Floor Statements

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, we will soon be voting on whether to establish permanent normal trade relations--otherwise known as PNTR-- with Russia and Moldova and to update human rights legislation on Russia.

We have to take many difficult votes in this Chamber, but this is not one of them. In fact, this is a rare opportunity to pass a good bill on which we all can agree.

PNTR is good for U.S. jobs. Russia is a fast-growing market. When Russia joined the WTO in August, it opened its markets to the other 155 members of the WTO who have PNTR with Russia. PNTR will give U.S. farmers, ranchers, businesses, and workers new opportunities in Russia and new jobs at home.

Our competitors in China, Canada, and Europe are now taking advantage of these opportunities because they have PNTR with Russia. They already have it. We are the only WTO member missing out on these opportunities. If we now pass PNTR, we could level the playing field and compete. If we compete, we will win. We will sell more beef, we will sell more aircraft, we will sell more tractors, and we will sell more medical equipment. Our banks and insurance companies will grow. PNTR will give our knowledge industries greater protections for their intellectual property, and our farmers will have new tools to fight unscientific trade barriers. If we pass PNTR, American exports to Russia are expected to double in 5 years. This bill has strong enforcement provisions to help ensure that American farmers, ranchers, businesses, and exporters get the full benefit of PNTR. This bill has strong human rights provisions. Senator Cardin's Magnitsky Act punishes human rights violations in Russia and helps to address the corruption problems Russia now faces.

In July, the Finance Committee voted unanimously, 24 to 0, in favor of PNTR legislation. Last month, the House of Representatives passed the PNTR legislation now before us with 365 ``yes'' votes. Now we need to act to pass this bill that supports U.S. jobs. Let's take advantage of this opportunity to take a good vote on a good bill. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of giving U.S. workers and businesses a chance to compete and vote in favor of the PNTR.

I thank my colleague from Utah, Senator Hatch. He is a great person, and we have worked very closely. The two of us have worked together, and we made a good team to get this legislation passed.

Madam President, I thank the Senator from Utah. He is a good man. I also thank staff who helped put this bill together. Amber Cottle, on my side, and Everett

Eissenstat, who works for Senator Hatch, worked very hard. They lead very good, trained teams, I might add. They are very talented, able folks.

I see this too as a vote to help propel us to the next level of trade expansion. One is the TPP, Trans-Pacific Partnership, which is being worked on by the United States and other Asian countries. I think it is a dramatic opportunity for growth.

Second, working with Europe, the potential free-trade agreement with Europe, there has been a lot of interest in Europe joining the United States and reducing barriers to trade. It is a great opportunity that we should take advantage of. Obviously, that raises another question, which is trade promotion authority. Next year Congress and I will work to get trade promotion authority passed so we can include these trade agreements and help American companies and, equally importantly, help American consumers because American consumers and American workers are, frankly, helped dramatically by properly negotiated trade agreements when it is in the best interests of the United States.

I thank the Presiding Officer for all she does too.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, I yield back the remainder of my time.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

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

I understand we are, in effect, debating Russian PNTR. Robert Louis Stevenson once said, ``The mark of a good action is that it appears inevitable in retrospect.'' When I traveled to Russia in February, many doubted that Congress would establish permanent normal trade relations, known as PNTR, with Russia this year. But in July the Senate Finance Committee unanimously approved legislation to do just that. And last month the House of Representatives passed very similar Russia PNTR legislation with 365 ``yes'' votes. Passing PNTR clearly is a good action for the United States. It is also an obvious one. Why obvious? Jobs. PNTR will mean more job opportunities for American farmers, ranchers, businesses, and workers.

Russia is a fast-growing market. For the United States to share in that growth, we must first pass PNTR. If we do, American exports to Russia are projected to double in 5 years. When Russia joined the World Trade Organization in August, it lowered its trade barriers to all WTO members who have PNTR with Russia. This is no small matter.

It includes lower tariffs on aircraft and auto exports, larger quotas for beef exports and greater access to Russian telecommunications and banking markets. It also includes strong commitments to protect intellectual property and to follow sound science on agricultural imports. It includes greater transparency on Russian laws and binding WTO dispute settlement. All very important.

One hundred fifty-five countries already receive these benefits in Russia. They receive those benefits right now. That is to say, every single member of the World Trade Organization--all 155 countries-- except one, the United States of America, receives those benefits. So right now, companies and workers in China, Canada, and Europe can take full advantage of these export opportunities in Russia, the world's sixth largest economy. But U.S. companies and workers cannot.

We cannot let this stand. When Russia joined the World Trade Organization in August, we Americans gave up nothing. We will give up nothing if we pass PNTR legislation now. We change no U.S. tariffs, we change no U.S. trade laws. This is a one-sided deal in favor of American exporters.

In my home State of Montana, one out of five 5 jobs today is tied to agriculture. Ranching is a major driver of our agricultural economy. When Montana ranchers can sell more beef in Russia, they can support more workers in Montana. It is that simple. It is a similar story in States all across our country.

I know that passing PNTR will not solve all of our trade problems with Russia, but it gives us new tools to tackle these problems, such as binding dispute settlements. Thanks to the efforts of Senators Hatch, Stabenow, Rockefeller, Brown of Ohio, and others, this bill includes strong measures to ensure Russian compliance with its WTO obligations and that the administration enforces them.

This legislation also includes the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act to help fight criminal rights abuses in Russia. In 1974, Senator Jackson and Congressman Vanik teamed together to pass legislation called the Jackson-Vanik bill, which this legislation repeals. Jackson-Vanik addressed one of the biggest human rights abuses in Russia at that time. And it succeeded. For the last 20 years, Jews have been able to freely emigrate from Russia, what Jackson-Vanik was trying to address.

Jackson-Vanik is outdated. Jews can emigrate from Russia and this is no longer an issue. Senator Cardin has courageously pushed the Magnitsky legislation for years. I commend him. The Magnitsky provisions in this legislation address one of the biggest human rights abuses in Russia today. The bill would punish those responsible for the death of anticorruption lawyer Sergei Magnitsky and others who commit human rights violations in Russia. It would do so by restricting their U.S. visas and freezing their U.S. assets.

Passing PNTR along with these provisions is the right thing to do. In closing, I urge my colleagues to follow the words of Robert Louis Stevenson and take good action. Every day we wait, U.S. farmers, ranchers, businesses, and workers fall farther behind their competitors. We owe it to them to pass this legislation. We owe it to them to make it inevitable.

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 wonder if the Senator from Ohio is ready to speak?

How much time does the Senator wish to have?

I ask unanimous consent that the Senator from Ohio be allowed to speak for 5 minutes.

Madam President, before the Senator leaves the floor, I thank him very much for his leadership. He is a stalwart leader in protecting human rights all over the world, but in this case Russia. I think he is right in suggesting that it is a good follow-on to protecting human rights, and certainly in this case Russia.

I thank the Senator very much.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that under the time to be controlled on the Democratic side, the following Senators be given the time listed: Senator Levin, 15 minutes, and Senator Cardin, 50 minutes. I understand that he has already used a certain amount of time, so the total will be 50 minutes. Senator Durbin will be given 10 minutes and Senator Lieberman 10 minutes; further, all time used for debate on the bill earlier today during morning business be counted toward the 5 hours allocated under the unanimous consent agreement.

Madam President, I yield 10 minutes to the Senator from Connecticut.

Mr. President, I wish to say a few words that deserve our attention. On Monday, an attack on U.S. troops in Afghanistan claimed the lives of SFC Darren Linde and SPC Tyler Orgaard of the North Dakota National Guard.

Sergeant Linde was a graduate of Sidney High School in Montana. He earned many honors throughout his career, including the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Army Commendation, and Army Good Conduct medals. He was a hero and a family man who put service to others above all.

May all of us honor the sacrifice and service of Sergeant Linde and Specialist Orgaad by looking for ways we can circle around our troops and their families. There are no words to express how thankful we are for the ongoing commitment and dedication they show every day.

Please join my wife Melodee and me in praying for the servicemembers and families devastated by this attack.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

I wish to take a moment to shine the light on a dark topic in my home State of Montana.

On Sunday I read something that hit me in the gut. The Billings Gazette reported that during 2010 at least 210 Montanans committed suicide. That is according to the Montana Department of Health and Human Services. That was 2010. In 2011 that number was 225. Another 5,600 Montanans attempted to kill themselves last year. That is a startling average of about 15 per day. In a State with roughly 1 million residents, that is nearly twice the national average.

We in Montana have a saying that I think is quite accurate. Montana is really one big small town. We know each other, only about 1 or 2 degrees of separation. You know what. If you ask if we know Uncle Joe, we all know each other. We know somebody who knows someone very close to us. We know each other's families.

These numbers are devastating. Among the victims of suicide in Montana are children, parents, neighbors, friends, and sadly many are also our military veterans who return home only to be held behind an invisible enemy line known as PTSD.

In Montana, we are a proud home to more veterans than nearly any other State per capita. We also had more Montanans volunteer for service after 9/11 than anywhere else in the country per capita. There are nearly 300 Montanans serving in Afghanistan today. We are proud of these men and women, and we are grateful. We take our responsibility to honor them very seriously. So the statistics are all the more alarming. They are very important.

In 2011 a report from the Center for a New American Security found that from 2005 to 2010, all across the country a servicemember took his or her life almost every 36 hours.

Matt Kuntz, the executive director of the Montana chapter of the National Alliance of Mental Illness, has described Montana's suicide epidemic as a public health crisis. Matt knows all too well that behind each and every one of those numbers is a family and community devastated by the loss. Matt is a veteran himself. In 2007 he lost his stepbrother, an Iraq war veteran. I know Matt, and I knew his stepbrother. He lost his stepbrother to suicide. His stepbrother was so scared, so frightened to go back to Iraq after serving three or four tours of duty. He knew--he said to Matt: If I go back, I know I am going to die. So many of my friends and buddies have died. I know if I go back, I am going to die too.

That caused him to be very depressed, and it caused his suicide. So my friend Matt took action. He dedicated himself to raising awareness. Largely because of Matt's dedication, the Montana National Guard led the way with a successful pilot program to increase screening of veterans both before and after deployment. That is natural in Montana because, as I said earlier, we are really one big small town. We know each other, we want to take action, and we want to get results.

I was proud to champion particularly the 2010 Defense authorization bill that took the Montana National Guard model, which we developed in Montana. With the DOD Defense bill, it is now implemented nationwide. Now every branch of the military has implemented screenings. We started screening before kids go over, as soon as they come back, 6 weeks later after they are back, another 6 months later after they are back, just continually screening, personal screenings. Thousands of health care providers have been trained under this legislation and, most importantly, thousands of servicemembers are now getting personal and private one-on-one attention from a trained health care provider.

There is still a lot more to be done, and I am proud we took steps to advance the ball yesterday by passing the Mental Health ACCESS Act as an amendment to the current bill. I applaud Senator Murray for her work on the measure, and I am proud to be a cosponsor. This provision creates comprehensive standardized suicide prevention within the DOD. It expands eligibility for VA mental health services to family members of veterans. It creates more peer-to-peer counseling opportunities, and it requires the VA to establish accurate, reliable measures for mental health services.

When duty calls, we in Montana answer proudly. This is about taking care of these men and women just as they have taken care of us. These people put their lives on the line in the name of our State, our country, and our freedom. We have a responsibility to try to do all we can to help them return to their families and live a reasonable, healthful life back at home. Too many Montanans are suffering in silence, as in other parts of the country.

Thank you for the opportunity to bring a voice to this important cause. Thank you, Matt, and thank you all for taking action in the Senate to further our efforts to give servicemembers and veterans the care and support they deserve.

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

Correct.

Mr. President, I thank my good friends from Michigan and Arizona for their gracious willingness to find an opportunity for me to make a brief statement.

I rise today in strong support of the amendment to protect the military's ability to purchase American-made fuels.

Powering our military with American-made energy makes our country safer and our economy stronger. Tying our hands and forcing the American military to depend on foreign oil is short-sighted and dangerous. Instead, we need to give our commanders the flexibility to power our military with homegrown energy, like Montana camelina that supports jobs right here in America.

The Department of Defense is the largest single user of oil in the world--consuming more than 355,000 barrels of oil per day last year. Despite increased domestic production of fossil fuels, rising global prices and market volatility caused DOD's fuel bill to rise by more than $19 billion in 2011. The trend is expected to continue.

This is why I strongly support the efforts of our military leaders-- that is what they want--to develop and employ alternative fuels. Our military leaders recognize the problem of rising fuel costs and dependence on foreign oil. The Pentagon's largest energy user, the Air Force, has established a goal of purchasing half of its domestically consumed aviation fuel from alternative sources by the end of 2016. The Navy has also invested in the F-18 Green Hornet program--a fighter jet powered by a biofuel blend.

The DOD relies on a sustainable biofuel market to meet its goal of lessening the nation's dependence on foreign oil. It is very important to the Pentagon. Regrettably, a provision in the underlying bill will limit our military's ability to develop alternative fuels.

Members on both sides of the aisle are concerned that this section of the Committee-passed bill would cause harm to our national security and military readiness. That is why I am fighting to allow the Pentagon to enter into long-term deals to buy biofuels as long as they are made right here in the USA.

Montana is in the perfect position to provide the homegrown fuels our Nation needs to move toward energy security.

There is clearly a demand from both the military and the private sector to use American-made biofuels.

In 2011, the Navy, the Department of Energy and the Department of Agriculture aimed to assist the development and support of a sustainable commercial biofuels industry. They investigated the development biofuels as alternatives to diesel and jet fuels.

The agreement included Montana farmers and corporations. Limitations placed on our military's procurement of alternative fuel would be detrimental to Montana's alternative fuel industry.

As a result of investing in biofuels, renewable Montana-grown crops like camelina have been used by our military as the predominate feedstock for biofuel blends. I call these freedom fuels. Why? Because they help get us off of foreign oil and help bring good paying jobs to Montana.

Researchers at Montana State University Northern in Havre, MT showed early that camelina to be a promising dryland crop for use in biodiesel and other bioproducts. Camelina, also known as ``Gold of Pleasure,'' is an oilseed crop that includes canola, mustard and broccoli. The small- seeded, cool-climate crop has been grown in Europe and the Northern plains of the United States.

Since its initial production, the cost per gallon of camelina-based fuel in Montana has dropped annually by half.

That is another reason why I think it makes sense to ramp up our domestic energy production, whether it is biofuels wind, coal, oil, natural gas, or hydropower. We need an energy policy that puts America back in control. We must reduce our dependence on foreign oil and work to develop all of our domestic resources--just like we have in my State of Montana.

Alternative fuels will not replace fossils fuels all-together--no way. However, replacing even a small fraction of fuel consumed by our military with alternative fuels made here in the United States can improve strategic flexibility, insulate the defense budget from spikes in the cost fossil fuels, create good-paying jobs for Americans, and make the United States a more secure nation.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, on behalf of Senator Hatch and myself, we wish to recognize the outstanding career of Mr. Raymond J. Ahearn, Specialist in International Trade and Finance with the Foreign Affairs, Defense and Trade Division of the Congressional Research Service (CRS). Ray will retire on December 28, after more than 37 years of distinguished government service.

Mr. Ahearn began working as a trade and finance analyst at CRS in April 1975, soon after receiving his MA in international affairs from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, SAIS. He later received his MA in economics from the George Washington University and also represented CRS at the National War College in Washington, DC, graduating in 1991.

Upon joining CRS, Mr. Ahearn quickly established himself as a leading expert in U.S. trade policy. He wrote numerous reports and confidential memoranda and conducted hundreds of briefings for Members and congressional staff on a broad range of international economic issues. These issues addressed core topics on U.S. trade policy, such as U.S. trade laws to open markets for U.S. exporters, trade reorganization, the debate over free trade versus trade protectionism, and the future of U.S. trade policy. He also focused his authoritative and objective analysis on international financial issues, including the 2008 global financial crisis and the Eurozone sovereign debt crisis.

Mr. Ahearn is well known for his expertise and deep institutional knowledge of the global trading system, particularly with respect to the World Trade Organization and related multilateral ``rounds'' of trade negotiations over the past 4 decades. More recently, he led important innovative research on rising economic powers and their trade policy implications for the United States. As a policy issue of growing congressional interest, his insightful analysis will continue to support Congress in understanding the transformative changes underway in the global economy.

Mr. President, I thank my friend from Arizona. I will be very brief because I know others want to speak.

This last conversation is extremely important. Northern Africa and other Arab countries are in a state of flux, to say the least. The Arab spring has caused lots of questions and profound implications that we don't begin to now fathom. Those countries don't have executive governments that have any experience. They have replaced tyrants who preceded them. These are Muslim countries.

Many of the people who live in these countries believe other parts of the world are more wealthy and they have been put upon. Add to that, these are countries which, in most respects, have very high unemployment. Add to that, most of the demographics of these countries are such that close to half of the population is under the age of 25 or 30, maybe even younger than that. It is a powder keg, and these are countries which don't have the history and culture of the first amendment freedom of speech we have.

I say all this because I urge all of us on both sides of the aisle to work together. It is an extremely complicated, complex situation.

It used to be not too many years ago that politics stopped at the water's edge. It used to be not too many years ago that on foreign policy issues, because they are nonpartisan, we as a country worked together. We addressed the world with one voice. So I strongly caution my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to not make this a partisan issue; that is, U.S. policy in the Middle East, especially in this case, northern Africa--but, rather, we work together. It is so important.

There is probably a reason why politics used to stop at the water's edge not too many years ago. Because it made us a lot more effective worldwide. I urge my colleagues not to be too critical of the other side of the aisle. It gets us nowhere. It is dividing and conquering, and that puts us at a great point of weakness.

Second Big Sky Honor Flight To DC

I rise on another matter and that is to recognize a very important event that is occurring this Sunday and Monday. What is that? Eighty- nine World War II veterans from the State of Nevada will take part in the Big Sky Honor Flight and come to Washington to visit their monument, the World War II Memorial. Their trip is hosted by the Big Sky Honor Flight Program. The mission is to recognize American veterans for their sacrifices and achievements by flying them to Washington, DC, to see their memorials at no cost. They raised money from Montanans all across the State to make this possible. I helped make this possible at steak fries, et cetera, and in today's economy, Montanans' generosity in paying for these flights is something special. Don't forget it has to be two tickets, one for the vet and one for the person helping the vet, because these World War II vets have been around several years and they often need a little bit of assistance.

One of the passengers on Sunday's flight is a 102-year-old. His name is Dr. McDonald W. Held of Billings, MT. Don has had a remarkable life. He has been a U.S. Air Force intelligence worker, a professor, an author, a minister, and a college president. Don was born in 1909. What was going on in 1909? That year President Taft was inaugurated as the 27th President. The U.S. Army received its first delivery from the Wright brothers. Congress passed the Homestead Act, which resulted in a large influx of settlers all across the West, including my State of Montana.

Don graduated from Baylor University in 1933 with a degree in speech. Although he earned his master's and doctoral degrees from Northwestern University, Don's heart remained at

Baylor. He wears a Baylor workout suit every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday when he exercises at the Billings YMCA. Remember, Don is 102 years old.

During World War II, Don served in the Air Force as an intelligence officer in the Philippines. After the peace treaty was signed he was stationed in Tokyo. He worked just a couple of buildings down from GEN Douglas MacArthur.

After the war, Don embarked on his career in academics at Howard Payne University, as a professor there from 1955 to 1964. He presided over the speech and theater department and served as academic dean. Don then worked for 7 years at Wayland Baptist University before moving to Billings, MT.

In Billings he became the first head of the speech and theater department at the Eastern Montana College, which we now know as Montana State University-Billings.

At age 74, Don was ordained as a Baptist minister in the Baptist church. He has ministered in three churches in Montana and also served as a president of the Yellowstone Baptist Bible Institute, now Yellowstone Baptist College.

Don and his wife Beverly have five children, five grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren so far. His son Don, Jr., a veteran of the Vietnam war, will escort him to Washington this Sunday.

This is a special weekend for this group of heroes. Believe me, I was here when the last honor flight came in. I cannot remember a time when I have been so touched by people. You see these World War II vets. Most of the men and women are just talking about their experiences. They are the ``greatest generation,'' as has been mentioned before, especially by Tom Brokaw.

It is time to give them thanks for their courage, time to give them thanks for their sacrifice. They have done so much. It is time to reflect on all the sacrifices they made. Think of it, battles of Europe, Korea, the jungles of Vietnam, deserts of Iraq, and those who are currently fighting in the mountains of Afghanistan. We must not forget them.

Please join me in welcoming our Montana heroes to Washington this weekend. I am going to be down there. I know many others will too.

I yield the floor.

I thank again my good friend from South Carolina.

Mr. President, I would like to take a few moments to pay tribute to Mr. Jon Frederick Holder, a man who was instrumental in helping my staff prepare for a hearing the Senate Finance Committee held on private long-term disability benefits in September 2010.

Jon died unexpectedly last spring at the youthful age of 71. The world has lost a dedicated attorney, a civil rights activist who took part in the Selma-Montgomery march, and an advocate who specialized in disability law. Jon spent the last 30 years working alongside his wife Kathleen at their small law firm in Maine defending people whose voices are muffled in a process that can become mired in duplicative forms, draconian due dates, and burdensome record collection.

Jon worked with my staff as the Committee's hearing date neared, staying late into the evening to distil with witty anecdotes and a razor sharp understanding, ERISA's complex statutory law, its legislative history and the seminal judicial interpretations that dramatically changed it. He described the insurance industry's corporate structure and its goal to reduce the benefit ratio percentage. Then he put flesh on that structure as he described what achieving that reduction goal means to the individual whose disability check suddenly stops arriving.

A philosophy major-turned-lawyer, an avid bicyclist who loved the ocean,

a husband and a father, Jon approached life with passion and purpose questioning and challenging the status quo and always seeking for ways to change or improve it. He will be missed by those close to him, but his legacy of good works lives on.

Mr. President, William Shakespeare once said, ``Nimble thought can jump both sea and land.''

Today I wish to pay tribute to a U.S. Government agency whose thinking is nimble and its actions as well. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

For 50 years, USTR's small but elite staff has been crossing the globe, over sea and land, to break down barriers to American exports, and they have helped develop a world linked by trade, a world governed by rules, to ensure a level playing field for our exporters and their workers.

USTR has been remarkably effective at that task. Since the creation of the Special Trade Representative in 1962, annual U.S. trade has grown from $52.1 billion to $4.8 trillion, contributing to economic growth of nearly 350 percent. USTR led the way through 20 FTA negotiations, multiple GATT and WTO Rounds, and countless bilateral trade negotiations in its quest to create opportunities abroad for U.S. businesses, workers, farmers and ranchers, in order to reach the 95 percent of global consumers who live outside the United States.

USTR spearheaded the effort to create the fundamental rules and structures that underpin the global trading system. It successfully concluded the Uruguay Round negotiations that created the World Trade Organization. The WTO contributed to an explosion of trade and extended the rules-based trading system to nearly every trading nation of the world.

Throughout it all, the dedicated officials at USTR have maintained their commitment to expanding economic growth through trade, for the benefit of all Americans. Through Democratic and Republican administrations, USTR officials have put the interests of all Americans first. And they have accomplished so much with so little. Never larger than its current strength of about 250 professionals, USTR has turned its small size into a virtue. USTR acts and reacts quickly, cutting through bureaucratic obstacles in the government to develop and execute market-opening strategies to break down barriers facing American exporters abroad.

As part of the Executive Office of the President, USTR is perfectly positioned to leverage the resources of the entire U.S. government and to integrate the full range of stakeholder interests on trade issues. And it is perfectly positioned, and has served well, as an effective and indispensable interlocutor with the U.S. Congress. USTR understands and respects Congress's constitutionally established role in the regulation of international trade. Through its close consultations with Capitol Hill, USTR presents to the world a trade policy that enjoys broad support.

USTR would not be as effective and it could not perform its role if housed elsewhere in the government or were it to become much larger and more bureaucratic. As others have observed over the years, if USTR did not exist in its current form, it would have to be reinvented.

USTR is now hard at work on a number of initiatives that continue its legacy of expanding trade for the benefit of all Americans, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, and World Trade Organization agreements on topics from services liberalization to customs reform. And USTR remains hard at work enforcing our existing trade agreements at the WTO and elsewhere, to ensure the United States receives the full benefit of those agreements.

So I would like to extend my congratulations to Ambassador Kirk, his predecessors, and the entire USTR team past and present for reaching the 50-year milestone. I look forward to another half century of stellar accomplishments, and I can assure you that I will do everything I can to help make that possible.

Mr. President, I rise to recognize a very important event that will be occurring this Sunday and Monday. Eighty-nine World War II veterans from Montana will take part in the Big Sky Honor Flight and come to Washington, DC, to visit their monument--the WWII Memorial.

Their trip is hosted by the Big Sky Honor Flight Program. The mission is to recognize American veterans for their sacrifices and achievements by flying them to Washington, DC, to see their memorials at no cost.

These veterans come from all parts of our great State. This is a special weekend for this group of heroes. It is also a time to give thanks for the courage and sacrifice of all our veterans and servicemembers. It is a time to reflect on the sacrifices made by those who fought on the front in Europe, on the battlefields of Korea, in the jungles of Vietnam, the deserts of Iraq, and those who are currently fighting in the mountains of Afghanistan. We must not forget their sacrifices.

I am so pleased I will be able to meet with these courageous Montanans. I ask the Senate to join me in welcoming these heroes to our Nation's Capital this weekend, and I ask unanimous consent that their names be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, 3 months ago the United States Senate came together and passed a full 5-year farm bill. We did not kick the can down the road. We passed a bill, working together, that provides the certainty America's farmers and ranchers need to continue supporting rural jobs and putting food on our tables. So there is absolutely no excuse for Congress to adjourn without sending this bill to the President's desk to be signed into law. Still, because the House refuses to even bring this bill up for a vote, it looks as though that is exactly what is going to happen. It is shameful.

Passing the bill in the Senate was not easy; everyone had to make a compromise. But the farm bill touches on the lives of millions of Americans in every single State. It is too important not to act.

The Senate's farm bill is true reform. We cut the deficit by more than $23 billion over 10 years. We streamlined programs to make them more efficient. We went back to the drawing board on commodity programs and created a true safety net--one that works for America's farmers as well as for the taxpayers--again, cutting the farm program by $23 billion.

The House Agriculture Committee pushed out a bipartisan farm bill as well. I give the House Agriculture Committee a lot of credit. It is no secret that there are differences, but even to begin working out those differences the House needs to catch up, because despite having a bipartisan farm bill that passed the House Agriculture Committee, the House leadership is refusing to take it up.

This isn't my first farm bill. I can tell my colleagues from personal experience that this action in the House body is unprecedented. House leadership has never blocked a farm bill that

has been reported out of the House Agriculture Committee.

On September 30, our farm safety net programs expire and the farm program expires--just 11 days from now. This is our last chance to give America's farmers and ranchers the certainty they deserve.

This is also an opportunity to provide much-needed disaster assistance. Not long after we passed the farm bill in the Senate, a drought began to stretch across the United States. It was on the news virtually every night and has been for months. Wheat and cornfields have been drying up. Without enough forage, ranchers had to face the decision to either sell their herds or purchase extra feed, cutting into their very thin margins.

As of this week, more than 2,000 counties have been designated as drought disaster areas by USDA, and 36 of them are in Montana. That is well over half of our State in a disaster.

There is a consensus in Congress and across the countryside that something must be done, and the farm bill is that something. We had a bipartisan vote here in the Senate by a large margin and, as I mentioned, a bipartisan vote in the House Agriculture Committee.

We have so many reasons to be grateful for the hard work of America's farmers and ranchers. They help sustain healthy rural economies. And because of the strength of America's agriculture, they put food on tables around the world. In 2011, agricultural exports reached $137 billion, with a record surplus of more than $42 billion.

Agriculture supports 16 million jobs nationwide. In Montana, one in five jobs is tied to agriculture. The farm bill is our jobs bill.

Last week many Montana farmers and ranchers came to town to talk about the farm bill. They each told me and other Senators and House Members the same thing: We need a farm bill, and we need it now.

Three of those Montanans were Bing Von Bergen from Moccasin, Ryan McCormick from Kremlin, and Charlie Bumgarner from Great Falls. Bing, Ryan, and Charlie, similar to many Montana farmers, plan to go into the field next month to plant their winter wheat. They will be doing so with the current farm bill expired. They will be doing so with no certainty of what the farm programs will be--that certainty which community bankers happen to rely on to advance loans so farmers can plant.

They do not want to see the farm programs expire. They do not want short-term extensions. They need the certainty of a full 5-year farm bill.

I urge the House to listen to what farmers and ranchers across the country are saying: The time to pass the farm bill is now.

Holding up a farm bill with wide bipartisan support is playing politics with the livelihood of our hard-working rural constituents. Instead, let's do our job so farmers can do theirs. Let us answer their calls and pass a 5-year farm bill now.

Tribute to Russ Sullivan

Mr. President, I would like to take a few moments to tell you about a dedicated public servant and his son--Russ Sullivan and Alhaji Amadu Hassann, or AJ, as he was known by his family and friends.

AJ died on July 28 of this year. But in his short life, he inspired people through his exuberance for life, his courage, and his determination. Born in Sierra Leone, west Africa, in 1992 during the midst of a brutal civil war, violence served as the backdrop to AJ's early childhood in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

As a young boy, AJ, his mother, and two sisters were forced to flee their war-ravaged country to Guinea, where they found safety in a refugee camp. However, life in the refugee camp was difficult. There was no work for the adults, no formal schools for the children, and little hope for a better life. Unable to return to their homeland, their lives were put on hold for 8 years as refugees.

But AJ remained hopeful for a brighter future. That day came in 2002, when their father, who was living in the United States, was able to bring AJ and his sisters to America.

The children--15-year-old Ousmatta, 11-year-old AJ, and 9-year-old Laretta--moved in with their father in Virginia. However, their father had struggled in America. Similar to many who do not have steady work, he did not have health insurance. So when AJ's father got a tooth infection, he ignored it. Left untreated, the infection spread throughout his entire body and AJ's father died.

An aunt tried to raise the three children on her own but had difficulty making ends meet. The children were split up. A cousin took in Laretta, Ousmatta stayed with their aunt, and AJ was taken in by a man named Russ Sullivan.

Russ has long been serving as a foster parent in the community. He has mentored dozens of young men, becoming the legal guardian of some and helping hundreds see a different course for their life. Russ took in AJ. Then Russ took on additional responsibilities of becoming AJ's legal guardian.

So who is this man Russ Sullivan? Russ Sullivan is the staff director of the Senate Committee on Finance. He is known in the Senate--as Senator Harry Reid has said--as ``a problem solver.'' Russ has developed a reputation for leadership, dedication, and respect for his colleagues. His staff admires him, his colleagues trust him and admire him, and I am honored to call him a friend. Nobody who has met and worked with Russ Sullivan has a different point of view. I have never heard anyone utter a criticism of Russ Sullivan, and no one ever will; he is that kind of man.

Philosopher Thomas Carlyle once said: ``The work an unknown good man has done is like a vein of water flowing hidden underground, secretly making the ground green.''

That is Russ. His name is not in lights. People do not know about him. He is working to solve problems and make the ground green.

Under Russ's nurturing care, AJ began to adjust to his new life in America. AJ had boundless energy and loved to play soccer. He was fun to be around, had a great sense of humor, made friends easily, and loved to flirt with the girls.

AJ completed high school but had no intention of going to college. That was until Russ came into his life. In April 2011, AJ told a newspaper reporter that his life changed after meeting Russ. This is

I say to the Senator, thank you very much. I know Russ deeply appreciates that, and we all do. I thank the Senator.

Unanimous Consent Request--S.J. Res. 50

Mr. President, Henry Ford once said, ``Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.''

On October 12, 2012, Montana Tech in Butte, MT, will honor two people who embody that very spirit: Frank and Ann Gilmore. As reflected in their stories, both Frank and Anne recognize the importance of education and giving back to society.

A Mississippi native, Dr. Frank Gilmore sought educational opportunities early and often. He was the first member of his family to earn a college degree. Frank's intellectual curiosity paved the way for an impressive academic career, one that includes studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University. Frank obtained a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Virginia Military Institute, and then went on to earn his Ph.D. in organic chemistry with a minor in industrial relations at MIT. His career in higher education began in 1967 at the University of Mississippi. Dr. Gilmore then taught at the West Virginia University Institute of Technology, and finally joined Montana Tech in 1998 as chancellor.

Montana Tech has earned a reputation as one of the finest science, engineering, and technical colleges in the world, and much of its success can be attributed to the incredible leadership under Dr. Frank Gilmore. Under Dr. Gilmore's chancellorship, The Princeton Review selected Montana Tech as one of its ``Best 368 Colleges'' for 11 consecutive years. One of Dr. Gilmore's proudest accomplishments is improving Montana Tech's efforts to find students employment before they even graduate.

During Frank's time as chancellor, Montana Tech boasted placement rates for its graduates between 93 and 98 percent. And, lucky for us, 70 to 80 percent of Tech graduates chose to remain and work in Montana.

Frank's dedication to his students went far beyond the classroom. I proudly partnered with Montana Tech in 2007 and 2010 to organize the Montana Economic Development Summits. We could not have asked for a better host than Montana Tech. Frank proudly offered the campus to hold workshops and host some of the world's most influential business and economic leaders. The connections made at Montana Tech during those summits have yielded untold investment and job opportunities for Montanans.

Not only is Dr. Gilmore's career in education inspiring, he also served his country with distinction in the military. He first served as a Marine Corps reservist when he was a teenager, then as an Active-Duty soldier in the Army, and finally as a captain in the Army Reserve.

This past year, Frank was appointed as president of the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. The Goldwater Foundation was established to encourage college students to pursue science, math, and engineering. I proudly advocated for Dr. Gilmore's appointment, as I cannot think of anyone more qualified to lead these efforts.

Ann Louise Gauthier Gilmore was also the first in her family to earn a college degree. She received her bachelor's degree in dietetics from the University of Northern Colorado. Like Frank, she also honorably served in our Nation's military.

Ann joined the U.S. Army in 1961 and completed her dietetic internship at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC. She continued to serve our Nation in the Army Medical Corps until her honorable discharge in 1963 as a first lieutenant.

Not only has Ann demonstrated a life-long commitment to education and to our country, she has directed her talents toward serving her community. Ann worked with the Women, Infants and Children, WIC, Program in Mississippi, the PEO, Philanthropic Educational Organization, a sisterhood committed to empowering women through education, and served on the board of the Butte Symphony Orchestra.

Frank and Ann's stories give us hope that there are dedicated, hard- working folks in our schools, providing our children with the tools they need to succeed. In a world more competitive than ever before, it is essential that we provide all Montanans with a world-class education. Investing in Montana's young minds is the best way to keep us competitive with our global neighbors and to ensure a solid economic future.

Thanks to the community's overwhelming generosity and support, Montana Tech constructed a new university center to honor Frank and Ann Gilmore. The new Frank & Ann Gilmore University Relations Center serves both students and alumni. The center provides a much-needed venue for students to meet their future employers, as well as place for alumni to convene and reminisce about their time at Montana Tech.

As we all can see, both Frank and Anne possess an insatiable hunger for education which they have used to better their community. The University of Montana, the Butte and Anaconda communities, and especially the Montana Tech students, faculty, and staff, all know that with people like Frank and Ann, Montana will continue to become an even better place to live, work, and raise a family.