Floor Statements

Mr. President, today I wish to honor a family who has chosen to live and work in the small town of Cromona, KY, which they have come to love over the years. The Whitaker family has successfully owned and operated Superior Printing and Publishing Company, Inc. since 1958. Three generations of Whitakers have been involved in the proceedings of the company, with a fourth learning the family trade as they grow.

Superior Printing was started as a local printing operation by Charles and Bobbie Whitaker. They began the business in a remote part of Letcher County, KY, in a town called Cromona. The small town now has a population of 665 people, but the success of Superior Printing has far surpassed the boundaries of little Cromona. The company has become one of the most popular printing firms in the tristate area, offering business in Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia.

You may be asking yourself, how does a company in such a small town become so successful? Charles's son, Mike Whitaker, president of Superior Printing, thinks it is due to their customer service. He has said that the only difference between Superior and the larger firms in metropolitan areas is the family atmosphere that Superior provides. Superior employees have love and pride for their hometown and home State, and they don't try to hide it.

Superior provides services that promote the local economy and the entities within the local economy alike. They offer professional color printing that has been known to help all of the local schools in the area with various things like sports programs and bulletins. They also are a big distributor of print for local fundraisers and fundraising groups. The Whitakers have also recently just began printing hardback books--something that isn't common in most local printing firms. Mike believes that the new hardback binding will help local authors be able to easily print and publish their books. With some of the amazing artistic talent I have seen come out of the Bluegrass State, I am anxious to see some of the works by Kentucky's own authors that will come from this new way to print and publish.

Not only does the Whitaker family run a successful printing and publishing business, but they keep busy with providing Letcher County with the news in their own paper, the News-Press. The Whitaker family is devoted to keeping the locals of Letcher County informed about what is going on in the county, State, and country, further proving that the Whitakers are truly focused on bettering themselves and those around them.

Charles and his wife Bobbie are the proud parents of Mike, who has two sons, Paul and Nick. Paul is a U.S. Army veteran who has completed two tours of Active Duty in Iraq, while Nick has just recently graduated from Eastern Kentucky University. Both Paul and Nick are planning on staying in Letcher County so that they can be close to their family and local community.

Whether it be creating a business that provides a convenient and professional service to the local community, making a conscience effort to support the local economy with their services, informing the citizens of Letcher County on the news, or helping many undiscovered Kentucky authors and artists get the exposure they deserve, the Whitaker family of Cromona, KY, have made a contribution to their State that will not go unnoticed. I am inspired to see an entire family give in so many ways to their local community.

Mr. President, I would like to ask at this time for my colleagues in the Senate to join me in recognizing the Whitaker family of Cromona, KY. There was recently an article published in Eastern Kentucky's local periodical magazine, the Sentinel-Echo: Silver Edition, highlighting the hard work of the Whitaker family. I ask unanimous consent that said article be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, it is not exactly a State secret that Senate Democrats have turned the floor into an extension of the Obama campaign over the past few months, and that what happens here these days has a lot more to do with what some political consultant out in Chicago thinks is good for the President's reelection than what the American people think would be good for the country as a whole.

Separation of powers notwithstanding, the Democrats' top message man recently admitted Senate Democrats and the White House are ``attached at the hip,'' meaning, of course, the Senate has ceased to be a place where problems are resolved and has become instead a place where Democrats produce campaign material.

Today's vote on student loan rates is a perfect example of this cynical election year strategy in action. Rather than working with Republicans to help young people in this country weather the effects of the Obama economy, Democrats have sought to distract them from it. Never mind the fact that Democratic leaders supported the bill that will cause interest rates on certain college loans to spike on July 1. Never mind the fact that President Obama was so concerned about this issue when this legislation passed he didn't even show up for the vote. Never mind the fact that Democrats have known this problem was coming for literally years but deliberately waited until 2 months before their temporary fix was due to expire to do anything about it.

Never mind any of that. What matters now for Democrats is they find a way to drive a wedge between Republicans and a constituency they are looking to court ahead of the November elections. That is what today's vote is all about for them.

For Republicans, well, we don't think young people should have to suffer any more than they already are as a result of this President's failure to turn the economy around. We just disagree we should pay for a fix by diverting $6 billion from Medicare and raising taxes on the very businesses we are counting on to hire these young people.

But as I said, solving the problem isn't what this is about for Senate Democrats and the White House they are coordinating with. Finding a solution to this problem actually isn't difficult at all. What is difficult is getting Democrats to agree to it in an election year. For them, it is about putting the other party on the spot.

Look, Republicans have a solution to this problem. We have asked for a vote on it. Even Senator Harkin, who opposes our approach, thinks we should at least get that vote. But following the President's lead, Senate Democratic leaders have decided to put the finger of blame instead on us instead of solving the problem--which, of course, is completely ridiculous.

Here we are nearly 3\1/2\ years into this President's first term, and he is still blaming his predecessor. He got nearly everything he wanted for 2 years. He borrowed and spent trillions. He took over the student loan industry. He took over health care. He imposed his regulations. It is his economy now. Yet he is still blaming others.

My view is, if you are going to ask the American people to take responsibility for their actions, pay their fair share, and play by the rules, it is time the President led by example and did the same.

Three months ago, the President told the American people that it is time to apply the same rules from top to bottom. The President said: No bailouts, no handouts, and no cop-out. An America built to last, he said, insists on responsibility from everybody. Yet day after day, week after week, what do we get from Democratic leaders in the Senate and from the President himself but more cop-outs.

Here is the real issue behind today's votes. Right now, more than half of college graduates cannot find a decent job. Close to half of them are back at home living with their parents. As a Wall Street Journal article from late last year put it: The U.S. labor market may be in a malaise, but young adults are in a crisis.

The real solution, of course: progrowth policies that make it easier

for U.S. businesses to hire. But in the short term, Republicans are ready to offer temporary relief, just as we did for working Americans early this year by extending the payroll tax holiday.

To pay for this fix, Republicans propose to end an ObamaCare slush fund that Democrats and the President himself have already drawn from to cover other expenses.

This is a pay-for Democrats and the President have already used.

This is perfectly reasonable. It is a solution to a problem both parties want to address. It passed the House with bipartisan support. If Democrats want to solve the problem, they should embrace it too or, at the very least, offer a bipartisan solution of their own. The White House has done neither.

The real enemy of recent college graduates is this President's economic policies. Until Democrats are willing to admit that, we will keep falling behind. And the real losers will be the young people we should be working together on a bipartisan basis to help.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I rise today in honor of a man who has always been ready and willing to answer the call of distress in his hometown of London, KY, in Laurel County: Mr. Ruben Curtis Walker, better known by what everyone typically calls him, ``R.C.'' He has served as a member of numerous first-response teams for the local people of his community for almost 60 years.

A life-long passion for service in the rescue field began for R.C. in 1952, when he joined the London Fire Department. He has maintained some kind of position there, whether volunteer or paid, ever since. R.C. has a deep desire to extend a helping hand to those in need. He enjoyed his job and he enjoyed the work he was doing for his community so much, in fact, that in 1962 Fire Chief Gilmore Phelps noticed his display of passion and asked him to start the first-ever Laurel County fire department. R.C. took on the challenge and met it with flying colors. He went on to run an excellent fire department for 18\1/2\ years before finally stepping down as chief.

Having always been active in his community and anxious to help out, R.C. didn't just devote his time to the new County Fire Department; he was involved across the board in the service arena. He was deputy coroner, then eventually coroner in 1966, the same year that he ran for county sheriff. He opened the Bowling-Walker funeral home in 1965. He has also been deputy sheriff in Laurel County, and the county jailer from 1989 to 1993.

However diverse the life of R.C. Walker was, he did not stray far from the fire department. His first love was fire and rescue, and that is where he is most at home. Although he does not fight fires with the department today, he does still participate in other activities with the firemen, many of whom refer to him as `Pap.'

Mr. Walker is not only a devoted public servant, but also a beloved family man. Aside from firefighter, he holds a few other titles--like husband, father, and grandfather. He and his wife of 25 years, Marie, have four children, Eddie, Steven, Stewart, and Deborah Greenwall. R.C. is dearly cherished by all who know him. I can say with certainty that his family, the boys at the fire department, and the local citizens of Laurel County feel safe knowing a man as honest and caring as Ruben Curtis Walker is watching out for them.

I ask my colleagues in the United States Senate to join me in commemorating Mr. Ruben Curtis Walker for the great many contributions he has to his local community.

There was recently an article printed in the Sentinel-Echo: Silver Edition, a Laurel County, KY local newspaper magazine, which highlighted the countless accomplishments of R.C. Walker throughout his colorful life. I ask unanimous consent the article be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, the Senate is now debating the Violence Against Women Act.

We began debate on this legislation by consent, and we would like to complete action on this legislation also by consent. We have been working to enter into an efficient consent agreement with only a couple of relevant amendments and with very short time agreements for processing them.

This approach is in keeping with how Republicans have handled VAWA in the past. This approach would also allow us to complete the bill today. These relevant amendments would give the Senate the opportunity to strengthen the law, especially in terms of the punishment for those who commit violence against women.

As my friend, the majority leader, noted yesterday, a good way to lower the incidence of violent crime is to incarcerate those who commit it. We could not agree more. We would like the chance to improve the law in that respect.

Honoring our Armed Forces

Captain Daniel H. Utley

Mr. President, I rise this morning to acknowledge the loss of an American hero and patriot. It is my sad duty today to report to my colleagues that Kentucky has lost one of our finest heroes in uniform. This particular loss is very personal to me, as I knew this outstanding young man very well.

CPT Daniel H. Utley of the U.S. Army was killed in the North African country of Mali just a few days ago, on April 20, 2012, while on a training mission to help the local citizens combat terrorism. Dan was 33 years old.

For his service to our country, Captain Utley received many medals, awards, and decorations, including the Bronze Star Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Joint Service Achievement Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Joint Meritorious Unit Award, the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Combat Star, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Korean Defense Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, and the NATO Medal. Captain Utley also received the Basic Parachutist Badge and his Thailand Jump Wings.

Charley Utley, Dan's Father said:

He was a great young man; he was a great son. He always put

other people ahead of himself. He did an outstanding job

while he was there. He loved being in the Army. He enjoyed

what he was doing, and he really thought he was making a

difference.

It goes without saying that every man and woman in our Armed Forces is an American of special fortitude and character. But I can personally testify to that truth on behalf of Dan Utley. At my alma mater, the University of Louisville, I was glad to have begun the McConnell Scholars Program, a rigorous and prestigious scholarship program for the finest students in Kentucky that prepares them for a lifetime of leadership and service. Dan was one of the best McConnell Scholars to ever grace the program.

I could not agree more with my good friend, Dr. Gary Gregg, the director of the McConnell Scholars Program, who said of Dan's loss: ``America has lost a rising star.''

Dan was born in Bowling Green, KY, on April 13, 1979. He was raised in Glasgow, KY, and he went to Glasgow High School where he played soccer and was a member of the academic team. He was also a member of Glasgow's First Christian Church.

Dan had a lot of hobbies, but most of them had one thing in common: They did not take place inside four walls or under a roof. ``He loved the outdoors,'' remembers Dan's father, Charlie. ``He loved camping, hiking, biking, jumping out of airplanes, canoeing, kayaking--anything to do with the outdoors.''

Dan graduated from high school in 1997, and he was awarded a McConnell scholarship to attend the University of Louisville.

Dr. Gregg said:

Dan was a workhorse of a McConnell Scholar. There are

people who serve for title and glory; Dan was a young man who

served in order to serve. When he was an undergraduate, he

would volunteer for any cause that came along. He was always

trying to help out the underdog. His heart was always bigger

than his ego; his compassion for others always outshone his

ambition for self. His life was no different in the U.S.

Army--what he loved most was serving others in need.

I got to know Dan very well during his time in college, and I came to appreciate what a remarkable young man he was. He was extremely smart. He was also one of the most popular students in the program.

Dan spent one semester in college working in the Kentucky State Legislature, helping to write bills and assisting State senators and representatives with whatever they needed. Dan graduated from the University of Louisville in 2001 with a bachelor's degree with honors in political science. After college, for a time, he enrolled in law school but soon decided, because of his desire to serve, that his path to fulfillment lay in military service.

When I first met Dan, a military career was certainly not at all what I would have expected him to do. But it just goes to show the growth and maturity this young man achieved in such a very short time.

``He was in law school, but after 9/11, he wanted to do something,'' says Charlie Utley. ``He was miserable in law school because he wanted to do something for his country.''

Dan's friend and fellow McConnell Scholar, Connie Wilkinson-Tobbe, agrees and this is what she said:

Dan was ready to live life, and he was probably smarter

than everybody sitting in [law school]. That was not

stimulating enough for him, and he was ready to do great

things.

So in 2003, Dan joined the Army and went through OCS. In almost a decade of Army service, Captain Utley served in many posts, all of them challenging and proof of his skill and talent. He was stationed or deployed in South Korea for 24 months, in Kuwait for 12 months, in Afghanistan for 13 months, and his final deployment in Mali lasted 7 months.

He served in capacities such as tactical communications platoon leader, operations officer while in Kuwait, aide-de-camp for a general in the 160th Signal Brigade, and brigade civil affairs officer in the 101st Airborne. After successfully completing a civil affairs qualifications course, Dan was assigned to F Company, 91st Civil Affairs Battalion, (Airborne), as a team leader.

Let me quote again from Dr. Gregg.

I particularly remember when he called and told me he was

being made an aide-de-camp and was going to get a new

shoulder holster as part of his job protecting the general he

served. It was a position of great honor and he was humbled

to have been chosen, but he wanted to talk most about his

cool new side arm!

Earlier this year, the news magazine for the U.S. Agency for International Development--Frontlines--published an article about America's efforts to combat instability in Mali, one of the poorest countries in the world. The article stated:

``The presence of the terrorist group al-Qaida in the

Islamic Maghreb, which has its roots in the Algerian Civil

War, now poses a threat of violent extremism'' in the

country.

That is why the U.S. Army, and specifically Captain Utley, was in Mali in the first place. As a team member of the Department of Defense's Civil Military Support Element, Captain Utley was quoted in this article on the valiant work he and his fellow soldiers were doing just a few months before his tragic death.

In September 2004, Dan married Katie, also an Army officer. They had their wedding in Hawaii. Katie was commissioned through the ROTC Program at the University of Georgia, and is now a captain in the Army with the 82nd Airborne, based out of Fort Bragg, NC.

We are thinking of CPT Dan Utley's loved ones today, especially his wife, CPT Katie M. Utley; his father, Charles L. Utley; his mother, Linda H. Utley; his brother and sister-in-law, Charles L. Utley, II, and Maria; his brother and sister-in-law, Matthew R. Utley and Michelle; his nephews, Matthew Ryan Utley and Mason Robert Utley; his niece, Marleigh Rose Utley; his maternal grandmother, Pauline Haynes; his parents-in-law, Chris and Peggy Michael; his brother-in-law, Matthew Michael; and many other beloved family members and friends.

I also know for a fact many faculty members of the University of Louisville, staff members for the McConnell Center, and current and former McConnell scholars will dearly miss Dan. I certainly will.

I had the honor of watching Dan grow from a teenager to a brave and virtuous man who willingly sacrificed everything to defend his friends and his family and his country. Elaine and I extend our deepest sympathies to all who knew and loved him, and I would ask my Senate colleagues to join me in expressing our respect and gratitude to this fine young man, CPT Daniel H. Utley. Let our work here today serve to ensure our country never forgets the duty he fulfilled by putting on the uniform--or the great sacrifice he made in a country many of us could not even find on a map in order to protect our freedoms here at home.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I wish to thank my friend from Alabama for his kind remarks about this brave young man.

Mr. President, I add I agree entirely with the remarks of the majority leader. This is the way the Senate ought to operate--on both these bills, both the postal bill, which was challenging for everyone to get through, and the Violence Against Women Act, on which there is broad, probably unanimous agreement. In fact, the last time it passed the Senate it did pass on a voice vote. We are proceeding to handle it in a way entirely consistent with the Senate's past and procedures, with some amendments but limited debate time on each of them. We will be able to finish this bill today.

I commend Senator Hutchison and others on our side who have been deeply involved in this--Senator Cornyn--in bringing us to the place we are now.

Amendment No. 2093

Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to my good friend Mr. Charles Long, the longtime mayor of Booneville, KY. Mr. Long has served as mayor of this small Owsley County town for 53 years. During his tenure, he has worked to provide a better life for the citizens of Booneville by providing exceptional opportunities for various daily improvements, as well as working to make vital amenities more easily accessible to all.

One of the most significant accomplishments of Mayor Long's time in office has to do with developments he oversaw in the area of water and sanitation. The mayor oversaw the installation of the town's water and sewer system in 1968. Afterwards, he went on to guarantee that over 98 percent of Owsley County had access to the water system and worked to see the sewage system expanded to over 400 residents in the county.

Mayor Long serves on the Kentucky River Area Development Committee-- KRADD. The mayor's home county of Owsley is one of the eight counties in eastern Kentucky that KRADD supervises. The organization has been a major force in further developing the rural areas of eastern Kentucky, and Mayor Long is an integral part of that process.

Besides the hard work Mayor Long does for the people of Booneville, he is known for being a beloved and involved member of his large family. His children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren are all very proud of him and all he has accomplished.

Sadly, Charles recently lost the love of his life and wife of 72 years, Virginia Ruth Long. Mrs. Long passed away on March 27, 2012, at the age of 92. During a recent session of the Kentucky State Senate, she was honored by a Senate Resolution commemorating her life and accomplishments. I know Mayor Long surely appreciated that gesture.

Charles Long has literally spent the majority of his life serving the local people of Booneville as their mayor. He is able to look back at his long and successful career and reminisce on the countless improvements he has put in place for the city he holds dear to his heart. Mr. Charles Long exhibits a commendable display of characteristics such as dedication, kindheartedness, and reliability which set him apart as a true hometown hero.

I am honored to stand on the floor of the U.S. Senate today in tribute to Mayor Charles Long's service to the town of Booneville and the Commonwealth of Kentucky. And I ask my Senate colleagues to join me in expressing recognition to Mayor Long for his long and fruitful tenure in office.

Madam President, before the Senator from Texas leaves the floor, I was going to ask that I be added as a cosponsor to his very worthwhile amendment.

Student Loan Debt

Madam President, one of the most heartbreaking yet underreported consequences of the Obama economy is the extent to which college graduates today are stepping out into a world where the possibilities no longer seem endless. Unlike generations past, today's college graduates are more likely to end up either unemployed or back at home with mom and dad, saddled with student loan debt that they are to end up with for the rest of their lives. And they don't tend to have the opportunity to get that job of their dreams.

For a great many of them, the excitement and the promise of President Obama's campaign 4 years ago have long since faded as their hopes collided with an economy that he has done so much to reshape. So it is understandable that the President is so busy these days trying to persuade these students that the struggles they face or will soon face have more to do with a piece of legislation we expect to fix than with his own failed promises. It is understandable that he would want to make them believe the fairy tale that there are villains in Washington who would rather help millionaires and billionaires than struggling college students. But that doesn't make this kind of deception any more acceptable.

Today the President will hold another rally at which he will tell students that unless Congress acts, their interest rates will go up in July. What he won't tell them is that he cared so little about this legislation that created this problem 5 years ago that he didn't even show up to vote for it and that once he became President, he didn't even bother to include a fix for this problem in his own budget.

Look, if the President was more interested in solving this problem than in hearing the sound of his own voice or the applause of college students, all he would have to do is pick up the phone and work it out with Congress. We don't want the interest rates on these loans to double in this economy. We don't want today's graduates to have to suffer any more than they already are as a result of this President's failure to turn the economy around after more than 3 years in office. Really, the only question is how to pay for it. Democrats want to pay for it by raiding Social Security and Medicare and by making it even harder for small businesses to hire. We happen to think that at a time when millions of Americans and countless college students can't even find a decent job, it makes no sense whatsoever to punish the very businesses we are counting on to hire them. It is counterproductive and clearly the wrong direction to take.

So let's be honest. The only reason Democrats have proposed this particular solution to the problem is to get Republicans to oppose it and to make us cast a vote they think will make us look bad to voters they need to win in the next election. Earlier this week they admitted to using the Senate floor as an extension of the Obama campaign. So no one should be surprised that they opted for a political show vote over a solution.

What Republicans are saying is let's end the political games and solve the problem like adults. This is an easy one. The only real challenge in this debate is coaxing the President off the campaign trail and up to the negotiating table to get him to choose results over rallies. We can solve the problems we face if only he will let us do it.

Honoring Our Armed Forces

Staff Sergeant Gary L. Woods, Jr.

Madam President, with great sadness I wish to report to my colleagues today that our Nation and my home State of Kentucky have lost a brave and valiant soldier who pledged his life to protecting others. SSG Gary L. Woods, Jr., of Shepherdsville, KY, was killed on April 10, 2009, in Mosul, Iraq, in a terrorist suicide bomber attack. He was 24 years old.

For his service to America, Staff Sergeant Woods received several medals, awards, and decorations, including the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart, two Army Commendation Medals, three Army Achievement Medals, two Army Good Conduct Medals, the National Defense Service Medal, three Iraq Campaign Medals with Bronze Service Stars, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, two Noncommissioned Officers Professional Development Ribbons, the Army Service Ribbon, and three Overseas Service Ribbons.

Staff Sergeant Woods, who went by Lee, was born on June 24, 1984, on a Sunday. ``He had very light brown hair and beautiful blue eyes,'' remembers Lee's mother, Becky Johnson. ``He was my first-born child and my only son.''

Lee grew up in Shepherdsville, where he attended Roby Elementary School, Bullitt Lick Middle School, and Bullitt Central High School, from which he graduated in 2002. In school he participated in Bullitt County's Gifted and Talented Program, and was a member of the academic team in both middle school and high school.

Lee also loved music. He played the trumpet, baritone, and trombone in school and sang in the concert choir. He taught himself how to play piano at age 6. He played the guitar, too, and took a guitar with him on two tours in Iraq to entertain his friends. Lee also played the drums.

``Before returning from his second tour he ordered a set of drums and had them delivered to my house,'' Becky remembers. ``When he came home on family leave, he had to set them up the minute he got there, and played them in my basement for a full week. I would give anything to hear him beat on those drums again!''

Lee also enjoyed drawing pictures, fishing, camping, and woodworking. He was obviously a talented young man. But his mother will always remember music as one of his greatest loves.

During his sophomore year at high school, Lee joined Junior ROTC. It was then that he first had the idea to one day join the service. In January 2003, Lee told his mother that he had joined the Army.

Becky was surprised at first, but when Lee laid out his argument, she could see that he had given the opportunity serious thought and was excited about the future. ``I knew at that instant that my son had become one heck of a man,'' she says. ``He had listened to me all those years after all. I couldn't say anything except, `I love you and I will always support you 110 percent.' ''

Lee entered active service in February 2003, and did his basic training at Fort Knox, in my home State of Kentucky. He graduated as a tank armor crewman and deployed on his first of three missions to Iraq from August 2003 to March 2004. Lee's second Iraq deployment lasted from March 2005 to February 2006.

After his second deployment, Lee got a reassignment to the First Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, based in Fort Carson, CO. He deployed for the third and final time to Iraq in September 2008, and received a promotion to staff sergeant soon afterwards in December.

In January 2009, one of Lee's fellow soldiers and close friends, Darrell Hernandez, was killed, and Lee escorted his friend back home in February. ``Soon after returning from this, he volunteered for a mission that would take his own life and the lives of four other U.S. soldiers,'' Becky remembers.

That mission put Lee in a convoy of five vehicles that on April 10, 2009, exited the gates of Forward Operating Base Marez in Mosul, Iraq. Shortly after leaving the base, a dump truck sped towards the convoy. Lee was driving the fifth and last vehicle.

Lee drove to put his gunner in position to fire on the dump truck. But tragically, that dump truck detonated with 10,000 pounds of explosives, killing Staff Sergeant Gary L. Woods, Jr., and four other American soldiers.

``The FBI says [that the dump truck's] destination was [the forward operating base at] Marez,'' says Lee's mother Becky. ``If in fact the FOB was the target, these five men saved the lives of thousands of soldiers on the FOB.''

On the same day that Lee acted heroically to save his fellow soldiers at the cost of his own life, half a world away Becky Johnson heard the knock at the door that all military families dread.

``Those men in the dress-green uniforms with the highly polished black shoes came to my house,'' she remembers. ``Yes, I noticed their shoes, because that was all I could look at while they asked me if I was Becky Johnson. I told them no as my husband stood behind me shaking his head yes.''

We are thinking of Staff Sergeant Woods's loved ones as I recount his story for my colleagues today, Mr. President, including his mother and stepfather, Becky and Pat Johnson; his father and stepmother, Gary and Debbie Woods; his sister, Britteny Lynn Woods; his two half-brothers, Courtney and Troy Woods; his half-sister, Heather Woods; his step- sister, Mandy Maraman; his two step-brothers, Newman and Corey Johnson; his grandmother, Nancy Ratliff; and many other beloved family members and friends.

Staff Sergeant Woods's loss in the line of duty is tragic. However, as small a comfort as it may be, I am pleased to report that his family may take some solace in the fact that a terrorist connected to the suicide bombing that caused Lee's death was arrested in Edmonton, Canada, and Lee's family can look forward to the prosecution of this terrorist and justice for Lee.

Becky Johnson intends to attend the trial and speak in the sentencing phase. May she and her family have the strength they will surely need to endure this process, and may they find peace in its final outcome.

I ask my Senate colleagues to join me in saying to the family of Staff Sergeant Woods that our Nation is forever grateful to them and recognizes the great cost they have paid. This Nation will never forget the heroism of SSG Gary L. Woods, Jr., or his great service and sacrifice.

Madam President, I yield the floor.

Honoring Meadow Bridge High School

Madam President, I wish to take a moment to congratulate both the chairman, Senator Lieberman, and the ranking member, Senator Collins, for handling a very difficult bill. It is, in my view, the way we ought to legislate. We had a number of amendments that were important to our Members. We are glad they had an opportunity to offer them. I wanted to just take a moment to congratulate Senator Collins and Senator Lieberman for a very skillful job handling this very difficult piece of legislation.

Mr. President, before the majority leader leaves the floor, with regard to the Violence Against Women Act, we would be very happy to enter into a short time agreement. He is entirely correct; this law has passed in the Senate on an overwhelming bipartisan basis, and there is very strong bipartisan support for it again this year. We are happy to work with him to expeditiously approve that bill in short order. Those discussions over some kind of a very short time agreement could begin as soon as now. We are happy to work with him to facilitate passage of that.

Mr. President, there is no reason to fight over something that nobody wants to have a fight over. We are happy to work on a reasonable time agreement and pass that in short order.

Mr. President, it is no secret that most Americans are tired of candidates for political office who make promises they don't keep. And who can blame them? For years, politicians have been going to Washington promising to make government more effective, more efficient, to balance the books, make life more secure, and restore Americans' confidence in their country again. And time and time again, they have either failed to get it done or didn't even make an effort in the first place.

Frankly, it is hard to think of any politician who has promised more and delivered less than our current President. He was the one who would erase old divisions and bring people together. He was the one who would rise above politics as usual and usher in a new era of bipartisan harmony. A lot of people believed him. Naturally, a lot of them are even more jaded now than ever. They are jaded because a candidate who said he was different turned out to be just another politician who seems more concerned with reelection than reform. Not only has he failed to step up to the challenges we face, he has actually aggravated them. Social Security, for example, is now expected to go broke 3 years sooner than we expected. The Tax Code is more complicated than ever. The national debt is bigger than any of us could have imagined. Health care costs are higher. Gas prices are up. Millions cannot find work. And even most college graduates--those best equipped to step into the modern economy--either cannot find work to match their skills or can't find any work at all.

Instead of fixing problems, he has made them worse.

What is he doing now? Well, the President who was supposed to change the direction of the country now wants to change the subject. He spends his days running around the country blaming whatever doesn't happen to poll well that day for the consequences of his own policies. He spent 2 years expanding government and constricting free enterprise, and now that the results are in he spends his time pointing the finger at others for problems that originated right in his White House. It is the millionaires; it is the banks; it is big oil; it is the weather; it is Fox News; it is anything but him. And it's absurd. I mean, if you believe that a President who got everything he wanted for 2 years--2 whole years--has nothing to do with the problems we face, then I have a solar panel company to sell you.

The President spent 2 years reshaping America in the image of Western

Europe, and now he wants us to believe our economy is performing as if a Western European economy has nothing to do with it.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in the challenges facing the young people in America today. As we all know, one of the defining characteristics of Western European economies is the high unemployment rate, particularly among young people and recent college graduates. Sluggish growth and inflexible labor laws are two of the main reasons young people have been locked out of the labor market in those countries literally for years. Today unemployment is above 20 percent among young people in the European Union. In Spain the unemployment rate among people under the age of 25 is a staggering 50 percent.

Some of this is no doubt a result of the European debt crisis, but the more fundamental problem is decades of policies rooted in the same big government vision the President has been busy imposing right here in the United States. It is hardly a coincidence that as President Obama has tried to reshape the United States in the image of Western Europe, our own youth unemployment rate has been stubbornly high. That is what happens when you increase regulations on businesses that hire college graduates. That is what happens when you impose health care mandates on them. That is what happens when you impose new labor rules, such as the one Senator Enzi is leading the charge against this week that makes it even costlier for businesses to hire. We see the long- term effects of these things in Europe, and unless this President changes course we will see the same lack of opportunity for young people right here.

So today the President will bring his latest poll-tested message to the students at the University of North Carolina, and I am sure he will give a very rousing speech full of straw men and villains who stand in the way of their dreams. I am sure he will also express his strong support for things on which all of us already agree. But what he will not talk about is the extent to which the decisions he has made are limiting their opportunities in the years ahead.

Some of them already see this. I mean, you have to think most of these students are sharp enough to put this President's rhetoric up against his record and to conclude that it simply doesn't add up. As the promises of this President's campaign collide with real life, I think young people across the country will realize they got sold a bill of goods. The next time they are promised change, they will know enough to kick the tires first.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute and bid farewell to a Kentuckian I knew well and considered a good friend. The Honorable Judge James G. Weddle of Casey County, KY, passed away recently, shortly after announcing he would be stepping down from the bench. He was 71.

Judge Weddle had a remarkable legal career that spanned over 45 years; much of it in public service. A graduate of the University of Kentucky School of Law, Judge Weddle served as Casey County Attorney for 16 years, and served as a circuit judge on the 29th Judicial Circuit of Kentucky from 1998 until his untimely passing; he planned to retire in May.

What strikes me the most about Judge Weddle, after having the benefit of his friendship, is how much he valued public service to the people of Casey County and Kentucky. Right up until the end of his career, he was always striving to be better. He felt he had not yet reached his peak. Being the best--and doing the best, for the benefit of all who came into his courtroom was important to him.

A scholarly man, Judge Weddle was sure to read all the latest law books and articles, and often knew more about recent legal events than lawyers in his courtroom who were half his age. He was well known for his ability to cite case after case without having to reference a computer or his law books. Simply put, he loved the law. And he loved the people of his community. You couldn't ask for a finer combination of passions in a Kentucky circuit court judge. The people of the Commonwealth were blessed to have him.

Elaine and I extend our deepest sympathies to the judge's family, especially his wife, Zona; his son, James; his daughters, Lucinda, Suzanne, Andrea, and Sarah; his grandchildren, Jack, Jeb, and Beau; his brother, R.C.; his sister, Delores; and many other friends and family members. The judge was preceded in death by his sister, Norma Jean.

At this time, Mr. President, I would like to ask my Senate colleagues to join me in honoring the memory of the Honorable Judge James G. Weddle. The people of Kentucky are the better for his many years of service.

A newspaper in my home State, the Casey County News, published an excellent article highlighting the Judge's life and career, as well as his obituary. I ask unanimous consent that said materials be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, over the past several months, President Obama has kept a pretty busy schedule of campaign events. But as the President heads out for more campaign-style events this week, let's not forget that what he is actually doing here in Washington is far more important than what he is saying out on the campaign trail because when the speeches are over and all the chairs and posters are put away, great challenges remain.

Millions of Americans are still looking for work. The Federal debt continues to cast a shadow over the American dream. Despite assurances made last year, there is no budget in sight from the Democratic- controlled Senate. As the Associated Press reported today, about half of college graduates can't even find a decent job in this country. I understand why the President wouldn't want to talk about these things, but that doesn't change the fact that he should, and it doesn't change the fact that his policies are the problem.

The American people elected this President to change direction, not to change the subject. They elected the President to change direction, not change the subject. Yet, day after day, week after week, as our Nation's challenges deepen and another economic crisis draws nearer, this President wants to change the topic. He wants people to either focus on something else or to overlook the things he is actually doing to make the situation worse.

Let's take, for example, gas prices. Gas prices have more than doubled under this President. Yet, rather than doing something about it, he blames it on speculators and energy companies. Instead of increasing domestic production, he is focused on a plan to tax American energy manufacturers--a plan that would increase the cost of energy rather than lower the cost of gas.

The national debt has skyrocketed more than $5 trillion under this President. Yet, rather than actually doing something about it, he pretends that we should erase it, that we could somehow erase it by just whacking millionaires.

Look, millions are looking for work. Yet, rather than doing something about it, he passes a health care bill that would impose massive new costs, he continues to threaten new taxes, and he empowers Federal bureaucrats to cook up new rules and regulations that make it even harder for businesses to grow and to hire. Unless Congress acts, one such rule goes into effect next week. Most people haven't heard about it because the President hasn't been talking about it. But I am happy to because it says all you need to know about this President's approach to jobs and the economy.

As a favor to big labor, the President is right now rushing a plan that would restrict an employer's ability to educate workers about unionization efforts, as well as increase their legal bills and the already high cost of complying with Federal regulations. And get this: The administration hasn't even provided an analysis of the cost involved in moving forward with this proposal.

Tomorrow, Senators, led by Senator Enzi, will have an opportunity to vote on this effort to make it even harder to do business in this country. We will have a chance to stand up against what the President is doing to the economy, and in the process we will be reminding people to focus on what the President does rather than what he says.

Look, at a time when America's corporate income tax is now the highest in the world, we should be looking for ways to make it easier for businesses to hire, not harder. At a time when unemployment is above 13 percent for young people between the ages of 20 and 24 in this country, we should be finding ways to make it more likely they can find work, not less likely. But this is the Obama economy. This is the President's approach. This is the painful legacy of his failed economic policies. The President may not want to discuss it, but Republicans will.

Mr. President, I stand before you today to call attention to the great service of my dear friend, State Representative Danny Ford of Mt. Vernon, KY.

Danny was elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives for the first time in 1982. He represents the 80th District, which for most of his tenure has included the counties of Pulaski, Lincoln, and Rockcastle, Danny's native county. However, Representative Ford has decided his time in Frankfort, the State's capital, will end with his current term. But based on the outstanding service to constituents he is known for, I say with confidence today that if Danny had decided to run again he would have most assuredly won.

There are few men finer than Danny, a hard-working, honest family man and a devoted student of the State government process. An auctioneer and real-estate agent by trade, Danny has worked alongside members of his family in their various Mt. Vernon businesses throughout his life. As the grandson of a former Rockcastle county judge, he is most at home when he is at home, amongst the citizens of the 80th District whom he cares about so deeply.

Danny has said that ``the greatest part of my job has been helping my constituents find their way through the mazes of State government.'' And that is exactly what Danny did. He believes in the philosophy of being attentive and accessible. No matter what, you could always count on Danny to be ready and willing to listen to any and all of his constituents' concerns.

Danny is truly a one-of-a-kind elected official. He has his own style of politicking that sets him apart from all the rest. He was known for operating in a low-key style because he felt that if you drew attention to yourself, you would become a distraction. Danny tried to stay out of the spotlight, but that is not to say it was because he wasn't getting things done.

He was able to push legislation that fixed key issues for the people of southeastern Kentucky. He helped to build interstates, repair infrastructure, build the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame in Mt. Vernon, and pass legislation that would make police cruisers more safe for the officer by adding cages separating the front and back seat. It is safe to say that Danny Ford truly cared about the people of the 80th District.

During his time in the Kentucky House of Representatives, Danny held such titles as Republican floor leader from 1995 to 1998, Republican minority whip from 1993 to 1994, and now again in 2011. He also was the longest serving Republican in the statehouse since 1900. Danny was looked to as a leader by both sides of the aisle. His opinion was greatly respected by the right and the left. And you can bet that when Danny Ford stood up to give a speech, every ear tuned in so as not to miss a single word of his eloquent preacher-style delivery.

In one of Danny's final interviews with Kentucky Educational Television, Danny said that after he retires he would like to return to work as an auctioneer, watch his grandson's basketball games, and spend more time with his family. And it is my understanding that he will be celebrating his 60th birthday on April 25. Happy birthday, Danny; I truly wish you and your family all the best.

At this time I would like to ask my colleagues in the U.S. Senate to join me in commemorating Kentucky State Representative Danny Ford for his contributions to the citizens of the 80th District and the great Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Recently an article was printed in the Central Kentucky News highlighting the distinctive achievements and honorable service of Representative Danny Ford during his time in public office. I ask unanimous consent that article be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to an innovative, beneficial, and truly essential organization in a quest to better understand and serve fellow Kentuckians diagnosed with autism: the Highlands Center for Autism in Prestonsburg, Kentucky.

The Highlands Center for Autism is making great progress in an attempt to better comprehend the extent of a condition which many people are unfamiliar with. Autism is a term used to describe complex developmental brain disorders that young children are most likely to show symptoms of during their first few years of life. The Centers for Disease Control has released a statistic that predicts 1 out of every 90 children will be diagnosed with autism. Not even 10 years ago, fewer people had ever heard of autism, and if they had, they probably didn't understand the full extent of it. Now with new cases being diagnosed each day, understanding autism is becoming increasingly more important.

Therefore, now more than ever, there is a need for contributions from organizations like the Highlands Center for Autism. The professional team at the Highlands Center uses the breakthrough Applied Behavior Analysis--ABA--method, which has been proven to dramatically reduce symptoms and improve life quality. Dr. Shelli Deskins of Paintsville, KY, has experience working with the ABA method. She previously worked with victims of post-traumatic stress disorder in Hazard, KY. Since her tenure began at the Highlands Center in January 2009, she has worked fervently to transform it into the successful organization it is today.

The truly one-of-a-kind Highlands Center is a private, year-round day school that serves as a beacon of hope and respite for the students enrolled and their families. The Center operates on the ideal that all children deserve the opportunity to laugh and play to become healthy, happy, and productive adults. The staff and volunteers provide an optimistic outlook for those enrolled, and provides their families with home visits and frequent reports on each child's daily progress.

I am honored to be able to have the opportunity to stand before my colleagues of the United States Senate and honor the tremendous work being done by the Highlands Center for Autism. It is inspiring to know that an institution involved with making scientific strides such as this is located in the great Commonwealth of Kentucky. I would like to thank those involved with the Highlands Center for Autism and congratulate them for their unparalleled dedication and service to this cause.

There was recently an article published in an eastern Kentucky magazine, the Sentinel-Echo: Silver Edition, which gave the public a glimpse into the groundbreaking work being done by the Highlands Center for Autism. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the article be printed in the Record.

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

Mr. President, yesterday I came to the floor to call attention to a woman named Kristine Svinicki, a widely respected nuclear engineer who sits on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Federal agency charged with ensuring the safety of our Nation's nuclear powerplants. At the moment, Commissioner Svinicki is in Africa, sharing her expertise on nuclear safety at the request of the Obama administration, which should not surprise anybody, since she is one of the world's leading experts on the topic, and since President Obama's own Chief of Staff signed a letter a few months ago expressing the administration's confidence in her commitment to the mission of the NRC and her ability to fulfill it.

I have the letter. It is dated December 12. I ask unanimous consent that it be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, what is surprising is that despite all of this, despite her expertise, despite the administration's own stated support for her work, she has not yet been renominated. The White House alone has the power to renominate. For some reason they have not. Look, the only possible reason for this delay is the fact that she had the courage to blow the whistle on the Commission's Chairman Gregory Jazcko, a guy whose temper and condescension toward subordinates, particularly women, nearly cost him his job.

So let's be clear about this. The only reason we are even talking about Kristine Svinicki right now is because she had the courage to stand up to a hostile work environment and the bully who was responsible for it. That is the only reason we are even having this conversation. She should be applauded for that, not hung out to dry.

Yet that is precisely what has been happening here. Commissioner Svinicki is one of the world's leading experts on nuclear safety. She was confirmed in her current term without a single dissenting vote--not one. She enjoys the respect of her colleagues and, as the letter I just cited shows, of the Obama administration as well. Her renomination papers were completed more than a year ago, as was the FBI report that nominees have to complete ahead of being confirmed.

If this nomination continues to be held, after she had the courage to take a stand, it will send a chill up the spine of every whistleblower in Washington. Commissioner Svinicki spoke out against a guy that even Democratic commissioners say bullied employees and intimidated female workers. Kristine Svinicki did the right thing in raising the alarm. She should not pay a price for it. The White House says it likes the job she is doing. They sent her to Africa to give a keynote address on nuclear safety. Yet for over a year there has been silence. It is my hope they are not rewarding abusive behavior by silencing someone who had the courage to speak out. There is no reason for this renomination and reconfirmation to wait another single day.

If Democrats have a problem with Commissioner Svinicki, then let's debate it.

This morning, I renew my call for the White House to send this nomination over immediately and for the Senate to act quickly to get Commissioner Svinicki reconfirmed. The White House said just yesterday there should be no interruption in service on the Commission, so why don't we get this done.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.