Floor Statements

Mr. President, the American taxpayers are fed up. They are tired of the pork projects and the billions of dollars being spent on unaccountable, unnecessary, and wasteful Federal spending. Whether spending is a result of earmarks, or the often unsupervised process of Federal agencies awarding grants, spending is out of control.

Americans work hard every day, and they struggle to meet the heavy tax burden that Washington imposes on them. Despite their struggle and sacrifice, Washington has failed to ensure that Americans' tax dollars are being spent wisely. The American public believes, and they are right, that Congress has lost sight of the fact that every dollar we spend here in Washington belongs to them. These are dollars that could have been spent by the people who earned them to care for their own families.

The American taxpayers have had enough. They are frustrated and disgusted. And I join them in their frustration and disgust. Congress has not done a very good job of oversight. It is time for Congress to empower the American people so that government is more accountable to them. That is why I am introducing new legislation--the Website for American Taxpayers to Check and Help Deter Out-of-control Government Spending--or the WATCHDOG Act.

This bill will give our constituents the tools they need to become citizen watchdogs. Americans will be able to see for themselves how their tax dollars are being spent. This bill will greatly improve transparency and help eliminate wasteful, fraudulent, duplicative, and unnecessary spending. It will give the American people the tools to monitor how Congress uses the earmarks process and how the bureaucrats, who spend billions of dollars a year in unsupervised grants, spend their tax dollars.

Americans are aggravated because too often when they learn about wasteful spending it is too late for them to do anything about it. They learn about spending by reading their morning papers after the legislation has been signed into law or the grant money has been awarded. Sometimes that is how members of Congress learn about them as well. It's time to remove the cloak of secrecy that surrounds the earmarking and grantmaking processes. We need to shine a very bright light on how spending decisions are made.

In this case, that bright light will be a publicly searchable online database that provides information on every organization receiving Federal funds. The Office of Management and Budget would be required to make all Federal grant and loan recipient data available to the public.

The data must include information on Federal grant awards, including an itemized breakdown by agency and program. The database must also list all subgrantees of an organization that receives Federal funds. This bill also reforms and streamlines the grant process by requiring organizations that apply for Federal funding to use a single source application number, which they would use for requesting funding from any Federal agency.

Those projects that are using Federal funds efficiently and with positive results will become obvious, and those programs that are duplicative, fail to show results, squander their funding, or act fraudulently will also become obvious.

Here in Washington we have done a dismal job when it comes to cutting out unnecessary spending. By shining a light on this process, the American public will have a chance to help us eliminate billions of dollars in wasteful

Federal funding. We owe it to the taxpayers and to future generations to clean up our act. This legislation gives taxpayers an important tool to hold Congress' feet to the fire.

Mr. President, reserving the right to object.

Mr. President, may I ask the chairman of the committee, is this an increase in funding in this bill?

So this is no net increase in spending in the bill?

I have no objection.

Mr. President, I pay tribute to a great Nevadan whose passing has saddened me and countless others in my State. I hope my colleagues will join me in offering their thoughts and prayers to the family of J.A. Tiberti.

Mr. Tiberti died yesterday. He had called Nevada home since 1941.

I'm very proud to say J.A. Tiberti was my friend. But he was more than that. J.A. Tiberti was nothing less than a deep personal inspiration. He embodied a bold, energetic, upbeat entrepreneurial spirit. The type of spirit that built Nevada, the West, and this country. The type of spirit that inspires and energizes brave thinkers and dreamers throughout America, and has done so since our Nation was formed.

Mr. Tiberti leaves behind not only one of the most proud and prominent families in Nevada but also a legacy of vision and dreams for his community that will last, literally, for generations.

If you drive anywhere in southern Nevada today, you will see homes, businesses, office buildings, and resorts rising out of the desert and forming the fastest growing communities in America. These are all testaments to the allure of Nevada and the spirit of the people who call it home. And on many of those rising structures you will see the Tiberti name. It is a testament to a man who dedicated his life to helping build his community.

Tiberti Construction is one of the most successful and thriving businesses in the country. At this moment, hundreds of students are pursuing higher education at the University of Nevada Las Vegas within walls and under roofs built by Tiberti Construction. The men and women of our military are training to defend our country at Nellis Air Force Base inside buildings erected by J.A. Tiberti's company.

J.A. Tiberti's generosity and philanthropic efforts are well known and talked about by all who knew him, but never by Mr. Tiberti himself. His willingness to donate to causes close to his heart was matched by his reluctance to speak of them or try to gain publicity for himself. It is remarkable that a man of such success and generosity was also blessed with a humility that prevented him from boasting of his accomplishments and contributions. I will tell you, as a small example, that the alumni center and engineering complex at UNLV exist today because of J.A. Tiberti.

His humble nature was inherited from his parents, hardworking immigrants from Italy who lived and worked in a coal mining camp. His father went off to work in the mines at 2 a.m., checking for dangerous gasses that could put the other workers' lives in danger.

When J.A. Tiberti began having success in the construction business his values never left him. An interviewer once asked him how he had achieved success early on and, instead of citing business plans or wise investments, J.A. Tiberti said it was honesty and sincerity that laid the groundwork for his business.

Two years ago, J.A. Tiberti was inducted into the Nevada Business Hall of Fame. He has served on too many planning commissions, advisory boards, finance committees, and professional societies to name here, and his commitment to community service was recognized in 1987 when he was named Most Distinguished Nevadan.

Today the Tiberti family is also grounded in those values, and their success reflects the hard work and generosity of their patriarch. J.A. Tiberti leaves behind six children, 21 grandchildren, and six great- grandchildren.

I know they are proud to carry on the Tiberti name and, through our sadness over his passing, we Nevadans are proud that he chose our state to raise his family and to call home.

Objection.

Reserving the right to object, I support the Senator from New Jersey. I support the intent of his amendment and realize there is a severe emergency in Darfur about which many of us feel strongly, and we need to do something there. During consideration of this bill, we have been trying to hold the line on spending, to reprioritize. If there is something else the Senator can offer as an offset for this increase in spending, I would be more than happy to let the amendment be debated and voted on. But without an offset, I object.

Objection.

Reserving the right to object, what I understand is that the Senator from New Jersey is going to send an amendment to the desk that has an offset for the funding for Darfur, and with that as a modification to the unanimous consent request, I will not object.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to consideration of S. Res. 461, which was submitted earlier today.

I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Judiciary Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. Con. Res. 91 and that the Senate then proceed to its consideration.

I ask unanimous consent that the concurrent resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid on the table, that any statements be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H. Con Res. 349, just received from the House, and at the desk.

I ask unanimous consent that the concurrent resolution be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the HELP Committee be discharged from further consideration and the Senate now proceed to S. Res. 408.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 324, S. 1003.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported amendments be agreed to, the McCain amendments at the desk be agreed to, the bill, as amended, be read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table and that any statements related to the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand in adjournment until 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 3. I further ask unanimous consent that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved, that there then be a period of morning business for up to 30 minutes with the majority in control of the first 15 minutes to be followed by 15 minutes under the control of the minority; provided further that the Senate then resume consideration of H.R. 4939.

I further ask unanimous consent that there be 1 hour of debate with Senator Coburn controlling 30 minutes, Senator Feinstein 15 minutes, and Senator Boxer 15 minutes, and that the vote occur in relation to Division XIX of the pending amendment with no amendment in order to the division prior to the vote.

Mr. President, I now ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding adjournment of the Senate, all time count against the limitation under rule XXII.

Mr. President, today cloture was invoked on the emergency supplemental appropriations bill. We have disposed of many amendments, but we still have some pending amendments remaining that will need to be disposed of. Tomorrow will be a busy day, and votes can be expected throughout the day as we attempt to finish action on this emergency supplemental appropriations bill.

Mr. President, do I have the floor?

Mr. President, I have the floor.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Motion to Recommit

Mr. President, I want to thank Senators McCain, Graham, DeMint, Sununu, and Coburn for joining me in a motion to commit that I will raise in a minute. I believe the Appropriations Committee needs to go back to the drawing board to come up with a bill that does not exceed the President's request of $94.5 billion in emergency spending. Let me be clear--I don't agree with everything in the President's request--I do believe that we should not spend above the total level of his request.

The emergency supplemental appropriations bill we are considering today provides funds necessary to support our troops who are fighting to make our nation more secure. This bill provides $72 billion for defense. Much of this funding is absolutely critical. It will ensure that our troops have the safest and most up-to-date equipment, as they serve in harm's way, in order to protect each of us.

That is why I support many of the provisions of this supplemental appropriations bill. I am, however, disappointed that this bill includes so much unnecessary, and in fact wasteful, spending. Spending that is not related to the emergency needs of the military. Spending that was not requested by the President, the Commander-in-Chief of our Nation's military.

In my opinion, this bill abuses the spending process. Certain provisions in this bill clearly reflect that the Senate is using our troops to push wasteful spending through Congress. That is simply wrong.

Congressional spending is out of control. So much spending in Washington is simply wasteful. We are running huge deficits as a result of too much spending. The American public understands all of this. What I can't understand is why Congress does not.

This bill has questionable and unnecessary spending. The purpose of an ``emergency supplemental'' is to provide spending to address national emergencies. Last year's budget contained a comprehensive explanation of what constitutes an emergency. The budget states that an emergency addresses a situation that is ``necessary, essential, or vital.'' Much of the spending included in this emergency supplemental appropriations bill does not meet the budget's definition of an emergency. This bill shows that the Senate has no concept of what an ``emergency'' is.

Congress has a responsibility to ensure that taxpayer dollars are being spent wisely. We should not, in good conscience, continue to pass off trillions of dollars in debt to our children and grandchildren in order to fund extraneous nondefense spending. If we enact this bill, Congress will not be acting as good stewards. I agree with the President when he says ``taxpayer dollars should be spent wisely, or not at all.'' Sadly, there is a great deal of spending in this bill that should not be spent at all.

I make a motion to recommit the underlying bill to the Committee on Appropriations with instructions that it be reported back with total net spending not to exceed $94.5 billion.

Mr. President, I will yield to the Senator from Arizona for a question without losing my right to the floor.

I thank my colleague from Arizona for his question. It is important for my colleagues to understand the substance of this motion. This motion only sets the spending ceiling for this bill. We are not singling out anyone's projects with this motion. We are not stripping funding for any provision.

This motion sends the bill back to the Appropriations Committee for further consideration. It preserves the rights of the committee to determine the level of spending for each program.

We are not taking anything away from the committee's jurisdiction. The motion lets the committee make their decisions but within the top line number that the President called for yesterday.

If the Appropriations Committee wants to fund items in this bill that were not requested by the President, they can do so. But they must pay for it. They must find offsets. That is what this motion does. We were sent here to make decisions, sometimes hard ones. This motion ensures that this Congress makes tough decisions today rather than heaping debt on to the backs of our children and grandchildren.

Mr. President, I rise to introduce legislation to help individuals, small businesses, and the uninsured afford health insurance coverage. Today, 60 percent of Americans obtain health insurance coverage through their employers. The system of employer- sponsored health insurance has long provided coverage to the vast majority of America's workers and their families. However, a significant number of Americans, particularly those who work for small businesses, lack access to coverage through the employment-based system.

Employees of small businesses often go uninsured or purchase health insurance coverage on their own because continuing double-digit cost increases and burdensome state regulations are making it difficult for small employers to offer health insurance coverage.

Health insurance is valuable for a number of reasons. People who are insured are protected against uncertain and high medical expenses and are more likely to receive needed and appropriate health care. Having health insurance is also associated with improved health outcomes and lower mortality, so employees with health insurance are more likely to be productive workers.

Health savings accounts have become an important option for individuals and small businesses who have struggled to afford health insurance coverage.

The Affordability in the Individual Market Act, also known as the AIM Act, builds on the foundation of a previously passed law that established Health Savings Accounts. These accounts allow individuals with high-deductible health insurance to set aside money, tax free, up to a set limit, to use for routine medical expenses.

You can make a contribution to Health Savings Accounts or your employer can make a contribution to the account. If you don't use all the money in a year you can roll it over, tax free, to meet future expenses.

Today, individuals trying to build up a nest egg for their retiree health expenses through a Health Savings Account are not able to use these funds to purchase their health insurance, except under limited circumstances.

The AIM Act would expand the definition of what is considered a ``qualified medical expense'' under the Internal Revenue Code to allow individuals and families who purchase high-deductible health plans on their own to use their Health Savings Accounts to pay plan premiums. It seems completely reasonable to allow these individuals to pay high- deductible health plan premiums with Health Savings Account dollars.

I ask my colleagues to consider cosponsoring this responsible, common-sense legislation.

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

Mr. President, what is the pending business?

Mr. President, if the Senator will yield, how long will he speak?

Would the Senator mind if I went for maybe 2 or 3 minutes?

Mr. President, to be fair, realizing that there will be objection to laying down amendments, I would speak maybe 2 or 3 minutes total.

Mr. President, at the end of my remarks, I will ask to lay the pending business aside. Let me speak for a moment on the issue of immigration.

We are dealing with one of the most difficult issues that we will consider this year. It is difficult from a political standpoint, and it is difficult from a policy standpoint.

If we could poll all 100 Senators, we would probably have 100 different ways of solving the problem of illegal immigration.

However, I think we can all agree that we need to secure our borders. This should be our number one priority, and our national security depends on it. Then, we can begin to consider other reforms.

I, personally, believe it is important that we first secure all of our borders, including our Southern border, our Northern border, and our ports. Once we have secured our borders, as part of a comprehensive reform effort, we can then consider a temporary worker program. This program should require the worker to be continuously employed. It should also ensure that workers are contributing members of society, and are working to become proficient in English. In addition, this program should encourage the worker to have health care coverage.

I have drafted several amendments that are different from the current underlying bill. It is important that these amendments and other legislative proposals be considered for debate.

It is unfortunate that the other side is blocking the amendment process on the bill. They don't want to take some tough votes. I understand that. However, immigration reform is a critical issue facing our country. We must have a full debate in the Senate, which includes an opportunity to bring up amendments, have votes on them, and then determine how to proceed. I, and many of my colleagues, have several amendments that I believe will be very constructive to this process.

Many of us want a verifiable database from which employers can search for the legal work status of their employees. It may be several years before we can actually have that database up and running. The technical problems associated with the database are not addressed in the current underlying bill. I believe some of my colleagues have offered an amendment to address this important issue, and I believe my colleagues should be heard.

We also have to look at Social Security. Two of my amendments address serious issues related to Social Security.

In order to qualify for full Social Security retirement benefits, a worker must work a minimum of 10 years. Under current law, individuals who work in the United States illegally, and later obtain legal employment status, can use their illegal work history to qualify for benefits.

The promise of Social Security is for citizens and legal residents of the United States. It was not intended for individuals who enter our country illegally, purchase fraudulent green cards and documentation on the black market, and use them to get jobs. At a time when the solvency of our Social Security system is in question, it is wrong to allow those who have broken our laws to receive credit for their illegal work history.

In addition, I have serious concerns about the proposed Totalization Agreement with Mexico and its impact on the Social Security Trust Fund. The effects of the Totalization Agreement depend on the specific terms and language included in the agreement. We

do not know the terms of the agreement and will not know the exact terms until the President submits the agreement to Congress. We also don't know the exact cost of a Totalization Agreement with Mexico. I am concerned that if this agreement were to go into effect, it could severely impact the Social Security Trust Fund and threaten the retirement benefits of hard-working Americans. This issue needs to be addressed in the context of this debate.

I believe there are many technical problems with this bill that must be debated on the Senate floor. These issues should be addressed out in the open so that the American people can see what is being discussed. Unfortunately, this process is not going forward because the amendment process is being blocked.

I ask unanimous consent that the pending amendments be laid aside, and that I would be allowed to offer an amendment at this point.

Mr. President, in closing, I realize that there are many differences in this chamber. Both Republicans and Democrats have different views on various aspects of this legislation. I believe it is absolutely critical that we move this process forward, that we allow for full debate on the Senate floor, and that we allow amendments to be debated and voted on.

I encourage my colleagues to think about how we proceed, as this is a critical issue facing our country.

I yield the floor, and I thank the Senator from Massachusetts for yielding.