Floor Statements

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the pending business be set aside.

Mr. President, I just had the unfortunate experience of being trapped in the Presiding Officer's chair as some of my Democratic colleagues presented a sad scenario of how Republicans had not taken up an important bill that would continue important tax credits for Americans and American businesses. Unfortunately, they failed to admit that we all had a chance to vote on that bill only a couple of weeks ago when Republicans, attempting to work with Democrats, brought all of these ``tax extenders,'' as we call them, to the floor, along with the increase in the minimum wage, which our Democratic colleagues had spoken so often for, and a reform of the death tax, a compromise plan to tax only the larger estates in this country. We put this together in order to try to move some business through the Senate--a very important piece of legislation that we called the Family Prosperity Act because, indeed, that is exactly what it was.

All of us were amazed at how our Democratic colleagues came to the floor and found one excuse after another why we could not vote for this important piece of legislation that would have given the tax credits for schoolteachers who buy supplies, it would have given some breaks to middle-class families who are faced with the death tax on their farm or family business, and it certainly would have given low and minimum wage workers the increase that we talked about for years. Yet the Democrats, which has been their form for month after month--in fact, during my entire time here in the Senate--when we bring something important to this floor, the Democrats block it. Then, as they did today, they come down and attempt to blame Republicans for the bill not getting passed.

I think it is important for the American people to know the truth, particularly as we head toward elections. The tax credits which are so important to America were brought to the floor by the Republicans, with a good compromise package, with an honest attempt to work with Democrats on several important issues. The Democrats to a person unanimously voted against this bill. Now they are here trying to blame Republicans.

I think it is important that we set the record straight. I intend to be a part of doing that as we try to end this session in a productive way next week.

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

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

Mr. President, I said yesterday I am thankful to be part of the Republican majority that understands that September 11, 2001, changed the way that we must look at the world. Republicans are committed to taking action and not just talking about making America safer.

We must track, capture, and eliminate our terrorist enemies before they attack us. We must provide the President and our military with every legal tool available to fight this war against Islamic extremists, and we must secure our homeland by securing our borders and ports.

Unfortunately, the Democratic Party does not seem to understand the true threat that we face with Islamic extremists. Instead, Senate Democrats continue to prove that they are dangerously naive about the grave danger of global terrorism.

Radical Islamic jihadists have made no secret of their goal, which is the complete subjugation of the world to their extreme form of Islamic nationalism.

Osama bin Laden said the attacks of 9/11 were ``an unparalleled and magnificent feat of valor'' and ``a great step toward the unity of Muslims.''

According to the al-Qaida charter:

There will be continuing enmity until everybody believes in

Allah. We will not meet [the enemy] halfway, and there will

be no room for dialog with them.

The Iranian President has called for a world ``without the United States and Zionism,'' saying that the West's ``doomed destiny will be annihilation, misfortune, and abjectness,'' and telling other nations that in order to have good relations with Iran, they must ``bow down before the greatness of the Iranian nation and surrender.''

Horrendous attacks in India, Madrid, London, as well as recent arrests in Canada, Miami, and the foiled London airplane plot have shown that terrorists and their state sponsors have the determination to back up their rhetoric with action.

President Bush and my Republican colleagues have proved that we understand the nature of the enemy we are facing and that we must be just as determined as they are.

Let's be clear. Republicans are not the ones fighting to preserve the status quo. Preserving the status quo is what we did for 8 long years under the Clinton administration--simply responding with a law enforcement mindset while Islamic extremists attacked us and built and financed their worldwide network of terror.

Now Democrats would have us return to the Clinton status quo--a pre- September 11, head-in-the-sand philosophy of ``don't listen, don't track, don't challenge.''

Republicans understand the world changed on September 11 and that we are fighting a dynamic and committed enemy. As we have responded to terrorists, they have adjusted their tactics, and we are continually evaluating and adapting our strategy to meet this evolving threat.

If we don't show the resolve to defeat radical Islamic terrorists in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Lebanon, we will never defeat them anywhere. No one understands the stakes better than the terrorists. That is why there is no in-between choice in Iraq. Either we cut and run and allow it to become a safe haven for terrorism and staging grounds for future attacks or we stay until victory over the terrorists is achieved and Iraq is a stable partner in democracy.

Republicans have proved that we will do what it takes to secure our homeland from all enemies. We are committed to completing our current mission in Iraq and Afghanistan with victory and honor and to create a new generation of freedom and security, of peace and prosperity, for America and the world.

The unfortunate truth is that when it comes to securing America's homeland, the Democrats are dangerously naive. They think if we pull out of Iraq, the terrorists will leave us alone. They have abandoned those in their own party who dare to disagree with the most radical liberals of the far left. Democrats, with the help of their misguided allies, such as media outlets like the New York Times, have signaled to the terrorists that America is tired, discouraged, and ready to quit, encouraging the terrorists to expand their attacks around the world.

Not content to simply heckle from the sidelines, Democrats have actively fought to block the tools that are critical to stopping future attacks. In fact, Senate Democrats united this week in opposition to the terrorist surveillance program, proposing an amendment to the port security bill that denounces this program that has saved American lives.

Just last Thursday, Democrats showed their continued tendency to flip-flop when they issued a media statement outlining their latest security agenda, pledging to ``work to . . . ensure our intelligence agencies have the tools they need to defeat the terrorists.'' Then, 1 short hour later, they again played procedural games to block the Judiciary Committee from further consideration of the National Security Surveillance Act of 2006.

The Senator from Texas, Mr. Cornyn, got it right when he said:

It's little wonder that Democrats have a credibility gap

with the American people on the issue of national security.

Saying one thing [and then] doing another . . . doesn't help

our efforts to win this war.

This week, Senate Democrats continued to prove they are willing to put politics ahead of the security and safety of American families by trying to kill the port security bill with partisan amendments.

The Senator from New York, Mr. Schumer, openly admitted the Democratic strategy of playing politics with national security. Yesterday, Congress Daily reported Senator Schumer ``conceded Democrats were seeking to score political points'' and quoted my Democratic colleague saying: ``This is politics at its very best.''

I believe the American people have a different view of the partisan games the Senate Democrats are playing. I think they believe that this is politics at its very worst.

If Democrats spent half as much time fighting terrorists as they do this administration, America would win this war a lot faster.

Democrats claim to be the ones listening to the American people, but, unfortunately, they are just posturing to win an election. Mr. President, I invite my Democratic colleagues to stop these political games and to join us in helping to win this war on terror and securing America's homeland.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I thank my colleagues for working with me on this important amendment. The amendment that I offered and which is included in the managers' package codifies the current proposed regulations governing the issuance of transportation worker identification credentials--often known as TWIC cards. My amendment would codify in statute a number of offenses which would bar individuals from receiving TWIC cards if they have been convicted, or found not guilty by reason of insanity, of a number of particularly heinous offenses. The amendment would also bar individuals from holding TWIC cards if they have been convicted of or found not guilty by reason of insanity within the last 7 years or have been incarcerated in the preceding 5 years for certain other offenses. This amendment will provide the Nation with assurances that the hard-working men and women at our ports are trustworthy.

It is my understanding that this language will be the Senate position in conference and that my colleagues will fight to protect this language and to ensure that the conference report contains the DeMint amendment.

I am particularly pleased to hear that Cochairman Inouye has agreed to fight for this amendment in conference. Is that understanding correct?

Mr. President, I join my colleague, Senator Isakson from Georgia, in calling for the ceasing of this politicizing of a very important effort and the need to unify as a nation. As we commemorate the fifth anniversary of 9/11, I was reminded of how far we have come since that terrible day in securing America's homeland against future attacks, and how much further we have left to go.

I am thankful to be part of a Republican majority that is taking real action to make America safer, to secure our borders first, to strengthen port security with background checks for workers and scan every cargo container at our busiest ports for weapons of mass destruction.

President Bush and a Republican-led Congress have also shown relentless determination in the war against radical Islamic terrorists all around the world.

We prevented further attacks by uncovering and stopping 15 major terrorist plots against America and likely many others which are not public knowledge. We have frozen $1.5 billion in terrorists' assets in the United States through economic sanctions. We have implemented 37 of 39 recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. And we have liberated more than 50 million Afghans and Iraqis from despotism, permitting the first free elections in either country.

Just this week, the Senate took another important step to keep America's families safe by voting unanimously to pass the WARN Act, an important piece of legislation that will modernize our severely outdated emergency alert system using everyday technology such as cell phones and Blackberrys.

Meanwhile, and unfortunately, Democrats are trying to kill the port security bill by tying it up with political amendments--once again proving that they are willing to put their hope of winning an election ahead of the security of our country.

Unfortunately, during this election year, many of my Democratic colleagues seem more interested in posturing and pointing fingers than in putting forward serious proposals about how to deal with the ongoing terrorist threat. They accuse President Bush and Republicans of being satisfied with the status quo. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The Republican-led Congress has actively fought to secure America's homeland by funding critical ongoing needs of our troops and by increasing funds for border security, while Democrats have blocked commonsense efforts such as stopping the catch-and-release program for illegal immigrants which encourages more and more illegal immigration in this country.

The Democrats have blocked, or tried to block, the renewing of the PATRIOT Act, but we have been able to pass it despite the Democratic leader's claims to have killed it.

The Republican Congress is defending the use of military intelligence and law enforcement resources that have led to the capture of many of al-Qaida's top leaders and have helped to degrade al-Qaida's capabilities around the world. But these very techniques were criticized by my distinguished Democratic colleague this morning on the floor. We have to use the technology available to us to track communications, to stop financing of terrorism around the world, and if we don't we put our country at risk.

The Republicans have supported strong nominees for critical national security and foreign policy positions, such as U.N. Ambassador John Bolton, despite Democratic obstruction.

Again, despite continued Democratic obstruction, Republicans will continue to push a comprehensive agenda to secure America's homeland that will strengthen our borders with additional border agents, enforce immigration laws with worker verification, secure our ports with worker background checks, and support surveillance to find and stop terrorists before they strike.

What is the Democratic plan? The latest Democratic plan to secure our country is to complain about Donald Rumsfeld, to send a letter to the President telling him to do things in Iraq that have already been implemented and, as we heard this morning, to complain about the listening or tracking of phone calls from known terrorists.

I can't put it any better than my good friend, the Senator from Kentucky, Mr. Mitch McConnell, who recently said while talking about Democrats' cut-and-run strategy:

The Democratic leadership finally agrees on something--

unfortunately, it's retreat.

Whether they call it redeployment or phased withdrawal, the effect is the

same: they would leave Americans more vulnerable and Iraqis at the mercy of al-Qaida, a terrorist group whose aim toward Iraqis and Americans is clear.

If Democrats spent half as much time fighting terrorists as they do this administration, America would win this war a lot faster.

Democrats claim to be the only ones who care about what Americans think, but Americans can see through their posturing. Compassionate rhetoric without a real plan for action is nothing more than an empty promise.

Republicans are committed to securing our homeland and have backed up that talk with action. Like my colleague, Senator Isakson, I invite my Democratic colleagues to join us in honoring the sacrifice of those who have already given their lives for freedom by providing real hope and security for all Americans instead of just partisan rhetoric.

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

About 5 minutes.

Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 4970.

Mr. President, I will speak on the amendment and we will call it up once the copies are available to the minority, if that is

Mr. President, I rise today, obviously, in support of amendment No. 4970 which we will distribute in a moment. The Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 required the Transportation Security Agency, which we call TSA, to develop a biometric security card for port workers to limit access to sensitive areas within a seaport. To satisfy this law, TSA is developing a transportation worker identification credential which we call a TWIC card. The law requires that the Secretary of Homeland Security issue a card to an individual requesting one unless determination can be made that they pose a terrorism threat. However, it should trouble Americans that the law specifically allows those who have been convicted of a felony more than 7 years prior to their application or have been released from incarceration 5 years prior to their application to be eligible for a TWIC card. This standard is too lax and must be strengthened. DHS officials need clear rules that prevent those convicted of serious felonies from obtaining access to our secure port areas. My amendment does just that. It takes the standards the TSA uses for airport workers with access to secure areas and applies them to maritime port workers.

Let me make that clear. The exact same standards that are used in our airports for workers are in this amendment to apply to transportation workers at our port. Just like the TSA airport safety regulations, my amendment automatically bars those convicted of serious felonies, which are listed in this amendment, including crimes of violence, fraud, bribery, and terrorism, from being allowed to obtain one of these transportation cards.

TSA's airport rules have successfully kept felons out of the airport workforce, and it is time we do the same for our seaport workforce. Because of the gravity of the threat facing our ports, we cannot afford to roll the dice by hiring convicted felons. The stakes are too high.

When setting policies that will keep our transportation system secure, we are continually told by experts that we must identify and reduce risk in every situation possible. This amendment will prevent high-risk individuals from having access to our most sensitive port areas.

Keep in mind, felonies are serious crimes that are punishable by incarceration or death. This amendment is not aimed at so-called youthful offenses or individuals who have received several traffic tickets. My amendment also does not take away the current ability of the Secretary of DHS to grant a waiver for exceptional cases. Felons, through their previous criminal activity, are more likely to be persuaded to look the other way when a suspect shipment comes through the port. This suspect system could contain a variety of dangerous items--dirty bomb, weapon, contraband to sell that would help finance terrorist operations, just to name a few. Someone who will commit extortion, fraud, or traffic in drugs should not be trusted to protect the security of our maritime cargo. While felons do need a second chance, it should not come at the expense of an extremely vulnerable part of the U.S. port infrastructure.

I know some people may object to my amendment by saying that longshoremen might be criminals but they are not terrorists. I do not believe longshoremen are criminals, by the way, but that is why we need to allow DHS to focus on crimes that specifically relate to terrorism. While it may be true that many of the criminals working in our ports do not wake up with the intent to promote terrorist activity, this does not mean they do not pose a terrorist security risk. What I and many others fear is that convicted felons could pose a security terrorist risk by working with those criminals associated with trying to sneak drugs or stolen goods into this country. It might actually turn out to be 50 grams of plutonium instead of 50 grams of cocaine that could be used as a dirty bomb that would poison--kill thousands of people, or maybe it is not part of a dirty bomb or chemical weapon. Maybe it is just ordinary contraband which could be used to help fund terrorist activity in the United States.

Some others think it is too expensive to automatically exclude individuals who have committed one of these serious felonies from working in our ports.

To those objecting colleagues I would say: please detail to us which one of the airports in their State these offenders should be working at, because the list of felonies we use was lifted right from the same list the TSA uses for airports.

Another argument I have heard is that we are not going to have enough people to work in our ports.

This is an exaggeration. The fact is, the TWIC card will be rolled out and workers who need to have access to the secure area will apply for the TWIC card. As a practical matter, felons know who they are, and they know that they will not be issued a TWIC card. The likely effect is that they will never apply for a card in the first place. The local union will immediately notice that a number of its workers are not applying for TWIC cards. They will then have the opportunity to reach out to their communities and find new union members to fill the spots.

Logistically, this is not a huge challenge. The port of Charleston has 2,000 longshoremen working there. If severe criminality, as outlined under the amendment is rampant within the workforce and is at the high level of 10 percent--which is nearly double the national average for incarceration at one point in their lifetime of 6.6 percent--that would only mean that they would need to replace 200 workers in the whole port of Charleston.

The bottom line is this applies the same protection to seaports that applies to airports. The current TWIC regulatory regime writes their security regulations to fit their workforce. It should be the other way around. The workforce regulations should be written to meet their security needs.

Mr. President, I ask we call up the amendment and have it read.

Mr. President, I allowed the amendment to be read because our critics have already suggested that this amendment would include minor offenses. I will challenge critics of this bill to point out which of these felonies they would like transportation workers in our ports to be able to commit. It makes absolutely no sense for us to spend literally hundreds of millions of dollars as a nation to protect the security of our airports and our ports if we allow the workers who are using this scanning equipment for these inspections to be of a criminal nature.

I thank the manager for allowing me to offer this amendment.

I yield the floor.

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

Mr. President, I will speak on my amendment, which is based on legislation I introduced last year called the WARN Act.

First, I thank the managers of this legislation for their tireless work, particularly Senator Collins and Senator Stevens, who have helped bring this amendment up for consideration.

America needs the world's best port security. This legislation we are debating will help America get it.

While our Nation has come a long way in preparing for the threat posed by natural disasters and terrorist attack since the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, there are still areas where we can and must do better.

If, God forbid, there is a successful attack at one of our ports, minutes will make the difference between life and death for many citizens in the surrounding communities. To save lives, our first responders will need the tools to immediately communicate with people in harm's way.

For decades, the emergency broadcast system has largely been the only available tool. As people are increasingly on the move, getting word out via television and radio alone is not effective. We need to do more.

This amendment does that by building on the foundation of the emergency broadcast system and bringing it into the 21st century. Over 200 million Americans subscribe to wireless services, Blackberrys, cell phones or other PDAs. This amendment leverages these new mobile capabilities, in addition to television and radio, to provide alerts that will save lives during disasters.

Wireless networks have enthusiastically endorsed the WARN Act and look forward to competing with each other to create the best system.

The need for this system is obvious. Whether it is the foiled London airline bombing plots or the train attacks in India, we are constantly reminded we must be vigilant in our efforts to secure America's homeland. One year ago, terrorists brutally attacked the London subway system, killing dozens. We have since discovered that terrorists were targeting commuter lines

running under the New York Harbor. In July, we saw terrorists in India kill 300 innocent men, women and children and injure over 700.

If the unthinkable happens and we are attacked with a chemical, biological or radiological weapon, we must be prepared to respond. The WARN Act does this, establishing a system that represents a major advance in emergency management. One of the most effective ways to save lives is to keep people out of the impacted areas and efficiently evacuate those who are already affected. Under this new system, we will be able to tell some people to stay where they are if it is safe; others can be given instructions to evacuate in certain directions depending on their location and the direction of the wind or they could be told how to avoid the impacted area all together, preventing first responders from being forced to manage new victims.

While the system would be a crucial tool in saving lives in the event that there was an attack at one of our ports, the uses of this new national alerting system extend well beyond terrorists attacks, to manmade or natural disasters. A year and a half ago, a town in my State of South Carolina was exposed to a massive chlorine gas release. The train crash that caused the release occurred at 2:39 in the morning. Beeping television or radio is not much help when the owner is sleeping and the TV and radio are silent. What could have been helpful would have been if emergency managers in the area could have run the cell phones that were designed to turn on in emergencies so the individuals in the affected area could have been instructed to evacuate away from the path of the chlorine cloud and get to safer ground.

Finally, the new system set up by the WARN Act will have significant impact for the response to natural disasters. For example, in the Midwest, tornadoes pose a grave threat. Tornado sirens have a limited reach and can save some, but by leveraging the capabilities of cell phones, we can effectively direct individuals who are in the path of a tornado to take cover or get out of the way.

The applications are promising, as well, along the gulf and Atlantic coasts, where hurricanes often make landfall. This year could still be a strong hurricane season, with predictions of three or four major hurricanes category 3 or above. If one of one of these makes landfall, it will trigger a massive evacuation.

The system created by the WARN Act will provide crucial information to aid in evacuation and recovery. It will alert evacuees to the closest shelter with beds and where water and food is being distributed after the storm and what roads are not usable as evacuation routes.

We all hope and pray disasters--natural, manmade or terrorist--never happen, but we must be prepared. Today, I ask my colleagues to join in supporting this amendment.

Again, I thank Senator Collins and all those who have worked to bring up this amendment. This way we give first responders one of the more crucial tools they need to save lives and secure our homeland.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I agree with the interpretation and understanding of my colleague, Senator Inouye, and thank him for his assistance and support in working on this amendment.

Thank you, Mr. President.

I am afraid if my Democratic colleagues spent half the time helping us fight this war on terror as they do attacking the administration we would be a lot closer to winning this war. But, unfortunately, they are very united in defeatism, in their negative attacks on the President, and, in the process, encouraging terrorists all around the world, sending the signal that America is frustrated and ready to quit.

America is not ready to quit.

As they continue their attacks, I would like to remind them of the progress we have made since President Bush took office. Before President Bush took office, after 8 years of President Clinton's administration, Afghanistan was a worldwide staging area for terrorism, where the training took place, communications were organized, financing took place. Iraq was sitting on multiple chemical weapons in defiance of the United Nations resolution. Numerous terrorist attacks had occurred against our warships, our embassies. And our administration, under President Clinton, did nothing.

Again, terrorism was unchallenged and undetected. President Clinton was doing exactly what our Democratic colleagues want President Bush to do now. They tried to stop the PATRIOT Act so that we would not have the tools to fight terrorism. They have tried to stop the interception of communications from terrorists into this country so we could not find out who they were and what they were planning. They have complained about tracing the financing of terrorism around the world-- when this President took action.

We need to remind our Democratic colleagues that before President Bush took office, 9/11 had already been planned under the Clinton administration, been financed. The communication was set up. All the tools that the President needs and has used to protect us were not used then. So 9/11 has happened.

But since 9/11, this President took action. And with the support of this Congress, he along with his staff has changed Afghanistan. Afghanistan is no longer the staging area for terrorism. And a signal has been sent to any country that does it.

Afghanistan is now a democracy. Women can vote and go to school. Iraq no longer has control of their arsenal of chemical weapons. Iraq is moving toward a democracy, admittedly with many difficulties.

But if our Democratic colleagues had their way, Iraq would become the new staging area for terrorists. Being between Iran and Syria, if we leave before this country can stand up on its own, everyone knows it will be in the hands of terrorists.

We cannot retreat. We must fight this global war that has been declared on us. There is a reason there has been no attacks in this country since 9/11. It is because we have been attacking the terrorists all around the world.

The Democrats are united. They are united in the idea of retreat and defeatism. They attack this President with no ideas of their own. They are trying to take the tools to fight terrorism away from this President--the PATRIOT Act, the interception of communications, tracing finances. On every turn, the Democrats are obstructing the things that have changed with this President that allowed terrorism to grow unchallenged for 8 years under the Clinton administration.

Now my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have stooped to attacking members of the President's Cabinet. I think it is time to get this amendment off the table. It is not germane. We need to get back to the business of approving the resources that our soldiers need.

I would appeal to my Democratic colleagues to stop performing for an audience and help us fight this war on terror.

Mr. President, I yield back.

I ask unanimous consent to address the Senate.

Mr. President, we are at a time of year when Congressmen and Senators leave Washington to spend the month of August back in their States and districts. As I travel around the State of South Carolina, I know that my constituents will want to know what we have done in Congress to secure our homeland, to lower their cost of living, particularly gas prices, and to protect the values that have made us strong and unique as a nation. In short, the people of South Carolina, like the people all across America, will want to know what we have done to secure their future and to give them hope that their children and grandchildren will live safe and prosperous lives.

The Democrat leader recently charged this has been a ``do nothing Congress'' and suggested it is time to go to work on the pressing problems facing our Nation. Maybe he should have extended that same admonition to his Democrat colleagues who have tried to block just about everything that would make our country safer, more prosperous and protect the values that make America great.

It has been said that everyone is entitled to their own opinion but not their own facts. And the fact is, thanks to Republican perseverance and leadership, this Congress has been one of the most productive Congresses I have been privileged to be a part of. I am looking forward to giving the people of South Carolina my report.

Let's talk about securing our homeland. I am proud that, thanks to the leadership from President Bush and the Republican Congress, we have remained steadfast and forceful in the war against radical Islamic terrorists all around the world and that there have been no further attacks on United States soil since September 11.

Republicans understand the war on Islamic Fascism has many fronts: Afghanistan, Iraq, and we see it now in Israel's struggle against Hezbollah. There will be many new fronts. If we do not defeat radical Islamic terrorists in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Lebanon, we will never defeat them anywhere.

Unfortunately, many of my Democrat colleagues, with the help of their misguided allies and media outlets such as the New York Times, have signaled to the terrorists that America is tired, discouraged, and ready to quit. This has encouraged the terrorists to expand their attacks in many parts of the world.

Not content just to heckle from the sidelines, many Democrats have fought to block the tools needed to defend freedom abroad and to defend our Nation at home. Democrats have blocked reauthorization of the PATRIOT Act while their leader boasted ``we killed the PATRIOT Act.'' They blocked nominees to critical national security positions, including U.N. Ambassador John Bolton and the Department of Defense and intelligence officials. They have blocked expediting our national

missile defense system, attempting to cut funding by $50 billion this year, just as the threats from Iran and North Korea increase. They have opposed the terrorist surveillance programs that are critical to stopping future attacks, leading to an attempted partisan censure motion against our President. They blocked measures that would require background checks on workers with access to sensitive sites such as our ports, while wringing their hands over port security. They blocked efforts to secure our border by ending the failed practice of catch- and-release of illegal immigrants. And they have advocated a variety of cut-and-run strategies, showing a complete lack of resolve and a basic misunderstanding about the nature of the global war against radical Islamic terrorists.

Zell Miller, a Democrat, recently visited South Carolina. He compared the terrorists to a nest of copperheads under his porch. He said: These snakes threaten the well-being of my family. I didn't call my neighbors for help or convene a committee to discuss possible courses of action. I took what you might call unilateral action and cut off their heads.

Zell Miller is one of the few Democrats who gets it. Terrorists have proved they are determined to harm us, and they have attacked in Madrid, London, and a number of other places across the world, with recent arrests in Canada and Miami. They have shown they are everywhere. We need to continue our resolve.

There is no in-between choice when it comes to Iraq. Either we run and allow Iraq to become a safe haven for terrorists and a staging ground for future attacks or we stay until Iraq is a stable partner in democracy.

Recently, I met a wounded soldier at Walter Reed Hospital. He had severe head injuries. He had difficulty remembering some things. His only request to me was, Don't leave until we win; make sure our sacrifices were not in vain. He could remember that.

The Republican-led Congress has not forgotten. We have secured America's homeland by funding critical ongoing needs of our troops, by increasing funds for border security, bioterror and pandemic preparedness, by renewing the PATRIOT Act despite Democrat obstruction, and we have defended the use of military intelligence and law enforcement resources that have led to the capture of many of al- Qaida's top leaders and substantially degraded the capability of the world-wide terrorist network.

Republicans will continue to secure America's homeland. We will strengthen border security with additional border agents. We will enforce immigration laws with worker verification. We will secure our ports with worker background checks. We will modernize the national emergency alert system to better respond to natural disasters and terrorist attacks, and we will support surveillance to find and stop terrorists before they strike, regardless of what the New York Times says.

I am proud to tell South Carolinians that Republicans are doing what it takes to secure our homeland from all enemies, and we are committed to complete our current mission in Iraq and Afghanistan with victory and honor. We are committed to create a new generation of freedom and security, of peace and prosperity for America and the world.

Let's talk about our prosperity in America today. I am anxious to tell the people of South Carolina what we are doing to help them make ends meet. Republican tax cuts continue to bring strong economic growth. We have created over 5.4 million new jobs.

As the economy grows and wages rise, family checkbooks still feel the pressure. If you get a $25-a-week raise but you have to spend $50 a week more than you did before for gas, food, or medical care, you are still $25 worse off than you were when you started. Optimism about the economy is fading as concerns over the cost of living have increased. There is no quick fix to this dilemma, but Republicans have a plan to secure America's economic prosperity.

Unfortunately, Democrats have raised the cost of living by blocking commonsense health care, energy, and education solutions while promising to raise taxes.

Let's talk about health care. It is one of our largest and most rapidly growing economic sectors, nearly 20 percent, by most estimates. We still have access to the best health care in the world, but the support system that makes all of this possible is on the verge of collapse--costly premiums, leaving millions uninsured, sky-high hospital and prescription drug costs, overwhelming amounts of confusing paperwork, outrageous cost of medical malpractice insurance which drives doctors out of business and discourages our best and brightest students from even considering the profession.

In this era of fierce global competition, our overcomplicated and inefficient third-party payer health insurance system is bankrupting our companies and raising the cost of living for millions of hard- working Americans.

Democrats have raised the cost of living for Americans by blocking commonsense health care solutions for small businesses and families and opposing prescription drug coverage for seniors.

Republicans have a goal that every American will have a health plan that they can own, afford, and keep. Our plan is to move toward what some call ``consumer-directed health care''--or patient-directed health care--which will unleash the power of free market competition in the health care industry. It will allow health care to function like the rest of our growing economy. It will return control to patients and give them choices so they can shop for the best values. It will strengthen doctor-patient relationships, improve quality, and reduce prices. It will allow us to keep our promises to seniors and give them better choices in the future.

We want to pass small business health plans. We have tried once this year. The Democrats have blocked it. We hope to bring it back before the end of the year. We want to expand health savings accounts, which are a new way to provide tax-free funds for people to shop for health care without a third-party telling them what is covered. We want to talk about allowing people in one State to buy health insurance from any other State in the country. We call it the Choice Act, and it is something this Senate should look at.

We are at a crossroads in health care. We can continue down the same path we are on now, where Washington bureaucrats are making many of the health care decisions, and we can allow the Democrats to continue to obstruct real change or we can put patients and caregivers in charge and lower everyone's cost of living.

Let me talk about energy. It is such an important part of the cost of living and our prosperity. Our Democratic colleagues have a long history of increasing energy prices for American families. They have continually called for higher and higher taxes on gasoline, successfully adding a 4.3-cent tax on every gallon of gas back in 1993.

They blocked a comprehensive national energy policy for 4 years. We finally succeeded in overcoming that obstruction. They blocked increasing American oil supplies by opening some Alaskan reserves. They voted against it eight times over 15 years while gas prices steadily climbed. They have blocked the expansion of American refining capacity and streamlining American boutique fuel bureaucracy that needlessly drives up costs.

This week, over half of the Democrats in the Senate voted against environmentally friendly American deep sea energy exploration that will lower the price at the pump and lower the cost of home heating and cooling. Fortunately, again, we overcame their obstruction and passed the bill.

Republicans have practical solutions on the table, such as deep sea development, that will increase America's natural gas and oil supplies, reduce the cost of gas, and reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

We have a plan to invest in alternative energy to diversify our energy infrastructure and encourage conservation. We can supply affordable, abundant, and environmentally friendly energy. Most importantly, we can reduce the cost of living for American families.

Democrats can follow their leadership's tired, partisan strategy of blocking real solutions and then trying to blame Republicans when the energy crisis does not get solved or we can work together and secure our prosperity and bring down the cost of living for Americans. The choice is theirs.

Education is a big part of America's prosperity. We are in a global economy, and we must invest in flexibility and choices for students and parents. We need to train the best workforce in the world to attract the best jobs in the world right here at home. We can never guarantee our students a lifetime of employment, but we can invest in innovative ideas that will ensure them a lifetime of employability. Only then will success in school actually equate to success in life.

Democrats have blocked education reform for years that will improve our children's future. They blocked school choice. They blocked the expanding of charter schools. They blocked the Workforce Investment Act and the Higher Education Reauthorization Act.

Democrats would rather cater to liberal teacher associations rather than allow schools to specialize to meet the needs of each child.

Republicans believe we must empower students and parents with more flexibility in how they use education dollars. We need to allow schools that are succeeding to continue to do what is working instead of forcing them to conform to an outdated governmental model.

We need to explore fresh ideas, such as strong professional application and skills development programs within our educational system, and more opportunity scholarships and Pell grants for high school students. These ideas and others can help reinvigorate a stagnant educational system that is being insulated from reality by the well-intentioned but misguided policies of the past.

If America is to be prosperous, we need to talk about our tax system and our budget system. Tax-and-spend Democrats are fierce defenders of our Tax Code. It is the most complicated Tax Code in the world. It is among the highest as far as the tax rate. It kills our competitiveness. It hurts American workers by killing American jobs.

Tax-and-spend Democrats block extending tax relief for American families. They block the permanent repeal of the death tax that destroys about 100,000 jobs each year and punishes family farmers and small businesses. They voted this year en bloc to raid the Social Security trust fund to pay for wasteful spending. They would not agree to set aside the Social Security money in a reserve fund.

Republicans believe meaningful Tax Code reform is our only option. At a minimum, we must extend tax cuts that were passed in 2001 and 2003 that return money to hard-working families and will help continue the economic growth that is coming from investment around the country.

Republicans believe American businesses should be able to devote the bulk of their time and resources to doing business, not complying with the Tax Code.

Republicans believe we should trim Government waste and that we can and will balance our budget within 5 years. We believe we should pass the line-item veto to help cut wasteful spending in Washington.

We welcome the Democrats to join us to secure our prosperity and make America the best place in the world to create jobs and do business. Hopefully, they will join us to support the Family Prosperity Act that we will be voting on either today or tomorrow.

This is one of the most important bills of the year, and I have been disappointed to hear all the misinformation about the bill on the floor of the Senate. This bill raises the minimum wage; it will not decrease the minimum wage anywhere in this country. That is a fact. The other information is, frankly, not true. The Family Prosperity Act will raise the standard of living for Americans and cut the cost of death.

We need to talk about our values if we are going to secure our future.

I am also proud to report to my constituents that Republicans are working to secure our shared values, the values that have defined the American character, protected our families, and shaped our society for over 200 years.

I was interested to hear the Democratic leader criticize Republicans for focusing on value issues, such as protecting marriage and prohibiting flag desecration, by claiming--in his words--that we have ``divided our country and distracted this Body from more pressing concerns.''

Over the years, the idea of values has come to be negatively construed by those who would define freedom as the ability to do whatever they want and to have no one tell them it is wrong. I am here to say today that this distorted idea of freedom without values is actually the greatest form of tyranny.

Unfortunately, I am afraid the Democratic leader and others in his party have bought stock in a philosophy that is completely bankrupt. The society that refuses to say that some things are wrong, or give value to things that are right, condemns its people to live under the despotism of fear--for the safety of their lives, their families, and their possessions--and robs them of hope for a better future.

As we fight to secure our homeland, we are opposed by radical Islamic terrorists who hate us for our shared values. These are the same terrorists who devalue their own women and use them, and even children, as shields behind which they carry out their cowardly work. They kill innocent bystanders to prove a political point. They despise our values and will stop at nothing to destroy them and destroy us.

As we fight to secure our economic prosperity, we are reminded of values--the entrepreneurial American spirit and the premium placed on hard work--that have driven an amazing age of innovation and improved the quality of our lives for millions here and all around the world.

The fact is, our shared values--things such as respect for life and the rule of law--are the very basis of our prosperity and security, and we forget that lesson at our peril.

So I am afraid it is a bit shortsighted of the Democratic leader and others in his caucus when they dismiss securing our shared values as unimportant. And, unfortunately, like the other areas I have already discussed, they do not simply dismiss, they actively obstruct.

I am proud to tell my constituents that Republicans have taken several important steps to secure our values this year.

The Child Custody Protection Act was one. Parental notification is required for nearly all medical procedures. School nurses typically will not even give an aspirin to a teenager without a signed parental permission slip. An overwhelming majority of Americans believe that taking a minor across State lines to obtain an abortion without her parents' knowledge is not consistent with our shared values. This important legislation protects the rights of parents to care for their daughters' health.

Democrats have caved to the pressure of their ``abortion at any cost'' industry donors by blocking the commonsense bill from becoming law with procedural delays. They are hoping that the American people will either not notice or forget their obstruction. The cost is the emotional and physical health and well-being of teenage girls and the rights of parents who most want to protect them.

Let's talk about the marriage amendment. The Federal Government has diminished marriage through misguided social programs and court rulings, and the Federal Government is the only one that can fix the problem it has created.

Marriage is America's most important institution. It must be cherished and protected. We cannot allow activist judges to force their personal views on American families that overwhelmingly support traditional marriage.

Democrats have blocked the Republican-led efforts to secure our values by defining marriage as a union between one man and one woman.

Judges are also important to upholding our values. As I travel in South Carolina, time and time again, South Carolinians have asked me to fight for judges who will place the rule of law above their personal opinions. Democrats have consistently blocked and even tarred and feathered well qualified men and women. Republicans have continued to fight, with some success--to mention Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito on the Supreme Court, and we have confirmed 14 circuit judges and 34 district judges, overcoming much Democratic obstruction.

I would like to talk about the National Sex Offender Registry as part of our values agenda as well.

Parents deserve to know when a sex offender moves into their neighborhood so they can ensure their child's safety.

The Republican-led Congress has created a National Sex Offender Registry to protect our families against criminals and their heinous acts. A public database has been created by this bill that will help law enforcement and families track convicted sex predators as they enter communities. It has been called the toughest piece of child protection legislation in 25 years, and I am proud that Republicans took the lead on this.

We also need to talk about stem cell research. Our commitment to scientific yet ethical research is another shared value that has defined America for years. I was proud to join President Bush and our Republican majority to support additional funding for cutting-edge research with nonembryonic stem cells and to ban ``fetal farming,'' which allows human embryos to be created so they can be destroyed for research purposes.

Nonembryonic stem cell research has already been used in over 60 successful human therapies to date. It holds unlimited promise for cures for millions who suffer from debilitating diseases. It proves that we don't have to choose between science and ethics. We can achieve both.

For all these reasons and more, I am proud to be part of a Republican majority committed to securing our shared values.

I think we may be on the 12th or 13th version of the Democratic agenda. I have lost track; there have been so many. But while Democrats promise to travel the country staging press events during August, Republicans are promising, for the rest of this year and as long as we control the Congress, to continue to work for real, tangible legislative solutions to the problems Americans face. Democrats may claim to be the party of compassion, but compassionate rhetoric without a plan for action is nothing more than an empty promise.

I look forward to telling my constituents that Republicans are committed to securing our homeland, our prosperity, and our values. I invite my Democratic colleagues to join us to provide hope and security for all Americans.

I yield the floor.

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

Mr. President, this is that time of year when Congressmen and Senators go back to their States and report to the people about what we have done and what we plan to do. I am looking forward to going back to the State of South Carolina. I know the people are going to be interested in things that are much simpler. They want to know if we are going to help make the future better than the past, if we are going to make them safer, if

we are going to make them more prosperous, if we will do the things in Congress that will protect the values they believe make this country great.

As we think about how we have made this country safer, we can all be thankful there has not been an attack by terrorists in this country since September 11. A lot of that can be attributed to the President, his firm stand against radical Islamic terrorists around the world, and his effort, along with Republicans, pushing the PATRIOT Act to give our Government the tools it needs to track down terrorists.

Unfortunately, as many Americans know, our Democrat colleagues have made it very difficult for the President and for Republicans to do those things that are necessary to protect our people. The minority leader was bragging, boasting, that they had killed the PATRIOT Act. Fortunately, we were able to overrule and get that bill passed so our country will be safer.

Our colleagues on the other side have also criticized the President for using technology to track communications of terrorists and to trace their finances--on every turn, criticizing.

Perhaps the biggest problem we have is our Democrat colleagues do not even appear to know the enemy we are fighting. They seem to believe that if we withdraw from Iraq that somehow this global war against radical Islamic terrorists will just go away.

Most of us who are thinking clearly know that Afghanistan and Iraq are just two fronts in this battle on terror. It is a global war. We see it now in Lebanon. We see it in many places around the world. We have even been able to stop some attacks in the United States. The right is right: We are facing an enemy that is spread around the world. If we allow them to win in Iraq, we will never defeat them anywhere. We are making this country safer. We are doing it despite the obstruction of the other side of the aisle.

South Carolinians and Americans will ask how we are protecting values. Unfortunately, again, I have heard too many of my Democrat colleagues say we need to be dealing with important things and not messing with these value issues. They have tried to block a number of things, but we were able to pass the Child Predator Act, we were able to pass the Child Custody Act, and we were able to get some good judges approved so we can stop the activist courts from overturning our values and our beliefs in this country. We have made progress.

I want to talk specifically tonight about helping Americans make ends meet. I know I have heard this around South Carolina, and my colleagues are telling me they are hearing it all over the country, that despite a good economy, many Americans are still having trouble making ends meet. As we say sometimes back home, there is too much ``month'' at the end of our money. People have gotten raises, but they have also seen more taken out of their paycheck for health care. They have seen the cost of gasoline continue to rise.

We know our Democrat colleagues, for decades, have blocked new energy supplies in this country. They have blocked the generation of electricity with nuclear power. They blocked the development of new oil reserves in Alaska more than 10 years ago. If they had not stopped it then, we would now have an additional 5 percent supply of oil at a time we desperately need it. The point is, my Democrat colleagues have raised the cost of living for many Americans. We have to stop that.

This week we started off well. We passed a new energy bill that will open new exploration in the gulf. We know there are huge reserves of oil and natural gas that will lower the cost of gasoline and make it easier for our businesses to compete in this country. That is something we passed despite Democrat obstruction.

On Friday this week we will take up one of the most important bills of the year. This gets at the recent calls for prosperity that the American people are asking for. We call it the Family Prosperity Act. I call it, raise your standard of living and lower the cost of death.

This bill includes a number of things. It increases the minimum wage but, more importantly, it provides a number of research and development tax credits, tax credits for welfare to work, a lot of tax incentives to expand our economy, increase jobs and help everyone increase their income in this country, not through a Federal mandate but by just letting businesses and individuals keep more of their own money and reinvesting in our economy. That is the way to help increase income. This bill includes all of that.

It also reduces this death tax and gives some permanency out there. It makes absolutely no sense in this country when people pay taxes their whole lives, and when they die we are going to take more of it. We have not been able to overcome the Democrat obstruction to completely eliminate the death tax, but we have come up with a good compromise.

All week we have heard the Democrats in the Senate talking about this death tax, with lots of misinformation about what it really means. The death tax does provide revenue to the Federal Government--last year, about $24.8 billion, which is a lot of money, there is no question about it. But if you look at what keeping that money in our economy would do if we were able to eliminate the death tax completely, a number of economists say this would add $847 billion in capital investment and create over 100,000 new jobs a year.

Simply leaving that money in the economy, rather than bringing it here to Washington, where every American knows we don't necessarily spend it in the most efficient way, it would add over $10 billion in growth per year to our gross domestic product. This economic activity and the tax revenues associated with it would more than offset the loss of revenues from eliminating this death tax.

Let's look at it another way. This really gets back to the American family and what this means to us as a Nation. This death tax provides less then 1 percent to the Federal budget as far as tax revenues. What it does to an individual family, a small business, a farm--I have heard all week this is just the richest people in America. That is absolutely not true. The people who work for these small businesses and farms are not rich. Many times when a person dies, their estate has to sell the farm or sell the business in order to pay, sometimes, over half of what that business is worth. A family may have to work their whole lives to build up this business. There is no reason when they die that we will take half of that value and put it in the Federal Government.

Only the Democrats are going to try to make America believe that somehow we are better off as a Nation, somehow the lower income people in this country are better off if we take money from a family farm or small business or car dealership, if we take that money and put it into Government. Somehow America is better off and this will help the little guy.

What this does, it takes his job, it diminishes our economy because this money will not work as hard in our Government to create jobs and to raise personal income as it will if we leave it where people are investing and hiring people, creating jobs, building our economy, all across the country.

Unfortunately, again, our Democrats are obstructing one of the most important things we can do for the American people at this time. We can keep talking about a good economy, but lower and middle-income Americans are not increasing their incomes as fast as the cost of gasoline and health care is increasing. We have tried to put a small business health plan on the floor of the Senate this year that we think would lower the cost of health care to small businesses to around 20 percent, but it was blocked. We hope to bring it back.

Too many Americans do not have health insurance. Those that do are paying more and more every year. If they get a $25 a week raise and their employer has to take $50 more a week out of their paycheck for their health insurance, they are worse off than they were before. When they stop by the gas station, if it costs $25 more to fill up their car than it did a year ago, they are worse off than they were.

This bill we will be voting on--the motion to proceed--on Friday, we will bring it to the Senate floor to debate and work on it in September. We can send a signal to the people of South Carolina and the people of this country that we care about the problems they are having making ends meet and we are not going to stand for the Democrat obstruction that continues to keep

the cost of living higher by blocking new energy production, keeping taxes high and fighting the things that will actually lower the cost of living such as lowering the cost of gasoline and lowering the cost of health care.

The Family Prospect Act includes the first increase in the minimum wage in almost 10 years. It includes a reduction in the death tax so small family farms and businesses will not have to be sold. It includes tax credits for college tuition, welfare to work, and many other things we know will create jobs. It is truly the Family Prosperity Act.

I call on my colleagues to stop obstructing what we are trying to do. We believe we can raise the income of every American and that we can lower the cost of living if we just work together.

I hope all of our colleagues, Republican and Democrat, will see the individual family in America is much more important as far as their income than the Government. By passing this bill, at least moving on to debate at the end of this week, we will have done a lot to reassure Americans that we do care about lowering the cost of living so they can live more prosperous lives.

Mr. President, I come to the Chamber today proud to be part of a Republican majority that is working to build a future of hope by securing our homeland, securing our prosperity, and securing our values.

This week, we are debating a bill that will lower the cost of living for all Americans by cutting the cost of gasoline, natural gas, and heating oil. By opening additional oil and natural gas reserves in the Gulf of Mexico, this legislation will secure our homeland by reducing our dependence on foreign oil and securing our prosperity by providing real relief to millions of Americans who are struggling to keep up with their rising cost of living.

Unfortunately, while there are some Democrats who are working with us on this bill, most are threatening to obstruct this important legislation even though it would help lower energy costs for American families and increase our energy independence. We cannot allow a few extreme environmental lobbying groups to continue to hold our country hostage.

American businesses, both large and small, are feeling the pinch. Recent estimates show that since the year 2000, 3.1 million high-wage manufacturing jobs have been eliminated or moved overseas, where energy supplies are plentiful and costs are lower.

American families are also struggling to make ends meet. In a recent survey, nearly 80 percent thought the rising cost of energy was hurting our economy and threatening jobs; 90 percent of those polled said high energy costs were impacting their family budget. Despite having been through the warmest winter on record, heating bills for homes that are heated with natural gas and oil went up nearly 25 percent. Last year, the percentage of credit card bills 30 days or more past due reached the highest level since the American Banking Association began recording this information in 1973. The ABA's chief economist cited high gasoline prices as a major factor.

We recently had good news that Republican tax cuts continue to produce strong economic growth and have helped to create 5.4 million new jobs since 2003. But even as the economy grows and wages rise, family checkbooks still feel the pressure. If you get a $25-a-week raise but you have to spend $50 a week more than you did before for gas, food, or medical care, you are still $25 worse off than you were before. It is no wonder that Americans' optimism about their economic future has faded as concern over their cost of living has increased.

There is no quick fix to this dilemma, but there are many things that will work together to secure our economic prosperity. We can address rising health care prices by making health insurance more affordable for small businesses and individuals and by returning control to patients by ensuring that every American has a health plan they can afford, own, and keep.

Unfortunately, so far this year the Democrats have succeeded in obstructing these key things which would lower the cost of health care.

We can also invest in the flexibility and choice necessary to train the best workforce in the world, so that we can attract the best jobs in the world.

Our goal as Republicans is maximum wage, not minimum wage. Unfortunately, again, the Democrats are obstructing ways that we can create more alternatives and choices to improve the quality of our workforce and the amount of pay people earn.

We can also work to increase our natural gas and oil supplies and to reduce the cost of gas, increase America's supply of energy, while we encourage conservation and reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

The good news is that Republicans are working--one step at a time--to secure our prosperity. We understand the American people need real solutions, not more Democrat obstruction.

Some say there has been no coherent Democratic energy strategy since early in the Clinton administration. Well, I disagree. They have a strategy; it is just the wrong one. As you can see from the chart behind me, the Democratic energy ``policy'' is built on two key principles: raise taxes and block real solutions.

The Democrats, back in 1993, attempted to raise the taxes on gasoline by 7.5 cents a gallon. They were unsuccessful there. But with the Democratic majority and President Clinton in the White House, they were able to add 4.3 cents a gallon to gasoline later in 1993.

The Democrats have blocked energy solutions by refusing to write a national energy policy of their own during the whole 8 years of President Clinton's administration. They have tried to block President Bush's comprehensive national energy policy, and they succeeded for 4 years. As we heard from our chairman, last year, we were able to pass a comprehensive energy bill despite Democratic obstruction. The Democrats have continuously opposed our developing oil supplies in Alaska.

Let's look at one chart to show what happened over the last couple of decades. This makes the point about what this does to energy prices. Our graph shows the increase in gas prices since 1991. At every point along the way is when we voted to expand our oil supplies from Alaska, and at every point along the way the Democrats have blocked this and obstructed it and attempted to blame Republicans when gas prices continued to go up.

Let's go back to the other chart. The Democrats have blocked expanding our refinery capacity, which we know is a key element in increasing the cost of gasoline. We look at boutique fuels, which are the regulation that has required refineries to produce different fuel blends for a number of different States. That raises the price. When we tried to change that, they blocked it.

Coming up to today, the Democrats have blocked energy solutions that would lower the cost of gasoline for Americans and then they attempt to come down here on the floor of the Senate to blame President Bush and the Republicans when it doesn't get done. It is clear that active Democratic obstruction has escalated the American energy crisis and increased the cost of gas.

Republicans recognize that our energy problems didn't occur overnight and they won't be fixed overnight. But we understand that if we fail to address rising American energy costs, we will create yet another incentive for businesses to locate overseas and leave American workers behind.

To keep the United States competitive, we must transform our energy policy to meet pressing short-term supply needs, while exploring new alternative solutions to meet the long-term needs for abundant, affordable, emission-free energy.

In the Energy Policy Act of 2005, we did just that, despite Democratic obstruction. Now, our natural gas capacity has expanded by 1.34 billion cubic feet a day, and 25 new nuclear facilities are being planned. If these 25 plants are built, experts estimate that 15 million households will be powered by this zero-emission source of energy, and 120 new, clean, coal-based facilities are in various stages of being planned.

These are a lot of facts and figures to be sure, but the bottom line is that all these numbers translate into real savings both now and in the future for American families.

But we must do more. To address the short-term issue of constantly fluctuating energy prices, we must eliminate Government-imposed regulatory roadblocks in order to increase our energy supply and get these resources to consumers quickly and affordably. We can unshackle American entrepreneurs--the best in the world--and allow them to fully develop our natural resources and still protect our environment.

Our long-term energy policy must focus on creating a diverse energy infrastructure that includes new technologies such as hydrogen, fuel cells, and other alternative forms of energy. Many of these technologies--currently in early stages of development--have shown great promise and can revolutionize the way we fuel our cars, homes, and businesses.

Mr. President, energy costs are on the rise and the ball is in the Democrats' court. For years they have complained about high energy prices and then blocked the very solutions that would lower them.

Republicans have real solutions on the table, such as the deep sea exploration in the gulf that we are debating today. We know it would diversify our energy infrastructure, and it would increase our supply of affordable, abundant, and environmentally friendly energy. Most importantly, it would reduce the cost of living for Americans and stretch their paychecks all the way to the end of the month.

I ask my Democratic colleagues to reject their leaders' tired strategy of blocking real solutions and then blaming Republicans for the problems that remain. Working together, we can bring down the cost of living for all Americans by reducing the cost of gas, increasing America's supply of energy, encouraging conservation, and reducing our dependence on foreign oil.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Forestry, Conservation, and Rural Revitalization of the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry be authorized to conduct a hearing during the session of the Senate on July 27, 2006, at 10 a.m. in SR-328A, Russell Senate Office Building. The purpose of this subcommittee hearing will be to conduct an oversight hearing on the U.S. Department of Agriculture use of technical service providers.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on July 27, 2006, at 10 a.m., in open session to consider the following nomination: Lieutenant General James T. Conway, USMC, for appointment to the grade of General and to be Commandant of the Marine Corps.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation meet to consider the following nominations on Thursday, July 27, 2006, at 11 a.m.:

Charles Nottingham to be a Member of the Surface Transportation Board; Robert Sumwalt to be a Member of the National Transportation Safety Board; Nathaniel Wienecke to be Assistant Secretary for Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs, Department of Commerce; Jay Cohen to be Under Secretary for Science and Technology, Department of Homeland Security; and Sean Connaughton to be Administrator of the Maritime Administration, Department of Transportation.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that on Thursday, July 27th, 2006, at 9:30 a.m. the Committee on Environment and Public

Works be authorized to hold a hearing to discuss the Stafford Act: A Path Forward for the Nation's Emergency Preparedness and Response System.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session on Thursday, July 27, 2006, at 10 a.m. in 215 Dirksen Senate Office Building, to review and make recommendations on proposed legislation implementing the U.S.- Peru Trade Promotion Agreement, and to consider favorably reporting S. 3495, to authorize the extension of nondiscriminatory treatment (normal trade relations treatment) to the products of Vietnam.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, July 27, 2006, at 9:30 a.m. to hold a nominations hearing.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, July 27, 2006, at 2:30 p.m. to hold a nominations hearing.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be authorized to hold a hearing during the session of the Senate on Thursday, July 27, 2006, at 10 a.m. in SD-430.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs be authorized to meet on Thursday, July 27, 2006, at 10 a.m. for a business meeting to consider pending committee business.

Agenda

Legislation

1. S. 2590, Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006;

2. S. , Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006;

3. S. 1838, Federal and District of Columbia Government Real Property Act of 2005;

4. S. 3492, Federal Workforce Performance Appraisal and Management Improvement Act of 2006;

5. S. 3584, Federal Supervisor Training Act of 2006.

Post Office Naming Bills

1. S. 3613, to designate the facility of the USPS located at 2951 New York Highway 43 in Averill Park, New York, as the ``Major George Quamo Post Office Building;''

2. H.R. 4246, to designate the facility of the USPS located at 8135 Forest Lane in Dallas, Texas, as the ``Dr. Robert E. Price Post Office Building;''

3. H.R. 5104, to designate the facility of the USPS located at 1750 16th Street South in St. Petersburg, Florida, as the ``Morris W. Milton Post Office;''

4. H.R. 5169, to designate the facility of the USPS located at 1310 Highway 64 NW in Ramsey, Indiana, as the ``Wilfred Edward `Cousin Willie' Sieg, Sr. Post Office;''

5. H.R. 5540, to designate the facility of the USPS located at 217 Southeast 2nd Street in Dimmitt, Texas, as the ``Sergeant Jacob Dan Dones Post Office.''

Post Office Naming Bills--Tentative

1. H.R. 4646, to designate the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 7320 Reseda Boulevard in Reseda, California, as the ``Coach John Wooden Post Office Building;''

2. S. 2555, to designate the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 2633 11th Street in Rock Island, Illinois, as the ``Lane Evans Post Office Building;''

3. S. 2719/H.R. 5107, to designate the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 1400 West Jordan Street in Pensacola, Florida, as the ``Earl D. Hutto Post Office Building.''

Nominations

1. Paul A. Denett to be Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy, Office of Management and Budget;

2. The Honorable Anna Blackburne-Rigsby to be Associate Judge, District of Columbia Court of Appeals;

3. Phyllis D. Thompson to be Associate Judge, District of Columbia Court of Appeals;

4. Jennifer M. Anderson to be Associate Judge, Superior Court of the District of Columbia;

5. The Honorable Mickey D. Barnett to be Governor, U.S. Postal Service;

6. Katherine C. Tobin to be Governor, U.S. Postal Service;

7. Ellen C. Williams to be Governor, U.S. Postal Service.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet to conduct a markup on Thursday, July 27, 2006, at 10:45 a.m. in Senate Dirksen Building Room 226.

Tentative Agenda

I. Nominations

Kimberly Ann Moore, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Federal Circuit; Frances M. Tydingco-Gatewood, to be Judge for the District Court of Guam; Steven G. Bradbury, to be an Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel; R. Alexander Acosta, to be U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida.

II. Bills

S. 2453, National Security Surveillance Act of 2006, Specter;

S. 2455, Terrorist Surveillance Act of 2006, DeWine, Graham;

S. 2468, A bill to provide standing for civil actions for declaratory and injunctive relief to persons who refrain from electronic communications through fear of being subject to warrantless electronic surveillance for foreign intelligence purposes, and for other purposes, Schumer;

S. 3001, Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Improvement and Enhancement Act of 2006, Specter, Feinstein;

S. 2831, Free Flow of Information Act of 2006, Lugar, Specter, Graham, Schumer, Biden, Grassley;

S. 155, Gang Prevention and Effective Deterrence Act of 2005, Feinstein, Hatch, Grassley, Cornyn, Kyl, Specter;

S. 1845, Circuit Court of Appeals Restructuring and Modernization Act of 2005, Ensign, Kyl;

S. 2679, Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act, Talent, DeWine, Cornyn.

III. Matters

Subpoenas Relating to ABA Reports.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate for a markup on ``The Small Business Reauthorization and Improvements Act of 2006,'' on Thursday, July 27, 2006, beginning at 10 a.m., in room 428A of the Russell Senate Office Building.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Veterans' Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, July 27, 2006, to hold a hearing to consider the nominations of Patrick W. Dunne to be Assistant Secretary for Policy & Planning and Thomas E. Harvey to be Assistant Secretary for Congressional Affairs, Department of Veterans' Affairs. The hearing will take place in room 418 of the Russell Senate Office Building at 10 a.m.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Veterans' Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, July 27, 2006, to hold a markup to consider the nominations of Patrick W. Dunne to be Assistant Secretary for Policy & Planning and Thomas E. Harvey to be Assistant

Secretary for Congressional Affairs, Department of Veterans' Affairs.

The meeting will take place in the Reception Room off the Senate floor in the Capitol following the first rollcall of the Senate after 1 p.m.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on July 27, 2006, at 2:30 p.m., to hold a closed meeting.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Special Committee on Aging be authorized to meet tomorrow, July 27, 2006, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. in Dirksen 106 for the purpose of conducting a hearing.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs' Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, and International Security be authorized to meet on Thursday, July 27, 2006, at 2:30 p.m., for a hearing regarding ``Responsible Resource Management at the Nation's Health Access Agency''.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security be authorized to meet to conduct a hearing on ``Detecting Smuggled Nuclear Weapons'' on Thursday, July 27, 2006, at 2:30 p.m. in Dirksen 226. The witness list will be provided when it becomes available.

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 Thursday, July 27, 2006, at 2:30 p.m.

The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony on S. 3638, to encourage the Secretary of the Interior to participate in projects to plan, design, and construct water supply projects and to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to encourage the design, planning, and construction of projects to treat impaired surface water, reclaim, and reuse impaired groundwater, and provide brine disposal in the State of California; S. 3639, to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the Prado Basin Natural Treatment System Project, to authorize the Secretary to carry out a program to assist agencies in projects to construct regional brine lines in California, to authorize the Secretary to participate in the Lower Chino Dairy Area Desalination Demonstration and Reclamations Project, and for other purposes; H.R. 2341, to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Goundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the design, planning, and construction of a project to reclaim and reuse wastewater within and outside of the service area of the City of Austin Water and Wastewater Utility, Texas; and H.R. 3418, to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the central Texas water recycling and reuse project, and for other purposes.

Mr. President, I come to the floor today proud that Republicans are working to build a future of hope, by securing our homeland, securing our prosperity, and securing our values.

I believe today's debate over the Child Custody Protection Act cuts to the heart of who we are as a people. The ideas this bill is built on--preserving life, protecting our children, and upholding the rule of law--have defined the American character and shaped our society for over 200 years. Our commitment to protecting the most vulnerable among us is the surest test of our shared values and the key to our hope for a better future for our children and grandchildren.

There are very few who would disagree that the teenage years are a vulnerable and formative time of life. Peer pressure and the anxiety it can bring are sometimes overwhelming. From decisions about where to attend college, or to understand the negative impacts of things like drug and alcohol abuse, parental communication and support are vitally important as these young people make these decisions that will determine the course of the rest of their lives. Parents need to be involved. So it puzzles me that those who oppose this bill would essentially give a green light to those who would circumvent State laws and rob parents of the chance to give their young daughters the physical care and the psychological support they so desperately need.

Those who oppose this legislation claim that it would endanger teens facing truly abusive parents. So they want to strip the overwhelming majority of good parents of their rightful role and responsibility because of the misbehavior of a few.

Let's be clear: No one wants to place these vulnerable girls, many of whom have already been victimized by older men, into a situation that creates more fear than they are already experiencing. That is why States have built careful safeguards into their laws to provide recourse to those who have genuine reasons to fear an abusive parent.

I can imagine that the thought of facing any parent, no matter how loving, with the news of an unplanned pregnancy is a scary thing. But as a father of two daughters, I believe I speak for most parents in saying that the health and well-being of my girls is more precious to me than anything else in the world. Much worse than hearing of a pregnancy would be the news that a daughter was suffering from infertility or any of the other severe medical and emotional complications often associated with abortion--complications that, in many cases, might not be caught until it was too late if the parent was unaware of the procedure.

Other critics argue that this bill would add complicated consent regulations or that it would somehow be unconstitutional. Nothing could be further from the truth. This legislation does nothing to override existing State laws or enforce any kind of Federal mandate on States. It simply strengthens the idea that the will of the people of each State, as expressed by their elected State officials, should not be circumvented for major surgical procedures that have such profound moral and medical implications. Furthermore, this bill is designed to uphold only those State laws which have been drafted carefully enough to pass constitutional muster.

I am disappointed that this legislation has only attracted one Democratic cosponsor, but I am hopeful that my Democratic colleagues will not cave to pressure from the well-funded, profit-driven abortion industry, which includes Planned Parenthood and its lobbyist allies at Emily's List and NARAL. While they may provide significant sources of campaign funds, no amount of money can justify their ``abortion at any cost'' mentality, especially when that cost is the health and well- being of teenage girls and the rights of parents who most want to protect them.

An overwhelming majority of Americans understands that taking a minor across State lines to obtain an abortion without her parents' knowledge is

not consistent with our shared values. The Child Custody Protection Act is a well-crafted, balanced piece of legislation, and I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join the American people in supporting it. It is an important step toward protecting our families, securing our values, and building hope for a better future for all Americans.

Mr. President, I reserve the remainder of the time.

Mr. President, I have come to the Chamber this morning to talk about energy, an important issue that affects not only our cost of living but our Nation's security. But before I do, I wish to say I was pleased, as my colleague just mentioned, that last night the Senate voted unanimously to recognize the inherent right of our ally, Israel, to defend itself against terrorist aggression. Israel has a responsibility to protect its citizens, just as the United States does, and no nation should have to live under the constant fear of missile attacks or kidnapping.

The recent violence in the Middle East is demonstrating how broad this global war against radical Islamic murderers really is and how much nations such as Iran and Syria are funding these radical extremists. As Israel fights to defend its way of life from Hezbollah and Hamas and other radical Islamic terrorist groups, America will continue to support their efforts to defend their freedom.

As we fight to secure our homeland from future attacks by completing our mission in Iraq and hunting down terrorists around the world, I am proud we took the time last night to recognize Israel's struggle and express our solidarity behind them.

I would like to spend the rest of my time this morning talking about the energy crisis we are facing at home. Americans everywhere are paying the price.

For years, Democrats have complained about high energy prices and blocked the very solutions that would have lowered them and then attempted to blame Republicans for not doing enough.

American businesses, both large and small, are feeling the pinch. Recent estimates show that, since the year 2000, 3.1 million high-wage manufacturing jobs have been eliminated and moved overseas, where energy supplies are plentiful and costs are lower.

American families are struggling to make ends meet. In a recent survey, nearly 80 percent thought the rising cost of energy was hurting our economy and threatening jobs; 90 percent of those polled said that high energy costs were impacting their family budget. Despite having been through the warmest winter on record, heating bills for homes using natural gas went up over 25 percent. Last year, the percentage of credit card bills 30 days or more past due reached the highest level since the American Banking Association began recording this information in 1973. The ABA's chief economist cited high gasoline prices as the major factor.

One letter I received recently from a South Carolinian detailed how his father, who was on a fixed income, was forced to choose between paying for his medicine and putting gas in his car. Another constituent wrote that rising energy costs seriously threatened her family farm, due to the increased cost of vehicle operation, fertilizer, and irrigation.

With all this news, is it any wonder that Americans are discouraged when they see the partisan obstruction coming from Washington Democrats? The American people need answers, not

more obstruction. We recently had good news that Republican tax cuts continue to produce strong economic growth and have helped to create 5.4 million new jobs since 2003. But even as the economy grows and wages rise, family checkbooks still feel the pressure. If you get a $25-a-week raise but you have to spend $50 a week more to fill up your car with gas, you are still $25 worse off than you were when you started. It is no wonder that American's optimism about their economic future has faded as concerns over the cost of living have increased.

There is no quick fix to this dilemma, but there are many things that will work together to secure our economic prosperity. We can address rising health care prices by passing small business health plans to make health insurance more affordable--another item my Democratic colleagues have obstructed this year. We can return more control to patients by ensuring that every American has a health plan that they can own and afford and keep.

We can invest in the flexibility and choice necessary to train the best workforce in the world. It is not going to help to raise the minimum wage a dollar or two. We need to work on maximum wages for Americans by creating more qualified workers.

We can work to increase our natural gas and oil supplies. That will reduce the cost of gas, it will increase America's supply of energy, and encourage conservation. We can reduce the dependence on foreign oil. There is a lot we can do if we can work together in the Congress to pass new energy legislation.

The good news is that Republicans are working, one step at a time, to get these things done. In the next few weeks, the Senate will debate critical legislation to increase America's deep sea exploration in the Gulf of Mexico. This could help, again, to lower energy costs across the Nation. Unfortunately, some Democrats have already threatened to obstruct this important bill that would keep American energy prices competitive and hopefully lower them in the future.

We are still waiting for these same Democrats to offer any immediate solutions on their own. Strong economic growth in America and around the world has greatly increased the demand for already limited supplies of energy. We are now competing with other nations, not just for jobs but for the energy that powers those jobs.

Our energy problems did not occur overnight and they will not be fixed overnight. But if we fail to address rising American energy costs, we will create yet another incentive for businesses to locate overseas and leave American workers behind.

To keep the United States competitive, we must transform our energy policy to meet pressing short-term needs while exploring new alternative solutions to meet long-term needs for abundant, affordable, and emission-free energy. Currently, expensive and time-consuming permitting processes, extensive regulatory burdens, and overly bureaucratic environmental hurdles have made it cheaper to import our oil and natural gas from the Middle East than to use our own domestic resources. This makes no sense. To address the short-term issue of constantly fluctuating energy prices, we must eliminate these Government-imposed regulatory roadblocks in order to increase our energy supply and get these resources to consumers quickly and affordably. We can unshackle American entrepreneurs, the best in the world, and allow them to fully develop our natural resources and still protect our environment.

The long-term policy must focus on creating a diverse energy infrastructure that includes new technologies such as hydrogen, fuel cells, and other alternative forms of energy. Many of these technologies, currently in the early stages of development, have shown great promise and can revolutionize the way we fuel our cars, homes, and businesses.

Energy costs are on the rise and the ball is in the Democrats' court. Republicans have put forth practical solutions, such as the deep sea development that we will be talking about over the next weeks. These will diversify our energy infrastructure and supply affordable, abundant, and environmentally friendly energy, and most important, reduce the cost of living for American families.

I ask my Democratic colleagues to reject their leadership's tired strategy of blocking real solutions and then trying to blame Republicans when the problems don't get solved. Working together, we can bring down the cost of living and improve the quality of life for every American as we reduce the cost of gas and increase America's supply of energy. We can still encourage conservation, while reducing our dependence on foreign oil.

I yield the floor.

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