Floor Statements

Mr. President, it is with profound sadness that I rise to honor the life and service of U.S. Air Force Master Sergeant David Poirier, who passed away February 28, 2014, while stationed at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. Master Sergeant Poirier was serving his sixth tour overseas as a member of the New Hampshire Air National Guard's 157th Operational Support Squadron. He had also previously completed tours in Iraq, Afghanistan, Guam, Qatar, and El Salvador, in addition to other Guard missions in New Hampshire.

Dave, as he was known to family and friends, was born in Woonsocket, RI, and grew up in Blackstone, MA, where he graduated from Blackstone- Millville Regional High School. A resident of Salem, NH, Dave was an active and respected member of the New Hampshire community in his role as an airman as well as his position as postmaster for the town of Atkinson. At the time of his passing at age 52, Dave had served over 22 years in the U.S. Air Force and had earned the Air Force Commendation Medal twice, campaign medals for Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and the Global War on Terrorism, as well as other awards.

Like many New Englanders, Dave enjoyed the outdoors by taking camping and fishing trips throughout the region. He also took particular pleasure in riding his Harley-Davidson on the back roads of New Hampshire. Most of all, Dave loved spending time with his family, entertaining them with magic tricks and card games.

I had the honor of meeting Master Sergeant Poirier's family during his dignified transfer ceremony at Pease Air National Guard Base. He was a devoted family man and I know his absence will be felt by many. However, it is my hope that during this extremely difficult time Dave's family and friends will find comfort in knowing that Americans everywhere appreciate deeply his vow to defend our country so that the rest of us may continue to live in peace and freedom.

Along with his wife, Kim, Master Sergeant Poirier is survived by his sons Andrew and Bradley Poirier; his daughter Nicole Poirier; his step sons Kevin and Dillon Forzese; his grandchildren Eliana, Kai, and Olivia; his brothers Kenny, Charlie, John, and Bob Poirier; as well as his step father Charlie Caine.

I ask my colleagues and all Americans to join me in honoring the life and service of this brave American, David Poirier.

Madam President, I rise today to honor GEN Robert Cone, commanding general of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command. After 35 years of service, General Cone has announced he will retire from the Army on March 17, 2014, and it is my pleasure to celebrate General Cone's career and express the pride that all New Hampshire citizens feel in recognizing his accomplishments. As one of only 10 4-star generals in the U.S. Armed Forces, General Cone has reached the pinnacle of success for a professional soldier. Perhaps more importantly, he has left an indelible mark on the character of the U.S. Army and the young men and women who comprise the heart and soul of it.

Born and raised in Manchester, NH, General Cone is a graduate of Memorial High School, where as a member of the football team he was inspired by his coach to pursue an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. After successfully completing his studies at West Point, General Cone was commissioned as an armor officer and began a career that would take him around the United States and the world in a range of leadership roles, including Afghanistan as the commander of the Combined Security Transition Command and Iraq as commander of the III Corps.

In addition to his role as an Army officer, General Cone embraced the role of scholar, earning a master's degree in sociology from the University of Texas, Austin, which he leveraged as an instructor and assistant professor at West Point in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership. General Cone also earned advanced degrees from the Command and General Staff College and the Naval War College. Fully engaged in the Army's efforts to improve training and leadership development, General Cone was appointed military director of the Joint Advanced Warfighting Program at the Institute of Defense Analysis, and also led the Joint Forces Command's Lessons Learned Team in Iraq. During his command of the Army's National Training Center at Fort Irvin, General Cone oversaw a shift in training towards counterinsurgency operations at a crucial time in the War on Terror.

In 2011 General Cone assumed command of U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, TRADOC, placing him at the forefront of planning for the future of the Army. He has approached each challenge with the fundamental understanding that war is a human endeavor dependent on a person's will just as much as equipment and machinery. Just one of many examples of the leadership and foresight exhibited by General Cone, he has served as an articulate proponent of ``Soldier 2020'', a service- wide effort to maximize combat effectiveness by casting aside gender constructs. General Cone leaves behind a well-established legacy as commander of TRADOC.

The U.S. Army will no doubt continue to benefit from General Cone's leadership and vision for years to come. I ask my colleagues and all Americans to join me in thanking GEN Robert Cone for his service to our country and wish him the best in his retirement.

Madam President, I wish to recognize the impressive accomplishments of the New Hampshire athletes who will be representing the United States this month in the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi, Russia.

These athletes are an inspiration to all of New Hampshire and athletes around the country. They have exhibited incredible dedication to their respective sports and have proven their remarkable abilities in competitions nationally and internationally. A selection to the U.S. Paralympic team is a great honor and a fitting reward for their years of hard work and training.

With access to the unparalleled beauty and terrain of the White Mountains, thousands of miles of trails, and nearly 1,000 lakes, Granite Staters are at home on the snow, on the ice and in the air.

New Hampshire is proud to acknowledge our State's Paralympians and is excited to show the world their talents during the Sochi games.

Taylor Chace of Hampton Falls, NH will be competing in sled hockey. A 3-time Paralympian, a member of the defending Paralympic gold medal sled hockey team and reigning top defenseman from the 2010 Paralympic Games, Taylor will hopefully help Team USA win the gold medal again.

Chris Devlin-Young of Bethlehem, NH will be competing in alpine skiing. As a five-time member of Team USA and 4-time Paralympic medalist, we are excited to see Chris compete again on the Paralympic stage and hope that he can regain the podium in Sochi.

Tyler Walker of Franconia, NH will be competing in alpine skiing. We are rooting for Tyler who is representing Team USA for the third time, and are hopeful that his previous Paralympic experience and recent successes at the World Cup and U.S. Paralympics Alpine Skiing National Championships will translate into victory this year in Sochi.

Each member of the U.S. Paralympics team has overcome incredible challenges and with their resolve, hard work and courage, they represent the best of our Nation.

It is my honor to congratulate these New Hampshire athletes. I wish each of them, and all of Team USA, the best of luck as they seek to bring home the gold at the 2014 Sochi Winter Paralympics.

The outdoor recreation community has less snow, resulting in fewer tourism dollars. Wildlife health is becoming increasingly vulnerable to disease. What is happening in New Hampshire is happening around the world. We must take action now.

I look forward to coming back later this evening to talk more about what we are seeing in New Hampshire.

Mr. President, I wish to agree with Senator Cantwell, our colleague from Washington State, because in New Hampshire we are also seeing the impact of climate change on our traditional industries. It is contributing to sea level rise, it imperils businesses and homes in coastal communities such as Portsmouth. New Hampshire's very popular Hampton Beach is experiencing greater storm surges and beach erosion. The outdoor recreation community is facing shorter winters, less snow, and that results in fewer tourism dollars.

Wildlife and public health are becoming increasingly vulnerable to diseases. In New Hampshire, tourism is our State's second largest industry. It accounts for $9.3 billion in the State's economy. It provides jobs and economic growth throughout the State, but climate change could put some of New Hampshire's best attractions in jeopardy. The fall foliage in New Hampshire is a main draw for visitors from around the world who spend millions annually to see our beautiful landscape. As climate change continues, those warmer temperatures are causing dulling and browning of climate-stressed unhealthy trees.

Another driver of tourism in New Hampshire is our State's outdoor recreation activities, such as downhill and cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling. As temperatures increase due to climate change, the ski industry has to make more snow, and that increases their expenses. In fact, the EPA has predicted that by the end of the century, summers in New Hampshire could be as warm as summers in North Carolina, which would drastically shorten fall foliage without cooler temperatures starting in September. We are already seeing it in terms of fewer snow days in New Hampshire and earlier ice out on our lakes.

Maple sugar production is being affected. It depends on prolonged cold temperatures with freezing nights and warm daytime temperatures to create the optimal sugar content and sap production. With warming underway, maple sugar producers in New Hampshire tell me they are already seeing an impact on production. According to a report by the New Hampshire Citizens for a Responsible Energy Policy, ``Current modeling forecasts predict that maple sugar trees eventually will be completely eliminated as a regionally important species in the northeastern United States''--that is, if we fail to act on climate change.

New Hampshire's seacoast is facing rising sea levels along our 18 miles of shoreline. The coastline is one of the most developed parts of the State, and flooding could devastate coastal towns and their economies. Ted Diers, who is the administrator of the Watershed Management Bureau of the NH Department of Environmental Services, recently said:

Sea level has been rising at 6 to 8 inches a century. What

we're seeing right now is a tripling of that.

Climate change is expected to cause widespread tree deaths, which could cause extensive wildfires. We are already seeing that in the West. There are large increases in pest and pathogen outbreaks and a lag in the establishment of new forests for several decades. It is also a threat to animals and their habitats.

The moose population in New Hampshire is declining due to warming trends in winter and summer. The fact is that New Hampshire's moose population is down 40 percent this year, and it is the result of ticks. We have not had winters that are cold enough to cause those ticks to die off, and so we are seeing that across our wildlife population.

What is happening in New Hampshire is happening around the world. We must take action now to slow these harmful trends, and we can make progress. We should be looking at all kinds of ways to make progress, to address what is happening to our environment.

I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate to find smart and sensible solutions because New Hampshire's economy, the health of our citizens, the U.S. economy, the world's economy, and our health all depend on it.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I rise today to honor the extraordinary life of Bob ``Mac'' McQuillen, who passed away on February 4, at Catholic Medical Center in Manchester, NH, at the age of 90. Bob was a veteran of two wars, a nationally renowned musician, a respected teacher, a police chief and a friend to all who had the joy of knowing him. He was an icon in New Hampshire and in the folk music world.

Mac, as he was known by friends, was born in Massachusetts in 1923 shortly before the Great Depression and moved north with his mother to New Boston, NH, as a teenager. In 1943, he answered his country's call in World War II, joining the U.S. Marine Corps and serving in the South Pacific. Although he came from a musical family, it was only when he befriended a guitar player during the war that he came to appreciate music. When he returned to New Hampshire in 1946, that love of music grew immeasurably as he traveled around Cheshire and Hillsborough counties in the southwest part of the State, attending contra dances in town halls and churches. Mac fell in love with contra dancing and the rhythm of the music, taking up the accordion and piano in a local band. He even met his wife-to-be, Priscilla Scribner from Dublin, NH, at a contra dance. Mac reenlisted in the Marines in 1951, and for a time before fighting in Korea, he taught marksmanship at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia. It was a critical experience for him as it was in this capacity that he discovered one of his life passions, teaching.

After his tour in Korea, Mac attended an esteemed institution in New Hampshire, Keene State College, graduating in 1959 with a degree in education. Mac put his education to good use right away, teaching shop class and weight-lifting at Peterborough High School, which is now called ConVal Regional High School. He was also one of the bus drivers, and it didn't take long for him to become one of the most popular teachers in the school.

Throughout Mac's 35 years of teaching, he played music constantly and composed over 1,500 of his own tunes. He also created a fund to teach young people contra dance music. In 2002, for his impact on traditional music and dance in New England, Mac received the Nation's highest honor in traditional and folk art, the National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Mac's ability to find the good in everyone and his upbeat outlook on life will be sorely missed. His dedication to his community, his Nation, and to traditional folk music will always be remembered; and his songs, his jokes, and his spirit will live on in the hills, barns, churches and town halls of New Hampshire.

Along with his many admirers and mentees, Mac is survived by two of his three children: his son, Daniel; his daughter, Rebecca; five grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and also his former students, colleagues and lifelong friends. He is predeceased by his wife, Priscilla, and his son, William. The generosity of this patriot, mentor, musician and friend will be dearly missed by all.

I ask my colleagues and all Americans to join me in honoring Bob ``Mac'' McQuillen and his rich life of service.

Madam President, I rise in strong support of Senator Gillibrand's Military Justice Improvement Act. I wish to recognize her and all of the Senators who have worked so hard on this legislation and all of the groups who have been involved.

I was very proud to be an original cosponsor of the legislation, and after more than 1 year of meeting with military sexual assault survivors and bringing attention to this ongoing crisis, I am encouraged by the historic opportunity we have today.

As Senator Levin said, this is an important debate for us to be having. I certainly applaud Senators McCaskill and Ayotte and everyone who has been involved in this effort because I think it sends a very important message to our leaders in the military and to those who would perpetrate crimes of sexual violence.

Today we not only have the opportunity to make meaningful, commonsense reforms to our military criminal justice system but we also have a chance to send a very powerful message to the tens of thousands of victims--many of whom have been suffering quietly for decades--that what happened to them is not acceptable; it is criminal, and it will no longer be tolerated.

Let's be clear: Sexual assault is a crime. It is not an accident. It is not a mistake. It is a violent criminal act often perpetrated by serial offenders. We can't allow sexual assault perpetrators to escape justice in any setting but particularly when these assaults occur within our Nation's military.

Unfortunately, it has been 23 years since the Tailhook scandal, and despite the repeated assurances that the chain of command is committed to addressing this issue, we are no closer to a solution. How long will we wait? How many tens of thousands of our sons and daughters will be victims? How many will be victims without reliable access to justice?

Today we have a rare opportunity to end one of the fundamental structural biases that persists in our military criminal justice system. This is not about undermining battlefield command or good order and discipline. No one wants to do that. This is about access to justice.

Survivors overwhelmingly tell us that the reason they don't come forward is because they don't trust that chain of command. They don't trust that the chain of command will handle their case objectively, a fact that has been repeatedly acknowledged by military leaders during Armed Services Committee hearings. Placing the decision on whether to go to trial in the hands of experienced military prosecutors is a commonsense reform that will go a long way toward promoting transparency and accountability within our system.

Our military's tradition of honor and respect is too important to continue to be plagued by the status quo. We strengthen our military when victims of sexual assault have the confidence to come forward and report crimes and we remove fear and stigma from the process. We strengthen our military when we are able to deliver fair and impartial justice on behalf of victims.

Victims' eyes are on us today. There is strong bipartisan support behind the Gillibrand bill. It is on full display. I certainly urge all of my colleagues to support this measure, and let's make meaningful reform to what has happened for too long to victims of sexual assault in the military.

I thank the Presiding Officer and yield the floor.

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

Madam President, I come to floor today as a cosponsor of the legislation that is being considered now in the Senate, the Comprehensive Veterans Health and Benefits and Military Retirement Pay Restoration Act of 2014.

The package of reforms included in this bill will help provide our Nation's veterans, to whom we owe so much, more job opportunities, greater health care access, improved educational programs, and increased oversight of the disability claims backlog, which is a real challenge that so many of our veterans are facing.

I thank the leadership of Senator Sanders, who chairs the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee. This bill includes provisions that have been sponsored by both Republicans and Democrats in the Senate, which is why more than 20 veterans service organizations have endorsed the legislation, including the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Disabled American Veterans, and the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.

As the heroes of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan return home, they deserve our utmost gratitude and appreciation. Many of our returning veterans served multiple tours of duty, sacrificing so much to protect this Nation. They deserve nothing less than access to the best health care, the best education, and the best opportunities for employment.

Medical care for injured servicemembers is at the heart of the VA's mission. We have a basic responsibility to care for the men and women injured while protecting this country. This legislation addresses one of the most common requests from our veterans: expanded access to the VA's dental care program.

I was meeting with some folks recently who told me one of the biggest reasons our men and women serving in the military on Active Duty are not able to be deployed overseas is because they do not have some of the basic dental care they need. Anyone who has suffered from dental issues knows it can be completely debilitating. So simply put: Veterans should not have to suffer because of a lack of capacity to support this basic medical need.

The bill also contains provisions that will help expand treatment options for young men and women who have sustained major injuries that may prevent them from starting a family. Starting a family is one of the most rewarding joys of life, and we should do everything possible to make sure our military men and women are able to overcome any reproductive challenges they may face.

Access to mental health care and counseling, both for our returning service men and women and their families, is also critically important. When our brave heroes deal with these kinds of health issues, their families are also affected. This legislation would expand mental health resources available to veterans and their family members.

One of the most significant reforms that is included in this legislation is moving the entire Department of Veterans Affairs to an advanced appropriations cycle. This means that Congress would pay the VA's bills 1 year in advance, making it absolutely certain there will be no gaps in funding for veterans programs.

Several years ago Congress moved the Veterans Health Administration to a 1-year advanced appropriation. The intent was to provide increased budget certainty and protection for the hospitals, community clinics, and other health care providers taking care of our wounded veterans. By funding the Veterans Health Administration in advance, Congress made sure that budget delays would no longer affect veterans health care. But the rest of the Department of Veterans Affairs, including the Veterans Benefits Administration, does not receive that advanced appropriation. That means during last year's government shutdown veterans were at risk of not receiving their disability payments, and some personnel involved in decreasing the disability claims backlog were not working. Veterans should not have to wait longer or be put at risk of losing their benefits because of political disagreements here in Congress, and this bill will ensure that will not happen again in the future.

As I have talked with New Hampshire veterans over the past year, this advanced appropriations process has consistently been one of their top requests. I am very glad to see it is included.

The bill also takes important steps to help create job opportunities for veterans. It reauthorizes parts of the VOW to Hire Heroes Act, including a joint program between the VA and the Department of Labor which provides 12 months of training for high-demand occupations to unemployed veterans. So far, this program has provided job retraining benefits to more than 50,000 eligible veterans.

The legislation also includes programs which help veterans train for new careers and identify and apply for existing job openings. It will award grants for hiring veterans as first responders and would cut redtape for veterans seeking licenses for skills they have developed during their military service.

We should do all we can to get our veterans in the workforce. There are far too many veterans, particularly post-9/11 vets, who have not been able to get jobs and are experiencing so many of the unfortunate consequences of being out of the workforce.

This is why I have filed amendments to this bill which will create new tax incentives for businesses to hire veterans, and will make it more affordable and easier for veteran-owned small businesses to participate in Small Business Administration loan programs.

I have also filed amendments to address the backlog at the Board of Veterans Appeals, which is one of the really unfortunate situations we have for our veterans. We have veterans in New Hampshire who have been waiting up to 4 years to have their appeals heard before the board.

Finally, another amendment I filed to the bill is in memory of my friend

Charlie Morgan. Charlie was a member of the New Hampshire National Guard 197th Fires Brigade. After the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, she became one of the first servicemembers in the country to come forward and talk about the challenges of keeping her family and her private life secret while she served in the military.

What also prompted Charlie to come forward was, in addition to those challenges, she was also dealing with breast cancer. Sadly, we lost Charlie last year to breast cancer. She was just 48 years old.

I met Charlie while she was serving as a chief warrant officer in the New Hampshire National Guard, but she had actually enlisted in the Army in 1982. After serving on active duty, Charlie joined the Kentucky National Guard in 1992, because that is where she was living then. But shortly after the 9/11 attacks, she joined the 197th Fires Brigade of the New Hampshire National Guard.

I have said it before and I will say it again today: There is a very special place in this Nation's history for those who step forward to defend this country and protect the very same freedoms denied to them out of uniform. Charlie Morgan never gave up the fight for her civil rights, and neither will we.

My amendment is cosponsored by Senators Mark Udall, Blumenthal, Gillibrand, and the Presiding Officer, Senator Baldwin. It ensures that all veterans and their families--no matter where they live, no matter their sexual orientation--get the benefits they have earned by putting their lives on the line for our country.

My bill passed the Veterans' Affairs Committee last July by a voice vote. I hope, first of all, we will get an amendment process on this veterans bill which allows me and so many of my colleagues to offer relevant amendments which I think would improve the bill we are hoping to consider. I hope my colleagues will support all of my amendments but particularly this important Charlie Morgan amendment because our veterans deserve nothing less.

I yield the floor, and I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on February 27, 2014, at 9:30 a.m.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on February 27, 2014, at 2:30 p.m.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on February 27, 2014, at 10 a.m. to conduct a hearing entitled ``The Semiannual Monetary Policy Report to the Congress.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on February 27, 2014, at 10:30 a.m. in room SR-253 of the Russell Senate Office Building to conduct a hearing entitled ``North Pacific Perspectives on Magnuson-Stevens Act Reauthorization.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on February 27, 2014, at 11:15 a.m., to hold a hearing entitled ``International Parental Child Abduction.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be authorized to meet, during the session of the Senate, on February 27, 2014, at 10 a.m. in room SH-216 of the Hart Senate Office Building to conduct a hearing entitled ``Promoting College Access and Success For Students With Disabilities.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on February 27, 2014, at 1:30 p.m. to conduct a hearing entitled ``Recycling Electronics: A Common Sense Solution for Enhancing Government Efficiency and Protecting Our Environment.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, on February 27, 2014, at 10 a.m., in SD-226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct an executive business meeting.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on February 27, 2014, at 2:30 p.m.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Water and Power of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on February 27, 2014, at 2:30 p.m., in room SD-366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Mr. President, I came to the floor because later today the Senate will vote on a short-term extension of emergency unemployment benefits for thousands of citizens in New Hampshire-- hundreds of thousands; really over 1 million throughout the country-- who are being hurt right now by our failure to act to extend unemployment benefits.

I have heard from a number of New Hampshire constituents since the unemployment insurance extension expired back in December. They make the case much more eloquently than I can about why we need to extend these unemployment benefits. I will read some excerpts from some of those letters.

One of my constituents is a 62-year-old woman from Windham, and she explained that despite her best efforts she will be one of the many long-term unemployed without any unemployment benefits if she doesn't find a job by March. She began working at age 8 delivering papers with her brother. She put herself through college and earned a master's degree with the help of her employer. She wrote:

I am not too proud to do any honest job. I am losing my

house and can't afford to pay my mortgage any longer. There

are so many of us out there.

Another woman from Windham wrote to me. She is 55 years old. She has held a job since she was 16. Last August, she was laid off in a merger. She has been actively seeking a job in her field, which is health care. She explained that her unemployment check has helped her pay for her essential living expenses. She and her sister take care of their 90- year-old parents in their home, and this income is critical not just to her livelihood but to the care of her parents.

Then we heard from a 58-year-old woman from Merrimack who learned she lost her job in May of 2013 and has had nine interviews but no offers. Without unemployment assistance, she will not be able to afford her car payment, her mortgage, food or utilities.

A constituent wrote to me explaining that after 29 years as a teacher, that teaching job has been eliminated. She has been on unemployment since June. She has applied for nearly 100 jobs. Think about just getting up every day, trying to figure out where you can apply to just have a shot at getting back to work. Her savings are exhausted. She is on the verge of losing her house since her unemployment benefits--her only source of income--have expired. She wrote:

This seems unfair to me. Having worked hard and been a

taxpayer into the system all my working life, I fail to see

how not extending benefits will be beneficial to me and the

1.3 million other Americans, especially in light of an

already fragile economy. Please do your best to remember

those of us who never planned to have to depend on

unemployment for this long, but who have fallen victims to

these times.

Then I did a tele-townhall conference on Monday night. I heard from thousands of people across New Hampshire. One of the people I heard from was a woman named Kathy from Danbury. She told me she had worked since she was 14 and she is now out of a job. Her unemployment benefits have expired and she doesn't know what she is going to do.

We need to think about Kathy and all of the people whom we are hearing from in our offices. We are supposed to represent the people who need help across this country. My constituents are exactly right. We are threatening the fragile economic recovery by failing to extend unemployment insurance.

The Economic Policy Institute estimates that the expiration of unemployment insurance is going to cost the economy an additional 310,000 jobs. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that each dollar we spend on extending unemployment insurance generates about $1.50 in economic growth. We learned this week that failing to act has already drained more $2.2 billion from the economy, including $1.8 million from New Hampshire, not to mention all of the people whose personal stories are tragic because they want to work, they are out of a job through no fault of their own, and we need to provide them some assistance while they try and get back on their feet, so they do not lose their homes, so they do not lose their cars, so they can put food on their tables.

I urge my colleagues to come together today. It is time for us to act, to support an extension of unemployment insurance. I certainly hope we are going to do that.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on February 6, 2014, at 2:30 p.m.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on February 6, 2014, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing entitled ``Oversight of Financial Stability and Data Security.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on February 6, 2014, at 9:30 a.m., in room SD-366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Environment and Public Works be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on February 6, 2014, at 10:30 a.m., in room SD-406 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on February 6, 2014, at 10 a.m., in room SD-430 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building to conduct a hearing entitled ``Supporting Children and Families through Investments in High-Quality Early Education.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on February 6, 2014, at 10 a.m.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on February 6, 2014.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on February 6, 2014, at 2:30 p.m.,

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on February 6, 2014, at 10 a.m., in SD-226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct an executive business meeting.

Mr. President, while this is far from a perfect bill, I am pleased that the Senate will pass the Agriculture Act of 2014. This legislation--a result of more than 2 years of deliberation--reaches a compromise that protects small farmers, fights hunger, and saves taxpayers more than $16 billion.

I thank Chairwoman Stabenow and Ranking Member Cochran, along with leaders in the House of Representatives, for their hard work in reaching this agreement.

This year's farm bill makes targeted investments in our Nation's agricultural and nutrition sectors while eliminating some of the wasteful subsidies that cost taxpayers billions of dollars. The bill supports our rural economies and helps protect our farmland and forests for generations to come. And it makes historic investments in fruit and vegetable farming and in organic agriculture.

During negotiations on this bill, I worked with Chairwoman Stabenow and Senator Leahy to ensure that new dairy programs will adequately protect New Hampshire's small farms, which are struggling to deal with high feed costs and volatility in milk prices. I am hopeful that the new dairy program will provide stability for New Hampshire's dairies and create an environment in which these family-owned businesses that are so important to our State's economy can grow and thrive.

I am particularly pleased that the conference report includes language nearly identical to my bipartisan legislation, the Oilheat Efficiency, Renewable Fuel Research and Jobs Training Act.

This important provision will reauthorize the widely supported National Oilheat Research Alliance, NORA, the oilheat industry's national program for research and development, consumer education and technical training. It will allow the industry to continue funding vital national oilheat efforts for 5 years--at no cost to local, State or Federal governments.

Consumers will benefit from the development of improved and efficient equipment, increased safety through technical training, and the availability of up-to-date information regarding safety practices and fuel conservation. Importantly, these objectives will be achieved without raising consumer costs. NORA provides a direct path for responsible, domestically produced and efficient energy consumption without raising consumer costs. Its inclusion in the farm bill is good for consumers, American businesses, and the environment and will provide tangible value for the country for many years to come.

I also thank Chairwoman Stabenow and Senator Wyden for working with me to preserve the Environmental Protection Agency's treatment of regulating forest roads as nonpoint sources through State-adopted best- management practices. This approach will allow for the continued sustainable development of working forests in New Hampshire.

In New Hampshire, more than 100,000 people rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program each month to keep from going hungry. The farm bill reauthorizes SNAP and other critical programs that help millions of American families put food on the table. The bill also contains important reforms that will provide food for our Nation's food banks and improve low-income Americans' access to fruits and vegetables and other healthy foods.

The legislation also improves consumer access to local foods with increased funding for farmers' markets. In recent years, interest in supporting local agriculture has grown significantly. New Hampshire currently has more than 70 farmers markets across the State, with nearly 30 open through the winter. Americans want to know where their food comes from, and farmers want to be able to sell their products in their communities.

The farm bill significantly increases funding for programs that support small and beginning farmers, including greater support for grant programs that enable small farmers to invest in improving the value of their products.

One dairy farmer from Landaff, NH, accessed these programs to help her grow her cheese-making business. Because of the grant, she was able to hire two full-time employees and several

part-time employees, and her second-generation farm now sells award- winning cheeses in stores and restaurants around the country. These are the kind of job-creating investments we need to be making in rural America.

However, while the legislation implements some reforms to subsidy programs that will save taxpayer dollars, it does not go far enough in cutting wasteful spending.

Senator McCain and I worked to repeal a duplicative catfish inspection program at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which has already cost taxpayers $20 million over the past 5 years and has yet to inspect a single fish. Unfortunately, this bill does nothing to end this unnecessary and wasteful program.

I am also disappointed that this bill continues the Federal Sugar Program with no changes. Taxpayers were forced to pay nearly $300 million last year to bail out the sugar industry, in addition to the $14 billion this wasteful program has cost consumers and businesses over the past 5 years. The high price supports and strict trade restrictions continued with no reform in this bill will ensure that sugar remains the most tightly controlled commodity in America.

This bill also continues the wasteful practice of providing subsidies to large and wealthy farm businesses with no meaningful payment limits. Some programs in the bill will allow huge farming operations to receive unlimited subsidies, and the new crop insurance program includes no individual caps or means testing requirements.

The Senate-passed bill would have reduced subsidy payments for the wealthiest farmers, but this provision was removed from the final conference report. And there was no consideration of implementing a provision I offered with Senator Toomey to place a reasonable cap on crop insurance subsidies that would have saved taxpayers $3.4 billion over the next 10 years.

As we confront our Federal debt and deficit and as millions of families across the country are tightening their belts, we cannot justify unlimited subsidies for wealthy farmers and giant agribusinesses.

While I will continue working to end wasteful farm bill programs and protect taxpayers, I support this legislation because it supports New Hampshire farmers and our State's rural communities, reduces the deficit, invests in healthy foods, and helps prevent low-income Americans from going hungry.

Madam President, today I wish to recognize the great accomplishments of the many New Hampshire athletes who will be representing the United States this month in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. These athletes have all exhibited incredible dedication to their respective sports and have proven their remarkable abilities in competitions among their peers. A selection to the U.S. Olympic team is a tremendous honor and a fitting reward for their many years of hard work.

In New Hampshire, growing up on the snow is a way of life. With access to the unparalleled beauty and terrain of the White Mountains, thousands of miles of trails, and nearly 1,000 lakes, Granite Staters are at home on the snow, on the ice, and in the air.

New Hampshire is proud to acknowledge our State's Olympians and is excited to show the world their talents during the Sochi games.

Nick Alexander of Lebanon, NH, will be competing in ski jumping. As the 2013 U.S. National Champion on the K90 ski jump, we are excited to see Nick build on his impressive showings at the Continental Cup and National Large Hill Championships as he competes for Team USA.

Sean Doherty of Center Conway, NH, will be competing in the biathlon. We hope to see Sean, a first-time Olympian, continue his accomplishments from the International Biathalon Union Junior World Championships last year and excel at this year's Olympics.

Nick Fairall of Andover, NH, will be competing in ski jumping. As a first-time representative of Team USA, we have been impressed with Nick's performances in World Cup events and his victory at the National Large Hill Championships. We are looking forward to watching him compete on the Olympic stage

Julia Ford, of Holderness, NH will be competing in alpine skiing. A first-time member of Team USA, we hope to see Julia perform as she did in the U.S. Championships and North American Cup races. As the 2011 NorAM downhill Super G and super combined champion and 2012 NorAm overall and downhill champion, we are eager to cheer Julia on in Sochi.

Kris Freeman of Thornton, NH, will be competing in cross-country skiing. As a well-decorated Nordic skier and representative of Team USA for the fourth time, I hope that Kris will be able to build upon his past experiences and excel at this year's Winter Olympics. We are proud to have Kris representing New Hampshire once again.

Chas Guldemond of Laconia, NH, will be competing in snowboarding. A first-time member of Team USA, Chas has built an impressive resume in slopestyle competitions, and we hope that his success will continue in his Olympic debut.

Julia Krass of Hanover, NH, will be competing in freeskiing. A first- time participant in the Olympics, we are excited to watch 16-year-old Julia compete in the inaugural ski slopestyle event.

Bode Miller of Franconia, NH, will be competing in alpine skiing. As the most decorated US male skier in World Cup history and five-time representative of Team USA, Granite Staters are excited to see Bode compete again and hope to see him repeat his impressive, three-medal performance from the 2010, Vancouver Olympics.

Leanne Smith of North Conway, NH, will be competing in alpine skiing. As a representative of Team USA for the second time, we hope that the combination of her previous Olympic experience and her success in recent World Cup events translates into victory this year.

DJ Montigny of Dover, NH, will be coaching three women on the freeskiing team. A first time coach at the Olympics, DJ was named Freeskiing International Coach of the Year in 2013. We look forward to DJ helping lead Team USA athletes to victory in Sochi.

Many additional Olympians have been educated, coached, trained, or even competed in New Hampshire. These athletes with Granite State ties include Kacey Bellamy, Team USA, ice hockey; Sophie Caldwell, Team USA, cross-country skiing; David Chodounsky, Team USA, alpine skiing; Hannah Dreissigacker, Team USA, biathlon; Susan Dunklee, Team USA, biathlon; Nolan Kasper, Team USA, alpine skiing; Hannah Kearney, Team USA, freestyle skiing; James Van Riemsdyk, Team USA, ice hockey; Ida Sargent, Team USA, cross-country skiing; Mikaela Shiffrin, Team USA, alpine skiing; Katey Stone, Team USA, Head Coach, ice hockey; Sara Studebaker, Team USA, biathlon; and Andrew Weibrecht, Team USA, alpine skiing.

It is my honor to congratulate these New Hampshire athletes. I wish each of them and all of Team USA the best of luck as they seek to bring home the gold at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.

Madam President, I thank the esteemed chair of the Appropriations Committee for her kind words, and especially for all of the work she has done to get us to this point where we have an appropriations bill before us. I know she has worked very hard with Ranking Member Shelby, the House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers and Ranking Member Lowey.

It was Senator Mikulski's leadership on this bill that got us to an agreement to fund the government for the rest of 2014, and to do it in a way that will support job creation, economic growth, and our national security. So I thank the chairman.

I am a new member of the Appropriations Committee. I am currently the chair of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee, and so I also want to thank Senator Hoeven, the ranking member of our subcommittee. It has been a real pleasure to work with him to draft the subcommittee work for the Legislative Branch Subcommittee.

For New Hampshire, this bill includes funding for the continued development for the new KC-46A aerial refueling tanker, of which we are very proud. The first round of those tankers will be based at Pease Air National Guard Base in New Hampshire.

It also makes investments in the new military construction project at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. We are very proud in New Hampshire of both Pease and the shipyard because they play a very important role in our national defense. These strategic investments will create jobs, boost the State's economy, and support our men and women in uniform.

I am also very pleased that this omnibus bill funds the Beyond Yellow Ribbon Program. This is a program that connects service men and women and their families with community support, training, and other services. As

we look at the men and women coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan, the Beyond Yellow Ribbon Program has been a very important program to help reconnect those returning servicemembers to their community. It has also been very important in New Hampshire. The Beyond Yellow Ribbon Program has been critical in States such as New Hampshire with many members of our National Guard and Reserve returning from duty overseas.

The legislation before us also funds the complete activation of the Berlin prison, just as it funds the Bureau of Prisons. In New Hampshire that funding is going to allow us to get to a full complement of about 340 local jobs in northern New Hampshire, which is very critical to the northern part of our State. It is going to provide a $40 million annual boost to the economy in northern New Hampshire.

I am especially appreciative to the chairwoman of the committee and to all of the members for the effort to help the fishing men and women in New Hampshire who have just been devastated by declining fish populations. The bill authorizes $75 million in disaster relief for those members of our fishing community, so many of whom have had their whole livelihoods taken away from them. This disaster relief money is going to help them during these difficult times. It will help them to recover and rebuild what I believe is one of the most critical economic sectors still in New England. It is certainly one of the oldest.

I am also pleased that this bill reverses some of the reckless cuts from sequestration and instead makes important investments in the future of this country--in our education, infrastructure, and in science and innovation.

Yet it also makes strategic cuts. For example, one of my favorites in the bill is that it prohibits taxpayer-funded expenditures on oil paintings for public officials. This is an idea that Senator Coburn and I have been working on over the last year, and I think it is exactly the kind of government spending we need to get rid of. It sends a message--a signal. Even though it is not a lot of money, it is symbolic for the public to know we are trying to address anything we can, and this is one piece we can agree on, and hopefully it will lead to others. The bill also requires all Federal agencies to become better stewards of taxpayer dollars because it invests in inspectors general in agencies across the Federal Government. Inspectors general help those agencies better identify waste and cut spending.

While making smart cuts, the bill also invests in priorities, such as science and innovation. It provides more funding for medical and energy research and development. Very important efforts are under way at the National Institutes of Health. They are finally going to see some relief in this bill.

It supports education, including funding programs such as Head Start, which have been cut under sequestration. Head Start has been cut in New Hampshire. It is particularly important because the more we learn about the importance of how children learn, the more we understand how critical early childhood education--programs such as Head Start--are to their future development.

The bill also makes infrastructure investments, something on which we have been too far behind in this country. It is going to help us as we look at rebuilding our Nation's deficient roads and bridges and creating jobs.

As we all know--and I know the chairwoman would readily admit--this bill is not a perfect bill, but the legislation before us is a product of the kind of bipartisan compromise that we have to have more of in Washington these days.

While I am very pleased that the bill addresses military retirement cuts for some retirees--survivor widows, survivor benefits, and for the disabled--we still need to keep working until those cuts are repealed entirely for all military retirees. It is something that I have introduced legislation on, and I will continue to work on it. I know there is a commitment from so many of us here in the Chamber to address that.

I will also continue to work to provide full funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, LIHEAP, which helps seniors and low-income New Hampshire families pay their heating bills, especially during the cold winter months. This bill makes a small increase in that program, but unfortunately, it is not enough to address the challenges so many families in New Hampshire and in the cold parts of this country are facing as we continue through this very cold winter.

Small businesses in New Hampshire have not forgotten that during the shutdown they faced uncertainty and declining revenues. Federal employees in New Hampshire struggled to make ends meet while being furloughed, and that shutdown--a completely manufactured and unnecessary crisis--cost this economy $24 billion.

I think--in talking to business people around New Hampshire and around the country--one of the most important things that this bill does is it takes the prospect of another manufactured crisis off the table. It puts in place a responsible plan to grow this economy, create jobs, and it takes away the uncertainty that has so plagued families and businesses across this country.

I had the opportunity this week to meet with the head of the business roundtable. One of the things he pointed out to me is that right now we are seeing the lowest percentage of private investment in our economy that we have seen in a very long time--in decades. It is most important that we in Washington provide the business community some certainty so they will make those investments because that is how we create jobs.

We need to put people back to work, and I think this legislation goes a long way to create that certainty and say to the business community and to those people who are unemployed: We are going to keep working on your behalf. We are going to try to make those investments and make sure we create the jobs to put you back to work, to keep this economy strong and growing, and to keep this country competitive.

In closing, I just want to say to my colleagues that now is the time for us to build on this bipartisan success we have seen and that the chairwoman has been able to accomplish with all of her other negotiators. We have this opportunity to build on that and to further promote job creation and economic growth.

Our country needs us to work together on behalf of small businesses, on behalf of the middle class, and on behalf of families. We need to pass this bill. We need to keep working together and address the challenges this country faces.

I urge all of my colleagues in the Senate to support this bill.

I yield the floor, and again I thank the chairwoman for her efforts.

I thank the chairwoman very much.

Mr. President, today I wish to join the New Hampshire chapter of the Military Officers Association of America, MOAA, in recognizing the work of Christmas Can Cure, a New Hampshire organization committed to helping disabled veterans and their families, especially around the holidays. On January 25, 2014, Christmas Can Cure will receive the Granite State Warriors Award, given by the MOAA to New Hampshire organizations making the most significant contributions to the Armed Forces of the United States.

Founded in 2008 by the Carrier family in their Jackson, NH, home, Christmas Can Cure was born from the simple desire to invite returning warriors and their families to experience a white Christmas in New Hampshire. As they further developed their idea, the Carrier family realized that they could give back to wounded warriors and their families by relieving the financial and emotional stress of planning a family vacation for the holidays. The mission of Christmas Can Cure is not only to arrange a fun and memorable vacation, but also to provide servicemembers and their families the opportunity to relax and reconnect.

The organization has enjoyed great success, and has joined with the Wounded Warrior Project to reach veterans around the country. The Carrier family has also recently partnered with the Lee family, owners of Eureka Resort, affording Christmas Can Cure an additional holiday destination in Park City, UT. It is clear that this already well- established organization is continuing to gain momentum and broaden its impact on the lives of veterans and their families across the Nation.

On behalf of the people of New Hampshire, I thank the Carrier family and others who have donated their time and efforts to Christmas Can Cure. The selflessness and patriotism of their mission is a true example of what makes ours such a great State, and I look forward to hearing more stories of

lives that have been touched by the great work of this Granite State organization.