stated that I would work to assure the viability of agriculture in Smith and Mason Valleys. This legislation does this--by providing Nevada's hard-working farmers with more tools to make good business decisions.

While helping farmers and dedicating water rights for the benefit of Walker Lake is part of a solution to restore and maintain Walker Lake; the other part requires coordinated conservation and stewardship activities. This bill supports the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's efforts to coordinate watershed planning, water management, and habitat restoration efforts, among other activities. It supports efforts by the U.S. Geological Survey to work with other agencies and interested entities to develop a water monitoring plan in the Walker River Basin. Of course, with this data and through other efforts, the University and Desert Research Institute will be able to assess whether these activities are successful in improving instream flows and getting water to Walker Lake.

The health of the Walker River Basin and Walker Lake depends on people working together--the Federal, State and local governments and agencies; the tribe; the Irrigation District; the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and others. This legislation reflects the

many ways farmers, ranchers, sports men and women, and agencies can participate in this effort. The millions that will be spent in the Walker Basin--through the water leasing demonstration program, additional alternative agriculture programs, additional water acquisition funds, and broader conservation opportunities--means that willing and interested people can choose ways to participate in a solution for the basin that best serves their business, personal and community's interests.

After my years of working on efforts in the Walker River Basin, I am hopeful that this legislation will help communities work together to protect what is important to all Nevadans--preserve our unique natural resources enjoyed by sportsmen and the right of individuals and communities to choose the what will make our businesses successful, our local economies more diverse, and our resources more attractive to the public.

This is an opportunity to make significant progress in the Walker River Basin, and I am committed to seeing these Desert Terminal Lakes funding priorities signed into law by the President.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 126, S. 1498, the Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2009; that a Boxer substitute amendment, which is at the desk, be agreed to; the bill, as amended, be read a third time and passed; and the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. President, I understand my friend has objected. I would not belabor the point, but the Environment and Public Works Committee worked very hard. This is an 18-month extension of the highway bill. It is all paid for. But we understand and we will continue working on this and we will see what we can come up with at a later time.

Order of Procedure

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that tomorrow, Thursday, July 30, at a time to be determined by the majority leader, following consultation with the Republican leader, the Senate proceed to H.R. 3357; and that when the bill is considered, it be considered under the following limitations: That there be general debate of 20 minutes equally divided and controlled in the usual form, with the time under the control of the leaders or their designees; that the only amendments in order be the following and that debate time on each amendment be limited to 60 minutes equally divided and controlled in the usual form; that no other amendments be in order; that upon disposition of the listed amendments, the bill, as amended, if amended, be read a third time, and the Senate then proceed to vote on passage of the bill: Ensign amendment regarding unemployment benefits, Bond amendment regarding SAFETEA-LU, the Vitter amendment regarding the highway trust fund, the DeMint amendment with the offset on the housing substitute.

Further, that upon disposition of H.R. 3357, the Senate proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 105, H.R. 2997, the Agricultural, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies programs; that once the bill is reported, Senator Kohl be recognized to offer a substitute amendment, which is the text of the Senate committee-reported bill, S. 1406; further, that once this agreement is entered, the aforementioned amendments be filed and printed in the Record.

I indicated to our floor staffs that we will do our very best to get it here as early as we can tomorrow afternoon.

As early as we can get it over here. If we are fortunate, we may get it here in the morning, but we will get it here as early as we can. I would say to my friend, the bill is passed, so it is just clerical stuff. It shouldn't be difficult at all to get it over here.

Mr. President, this will be the last vote of the night, and we will then work on these issues as soon as we can. The sooner we get the stuff from the House, the sooner we can wrap up, and Senator Kohl will be here to begin work on the agricultural bill. So we should have a full load tomorrow.

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

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

Mr. President, following leader remarks, there will be a period of morning business for 1 hour. Senators during that time will be allowed to speak for up to 10 minutes. The majority will control the first 30 minutes and the Republicans will control the second 30 minutes. Following morning business, the Senate will resume consideration of the Energy and Water appropriations bill. The Senate will recess from 12:30 p.m. until 2:15 p.m. today to accommodate the weekly caucus luncheons.

Mr. President, I have spoken with the Republican leader at some length over the last few days, and we all know what we have to do before we leave here. We are going to finish the Energy and Water appropriations bill, the Agriculture appropriations bill. We have the Travel Promotion Act we have to do. We have to complete the Sotomayor nomination.

We have a package of extenders, for lack of a better description, the House is going to send us. They are going to likely be out next week but not for certain. In that package they are sending us, there will be an extension of the highway bill. I think all of this goes until about December. The Postal Service, we have to help them. We have to do something with FHA. We have to do something with unemployment compensation. That is all in one thing they are going to send us for short extensions. I have not seen what they are going to put together; therefore, I could not share it with my esteemed colleague. But as soon as we have some information, we will make sure the committees of jurisdiction on both sides have knowledge of what that is. But we have to complete that work before we leave here, and I hope we can do it sooner rather than later. I hope we do not have to work this weekend.

We have a finite number of things we need to do before we proceed on to the summer recess. This is something Members look forward to. I personally have a very busy schedule, as I am sure most Members do. But once a year, I get together with my family. I am looking forward to that. It is for 7 or 8 days. But to justify that, we have a lot of work to do. If we look back in the years past, Congress adjourned by this time in years past. They were through for the year. We are, unfortunately, not able to do that as much as we would like that. There is a lot of work we could do at home but we cannot because this is where business is when we are in session. So we are going to continue to work through these things and do it as quickly and as efficiently as possible.

Mr. President, fixing our broken health care system after decades of inaction is no small task. With such an effort comes no shortage of strong convictions, diverse ideas, rigorous analysis, and constructive criticism. But as the plans, proposals, and policies evolve, our principles remain constant. Although we navigate a sea of choices, we know where we will land. First, we will bring security and stability back to health care. Second, we will not add a penny to the considerable national deficit that has ballooned over the past 8 years. This work we are doing on health care is budget neutral.

That means it will not run up the debt. We are obligated to do that because that is in the budget resolution we passed earlier this year. That is what it says. We cannot do health care if it costs an extra penny. So we will do that. Finally, we will remain focused on seeing this fight all the way through because we are long overdue for a change.

Those who are fortunate enough to have health care now and who hear us debate how to make it better might wonder: What are you talking about? You may wonder what is in it for you--the people who are listening in. Well, health care reform helps everyone and affects everyone. It will help those who have insurance today but do not know if it will be there tomorrow. It will help those who worry about being just one illness away or one accident or one pink slip away from losing the insurance they have. It will help those who are covered but fear their children very likely will not be able to say that when they grow up--that they have coverage. And it will help nearly 50 million people who have none to begin with.

The reform we are pursuing means making sure that if you lose your job, your health care will not go with it. It means that if you change jobs, you will not have to worry about losing your coverage. Health care reform means lowering the costs of care and keeping them low. It means improving the quality of the care you get and keeping the quality of care high. Reforming health care means that if your mother had breast cancer or you had minor surgery last year or your child gets allergies every spring, your insurance company cannot say: I am sorry, you are too much of a risk to cover. It means the premiums you pay every month will not go up just because your insurance company feels like it. It means keeping costs stable so the price of staying healthy does not fluctuate like a gallon of gasoline. It not only means making sure you can keep your family's doctor or keep your health care plan if you like it but also that you can afford to do so. No one can predict when that next accident may occur or when one might lose their job. We do not know when we will get sick next or when one of our loved ones will become ill. But we can take the uncertainty and unfairness out of the current system. We can make sure it is stable, more secure, more reliable, and more dependable.

Second, all of the many plans we have heard for fixing health care have something else in common: They each have maintained President Obama's commitment that this effort, I repeat, will not dig us any deeper into debt than we already have. Any plan that passes this body will be fully paid for, I repeat. When all the numbers are crunched, the No. 1 bottom line is zero. It will not cost anything. In fact, as we improve disease prevention, reduce health disparities, and better coordinate medical services, we will be lowering future costs even further.

Families will also save in the long run because the status quo comes with a hidden health care tax. If you have health care now, you are paying at least $1,000 more for that health care then you would need to if other families had some insurance. When we reform health care and you are no longer responsible for covering the uninsured, you will see those savings in every paycheck you get.

The only costs that worry me are the costs of doing nothing, of inaction. We have already seen what happens when we do nothing. Over the past 8 years, health care costs rose to record levels and the number of Americans who cannot afford insurance did the same. The number of people who lost their insurance rose dramatically. Every day, 14,000 people in America--7 days a week--lose their health insurance. Right now, in Nevada, half a million people already lack the coverage they need or struggle with inadequate coverage. If we do not act, many, many more Nevadans and millions more Americans will lose their health care as it gets more expensive day by day.

For a generation, we have been working to fix this broken health care system. Throughout this year, we have explored numerous proposals in numerous bipartisan roundtables and committee hearings. This has been the No. 1 issue on our agenda for a long time now. And today we are closer than ever to getting something done.

Mr. President, let me just add to what I said to open the Senate. Senator Dorgan is an experienced legislator. He is working with one of our outstanding Republican legislators, Senator Bennett of Utah. They are here and will be, in an hour, ready to start accepting amendments, if there are any. I had one of my Democratic colleagues say: I have a problem with that bill. I said: Get your amendment there today because if you wait until tomorrow, you may not get a chance to offer it.

We need to move forward. These are appropriations bills, and if Democrats and Republicans have not agreed on much here, there has been an absolute commitment to get our appropriations bills done. We are behind schedule even now. We do not want another big omnibus bill. We want to do these appropriations bills, get them done. And we are going to be able to say, when we leave here this work period, we at least got a third of them done before the August break. We are going to come back in September and continue to work through these.

So I repeat, if you have an amendment, you better get it over here today because tomorrow it may not be available to you.

Mr. President, could I ask my distinguished friend if he would yield for a minute to call up an amendment?

Mr. President, there is an amendment at the desk, No. 1846. I ask it be reported.

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

Mr. President, we all know that the most courteous man in the entire Senate is Senator Inouye, and I apologize for calling upon him for him to use his courtesy again on my behalf. I appreciate it very much.

(The remarks of Mr. Inouye and Mr. Akaka are printed in today's Record under ``Morning Business.'')

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

Mr. President, are we in a period of morning business?

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Chair report the legislation we are now working on.

Mr. President, I have a cloture motion that is already at the desk.

Mr. President, I have another cloture motion at the desk.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum call under rule XXII be waived.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record a letter from the Governors' Representatives on Colorado River Operations related to language included in the report to accompany the House Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010, H.R. 3183.