Floor Statements

Mr. President, I want to answer some of the concerns raised by the Senator from the State of Washington.

First, there is not a Senator in the entire Senate who doesn't want to make sure that the veterans are taken care of, whether they served in World War I, II, Korea, or any other war. I have to say I am mentioning World War I because I was at a veterans event about 6 months ago, and I asked people to stand by the wars in which they served and I didn't mention World War I. This very irate veteran in a wheelchair in front of me suggested that I left out World War I. So I want to say that I am most appreciative of the veterans who are here having served in World War I and every other war.

We want to take care of our veterans. We want to make sure that we have the money to do it. We do not have a supplemental request from the administration for the Veterans' Administration. This doesn't mean that some veterans hospitals out in our country are not saying they would like to have more money; it doesn't mean that a clinic hasn't been built yet that is on the drawing boards to be built. Most certainly, we have areas that we need to address in veterans care, and I want to make sure we have the money to do it.

But I have to say that the Veterans' Administration is telling us they have the money they need to fulfill this year's budget and, specifically, to fulfill their needs.

We asked the Secretary of Veterans Affairs if he needed more money in the 2005 year--the year we are in budgetwise--for returning veterans from the Iraqi war and from the Afghanistan area. The answer was: No, we have everything we need to cover those veterans. We asked him if he needed more money than was in the current Presidential budget for 2006, which we will be considering in my subcommittee for those same returning veterans. The answer was: No, we have enough in that budget.

Now, I have to say that, as chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee in Appropriations, I am going to look at that and I am going to try to determine for myself if there is enough for 2006. But I have to say in this budget year, 2005, which has about 6 more months to run, the Veterans Affairs Department says they have enough to cover Iraq and Afghanistan.

This does not mean everything is going exactly the way I would want it in the Veterans' Administration. There is a hospital in Dallas that is particularly being noted by the GAO investigators as not performing up to the standards we would expect, and I am asking our Secretary of Veterans Affairs to address that particular hospital. I am sure there are other specific instances.

It is not that we do not have the money put in there. It is that we have had a management problem there, and we are seeking to address that situation immediately.

I asked the Secretary to put in writing what the situation is, and I ask

unanimous consent that the April 5, 2005, letter be printed in the Record.

Now, that is the Secretary of Veterans Affairs who says there is reserve funding available if an emergency arises, and the Veterans Affairs Department does not need extra funding.

One thing has to be determined, and that is the difference between people who are returning who are on active duty, who are at our military hospitals, who are being treated in the Department of Defense because they are active duty. The Veterans Affairs Department is where the people who are going out of our military service go for their health care. There are fewer coming home in the Veterans Affairs' influence where they would be giving the service, as opposed to active duty where they are going to Bethesda, Walter Reed, and other hospitals that are treating our Active-Duty military.

So I think we have to look at where the Veterans Affairs part of this budget is, and do they need more. In fact, of the 240,000 who have gone out of our service in the last 3 years, only 48,000 have even come in to the Veterans Affairs service capability. Some already have insurance. Some might come later but that is something that we can monitor. Right now, we are told we have the reserve funding to be able to handle anyone who is going out of Active-Duty service, out of Active-Duty military health care and into the Veterans' Administration, and that we have the money to cover it.

So I do not want to take the $2 billion that is in this amendment out of other areas such as our armed services, our Active-Duty military who are on the ground, the equipment we are giving them in this supplemental. That is why I must oppose Senator Murray's amendment, although I do agree with her overall goal and will continue to work with her as chairman of the subcommittee to monitor the situation. Let us get our numbers right. Let us act when it is on the budget with the hearings and the anticipation of the needs, rather than adding $2 billion to the emergency appropriations that is before us today and taking it from something else, such as Active-Duty military equipment and preventive measures that we must cover for those who are on the ground today.

With all of this said, we will reach our goal of assuring the very best military veterans' care not by adding $2 billion to the funding for the next 6 months but, instead, planning for it since we are told by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs we have the money we need for this year.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Senator John McCain's legislative fellow, Navy CDR Shawn Grenier, be granted floor privileges during the consideration of H.R. 1268, the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act.

Mr. President, on rollcall No. 65, I voted ``yea''. It was my intention to vote ``nay.'' Therefore, I ask unanimous consent that I be permitted to change my vote since it will not affect the outcome.

Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mr. President, this is an amendment cosponsored by myself and Senator Ensign. Senator Ensign has done so much work in this area on the intelligence reform bill, assuring there would be 2,000 authorized Border Patrol agents. We also have as cosponsors Senators Domenici, Cornyn, McCain, Kyl, and Feinstein. Mr. President, I would like to be notified at the end of 10 minutes, after which I will yield the rest of the time to the Senator from Nevada.

Earlier this month, FBI Director Mueller told Congress that people from countries with ties to al-Qaida are crossing into the United States through our porous border with Mexico.

Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security James Loy recently said that intelligence reports suggest al-Qaida is considering using the Southwest border to infiltrate into the United States, either with falsified documents or by crossing the border in other illegal ways.

We have today 11,000 Border Patrol agents for the borders between Mexico, the United States, and Canada, as well as in the Border Patrol centers that are throughout our country. It is clearly not enough.

Mr. President, 97 percent of illegal intruders are filtering through the Southwest border. But they do not stay in the South. They go throughout our country.

The Border Patrol does an amazing job. We applaud their work. But we need to give them more help. Recent stories and intelligence reports show that terrorists are planning to use our border, and it should be a wakeup call.

Since 2001, 1,300 agents have been added to the force. But we have 6,900 miles of border with Canada and Mexico. My State of Texas alone has over 1,200 miles of border with Mexico. In most places there are no fences. In Texas, the Rio Grande River can sometimes be waded across or is completely dry.

We are seeing an increase of 137 percent in immigrants who are from countries other than Mexico. These immigrants, which are called OTMs, ``other than Mexicans,'' are coming into our country in the largest numbers we have ever seen. But due to a lack of resources, they are often caught and released, or they are not caught at all.

Recognizing our serious border vulnerability, Congress passed the intelligence reform bill last year and authorized an increase of 10,000 Border Patrol agents over 5 years. It included provisions to add 8,000 detention beds and 800 additional interior investigators. Unfortunately, the budget before us only allocated enough to cover 210 agents, 143 investigators, and 1,920 beds for detention.

The Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection recently said:

We do not have enough agents; we don't have enough

technology to give us the security we need.

Let me give you some examples of recent happenings.

In Detroit, Mahmoud Youssef Kourani was indicted in the Eastern District of Michigan on one count of conspiracy to provide material support to Hezbollah. Kourani was already in custody for entering the country illegally through Mexico and was involved in fundraising activities on behalf of Hezbollah.

The two groups of Arab males were discovered by patrol guards from Willcox, AZ. One field agent said:

These guys didn't speak Spanish, and they were speaking to

each other in Arabic. It's ridiculous that we don't take this

more seriously. We're told not to say a thing to the media.

This is a field agent for the Border Patrol.

Last July, in Burlington, VT, police raided an international syndicate that forced Asian women to work as sex slaves. The women told investigators they had been smuggled from Asia to Mexico, entering the United States through Arizona, Texas, and other States. They ended up in Vermont.

Take the example of the capture of terrorist suspect Jose Padilla. The Justice Department says Padilla and an accomplice planned to enter the United States through Mexico to blow up apartment buildings in major cities such as New York.

Or the case of suspected al-Qaida sleeper agent Mohammed Junaid Babar, who told investigators of a scheme to smuggle terrorists across the Mexican border. He is tied to a terror plot to carry out bombings and assassinations in London.

Further stories indicate there are real concerns about terrorists entering our country through the southern border.

Along the Mexican border there have been stories of suspicious items picked up by local residents, including Muslim prayer rugs and notebooks written in both Arabic and Spanish. These items came from OTMs and a subcategory called special interest aliens, who are illegals coming from terrorist-sponsoring countries.

Intelligence reports suggesting that 25 Chechen terrorism suspects have illegally entered the United States from Mexico have refocused attention on a porous border from which many believe the next major attack on Americans could come.

Patrol agents told one Arizona newspaper that 77 males ``of Middle Eastern descent'' were apprehended in June of last year in 2 separate incidents. All were trekking through the mountains and are believed to have been part of a larger group of illegal immigrants. Many were released pending immigration hearings.

Also last July, an Egyptian man United States authorities described as one of their most wanted smugglers of humans was arrested on charges of operating a ring that illegally brought people from Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries to the United States. The indictment says Abdallah and his associates would direct people seeking to reach the United States to travel to one of several Latin American countries, and from there to Guatemala. They would then be transported to America through Mexico in return for payments of thousands of dollars in smuggling fees.

The amendment we are offering tonight will add $315 million to the President's request for the Border Patrol. This will provide for the training and equipping of 2,000 agents. This would be the full amount authorized and will have a dramatic impact on the security-related problems we have on the border.

In order to maintain a fiscally responsible bill, and not increase the top cap of discretionary spending, we are offsetting this increase with an equal reduction in the international affairs section of the budget because protecting our borders from foreign threats is an international affair.

Today, with my colleagues Senators Ensign, Domenici, Cornyn, McCain, Kyl, and Feinstein, I am calling on Congress to do more than add 210 Border Patrol agents that are in the underlying budget. We are asking for the full contingent authorized of 2,000. This is still not enough. And I hope we will be able to come back next year and get up to the full 2,000 again.

But the warning flag has gone up. We must heed the warnings we have been given. Every incident I mentioned is a call to the United States to make sure that our borders with Mexico are secure. We need more Border Patrol agents and more detention facilities to make our borders secure.

The people of our country deserve this security, and our amendment will take one step in the right direction. I hope my colleagues will work with me to pass this in the budget and then later in the Appropriations bill. We must do everything to heed the warning call we have gotten.

Mr. President, I yield the rest of our time to the Senator from Nevada, who has also worked very hard on this amendment. I appreciate very much his cosponsoring this amendment with me today.

Mr. President, how much time remains?

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Senator Craig be listed as a cosponsor of our amendment.

Mr. President, I thank the Senator from Nevada. This is a team effort. I appreciate so much his working with me on this. Our border Senators have been trying to increase border patrol for years.

When I first came to Congress, we doubled our Border Patrol agents from 3,000 to 6,000. We were a country that was porous, both on the borders of Canada and Mexico. But, clearly, we have had more and more influx of illegal aliens that have become a burden in many parts of our country, and now we have a security threat from people who do not live on our borders but are using our borders as a conduit to come into our country. The examples that Senator Ensign and I have just mentioned, where we are finding Muslim prayer rugs and instructions in Arabic on how to cross the border of the Rio Grande River, are just wake-up calls that we cannot avoid. So we are, hopefully, going to have the support of Congress to add a full 2,000 Border Patrol agents.

But as important as it is to catch these people, we also need to be able to detain them. Today, many times, because we have no detention facilities, we will say to the people: You must promise to come back in 60 days for your hearing on illegally entering this country.

Well, guess how many come back. Ten percent come back for their hearing. What happened to the other 90 percent? We are finding them in places such as Vermont, New York, and Detroit, MI. That is what happened to them.

Mr. President, it would be irresponsible not to take this threat seriously. We need these Border Patrol agents. We need the detention facilities. We need to keep these people incarcerated to find out why they are trying to enter our country illegally. Every country has the right as a sovereign nation to protect their borders. It is our responsibility to do it.

I hope my colleagues will help us pass this amendment and do the right thing for homeland security. This is a priority, and it must be a priority accepted in this budget.

I yield back the remainder of my time.

Amendment No. 219

Mr. President, I rise today to acknowledge the lifetime achievements of Dr. Michael Ellis DeBakey, a public servant and world-renowned cardiologist, by offering legislation to award him the Congressional Gold Medal.

Throughout his life Dr. DeBakey has made numerous advances in the field of medicine. When he was only 23 years of age and still attending medical school, Dr. DeBakey developed a roller pump for blood transfusions--the precursor and major component of the heart-lung machine used in the first open-heart operation. This device later led to national recognition for his expertise in vascular disease. His service to our country did not stop there.

Dr. DeBakey put his practice on hold and volunteered for military service during World War II with the Surgeon General's staff. During this time, he received the rank of Colonel and Chief of Surgical Consultants Division.

As a result of his military and medical experience, Dr. DeBakey made numerous recommendations to improve the military's medical procedures. His efforts led to the development of mobile army surgical hospitals, better known as MASH units, which earned him the Legion of Merit in 1945.

After WWII, Dr. DeBakey continued his hard work by proposing national and specialized medical centers for those soldiers who were wounded or needed follow-up treatment. This recommendation evolved into the Veterans Affairs Medical Center System and the establishment of the commission on Veterans Medical Problems of the National Research Council.

In 1948, Dr. DeBakey joined the Baylor University College of Medicine, where he started its first surgical residency program and was later elected the first President of Baylor College of Medicine.

Adding to his list of accomplishments Dr. DeBakey performed the first successful procedure to treat patients with anyeurysms. In 1964, Dr. DeBakey performed the first successful coronary bypass surgery, opening the doors for surgeons to perform preventative procedures to save the lives of many people with heart disease. He was also the first to successfully use a partial artificial heart. Later that same year, President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed Dr. DeBakey as Chairman of the President's Commission on Heart Disease, Cancer and Stroke, which led to the creation of Regional Medical Programs. These programs coordinate medical schools, research institutions and hospitals to enhance research and training.

Dr. DeBakey continued to amaze the medical world when he pioneered the field of telemedicine by performing the first open-heart surgery transmitted over satellite and then supervised the first successful multi-organ transplant, where a heart, both kidneys and a lung were transplanted from a single donor into four separate recipients.

These accomplishments have led to national recognition. Dr. DeBakey has received both the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction from President Johnson and the National Medal of Science from President Ronald Reagan.

Recently, Dr. DeBakey worked with NASA engineers to develop the DeBakey Ventricular Assist Device, which may eliminate the need for some patients to receive heart transplants.

I stand here today to acknowledge Dr. DeBakey's invaluable work and significant contribution to medicine by offering a bill to award him the Congressional Gold Medal. His efforts and innovative surgical techniques have since saved the lives of thousands, if not millions, of people. I ask my Senate colleagues to join me in recognizing the profound impact this man has had on medical advances, the delivery of medicine and how we care for our Veterans. Although, Dr. DeBakey is not a native of Texas, he has made Texas proud. He has guided the Baylor College of Medicine and the city of Houston into becoming a world leader in medical advancement. On behalf of all Texans, I thank Dr. DeBakey for his lifetime of commitment and service not only to the medical community but to the world. I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I rise today to acknowledge the lifetime achievements of Dr. Michael Ellis DeBakey, a public servant and world-renowned cardiologist, by offering legislation to award him the Congressional Gold Medal.

Throughout his life Dr. DeBakey has made numerous advances in the field of medicine. When he was only 23 years of age and still attending medical school, Dr. DeBakey developed a roller pump for blood transfusions--the precursor and major component of the heart-lung machine used in the first open-heart operation. This device later led to national recognition for his expertise in vascular disease. His service to our country did not stop there.

Dr. DeBakey put his practice on hold and volunteered for military service during World War II with the Surgeon General's staff. During this time, he received the rank of Colonel and Chief of Surgical Consultants Division.

As a result of his military and medical experience, Dr. DeBakey made numerous recommendations to improve the military's medical procedures. His efforts led to the development of mobile army surgical hospitals, better known as MASH units, which earned him the Legion of Merit in 1945.

After WWII, Dr. DeBakey continued his hard work by proposing national and specialized medical centers for those soldiers who were wounded or needed follow-up treatment. This recommendation evolved into the Veterans Affairs Medical Center System and the establishment of the commission on Veterans Medical Problems of the National Research Council.

In 1948, Dr. DeBakey joined the Baylor University College of Medicine, where he started its first surgical residency program and was later elected the first President of Baylor College of Medicine.

Adding to his list of accomplishments Dr. DeBakey performed the first successful procedure to treat patients with anyeurysms. In 1964, Dr. DeBakey performed the first successful coronary bypass surgery, opening the doors for surgeons to perform preventative procedures to save the lives of many people with heart disease. He was also the first to successfully use a partial artificial heart. Later that same year, President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed Dr. DeBakey as Chairman of the President's Commission on Heart Disease, Cancer and Stroke, which led to the creation of Regional Medical Programs. These programs coordinate medical schools, research institutions and hospitals to enhance research and training.

Dr. DeBakey continued to amaze the medical world when he pioneered the field of telemedicine by performing the first open-heart surgery transmitted over satellite and then supervised the first successful multi-organ transplant, where a heart, both kidneys and a lung were transplanted from a single donor into four separate recipients.

These accomplishments have led to national recognition. Dr. DeBakey has received both the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction from President Johnson and the National Medal of Science from President Ronald Reagan.

Recently, Dr. DeBakey worked with NASA engineers to develop the DeBakey Ventricular Assist Device, which may eliminate the need for some patients to receive heart transplants.

I stand here today to acknowledge Dr. DeBakey's invaluable work and significant contribution to medicine by offering a bill to award him the Congressional Gold Medal. His efforts and innovative surgical techniques have since saved the lives of thousands, if not millions, of people. I ask my Senate colleagues to join me in recognizing the profound impact this man has had on medical advances, the delivery of medicine and how we care for our Veterans. Although, Dr. DeBakey is not a native of Texas, he has made Texas proud. He has guided the Baylor College of Medicine and the city of Houston into becoming a world leader in medical advancement. On behalf of all Texans, I thank Dr. DeBakey for his lifetime of commitment and service not only to the medical community but to the world. I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I would like to be notified at 7 minutes so that I can yield back the remainder of the time to Senator Craig.

Mr. President, please notify me when I have used 4 minutes. I thank Senator Craig, the chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee, and Senator Ensign, a member of that committee. I chair the Veterans' Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee. It happens that today we had our hearing on the Veterans Affairs Department, and Secretary Nicholson came before our committee and talked about what is in the budget. He said, of course, we have full coverage for the priority 1 through 6 veterans. We have full coverage in the budget for the injured coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan. And we all know that the growth in the veterans medical care area has been in the other priority veterans, Nos. 7 and 8. These are people who do not have combat-related injuries and people who are in upper incomes. When they became covered a few years ago, really, it was thought by Congress that there would not be a big surge to get the Veterans Affairs coverage because they, we thought, had private insurance. But, in fact, that has been the big surge in medical care coverage for veterans, in those 2 categories, 7 and 8; and 15 percent of those do not have private coverage.

So what we are doing with this amendment is we are saying we are not going to change anything right now. We are not going to have copays, and we are not going to have enrollment fees. But I did talk to the Secretary about making sure that if there is private insurance, that that insurance would be the first payer in a veterans health care need; that the private insurance payer would pay first, and Veterans Affairs would come second so that we could recoup some of the money that could be going into serving other more needy veterans and try to also keep a balance in the budget. That is what we are trying to do. We are trying to increase what is in the budget, and we will do that in this amendment.

We are, most certainly, going to try to do it in a way that will not harm any veteran at all. We are not going to have copay increases. We are not going to have enrollment fees, and we are not going to have a reduction in the per diem payments for nonservice-connected veterans in State veterans homes. So we are trying to do the right thing, while also whittling down the deficits we are facing in our country.

I think Senators Craig and Ensign have a very good amendment. We are going to do the right thing for veterans always. We will be able to assure coverage this year with this added $400 million, and we will be able to come back in next year, if we need more.

Mr. President, I want to mention one other area before I turn the podium back over to Senator Craig. It is something we will more fully discuss tomorrow. I wanted to lay down the marker that we will have an amendment to increase the number of border patrol in this budget. I am very concerned about the reports from our FBI Director Mueller, who told Congress that people from countries with ties to al-Qaida are crossing into the United States through our Mexican border.

Deputy Secretary of Homeland Secretary James Loy, recently said that intelligence reports say that Al-Qaida is looking at the Mexican border as a way to put people into the United States for the purpose of terrorist attacks. So I think we must increase the budget coverage above the 210 border patrol agents who have been added in the budget before us. We need to increase that to at least 1,000. Our intelligence reform bill said that we would have the capability to increase border patrol by 2,000 per year for the next 5 years. I am going to try, through an amendment, to increase that to at least 1,000, and we will do it without busting the top line of the budget.

We think it is very important that we stop people from coming over our borders illegally. We know we are vulnerable in this Nation right now. We know we need more places for detention, more Border Patrol agents, and better technology to secure our borders to the south and the north. These Border Patrol agents will go throughout the United States to the Border Patrol centers.

My amendment will be sponsored by Senator Cornyn, Senator Bingaman, Senator McCain, and Senator Feinstein. These are Senators from border States who know the problems of illegal immigration firsthand.

It is a very important amendment that we will discuss more fully tomorrow, but I hope our colleagues will start thinking of ways that we can assess the priorities and determine that we need at least a thousand Border Patrol agents in this year's budget and another thousand next year. But we will do 1,000 at a time, I hope, because that is what can be absorbed, that is the number that can be trained in any 1 year.

I hope we will address the Border Patrol issue tomorrow, and I certainly hope that when we have the competing veterans amendments that we will take the Craig-Ensign-Vitter-Hutchison amendment that does keep in mind the priorities of our budget, but also increases the amount that will be for medical care for our veterans and will not require any higher copays or registration fees for any of our veterans at this time.

I yield back my time to Senator Craig.

Mr. President, today I am pleased to introduce a bill to improve the effectiveness of the North American Development Bank (NADBank), which supports water and other important environmental projects along the border region. My bill enhances the capabilities of the NADBank by clarifying IRS rules in order to expand the ways it can help our communities.

The NADBank was created with a mandate to improve the quality of life along the border by financing environmental related projects, such as wastewater treatment. The tools it was given have been limited, and as a result has restricted its effectiveness. To address this issue, the NADBank has evolved over the years with a wider array of products to offer. Legislation I sponsored in the Senate during the last Congress and which became law, for example, allows the NADBank to offer a new combination of grants and loans.

We can do more to reform the NADBank and increase its effectiveness. One tool the NADBank can offer is loan guarantees, which communities could use for debt they issue. The guarantee would increase the credit rating of the debt and result in lower interest rates the issuer would need to offer, thereby making a project more affordable. Under current law, however, the NADBank's guarantee is considered a Federal subsidy. A general principle of Federal tax law is that one cannot receive more than one Federal subsidy. Since communities will always prefer to receive the benefit of a tax-exempt municipal status for their bonds, they never take advantage of the NADBank's loan guarantee. Due to this situation, the NADBank has never used its ability to guarantee a bond.

It does not make sense to consider a guarantee from the NADBank, which is an international institution, as a United States federal government guarantee. Not only does it not make sense, it also inhibits the NADBank's ability to help border communities. My bill addresses this issue by clarifying the tax code to ensure a NADBank guarantee is not considered a federal subsidy. The NADBank guarantees will be treated like those from the Federal Housing Administration, the Veterans' Administration, and the Federal National Mortgage Association and other government-sponsored entities. This will give our border communities an important new tool to use as they address their infrastructure and environmental needs.

It is to everyone's benefit to develop ways to improve the quality of life for our citizens. This is particularly important along our southern border, which faces numerous challenges. I hope my colleagues will support this bill and continue our efforts to make the NADBank as effective as possible.

Mr. President, today I am pleased to introduce a bill to improve the effectiveness of the North American Development Bank (NADBank), which supports water and other important environmental projects along the border region. My bill enhances the capabilities of the NADBank by clarifying IRS rules in order to expand the ways it can help our communities.

The NADBank was created with a mandate to improve the quality of life along the border by financing environmental related projects, such as wastewater treatment. The tools it was given have been limited, and as a result has restricted its effectiveness. To address this issue, the NADBank has evolved over the years with a wider array of products to offer. Legislation I sponsored in the Senate during the last Congress and which became law, for example, allows the NADBank to offer a new combination of grants and loans.

We can do more to reform the NADBank and increase its effectiveness. One tool the NADBank can offer is loan guarantees, which communities could use for debt they issue. The guarantee would increase the credit rating of the debt and result in lower interest rates the issuer would need to offer, thereby making a project more affordable. Under current law, however, the NADBank's guarantee is considered a Federal subsidy. A general principle of Federal tax law is that one cannot receive more than one Federal subsidy. Since communities will always prefer to receive the benefit of a tax-exempt municipal status for their bonds, they never take advantage of the NADBank's loan guarantee. Due to this situation, the NADBank has never used its ability to guarantee a bond.

It does not make sense to consider a guarantee from the NADBank, which is an international institution, as a United States federal government guarantee. Not only does it not make sense, it also inhibits the NADBank's ability to help border communities. My bill addresses this issue by clarifying the tax code to ensure a NADBank guarantee is not considered a federal subsidy. The NADBank guarantees will be treated like those from the Federal Housing Administration, the Veterans' Administration, and the Federal National Mortgage Association and other government-sponsored entities. This will give our border communities an important new tool to use as they address their infrastructure and environmental needs.

It is to everyone's benefit to develop ways to improve the quality of life for our citizens. This is particularly important along our southern border, which faces numerous challenges. I hope my colleagues will support this bill and continue our efforts to make the NADBank as effective as possible.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I rise today to offer a bill that is vital for water conservation in my home State of Texas. This legislation would amend The Lower Rio Grande Valley Water Resources and Conservation Improvement Act of 2000, which was passed with Unanimous Consent in the 106th Congress, to authorize work needed to conserve and enhance water supplies in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. It would do so by improving the water infrastructure used by farmers, ranchers, municipalities and a growing population.

Improving water conveyance infrastructure is the top priority for enhancing water conservation in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Currently, unprecedented growth coupled with Mexico's past failure to comply with the 1944 Water treaty, reinforces the dire need for water conservation. The Lower Rio Grande Valley depends upon an adequate supply of water. Studies show that water losses resulting from seepage, spills and evaporation exceed 68 billion gallons of water per year, underscoring the pressing demand for improvements which will ensure efficient conservation of water.

By enacting this legislation, 19 additional water districts will enhance their ability to conserve their resources. Residents in the Lower Rio Grande Valley will not be forced to rely on canal systems subject to seepage and evaporation. Improving irrigation systems and updating this 100-year-old water distribution system will provide citizens in South Texas with a sufficient supply of one of nature's most valuable resources. Rather than waiting for the unpredictability of Mother Nature to increase water resources through rainstorms, these communities can rely on more effective water systems.

I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass this measure to help the citizens of the Lower Rio Grande Valley better conserve their water resources. I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I rise today to offer a bill that is vital for water conservation in my home State of Texas. This legislation would amend The Lower Rio Grande Valley Water Resources and Conservation Improvement Act of 2000, which was passed with Unanimous Consent in the 106th Congress, to authorize work needed to conserve and enhance water supplies in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. It would do so by improving the water infrastructure used by farmers, ranchers, municipalities and a growing population.

Improving water conveyance infrastructure is the top priority for enhancing water conservation in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Currently, unprecedented growth coupled with Mexico's past failure to comply with the 1944 Water treaty, reinforces the dire need for water conservation. The Lower Rio Grande Valley depends upon an adequate supply of water. Studies show that water losses resulting from seepage, spills and evaporation exceed 68 billion gallons of water per year, underscoring the pressing demand for improvements which will ensure efficient conservation of water.

By enacting this legislation, 19 additional water districts will enhance their ability to conserve their resources. Residents in the Lower Rio Grande Valley will not be forced to rely on canal systems subject to seepage and evaporation. Improving irrigation systems and updating this 100-year-old water distribution system will provide citizens in South Texas with a sufficient supply of one of nature's most valuable resources. Rather than waiting for the unpredictability of Mother Nature to increase water resources through rainstorms, these communities can rely on more effective water systems.

I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass this measure to help the citizens of the Lower Rio Grande Valley better conserve their water resources. I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I will take the remaining time on the Republican side. I thank my colleagues, Senator Warner, Senator McConnell, and Senator Chambliss, for laying out the leadership our President has shown in going overseas, talking about our fight for freedom, and showing it is a fight for freedom for every country that has a democracy, and that it should also be a shared responsibility.

I appreciate the President's leadership and our Senators for talking about what is happening. It is incredible, the changes we are seeing in the world because of the President's steadfast determination that we are going to do the right thing, that America will be the banner of freedom throughout the world, and that we could use help from our allies and hopefully they will understand and agree it is a shared responsibility for all the freedom-loving peoples of the world.

Mr. President, I want to take a moment, as I do on March 2 every year since I have been in the Senate, and before me Senator John Tower did the same thing, to commemorate Texas Independence Day.

Today is, indeed, the 169th anniversary of the day when a solemn convention of 54 men in a small Texas settlement took a step which had a momentous impact, not only on Texas but on the future of the United States. These 54 men, including my great-great-grandfather Charles S. Taylor from the town of Nacogdoches, met on March 2, 1836. They were in Washington-on-the-Brazos and, after laying out the grievances they had with the Government of Mexico, they declared:

We therefore . . . do hereby resolve and declare . . . that

the people of Texas do now constitute a free, sovereign and

independent republic.

They brought the Lone Star Republic into existence with those words. At the time, Texas was a remote territory of Mexico. It was hospitable only to the bravest and most determined of settlers. While few of the men signing the declaration could have predicted Texas's future prosperity, they immediately embarked on drafting a constitution to establish foundations for this new republic.

The signers of the Texas declaration, as their forefathers who signed the American Declaration of Independence in 1776, risked their lives and families when they put pen to paper. They were considered traitors to Mexico because they were in a Mexican territory. But they were going to fight for freedom and independence.

My great-great-grandfather Charles S. Taylor didn't know it at the time, but all four of his children had died when he left home to go and sign the declaration of independence. His wife took the children in what is now called the ``runaway scrape,'' when the women in the Nacogdoches territory took the children to flee from what they thought might be the oncoming Mexican army. In the ``runaway scrape,'' many children died. They were fleeing to Louisiana at the time. But my great-great-grandmother had the same spunk and determination as my great-great-grandfather, so she returned to Nacogdoches and they had nine more children. That was one of the examples that was set by people of that time who believed freedom was worth fighting and dying to achieve.

They spent their last days in Texas, trying to build the Republic and eventually supporting the statehood of Texas coming into the United States of America.

While the convention met in Washington-on-the-Brazos, 6,000 Mexican troops held the Alamo under siege, seeking to extinguish this newly created republic.

Several days earlier, from the Alamo, Col. William Barrett Travis sent his immortal letter to the people of Texas and to all Americans. He knew the Mexican Army was approaching and he knew that he had, really only a few men, under 200 men to help defend the San Antonio fortress. Colonel Travis wrote:

Fellow Citizens and Compatriots: I am besieged with a

thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna. I have

sustained a continual Bombardment and cannonade for 24 hours

and have not lost a man. The enemy has demanded surrender at

discretion, otherwise, the garrison is to be put to the

sword, if the fort is taken. I have answered the demand with

a cannon shot, and our flag still waves proudly over the

wall. I shall never surrender or retreat.

Then I call on you in the name of Liberty, of patriotism,

of everything dear to the American character, to come to our

aid with all dispatch. The enemy is receiving reinforcements

daily and will no doubt increase to three or four thousand in

four or five days. If this call is neglected I am determined

to sustain myself as long as possible and die like a soldier

who never forgets what is due his honor and that of his

country--Victory or Death.

No Texan--no person--can fail to be stirred by Colonel Travis' resolve in the face of such daunting odds.

Colonel Travis' dire prediction came true, 4,000 to 6,000 Mexican troops did lay siege to the Alamo. In the battle that followed, 184 brave men died in a heroic but vain attempt to fend off Santa Anna's overwhelming army. This battle, as all Texans know, was crucial to Texas independence because those heroes at the Alamo held out for so long that Santa Anna's forces were battered and diminished. Gen. Sam Houston gained the time he needed to devise a strategy to defeat Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto a month or so later on April 21, 1836. That battle was won and the Lone Star was visible on the horizon at last.

Each year on March 2, there is a ceremony at Washington-on-the-Brazos State Park where there is a replica of the modest cabin where the 54 patriots pledged their lives, honor, and treasure for freedom.

Every year I honor the tradition Senator John Tower started by reading this incredible letter from the Alamo, written by William Barrett Travis, that showed so much about the kind of men who were willing to stand up and fight for freedom, men we have seen throughout the history of our country, starting in 1776 and going on. Even today, as we know, our young men are in Iraq and Afghanistan, fighting the war on terrorism.

I think it is important for us to remember our history. I am proud to be able to do it. We were a republic for 10 years before we entered the United States as a State. We are the only State to enter the United States as a republic, and we are very proud that we are now a great State, a part of the

United States of America, with a vivid history and past.

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