Floor Statements

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, I was hoping that at this time today we would be talking about the work we had done on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. But we were unable to do that. What an unusual day. We were not allowed to vote on anything on this bill. I hope our friends in the press have been able to witness what took place today.

We talk about last year the Republicans having caused us to try to invoke cloture more in 1 year than had ever happened in a Congress before. In 1 year, they obstructed more things than ever in the history of the country.

Now we are starting this year, and they are objecting to their own bills. The President wants the bill passed. Every one of the Republicans--all 49 of them, I assume--will vote for this bill. So all they would need to pass it is two Democrats. I would have to suggest they probably could do that. They are so afraid they may take a vote that may not be something they want to take that they stop everything.

This is the President's program. It is not our program. We have stood by since 9/11 telling the President: Anything that you need, we are here at

your disposal. Just tell us what you need and we will do it. We only have one request--let's do it legally, constitutionally. If the present law is not sufficient, tell us what you need changed.

We have been standing with our arms out since 9/11. But what we have learned now, since 9/11, is basically the President does not care what we do because he has been told--and he accepts the advice given to him by a man by the name of John Yoo, among others--that the President does not need to follow any law that Congress passes, that he is above the law. I am not making this up. This is the fact. Mr. Yoo has stated so before the world on television: The President does not need to follow any law that we pass. But in spite of that, we have said: Mr. President, we are willing to work with you. We don't think you have that authority. But here we are today, with the law about to expire, and the Vice President having made a speech yesterday, and the President making a statement today saying: They have to pass that bill.

As I explained in some detail earlier today, they put us in a Catch- 22. No matter what we do, it does not meet their expectations. So I again repeat, I hope the press is watching this. I hope people who believe in good government are watching this. I hope the people are not going to accept Monday night, during the speech that he is going to give, or any statements made between now and the State of the Union Address, that we are holding up his legislation. We are not holding it up. The Republicans in the Senate are holding it up.

Mr. President, I ask that morning business be closed.

What, then, Mr. President, is the pending business?

Mr. President, I have an amendment at the desk to this legislation, and I ask that the clerk report that amendment if it is in keeping with what the Chair suggests.

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

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum be waived.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to go into a period for the transaction of morning business.

I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 9:30 a.m. Friday, January 25; that on Friday following the prayer and pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, and the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day; and the Senate then resume consideration of S. 2248, the FISA legislation.

Mr. President, today Senator McConnell filed cloture on the Rockefeller/Bond substitute amendment. Under the rule, the filing deadline for the first-degree amendments to the substitute amendment is 1 p.m. tomorrow.

As I announced earlier, there will be no rollcall votes tomorrow due to the parliamentary situation created by the minority. We now find ourselves in that situation.

The next vote will occur at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. That vote will be on the motion to invoke cloture on the substitute amendment. If cloture is not invoked, the way I understand the rules, there will be a vote on our cloture motion that I just filed.

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

Thereupon, the Senate, at 8:09 p.m., adjourned until Friday, January 25, 2008, at 9:30 a.m.

Mr. President, the Senate will be in a period of morning business until 12:30 today, at which time we will break for the Democratic caucus. As was indicated yesterday, the Republicans are having a retreat at the Library of Congress today. When we come back at 2:15, the Senate will resume consideration of the Indian health bill. There were some amendments offered yesterday, some debated yesterday. We could not arrange a vote yesterday. I do not expect any votes on this bill this afternoon. I have been in close touch with Senator Dorgan. He is trying to work this out so we can complete this legislation quickly. If there are any amendments that Democratic Senators have, I hope they would come and offer them today. That way we can prioritize how we are going to move through this bill.

Mr. President, as I indicated yesterday, we are going to, this evening, start on the FISA legislation to complete that. We are going to finish that legislation this week. That means we are going to have all day tomorrow and all day Friday and, hopefully, not all day Saturday. But we need to finish this legislation. It is critically important. It is not fair to jam the House. Since we have been refused an extension by the Republicans, we need to finish this legislation now, send it to the House, have a conference, and see what we can come back with as quickly as possible.

As I indicated, it is not fair to do as we did last August and send something to the House: Take it or leave it. We are not going to do that. That is why I am not going to wait until next week to go to this legislation. We have to complete it now. There are strong feelings on both sides of this issue. As I have indicated on a number of occasions, I do not support the immunity provisions that are in the Intelligence bill, but it appears that a majority of the Senate does. That being the case, those people who want to amend the Intelligence bill with that information and that legislation we have from the Judiciary Committee will offer that. I hope they will do it as quickly as possible.

There are a number of other issues other than immunity. I have spoken to Senator Feinstein. She says she has something dealing with immunity she wants to offer. She wants to offer something with exclusivity.

There are a number of other things we need to do. As I have indicated, I would hope that if somebody does not like an amendment, they would move to table that amendment and not try to talk it to death because that being the case, we are going to have to let them talk during the evening. We are not going to have a gentlemen's agreement on: OK, so you don't want this to go forward; we are not going to let it go forward. We are going to complete this legislation as quickly as we can.

Mr. President, I have a matter at the desk that is due for its second reading, H.R. 4040.

Mr. President, I object to any further proceedings on this legislation at this time but alert everyone we are going to try to get to this legislation before this work period ends. We do have a few things to do. It seems the best laid plans sometimes have to be delayed because now we have the stimulus package we have to worry about completing. But this is something I want to do. Senator Pryor and others have worked very hard. So we are going to move forward as quickly as we can.

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

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

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Madam President, there has been a lot of progress made on this Indian health bill that is now before the Senate. A number of amendments have been filed. The staff are negotiating further provisions and discussing a list of amendments for consideration when we return to the bill.

I extend my appreciation to Senator Dorgan and Senator Murkowski, the chairman and ranking member, for their leadership on the floor.

Many compromises have been made to accommodate my Republican colleagues--on Federal Torts Claims Act coverage of traditional health care practitioners, on urban Indian programs, and on the need for an Assistant Secretary of Indian Health. We even accommodated our colleagues when we learned of their midweek retreat, which has interrupted debate time on this important bill.

The caucuses are discussing some final issues, and I will be developing a list of amendments that we should consider relating to this legislation. I hope these conversations continue so we find a way to complete the bill in a timely and efficient manner.

As an original cosponsor of the Indian health bill, I am committed to seeing an Indian health bill signed into law and will continue to work with Senator Dorgan, Senator Murkowski, and my Republican counterpart to complete this legislation as soon as possible.

Madam President, I call for the regular order.

Madam President, I am authorized by the chairman of the Judiciary Committee and, certainly, a majority of the Judiciary Committee to modify the Judiciary substitute amendment, and I send that modification to the desk.

Madam President, we have conferred with our colleagues on the other side of the aisle. Senator Bond is aware of this new amendment. He has not had time to study the amendment. He has been busy all day, as have all my Republican colleagues at their retreat. But he will have time to work on this tonight. His staff is working on it. We hope tomorrow to have a couple hours of debate, and then it is my understanding there could be and likely will be a motion to table this amendment.

I want to make sure Senators have adequate time to debate this amendment tomorrow. This is, if not the key amendment, one of the key amendments to this legislation, and we want to make sure everyone has adequate time. We are going to come in early in the morning and start this matter as quickly as we can. So I am not going to ask consent tonight as to how much time will be spent on it, but this will be the matter we take up tomorrow.

I have spoken to Senator Whitehouse, who is a member not only of the Judiciary Committee but also the Intelligence Committee. He has a very important amendment he wishes to offer. It is a bipartisan amendment he has worked on for a significant period of time, and we look forward to this amendment.

Hopefully, we can work our way through some of these contentious amendments tomorrow. It is something we need to do, and we are going to work as hard as we can. There are strong feelings on each side. Everyone has worked in good faith. I especially appreciate the cooperation of Senator Leahy and Senator Rockefeller. They have not agreed on everything, but they have agreed on a lot, and they have worked in a very professional manner in working our way to the point where we now are.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Madam President, there will be no more votes tonight. We have a number of Senators who wish to speak. We understand Senator Bond will be here, Senator Rockefeller will be here, Senator Dodd will be here. That is good. They are going to be

speaking about the legislation that is now before this body.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I rise today to recognize Robert ``Sargent'' Shriver, a role model, hero, and icon. An activist, attorney, and politician, Sargent Shriver has always led by example, driven by the desire to serve those less fortunate.

Sargent Shriver's political career began in 1960, when he worked for his brother-in-law, Democratic Presidential candidate John F. Kennedy. Passionate about civil rights, Shriver was instrumental in connecting then-Senator Kennedy with Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. And when the newly elected President established the Peace Corps in 1961, Shriver became the new agency's first director. This organization, which promotes peace and international friendship, embodies Shriver's belief in public service by young people to help the poor and the uneducated abroad and at home. In less than 6 years, Shriver developed volunteer activities in more than 55 countries with more than 14,500 volunteers.

In 1962, Sargent Shriver's wife Eunice Kennedy Shriver began ``Camp Shriver,'' a day camp for young people with physical and intellectual disabilities. ``Camp Shriver'' grew into the Special Olympics, of which Sargent Shriver later became president and chairman of the board. Special Olympics was built on Eunice and Sargent Shriver's shared dedication to expanding opportunities for disabled persons, and today brings athletic competition to 2.5 people in 165 countries.

Shriver was presented with the Franklin D. Roosevelt Freedom from Want Award in 1993, a prestigious award that acknowledges a lifetime commitment to securing the basic needs of others. On August 8, 1994, President Bill Clinton recognized Sargent Shriver's lifetime in public service with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States' highest civilian honor.

Additionally, Sargent Shriver served as U.S. Ambassador to France and has directed several organizations including, Head Start, Job Corps, Community Action, Upward Bound, Foster Grandparents, and the National Center on Poverty. Today, Shriver lives in Maryland with his wife.

To tell Shriver's life story to the next generation, Emmy award- winning writer, producer and director Bruce Orenstein created a film entitled ``American Idealist: The Story of Sargent Shriver.'' The program, which

aired on the Public Broadcasting Service this past Monday, January 21, 2008, focuses on Shriver's visionary devotion to activism. By highlighting his role in the civil rights movement and the war on poverty, this powerful film will help spread Sargent Shriver's message of patriotic service.

In closing, I extend my most sincere gratitude to Robert Sargent Shriver. As a result of this film, his legacy will continue to inspire future generations of Americans.

Mr. President, I rise today to recognize one of America's most respected and distinguished lawmakers: chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Tom Lantos of California.

The story of Congressman Lantos is unique in American history, and one that serves as an inspiration to each of us. Born in Budapest, Hungary, on February 1, 1928, this young man displayed the type of intellectual precociousness characteristic of our great statesmen of the past. It was during his youth in Central Europe that Congressman Lantos experienced great joys but also endured a most terrible tragedy.

By the time he was 16 years old, the Nazis had occupied his native Hungary, and as a result of being born into a Jewish family, Congressman Lantos was soon taken to a forced labor camp. Through unimaginable perseverance and resolve, he survived long enough to escape and then complete the 22-mile trek to a safe house run by Swedish humanitarian Raoul Wallenberg. Sadly, like so many other Jewish families torn apart by the Holocaust, Congressman Lantos lost his family in the ordeal.

A bright moment during these darkest of times in human history was the reunification of two childhood sweethearts. Tom and his lovely wife Annette first met as children growing up in Budapest, and they have now entered their 58th year of devoted marriage to one another.

Two years after the last shots of World War II were fired, Congressman Lantos won a scholarship to study in the United States. Arriving in America with nothing more than a piece Hungarian salami, he began his studies at the University of Washington in Seattle, where he received a B.A. and M.A. in economics. This young academic then moved to San Francisco in 1950, where he began graduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley, eventually receiving his Ph.D. in economics.

Following three decades as a college professor in economics, Tom was elected to Congress in 1980 from the State of California. Ever since, Congressman Lantos has enjoyed as fine a career in public service as any lawmaker of his generation. Perhaps his greatest single contribution to our cherished branch of government was his founding, along with Congressman John Edward Porter of Illinois, of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus in 1983. In the intervening quarter- century, the caucus has brought much-needed attention to the most pressing human rights crises around the world. In 1987, the caucus became the first official U.S. entity to welcome recent Congressional Gold Medal recipient, his Holiness the Dalai Lama, to the United States.

Considering Congressman Lantos' wealth of intellect and wisdom in the field of foreign policy, the United States has been privileged to have him serve as chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs for the past 12 months, where he previously served as ranking member. From demanding tougher sanctions on the Iranian government to standing up for democracy and human rights in Burma, his chairmanship has been nothing short of masterful in these most difficult of times. I can stand up here today, with the full confidence of my colleagues in the Senate, and say that American foreign policy has been greatly enriched by the contributions of Congressman Lantos throughout his tenure in the House of Representatives.

I met Tom before I came to Washington in 1982. He is terrific in so many ways and he is devoted to his wife, children, and grandchildren. His No. 1 priority is his two beautiful daughters, 17 fantastic grandchildren, and two wonderful great-grandchildren. He loves them and loves to talk about them.

I served with Chairman Lantos during my years as a Member of the House of Representatives and consider him a friend, as well as a leader. I shared the sadness of my fellow Senators and House Members, when Chairman Lantos announced that he will leave the House at the end of this year. On behalf of all my friends in the Senate, I wish you and your family all the best as you continue your public service in other ways following this congressional session.

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