Floor Statements

Mr. President, today the Senate will be in a period of morning business with Senators having 10 minutes each to speak. Shortly I will propose an agreement with respect to the Peru Trade Promotion Agreement. That agreement will provide for a period of debate today with a concluding vote tomorrow at the completion of our weekly caucuses. There will be no rollcall votes today.

President Bush spoke from the Rose Garden this morning. It is hard to comprehend his words, the President of the United States going to the Rose Garden today, saying he wanted us to use the time left in this congressional year to ``support our troops, and to protect our citizens, prevent harmful tax increases. . . .'' He also indicated, in that same brief statement, that we as a Congress had little to show for our having been in a year.

We passed a budget, the first one in 3 years. It was a balanced budget we passed. We implemented--even though they were years and years overdue--the 9/11 Commission recommendations. We passed Homeland Security funding. We passed a pay raise for our troops--we

have consistently equipped our troops with programs and materials that the President did not ask for but we believe the troops needed, and time has proven they were needed. We provided health care for wounded soldiers and veterans. We set benchmarks for Iraq. We focused on the neglected National Guard, and I am glad we did that. We passed ethics and lobbying reform. We passed a CR that has funded the Government and will to the end of this year. We shortly will be doing an energy bill. We passed one here, but we hope to have one that will be a bipartisan bill that we will pass here by the end of the year. We completed a minimum wage bill that was 10 years past due. We passed the American Competitiveness Act. We passed a higher education bill, the most significant piece of legislation since the GI bill of rights, dealing with higher education. We also passed the Elementary and Secondary Education Funding Act, which was long past due. We funded Head Start, stem cell research--the President vetoed that but we passed it; very important legislation. We passed SCHIP, the children's health insurance program. The President vetoed that. We passed FDA reauthorization, Coast Guard revitalization, the Corps of Engineers reform, which was long overdue, disaster assistance for small businesses. We have certainly done good work regarding disaster assistance for farmers, which was also long overdue--3 years past due. With the scandal that occurred in the Attorney General's Office, we were able to focus on the U.S. attorneys and change the law in that regard.

These are just a few of the things we have done, but we feel good that we have done them. The President should not demean what we have done here. These are pieces of legislation, some of which he signed. We want to work with the President and we have tried to work with the President, but the end of this administration, the Bush administration, is fast approaching. Frankly, if he wants to talk about accomplishments, for 1 year of the Democratic-led Congress compared to his 7 years of the Republican-led Presidency, the comparison is quite stark. He has, to show for what he has done, an endless war that we have been involved in, which soon will be in its sixth year, an ever shrinking middle class, and a budget gone from record surpluses to record deficits.

President Bush calls on Congress to ``support our troops,'' and we have done that. But it is the President who has stretched our military nearly to its breaking point. Editorials in today's newspapers certainly indicate how we are failing in supplying our military with materials they need, the equipment they need to maintain their readiness. It is this President who has kept our troops abroad for two, three, and four tours of duty. Some have served five tours of duty. A war, I repeat, soon to be in its sixth year, a war that General Petraeus has said cannot be won militarily, and we are getting no help from the Iraqis to get their house in order politically.

It is the President who has sent our troops into battle without proper protection and neglected our veterans' care when they returned home. I repeat, it was this Democratic Congress that provided funds for body armor, voted for a troop pay increase, provided funds to fix the neglect at Walter Reed and other military health facilities so our troops can get the care they need when they return from combat.

President Bush calls on Congress to ``protect our citizens,'' but it is President Bush who has failed to capture bin Laden, who taunts us with new videos and new threats often. It is this President who allowed al-Qaida to regroup and become stronger than ever. It is this President who has consistently underfunded the homeland security priorities that keep us safer in our cities and towns. And it was this Congress that finally implemented the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, so long ignored by the President and his Republican enablers, which helped secure our most at-risk cities, gives our first responders the communications tools they need in an emergency, and improves oversight of our intelligence and homeland security systems.

President Bush calls on Congress to ``prevent harmful tax increases and responsibly to fund our Government,'' but it is President Bush's reckless fiscal irresponsibility which is growing the national debt at an astounding rate of $1 million per minute, for a total increase of more than $3 trillion on his watch.

President Clinton was actually paying down the debt by a half trillion dollars. In the last 3 years he was in office, we were spending less money than we were taking in. But it is this President who has increased our debt to foreign governments by more than all former Presidents combined. In the 230 years we have been a country, all the Presidents combined did not increase the debt like this President has done. He has increased our debt to foreign governments by more than all former Presidents combined, but it is this President who has stuck this bill for his failed policies squarely on the shoulders of our children and grandchildren. Every person in this country--a baby of 1 day, a person of 100 years old--owes $30,000 to make up this almost $10 trillion debt that is fast approaching.

It is this Democratic Congress that has put working families first, with the first increase in minimum wage in a decade to give hard- working but least paid Americans a little more to help ends meet. Remember, the minimum wage affects a lot of people. It is not kids flipping hamburgers at McDonald's. For 60 percent of the people who draw minimum wage, that is the only money they get for their families. The vast majority of people on minimum wage are women who work.

It is this Democratic Congress which provided health insurance to millions of more low-income children with the Children's Health Insurance Program. The President vetoed this. President Bush's veto will cut 5.5 million children off the ability to go to the doctor when they are sick--5.5 million. We wound up with 10. Even if we extend the present bill, we will lose 5.5 million children and wind up with 4.5 instead of 10.

It is this Democratic Congress that made investments in Head Start and student financial aid so that all children, regardless of the wealth of their parents, can get started on the right track and have an opportunity to go to college.

Unlike Bush, we paid for our priorities in a responsible way. We have a pay-go system. If we increase a program, change a program in a way that costs money, we pay for it.

This President and his allies in Congress have led the American people down a very dark path. This Democratic Congress, in its first year, has made America stronger, safer, and more prosperous. But with President Bush and the Republicans fighting us, a record number of filibusters--57--with empty rhetoric, obstruction and vetoes, we still have a lot of work to do--and that is an understatement. In this final work period of the year, our plate is full. We have to return our focus to finally ending the war in Iraq that has cost our troops and country so dearly.

Here I wish to cite a statement from a Republican running for President. Here is what he said: Everything is much worse if we stay in Iraq. Right now they are very content to bleed us in Iraq, bleed us financially and by killing Americans. We lose lives. If we spend money we don't have, it furthers our financial crisis. The longer we are there, the stronger al-Qaida gets. Our being there is the greatest incentive conceivable to help Osama bin Laden. The evidence is very clear that there is more al-Qaida than before, which means we are in greater danger of being hit by terrorists than before. Besides, who are all these people telling us there will be a problem if we leave? The same ones who said it would be a cakewalk. What kind of credibility do they have?

I repeat, this is a Republican, not a Democrat.

We want to take up the House-passed bill that provides $50 billion in emergency funds to our troops and requires the President to transition the mission from combat operations to security, training, and antiterrorism.

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, we began to hear the rumblings of what is sure to be an outrageous line of attack from the Bush White House. The week we left here, Secretary Gates told us that the Army had enough money--with the $460 billion bill we just

passed--had enough money to fund them until the 1st of March; the Marines until the middle of March. That is what Secretary Gates told us. But the spin machine of the White House is trying to overrule what the Secretary of Defense told us, saying we are going to have to lay people off, there is not enough money for mine detection equipment and things of that nature.

That is totally contrary to what the Secretary of Defense said. This Secretary of Defense has credibility compared to his predecessor

Secretary Gates has credibility. That is what he told us: The Army is OK until the first of March; the Marines are OK until the middle of March.

But over Thanksgiving, we get rumblings from the spin machine at the White House. The President is saying: We are not sending money to the troops. This is not true. It is cynical politics at its worst. The American people are too smart to fall for this. Facts are clear. We just passed nearly a half-trillion-dollar Defense appropriations bill. The Department of Defense is fully funded.

Before the holiday we offered another $50 billion funding package on top of the $460 billion to support our troops in combat, provided he heed the call of the American people and change course. The President and his supporters in Congress, which are all Republicans with rare exception, rejected that package.

The President said no to funding his own war unless he is given a blank check to continue his failed policies. Nevadans and the American people know the current course has not brought the political reconciliation the President promised.

They realize it makes no sense for President Bush to blame Democrats because he rejected the funding package that we offered. This week we will try again to give the President the opportunity to accept troop funding. We will try to return to the House-passed bill. We will give our Republican colleagues another opportunity to stand on the side of our troops in battle by passing legislation that contains additional funding and provides a strategy to bring the war to a responsible end.

Iraq is just one of the many funding priorities we must pass in the weeks ahead. We have to deal with the appropriations bills, in large part because the President has been stubborn and unreasonable. Rather than work with us to resolve the differences that amount to less than 1 percent of our budget, the President threatened to veto every appropriations bill before it was even written.

We have offered to compromise with President Bush to split the difference. No. So far it does not appear the President is ready to do the right thing for the American people by accepting compromise.

But I hope Senate Republicans will act more responsibly. We have to do something about the AMT. According to the Joint Committee on Taxation, 19 million American families and 150,000 Nevadans will be forced to pay the AMT next spring if we do not take action before the year is out.

Before Thanksgiving, the House passed AMT relief. After their vote, I offered a consent agreement to hold three votes: one on the House AMT relief bill, one on Senator Lott's amendment to repeal the AMT, and one on an amendment by Senator Baucus to fund it. Unfortunately, our Republican colleagues blocked these three votes. Despite the President's warning to them that we must move quickly on AMT, they chose to follow obstructionism. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to move forward on this legislation. I hope the Republicans will end their obstruction on this vital tax relief so we can move to a vote. If they do not, I will have no choice but to file cloture so we can move to vote on the House bill. That is exactly what I will do.

In the coming days, we will have to turn to FISA, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Earlier this year, the President signed a flawed temporary law on this subject that will expire in early February. Both the Intelligence and Judiciary Committees have reported a bill that improves current law. The House has passed its own version. The full Senate must debate this matter in December to allow sufficient time for negotiations with the House before the February deadline.

We need to give our intelligence professionals all the necessary tools, while at the same time protecting the privacy of law-abiding Americans and following our Constitution. Vigorous intelligence gathering should be accompanied by meaningful judicial review and strong congressional oversight. FISA struck a balance well for 30 years, and now we can make it even more effective. Both of these Senate committees have worked together in a bipartisan manner. Chairman Rockefeller and Ranking Member Bond, along with Chairman Leahy and Ranking Member Specter, are sorting through differences in the work of their two committees. I hope under the leadership of those four Senators we will pass a bill that strikes the right balance and makes our country safer.

Later this work period, we will move to finish work on the Energy bill. In June, this Senate overwhelmingly passed a landmark Energy bill to improve fuel efficiency and invest in renewable fuel technology. This bill would save Americans lots and lots of money at the gas pump and on their heating bills.

Unfortunately, Republicans would not allow us to go to conference on this bill. We continue to work toward a bipartisan resolution so we can send a strong Energy bill to the President's desk before the year is up.

We will also attempt to turn again to the farm bill. Prior to the holiday, we were unable to complete action on the farm bill because of the overwhelming number of amendments filed, many of which had nothing to do with farming. Senator McConnell and I are working through these amendments to come up with a reasonable list.

While we have been on the Thanksgiving Day break, staff has been working, and I think we are at a point where we should be able to do a farm bill by unanimous consent.

I have outlined seven major legislative initiatives that we must address before the 2007 legislative calendar draws to a close. We need to do this for the American people. It is reasonable and necessary. We began this year with great success. We have restored integrity to Congress. We put working families first. We put teeth behind homeland security and veterans care. But a funny and unfortunate thing happened next. The President and his Republican supporters in the Senate determined that while bipartisanship made good policy, obstruction made better politics.

For the past many months, we have seen an unprecedented level of obstructionism. That is not rhetoric, it is fact. We have sought more than 40 votes to change the course in Iraq. More often than not, a bipartisan majority of the House and Senate supported these votes. Nevertheless, again and again, the Republican leadership blocked these votes from taking place.

Most recently, Republicans blocked the Transportation/HUD appropriations bill, which invests in our crumbling roads, bridges, dams, tunnels, and our infrastructure. They blocked progress on the Energy bill which would reduce the ever-increasing costs the American people pay to heat their homes and fill their gas tanks.

They blocked the farm bill, which would stabilize the Nation's food supply and improve the nutrition of our children. They blocked the FHA Modernization Act, which would have helped families heat their homes in the face of the ongoing mortgage crisis.

In all, Republicans have now blocked the priorities of Americans by forcing 56 cloture votes, fast approaching the all-time record of 61, that took a full 2-year session. That was too many. But 56, not even halfway through, is significantly headed in the wrong direction. They have already neared an all-time, 2-year obstruction record in less than a year. That would be like a ball player hitting 73 home runs by the All-Star break. That is not good. This is not normal obstruction. This is obstruction on steroids.

It is not too late for the Republicans to change course and work with us. I find it hard to believe that Republicans truly oppose the AMT fix, FHA reform, infrastructure investments, and childhood nutrition. I hope my friends on the other side of the aisle believe they stand to gain politically by getting the most done for our country, not the least done for our country.

But I hope in what little time we have left this year, with so much left

to accomplish, the march toward the obstructionism record can be cast aside. And when we recess for the year in a few weeks, I hope we can add meaningfully to the bipartisan change that we have begun to deliver this year. This can only happen if the Republicans decide to work with us for the American people.

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

Mr. President, I ask the Chair to direct the clerk to report S. 2363, which is at the desk and due for a second reading.

Mr. President, I would object to any further proceedings with respect to this measure.

Mr. President, this morning, there will be debate prior to the first of three cloture votes. The first cloture vote is on the Motion to Proceed to S. 2340, the second cloture vote is on the Motion to Proceed to H.R. 4156, the House-passed Orderly and Responsible Iraq Redeployment bill, and the third vote is a vote on invoking cloture on the Harkin substitute amendment to the farm bill.

All debate time is equally divided between the two leaders, with each leader speaking for 5 minutes immediately prior to the first vote, which will occur at 9:30.

order of procedure

Mr. President, I now ask unanimous consent that the vote time after the first vote be limited to 10 minutes.

Mr. President, yesterday was a day of real negativity by our colleagues on the other side of the aisle. The country could have benefitted

from passage of TRIA, the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act, which is so important. We must do that before the end of the year or it will bring business to a real slowdown here in America.

We also were unable to get the modernization of FHA done, even though it passed the House overwhelmingly and came out of committee here by a vote of 20 to 1. It is a shame there was an objection to that.

And also AMT, Mr. President. We tried a number of different ways to get that done. It was objected to every time we tried to do something. That is unfortunate. We will continue to work on these things and maybe before the day is out, we will get that done.

Mr. President, whatever time runs past 9:30, I will use leader time.

Mr. President, on the farm bill, what has happened these past 10 days is extraordinarily wrong and negative. Today the Republicans have a decision to make: Are they going to allow the farm bill to proceed? Everyone out there from all over this country who is concerned about the farm bill, I want their eyes directed toward the Republican votes cast on this today. If they try to hide under some procedural nonsense, it is outlandish.

If cloture is invoked on the farm bill, there would be 30 hours of offering relevant amendments. Isn't that enough? Is it necessary that we have a farm bill where we debate immigration again; where we debate foreign policy, including the Iraq war; medical malpractice? The answer is no.

Iraq

I would like to travel back in time, 10 months past, January 10, 2007, the exact date. In that second week of 2007, America was reaching the fourth full year of the war in Iraq, still without clear purpose, plan, or Presidential leadership. President Bush had faced a stinging rejection of his Iraq strategy by the votes in November. That is an understatement. He had fired his Defense Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, much too late, but he did fire him. Republicans in the House and Senate were publicly and privately breaking ranks with his strategy. The demand and imperative to change course and end the war were clear. For the first time in his Presidency, there was real reason to believe he would heed the call for change. But on that day in January, the President did just the opposite. He called for a surge of forces in Iraq, not a responsible transition out of combat, not a refocus on the war on terror, but a plan to sink us further into the intractable Iraqi civil war.

What were the goals of that surge? Here are the President's own words:

The strategy I announced in January is . . . aimed at

helping the Iraqis strengthen their government so that it can

function even amid violence.

It seeks to open space for Iraq's political leaders to

advance the difficult process of national reconciliation,

which is essential to lasting security and stability.

Fast-forward to today, 10 months later. It is indisputable that the goals of the surge have failed. As we speak, there are 187,500 American troops in Iraq. The Iraqi Parliament created eight benchmarks for progress toward national reconciliation. These benchmarks were passed by this Congress on a bipartisan basis and signed by the President. According to an independent analysis by the General Accounting Office, the watchdog of Congress, and this country, only one and a half of eight legislative benchmarks have been achieved. By any standard, even the math of the Republicans, that is a failing grade.

Iraq, a country with huge natural resources, I can remember the first time I met with Iraqi leaders right back here in then-Senator Frist's office. We were told by the Iraqi President that he disagreed with the international assumption that Iraq had the second

largest supply of oil in the world. He said: We have the largest supply of oil in the world.

Why are we pouring the treasures of this country into a country with the highest oil reserves in the world?

Without evidence of reconciliation, the Bush administration and its allies are trying a new playbook--pointing to recent reductions in violence. To be clear, any shift that makes conditions less dangerous for our troops and the Iraqi people is welcome news. But take, for example, what we read in the papers today. This past month, there were ``only'' 1,560 violent explosions with explosive devices in Iraq-- ``only'' 1,560 in the last month. That is down from 3,200. Sounds like a lot of violence to me.

We must not forget that 2007 has been the deadliest year for our troops in the entire war. We must remember that about 3,900 Americans have been killed. We must remember that tens of thousands have been gravely wounded. According to the Joint Economic Council, more than $1 trillion already has been spent on the Iraq war. And 5 million Iraqi men, women, and children have fled their neighborhoods or left the country altogether--about half and half; half have left the country and about 2\1/2\ million have been displaced--out of a total population of about 27 million people.

Mr. President, I move to reconsider vote No. 410.

Mr. President, there will be no more rollcall votes today. I look forward to a productive Thanksgiving. I hope everyone enjoys themselves. When we come back in December, we have 3 weeks to do a lot of work. I had a good exchange with the Republican leader today and hope we can return more quickly than we have in the last few days.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to consideration of Calendar No. 217, H.R. 2366; that all after the enacting clause be stricken and the text of the amendment, which is at the desk, be inserted in lieu thereof; that the bill be advanced to third reading, passed, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table; that upon passage, the Senate insist on its amendment, request a conference with the House on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses, and the Chair be authorized to appoint conferees, with the Small Business Committee appointed as conferees, with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. President, I would hope during the next 2 weeks we can work out these differences. It is a very important bill for the entrepreneurial spirit of veterans. This is a good bill, and we have worked hard on it. So I hope we can work it out. I am disappointed we cannot pass that today.

I appreciate the Senator allowing me to finish some other business before he makes his statement.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Banking Committee be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 2761, and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a Dodd substitute amendment at the desk be agreed to; the bill, as amended, be read a third time and passed; the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate; and any statements relating to the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, with all the ``he said, she said'' that has been going on in this body this week, everyone should all agree with one voice we passed extremely important legislation, terrorism insurance, which gives breathing room to the American free enterprise system, which allows various companies to go forward with what needs to be done, dealing with making sure that when they have a building they are going to construct, that there is some ability for the purchase of insurance, so if something untoward comes from these evil people around the world, they are covered.

This is good legislation. I appreciate the cooperation of the Republicans.

May I ask the Senator to withhold for a couple minutes?

Mr. President, last night I had the honor and pleasure of going to a birthday party. I, personally, never had birthday parties. My mother always said my birthday was too close to Christmas, so I guess we made up for it on Christmas. But the party last night was sensational.

Hundreds of people showed up. They showed up a few days early, but only a few days, because this coming week Senator Robert Byrd will be 90 years old. He holds all kinds of records. I often compare him with the greatest baseball player of all time, Babe Ruth, for obvious reasons.

What a pleasure it has been for me to serve in the Senate, but every day that goes by that I am able to serve in the Senate, I reflect upon how fortunate I am to serve with Senator Byrd and the many courtesies he has extended to me; from the first time I arrived in the Senate, when he asked: Senator, will you agree to conduct hearings for the Interior Subcommittee on Appropriations?

That was as good as scoring a touchdown, to have Senator Byrd ask me to conduct a hearing. He was chairman of that subcommittee, and I did that. When work was to be done on that committee, it didn't matter what I had scheduled, I set it aside so I could satisfy Senator Byrd and do a good job of conducting those hearings.

I wish Senator Byrd happy birthday. As I said last night at the birthday party, I also wish to tell him how much I appreciate all he has done for me personally, all he has done for the people of West Virginia, all he has done for the people of the State of Nevada, and all he has done for our country.

It is such a thought-provoking thing, to think that I have been able to serve with Senator Byrd and serve in some of the positions he has held: Minority leader, majority leader, minority whip, majority whip.

Last night I was so happy. Senator Byrd was his old self. There he was up there in front of everybody, without a note, reciting poetry from memory. I have said it before, but I will say it again, I want him to hear this and I want everyone else to hear this. I have a lot of favored stories about Senator Byrd, but this is my favorite.

I came back from Nevada. I was right back here. Senator Byrd said: What did you do this weekend?

I said: Senator Byrd, I grabbed a little paperback book out of my library and I read ``The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe.''

Senator Byrd did as I have seen him do many times: Robinson Crusoe? He was on that island 28 years, 6 months, 2 weeks, and 3 days.

I looked at him. I said: What is he talking about? I just read the book. I went back to my home and looked, and there it was. He hadn't read the book for 40 years, but in that computer he has that is a brain, he was able to recall that.

That is only one indication of the abilities of this orphan who is so proud of being from West Virginia. He may have been an orphan growing up, but he is not an orphan in the Senate. He has a family who loves him.

Mr. President, the Senate will be coming in for pro forma sessions during the Thanksgiving holiday to prevent recess appointments.

My hope is that this will prompt the President to see that it is in our mutual interests for the nominations process to get back on track.

While an election year looms, significant progress can still be made on nominations.

I am committed to making that progress if the President will meet me halfway.

But that progress can't be made if the President seeks controversial recess appointments and fails to make Democratic appointments to important commissions.

As Democratic leader, I recommend nominees to the President for many important commissions like the Federal Communications Commission, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

These independent agencies are required by law to have Democratic representation.

As a result, the President has a statutory obligation to honor my recommendations and move on them in good faith.

And, up until recently, the President has generally discharged that obligation.

In the last several months, however, the administration has been stalling progress on Democratic appointments.

This problem existed before the August break.

In an effort to solve it, I worked hard to confirm over 40 administration nominees in exchange for a commitment by the President to make progress on a number of important commissions.

When we reconvened after the August break, I also worked to quickly move on the President's new Attorney General.

I did this despite my own opposition to that nominee.

Even with all this hard work on our side, the commitments the administration made to me before the August break were not met.

In the almost 3 months since that break, we have received no Democratic nominees to full-time commission positions.

For some, in fact, absolutely no discernible progress has been made.

With the Thanksgiving break looming, the administration informed me that they would make several recess appointments.

I indicated I would be willing to confirm various appointments if the administration would agree to move on Democratic appointments.

They would not make that commitment.

As a result, I am keeping the Senate in pro forma to prevent recess appointments until we get this process back on track.

Mr. President, on October 31, President Bush proclaimed November 2007 as National American Indian Heritage Month.

American Indians influence and enrich our culture. I am proud of the contributions that Nevada's tribes have made and continue to make in my home State. The 26 tribes, bands, and colonies support their tribal and surrounding communities with their diverse tribal enterprises. Working on a government-to-government basis, they join Federal and State agencies to protect many of Nevada's natural resources and the environment--our wildlife habitats in mountains and valleys and our lakes and waterways for fish and fowl. The tribes in my State, like tribes throughout the country, provide education and health services to their children, elders, and members.

I am proud of the leadership and opportunities many tribal leaders are providing for their people and that improve the lives of their neighbors.

Mr. President, I want to remind my colleagues of an anniversary this year. Fifteen years ago, the Indian Health Care Improvement Act Amendments of 1992 became law. My friend and colleague, Senator Inouye, as chairman of the then-named Select Committee on Indian Affairs, led the effort to reauthorize the principal law governing Indian health services and programs. I joined Senator Akaka, Senator Cochran, Senator Conrad, Senator Domenici, Senator Kennedy, Senator McCain, Senator Stevens, and others to sponsor that bill, which became law. Incredible to think today, but S. 2481 was passed by a voice vote on the Senate floor.

The 1992 law was due to be reauthorized in 1999. Because of Senator Dorgan's passion for this issue and his regular statements on the Senate floor, we all know that the bill has been reauthorized annually since then, but more needs to be done.

The bill before us, S. 1200, the Indian Health Care Improvement Act Amendments of 2007, reflects the leadership and work of members on both sides of the aisle. Leaders on the Indian Affairs, Finance, and HELP Committees have worked to refine the bill with many Federal departments and agencies, national tribal organizations, and individual tribal leaders. It is a bipartisan, consensus bill that has been negotiated since the 105th Congress.

S. 1200 clarifies current law and authorizes critical services for Indian Country--strengthening recruitment, retention, and training programs for health care professionals; encouraging health care practioners to consult with other professionals using telemedicine and other technologic tools; expanding programs for behavioral health, to address problems of youth suicide and violence against women and children; improving individual access to other Federal health programs serving the most vulnerable people in our population--Medicaid, Medicare, and the Childrens Health Insurance Program; and helping tribes better coordinate with Federal programs to maximize the health services available to their members.

I am pleased that many of my colleagues who supported the 1992 legislation and whom I just mentioned are sponsoring this bill--with 29 cosponsors, including Senator Craig Thomas, our former colleague and ranking member of the Indian Affairs Committee.

I applaud the hard work of my colleagues, particularly Senator Dorgan and Senator Baucus. As I have said before, I am committed to bring this bipartisan bill to the floor for the full Senate's consideration, and I ask that the Republican leader work with me to bring this bipartisan bill to the floor in a timely and efficient manner.

Mr. President, as we acknowledge November as National American Indian Heritage Month, I cannot think of a better, or more timely, way to honor our indigenous people than by reauthorizing the Indian health bill. We must honor our Federal obligations to these people--just as many Native Americans have served and continue to serve this country, every day on battlefields, in government offices, in classrooms, in the wilderness, and on waterways.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate and continue an executive business meeting on Friday, November 16, 2007, at 9:45 a.m. in room S-216, of the Capitol.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent for the Committee on Veterans' Affairs to be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Friday, November 16, 2007. The Committee will meet off the Senate Floor in the Reception Room to consider the nomination of Michael W. Hager to be an Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Human Resources and Management after the first floor vote that occurs on Friday.

Mr. President, this resolution concerns a request for testimony in a criminal action in Nebraska District Court for Lancaster County in Lincoln, in which the victim was, at the time of the alleged crime, an intern in Senator Hagel's office. Two other former staff members from Senator Hagel's office are being subpoenaed to provide testimony in depositions regarding their knowledge of the events at issue and their interactions with the victim. Senator Hagel wishes to cooperate with this judicial process by providing the requested testimony from these two former members of his staff. This resolution would authorize those staff members to testify in this action, with representation by the Senate legal counsel.

Mr. President, has morning business expired?

Mr. President, before my friend from North Dakota leaves the floor, I would like to direct a couple of comments through the Chair to my friend. First of all, I appreciate the statement made relating to energy. Everything you say has to be overlaid with the fact that we have the most oil friendly administration in the history of our country. Both President Bush and Vice President Cheney made their fortunes in oil.

I would direct a question to my friend. It certainly appears our administration has lived up to being the most oil-friendly administration. Would my colleague agree with that?

Mr. President, I would also say to my friend, I appreciate the statement on where we stand with these subprime loans. The financial community is crying out for help. Foreclosures help no one. The person who has the home loses. The entity that holds the loan loses significantly. It is usually about 30 to 35 percent of the value of the home, on average, is gone. The entity where the home is located, a county or a city, loses money because that home becomes--any foreclosure takes time. You usually have to board up the windows. It loses value, it loses tax dollars. Something has to be done by the Federal Government. What is being done by the Federal Government in its limited fashion is hurting.

Around this country, one of the things that helps people who are in foreclosure is to have a counselor sit down and talk to them about alternatives they have. People are so frightened, and we have learned that people who get foreclosure notices don't know what to do with them and usually don't even respond to them, either by mail or on the telephone. What this administration has done for these counselors-- which, by the way, are nonprofit entities--they have cut back their funding by three-quarters. At a time when people need help, they cut back funding.

We know President Bush doesn't like Government. He doesn't like Government. He has proven that from the time he ran for Congress in the 1970s and said Social Security should be privatized, and he has lived up to that. He doesn't like anything to do with Government. He is a person who is anti-Government.

There is a time for Government. Adam Smith, in his great book ``The Wealth of Nations,'' in 1776, said there is a place for Government. If he were writing that book today, he would talk about the need for Government throughout America in many different ways. One thing we need to do is do something with FHA, with Fannie and Freddie, which are organizations we set up in Congress to help people buy homes.

I would say to my friend in the form of a question: Does my colleague think the Federal Government should be more active in what is going on than ignoring the problem?

Mr. President, one final thing before my friend leaves the floor. There is no one more involved in farm policy any more than the Senator from North Dakota. North Dakota is an agricultural State. Tomorrow morning we are going to have a vote on cloture on the farm bill. We are going to have a cloture vote. It is a very important vote. The question is, Are the Republicans going to kill the farm bill?

For people who say: Well, gee whiz, we have had no opportunity to offer amendments--cloture on the farm bill does not stop amending the farm bill. Relevant amendments can be offered on the farm bill. We have 30 hours to do that. I, of course, would allow those amendments to go forward. There would be no way to say: Well, we are only going to vote on this one. If there are germane amendments subject to the rule, they can be offered and they can do it postcloture. So I hope all my Republican friends understand this farm bill is important. People at home are going to be watching how we vote on this farm bill because it is a very important vote. Are we going to continue working on the farm bill or let it go? It appears to me the response from the Republicans is let it go. Maybe we will be able to do it some other time.

But I ask my friend: It is true, is it not, that this is an important vote and there will still be amendments allowed even if cloture is invoked?