Floor Statements

Madam President, I come to the Senate floor today to discuss an issue of enormous importance to my State, our country, and future generations.

I thank my colleagues for bringing attention to the critical issue of climate change earlier this week. This is a pressing problem that needs to be addressed and too often gets pushed to the back burner.

As a Senator from North Carolina, I represent a State that is home to some of our country's most treasured landmarks and most precious natural resources--from the Great Smoky Mountains in the west to the Uwharrie National Forest in the Piedmont to Cape Hatteras National Seashore in the east.

Like so many North Carolinians, my family and I love spending time together outdoors whether it is hiking, fishing, biking, or just enjoying the views and being outside.

Visitors from across the country travel to North Carolina to experience the Blue Ridge Parkway in the fall or to take a vacation on the Outer Banks in the summer. Tourism is an important part of our State's economy--generating $25 billion in economic activity and supporting over 390,000 jobs in my State. However, rising temperatures and extreme weather are putting those landmarks and resources at risk.

In 2012, North Carolina experienced a total of 40 broken heat records, 4 broken snow records, 13 broken precipitation records, and 19 large wildlifes.

Since 2000, North Carolina has issued 14 disaster declarations from severe storms and flooding. This extreme weather doesn't just jeopardize the beauty of our coastline or put our forest at risk for wildfires, it also affects our economy and impacts people's everyday daily lives.

In 2011 Hurricane Irene ravaged our coast and affected approximately 1.3 million North Carolinians. Roads and highways were destroyed, homes and businesses were left inaccessible. The damage left some families with no other option but to live in tents.

The storm decimated tourism for the eastern part of our State at the height of the tourist season. The region got back on its feet only to be hit again a year later by Hurricane Sandy, which totally sliced through Highway 12, which is the lifeline of the Outer Banks. It cut it right down the middle.

This changing weather impacts another key part of North Carolina's economy, agriculture, which is our State's biggest industry. Agriculture generates $77 billion in economic activity and employs nearly one-fifth of our workforce.

Last year record rainfall flooded several counties in North Carolina, and our farmers lost tens of millions of dollars' worth of food crops. Tomatoes were wrought with disease. In some fields half of all of the sweet corn had been destroyed. Experts predicted losses could double for producers, some of whom are thinking twice before they plant a crop next year.

We are seeing the very real impact climate change is having on my State and its economy today. In the absence of action, this extreme weather is here to stay. Recent reports have shown that by 2099 climate change could increase temperatures by as much as 10.5 degrees Fahrenheit and cause over 1,000 more heat-related deaths just in my hometown of Greensboro. By midcentury, Greensboro is expected to increase from a historical average of 8 heat-excessive days in the summer to 59 and to reach a total of 70 days by the end of the century. This current path is unsustainable, and we must take steps now to slow and stop the effects of climate change.

This is a challenge that will need to be addressed from many different directions, but I am proud of the steps we took in North Carolina when I was in the State senate to invest in energy innovation. A bill I worked on in 2007 made North Carolina the only Southeastern State with a mandatory renewable energy standard, requiring electrical utilities to meet up to 12.5 percent of their energy needs through renewable sources by 2021. We also enacted the Clean Smokestacks Act in 2012, which made significant emission reductions from coal-fired powerplants in North Carolina and Tennessee.

I am proud of those accomplishments, but we must do more. I believe North Carolina and the United States are well positioned to lead and to take advantage of opportunities in the 21st-century energy economy.

I look at North Carolina's Research Triangle Park, which has become an international model for bringing together industry, research institutions,

and government to help develop clean energy technologies that reduce carbon emissions and make our country less dependent on fossil fuels. Companies and institutions across North Carolina are developing ways to reduce energy more efficiently, harnessing smart grid technologies and using renewables to provide new, power-intensive data centers in my State.

While addressing carbon emissions presents new economic opportunities, we must also be sure to minimize any economic burdens on the least fortunate and make efforts to ensure that we do not harm our global economic competitiveness.

The challenge before us is great, but if we come together, Democrats and Republicans, we can move forward with commonsense measures that reduce emissions, increase our energy independence, and put the United States back on a sustainable path, all while getting the people of this great country back to work.

Thank you, Madam President. I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I rise today to speak in support of S. 1963.

I ask unanimous consent that after my remarks, Senator Brown from Ohio follow me for a time not to exceed 10 minutes.

Mr. President, this is a bill Senator Pryor and I have introduced to repeal the harmful cuts to military retirement pay in the recent Bipartisan Budget Act. As the Senator from the most military- friendly State in the Nation, I am pleased that we have just voted to advance this important legislation that will affect so many brave men and women from North Carolina and around the country who serve our Nation in the military.

These harmful cuts to military retirement pay were included in the recent bipartisan budget that passed the House and Senate with bipartisan support. While I supported the Murray-Ryan budget because it rolled back across-the-board sequester cuts that threaten our military capabilities and the safety of our troops, I am opposed to the provisions in this budget that reduce these cost-of-living adjustments for military men and women who have served our country with honor and distinction. Without action these cost-of-living cuts will take effect in December of 2015. By passing this legislation this week we can keep our promise to our servicemembers and veterans who do not deserve to have their retirement benefits cut.

The proposed cuts would affect our current and future retirees who are still serving our country on Active Duty. If allowed to remain, the cost-of-living cuts would cost a typical retiree over $80,000. In my State of North Carolina, close to 90,000 retirees as well as thousands of servicemembers still on Active Duty would bear the brunt of these cuts.

I recently heard from a veteran from Apex, NC, who served in the military for 21 years, including two tours in Afghanistan, one in Saudi Arabia, and one in Korea. He said the cost-of-living cuts changed the promise made to his family. After moving 12 times in 21 years, his family made decisions on where to live, what house to purchase, what job to take, and how to save for his son's education based on this pension income.

I also heard from a woman whose husband is an Active-Duty marine stationed at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, NC. She wrote:

My husband has served 16 years in the infantry, four tours

in Iraq and is preparing to deploy to Afghanistan soon. He

has kept his promise to the U.S. and earned his benefits in

full. We have lived with long-term separations, uncertainty

and financial stress. Please do not add to that. The money

may not sound like a lot to some, but it means a whole lot to

us.

Once again, that woman's husband is an Active-Duty marine.

This is unacceptable. We have made a commitment to these brave men and women, many of whom have deployed multiple times to combat zones overseas. We must keep our promises to our servicemembers after they have sacrificed so much for us.

These cost-of-living cuts would negatively impact not only individual servicemembers but also the military as a whole. I serve on the Armed Services Committee. Two weeks ago military leaders testified that retirement benefits are an integral part of a servicemember's decision to remain in the military or to further reenlist. We cannot overlook the consequences these cuts would have on the retention of servicemembers, particularly midgrade officers and noncommissioned officers who are considering the length of their future service, nor can we overlook the effect they would have on the military's long-term readiness.

I am pleased that we have acted to prevent the cost-of-living cuts for the most severely wounded military retirees and Survivor Benefit Plan recipients, but our bill would go further. This would repeal these cost-of-living adjustment cuts for all military retirees. Yes, it is true that our country faces difficult fiscal challenges. However, we can never balance the budget on the backs of those who have answered the call to duty. We must keep the promises we have made to our veterans, who have put their lives on the line to protect us. I urge my colleagues to support our legislation that will ensure current and future veterans receive the benefits they have earned.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning business.

Mr. President, at the end of this year, 1.3 million Americans will be cut off from their Federal unemployment benefits. At the hardest time of the year, 1.3 million people will lose the lifeline they have relied on to support their families while they struggle to find jobs in this challenging economic climate.

Unfortunately, for 170,000 North Carolinians, this has already been a reality. Earlier this year, the North Carolina General Assembly slashed unemployment benefits, making North Carolina the only State in the Nation to actually stop receiving Federal emergency unemployment insurance--the only State in the Nation. This irresponsible and cold- hearted action by the general assembly has been devastating to the thousands of individuals and families across my State who are already struggling to make ends meet.

Sydney Houston is one of 170,000 jobless North Carolinians who would have received Federal unemployment benefits were it not for this new State law. A month after the law was enacted and Sydney no longer had her benefits, she told a North Carolina TV station that she was ironing her clothes in preparation for a job interview when her electricity was cut off because she couldn't pay her bills. ``It's been excruciating,'' she said, adding that she feared her landlord knocking on her door to evict her at any moment.

People have to understand that these extended Federal unemployment insurance benefits help these families pay for their rent, pay for their food, and pay for their electricity, just as in Sydney's case.

I also received a letter from Sherrie Harmon, another North Carolina woman. Let me tell my colleagues what she said. Her letter stated:

I have lived in North Carolina my entire life and I've felt

proud of my State. This has changed drastically.

Sherrie was laid off from her job at a law firm and her husband Rick lost his job a month later. Sherrie was drawing unemployment while searching for work and attending classes at Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte. She was in her third semester of school when she found out that her unemployment would end.

She said:

We are at risk of losing everything we've worked for in the

24 years we've been married. I am completely lost.

We have heard so many stories such as these from Sydneys and Sherries across North Carolina.

What is more, North Carolina tax dollars are going to unemployed workers in every other State across the Nation except for North Carolina. Our citizens are paying their Federal taxpayer dollars for Federal unemployment benefits to 49 other States, even though our citizens cannot rely on the same safety net. This is not only unfair, it is hurting my State, which continues to have one of the highest unemployment rates in the country at 8 percent, with some of the rural counties in North Carolina as high as 14.5 percent.

As the Senate considers an extension of the emergency insurance program, I believe it is crucial to right the wrong that has been done to North Carolinians through no fault of their own. For this reason, I come to the floor today to express my thanks to my colleagues, especially Majority Leader Reid, Senator Max Baucus, and Senator Jack Reed, for working with me to ensure that North Carolina's needs will be addressed as we work to extend unemployment insurance benefits into 2014.

I also urge my colleagues not to leave their constituents to the same fate as the citizens of my State, and to swiftly pass the Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act. This bipartisan legislation, introduced by Senators Jack Reed and Dean Heller, would extend Federal unemployment insurance benefits, and it would restore North Carolina's eligibility to participate in the program.

We must continue to work on bipartisan policies that will boost job creation and get Americans back into our workforce. We need educational institutions, local employers, and job training centers to join forces to ensure that unemployed workers are being trained for the job opportunities that are available right now.

I have a bill called the America Works Act that would do just that. It would close the skills gap that has been plaguing our country and it would take the guessing game out of hiring. The America Works Act would ensure that community colleges and job training programs develop curricula that will lead to portable, industry-recognized credentials that will help train our unemployed workers so they would be outstanding applicants for jobs that are available in their local communities right now.

In the meantime, as the unemployed struggle to get by while they look for jobs, we should not cut them off from the safety net that has served as their last lifeline for taking care of their families and putting food on the table. We should make certain that the unemployed in North Carolina have that same opportunity once again in spite of the action taken by the North Carolina General Assembly.

I am glad to be joining my colleagues in pushing to extend the unemployment insurance for both North Carolinians and people across our country. There is no reason to wait any longer to pass this critical legislation.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that privileges of the floor be granted to Margaret Lawrynowicz on December 19.

Mr. President, I rise today to speak about Congressman Mel Watt.

Mr. President, I rise today to speak about Congressman Mel Watt, who is a champion for middle class families in my home State of North Carolina. Mel Watt is the President's nominee to be the next Director of our Federal Housing Finance Agency.

Congressman Watt is a true North Carolinian. He was born in North Carolina. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and he has spent much of his distinguished career working for the people of North Carolina.

Congressman Watt is an outstanding choice to lead the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

Over his 20 years on the House Financial Services and Judiciary Committees, Congressman Watt has been a steadfast advocate for affordable housing in North Carolina and across the country. He has worked tirelessly to protect families from predatory and deceptive lending practices.

He has been willing to work across the aisle to find common ground on issues that promote economic opportunity for the middle class.

Well before the housing crisis, Congressman Watt raised concerns that predatory lending practices were harming consumers and putting our housing market at risk. He was instrumental in enacting Dodd-Frank and in supporting its antipredatory lending provisions. He will be a tremendous asset to our housing market and economy moving forward.

In a letter to the Senate this week, 54 community and advocacy organizations called for Congressman Watt's confirmation, saying:

Representative Watt has the depth to grasp the problems

that plague Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and has the skills to

work with everyone involved to get the housing market back on

track.

I agree. I was proud to join my North Carolina colleague Senator Richard Burr in introducing Congressman Watt at his confirmation hearing earlier this year, and I am pleased that the Banking Committee approved his nomination.

The bipartisan support for Congressman Watt from our delegation in North Carolina is representative of his longtime ability to work across the aisle.

During his distinguished tenure in Congress, Congressman Watt worked with Republican Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte and Representative Lamar Smith to pass legislation that addressed Patent and Trademark Office backlogs. And he worked with Representative Blaine Luetkemeyer on legislation that ensured adequate transparency for ATM fees while eliminating excessive regulatory burdens.

Congressman Watt's long congressional career builds on more than two decades in the private sector as a small business owner and a legal expert.

With experience in the private sector and more than two decades of service on the House Financial Services Committee, Congressman Watt has the background, the skills, and the history of bipartisan cooperation necessary to confront the challenges facing our recovering housing market.

His nomination is supported by industry leaders such as the National Association of Realtors president Gary Thomas and the National Association of Home Builders chairman Rick Judson. He is supported by the Mortgage Bankers Association and the United States Conference of Mayors. And he is supported by Erskine Bowles, cochair of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, and the former Bank of America chairman and CEO Hugh McColl.

In fact, I ask unanimous consent that these letters from the National Association of Realtors, the National Association of Home Builders, and Mr. McColl be printed in the Record.

Congressman Watt's strong record of working with industry leaders, consumer advocates, Democrats and Republicans proves that he can deliver results for middle class families across the country and in North Carolina.

We need Congressman Watt at the Federal Housing Finance Agency. I know he will work successfully with Congress to strengthen the backbone of our current housing finance system, and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting his nomination later today.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I rise today to highlight the importance of veteran unemployment and to announce the reintroduction of the ``Hire- a-Hero Act''--a bill, which I introduced with Senator Scott Brown of Massachusetts at the start of the last Congress, to make permanent the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, WOTC, for qualified veterans and members of the Ready Reserve and the National Guard.

The issue of veteran unemployment is more important today, than it has ever been.

Though the overall unemployment rate stands at 7.2 percent, the jobless rate among veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan is 10.1 percent, nearly 3 percentage points higher than the national average. Overall, 708,000 veterans are without a job.

This issue is even more important in North Carolina, because of its large active duty and veteran population. More than \1/3\ of our population is either in the military, is a veteran, or has an immediate family member who is in the military or a veteran. In addition, North Carolina has 3 percent of the U.S. population, but 5 percent of the unemployed veterans.

Employers know that hiring a veteran is not only the right thing to do, but it also makes good business sense. These men and women are highly motivated, highly-trained, and have succeeded in the most trying circumstances imaginable.

I know the value of hiring veterans myself. I have three veterans and a member of the National Guard currently on my staff who bring unique perspectives to their roles that they acquired during their time in uniform. And it allows them to provide the best possible service to the people of North Carolina.

Unfortunately, the expiration of the WOTC for veterans at the end of this year could make it more difficult for employers to hire veterans.

The WOTC has been in place for many years. The credit for veterans has been subject to periodic short-term extensions. Recognizing the serious unemployment challenges facing veterans in North Carolina and the need for incentives to hire veterans, I introduced the ``Hire-a- Hero Act of 2011'' in February of 2011 to make this important tax credit permanent.

While that bill, did not become law, Congress was able to enact the Vow to Hire Heros Act of 2011 on November 21, 2011. This legislation expanded the WOTC for returning heroes and wounded warriors, by allowing larger tax credits for certain groups and extended the credit through 2012. Recognizing that this credit was set to expire, on January 2, 2013, Congress extended the credit to December 31, 2013, as a part of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012.

This crucial tax credit is set to expire again in just two months. That is why I am re-introducing the Hire-a-Hero Act with the support of the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Military Officers Association of America, the National Guard Association of the United States and the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. This bill would finally, make the WOTC permanent for veterans and members of the Ready Reserve and National Guard.

I urge my colleagues to consider cosponsoring this important legislation that will help address the unemployment issue among veterans in this country.

Mr. President, I rise today to highlight the importance of veteran unemployment and to announce the reintroduction of the ``Hire- a-Hero Act''--a bill, which I introduced with Senator Scott Brown of Massachusetts at the start of the last Congress, to make permanent the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, WOTC, for qualified veterans and members of the Ready Reserve and the National Guard.

The issue of veteran unemployment is more important today, than it has ever been.

Though the overall unemployment rate stands at 7.2 percent, the jobless rate among veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan is 10.1 percent, nearly 3 percentage points higher than the national average. Overall, 708,000 veterans are without a job.

This issue is even more important in North Carolina, because of its large active duty and veteran population. More than \1/3\ of our population is either in the military, is a veteran, or has an immediate family member who is in the military or a veteran. In addition, North Carolina has 3 percent of the U.S. population, but 5 percent of the unemployed veterans.

Employers know that hiring a veteran is not only the right thing to do, but it also makes good business sense. These men and women are highly motivated, highly-trained, and have succeeded in the most trying circumstances imaginable.

I know the value of hiring veterans myself. I have three veterans and a member of the National Guard currently on my staff who bring unique perspectives to their roles that they acquired during their time in uniform. And it allows them to provide the best possible service to the people of North Carolina.

Unfortunately, the expiration of the WOTC for veterans at the end of this year could make it more difficult for employers to hire veterans.

The WOTC has been in place for many years. The credit for veterans has been subject to periodic short-term extensions. Recognizing the serious unemployment challenges facing veterans in North Carolina and the need for incentives to hire veterans, I introduced the ``Hire-a- Hero Act of 2011'' in February of 2011 to make this important tax credit permanent.

While that bill, did not become law, Congress was able to enact the Vow to Hire Heros Act of 2011 on November 21, 2011. This legislation expanded the WOTC for returning heroes and wounded warriors, by allowing larger tax credits for certain groups and extended the credit through 2012. Recognizing that this credit was set to expire, on January 2, 2013, Congress extended the credit to December 31, 2013, as a part of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012.

This crucial tax credit is set to expire again in just two months. That is why I am re-introducing the Hire-a-Hero Act with the support of the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Military Officers Association of America, the National Guard Association of the United States and the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. This bill would finally, make the WOTC permanent for veterans and members of the Ready Reserve and National Guard.

I urge my colleagues to consider cosponsoring this important legislation that will help address the unemployment issue among veterans in this country.

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

The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for up to 10 minutes.

Mr. President, I rise to address the negative impact this government shutdown is having on my home State of North Carolina. It is a shame that some in Congress are playing political games with the most basic function of keeping our government open. I did not get elected to shut down the government. With each minute that goes by, more and more North Carolinians are feeling the impact of this irresponsible shutdown.

North Carolina is proud to be home to almost 1 million veterans. But as of this spring, we are also home to one of the worst VA disability claims backlogs in the country. We have pushed to have senior VA personnel dispatched to North Carolina. More caseworkers have been added. After a lot of attention and work, we were finally beginning to see the needle move in the right direction.

Claims were being processed faster, which means veterans were getting the benefits they deserved faster. But as of today, the Winston-Salem regional office is closed to the public. With claim processors furloughed and just a skeleton staff operation inside, this government shutdown threatens to reverse the progress we have made in addressing that backlog. So I ask, is it worth shutting down the government over a political game when veterans get caught in this crossfire? No.

In my home State we are also proud of the 11 national parks that are not simply just beautiful places in our country and in our State but also important drivers of our tourism economy.

As families flock to enjoy these affordable destinations, they stop at our local small businesses, they eat at our restaurants, and they stay in our hotels. In 2011, out-of-State tourists to national parks in North Carolina spent $720 million during these trips, which supported nearly 12,000 jobs.

I do not know how many of my colleagues have been fortunate enough to visit western North Carolina at this time of the year. But right now the fall leaves are turning and western North Carolina is opening its arms to welcome tourists from around the country and from around the world who come to see this beautiful landscape.

On the other side of the State, in the east, we have Cape Hatteras National Seashore and Cape Lookout. They are both closed. October is the most popular surf-fishing month of the year. But with beach access closed our fishermen cannot get to the fishing areas.

With parks from out west all the way to down east closed, we fear too many families will decide to cancel their vacations. So I ask, is it worth shutting down the government over political games when our small business owners who support our economy will be the ones to shoulder this burden? No.

In my home State we are proud that our university system includes a number of distinguished research institutions that are on the cutting edge of new technologies and therapies that will make our world better. NIH supports roughly 20,000 jobs in North Carolina. But the NIH will not take any action on grant applications or awards or admit new patients to clinical trials while our government is shut down.

So I ask, is it worth putting medical advances and thousands of jobs at risk just to play a tired political game? No. I could go on and on. While new vaccines are still being delivered, the CDC is not able to track flu cases as usual. They cannot support State and local partners who help monitor infectious diseases.

The FDA is not able to support the majority of its food safety activities. Pell grants and direct student loans could be delayed for 14 million American students. School districts, colleges, and job training centers could face major cashflow problems without money for Federal programs and grants coming in the door.

Our research universities, in addition to doing this cutting-edge research that benefits our entire country, are huge employers. Some of them receive tens of millions of dollars a month in reimbursement for work already performed for the Federal Government. Without those funds coming in the door, these universities can be put in an incredibly difficult position with respect to managing their expenses--not to mention the time lost in Congress when we should be talking about how to continue repairing our economy; we should be talking about how to improve job training programs; we should be talking about growing manufacturing in our country. But instead, we are just manufacturing crisis after crisis after another. There is no reason we cannot end this shutdown.

Fortunately, there is a simple solution. The Senate has passed a responsible bill that keeps the government running at currently reduced spending levels. The House of Representatives could pass that bill today. This shutdown could end within a matter of hours. Then we could have the time and space to come together on a long-term, balanced, and bipartisan plan to finally put our fiscal house in order. Instead, the other side of the Capitol insists on sending us bills that they know have zero chance of passing or becoming law over here just to stage a political stunt.

But political stunts will not process VA claims. Political stunts will not help restaurant owners in western North Carolina make payroll while the national parks are closed. Political stunts will not get this government reopened for business. I urge my colleagues in the House of Representatives to stop playing this partisan game, take up the Senate- passed bill, end this government shutdown.

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

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that all remaining time be yielded back.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that all quorum calls prior to the votes at 11:30 a.m. today be equally divided.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as if in morning business for up to 10 minutes.

Mr. President, I rise to say a few words about Anthony Foxx, the President's nominee to head the Department of Transportation that we will be voting on later this morning. While I am going to be sad to see him leave our local government in Charlotte, I am pleased the entire country will soon benefit from his leadership.

Anthony Foxx earned an undergraduate degree in history from Davidson College in North Carolina and blazed a trail as the school's first African-American student body president. He then received a law degree from New York University and held positions in all three branches of the Federal Government. Beginning as a judicial clerk on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, he served ably as a lawyer for the Department of Justice and counsel for the House Judiciary Committee.

In 2005, Anthony was elected as an at-large member of the Charlotte City Council. During his 4 years of service as a councilman, he chaired the Transportation Committee and was a member of the Economic Development and Planning Committee. Since 2009, he has served as mayor of Charlotte, one of the country's fastest growing cities.

When taking office, Charlotte's unemployment rate was almost 13 percent. Through his tireless efforts, Mayor Foxx helped attract and create more than 8,400 new jobs. Most important, Mayor Foxx has been a true champion of transportation and infrastructure development, securing forward-looking investments in Charlotte's roads, airports, and mass transit. Under his leadership, I-485 has been approved for expansion; he secured funding toward the completion of the Blue Line Light Rail Extension Project, and oversaw the opening of the third runway at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. All of these projects occurred as we worked--and are still working--to climb out of the recession.

These smart investments in infrastructure and transit-oriented development are continuing to fuel Charlotte's economic growth.

Light rail has played an important role in sustaining this growth, with more than 19 million riders since it opened in 2007 and an average of 15,000 riders every day. The light rail is helping to revitalize Charlotte's historic South End neighborhood, which saw the city's first railroad line in 1850. The neighborhood is now home to more than 750 businesses and 11 new residential districts.

Investments at Charlotte airport are establishing the city as an international hub. With direct flights to London and soon Brazil, Charlotte and North Carolina are increasingly connected to businesses across the globe.

The I-85 Corridor Improvement Project, which has been a top priority for the State for many years, I am pleased to say, is finally moving forward. This improvement project relies heavily on support from local leaders, including Mayor Foxx, and is expanding and improving this integral roadway so it can meet the needs of businesses and residents for years to come.

Anthony's direct experience working with the transportation departments at the Federal, State, and local levels and his proven record of success make him well prepared to serve as the next Secretary of Transportation.

I have worked closely with Mayor Foxx during my time in Washington, and I have the utmost confidence he will serve in this role with great distinction. I thank him for his dedication and willingness to step up when service is needed, and I am pleased the Commerce Committee approved Anthony Foxx's nomination with unanimous bipartisan support.

Mayor Foxx is a true champion of transportation and infrastructure development, and I encourage my colleagues to support his nomination.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Environment and Public Works be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on June 27, 2013 at 10 a.m., in room 406 of the Dirksen Senate office building, to conduct a hearing entitled ``Oversight of Federal Risk Management and Emergency Planning Programs to Prevent and Address Chemical Threats, Including the Events Leading Up to the Explosions in West, TX and Geismar, LA.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, on June 27, 2013, at 11:45 a.m., in S-216 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct an executive business meeting.

THE PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

select committee on intelligence

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on June 27, 2013, at 2:30 p.m.

THE PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

subcommittee on financial and contracting oversight

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs' Subcommittee on

Financial and Contracting Oversight be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on June 27, 2013, at 10:30 a.m. to conduct a hearing entitled ``Contract Management by the Department of Energy.''

THE PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

Madam President, I request 1 minute.

Madam President, I too rise to express strong opposition to the amendment. This amendment would prevent our tobacco growers from being eligible for Federal crop insurance. This amendment would do significant harm to the small tobacco farmers in North Carolina and in other parts of the country. There are 2,000 farmers in North Carolina who would be affected, and it would be devastating to them and their families. Without access to crop insurance, they wouldn't be able to borrow money from the banks to receive financing.

It does nothing to alter the amount of tobacco used in our country. Demand will be filled by foreign imports, probably from Brazil and other countries. It would put our American farmers out of work.

For all of these reasons, I urge my colleagues to vote no on this amendment.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to call up amendment No. 1031.

I ask unanimous consent the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Madam President, I rise today to offer an amendment to make sure we are doing all we can to prevent fraud and abuse in the Federal Crop Insurance Program. The issue of fraud in this program hit home for me in March of this year when the Justice Department announced a $100 million crop insurance fraud case in eastern North Carolina, the largest ever of its kind. Forty-one defendants were found guilty and many are serving prison time for profiting from false claims for losses of soybeans, tobacco, wheat, and corn.

Following this incident I regularly have farmers coming up to me, telling me they are nervous, nervous that the actions of a few bad actors will lead the Federal Government to cease providing crop insurance assistance. In these difficult budget times, these are valid concerns. For Federal assistance to continue, the integrity of these programs must be rock solid. Crop insurance fraud not only harms the integrity of Federal safety net programs and increases the cost to taxpayers, it also drives up the cost of the insurance program for our honest, law-abiding farmers.

The amendment I am offering would provide additional tools to the Risk Management Agency to analyze and combat fraud, waste, and abuse. The Risk Management Agency can expand the sampling requirements to test for and address the concerns with these improper program payments. This is in accordance with the Federal Improper Payments Information Act and the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act, as recommended by the office of the inspector general. The Risk Management Agency can increase the number of reviews of the approved insurance providers conducted each year. Currently we are able to review only about one- third of these providers due to our resource constraints. It also will provide additional support for data-mining activities to detect the fraud and abuse in the program and develop proactive underwriting and loss adjustment applications to minimize the scope for such activities to occur.

The farm bill before us now includes extensive reforms to create a host of new safety net programs. As the complexity of these programs grows, the resources needed to oversee these programs are actually shrinking. This amendment will provide the resources necessary to proactively detect and combat fraud and abuse. Funding for this amendment will come out of the general savings contained in the underlying bill. The cost of this amendment is minimal and I believe this investment will generate substantial savings for taxpayers, expanding our efforts to tackle the fraud and abuse in the crop insurance program. Protecting the integrity of these programs is critical to ensuring the safety net programs are available for the vast majority of our farmers who are honest, and to avoid undermining public confidence in these programs.

I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

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

Mr. President, I rise today to discuss the sexual assault crisis that is facing our military and the need to act immediately to address this problem.

Last week, the Department of Defense released a report estimating that over 26,000 servicemembers--and this includes men and women--were sexually assaulted in 2012, and this is up from approximately 19,000 in 2010. This is astounding and totally unacceptable.

Even more alarming is the fact the number of cases actually reported remains just a fraction of the total. Only 13 percent of these cases are actually reported. Let me repeat that: Only 13 percent of assaults were actually reported in 2012.

As a member of the Armed Services Committee and a Senator from North Carolina, home to the third largest military population in the country, I find these statistics appalling. The brave servicemembers who put their lives on the line should not have to worry about their personal safety on bases in the United States and around the world. The men and women who are already tasked with so much, who have vowed to serve and protect our country, should feel they are afforded the same protection in return, but they are not.

The stories I hear from our female servicemembers are astounding. One woman marine was raped by an acquaintance, her fellow marine, in her barracks one night. No one heard her cries for help. The next day she did report the assault to her chain of command. An investigation was launched from there. While that investigation was underway, from June to January, she was heavily alienated by her peers. She was called derogatory names, and her sergeant major even told her the assault was her fault because she must have given her rapist a reason to think it was OK. In the end the official investigation found her claim was ``unfounded'' because there were no witnesses, and she did not know at the time she should have gone to the hospital and had a rape kit analysis done.

Other servicemembers--women who have served on forward operating bases in Afghanistan--have told me they limit their water intake throughout the day so they do not have to use the latrines in the middle of the night and by doing so put themselves at further risk of being assaulted. No one should ever have to deal with those kinds of concerns, especially when they are already putting their lives on the line to protect our Nation.

The Department of Defense has reported that half of all servicemembers who were victims of sexual assault say they are actually afraid to report out of fear of retaliation or that their confidentiality will not be maintained. Others believe reporting the crime will jeopardize their military career. They fear they would not receive opportunities for advancement--opportunities they have earned through service to our country.

This is just totally unacceptable. The men and women of our Armed Forces deserve far more. We have to deal with this problem once and for all, and I am encouraged the National Defense Authorization Act of 2013 includes specific directives to reduce the alarming number of assaults that take place and often go unreported.

Specifically, these provisions include independent review boards to examine how sexual assault cases are handled, the creation of a special victims unit, ensuring convicted offenders are permanently barred from the military, improving how the military collects data on this topic, and several other needed provisions.

During his confirmation process, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said he was committed to fully implementing these directives, and I urge Secretary Hagel to report to Congress on the progress made as swiftly as possible. I still believe Congress should and must do more. The steps I believe we should consider are, first, the creation of a special victims counsel that would include advocates who can support victims and help them report incidents of sexual assault.

As I mentioned, too many victims do not come forward because they are either afraid of retaliation, they do not believe their confidentiality will be maintained, or they do not have faith in the military justice system. As in the case of the woman I described who had been raped, she did not know she should have had an analysis of rape actually done. These victims advocates would have given her that advice.

Second, we are fortunate in the Senate to have a number of former prosecutors engaged on this issue. Over the last 20 years, they and their colleagues have made great strides in handling sexual assault cases in the civilian world, and I believe we should take the lessons learned from that process to improve the military's response--lessons including proper training for tackling evidentiary issues and addressing victims' needs.

Third, commanding officers can overturn verdicts of jury trials, as happened in the Air Force earlier this year. These are commanding officers, they are not appellate judges; they are not legally trained. They should not have the authority to overturn a verdict. I believe we should review that authority as it applies to sexual assault cases, something Defense Secretary Hagel has indicated should be a priority.

Finally, we need to explore whether the present Uniform Code of Military Justice is up to the task of addressing the problem of sexual assault. I believe both the Armed Forces and the cause of justice would be well served by a vigorous debate in Congress on whether sexual assault cases can be effectively handled within the chain of command or whether this process needs to occur independently. Significant overhauls of the Uniform Code of Military Justice should not be approached lightly, but we owe it to our servicemembers to think outside the box and consider all possibilities.

These men and women of our military cannot wait another day, and they should not have to wait another day for this problem to be addressed. I urge my colleagues to join me in taking concrete steps to address this issue and to

protect the men and women who sacrifice so much for us each and every day.

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

Mr. President, this amendment establishes a deficit- neutral reserve fund for families of servicemembers and veterans. My home State has the third largest military footprint in the Nation. One out of every three people is in the military, a veteran or related to a servicemember or veteran. We are proud that we make military families welcome in North Carolina because supporting military families is one of the best ways we can support our troops.

This amendment is deficit neutral. It will not add one penny to our deficit. It helps to create room in the budget for legislation to help military families in areas ranging from health care to housing and from education to job placement while their loved ones are serving our country away from home.

A vote for this amendment is a vote for our military families, for the sons, daughters, husbands, wives, and families who sacrifice for this Nation alongside our troops.

Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 278.

Mr. President, I ask my colleagues to consider our military families who serve this Nation. They just don't do it in uniform.