Floor Statements

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 11 a.m. on Monday, July 13; that following the prayer and pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and the Senate proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 89, S. 1390, the Department of Defense Authorization bill, as provided for under the previous order.

On Monday, the Senate will begin consideration of the Defense authorization bill. I expect next week to be a busy week as we work through amendments to this bill.

Under a previous order, at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, the Senate will turn to executive session to consider the nomination of Robert M. Groves to be Director of the Census. That vote will occur at 5:30.

As previously announced, there will be no rollcall votes after 2 p.m. on Tuesday, July 14.

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

Madam President, following leader remarks, there will be a period for morning business for 95 minutes. Senator Durbin will control the first 5 minutes, the Republicans will control the next 60 minutes, and the majority will control the next 30 minutes. Following morning business, the Senate will resume consideration of H.R. 2892, the Homeland Security Appropriations bill. There will then be 10 minutes for debate prior to a vote in relation to a Kyl amendment, No. 1432. Additional rollcall votes are expected to occur throughout the day as we work toward completion of the appropriations bill.

I filed cloture last night on the substitute amendment and the underlying bill. As a result, germane first-degree amendments must be filed by 1 p.m. today.

There is a strong possibility--and I hope, on my behalf--that cloture will not be necessary and we will be able to complete action on the bill today. If we are unable to finish that bill, we will have cloture tomorrow morning, maybe into the weekend.

I acknowledge the cooperation and support of the Republicans in allowing us to move to the Defense bill, a very important bill. We are doing our best to accomplish what we set out to do this week and not have to be in this weekend. That would be better for everyone. We all have a lot of things to do. This weekend, if we have to be here, will be a series of cloture votes and we hope that is unnecessary.

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

Madam President, I don't know much about the State of New York or the city of New York. I do know there is a high school there called James Madison High School, which has some pretty prominent graduates: Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, and Senator Norm Coleman from Minnesota was a graduate of that school. I believe Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a member of the Supreme Court, also graduated from that high school. I am sure there are others.

My message to Norm Coleman is that I have been involved in close elections. I lost an election for the Senate many years ago by 524 votes. I won one not too many years ago by 428 votes. So I have some appreciation for what Norm Coleman and his opponent, Al Franken, went through.

My thoughts during the past 8 months have been directly toward the difficulty they have had in their lives as a result of that close election. One of my elections--the one I won by 428 votes--took 6 weeks. I cannot imagine one taking 8 months. It was a hard-fought campaign. Almost 3 million people voted, and it was decided by 312 votes.

I appreciate, as I think do the people of Minnesota, the Senate, and the country, Norm Coleman not taking this to the Supreme Court or a higher court. He could have done that. That speaks well of him.

Norm has a lot of fans, of course, in the State of Minnesota, but he is also a friend of a close personal friend of mine from the State of Nevada, Sig Rogich. Sig Rogich and I have been very close personal friends for a long time. He is a man of accomplishment. Having been born in Iceland, he came to America and was raised in Henderson, where I was raised. Actually, he is a wealthy man now, a very prominent businessman. One of Norm's biggest supporters around the country is Sig Rogich; he has a great pedigree. He was part of the Tuesday team of famous media developed for Ronald Reagan. He worked in the White House for the first President Bush. He is a very personal friend of the first President Bush and also is well known and was part of the second Bush team and knows him very well. My understanding of Sig Rogich's relationship with Norm Coleman is that they are friends. That speaks well of both of them, that they have such high-quality friends.

Norm Coleman's relationship with me--myself being a Democrat and he being a Republican--was always very good. We spoke to each other often. He was always very courteous and always a gentleman with me. I never heard him say a negative word about me. I cannot ever recall saying anything negative about him. To show that he did do some legislation that I watched very closely, one piece of legislation he did was one that would allow people, when filing their income tax return, to designate part of their return to go to the National Guardsmen or Reservists, those who lose their jobs as a result of going into combat and their families are having trouble making the grade. The few dollars they get from the military doesn't make up for what their house payment is and everything. This would allow money to be put into a fund to be administered and allow this money to go toward the families of these people fighting overseas. I thought so much of that legislation that I have sponsored it. It is working its way through the Senate, and it is a fine piece of legislation. I acknowledge that I plagiarized this from Norm Coleman. It came from his friend and my friend, Sig Rogich.

I wish Norm and his family the very best. Recognizing that these campaigns come to an end, he is a relatively young man, and I am sure with his educational background and his notoriety in Minnesota, he will have a bright future.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I move to reconsider.

Mr. President, this has been a long day, but I appreciate everyone's cooperation. It has taken a long time to get to where we are. We set out this week to accomplish a few things, and with the cooperation of the Members, we have been able to do it. We don't have to vote tomorrow; we don't have to vote over the weekend. Our first vote next week will be at 5:30 p.m. on the nomination of the Census Director, Mr. Groves. That is on cloture with Mr. Groves.

We are coming in at 10 a.m. tomorrow, but there will be no votes. Monday, we will be in at 11 a.m. Senators Levin and McCain will begin managing the Defense Authorization bill, and we appreciate being able to start that. There are a lot of very big, important amendments on that bill.

Next week is the only disjointed week of this work period. As I indicated earlier, we will have no votes after 2 p.m. on Tuesday, and Friday has been long announced as a no-vote day, which means the following 3 weeks are going to be very grueling, and everyone should understand that.

Mr. President, following leader remarks, there will be a period of morning business for 1 hour. The Republicans will control the first 30 minutes, the majority will control the second 30 minutes. Following morning business, the Senate will resume consideration of the Homeland Security Appropriations Act. There will be 5 minutes for debate prior to a vote in relation to the Sessions amendment, with time equally divided and controlled between Senators Schumer and Sessions.

Upon disposition of the Sessions amendment, there will be 2 minutes for debate prior to a vote on the DeMint amendment, with the time equally divided and controlled between Senators Murray and DeMint. Senators should, therefore, expect a series of votes to begin probably about 20 to 11 today. Additional rollcall votes are expected throughout the day.

Mr. President, every Wednesday in a first floor office meeting room there is a Prayer Breakfast. Members of the Jewish faith and Christian faith appear there and talk about their life experiences. Today was a tremendously stimulating day. Senator Ted Kaufman, from Delaware, made the presentation.

I bring that to the attention of the Senate for a number of reasons. One is that Ted Kaufman has a stunning life story, not the least of which is starting in 1972, with a 29-year-old man named Joe Biden, who stood no chance of being elected in the State of Delaware, running against a man who had served in many different positions, including Member of the House of Representatives, Governor, and was a sitting Senator. But this young 29-year-old, with Ted Kaufman helping run his campaign, was elected, surprising everyone.

As we know, Senator Biden, who had been recently elected--on top of the world, barely old enough to serve constitutionally--after having been in the Senate for a little over a month, his wife and daughter were killed and his two boys were badly injured. Ted Kaufman served with him as a staffer until, I think, about 1995, when he went into the private sector and then came back as a Senator, appointed when Senator Biden was elevated to become Vice President.

But the most important part I wish to relate to the Senate is that he said, from the time he left here in 1995 until the day when he came back as a Senator, the civility that is now here was not in the Senate in 1995. He said the atmosphere here is so much better now than it was in 1995.

Everyone should appreciate what Ted Kaufman said. We have tried-- President Obama has tried, I have tried--and I hope that has helped civility here. We all have to understand, as Senator Kaufman indicated to the Members assembled there today, that there is a difference between Democrats and Republicans philosophically, but that doesn't mean they cannot work together as friends. He gave a couple examples of Senators on the floor debating and then walking off shaking hands.

Mr. President, last month, I stood here and told everyone about a young woman from Nevada named Alysia. She was born with a kidney disease, one she fought bravely her entire life. But lately things have gotten worse. Similar to far too many Americans in recent months, Alysia lost her job. That has happened to far too many Americans. When you lose your job, as we have learned, your health care often disappears also.

Alysia did what any of us would do in the same situation, she tried to get independent coverage so she could afford the surgery she needs to get better. Her doctors say surgery is imperative, but insurance companies say: No, you can't get insurance. They refused to cover her. They call her kidney disease a preexisting condition--everyone else, including Alysia, calls it a tragedy.

She is not the only Nevadan who has written me about injustice. Caleb Wolz is a high school student from Sparks, NV. Similar to so many kids, he used to play, when he was younger, all kinds of games. But now he just sticks to skiing and rock climbing. You can forgive him for not playing some of the games he doesn't play anymore. He was born without any legs. Caleb was born without legs.

As kids grow, they grow out of their shoes. A lot of kids probably get a new pair every year. But Caleb, who is now 17, has needed a new pair of prosthetic legs every year since he was 5 years old.

You can probably guess what the story is now, and you have it right. His insurance company has decided it knows better than his physicians and has decided that Caleb does not need legs that work and fit. Even after looking at pictures of the bruises and abrasions Caleb suffered from the prosthetics that didn't fit, his insurance company decided, once again, his preexisting condition is too expensive to deal with.

These stories are hard to hear, but they are not hard to come by. They are extraordinary, but they are not unique. This happens to women all over southern Nevada just like Alysia and boys across northern Nevada just like Caleb. It happens to people on the east coast and the west coast. It happens to Americans in small towns and big cities. Every day, insurance companies look at a patient's medical history and the prescriptions they have filled. Then they deny them coverage or charge them exorbitant rates because of the patient's age or a specific illness. For every 10 patients who try to get health care, 9 of them never buy a plan because insurance companies deny them or make it too expensive.

Most of us were not born with a kidney disease such as Alysia's or, unlike Caleb, we are born with both our legs. But unless you are in absolutely perfect health, without a history of anything from heart disease to high cholesterol or hay fever, in the insurance world you are out of luck. Some insurance companies even treat Caesarean sections as a preexisting condition, and some accuse women of scheduling unnecessary C-sections when they give birth. More than half of all Americans live with at least one chronic condition, and those conditions cause 70 percent of the deaths in America. Yet right now, insurance companies that care more about profits than about people are in complete control of their well-being. They are holding Americans hostage, and far too many of us cannot afford that ransom.

Reforming health care is a complex endeavor, but one part of the Democrats' vision for health care is simple. We are going to give people control over their own health. We are no longer going to let greedy insurance companies use a patient's preexisting condition as an excuse to deny them the care they need.

We will lower the high cost of health care. We will lower the cost of health care generally. We will make sure every American has access to that quality, affordable care, and we will do our very best to make sure people still have the power to choose their own doctors, hospitals, and health plans.

If we leave it to private insurance companies that are more interested in keeping their profits up than keeping us healthy, that will not happen, nor will it happen if our Republican colleagues continue to defend the status quo. A few weeks ago, the Republican leader in the House of Representatives said the following:

I think we all understand that we have the best health care

system in the world.

How can one defend a health care system that goes out of its way not to care for people's health? And how can anyone celebrate such a system with a straight face? That health care system told Alysia she can't get the kidney surgery she needs. That health care system told Caleb he can't get the legs he needs. I think they would respectfully disagree with the Republican leader.

Insurance companies and most of our Republican colleagues seem to share a common philosophy. They both reflexively and recklessly say no for no good reason. That is a philosophy we cannot afford in America. If you are fortunate enough to have coverage you like, you can keep it. But if you don't like the fact that the insurance company can deny you coverage when they feel like it, you will agree we need to change the way things are.

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

The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Begich.) Without objection, it is so ordered.

Mr. President, I also understand we are in morning business.

I ask unanimous consent that on Monday, July 13, after the pledge, prayer, and any leader remarks, the Senate proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 89, S. 1390, the Department of Defense Authorization bill.

I ask unanimous consent that morning business be closed.

Mr. President, I appreciate everyone's cooperation. As I have said on a number of occasions, it may not appear that a lot of work is being done, but we have committee action taking place, we have had a lot of work on health care today, and we have had energy meetings today involving six committee chairs.

We are trying to figure out how we can proceed in the next week. I appreciate everyone's patience.

What is the pending business?

Is that the Homeland Security appropriations bill?

I send a cloture motion to the desk.

Mr. President, I send a cloture motion to the desk.

I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum with respect to those cloture motions be waived.

I ask unanimous consent that on Thursday, July 9, when the Senate resumes consideration of H.R. 2892, there be 10 minutes of debate prior to a vote in relation to the Kyl amendment No. 1432, with the time equally divided and controlled between Senators Tester and Kyl or their designees; that no amendment be in order to the amendment prior to a vote in relation thereto; that upon the use or yielding back of the time, the Senate proceed to vote in relation to amendment No. 1432.

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

Following the remarks of the two leaders, the Senate will proceed to a period of morning business for 1 hour, with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each, with the majority controlling the first half and the Republicans controlling the second half. Following morning business, the Senate will begin consideration of H.R. 2892, the Homeland Security Appropriations Act.

Around 12:15 today, Senator-elect Al Franken will be sworn in to be U.S. Senator from the State of Minnesota. At 12:30, the Senate will recess to allow for the weekly caucus luncheons. Senators should expect rollcall votes throughout the day as we consider the Homeland Security Appropriations bill.

Prior to leaving that subject, I hope Senators will be ready to offer amendments. We have a rule XVI, but this is a wide jurisdiction bill. There should be lots of opportunity for people to offer amendments. I hope they would consider doing their amendments as soon as possible. We are not going to spend day after day on this bill. We need to move appropriations bills as quickly as we can. I want people to have the opportunity to offer amendments. We will be happy to look at time agreements if that is appropriate. Without any preconditions, let's move to this bill and get it done as quickly as possible.