Floor Statements

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on October 10, 2013, at 9:30 a.m.

The PRESIDENT OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on October 10, 2013, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing entitled ``Impact of a Default on Financial Stability and Economic Growth.''

The PRESIDENT OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

Committee on Finance

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on October 10, 2013, at 8 a.m., in room SH-216 of the Hart Senate Office Building, to conduct a hearing entitled ``The Debt Limit.''

The PRESIDENT 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 October 10, 2013, at 2:30 p.m.

The PRESIDENT OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

Mr. President, I believe the Deficit-Neutral Disaster Relief Act Senator Bennet and I have drafted is at the desk. It is my understanding both sides have cleared the bill, I would add, after a lot of pushing from Senator Bennet and me and other Coloradans, along with the Governor and Department of Transportation.

I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 1560, introduced earlier by Senators Bennet and Udall of Colorado, that the bill be read three times and passed, and the motions to reconsider be made and laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. President, I wish to thank my colleagues and once again outline what this important act we passed will do. It is critically important.

I was on the floor Friday, and the Presiding Officer was here on Friday and was patient and listened to the case Senator Bennet and I made at that time. This is critically important because it will allow Colorado to begin rebuilding our battered roads and bridges and highways without having to wait years for relief. We are close now to getting this legislation to the President's desk, and I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House, with Senator Bennet, to get this bill signed into law as soon as possible.

Senator Bennet and I have been on the floor on a number of occasions in recent days to highlight how devastated certain parts of our beautiful State are as a result of these biblical floods we suffered a few weeks ago. Many communities are just now beginning to comprehend how serious the damage is and to see firsthand how many hundreds of miles of highways, roads, bridges, and other parts of our infrastructure are ruined or in some cases even washed away entirely.

I have had many occasions to see this damage firsthand in the last few weeks, starting in my own neighborhood, which was evacuated, but all over the northern front range. I was in Jamestown on Saturday. Senator Bennet was there a few days earlier. It is one of the worst-hit communities in Boulder Canyon. It is almost beyond description. The homes are literally washed off their foundations, cars were embedded in the ground, completely buried. Families were left in some cases with 2 to 3 feet of mud and silt, river cobbles literally inside their homes. I was in one home in Jamestown standing on the mud and silt, and my head was touching the ceiling because of the 3 feet of debris that was inside that house. We have seen entire roads and highways completely decimated. Without this help, it is a fact that communities will not be able to rebuild.

By passing the Deficit-Neutral Disaster Relief Act, we have lifted the statutory cap of $100 million to a limit of $450 million. The money applies to highway relief, so it will be enough to help us rebuild swiftly.

As I have done here before, I want to again make it clear that this isn't new money. It doesn't increase budget authority or increase net outlays. It simply allows us to access an already existing appropriated fund of money.

Historically, this $100 million cap on relief has routinely been recognized by Congress as an unwise impediment to helping States recover and it has been raised for nearly every natural disaster in recent years. Examples would be familiar to anybody listening. We raised the cap on transportation disaster relief for Hurricanes Gustav, Ike, Irene, Sandy, as well as during the Missouri River basin flooding in 2011.

I am truly appreciative and truly grateful that all of our colleagues have come together to recognize that the floods in Colorado are no exception. We are all in this together when it comes to responding to national disasters. I am glad that today we can say to Coloradans Members of Congress from all across the United States of America have stood with us in our recovery efforts, and we will stand with them in their recovery efforts as we have in the past as we experience natural disasters.

I thank the Senate for clearing this crucial legislation.

Mr. President, I yield the floor and look forward to the remarks of my colleague Senator Bennet.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate be in a period of morning business until 4 p.m. with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10

minutes each, and the majority leader be recognized at 4 p.m.

Mr. President, I come to the floor to speak once again about the floods that were of biblical proportions that afflicted our State just a couple of weeks ago and the necessity of passing a piece of legislation, as we have done in the past on the heels of such natural disasters, that will allow my State to access existing emergency transportation funds more efficiently.

This is legislation my colleague and my friend and fellow Coloradan Senator Bennet and I have introduced.

It is critically important because it will allow us in Colorado to begin rebuilding our battered roads and bridges and highways without having to wait years for relief. In Colorado, hundreds of miles of roads and approximately 50 major bridges have been damaged. I want to display one photograph to give you a sense of what happened in Colorado.

I know Senator Bennet is here. I think he and I would agree that this is moderate damage represented in this photograph. There are many, many other scenes in our State where the roads are completely gone. You would not even know there was a road in the canyon like this one here. But this gives you a sense of what we have to do to repair all of this infrastructure.

Many towns, as I am implying, have seen the roads which provide access in and out of their communities severely limited. In fact, there a couple of communities that have been cut off. But the good news is that there are emergency relief dollars for transportation projects that have already been appropriated. They are available right now.

Why do I come to the floor, then, if that is the situation? There is an arbitrary statutory cap of $100 million per disaster that applies to those funds. This could limit the flood relief that we receive and then unnecessarily delay repairs, not necessarily this year or next year, but for decades. But historically, this is the good news, this opportunity we all have, as Members of the House and the Senate, to lift this cap. It has routinely been recognized by Congress as an unwise impediment to helping States recover, particularly when they are hit by the size of this disaster.

We have made exceptions to this cap for nearly every natural disaster in recent years. We waived it for Hurricanes Gustav, Ike, and Sandy, as well as for the Missouri River Basin flooding in 2011. In other words, when States are devastated, as we have been by natural disasters, we as a Congress have said that putting arbitrary impediments in the way of relief efforts just does not make sense, especially--and this is really important to understand--when no new funds need to be appropriated.

The good news is, as I have alluded to, we are not asking Congress to appropriate any new money for transportation projects, nor does our bill increase budget authority or increase spending by the Federal Government. We are simply making sure that Colorado has fair access to the program that was created for the very purpose of helping States such as Colorado rebuild after a natural disaster.

In fact, if we do not raise the cap, then we may be in the situation--not just Senator Bennet and I--but the Congress may be in a position where we have to pursue something more serious that does require money--in other words, additional appropriations.

This is critically important. We have to do this. We need to. We must provide Colorado with certainty and relief as soon as possible. I want to again underline what happened in Colorado and what we are facing. Beginning on September 11, historic rains poured down. We had had a heat wave. We had been in the 90s, a very warm spell of weather. Literally overnight, beginning on September 11, historic rains poured down on our State without cessation.

Rivers overtopped their banks from Rocky Mountain National Park, which is our crown jewel in the National Park System in Colorado, all the way out onto the eastern plains. It washed away highways, it drowned family homes, and it transformed entire farms into lakes. Creeks such as South Boulder Creek, which runs right behind my home, swelled. My neighbors were evacuated. I could not get home for 24 hours.

Culverts such as those near Commerce City quickly filled with rushing water. Rivers such as the Big Thompson near Estes Park turned into walls of water that devastated entire communities.

Let me give you another set of metrics. The affected area covers nearly 200 square miles and over 80 percent of our State's population. If we counted--Senator Bennet and I would agree--5 million Coloradans that we represent or 80 percent of our State's population has been affected.

For a sense of scope--I did not know Senator Murphy would be presiding--the floodwaters cover an area the size of Connecticut. Nine counties are considered major disasters. At least 9 Coloradans have died. Thank God it was not more. We had a lot of missing people, but we think we have identified where all of those people are. We lost 9 Coloradans. Nearly 20,000 homes are damaged or destroyed.

Nearly 2,500 people were evacuated by the Colorado National Guard, the most since Hurricane Katrina. Some bit of good news: The muddy waters have begun to recede. That has given us a better look at the vast extent of the damage: 200 miles of State highways and 50 bridges are damaged or destroyed. Preliminary estimates are that the infrastructure repairs could cost up to $475 million.

I come with a heavy heart when I think about all of that. Then I have to also confess that this is a natural disaster that is beyond our capacity and Colorado's ability to address alone. We need help. We need support from our Federal partner.

I have always supported disaster aid whether I was serving in the House, as the presiding officer has, and when I have been in the Senate, for Hurricanes Sandy and Katrina and for all of the natural disasters that have hit our country since I began serving in the House in 1999.

I have to say that Coloradans now need our Federal partner to support our rebuilding and recovery efforts. I want also to say, though, in the face of this historic disaster, that I have been so heartened to see our Federal partners in the administration, led by FEMA, team up with our State leaders, who have been tireless, with the mayors, the council members, the county commissioners, our Governor, local communities, nonprofit organizations, and with countless friends and neighbors who have begun the hard work of recovery.

Our strong sense of community will allow us to recover and to rebuild stronger and more resolute than before. But we want to get going. We want to access these dollars right now. Those dollars are sitting in this account, waiting to help States such as Colorado rebuild and repair in the wake of a disaster. In fact, the U.S. Department of Transportation--I see our chairman of the EPW Committee, Senator Boxer, who is such a leader on infrastructure and knows infrastructure policy backwards and forwards--the U.S. Department of Transportation projects that Colorado, New York, and New Jersey, plus the 11 other States that have projects in the queue, could receive every single dollar they need and there would still be $221 million in remaining funds in this account available for future emergencies across our country.

That is right. Everyone who has disaster-related infrastructure needs can receive relief, and we will still have significant funds to help other areas that may find themselves in need such as Colorado, New York, and New Jersey.

I want my colleagues to know that we have a real opportunity here. Coloradans need these dollars. These are legitimate uses of these dollars. Senator Bennet and I are going to be working every minute today, this weekend, next week, to make sure that Colorado can recover as quickly as possible. Perhaps in light of the challenges that we face in Congress, moving the government forward and doing what is right for the American people, maybe this is an example of how we can work together and do the right thing not just for Colorado but for the United States.

I would.

I certainly did. I so appreciate the point the Senator from California is making. We have been assured that a shutdown would not affect Colorado. But as we all know there are unintended consequences. Just in the last 24 hours, Senator Bennet and I came to understand that the Utah National Guard, which was sending over a unit that has engineers and experts in flood recovery, probably cannot come to Colorado because their funds are going to be limited by the government shutdown.

For all of the assurance that this is emergency aid and emergency support--there are always situations where the full weight, if you will, and the focus of all of those good people who serve us, it is local, county, State, and Federal Government--they will be affected by this shutdown.

It is all the more important. We feel it in Colorado. The other thing I would add, and I wish to cede the floor to my good friend Senator Bennet, but what has been remarkable in Colorado is the partnership between the local, county, State and Federal governments. It has been seamless, for the most part. Then you mix in the NGOs, the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and citizens who would hear the call and come to work to muck out basements, cut up debris. The spirit of community in Colorado has never been stronger. We ought to reflect that here. We were sent here to reflect that approach. That is America at its best.

I thank the Senator. I very much look to hearing the remarks of my friend and colleague Senator Bennet.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, I thank the Chair for the recognition, and I rise today to talk about the unimaginable losses all of us in Colorado have experienced over this last week.

While much of the Nation's attention was focused on Syria or on the activities here in Washington, those of us in Colorado watched rain fall for 1, 2, 3, and 4 days straight with no end in sight. Creeks, such as the one that runs behind my home in Eldorado Springs, swelled. Culverts, such as those in Commerce City, quickly filled with rushing water. Rivers, such as the Big Thompson near the beautiful town of Estes Park, turned into walls of water that threatened entire communities. From the foothills of the Rocky Mountains to the Eastern Plains, rivers overtopped their banks--crumbling highways, drowning family homes, and transforming entire farms into lakes.

Many Americans have seen photos like this one that show the widespread and indiscriminate path of the floodwaters. In some places even today entire communities are still underwater, with families and homes uprooted by the ferocious strength of nature.

We say that water makes the West possible, but this past week Mother Nature gave us rain for 5 straight days, and now at least eight people are dead and hundreds are still missing or in need of rescue. We pray that we find every single one of those missing persons alive and in good health.

As of today the President has issued major disaster declarations for 4 counties and 15 counties are in a state of emergency, where lifesaving rescue efforts are still underway. In these areas active search and rescue operations are being conducted 24 hours a day by the Colorado National Guard, local police and fire departments, and rescue teams flown in from across the State and around our country. At least 19,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed. Several towns, such as Jamestown and Lyons, have been washed out and lack even the most basic public services. The town of Estes Park, which I mentioned earlier, the gateway community to the Rocky Mountain National Park, has literally been cut off from the rest of the State because the two major highways to it have literally been destroyed and the only access road will soon be closed for the winter.

There are some wonderful, inspiring stories that have come out of these events that we couldn't possibly comprehend or predict, and I want to start with the National Guard.

The National Guard has been amazing, doing outstanding work and rescuing thousands of Coloradans who have been affected by this disaster. They tell me that more people have been rescued by air in the past few days than at any time since the devastation we saw with Hurricane Katrina.

We saw--Senator Bennet, who is here with me, and I, along with the Governor and many members of our congressional delegation--the devastation from these floods with our own eyes. Just a few days ago-- Saturday, to be exact--Senator Bennet and I joined others to fly over flooded areas in Boulder and Larimer Counties with a Colorado National Guard unit. At one point, as we circled over an area, we spotted a couple of families waving for help. We were able to land and be a part of the effort that brought them out of one of those isolated situations. That experience impressed upon me the very human side of this disaster.

As we all know, behind these graphic images being shown on TV are the lives of thousands of Colorado families, some forever changed. While so much of this disaster has taken on the grand proportions of a historic disaster, those whose lives have been affected by this flood have endured it on a very personal scale. I think this photograph says it all. It is the family who has to dig through mud and debris just to get into their kitchen or the older couple who returns from the evacuation to see their lifelong home completely destroyed or even, as I mentioned earlier, the extended family members who sit by the phone waiting for a call from a missing aunt, a niece, a child, or a friend. These are the very human faces of this tragedy.

This is a tragedy from which we can't recover alone. The outpouring of support from our friends and neighbors has been crucial to early response efforts, and this generosity will only strengthen us as we begin to recover. After all, there is no ``i'' in Colorado, and it is this strong sense of community which will allow us to recover from this disaster and to rebuild stronger and more resolute than before.

We are also going to rely on the full support of our Federal partners. I have long supported disaster aid, such as during Hurricanes Sandy and Katrina, as well as when we have experienced other countless acts of God, and now it is time for us to come together as one Nation and rebuild.

This will not be fast. It will not be easy. Many of our narrow mountain highways that had been carefully built through steep canyons have been destroyed and washed downstream. These highways, such as those in the Presiding Officer's State, are the economic basis for our Mountain State. Without them, trade and movement of any kind comes to a complete standstill.

I took this photo as we flew over what looks to be a river, but it actually used to be a stretch of U.S. Highway 34 outside of Estes Park. That

major east-west highway is gone. In looking at this photograph and seeing what Senator Bennet and I and many others saw on Saturday, it is one of those ``oh my God'' moments over and over again. Mother Nature has literally rewritten the map. This isn't an isolated incident in this canyon. There are dozens of these washouts, as we see here.

That is why I am going to fight in this Congress for full Federal support for recovery and rebuilding efforts. I am confident the support will be there, just as it was for so many others in their time of need.

In the meantime, individuals and businesses that are still dislocated or figuring out the extent of their damage must take action. So I want to share some advice I have received from FEMA and the other agencies involved.

If your home was damaged because of the storms of the past week, please go to DisasterAssistance.gov to view Federal assistance that may be available to you and to submit your claim. So that is right here-- DisasterAssistance.gov. I urge everybody to go there and enroll, if you will, on that Web site.

If you operate a small business that has been affected by the flooding, you should register your claim with the Small Business Administration by going to DisasterLoan.SBA.gov. Again, if you have a small business and you have been affected by the flooding, go to this Web site: DisasterLoan.SBA.gov.

If you are just looking, as so many people are, for a way to help the people suffering from this disaster, go to HelpColoradoNow.org, where the State of Colorado has pooled resources to assist those in need.

Madam President, as I conclude, again I want to reference that in so many ways the history of our part of the Nation--the West--has been a story of water, but now that very resource that is our lifeblood is writing a new chapter in our history as it runs uncontrolled over every road, field, and structure in its path. But we are Colorado tough and we are rugged cooperators, and our spirit of strengthened independence has seen us through the most trying of times. It will see us through these days of loss and hardship.

I thank the Chair for her attention and her support, and I yield the floor to my colleague and friend Michael Bennet.

Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to the outstanding military service of a group of incredible Coloradans. At critical times in our Nation's history, these veterans each played a role in defending the world from tyranny, truly earning their reputation as guardians of peace and democracy through their service and sacrifice. Now, thanks to Honor Flight, these combat veterans came to Washington, DC, to visit the national memorials built to honor those who served and those who fell. They have also come to share their experiences with later generations and to pay tribute to those who gave their lives. I am proud to welcome them here, and I join with all Coloradans in thanking them for all they have done for us.

I also want to thank the volunteers from Honor Flight of Northern Colorado who made this trip possible. These volunteers are great Coloradans in their own right, and their mission to bring our veterans to Washington, DC, is truly commendable.

I wish to publicly recognize the veterans who visited our Nation's capital, many seeing for the first time the memorials built as a tribute to their selfless service. Today, I honor these Colorado veterans on their visit to Washington, DC, and I join them in paying tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of liberty.

Veterans from World War II include: Homer Anderson, Ernest Baugh, Norman Bever, William Compton, Alton Cooper, Arthur Cushing, Robert Davis, Harold Dawe, Jr., Richard Doyle, Robert Eldridge, Stewart Fonda, Jr., Donald Forry, Albert Gablehouse, Charles Gebauer, William Hammond, Sidney Hanks, William Hargis, Walter Hayward, Herman Huwa, Reinard Jansssen, Donald Larson, Evelyn Lee, John MacQueen, Robert Martin, Isaac Martinez, George Norton, Eugene Olson, Herbert Pugh, Eugene Replogle, William Ripple, Max Rodgers, Loyal Smoke, Glen Springer, Harold Sutton, Donald Steinshouer, Eugene Turnbull, Roger Van Thorre, Charles Webb, James Whitley and Lawrence Zuppan.

Veterans from the Korean War include: Harry Ahlbrandt, Wallace Akers, Ronald Anderson, Joseph Annello, Filbert Baca, Gilbert Ball, Delbert Black, Keith Bordewyk, Delmar Bonser, Emilio Brito, Robert Burkholder, Charles Crihfield, Marvin Crihfield, Charles Dunfee, Sr., Thomas Eckrich, Verne Einspahr, Virtus Einspahr, Frank Faiella, Theodore Farwell, Edwin Foss, Loren Garretson, Henry Geisert, Scott Goshorn, Earl Graham, Howard Hanson, Fred Hara, Jerry Herring, Bernard Hill, John Holloway, Harold Hoyland, Vealess Hudspeth, William Hughes, Jimmie Hylton, John Jacobson, Ray Jacoby, Richard Jaggers, Kenneth Jan, Frances Killinger, Jr., Raymond Kosley, Edward Kirvonak, William Krupke, Pat Lanphear, Owen Lecheler, William Leppert, Clarence Lueb, Robert MacLauchlin, Philip Mahoney, Roquez Martinez, Horacio Masearenas, Edward Minch, Howard Morgan, Robert Muller, Leonard Peatrowsky, William Phillips, Dean Pope, Charles Pugh, George Pugh, Teddy Putnum, Thomas Ramm, Tommy Richie, Theodore Roos, Leonard Schmidt, Paul Schroeder, Lloyd Seekamp, Robert Sharrett, Richard Sherman, James Sparks, Boyd Stark, Harvey Steward, Joseph Stockert, Leon Stone, Richard Stoner, Jr., Betty Taylor, Leo Thielen, John Toth, John Wachsmann, Benjamin Wagner, Roger Warden, Jr., Robert Weber, Lester Weers and James Weitz.

Veterans from other conflicts include: Frank Griggs, James Smith and Robert Wideman.

Our Nation asked a great deal of these individuals--to leave their families to fight in unknown lands and put their lives on the line. Each one of these brave Coloradans bravely answered the call. They served our country with courage, and in return, let us ensure they are shown the honor and appreciation they deserve. Please join me in thanking these Colorado veterans and the volunteers of Honor Flight of Northern Colorado for their tremendous service.

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

Mr. President, I was next going to ask unanimous consent to set aside the pending amendment and call up my amendment No. 1845. I understand the Senate is in an a bit of an impasse, but, if I might, I would like to talk about my amendment without calling it up with the hope that later my friend and colleague Senator Wyden will be able to call up my amendment and put it on the list of pending amendments.

I am going to talk a little bit about this important effort which has been authored in partnership with my good friend from the wonderful State of Maine, Senator Collins. I wish to take a minute before I do that and say how important it is that we are finally debating, for the first time in years, an energy bill in the Senate. The fact that we are here today beginning this important debate is a huge testament to my colleague from the great State of New Hampshire, Senator Shaheen, and my good friend from the days I served in the House and now fellow Senator from the great State of Ohio, Senator Portman, and the leadership of Chairman Wyden and Ranking Member Murkowski.

I think Senator Portman and Senator Shaheen are saying this in every way possible: For our country to truly realize energy independence, energy security, we need to efficiently use the energy we have. That is exactly what Senators Portman and Shaheen envision with their legislation. We support energy security, and we save Americans money.

With that background, let me turn to our amendment. Improving the energy efficiency of our schools is a no-brainer, and that is why I am proud to partner with Senator Collins to make sure our efforts have the biggest bang for the buck. This is a bipartisan amendment. It will help streamline efforts to improve the energy efficiency of our Nation's schools while, most importantly, strengthening our children's education.

Our schools are often confused by where to go and whom to work with to pursue energy efficiency efforts and education, and this is in part because of how many agencies, departments, State governments, and the like are involved. By providing a coordinating structure for schools to better navigate existing Federal programs and the financing options available to them, we are going to pare back duplicative efforts and make it easier for schools across my State of Colorado and across the United States to save thousands of taxpayer dollars each year that then can be reinvested in strengthening our education system.

The amendment also has the dual benefit of making Federal programs work better for our schools while still leaving decisions to the States, school boards, and local officials to determine what is best for their schools.

This is a commonsense amendment. I truly hope we get a chance to debate it and to have an up-or-down vote on it.

Before I yield the floor, I would also like to point out--I know my colleague Senator Wyden is well aware of this, as are Senator Shaheen, Senator Portman, and Senator Murkowski--that when we have schools that operate on an energy efficient basis, studies show our young people, our children learn more effectively because if you are in an environment that is comfortable, where the light is appropriate, where you can see, where you can take in what is being taught, you are, of course, going to have a better educational experience.

A better educated America means a stronger America, means a more productive America, a more competitive America. This has benefits across the board in every way imaginable--the broader effort that Senators Shaheen and Portman brought forth but also that Senators Wyden and Murkowski are handling here on the floor of the Senate.

I wish to draw attention to this important amendment. I thank my colleague Senator Collins. I know she will be here later to talk about her perspectives and the other good work she is going to do when it comes to this important legislation.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Kevin Reed, a legislative fellow in my office, be granted the privilege of the floor for the remainder of the consideration of S. 1392.

Madam President, today I wish to pay tribute to the outstanding military service of a group of incredible Coloradans. At critical times in our Nation's history, these veterans each played a role in defending the world from tyranny, truly earning their reputation as guardians of peace and democracy through their service and sacrifice. Now, thanks to Honor Flight, these combat veterans came to Washington, DC, to visit the national memorials built to honor those who served and those who fell. They have also come to share their experiences with later generations and to pay tribute to those who gave their lives. I am proud to welcome them here, and I join with all Coloradans in thanking them for all they have done for us.

I also want to thank the volunteers from Honor Flight of Northern Colorado who made this trip possible. These volunteers are great Coloradans in their own right, and their mission to bring our veterans to Washington, DC, is truly commendable.

I wish to publicly recognize the veterans who visited our Nation's Capital, many seeing for the first time the memorials built as a tribute to their selfless service. Today, I honor these Colorado veterans on their visit to Washington, DC, and I join them in paying tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of liberty.

Veterans from World War II include: Donald Benson, Joe Blossom, Hobert Bodkins, Robert Beuker, George Carlson, Wayne Clausen, Maurice Dragoo, Homer Dye, Karl Easterly, James English, George Flaig, Stuart Gordon, Dale Gruber, Frank Gunter, Vern Hammond, Robert Henderson, Otto Hindman, Lawrence Jackson, John Jobson, Elvin Kahl, Doward Kilmer, Thomas Kokjer, Edward Kooper, Raymond Kusmirek, Ralph Leckler, George Lichter, Lyle Lukas, Alfred Marez, Richard Marquart, Maregito Martinez, LeRoy Marx, Hugh McGinty, Damon McMahan, Robert Minnick, Allen Oakley, Gerald Oakley, Vernon Rand, Gerald Rennels, Carol Rhoades, Elmer Rose, Donald Smith, Walter Sparrow, George Stager, Clarence Streit, Richard Tedesco, Sr., Rueben Ulrich, Howard Walter, Raymond Yost, Robert Yost, Thomas Youree, and Joseph Zito.

Veterans from the Korean War include: Charles Adams, Joseph Beaulieu, David Beldus, John Bevins, James Blue, William Cecil, Thomas Clements, Clifford Closson, Donald Dalton, Stanley Davies, Jerry Delcamp, Leonard Dickey Jr., Robert Eddy, Dale Erickson, Ann Evans, Lemuel Evans, Frank Faucett, Byron Foster, Kent Foutz, Jerry Galpern, Wayne Gibb, Thomas Gordon, Oscar Haake, Doyle Hall, William Harte, William Hitchcock, Claire Hoffman, Raymond Horton, Carl Houkom, Bennett Houston, Eugene Johnson, Richard Kekar, Marvin Kembel, Ralph Knoll, Tom Mandis, George Mason, Alvin Mosch, Doyle Myers, Richard Oversteg, David Owen, Johnnie Prock, Duane Purcell, Herbert Reimer, John Rinne, John Rust, Jr., Darrel Schafer, Leonard Schmitz, Virgil Scott, Robert Scott, Herbert Shevins, Wayne Small, Frank Stiver, Robert Stoll, Bernard Streit, Ernest Stumpf, Walter Sutton, Norman Swanson, Arthur Trevarton, Junior Weisshaar, Raymond Williams, George Wilson and Harry Wisell.

Veterans from other conflicts include: Jerol Arguello, Zachary

Dinsmore, William Frank, Allen Laible, Dennis Lee, Lonnie Sebold, Allan Silk, Saxton Wiley and Salvador Velasquez.

Our Nation asked a great deal of these individuals--to leave their families to fight in unknown lands and put their lives on the line. Each one of these brave Coloradans bravely answered the call. They served our country with courage, and in return, let us ensure they are shown the honor and appreciation they deserve. Please join me in thanking these Colorado veterans and the volunteers of Honor Flight of Northern Colorado for their tremendous service.

Mr. President, I rise to speak about bipartisan legislation I am introducing today with Senator Alexander to provide much needed help to our Cold War patriots.

In 2000, Congress passed the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program to help Cold War workers like those from Rocky Flats in my home state of Colorado and other nuclear weapons facilities around the country. This effort was designed to get these patriots the help they need to treat cancer and other illnesses they developed as a result of exposure to radiation. Since then, the program has been plagued by procedural inconsistencies and delays preventing former nuclear workers from accessing the benefits they are owed.

In March 2010, the U.S. Government Accountability Office issued a report on the efficacy of EEOICPA, confirming workers' ongoing frustrations with the program and recommending that Congress consider creating an advisory board. More recently, in March 2013, the Institute of Medicine issued a report recommending that an external advisory panel be created to review the health effects of the Department of Labor's approach to awarding benefits.

Today, Senator Alexander and I are reintroducing our bill requiring the President to establish an independent advisory panel to do just that. This advisory board would add much needed transparency and certainty to decisions made affecting workers' compensation and access to benefits.

Some 600,000 Cold War era workers, including thousands of workers at Rocky Flats, put their health on the line to preserve our national security during one of the most uncertain times in our nation's history. They were exposed to radiation and are sick and dying. Our country made a commitment to these patriots, but so far that promise has not been kept. Coloradans find that unacceptable. We cannot let another family suffer through the uncertainty of delays caused by bureaucratic red tape or see their loved ones denied the benefits they deserve. It is time for us to do right by these workers.

I urge my colleagues to join me and Senator Alexander in this fight by cosponsoring this important legislation.

Mr. President, today I am reintroducing legislation designed to help promote the cleanup of abandoned and inactive hard rock mines that are a great detriment to the environment and public health throughout the country, but especially to the West. I want to thank my colleague Senator Bennet for joining me in this effort.

For over one hundred years, miners and prospectors have searched for and developed valuable ``hard rock'' minerals--gold, silver, copper, molybdenum, and others. Hard rock mining has played a key role in the history of Colorado and other states, and the resulting mineral wealth has been an important contributor to our economy and the development of essential products.

Too often, however, the miners would abandon their work and move on, seeking riches over the next mountain. The resulting legacy of unsafe open mine shafts and acid mine drainages can be seen throughout the country and especially on public lands in the West where mineral development was encouraged to help settle our region.

Unfortunately, many of our current environmental laws designed to mitigate the impact from operating hard rock mines are of limited effectiveness when applied to abandoned and inactive mines. As a result, many of these old mines continue to pollute streams and rivers and pose a risk to the health of people who live nearby or downstream.

The bill I am reintroducing today will help address this impediment and make it easier for volunteers, who had no role in creating the problem, to help clean up these sites and improve the environment. It does so by providing a new permit program under the Clean Water Act whereby volunteers can, under an approved plan, reduce the water pollution flowing from an abandoned mine. At the same time, volunteers will not be exposed to the full liability and ongoing responsibility provisions of the Clean Water Act.

I would be remiss not to thank the Environmental Protection Agency for its work in addressing this issue. Most recently, EPA issued a memorandum on December 12, 2012, to reduce the Clean Water Act legal vulnerability faced by ``Good Samaritans'' by clarifying that parties who volunteer to clean up these abandoned sites are generally not responsible for obtaining a permit under the Clean Water Act both during and following a successful cleanup. While this was an important step forward, my legislation will provide binding legal protections for Good Samaritans, allowing them to move forward--knowing the long-term certainty of their rights--with the imperative work of mine cleanup.

The new permits proposed in this bill would help address problems that have frustrated federal and state agencies throughout the country. As population growth continues near these old mines, more and more risks to public health and safety are likely to occur. We simply must begin to address this issue--not only to improve the environment, but also to ensure that our water supplies are safe and usable. This bill does not address all the concerns some would-be Good Samaritans may have about initiating cleanup projects and I am committed to continue working to address those additional concerns, through additional legislation and in other ways. However, this bill can make a real difference, and I think it deserves approval without unnecessary delay.

Mr. President, I rise to speak about bipartisan legislation I am introducing today with Senator Alexander to provide much needed help to our Cold War patriots.

In 2000, Congress passed the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program to help Cold War workers like those from Rocky Flats in my home state of Colorado and other nuclear weapons facilities around the country. This effort was designed to get these patriots the help they need to treat cancer and other illnesses they developed as a result of exposure to radiation. Since then, the program has been plagued by procedural inconsistencies and delays preventing former nuclear workers from accessing the benefits they are owed.

In March 2010, the U.S. Government Accountability Office issued a report on the efficacy of EEOICPA, confirming workers' ongoing frustrations with the program and recommending that Congress consider creating an advisory board. More recently, in March 2013, the Institute of Medicine issued a report recommending that an external advisory panel be created to review the health effects of the Department of Labor's approach to awarding benefits.

Today, Senator Alexander and I are reintroducing our bill requiring the President to establish an independent advisory panel to do just that. This advisory board would add much needed transparency and certainty to decisions made affecting workers' compensation and access to benefits.

Some 600,000 Cold War era workers, including thousands of workers at Rocky Flats, put their health on the line to preserve our national security during one of the most uncertain times in our nation's history. They were exposed to radiation and are sick and dying. Our country made a commitment to these patriots, but so far that promise has not been kept. Coloradans find that unacceptable. We cannot let another family suffer through the uncertainty of delays caused by bureaucratic red tape or see their loved ones denied the benefits they deserve. It is time for us to do right by these workers.

I urge my colleagues to join me and Senator Alexander in this fight by cosponsoring this important legislation.

Mr. President, today I am reintroducing legislation designed to help promote the cleanup of abandoned and inactive hard rock mines that are a great detriment to the environment and public health throughout the country, but especially to the West. I want to thank my colleague Senator Bennet for joining me in this effort.

For over one hundred years, miners and prospectors have searched for and developed valuable ``hard rock'' minerals--gold, silver, copper, molybdenum, and others. Hard rock mining has played a key role in the history of Colorado and other states, and the resulting mineral wealth has been an important contributor to our economy and the development of essential products.

Too often, however, the miners would abandon their work and move on, seeking riches over the next mountain. The resulting legacy of unsafe open mine shafts and acid mine drainages can be seen throughout the country and especially on public lands in the West where mineral development was encouraged to help settle our region.

Unfortunately, many of our current environmental laws designed to mitigate the impact from operating hard rock mines are of limited effectiveness when applied to abandoned and inactive mines. As a result, many of these old mines continue to pollute streams and rivers and pose a risk to the health of people who live nearby or downstream.

The bill I am reintroducing today will help address this impediment and make it easier for volunteers, who had no role in creating the problem, to help clean up these sites and improve the environment. It does so by providing a new permit program under the Clean Water Act whereby volunteers can, under an approved plan, reduce the water pollution flowing from an abandoned mine. At the same time, volunteers will not be exposed to the full liability and ongoing responsibility provisions of the Clean Water Act.

I would be remiss not to thank the Environmental Protection Agency for its work in addressing this issue. Most recently, EPA issued a memorandum on December 12, 2012, to reduce the Clean Water Act legal vulnerability faced by ``Good Samaritans'' by clarifying that parties who volunteer to clean up these abandoned sites are generally not responsible for obtaining a permit under the Clean Water Act both during and following a successful cleanup. While this was an important step forward, my legislation will provide binding legal protections for Good Samaritans, allowing them to move forward--knowing the long-term certainty of their rights--with the imperative work of mine cleanup.

The new permits proposed in this bill would help address problems that have frustrated federal and state agencies throughout the country. As population growth continues near these old mines, more and more risks to public health and safety are likely to occur. We simply must begin to address this issue--not only to improve the environment, but also to ensure that our water supplies are safe and usable. This bill does not address all the concerns some would-be Good Samaritans may have about initiating cleanup projects and I am committed to continue working to address those additional concerns, through additional legislation and in other ways. However, this bill can make a real difference, and I think it deserves approval without unnecessary delay.

I welcome this opportunity to speak on the floor about the National Security Agency surveillance programs, their effectiveness, and their future.

I am proud to be joined by my colleague from Oregon, Senator Wyden, who will comment as well after my remarks. He has been a stalwart leader on these issues, and it has been my honor to join forces with him and to draw attention to this very important discussion President Obama recently welcomed.

He called for a public debate on finding the right balance between national security and privacy in the context of NSA's surveillance programs.

His call is long overdue, and it is an opportunity we should not squander. As I have said time and time again to Coloradans and as they have said back to me as well, we owe it to the American people to have an open, transparent debate about the limits of the Federal Government's surveillance powers and how we reconcile the need to keep our families safe while still respecting our hard-won constitutional rights to privacy.

Although I would have preferred that this debate would have been kicked off by more transparent actions by the White House instead of by unauthorized leaks, we are nonetheless presented with a unique opportunity--an opportunity to finally have an open dialog about the limits of our government's surveillance powers, particularly those relating to the vast dragnet of Americans' phone records under section 215 of the PATRIOT Act.

This is a debate in which I feel privileged to take part. It is a debate that Senator Wyden has been a part of since before I was elected to the Congress and one that I have been engaged in for a number of years now.

I want to be clear. I have acted in every possible way that I could within the confines of our rules that protect classified information to oppose these practices and bring them to light for the American people. I have fought against overly intrusive sections of the PATRIOT Act and the FISA Amendments Act and registered objections repeatedly with the administration. I believe these efforts are critical for protecting our privacy and also ensuring our national security.

I serve on both the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Intelligence Committee, and in those assignments I focus every day on keeping Americans safe, at home and abroad. I recognize that we still live in a world where terrorism is a serious threat to our country, to our economy, and to American lives. Make no mistake, our government needs the appropriate surveillance and antiterrorism tools to combat the serious threats to our Nation. But it is up to the White House and Congress to ensure that these tools strike the right balance between keeping us safe and protecting our constitutional right to privacy. This is a balance I know we can achieve, but, in my view, the PATRIOT Act's bulk phone records collection program does not achieve that balance. That is why I am here on the Senate floor with my colleague Senator Wyden to call for an end to the bulk phone records collection program, as we know it today.

Two years ago we were here on the Senate floor considering extending certain PATRIOT Act provisions. At that time I argued that the sweeping surveillance powers we were debating did not contain sufficient safeguards to preserve the privacy rights of Americans. In particular, I argued that the PATRIOT Act's business records provision--or section 215--permits the collection of records on law-abiding Americans who have no connection to terrorism or espionage. As I said at that time, we ought to be able to at least agree that an investigation under PATRIOT Act powers should have a terrorist- or espionage-related focus.

We all agree that the intelligence community needs effective tools to combat terrorism, but we must provide those tools in a way that also protects the constitutional freedoms of our people and that lives up to the standard of transparency our democracy demands. The Bill of Rights is the strongest document we have. Another way to put it: It is the biggest, baddest weapon we have. We need to stand with the Bill of Rights and in this case the Fourth Amendment.

Following Mr. Snowden's actions and the subsequent declassification of information concerning the NSA's surveillance programs, Americans in recent weeks are coming to understand what it means when section 215 of the PATRIOT Act says the government can obtain ``any tangible thing'' relevant to a national security investigation. That is the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court's way of saying that section 215 permits the collection of millions of Americans' phone records on a daily, ongoing basis. As a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, I have repeatedly expressed concern that the FISA Court's secret interpretation of this provision of the PATRIOT Act is at odds with the plain meaning of the law. This secrecy has prevented Americans from understanding how this law is being implemented in their name.

In my view and the view of many Americans, this large-scale collection of information by the government has very significant privacy implications for all of us. What do I mean by that? Information about our phone calls--or, as it is known, ``metadata''--may sound pretty simple and innocuous, but I believe that when law-abiding Americans call up their friends, family, doctors, religious leaders, or anyone else, the information on whom they call, when they call, and where they call is private information and should be subject to strong privacy protections.

I have heard it said that the bulk phone records program collects nothing beyond what you could find in a phone book. But let's be clear about exactly what this program does. It collects the very personal details of our phone calls--the who, where, when, and how long--and stores them in a database. This doesn't just happen for those who are suspected of having some connection to terrorism; this program collects the phone records of literally millions of Americans. This is a far greater intrusion into our privacy than being voluntarily listed in the Yellow Pages, and it is the reason why I am calling on the White House and Congress to immediately reform this program.

Let me reiterate that it is absolutely possible to have both privacy and security. Yet, in the case of the bulk phone records collection program, Senator Wyden and I believe we aren't getting enough of either. Not only does this program unreasonably intrude on Americans' privacy, but it also does so without achieving the alleged security gains. For instance, in recent weeks the intelligence community has made new assertions about the value of recently declassified NSA surveillance programs, but in doing so they have conflated two programs: section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act regarding foreigners' Internet communications and section 215 of the PATRIOT Act regarding bulk phone records. It appears, however, that the bulk phone records collection program alone played little or no role in disrupting terrorist plots--I say this as someone who has been fully briefed on these terror-related events--nor has it been demonstrated that this program even provides any uniquely valuable intelligence. Therefore, saying, as the intelligence community has, that ``these programs'' together have disrupted ``dozens of potential terrorist plots'' is misleading.

While the intelligence community has been conflating these two programs, some of my colleagues in Congress in recent days have been going even further to say that the phone records program alone has been greatly successful. They have said it has saved lives and prevented dozens of terrorist plots. As someone who has been presented with the same information as my colleagues on the much-discussed 54 terror- related events, I have to say I disagree. Again, I have seen no evidence that the bulk phone records collection program alone has played a meaningful role, if any, in disrupting terrorist plots.

I have yet to see any convincing reason why agencies investigating terrorism cannot simply obtain information directly from phone companies using a regular court order. It may be more convenient for the NSA to collect phone records in bulk rather than asking phone companies to search for specific phone numbers, but convenience alone cannot justify the collection of the personal information of millions of innocent, ordinary, law-abiding Americans, especially when the same or more information can be obtained using less intrusive methods. A few hundred court orders per year would clearly not overwhelm the FISA Court, and the law already allows for emergency authorizations to get these records quickly in urgent circumstances.

Senator Wyden and I are not alone in believing there is a more effective and less intrusive way to collect this information. Even before the nature of the bulk phone records collection program was declassified, there was support for narrowing the language of section 215 from many Members of Congress of both political parties. In fact, when the PATRIOT Act reauthorization passed the Senate in 2005 by unanimous consent, it included commonsense language that would have limited the government's ability to collect Americans' personal information unless there is a demonstrated link to terrorism or espionage. That language was designed to, among other things, protect our Fourth Amendment constitutional rights and put a check on government power. While that language did not make it into the final conference bill, it demonstrated that bipartisan agreement on reforms to section 215 is possible.

Let's fast forward to 2011, when the Senate again took up the extension of a number of expiring provisions of the PATRIOT Act. I offered an amendment drawn directly from language in the 2005 Senate- passed bill to narrow the application of this provision. That amendment, unfortunately, did not receive a vote. But this Congress I introduced bipartisan legislation with Senator Wyden based on that same language and principles, and we are now joined by a strong bipartisan group of our colleagues from across the country and all along the political spectrum, including Senators Durbin, Murkowski, Begich, Tom Udall, Merkley, Lee, and Heinrich. Our bill will responsibly narrow the PATRIOT Act's section 215 collection authority to make it less intrusive on the privacy of law-abiding Americans. Our legislation would still allow law enforcement and intelligence agencies to use the PATRIOT Act to obtain a wide range of records in the course of terrorism- and espionage-related investigations, but it would require them to demonstrate that the records are in some way connected to terrorism or clandestine intelligence activities--which is not the case today.

This past week there was a strong bipartisan vote in the U.S. House of Representatives to curtail NSA's bulk phone records collection. Although the legislation didn't pass, the American people are demanding action and those who share our concerns are on the march. It is time to take action.

It is common sense that our law enforcement agencies should have reason to suspect a connection between the records they are seeking and a terrorism or espionage investigation before using these broad authorities to collect the private information of Americans. If the government can use these powers to collect information on people who have no connection to terrorism, then where does it end? Is there no amount of information that our government can collect that would be off limits? What is next--our medical records?

We must be able to put in place reasonable measures that allow our law enforcement agencies to pursue enemies who would try to harm us, while protecting our rights as Americans.

That is why I believe if an investigation cannot assert some nexus to terrorism or espionage, then the Government should keep its hands off the phone records of law-abiding Americans. These are the kinds of reasonable, commonsense limits on the Government's powers that Coloradoans tell me are necessary to keep us safe while also respecting our privacy.

That takes me back to the statement I made at the outset. I believe it is time to end the bulk collection program as we know it. Tonight I am calling on the White House to begin to make the administrative changes to end the bulk collection of Americans' phone records and to conduct the program instead through direct queries to phone companies where there is a connection to terrorism or espionage. Under this targeted approach, our Government would retain its broad authorities to investigate terrorism while ordinary Americans will be protected from overly intrusive surveillance activities.

Congress should support the administration's move in this direction by passing our legislation to end bulk collection. Passage of our bipartisan bill would prevent unwarranted future breaches of Americans' privacy rights and focus on the real threats to our national security.

Taking into account the serious privacy concerns raised by the bulk collection program, the lack of demonstrated unique value of the program, and our ability through direct queries to the phone companies to collect the data in the same but less intrusive way, I believe the administration--I hope the administration will see the value in working with Congress to end the bulk collection of phone records conducted under the PATRIOT Act's section 215 authorities. I pledge to work with the administration and all of my colleagues to see this through.

Let me end on this note. We need to strike a better balance between protecting our country against the threat of terrorism and defending our constitutional rights. The bulk records collection program as we know it today does not meet this balance test, and that is why I believe it must end.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I rise today to mark a somber milestone. Nearly 1 year ago, Colorado and the Nation were shocked by the horrific scene at an Aurora movie theater. Even before the sun rose that Friday, July 20, 2012, we began hearing of a senseless mass shooting that took the lives of 12 people and injured 70 more.

Today I want to mark the anniversary of this tragedy and to honor the strength that so many Coloradans have shown--both on that day and in the weeks and months since.

The Aurora theater shooting shook us, it shocked us, it outraged us, but, as I said one year ago, it did not break us. Even today we are seeing that the legacy of this terrible tragedy is not the horror of that day but, rather, the courage and resilience of the people who have refused to let this event define their lives.

Take, for example, 18-year-old Zack Golditch, who endured surgery and weeks of recovery so he could continue with his football career and become a repeat state discus champion. The Denver Post recently named him the winner of their Adversity Conquered through Excellence award and this fall he will begin his freshman year as an offensive lineman at CSU.

Or Marcus Weaver, who was shot twice but now hosts a weekly radio show in Denver that spotlights great Americans who are making a difference in the community. Marcus also works with his church to help people who have struggled through addiction or incarceration and now travels the country inspiring others with his story and pushing them to take charge of their lives.

These are just two of the countless examples of the perseverance of people who were affected by the Aurora shooting. Zack and Marcus's strength defines us as Americans. That is something in which we can take great pride.

It is the kind of strength we honor in remembering this tragedy now a year later. In particular, we look back and honor young men like 26- year-old Jon Blunk and 24-year-old Alexander Teves who sacrificed their lives to protect their friends. And then there were the countless police and other first responders who rushed to the scene to care for the wounded and to stop the shooter before he could injure others.

Colorado has known too many tragedies these past several years. From the Aurora theater shooting to wildfires in Colorado Springs, Fort Collins and elsewhere that have threatened and destroyed entire communities and left hundreds of our friends and neighbors without homes.

We have seen the same spirit of sacrifice and resilience, as firefighters and community members have banded together to fight the Black Forest Fire, the West Fork Complex Fire and the other blazes that have threatened entire communities across Colorado this year.

This Saturday, on the 1-year anniversary of the Aurora theater shooting, let's take time to remember those we have lost and to honor the resilience of our neighbors who press on with their lives, undaunted by this terrible act.

In that spirit, I want to read into the Record the names of the twelve people who lost their lives one year ago. We must never forget these names: Matt McQuinn, Micayla Medek, Jessica Ghawi, Gordon Cowden, Jesse Childress, John Larimer, Jonathan Blunk, Veronica Moser-Sullivan, Alex Sullivan, Alexander Teves, Rebecca Wingo, and Alexander Boik.

I hope that we can draw strength from the tragic loss of those 12 wonderful, beautiful people and that it leads

us to redouble our efforts to be better people--to be more understanding to our friends and more loving to our families and to aspire to live our lives with the courage that the people of Aurora and Colorado have shown over the course of this last year.

I think that the leaders here in Washington could learn from their courage. The victims of Aurora have not let setbacks stop them from achieving great things and making their community a better place to live. They, in fact, have refused to allow the word ``victim'' to define them.

Of course, we still have work to do to prevent future mass shootings. There are many commonsense steps that we can and must take to reduce senseless gun violence. But today is not a time for a policy debate. Today is a day to remember the victims, to honor the heroes from that terrible day last year, and to commit ourselves to never forgetting their memory.

I thank the Senator.

Madam President, I rise today to talk about the balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution that I recently introduced with several of my colleagues. These cosponsors include Senators Manchin, Begich, McCaskill, Heitkamp and Tester.

Debates over the merits of balanced budget amendments have occurred for decades, and there is a wide range of conflicting thought on the topic. Proposing to amend the Constitution is something I do not take lightly. But after much thought and consideration, and having conversations with fellow Coloradans, I came to the conclusion that fundamental budgetary reform like this is necessary to restore Americans' confidence in our government and ensure long term fiscal health and stability.

I introduced the same balanced budget amendment in 2011 when there was still a great deal of uncertainty about our economy and its recovery. Although there has been economic progress, it is clear that we have not yet completely emerged from the downturn that began in 2008. It therefore remains critical that Congress continue to focus--in a bipartisan fashion on ways to promote job growth and economic recovery. It is to that end that I am proposing the idea of a balanced budget amendment to enforce budgetary discipline.

The proposal I am introducing requires the President to submit a balanced budget each year and ensures that our Federal Government spends no more money than it takes in, while allowing for exceptions in times of emergency. But most importantly my proposal takes steps to ensure that Congress doesn't make some of the same budgetary mistakes that got us into the mess we are in now. For example, my amendment prohibits deficit-

busting tax breaks for Americans who earn $1 million or more per year unless the Federal Government is running a surplus. That is a commonsense approach that makes sense to Coloradans. And importantly, this amendment would shield Social Security in order to keep Congress from taking money from the trust fund to mask budget deficits. It is my hope that this amendment would prevent the unwise budgeting we have seen too often over the last decade while upholding the principle that we should pay for our government in a responsible manner, with waiver authority to be used only in exceptional circumstances. I think most Americans can agree to that. Coloradans certainly do.

As we all know, Congress will again debate spending and revenue issues very soon as we approach a new fiscal year and an imminent need to raise the debt ceiling if we are to avoid default on our debt obligations. The total national debt is projected to reach over $16.8 trillion at the end of 2013 and over $17.5 trillion in 2014. Coloradans find those figures alarming. We are on an unsustainable path and it is critical that Congress consider--as one tool--the type of discipline this balanced budget amendment would require. I would not suggest to my colleagues that this measure will solve all of our existing problems unilaterally, but it will help prevent the country from amassing massive debt in the future.

I know some of my colleagues are skeptical about any form of balanced budget amendment out of concern that it could be used to dismantle critical programs or force uncomfortable budgeting decisions that purportedly pick winners over losers. However, I truly believe a balanced approach such as the one I am introducing today will not require a slash-and-burn approach to programs that are the backbone of our national agenda, help grow our economy, and benefit hardworking American families. In fact, I believe the only true way to preserve the core programs that support America's seniors and provide care for the most disadvantaged members of our society, for example, is to ensure that we have the resources needed to fund them over the long term. Without fiscal reform, our social safety net programs will disappear. This result worries Coloradans.

The last time I introduced this amendment, I quoted progressive Senator Paul Simon, a Democrat from Illinois who championed the concept of a balanced budget amendment. I am going to do so again today-- because his words carry such resonance.

In debating the balanced budget amendment in 1993, Senator Simon said, ``I am here to tell you that the course we are on, unless it is changed soon, absolutely threatens all of the programs that you and I have fought for and believe in so strongly. The fiscal folly that we have followed for more than a decade has brought us to a crossroads. We face a basic decision, whether through default or through our actions to choose wisely the course that will lead us away from the brink.''

Senator Simon continued:

If we do not act, interest payouts will spiral upward until

they consume not only Social Security but health care,

education, transportation investments--every other need on

our national agenda. My warning to you today is that a rising

tide of red ink sinks all boats.

Senator Simon's caution is even more timely today, and I have the same concerns about the budgetary path we are on. We have a structural deficit and the only way to fix it is to fundamentally change the spending and revenue picture.

I have not given up hope that Congress may find common ground on a comprehensive plan to cut spending, reform the tax code, and shore up programs like Social Security and Medicare, which are critical to our Nation's middle class. For example, I laud the efforts of Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles and the many other advocates who are putting real ideas on the table to reduce deficits and debt. These are people working across the aisle every day to find common ground to reduce our national debt. With that spirit in mind, last fall I led a majority of members of the Colorado delegation both Democrats and Republicans on a letter to our respective leaders in the House and Senate to support a balanced, comprehensive debt deal, which includes spending cuts, new revenue, and responsible reforms to shore up our entitlement programs.

Because we have got to have the fortitude to ``go big,'' I endorse the general approach of the so-called Simpson-Bowles plan, which reforms all aspects of the budget. And I know many of my colleagues support that same framework. Finding agreement on comprehensive reform is the best possible action Congress can take to send a strong signal to main street businesses, financial markets and the American people that we are serious about stabilizing our budget for the long term. Similarly, this balanced budget amendment would chart a path toward long-term fiscal health and promote the kind of confidence and certainty we need to spur job creation, economic growth and prosperity for a growing middle class.

With that said, I am convinced we will need additional tools that force long-term fiscal discipline. That is why throughout the years I have supported many policies to combat deficits such as a Presidential line item veto, establishing a committee to reduce government waste and a ban on earmarks.

Today, I ask my colleagues to consider my reasonable proposal for a balanced budget amendment. The proposal may not be perfect, it may benefit from my colleagues' suggestions to improve it, and it may be just one piece of the larger fiscal puzzle. But I do hope that my colleagues will give this proposal serious consideration as we continue to debate the best way to eliminate the debt and deficit.