Floor Statements

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Madam President, today is a somber day in Nevada. Last night, a helicopter crashed in Austin, NV, killing all five crew members on board. It is believed the flight was from Fallon Naval Air Station.

Also yesterday, Nevada lost another soldier in Iraq--25-year-old SGT Coby Schwab--to an improvised explosive device.

Our State and our Nation mourn the loss of all six servicemembers who served with honor and courage. Our hearts and our prayers are with the families.

No one wants success in Iraq more than we in the Senate. I can think of no greater tribute we can pay to those six servicemembers and the more than 3,300 others who have lost their lives in Iraq than to reach a responsible and successful end to the war which has cost so much in so many different ways.

The Washington Post this morning ran an article entitled ``The Cost of

War, Unnoticed.'' It tells us that the war in Iraq is about to become the most expensive conflict in United States history, after World War II. But unlike World War II, which was fought all over the world--in faraway Japan, Africa, all the islands in the South Seas, all over Europe--the Iraq conflict is taking place in a country the size of the State of California.

Also unlike past wars, President Bush is putting the costs squarely on the shoulders of our children and grandchildren by financing it entirely through borrowing and raising the national debt.

Robert Hormats, a former Republican administration official, says:

They tried to do this on the cheap and without a candid

conversation with the American people about the cost. But the

irony is the great wartime leaders have seen it in the

opposite way.

From the beginning, President Bush has called this war a great challenge of our time. Yet his actions don't match his rhetoric. He has expected sacrifice from our troops now, but has pushed the sacrifice of American taxpayers years and years into the future and long past his term in office.

In 18 months, there will be a new election--18 months--to select a President. All Americans will continue to bear the financial burden of this war in the future, long past a new President assuming office. But right now, we are seeing the toll it is taking on our security at home.

In the wake of the tragic tornadoes that ripped through Kansas this past weekend, our National Guard did the best job it could there, a fantastic job, and we are grateful for their work, of course, but the toll of the war in Iraq crippled the ability of our National Guard to do the dangerous and heroic jobs they are charged with doing.

According to the Governor of Kansas, Kathleen Sebelius:

Fifty percent of our trucks are gone. Our front loaders are

gone. We are missing humvees that move people. We can't

borrow them from other States because their equipment is

gone. It's a huge issue for States across the country to

respond to a disaster like this.

We can't expect our first responders to keep America safe if they don't have the supplies and the equipment to get the job done.

Our men and women in uniform, both active and in the Guard and Reserve, are bearing the bulk of the burden of this war. But we all pay a price, whether in death and injury to troops, or whether tremendous financial burden not yet fully realized, or whether in the inability of the Kansas National Guard to rescue and recover more quickly. That is why it is crucial and well past time to change course toward a successful and responsible end to the war.

We continue to negotiate with the White House and our Republican colleagues in Congress. We continue to stand firm in our belief that the time for a new direction has come. Even some of our Republican colleagues who have long supported the President on the war now seem to agree it can no longer be open-ended.

Yesterday my colleague Senator Lott said:

This fall we have to see some significant changes on the

ground.

Over the weekend, House Minority Leader Boehner said:

By the time we get to September or October, members are

going to want to know how well this is working, and if it

isn't, what's Plan B.

Just yesterday, my colleague Republican Leader McConnell echoed Leader Boehner's sentiments.

I am glad to hear them move to our view, to set their own

timeline. But we can't wait until fall. We have to have a

responsible plan B right now.

Plan B gradually reduces combat operations and refocuses our troops on protecting America's security throughout the world.

Our plan B begins to bring troops and equipment home, where they can protect American lives in Kansas and across the country.

Our plan B begins to reduce the financial burden that this war is weighing on our shoulders and the shoulders of future generations.

And our plan B puts the pressure on the Iraqi Government that will ultimately lead them to take responsibility for their own future.

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 today. The managers are working to try to come up with a package that can be accepted. As I have indicated, the time on postcloture will run out sometime tonight about 10 or 11 o'clock. We hope it is not necessary to run the clock that long, but we are going to finish this bill in the morning, and we will see how many votes we have. We will try to be aware of people's schedules, but the Senate itself has a schedule we have to deal with. So we are going to do our best to finish this bill tomorrow and move on to other business.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the contributions of Tom Clewell to Sparks, NV. After serving the city of Sparks for more than 36 years, Tom retired from his 3-year post as fire chief on May 4, 2007.

Tom is a native Nevadan, attending school in Reno and raising a family in Sparks. He joined the Sparks Fire Department as a temporary firefighter in April 1971, and eventually climbed the ranks to become the city's 10th fire chief in its history. He served in many roles throughout his time with the Sparks Fire Department including operator, captain, battalion chief, and division chief.

Throughout his 36 years, Tom led the fire department through many changes in Sparks. For example, Tom reorganized the department creating four division chiefs. Tom also encouraged greater training of firefighters in Sparks. He also managed the rapid growth surrounding Sparks and introduced fire prevention measures as housing developments began heading toward the foothills.

Upon his retirement, the city manager of Sparks said, ``Tom has been one of the greatest leaders I have ever been associated with.'' That quote speaks volumes about Tom's leadership. I have known Tom for many years. His professional accomplishments are numerous, but I think Tom would likely describe his family as his greatest honor. He is the proud father to Angela and Lindsey. He shares in this joy with his wife Francine.

I am privileged to have the opportunity to honor Tom Clewell before the United States Senate today. I am certain that in his retirement Tom will continue to serve the citizens of Sparks with the dedication he has shown over the past 36 years and I wish him well on his future endeavors.

Mr. President, today, the Senate will be in a period of morning business until 4 o'clock, with the time equally divided and controlled by the respective leaders.

The Senate will resume consideration of S. 1082, the FDA bill, at 4 p.m. today. Upon resuming the bill, the Senate will begin several votes: first, the Cochran second-degree amendment to the Dorgan amendment, then the Dorgan amendment, and then the cloture vote on the substitute amendment.

I understand the managers will be here very soon to seek consent to dispose of amendments they have already worked out. Also, Members have until 3 o'clock today to file any first-degree amendments. In addition to filing cloture on the committee substitute amendment and the bill, I also filed cloture on the motion to proceed to H.R. 1495, the Water Resources Development Act, which is known as WRDA. It is a bipartisan piece of legislation, led by Senators Boxer and Inhofe. I am hopeful it will not be necessary to have that cloture vote and that we will be able to proceed to the bill once action is concluded on the FDA bill.

Members should be ready for a number of votes starting at around 4 o'clock today. The first vote will be 15 minutes, and the remaining votes will be 10-minute votes. Everyone should be alerted to that.

Another matter which I mentioned last week is going to conference with respect to the budget resolution. The House was slated to take that up this evening. I think now it may be tomorrow when they will take it up, so that message may not get to us until Wednesday.

This is a very busy week, so everyone should be aware of the different votes that may be necessary. We hope we can complete work on the FDA bill tonight. That is certainly possible; otherwise, maybe in the early morning.

Mr. President, nearly a week has passed since the President vetoed a bipartisan proposal that fully funded our troops and also changed course in Iraq so we could responsibly end the war.

Although the President's actions thwarted the will of the American people, very clearly, they--the American people--deserve to know what their leaders in Congress are doing. We are alerting them that we, as congressional leaders, are doing everything we can to work toward an agreement on an emergency supplemental funding bill that will make America more secure, fully fund our troops, and responsibly change course in Iraq.

Our proposal called for a change in the mission and the phased redeployment of U.S. combat troops no later than October 1 of this year.

A bipartisan majority of the House and Senate made it clear they believe a timeline for the reduction of combat operations will compel the Iraqi Government to take responsibility for their own country, will reduce the specter of occupation, and will allow our forces to come home.

The American people believe this overwhelmingly. But now there are signs the Republican leadership in Congress is beginning to think a timeline is necessary as well. According to the L.A. Times, House Republican Leader John Boehner said:

Mr. Bush risks defections in the fall if the war situation

hasn't improved.

By the time we get to September or October, members are

going to want to know how well this is working, and if it

isn't, what's Plan B.

The House Republican leader now seems to be saying that he and his colleagues agree there must be a time limit on the President's current course in Iraq.

What is also revealing, and somewhat disturbing, is the Republican leader is willing to allow our troops to stay in Iraq with a failing strategy until he and his colleagues decide it is time to part with the President.

President Bush--the same President who vetoed our plan--said this as a candidate about his predecessor, Bill Clinton, and the war in Bosnia, in 1999:

I think it's important for the president to lay out a

timetable as to how long they will be involved and when they

would be withdrawn.

We hope President Bush will keep his own past words in mind as these negotiations continue.

We are pleased to see the House Republican leader, speaking on behalf of his caucus, adopt our view that this commitment in Iraq must not be open-ended, that there must be a timeline. It is surely no coincidence that his views come at a time when conditions in Iraq grow worse.

I am reminded of the Easter sermon of Pope Benedict, delivered only a month ago. The Pope said:

How many wounds--how much suffering there is in the world.

He continued:

Nothing positive comes from Iraq, torn apart by continual

slaughter as the civilian population flees.

Since those words were spoken, conditions have indeed deteriorated.

In April, our troops suffered the deadliest month of the year and one of the deadliest of the entire 51 months of the war.

The President's own Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction released its quarterly report last weekend that painted a dispiriting picture of waste, ineffectiveness, and failure to achieve even minimally satisfactory results.

Despite burning through most of the 20 billion American dollars planned for reconstruction, many Iraqis are without basic necessities such as electricity and clean drinking water. Of course, oil production is down. Only a third of Iraqi children are attending school. Seventy percent of the kids are suffering from symptoms of trauma that could paralyze an entire generation that we are counting on to harvest the seeds of democracy.

Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki is accused of sabotaging efforts for peace and stability by firing some of the country's top law enforcement officials for doing too good a job of combating violent Shiite militias.

President Bush speaks of pressuring the Iraqi people to take responsibility for their own future. Yet while American troops are fighting and dying to secure the country, the Iraqi Government is planning a 2-month summer vacation.

Yesterday, eight more courageous American soldiers fell; four the day before. I have no doubt these developments weighed on Leader Boehner's mind when he made his comments suggesting a fall timeline to the war in Iraq. But I know he is not alone. Many of my Republican friends across the aisle feel strongly that a change of course in our Iraq strategy is needed--one that holds the administration and the Iraqis accountable for real results. Many of my Republican friends across the aisle feel it is time for change. This is the time. I know many of my Republican friends also intend to be part of the solution on the way forward, and I look forward to working with them. We all look forward to continuing negotiations, which we will work on today. I have spoken to Chairman Obey today. I talked to him Friday. I will continue to talk to him every day until we reach agreement on a bill that fully funds the troops while providing a responsible new course that makes America more secure.

No one wants to succeed in Iraq and make America more secure than I.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum and ask unanimous consent that the time in the quorum call be divided equally between the Democrats and the Republicans.

Madam President, I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. President, this resolution concerns a request for testimony and representation in actions pending in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia. In these actions, anti-war protesters have been charged with unlawful assembly for refusing repeated requests to leave Senator McCain's Washington, DC., office on or about February 5, 2007. Trials of these defendants are scheduled to commence on May 11, 2007. The prosecution has requested that a member of the Senator's staff who had conversations with the defendants during the events in question testify in this case. Senator McCain would like to cooperate by providing testimony from his staff. This resolution would authorize that staff member, and any other employee of Senator McCain's office from whom evidence may be required, to testify in this action, with representation by the Senate Legal Counsel.

Mr. President, the Senate will be in a period of morning business today. There are no rollcall votes. Yesterday, cloture was filed on the substitute amendment to S. 1082, the FDA bill, and cloture was filed on the bill. In addition, cloture was filed on the motion to proceed to H.R. 1495, the Water Resources Development Act. Votes will begin Monday at about 4 p.m., and there will be several votes at that time. We are disappointed we were not able to finish FDA yesterday, as anticipated. I am confident we can finish it Monday night or Tuesday.

We have a lot to do next week. As I have indicated, I am going to move to the immigration bill on Wednesday so debate on that can start on the following Monday. We also have the opportunity to complete our budget for the year. I have spoken to Senator Conrad on a number of occasions. I have spoken to the Speaker on this issue. It is very close to being in a position that we can bring it to the floor. It is my understanding the House will appoint conferees on Monday, and we will do that on the next day. It is a privileged motion. There is 10 hours of debate, and there are some procedural issues dealing with motions to instruct. We will find out how many there will be on either side. That will take up a lot of time.

The WRDA bill is extremely important. It passed overwhelmingly in the House. I hope we can do the same here.

It is my understanding there are two bills at the desk due for a second reading.

I object to any further proceedings with respect to these bills en bloc.

Mr. President, this week a historic discussion began between Congress and the White House about the way forward in Iraq. On Wednesday, a meeting occurred between the President and congressional leadership following the President's veto of a spending bill that would have made America more secure, fully funded the troops, and changed the course in Iraq. It has taken almost 4\1/2\ years, but it appears the President finally is willing to consider what most Americans and Members of Congress have long known, that we must change course in Iraq and move toward a strategy that will make our country more secure.

It took 6 years and 3 months for the President to accept Congress as a coequal branch of Government. Prior to last Wednesday, the President basically had ignored the constitutionally framed equal branch of Government, the legislative branch. From that perspective, it was a positive step forward.

During the first 6 years of this congressional term, the President basically ignored us. There was a big rubber stamp. Anything the Republican Congress thought the President wanted, they gave him. But yesterday, the minority leader and I met with the President's Chief of Staff Josh Bolton to further that discussion that started Wednesday in the White House. I thought the meeting was constructive, comfortable. It is clear, at this early point in the negotiations, that nothing is off the table. We agreed to meet again early next week. Meanwhile, I will be talking with members of my caucus, Senator McConnell, and with our experts, and we will continue to work on ideas for a way forward in the quagmire in Iraq.

I know many of my Republican friends in the Senate believe strongly that a change of course in Iraq strategy is needed, one that holds the administration and the Iraqis accountable for real results. I know many of my Republican friends intend to be part of that solution on the way forward. I look forward to working with them, as I have the last few weeks. Work is now in progress, and we will work to reach agreement on a bill that fully funds the troops while providing a responsible new course that makes America more secure and leads to an early end to America's involvement in the Iraq civil war.

Events on the ground give this challenge great urgency. The month of April saw an American death toll of more than 100, making it the deadliest month of the year for our troops in Iraq and one of the deadliest in the 51 months of this war.

The President's own Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction released his quarterly report last weekend which painted a dispiriting picture of waste, ineffectiveness, and failure to achieve even minimally satisfactory results. Despite burning through most of the 20 billion American dollars planned for reconstruction, most Iraqis are without basic necessities such as electricity and clean drinking water. Only a third of Iraq's children are regularly attending school, and 70 percent are suffering from symptoms of trauma that will likely paralyze an entire generation on which we are counting to harvest the seeds of democracy.

Iraqi Prime Minister al-Malaki, a Shia, is accused of sabotaging efforts for peace and stability by firing some of the country's top law enforcement officials for doing too good a job of combating violent Shia militias. President Bush speaks of pressuring the Iraqi people to take responsibility for their own future. Yet while American troops are fighting and dying to secure the country, the Iraqi Government is planning a 2-month summer vacation.

We throw around a lot of numbers and statistics to highlight the failures and high stakes of the war. We must also remember that behind each of these numbers--104 deaths during the month of April--is a personal story.

Yesterday, a Las Vegas newspaper published an article about a 26- year-old Nevadan named John Shoup. After surviving 7 months in Iraq, John returned home to Nevada without apparent physical injury. Many of his friends were not so fortunate, he said. At home, though, almost immediately, John's wife Lori knew he was not well. She said:

I noticed in the first week he wasn't sleeping . . . he

started to get a little snappy . . . he started crying and

started throwing things.

John told his wife about the four roadside bomb attacks he survived.

The article goes on to say, among other things:

But the worst, [his wife] said, were the times he was

called to bag up body parts of dead soldiers who had been

blown up by improvised explosive devices on patrols ahead of

his platoon . . .

With her husband displaying the same classic symptoms of

PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, she checked him into

a privately owned psychiatric hospital where he was treated

for major depression related to [post-traumatic stress

disorder].

He was given anti-depressants and while he was there, she

said, his first sergeant called to inform him he would be

listed as absent without leave and his paycheck for May would

be canceled if he didn't report back to his squadron in Iraq,

one of the many regular Army units whose tours had been

extended.

Lori Shoup said her husband told the first sergeant about

his battle with PTSD. The sergeant's response to him, she

said, was: ``How's that different from the way you normally

act?'' [She said] that really upset him. It was if they

didn't care.

With his mental problems persisting, John Shoup met with

doctors at O'Callaghan Federal Hospital at Nellis Air Force

Base. Doctors there tried to help him, but on April 16, the

day before he was supposed to report to Fort Drum, his

condition took a turn for the worse. While at home, he took

too many drugs, described as a suicide attempt, and Lori had

to rush him back to Nellis hospital. His stomach was pumped

and he was put in supervised care.

He continues to struggle with his illness and now awaits another transfer from the hospital at Nellis Air Force Base near his home in Nevada to Walter Reed here in Washington.

We all know that war comes with casualties. I have talked about John Shoup. I have read quotes from Lori Shoup, his wife. She is also a casualty. She had to be hospitalized. She had a nervous breakdown.

Our soldiers have always shouldered the burden when the mission is to protect America's security. John Shoup did that.

What is our mission today? When he was asked that question, he replied:

All we do is drive around and wait to get blown up.

Our troops are interjected between warring factions, kicking down doors, trying to sort Shia from Sunni or friend from foe. Meanwhile, Afghanistan is deteriorating. Osama bin Laden remains at large, and al- Qaida is rebuilding its strength. Our current strategy is not a strategy for success. It is a recipe for more death and destruction, overburdening our military and leaving America less secure.

Today's USA Today newspaper talked about a lot of John Shoups. In fact, they said there are 150,000 brain injuries caused by what has happened in Iraq to our troops; 15,000 is what USA Today reports.

We approach these discussions with the White House with an open mind and sincere desire to move forward. But John and Lori Shoup and all Americans deserve to know what our resolve to change course in Iraq will be. Our course cannot be one to waiver from doing everything we can to get the President to change the mission, to transition the mission in Iraq. Fifty-one months of what has happened in Iraq has not been good for the country, certainly not good for the world.

I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the article from the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that on Friday, May 4, 2007, notwithstanding a recess or adjournment of the Senate, Senate committees may report Legislative and Executive Calendar business and that the Record remain open for the submission of statements and the introduction of legislation until 1 p.m.

Mr. President, I know of no further business to come before the Senate today, so I thank the Chair for presiding and I ask unanimous consent that the Senate stand adjourned under the previous order.

Mr. President, today, following any time that may be used by the leaders, there will be 60 minutes of debate on the motion to invoke cloture on the Dorgan drug reimportation amendment, with the time divided between Senators Dorgan and the Republican leader or his designee. The vote then will occur around 10:30 or a few minutes after that this morning. Members who have second-degree amendments to the Dorgan amendment must file them by 10 this morning. A number of other amendments are still pending, and today will be a busy day, with votes occurring throughout the day.

Another issue which will need the Senate's attention will be the conference on the budget resolution. The House is going to act either today or Monday appointing conferees, which will mean we will act shortly thereafter. The chairman of the Budget Committee, Senator Conrad, and the ranking member, Senator Gregg, have had initial conversations about the likelihood of there being motions to instruct the conferees.

Under the Budget Act, there is a maximum of 10 hours of debate to get to conference. I would hope the two managers of that budget resolution, Senators Conrad and Gregg, can make a determination as to how many motions to instruct there will be to give some idea. As I understand the rule, we have 10 hours of debate no matter what. If there are motions to instruct that have been filed and not enough time to debate them, the votes will take place with no debate. I hope there will be adequate time to debate whatever motions to instruct and basic conversation about that most important budget resolution that we need to complete so we can get to the appropriations bills. I will be discussing this matter with the Republican leader and may have more to say during the day.

If there is a lull in the schedule today, we have a number of judges we can vote on. We may do that. Senators Kennedy and Enzi have done a masterful job in moving this matter along. We hope they will continue their masterful work and complete this legislation.

I do say, as I have said, but it is worth repeating, Senator Enzi and Senator Kennedy, some would say, are not a matched pair. They have different political philosophies, they come from different parts of the country. But that is really what the Senate is all about. They have set an example of how individual Senators can work together. They are really exemplary, as far as I am concerned, in being able to move a very difficult, complicated piece of legislation by understanding that this is not the last word. There is going to be a conference. Senator Kennedy has told Senator Enzi that he would be a part of that conference. They trust each other. That is important. We finished the competition bill last week. This is another step forward. I hope we can complete this bill today.

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

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

Mr. President, this is regarding the substitute amendment to S. 1082.

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

Mr. President, this is calendar No. 120, S. 1082.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that there now be a period for the transaction of morning business, with Senators allowed to speak therein for a period of up to 10 minutes each.