Floor Statements

Mr. President, tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock, we will be voting on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to the Gulf of Mexico energy security bill. As has been pointed out over the course of the day, this bill is a very important issue which will open up to deep sea exploration over a billion barrels of oil and over 5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, enough energy to supply 6 million homes for 15 years--a very important bill. It is bipartisan. We will be voting tomorrow morning on this motion to proceed. I do hope that cloture will be invoked and that we are then able to reach an agreement on when to start debate on the substance of that bill.

I remind Senators that after that 10 a.m. cloture vote, we will proceed to the Hall of the House of Representatives to hear the remarks of Prime Minister Maliki of Iraq.

Before we close, I again thank Senator Ensign for his tremendous leadership and work on this child custody protection bill. I thank all of our colleagues for working together in a bipartisan way to reach an agreement which allowed us to finish this bill in short order, in an organized way.

As my colleagues just heard, we feel strongly that we should proceed tonight in the usual fashion to go to conference. This bill passed by 65 to 34 tonight. We are expressing the strong support of this Senate.

The House, as I mentioned earlier, passed their child custody protection bill on April 27, 2005, and as is customary and is routine, we would go to conference. The Democrats have objected to going to conference. We will continue to try to go to conference over the next several days. I am deeply disappointed by that. I hope, as I said earlier, that this is not a sign that they are going to obstruct this bill at this point, at the level of conference, after this Senate has spoken overwhelmingly in support of this bill.

If there is no further business to come before the Senate,

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Madam President, this afternoon we have a 1-hour period of morning business before we proceed to executive session. At approximately 3 o'clock today we will be turning to consideration of Jerome Holmes to be a United States Circuit Court judge for the Tenth Circuit. We have an order in place that allows for 2 hours of debate today and 2 hours of debate tomorrow morning. Therefore the vote on confirmation of Jerome Holmes will occur tomorrow morning before the policy meetings.

I also remind everyone that we have a consent agreement for the consideration of S. 403, the Child Custody Protection bill. We will be returning to that bill tomorrow afternoon to dispose of the amendments and final passage of the Child Custody Protection measure tomorrow.

I want to put all of my colleagues on notice that we do need to finish that bill on Tuesday, and if we have to work well into the evening, we will do so in order to finish that important bill.

Another issue to consider this week is the Energy Security Act of 2006. That bipartisan bill is on the calendar and we want to proceed to its consideration as quickly as possible. If there are objections to considering that bill, it will be necessary to file cloture and we will be prepared to file that motion. That vote would come as early as Wednesday, Wednesday morning. I do also remind my colleagues that we have a joint meeting on Wednesday morning. At 11 o'clock on Wednesday there will be a joint meeting with the House to hear the address by Prime Minister Maliki of Iraq.

Given this address, a cloture vote would occur possibly around 10 o'clock on Wednesday, in which case we could proceed directly to the House immediately following that vote, sometime after 10:30. If that is the case, and I expect it will be, Senators should stay in the Chamber following that vote and then we will proceed together to the Hall of the House of Representatives for that joint meeting.

I was discussing with the Democratic leader, we should also put our colleagues on notice that next week will be the last week of legislative business prior to the August adjournment. As we plan the schedule for the remainder of this week and next, there is a lot to accomplish. Senators should fully expect a vote on Monday, July 31. We were able to reach several agreements last week, which allowed us to say no rollcall votes for today's session, but I expect very important votes will occur each day next week, including Monday's session, so everyone should plan

their schedules to accommodate this final week.

Order of Procedure

Finally, I remind everyone that today marks the eighth anniversary of the fatal shootings of Officer Chestnut and Detective Gibson as they protected the U.S. Capitol. At this time, I ask unanimous consent that at 3:40 this afternoon the Senate observe a moment of silence in recognition of these two fallen officers.

Madam President, I will turn to the Democratic leader and then I have a very brief comment on the events today.

Let's consider that. I think over the next day or so we need to get together and go through all we do need to accomplish before we leave for that month for the August recess. Let's talk specifically about that bill as well.

Madam President, 8 years--that is how long it has been since two Capitol police officers gave their lives in the line of duty. On July 24, 1998, a lone gunman entered this building, the Nation's Capitol. He was wearing a green fedora with extra bullets in his pocket when he opened fire. He shot two officers and a tourist before falling himself.

It is a day I will never forget. It is a day when I was swiftly driven back to my days in emergency medicine, emergency surgery, in the reality that even your best efforts cannot always save a life--because, despite our best efforts, we couldn't save Special Agent John Gibson or Officer Jacob J. Chestnut. It is a humbling experience, realizing the debt of gratitude we owe these two fallen heroes for their sacrifice and recognizing it can never be fully repaid. But we can honor their sacrifice by remembering, by offering solemn tribute to their courage, and by protecting the memory of these heroes.

We must ensure that Special Agent Gibson and Officer Chestnut did not die in vain, and that the America they died protecting is the America we preserve today and in the future. I hope, I pray we are never faced with such tragedy again.

Thus, at 3:40 this afternoon, I hope this body will join me in a moment of silence, a moment to reflect on the courageous sacrifice of Special Agent Gibson and Officer Chestnut for, although 8 years have passed, their memory and their sacrifice is alive in these halls today.

I yield the floor.

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

Mr. President, it was 8 years ago today that these two brave men gave their lives in defense of the United States Capitol. A plaque in this building commemorates their bravery. Their names have been etched indelibly upon the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial a mile from here, and the headquarters of the United States Capitol Police now bears their names, all of which are fitting and proper memorials but none of which can do these men the full justice they deserve.

We must also remember them in our words, in our actions, and in, as we just did, a moment of prayer. All Members of Congress today, all congressional staff, and, indeed, all Americans owe a great debt of gratitude to Officer Jacob Joseph Chestnut and Detective John Michael Gibson.

These two brave men stood up for us all. They defended our democracy itself, and although none of us will be called upon to display the same sort of moral heroism, we can all learn from their example and all reflect upon their bravery.

Today we mourn for them, we pray for them, we thank them and their families, and we remember them.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate resume legislative session.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that there now be a period for morning business with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. President, 8 years ago today, two brave men gave their lives in defense of the U.S. Capitol. A plaque in this building commemorates their bravery, their names have been etched indelibly upon the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial a mile from here, and the headquarters of the U.S. Capitol Police now bears their names.

These memorials are fitting and proper. But they do not do these men full justice. We must also remember them in our words and our actions. All Members of Congress, all congressional staff, and, indeed, all Americans owe a great debt of gratitude to Officer Jacob Joseph Chestnut and Detective John Michael Gibson.

For a few moments, I would like to reflect upon the enormous bravery of these two men.

Officer Chestnut and Detective Gibson were both hardworking family men. Gibson had three children; Chestnut, five. Gibson found great happiness in the exploits of the Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins. He knew their rosters by heart. Chestnut loved working in his garden. I knew both men by sight. I passed Officer Chestnut most every day on my way in to work.

On Friday, July 24, 1998, both men were nearing the end of a busy work day. But events unfolded with a quick and horrible speed. At about 3:40 p.m. police and prosecutors allege that Russell Eugene Weston entered the Capitol through the East Entrance. He attempted to evade a metal detector and Chestnut stepped into his path to stop him--to protect all of us. Weston shot him at point-blank range.

Weston then allegedly proceeded down the corridor, rushing towards the Office of the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives. Gibson, those who were in the office say, warned everyone to get down. He yelled ``Drop your weapon'' and exchanged gunfire with Weston. The crazed gunman hit Gibson in the leg and the chest. Gibson hit Weston in the leg and chest as well. A female tourist got caught in the crossfire and suffered serious but fortunately non-life threatening wounds. Both men hit the floor, bleeding profusely. Gibson's actions saved lives. As one staffer put it at the time, ``Thank God there was a good guy with a gun.''

Sitting in my Dirksen office, I had begun preparations to leave for the weekend when I was notified an emergency was unfolding at the Capitol. My instincts and my surgical training took over.

I ran to the East ``Law Library Entrance'' at the Capitol. I saw blood all over--a horrible scene. Three bodies lay on the ground. I turned my attention to treating them. In the chaos, I didn't recognize any of the three.

I assisted the medical first responders in controlling the hemorrhaging and securing an airway, and then helping two of the victims into the ambulances. I rode in the ambulance to help control the hemorrhage of one of the injured. It turned out that patient was the alleged perpetrator.

All of us should, every day, give thanks for the bravery and sacrifices of Officer Jacob Joseph Chestnut and Detective John Michael Gibson. Many have contributed funds set up to assist their families and rarely a day goes by that I don't remember both of them in my thoughts and prayers.

The shootings that took place on July 24, 1998, were an attack on this Capitol, a central symbol of our democracy and, thus, an attack on the openness of Congress, and, in turn, upon the very principle of two- way communication between the people and their elected representatives.

Two brave men stood up for us all. They defended our democracy itself. We will not all be called to the same sort of moral heroism but can all learn from their example and all reflect upon their bravery.

Today, we mourn for them, we pray for the families, we thank them, and we remember them.

Mr. President, I was prepared to ask unanimous consent that it be in order to proceed to Calendar No. 529, S. 3711, the energy security legislation, but I understand there will be an objection. Therefore, I now move to proceed to S. 3711, and I send a cloture motion to the desk.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the live quorum be waived.

Mr. President, I now withdraw the motion to proceed.

Mr. President, parliamentary inquiry: Last week the Foreign Relations Committee reported an original bill, S. 3709, which deals with the export of nuclear materials to India. When the committee reported out the bill, 17 Senators asked to be original cosponsors of this important legislation. It is my understanding that because this is an original bill, it would not be in order to include those Senators as cosponsors now; is that correct?

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a list of those who wish to be listed as cosponsors be printed in the Record at this time.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 4019, and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statement relating to the measure be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 454, S. 1950.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the committee- reported amendments be agreed to, the Lugar amendment at the desk be agreed to, the bill, as amended, be read a third time and passed, the motion to consider be laid upon the table, and that any statements relating to the bill be printed in the Record.