Floor Statements

Mr. President, I rise today in celebration of the life and career of Neil A. Armstrong. Americans and people around the world paused when Mr. Armstrong passed away on August 25, 2012, to recall his heroic accomplishments and historic legacy.

Neil Armstrong is remembered as a man who pushed the frontiers of space exploration and engineering. Over the course of his life and service to the Nation, he promoted the idea of never doubting what is possible. He inspired countless young men and women to pursue careers in science and engineering, many of whom became aeronautics workers at facilities like the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.

Mr. Armstrong was born in Wapakoneta, OH, on August 5, 1930. He received a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from Perdue University, a Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the University of California, and received honorary doctorates from multiple universities.

Mr. Armstrong embarked on a remarkable career that would involve his flying more than 200 different models of aircraft including jets, rockets, helicopters and gliders.

From 1949 to 1952, Mr. Armstrong served as a naval aviator, and in 1955 joined the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, now the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. From 1955 through 1972, he served as an engineer, test pilot, astronaut, and administrator for our Nation's ambitious space program.

Mr. Armstrong's transfer to astronaut status in 1962 led to his performing the first successful docking of two vehicles in space in March 1966 as the command pilot for Gemini 8. Mr. Armstrong subsequently became commander for Apollo 11, the first manned lunar mission, and was the first man to land a craft on the moon. At 10:56 p.m. ET on July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first man to step on the surface of the moon. It was one of the defining moments of the 20th century and one of the proudest days for the American people.

Following his career with NASA, Mr. Armstrong was a Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Cincinnati between 1971 and 1979. Mr. Armstrong was decorated by 17 countries and was the recipient of many special honors including: the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Congressional Gold Medal, the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, the Explorers Club Medal, the Robert H. Goddard Memorial Trophy, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, the Harmon International Aviation Trophy, the Royal Geographic Society's Gold Medal, the Federal Aeronautique Internationale's Gold Space Medal, the American Astronautical Society Flight Achievement Award, the Robert J. Collier Trophy, the AIAA Astronautics Award, the Octave Chanute Award, and the John J. Montgomery Award.

Mr. Armstrong will be remembered not only for his famous words as he stepped foot on the moon--``That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind''--but more importantly for inspiring generations of people around the world to explore and push the boundaries of what they believe is possible. Neil Armstrong was a true American hero who will be missed by many, but never forgotten.

Mr. President, this week my home State of Mississippi received the sobering news that its economy had slipped back into recession. Frankly, I'm concerned that my State might be a harbinger for the rest of the country.

Despite national efforts to create new jobs and opportunities, our economy is not getting significantly better. It is a problem in most States. Unemployment has remained over 8 percent for more than 3 years despite spending nearly a trillion dollars with the President's 2009 stimulus package.

Investments and small business growth have languished with a weak economy and with tax policies and Federal regulations that seem to have made matters worse. The course we are on is simply not good enough. We urge the Senate to make a strong stand. Let's get together. Let's push a simple, easy-to-follow game plan for economic recovery.

Madam President, this continuing resolution results from an agreement reached between the President and the congressional leadership for a 6-month, clean CR that adheres to the fiscal year 2013 spending levels set out in the Budget Control Act.

The continuing resolution does not make reductions in programs for which the President requested less money in fiscal year 2013, nor does it make cuts that have been proposed by the Congress. Neither does the resolution increase funding for programs Congress or the administration deemed to be high priorities, with a few exceptions. The continuing resolution does not contain any new oversight provisions to guide agencies, nor does it include any new riders to limit the activities of the executive branch. In short, it puts the portion of government that we call discretionary on automatic pilot. Enactment of this resolution will, for the time being, avoid a disruptive government-shutdown fight.

The resolution represents a lost opportunity. We have lost the opportunity to provide agencies with at least some certainty about funding for this fiscal year. We have lost the opportunity to make informed judgments about which programs are effective and deserving of additional resources and which programs should be reformed or terminated. Contracts will not be let in a timely and efficient manner, and acquisition and construction costs will rise with delay. The morale of the Federal workforce will suffer. Perhaps most importantly, we have lost a chance to supplant the looming sequester.

Elections have consequences, as they most certainly should, but elections should not have the consequence of rendering Congress unwilling or incapable of performing its most fundamental duties in the times leading up to those elections. In my view, the thoughtful and dutiful appropriation of funds for our national defense and other government operations is such a fundamental duty.

I deeply regret that the majority leader chose not to call up a single appropriations bill. Chairman Inouye has shown impressive leadership of our committee in reporting 11 of the 12 bills out of our committee. Most were reported on a broad bipartisan basis. The chairmen and ranking members of the subcommittees have put a lot of time and thought into the bills. The staffs have worked very hard producing this legislation. The other body has also produced a bill. It has passed seven of the appropriations bills in the other body and I suspect would have passed the others had there been any sign of movement in the Senate.

We can only speculate as to why none of the bills have been considered here in the Senate. Other issues were deemed more pressing or expedient for one reason or another. Perhaps votes on amendments to spending bills were deemed to be politically perilous, whatever the reasons.

At a time when addressing our Nation's fiscal situation is so central to our duty as Senators, it seems more imperative than ever that Members of this body have an opportunity to offer amendments to shape the spending bills. Our problems are sufficiently large that it will require all of our good ideas to make the day-to-day operations of government as efficient and effective as possible. This might mean we have to take votes on difficult amendments. But would that really be so traumatic?

As a result of our inaction, we are compelled to pass this continuing resolution to fund the government. I would have preferred a shorter term CR in order to motivate action on the appropriations bills, but 6 months is what has been agreed to.

Proponents of this 6-month CR argue that the prospect of a government shutdown should be taken off the table so that we can focus on the complex issues facing us in the coming months. But do those issues look any more simple now that we are about to pass this CR?

All manner of taxes are scheduled to go up on January 1. Medicare reimbursement rates will be cut dramatically. The debt ceiling looms. And due

to the inability of the supercommittee to propose a debt reduction package, we are facing a budget sequester that very few people seem to think is a good idea.

Perhaps passage of this CR will help us address these pressing matters. I hope that it will. But I am not so sure it changes things that much.

Regardless of who wins what in the upcoming election, we have a great deal of unfinished business to resolve in the coming months.

None of my colleagues likely relish the prospect of voting in March-- up or down--on either a trillion-dollar omnibus bill or a trillion- dollar full-year CR. Yet that is where we are headed if we continue to do nothing.

Appropriations bills are not simply opportunities to spend more money. They provide regular opportunities for effective oversight of Federal agencies. And when we take the time to bring them to the Senate floor, they provide regular opportunities for the elected representatives of all the people to shape, as well as fund the operations of the Federal Government. I hope the Senate will not continue to deny the people that opportunity.

Mr. President, on May 13, 2011, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued Change Request 7397 to stop compounding pharmacies that prepare medications used in implanted infusion pumps from billing Medicare directly for these services. This was an attempt to reverse a policy that has been permissible in several States for over 20 years. Since then, I have worked with Senator Wicker and other Members of Congress to delay the implementation of this change until its effects have been fully considered.

This policy change has been met with opposition from pharmacies, physicians, and patients. In Mississippi, pharmacies are prohibited from selling infused pain medications to physicians, which would result in decreased access to effective treatments for chronic pain disorders. While this is a particular issue in my State, this policy change will have serious implications across the Nation.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has worked with us over the past year to delay this policy change and to propose a rule that is now receiving comments. However, CMS officials have continued to demonstrate a lack of understanding about the potential consequences of changing payment policy. We should protect practices that have been effective in treating patients and support those who supply drugs necessary for the well-being of patients. This bill would explicitly allow compounding pharmacies to bill Medicare directly for their services in the interest of helping patients continue to receive the quality care they deserve.

Mr. President, on May 13, 2011, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued Change Request 7397 to stop compounding pharmacies that prepare medications used in implanted infusion pumps from billing Medicare directly for these services. This was an attempt to reverse a policy that has been permissible in several States for over 20 years. Since then, I have worked with Senator Wicker and other Members of Congress to delay the implementation of this change until its effects have been fully considered.

This policy change has been met with opposition from pharmacies, physicians, and patients. In Mississippi, pharmacies are prohibited from selling infused pain medications to physicians, which would result in decreased access to effective treatments for chronic pain disorders. While this is a particular issue in my State, this policy change will have serious implications across the Nation.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has worked with us over the past year to delay this policy change and to propose a rule that is now receiving comments. However, CMS officials have continued to demonstrate a lack of understanding about the potential consequences of changing payment policy. We should protect practices that have been effective in treating patients and support those who supply drugs necessary for the well-being of patients. This bill would explicitly allow compounding pharmacies to bill Medicare directly for their services in the interest of helping patients continue to receive the quality care they deserve.

Mr. President, agreeing to put the government on autopilot for 6 months is no great achievement. It simply means more drift. It means a longer period of uncertainty for government agencies and the people they serve, more spending on ineffective programs and outdated priorities, and inadequate investment in programs that merit additional resources.

My preference is that we complete our work and make specific spending choices based on the relative merits of government programs. There is no excuse for the Senate not to be considering the appropriations bills. Our committee members have done the work of scrutinizing budgets, holding hearings, and drafting bills. Those bills deserve to be considered by the Senate, negotiated with the House and sent to the President as soon as possible.

I congratulate the distinguished chairman of our Committee on Appropriations, Mr. Inouye, for his dependable leadership on getting us to this point. I look forward to continuing our efforts to extend our appropriations authority for the balance of the fiscal year.

Mr. President, my State of Mississippi and the American journalism community have suffered a great loss with the death of William Raspberry. As a widely respected writer, his articles were refreshing in their depth of understanding and even handed reporting of the perils and triumphs of politics and government.

I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record an article from the Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Mississippi, written by Sid Salter.

Mr. President, I am pleased to congratulate the United Way on its 125th anniversary. The organization began in 1887 as a community

endeavor in Denver, and it spread throughout the country.

Today, the United Way includes almost 1,800 community-based organizations in the United States and 40 other countries and territories. It applies the nearly $5 billion it raises annually to provide for the common good in communities all over the world.

I am proud that my State of Mississippi is home to dozens of nonprofit United Way organizations. With their network of partners, these groups do remarkable work to gather private resources and generate volunteer services from all ages to address the educational, health, and income problems faced by children, families, and seniors.

Projects such as the Back 2 School Resource Fair hosted by the United Way of Northeast Mississippi, the Summer Youth Corps volunteer program run by the United Way of the Capital Area, and the Literacy Kit Workshop sponsored by the United Way of Southern Mississippi are just a very small sample of ongoing activities carried out to help improve our State.

In addition, Mississippians are grateful for the helping hand the United Way provides when disasters strike. United Way volunteers from Mississippi and around the Nation were among the thousands of people who came to the aid of my State following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. More recently, the United Way stepped up to assist those hurt by tornadoes in northeast Mississippi and historic flooding throughout the Mississippi River delta.

The United Way has recorded an outstanding history of accomplishment in its 125 years. It has done so by joining forces with everyone from the individual giver to Fortune 500 partners.

I am pleased to be able to join in commending this organization for its good works, and I look forward to its continued success.

Mr. President, I rise today to offer a Memorial Day tribute to the brave men and women who have lost their lives protecting the safety and security of our citizens and American interests around the world.

Today, there are media reports about the American people becoming ``war weary'' after more than a decade of combat activities in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere. Many lives and great expense have been marshaled since the 9/11 attacks, but I would submit that Americans are unfaltering in their appreciation for the honor, courage and dedication shown by our servicemen and women. This is especially the case for those who have made the ultimate sacrifice by giving their lives for their country.

This Memorial Day, I will take time to honor our brave fallen warriors, including the more than 70 military personnel from Mississippi who have died in the service of our Nation in Iraq, Afghanistan and around the world over the past decade.

For the Record, I offer the names of these brave Mississippians who have fallen since the Nation commemorated Memorial Day last year. They are:

Sgt. Christopher R. Bell, 21, of Golden, who died June 4, 2011.

Petty Officer Stacy O. Johnson, 35, of Rolling Fork, who died July 18, 2011.

LCpl. Edward J. Dycus, 22, of Greenville, who died Feb. 1, 2012.

SFC Billy E. Sutton, 42, of Tupelo, who died Feb. 7, 2012.

MSG Scott E. Pruitt, 38, of Gautier, who died April 28, 2012.

SSG Carlous Perry, 30, of West Point, who died April 30, 2012.

I am confident that the people of my State will join the national commemoration to remember these men and the thousands of Mississippians, who over the course of this great nation's history, have courageously served and sacrificed their lives in that service. We will also recall their families and their profound loss. On this day of remembrance, we salute those sacrifices and express our gratitude for their brave service.

In these challenging times, we should also reaffirm our commitment to the servicemen and women who today put themselves in danger on our behalf. We must remain resolved to ensure that those who join our Armed Forces are the best equipped and best trained in the world, and that we meet our obligations to those who have served and sacrificed in the defense of our nation.

Let me close by expressing my personal gratitude to all our fallen heroes, and communicating my sincere appreciation to those Mississippians and Americans who answer the call to arms and find themselves in harm's way.

Mr. President, a year ago my State of Mississippi suffered one of the worst disasters in our history when the Mississippi River and its tributaries were confronted with record flood levels that threatened the well-being of residents and property over much of our State. The 2011 flood put our people and flood control structures to the test. Federal, State, and local entities worked heroically to prevent this disaster from becoming an outright catastrophe. I would like to especially commend the Mississippi Levee Board and the Yazoo- Mississippi Delta Levee Board for their impressive leadership during the flood and for taking the necessary actions to protect our population and to limit flood damage.

The Mississippi Levee Board is responsible for operating and maintaining a roughly 212-mile levee system along the river, as well as 360 miles of interior drainage streams. The Yazoo-Mississippi Delta Levee Board maintains 98 miles of mainline levees and 18 miles of backwater levees. Each board has worked efficiently and effectively with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to reduce the threat of high water and flood damage.

The great flood of 2011 reminded us of the importance of diligence, preparation, and cooperation to ensure that our levees remain strong and that the lives and property in our State are protected.

Mr. President, I am pleased to commend Bowen Flowers of Clarksdale, MS, for his service and contributions to the State of Mississippi while serving as the 77th President of Delta Council. The Delta Council was formed in 1935 and has grown into a widely respected economic development organization representing the business, professional, and agricultural leadership of the alluvial floodplain commonly known as the Mississippi Delta. I am grateful to Delta Council for its continuous role in meeting the economic and quality of life challenges which have historically confronted this part of my State.

Bowen Flowers' tenure as president of Delta Council has coincided with the development of a new farm bill, the primary legislation for establishing Federal agriculture and food policies. Mr. Flowers has used his insight and judgment to lead the Delta Council in effectively working with Congress to help ensure that the priorities of those living and working in rural America are met. He is also recognized for his dedication to conservation and wildlife as part of his ongoing service to Mississippi.

In addition to his role as president of Delta Council, Mr. Flowers is a director of Staplcotn Producer Cooperative and the Covenant Bank, and is a commissioner on the Coahoma County Soil and Water Commission. Some of his previous leadership positions include director of the Mississippi Association of Conservation Districts, president of the Mississippi Soybean Promotion Board, producer director of the National Cotton Council, president of Delta Wildlife, and chairman of the Delta Council Soil and Water Committee.

Bowen Flowers is well respected in Mississippi and his performance as president of the Delta Council will add to his well-earned reputation of working to improve the quality of life of rural America. His dedication to the future of the Mississippi Delta and those who live there speaks highly of him as a person. In Mississippi, we appreciate Bowen Flowers, as well as his wife Susan and their daughter Anderson, for their service and commitment to Mississippi.

Mr. President, I am pleased to commend Alfred Rankins, Sr., of Greenville, MS, for his tireless and effective leadership while serving on the Washington County Board of Supervisors. Mr. Rankins recently retired from the board following a long career dedicated to protecting and enhancing the lives of the residents of Greenville and Washington County, and people throughout the Mississippi Delta. Washington County has historically faced a unique set of challenges, and I am grateful for the board's consistent leadership in willingly addressing these challenges on a daily basis.

Al Rankins has served Washington County long enough to understand the

dynamics of the local economy and the needs of the region. Mr. Rankins served on the Board of Supervisors since 1990 and served as its president. His tenure was characterized by consistent focus on retaining and recruiting new businesses and industries to the area. During his career, Al Rankins has also been a member of the Mississippi Water Management Advisory Board and the Allied Enterprise Advisory Board. On the Delta Council, he served as the longtime chairman of the Council's Flood Control Committee and as chairman of the Development Department Board of Directors.

Prior to serving in these important jobs, Al Rankins worked almost 21 years as a police officer for the city of Greenville, retiring in 1990 as deputy chief. He also served his country honorably during a tour of duty in Vietnam with the U.S. Air Force.

Related to his career as a civic leader and business owner, Al Rankins has received many accolades and honors, including the Lifetime Achievement Award for Civil Service to the Community, the Outstanding Citizen Achievement Award, and the Outstanding Service to the Community Award. These awards are examples of the recognition extended to Mr. Rankins for his public service and community volunteer contributions to the Mississippi Delta Region.

Al Rankins and his wife Mary are a credit to my great State. In conjunction with the end of his long service with the Washington County Board of Supervisors, I join many Mississippians in commending Alfred Rankins, Sr., for his dedication and service to the people of Mississippi.

Mr. President, the harsh realities of the health care reform law are coming home to roost.

My State is bracing for the impact of the so-called affordable care act.

Under the health care reform law, enrollment under an expanded Medicaid Program is projected to increase in my State of Mississippi by as much as 44 percent in 2014. Thousands of people will be forced onto the Medicaid rolls. The legislature in my state is wrestling with serious budget pressures from the cost of the Medicaid Program.

Mississippi has the highest Federal matching assistance percentage in the country at approximately 75 percent. But over the course of the next 10 years, our State match requirement will increase by $127 million each year for a total of $1.3 billion by the year 2020. Our State's budget can't handle that burden. Other States are facing similar constraints.

The affordable care act is essentially taking aim at State governments. The maintenance-of-effort requirements for the Medicaid Program are particularly restrictive. They inhibit a State's ability to spend taxpayer money wisely, and they ignore the inherent problems within the Medicaid Program. Mississippi faces the prospect of expending all of its resources keeping up with an unfunded mandate that increases its dependency on the Federal Government, while being forced to cut other important services, such as education.

In addition, physician services cannot keep up with the demands of an expanded Medicaid population. This law does nothing to address the decreasing physician participation rates and quality-of-care issues that are rampant in the Medicaid Program.

Another charge to States in these difficult fiscal times is the creation of health insurance exchanges. My State's efforts to develop an exchange began well before the affordable care act was enacted, and the State is on track to set up a health insurance exchange by the January 2014 deadline. We are committed to creating an exchange that can serve Mississippians well, but the state needs flexibility in order to do that. The Mississippi Department of Insurance is working to avoid defaulting to a federally-run exchange, but bureaucratic red tape threatens to hinder their progress. I am concerned that the deadlines put forth in the affordable care act are unrealistic due to the amount of time and resources that are required for such a large project.

These are just a few of the problems the affordable care act poses for my State and others as well. It is proving to be an increasingly expensive statute that is making health care more costly for individuals, businesses, and State governments. It is my hope that relief can be found at the Supreme Court to avoid the potentially devastating impact of this law.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, it is heartwarming to see such a spontaneous outpouring of respect and appreciation for the distinguished Senator from Maryland, Ms. Mikulski. It is certainly well deserved.

She is one of the hardest working and most effective Senators serving in the Senate today. It has been a great pleasure working closely with her on the Appropriations Committee.

Mr. President, on the occasion of his upcoming retirement, I

want to take this opportunity to commend Mr. Woody Harrell, Superintendent of Shiloh National Military Park, and a true scholar of the Civil War. On April 6th and 7th, Shiloh National Military Park will commemorate the 150th anniversary of the first major Civil War battle in the western theater. Shortly after the conclusion of these sesquicentennial activities, Woody Harrell will step down as Park Superintendent. His contributions to the State of Mississippi and his leadership within the National Park Service Civil War community will have a significant and long-lasting positive impact on this Nation.

A North Carolina native, Superintendent Harrell began his career at Moores Creek National Military Park in the summer of 1968. After service in the United States Army, he worked at the three parks of the Cape Hatteras group, most famously presenting a ``living history'' portrayal of aviation pioneer Orville Wright. He later served as Director of Visitor Services under the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, and as an instructor at the Horace Albright Training Center. However, the majority of his career has been spent working on Civil War sites, known by many in the National Park Service as the ``Cannonball Circuit.'' In addition to his time at Shiloh Battlefield, Superintendent Harrell's previous assignments include Historian at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park for 6 years and for 3 years at Manassas National Battlefield Park. Recently, he represented the National Service as an advisor to several Civil War Sesquicentennial planning groups.

Serving in his current capacity since August 28, 1990, Superintendent Harrell has the distinct honor of having the longest tenure of any manager in Shiloh Park's 117-year history. During a time of budget constraints and limited resources, Superintendent Harrell has not only maintained Shiloh's status as America's best preserved battlefield, he has overseen a major expansion of the park into Mississippi with the creation of a new Corinth Unit. By bringing together local, State, and national stakeholders to identify and prioritize key surviving Civil War resources, Harrell was able to build a consensus for a comprehensive plan to preserve and interpret 18 nationally significant sites in northern Mississippi and southwest Tennessee. This broad support resulted in over 1,000 acres of battlefields, fortifications, and campsites being added to the Corinth Unit.

Superintendent Harrell is credited as the visionary force in planning and constructing the flagship of this addition, the award-winning Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center. While National Park Service Interpretation at Shiloh had formerly concentrated only on the 2-day, 1862 battle, the Corinth facility now allows visitors to fully explore the whole story of the Civil War, from the causes and coming of the war, to the impact of multiple military occupations of Corinth on the civilian population, and especially to the important first steps towards full citizenship taken by over 6,000 formerly enslaved people at the Corinth Contraband Camp site.

Seeking to establish a natural buffer around historic Shiloh Hill, thus preventing future encroachment and inappropriate development, Superintendent Harrell has partnered with the Civil War Trust on Shiloh Battlefield's most ambitious land acquisition program in over 75 years. Over 300 additional acres within Shiloh's original 1894 authorized boundary are now under National Park Service protection.

Stressing preservation, commemoration, and education, Superintendent Harrell for over 2 decades has partnered with neighboring communities to promote resource protection and heritage tourism. At Corinth, he has worked with the local business community to create an annual Heritage Festival that includes 12,000 luminaries: one for each American soldier killed, wounded, or missing at the Siege and Battle of Corinth.

Even before the advent of the Internet, Superintendent Harrell conceived the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, an idea that has grown into a searchable electronic database with 6.2 million records on Civil War veterans. This innovative and ambitious Park Service project allows visitors to access information on relatives and the units in which they fought, enabling families to trace an ancestor's service throughout the war. All of the data entry for this project was done by volunteers, with support groups ranging from the Mormon Church to the United Daughters of the Confederacy.

During the 1990s, Harrell partnered with the Corps of Engineers and the Federal Highway Administration to halt riverbank erosion at the Shiloh Indian Mounds National Historic Landmark, a problem that had plagued the park for over 20 years. During the mitigation archeology phase of this project, Superintendent Harrell worked closely with the Chickasaw Nation to insure the tribe's involvement in preserving key cultural resources in the Shiloh portion of their original homeland.

One of Superintendent Harrell's final duties will be to premier a new Shiloh documentary film as part of the battle's sesquicentennial events. Entitled ``Shiloh: Fiery Trial,'' this new movie replaces ``Shiloh: Portrait of a Battle,'' which has been shown continuously at the park since 1956. Filmed with the participation of over 350 Civil War re-enactors, ``Shiloh: Fiery Trial'' will soon be shown for the first time and then broadcast on many PBS stations on the eve of Shiloh's 150th anniversary. It is fitting that Harrell not only served as executive producer for the project, but also makes a brief cameo appearance handing a message to General Grant.

Since March 2007, Woody has maintained a record of visiting every unit of the National Park System. In the past year, he added Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial, Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park, and Fort Monroe National Monument to his list, which now stands at 397 parks. I know Superintendent Harrell and his family will enjoy the new opportunities that come with retirement, as I understand his wife Cynthia and he have already made plans to hike the entire length of the Appalachian Trail.

Superintendent Harrell's career with the National Park Service has been marked with unprecedented accomplishments and is a superb legacy. His exceptional leadership qualities and cultural preservation eminence are in the best tradition of the Park Service. He is a consummate professional whose performance in over 43 years of service has personified those traits of competency and integrity that our Nation has come to expect of its senior civilian leaders. On the occasion of his upcoming retirement, I wish the Harrell family all the very best in the years to follow.