Floor Statements

Mr. President, the Senate will immediately resume consideration of the budget resolution. There are 25 hours of debate time left. The two managers have been doing an exemplary job of managing this bill. We still have a long way to go.

As I mentioned, 25 hours remain. We will have to see how we get to tomorrow morning. As I indicated a couple of days ago, unless the managers can agree on yielding back some time, we will have to stay in all night tonight and be in a position to start voting on the so-called vote-a-rama tomorrow.

We have a number of amendments pending. I am told that we have six or seven pending now. The managers will be making a decision about which amendments will be voted on between 11:30 and about 12:45, when we can pick up another vote--around 12:45 or 1 o'clock. We anticipate other votes from 4 to 6. We may be able to back that off. As soon as the Appropriations Committee completes its work, we can start voting. So from 4 to 6--or maybe it can be 3 or 3:30 to 6.

We have a lot of committee meetings going on today all over the Senate office buildings. We are going to do our best to keep disruptions to a minimum. We cannot guarantee the meetings will not have to be interrupted. I have indicated to the Republican leader that we would not vote beyond 6 p.m. today. That may have to change. We will see if we have to come back after 8 o'clock to do what we can to clear off some of these votes. I would rather not do that, but we will discuss that with the managers and my distinguished counterpart, Senator McConnell.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote and to lay that motion on the table.

The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Mr. President, there has been some confusion as to how many votes we are going to have during this period of time. There will be one more recorded vote. I think in fairness to some people on both sides of the aisle, we will make it a 15-minute vote rather than a 10- minute vote, because some people left thinking that was the last vote.

Amendment No. 525, As Modified

Mr. President, the Committee on the Judiciary has received a request from an attorney with the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a declaration from a former Judiciary Committee detailee for use in a Department of Justice administrative proceeding brought by an FBI employee claiming whistleblower protection. The FBI requests the declaration to address the employee's allegations regarding a conversation between the committee detailee and the FBI employee.

This resolution would provide authority for the former committee detailee to provide a declaration for use in the FBI's administrative proceeding.

Mr. President, we have six votes that are going to be called immediately; 10 minutes plus 5 minutes the roll will be called. Everybody should understand that and not run back to their offices. Ten minutes, fifteen minutes goes by very quickly. There will be six votes, and we have 15 minutes on each one of them.

Amendment No. 507

I move to lay that motion on the table.

The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Amendment No. 477

Mr. President, I rise to honor the centennial celebration of the Elko Area Chamber of Commerce, which will be held April 1. Almost 100 years ago, 37 citizens and business owners gathered to form the Elko Chamber. Their motto was progress, and their goal was to advertise the many resources that Elko County had to offer. Today, the Chamber claims more than 500 members, but their values are still the same--economic diversification, continued prosperity, and forward progress into the future.

During a recent celebration of the Elko Area Chamber of Commerce, board members reminisced about the history of the chamber. They certainly have many accomplishments to celebrate. One of the most successful programs undertaken by the chamber has been their Chamber Checks Program. This effort has encouraged residents to shop at local businesses and kept more than $4 million in the community. The chamber also took the lead in relocating the landmark Sherman Station more than 60 miles to the heart of downtown Elko. Each part of the homestead was carefully deconstructed and rebuilt by chamber members and volunteers. Today it serves as the home of the Elko Chamber.

Over the years, I have been privileged to work with the Elko Chamber and the Western Folklife Center to promote and honor cowboy poetry. This rich tradition is an important part of Nevada's western heritage. Every year, Elko hosts the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, attracting visitors from across the country. The event would not be possible without the dedication of many volunteers and community leaders, including the Elko Chamber.

The Elko Chamber of Commerce embodies the best principles of the residents of northeastern Nevada. It is my great pleasure to honor their centennial celebration before the Senate. I am confident in the continued success of the Elko Chamber of Commerce, and I look forward to working with them for many years to come.

Mr. President, this morning, the Senate will immediately resume consideration of the U.S. attorneys legislation, S. 214, and conclude the final 90 minutes of debate on this issue.

At approximately 11:30, there will be three rollcall votes to complete action on the bill: Votes on two amendments and then passage of the bill.

At the conclusion of ordering passage on the bill, the Senate will recess for our weekly work conferences.

Following the caucus lunch, we will begin consideration of the budget resolution. Yesterday, I was going to ask unanimous consent to begin at 2:15, but I was informed there might be a request for a rollcall vote on the motion to proceed. That is a nondebatable motion, so we will vote immediately at 2:15 on that matter.

As far as the Democrats' time on this matter, relating to U.S. attorneys, the allocation of time on this side will be Senator Schumer, 5 minutes; Senator Murray, 5 minutes; Senator Cardin, 5 minutes; Senator Klobuchar, 5 minutes; Senator Feinstein, 5 minutes; and the balance of the time will be under the control of Senator Leahy.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that be the case.

Mr. President, I would finally say the two managers of this bill, Senator Conrad and Senator Gregg, have done this bill many times. They are friends, and they will do everything they can to cooperate with each other. I hope Members will cooperate with them.

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

Mr. President, I apologize to both Senators. I wanted to say that tomorrow night, unless there is something changed, we will be in session until 1 a.m. Thursday morning. Unless we work something out on the time on this by yielding back time, the next night--that is, Thursday night--we will be in all night. That is the only way the time can be used up. If that happens, our time will be gone at 1:30, approximately, on Friday morning. That is when the vote-arama would start. We have no two men who are more experienced than these two managers. This is a difficult bill. Hopefully, we can work something out to yield back part of the time. If we can't, we have to do that because we have to have final passage or a final vote on this matter sometime Friday. That is where we are. The vote-arama could take us into Saturday. But to get to Friday at 1:30 is going to take all night tomorrow night, all night Thursday night, until 1 o'clock Friday morning.

Mr. President, last Friday GEN John Abizaid handed over the job of Commander of the U.S. Central Command to ADM William J. Fallon and officially entered retired life, a civilian citizen for the first time in more than 30 years.

General Abizaid entered the U.S. Army as a second lieutenant after graduating from West Point in 1973. General Abizaid is among the elite of the Army's infantry commanders--an Airborne Ranger. Over his time in the military, he led paratroopers in several key units of the 82nd Airborne Division, including the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment and the 325th Airborne. In command of a Ranger Rifle Company, he was one of the first commanders on the ground during the invasion of Grenada. He deployed to Kurdistan during the first gulf crisis, was Commandant of West Point, Division Commander of the Big Red One, Deputy Commander of Central Command during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and took over as Commander of Central Command in 2003.

What most has distinguished General Abizaid is his combined ability as both a warrior and as one of our Nation's great strategic thinkers regarding the Middle East. He knows and understands the Middle East and its strategic implications for American security. As a young officer, John Abizaid

learned fluent Arabic, served as an Olmsted Scholar in Jordan, served with the United Nations Observer Group Lebanon, and conducted strategic research at Harvard and Stanford Universities. In his generation, there were few officers with this combined set of skills and experiences, and he served as a role model to those who now protect America's interests and fight for security in the Middle East. In the next generation of officers in the years to come, we will need hundreds, if not thousands, more like him.

I am especially pleased that General Abizaid has chosen to return to near where he grew up by making his new civilian residence in my great State of Nevada. General Abizaid has said that after retirement he would like to continue to examine how best to reform the national security apparatus of our Government to better address the ``long war'' that he believes we are fighting against violent extremism, to empower moderates in the region, and to rebuild the power, influence and security of the United States. He has said he may even write a book on these subjects, and I would hope he would do so. He has served the Nation ably and honorably over the last several decades, and while I wish him his fair share of peace, quiet, rest and relaxation not far from the shores of Lake Tahoe, I believe he has years of additional service to the Nation ahead of him. We owe General Abizaid our thanks and our deep gratitude, and I look forward to working with him in his new chapter.

Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to the longest serving current elected official in southern Nevada, Boulder City, NV-- Mayor Robert Stanley ``Bob'' Ferraro. Later this spring, Bob will retire after 31 years of dedicated public service.

For three decades, Bob has been a civic leader, kind neighbor, and levelheaded voice in the politically active and dynamic community he has called home since 1970. For 17 years, Bob served on the Boulder City Council. Later, he was elevated to serve the city as its mayor. In 1999, he became the first mayor directly elected by the people of Boulder City. During each campaign, he proudly knocked on every door in town--a feat he accomplished seven times.

During his time in public service, Bob has presided over Boulder City in an era of unprecedented growth, expanding from 7,800 residents in 1976 to more than 15,000 today. The community Bob calls home is one of those unique places in America that has managed to maintain its distinctive identity in the face of massive change. Throughout the last three decades of unparalleled growth in southern Nevada, Bob Ferraro has stood alongside Boulder City residents to fiercely defend limited growth policies that have preserved this special place.

Located just 20 miles from Las Vegas, Boulder City was built by the Bureau of Reclamation during the Great Depression as a housing complex for workers building nearby Hoover Dam. While the original residents flocked to Boulder City seeking opportunity, modern times have seen generations of families choosing to reside in this city on the shore of Lake Mead for its superb quality of life, access to outdoor recreation, and sense of community.

This sense of community can be attributed, in part, to Bob's hard work. As mayor, Bob encouraged the development of parks and recreation areas throughout Boulder City. These parks affect the lives of all residents, young and old. From youth sports leagues to adult recreational programs, Boulder City's park system has allowed all residents to continue to enjoy the smalltown feel that makes this city unique.

Throughout his time serving the Boulder City community, Bob never forgot that he was a part of the community. He is a past President of the Boulder City Rotary Club and was named the 1980 Rotarian of the Year. He also served as president of the Nevada League of Cities in 1985 and was named Nevada Public Official of the Year in 1986.

His leadership, sincerity, and poise will be missed. I am honored to pay tribute to Bob Ferraro as he prepares to complete his distinguished service to Boulder City and Nevada. I wish him and his wife Connie, his three children, and eight grandchildren much happiness for the future. Southern Nevada is truly a better place because of Bob.

Mr. President, in today's Congressional Weekly, a respected publication we get back there, there is a column on the last page by Craig Crawford which I think is quite illuminating. It is entitled ``The Firing Squad Backfires.''

The fingerprints of the President's top advisers are all

over the prosecutors' firing scandal, which means trouble for

Bush.

Here is the first sentence:

Of all the scandals that increasingly bedevil George W.

Bush's Presidency, none has more direct ties to the President

than the flap over firing Federal prosecutors.

I rise today to express my strong support of S. 214, Senator Feinstein's legislation to strengthen the independence of U.S. attorneys. There is growing evidence that the Bush administration fired Federal prosecutors for improper partisan reasons. This legislation is needed to protect the integrity of the Federal criminal justice system and the autonomy of the chief Federal prosecutors across the country.

The U.S. attorney scandal is another example of the arrogance of power. As Lord Acton said, power tends to corrupt, and absolute power tends to corrupt absolutely. For too long, the Bush administration-- shielded from oversight by a Republican-dominated Congress--enjoyed absolute power, and they abused it.

After all, this was a President who won two elections by the barest of margins, first by the Supreme Court. Yet after 9/11, instead of uniting the country, he has chosen to push the envelope of his authority. On everything from the runup to the war in Iraq, to the plan to destroy Social Security, to the use of warrantless wiretapping, this administration has governed without compromise.

The political purge of U.S. attorneys is only the latest example of this President's unhealthy disregard for checks and balances. Speedy passage of this bill is only the first step the Senate must take to deal with the administration's dangerous power grab.

We need to get to the bottom of this scandal to find out why these U.S. attorneys were fired. We need to find out whether the Attorney General and his deputies testified truthfully when they first explained the firings to Congress and the American people.

Federal prosecutors are enormously powerful individuals. They are the embodiment of Federal criminal law. They make life-and-death decisions about who to prosecute and who should receive leniency. Their discretion is largely unreviewable. They must be permitted to carry out their solemn duties without any political interference.

No one disputes the authority of the President to name U.S. attorneys at the beginning of his term, subject to the advice and consent of the Senate. But it is unprecedented that U.S. attorneys be terminated in the middle of a Presidential term without proper cause. It is unacceptable for U.S. attorneys to be replaced because they were perceived by the White House to be insufficiently partisan or too aggressive in prosecuting public corruption.

It appears that administration officials took advantage of a provision that they insisted be included in the

PATRIOT Act reauthorization conference report last year. Now it is becoming clear why they stuck that provision in there. This was a plan they had for some time. That law reversed a longstanding procedure that allowed the chief Federal judge in the Federal district court to appoint a temporary replacement while the permanent nominee undergoes Senate confirmation. The Feinstein bill simply restores the pre-PATRIOT Act procedure.

Conflicting testimony and recently released e-mails strongly suggest the American people are not getting from the Bush administration the full story about this scandal.

In the State of Nevada, as an example, Daniel Bogden, a highly respected career prosecutor, was forced to step down. His chosen vocation in life was to be a Federal prosecutor. He worked as an assistant U.S. attorney for a significant period of time before chosen to be the U.S. attorney by a Republican, John Ensign, and by the President, who sent his name to us. We were initially told that Bogden and others were fired for ``performance-related reasons.'' But that explanation proved to be totally bogus. In fact, Dan Bogden's personnel review was glowing. We still don't know why Dan Bogden was fired. What we do know is under the new PATRIOT Act provision, Mr. Bogden could be replaced by someone with no ties to Nevada, and with no input from the Senate. The damage done to Bogden personally is irreparable. He can't work now as assistant U.S. attorney. That is part of the process. That is too bad. He is a fine man whose reputation has been besmirched.

Meanwhile, we learned of a scheme hatched in the White House to replace all U.S. attorneys. At least one U.S. attorney has stated he was forced to resign because he refused to bend to political pressure regarding ongoing investigations. Others were fired under circumstances that raise the same question. In the State of Arkansas, the U.S. attorney was fired and replaced by one of Karl Rove's underlings.

The Attorney General and his deputies told Congress these firings were not politically motivated. But according to newly released e- mails, White House political operatives such as Mr. Rove were involved in the decisionmaking. Kyl Sampson, who eventually became Chief of Staff to Attorney General Gonzales, wrote an e-mail that distinguished between those U.S. attorneys who were ``loyal Bushies'' and those who were not. Dan Bogden and other U.S. attorneys who were fired last December were not ``loyal Bushies.''

What I am worried about--and it hasn't come out yet--is what about those who were loyal Bushies? Were these people prosecuting people because of the political involvement of the White House? Perhaps so.

The real question is whether being a ``loyal Bushie'' meant letting partisan consideration poison law enforcement decisions. Do prosecutors who are ``loyal Bushies'' go easy on Republican corruption? Do they bring cases against Democrats without legal justification? The actions of the Bush administration call into question every decision by Federal prosecutors in corruption cases across the country.

I applaud the efforts of Senator Feinstein, who wrote this legislation and spoke about it early on. I also applaud the efforts of Senators Schumer and Leahy, as well as colleagues on the other side of the aisle who are committed to getting the truth in this matter. I strongly urge the Senate to pass this piece of legislation. Simply put, we need to begin to keep politics out of the Federal criminal justice system, which is the way it has always been.

Mr. President, today, following the remarks of the leaders, the Senate will immediately proceed to S. 214, the U.S. attorneys legislation. Last week, we were able to agree to a unanimous consent that will govern consideration of this bill.

There will be no rollcall votes today. We will, however, have three votes beginning at 11:30 a.m. tomorrow morning. These votes will be with respect to amendments to the U.S. attorneys bill and then passage of the bill.

Following the recess for the party conferences on Tuesday, the Senate will begin to consider the concurrent budget resolution, which was reported by the Budget Committee to the Senate floor last Thursday.

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

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