[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 140 (Wednesday, October 17, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10780-S10783]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 PROCEEDING UNDER UNUSUAL CIRCUMSTANCES

  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, as I did yesterday, I think it might be 
helpful if I report to our Senate colleagues and to the extended Senate 
family about circumstances now over the last 24 hours.
  Let me say, I have been especially appreciative, again, of the 
services provided to the Senate, especially by our extraordinary 
Sergeant at Arms and our Secretary of the Senate, who have just done an 
outstanding job of responding to the many challenges that we have faced 
over the last few days, especially.
  I thank Secretary Tommy Thompson for his great cooperation, the 
Department of Health and Human Services, the Capitol Police for their 
work, and, finally--and certainly it should have been at the top of the 
list, if I was listing anybody--our distinguished Republican leader. 
Senator Lott has been there shoulder to shoulder with me on every one 
of these occasions and over the course of the last couple of days. Our 
partnership is strong, but our friendship is even stronger. And that 
could not be in greater evidence than it has been over the last couple 
of days.
  We will have a vote this afternoon on the Interior appropriations 
conference report. That conference report will come over to the Senate 
sometime this afternoon. As my colleagues probably know, the conference 
report is currently being debated in the House. Obviously, I am quite 
sure it will be adopted. Once it is, and once it is sent over to us, 
there will be a rollcall vote on the Interior appropriations conference 
report this afternoon.
  There will also be a vote on the conference report on the military 
construction appropriations bill tomorrow. We do not know the time yet. 
We will certainly notify our colleagues. In part, we do not know the 
time because I am not sure what the House schedule is; that also will 
be a piece of business that we will take up.
  It is my hope that we may be able to take up nominations as well. I 
will be consulting with the Republican leader and with my chairs in 
regard to the degree to which Executive Calendar matters could be 
considered and, hopefully, voted upon either today or tomorrow.
  So we have a good deal of business that we will be conducting. Again, 
one of the reasons why is because of the outstanding job that all of 
our service personnel have provided in accommodating our schedule, as 
we have continued to work through the immediate challenge that we have 
faced with the anthrax experience.
  Mr. President, I could not be more proud of my staff for the way they 
have conducted themselves, for the attitude they have reflected at 
every step of the way, the professionalism they demonstrated on Monday, 
and the attitude and the degree to which they have taken each one of 
these moments in stride.
  We have had a good number of discussions and consultations and 
meetings with members of my staff. It is now at a point where I think 
we can say that 31 members of my staff, and a certain number of Capitol 
Police, were found to have tested positive as a result of the nasal 
swab that was administered to them a couple of days ago.
  A positive result on a nasal swab simply means they were exposed to 
the anthrax bacteria. Not one incident of infection has been recorded 
or reported. There is a huge difference between exposure--as is 
revealed by the nasal swab, if it is positive--and the actual infection 
itself. Antibiotics were administered immediately, even though we did 
not know the results of the nasal swabs, whether they were going to be 
positive or negative. And because of the early access to the 
antibiotics, the overwhelming advice I am now being given by all health 
care personnel is that each of my staff members will be OK. I am 
gratified to hear that, I am gratified to repeat that, and I will 
continue to emphasize that fact as we go forward.
  In part because of the limited exposure, in part because of the 
opportunity to be administered the antibiotic quickly, in part because 
of the professional response all the way through this process, we are 
very confident about our ability to provide for the needs of each of my 
staff, with every expectation--I would say 100-percent expectation--
that they will be treated successfully. So we feel very good about the 
current circumstances involving treatment and involving the response to 
the antibiotics already shown by members of the staff.
  As many of our colleagues know, the exposure was limited, at this 
point, to two locations: My office in the Hart Building, Room 509; and 
the mail room in the Dirksen Building. There is no evidence currently 
that anyone in the mail room has been exposed to the point where they 
would receive a positive nasal swab, although we will be getting those 
test results back in the coming days. About 1,400 people were

[[Page S10781]]

provided with the nasal swab yesterday. The results of those swabs will 
not be provided for at least 24 hours.
  Let me also add that we have been working in close concert with the 
Centers for Disease Control. Russell 325 will be our information center 
for the balance of the afternoon.
  There is a meeting ongoing in SC-5 for senior members of all Senate 
staff. Chiefs of staff and office managers are certainly welcome. I am 
quite sure most people have been made aware. We will provide ongoing 
information in a myriad of additional ways, both technologically as 
well as telephonically. We will provide that information as we deem it 
important to share.
  Again, let me emphasize three things: First, I believe very 
confidently that we have, as a result of the outstanding work done by 
all of those professionals who have been on the scene, dealt with this 
incident in as successful a manner as is possible. I repeat that I am 
very grateful I can say today that the health care professionals have 
indicated that my staff will be not only OK but perfectly healthy as a 
result of the actions that have been taken. We will be closing the 
offices, the Senate offices: Russell, Dirksen, and Hart, for the next 
couple of days in order to accommodate the environmental research that 
will be required to ensure that whatever additional material there may 
be could be found, if there is some.
  We have no indication there is any additional information that would 
lead us to believe it is not confined to the mail room as well as to my 
office, but we are going to do a sweep of the area. In order to 
accommodate that sweep successfully, those three buildings will be 
closed. It is strictly precautionary. I emphasize, there is no evidence 
to suggest we are doing anything other than what we should to ensure 
that we can open, with all the confidence that I expect we will have, 
on Monday morning.
  We will use the time we have available to us just to ensure that we 
have checked the entire complex of office space so we can open on 
Monday without fear of any further exposure.
  Finally, let me emphasize, we will be in constant contact with every 
office all the way through the course of the next several days. Of 
course, we will be in session today and tomorrow. That, too, will 
facilitate our ability to communicate with all Senators.
  I thank all colleagues for their great cooperation. We had a good 
meeting this morning, as we did yesterday, on both sides of the aisle. 
There were excellent questions. I am proud of our Senators for the 
leadership they are providing and proud of our Senators for the 
attitude they take back to their offices and to their States. I am 
proud of our Senators for the way they have conducted themselves under 
these unusual circumstances.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Cantwell). The Senator from Virginia.
  Mr. WARNER. Madam President, may I say to our distinguished majority 
leader that having been a part of that meeting for well over an hour 
this morning, which you and Senator Lott and other leaders conducted, 
we all were given a full opportunity to express our views, but 
throughout, we recognized the enormous pressure that you, as our 
leader, have been under because of the hit on your personal office 
staff.
  Throughout that meeting and indeed throughout these days, you have 
stood with enormous personal courage and have won, if it were possible, 
even greater admiration than we had, from those of us who serve in this 
institution.
  This is my 23rd year to be privileged to be a Senator. I have served 
under several majority leaders, assistant majority leaders, Republican 
leaders and Democratic leaders, all kinds and types, but you will be 
remembered in the annals of the history of this institution for the 
courage, personal and professional, that you have exhibited.
  I thank you also for working with Senator Lott and others in striking 
the proper balance, the obligation we have to our staffs, those who are 
visiting the Capitol, the infrastructure that serves us, balancing the 
need to give them adequate protection and at the same time enabling the 
Senate to continue to function.
  As I said this morning, our Nation is at war. We have men and women 
of the Armed Forces in harm's way at this very moment carrying out the 
orders of our proud and strong Commander in Chief, the President. It is 
important, as they read about this chapter in the Congress, that they 
believe we are showing commensurate courage in facing the unknown. That 
is important. Indeed, the world will be observing us.
  I commend my distinguished leader and the Republican leader and 
others. In the days to come, we will face the situation, and we are 
fortunate to have an extra group of experts coming in to advise all of 
us.
  I thank the majority leader very much.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Illinois.
  Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I join my colleague from Virginia in 
saluting Senator Daschle for his leadership at this moment in the 
history of the Senate. He and Senator Lott, on a bipartisan basis, 
called together the Members of the Senate for the second straight day 
to the Senate dining room to discuss the situation on Capitol Hill. I 
think the decision that has been made for the Senate is the right 
decision.
  I watched some of the television press reports, and I don't think 
they quite understand what is happening. So there is clarification, to 
this point, we have found that some 31 people on Capitol Hill have been 
exposed to anthrax, though there is no evidence of infection. Many 
others have been tested on a precautionary basis. I have invited my 
staff and other Members have as well; if they think this is something 
they would like to do, they are perfectly welcome to it, if they think 
they might have come in contact with anthrax that was mailed to Senator 
Daschle's office. Although this is a cause of some concern, it takes 
literally thousands of these spores to cause the kind of infection that 
would have to be treated.
  The precautions that are being taken are the right precautions. To 
have the press characterize this, as some television stations have, as 
an evacuation of Capitol Hill is just plain wrong.
  What is going to happen tomorrow in the Senate office buildings, the 
Hart Building, in which Senator Daschle's office is located, and the 
two other buildings, Russell and Dirksen, is that we will bring in 
environmental survey crews which will literally test those buildings to 
find out if there is any evidence of contamination. The equipment that 
is being used takes up some space and involves some processing. The 
decision was made--the right decision--to ask the staff tomorrow to 
vacate those three office buildings. In the meantime, in the Capitol 
Building, we will be in business in the Senate. We will be debating 
issues and voting on them, as we should.
  Some of the reports in the press really haven't come to grips with 
the reality of what we face and how we are reacting. Some have asked, 
are you overreacting? The honest answer is: The leaders are trying to 
be as careful as possible for the thousands of people who work here, 
for the visitors, for the college students who come to volunteer. We 
are being as careful as possible. Secondly, it is our good fortune this 
is not a regular occurrence so we don't exactly have a protocol to 
follow. We are going to be developing one by this experience so we will 
know what should and should not be done and can give advice after this 
experience to others. That is valuable. It will help in our public 
health effort to deal with anthrax or any other threats of 
bioterrorism.
  I remind those who are following this occurrence--and it has been 
said and should be repeated every time we speak--this anthrax, again, 
even if you were exposed to it, can be successfully treated with 
antibiotics so that people should have no fear of losing their lives 
because of this exposure. Basic treatment by antibiotics can make 
certain that you don't have any serious outcome because of an 
infection.
  This morning the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Tommy 
Thompson, former Governor of Wisconsin, testified before the Committee 
on Governmental Affairs. His testimony was excellent. His agency, along 
with the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease 
Control, is trying to envision what needs to be done to protect 
America. Since September 11, we have a feeling of vulnerability.

[[Page S10782]]

  Our leaders in Washington, the Senate and the House, and with the 
President and his administration, are trying to envision those needs to 
make America's peace of mind return.
  I am happy they are ordering the necessary immunizations, the 
necessary antibiotics, so that if there is a public health need, we 
will be there.
  They are also going to invest in State and local public health 
sources so we can respond quickly to any questions that are raised. 
This is a time of testing for America, but it is a time when we will 
rise to the occasion and pass this test. This country was hit hard on 
September 11. Because of that, many of us have seen in our churches and 
synagogues and temples more and more people looking for spiritual 
guidance. We have seen families come closer together, with a stronger 
feeling of patriotism. All of this reaches to the spirit of this 
country, our values and principles.
  We will withstand this test and survive. When it is all over, America 
will have the peace of mind of knowing we have led a global effort to 
fight terrorism. Whether in the Middle East or homegrown here in the 
United States, it is all despicable and cowardly. Frankly, we should be 
the leaders and join our coalition in the successful battle against it. 
What we are going through on Capitol Hill will be remembered, I am 
sure, for a long time. I hope what is also remembered is the 
determination of men and women in the House and Senate, Democrats and 
Republicans, to stand up proudly and fight for this country.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from North Dakota is recognized.
  Mr. DORGAN. Madam President, my colleague from Illinois and the 
majority leader from South Dakota, Senator Daschle, have just spoken 
about the challenges that have been presented to the Senate, our 
Capitol, and to our Nation, beginning with the heinous acts of mass 
murder committed by sick, deranged terrorists on the date of September 
11 and continuing now to the actions of some demented people who would 
send letters with spores of anthrax in those letters.
  It is important, as Senator Daschle indicated a few minutes ago, 
because we now have a 24-hour news cycle in which things move very 
rapidly and reporting takes place at a very rapid pace, for us to sort 
out what is and what is not happening as a result of these terrorist 
attacks, specifically about what is happening on Capitol Hill with 
anthrax having been put in a letter addressed to the majority leader.
  There is not an evacuation of the U.S. Capitol Building; there is not 
an evacuation of Senate offices. What is happening is a thoughtful, 
deliberate approach to respond to this set of challenges. Senator 
Daschle and Senator Durbin both said--and I think it is important to 
underscore--that those who have been identified as having been exposed 
to anthrax by the swab testing that has been done, are not at this 
point infected by that exposure. They have simply been exposed. It is 
important to underscore that there are antibiotics available to deal 
with that exposure if it becomes an infection. That is important for 
people to understand. And the medical authorities have visited with a 
joint session of Republicans and Democrats this morning here in the 
Capitol and have gone over that information in some depth.

  It is not the case that spores of anthrax have been found all over 
this building. That is not the case at all. The reports we have at this 
point in time are that spores of anthrax were discovered in a limited 
area, and the law enforcement authorities and leadership of the Senate 
have taken actions that would attempt to make certain they don't spread 
beyond that area, and that we take the precautions necessary for human 
health and also to make sure the environmental situation in buildings 
is assured.
  I want to, as I describe this, say how proud I am of Senator Daschle, 
Senator Lott, and others, who in most cases have worked nearly around 
the clock; especially, I am proud of Dr. Eisold and the Sergeant at 
Arms, the Secretary of the Senate, and so many others, most of whom 
have had very little sleep because they have been trying to respond to 
this issue. The Centers for Disease Control team, folks from the NIH 
and Health and Human Services, are all here.
  Also let me say how much I have appreciated for some long while the 
work of the law enforcement authorities on Capitol Hill. These men and 
women have been working 12 hours a day and, in most cases, 6 days a 
week every single day for the last month. They are the first 
responders; they are the ones who put themselves in harm's way. We all 
should spend some time thinking about what they do for us and the 
sacrifice they make for their country.
  It is very important, as Senator Daschle indicated, for people not to 
panic. This is not a cause to panic. This is a letter that had some 
anthrax attached to it. All of the things we know about this anthrax, 
all that we know about the exposure, and all that we know about the 
ability to treat that exposure, should it become an illness from that 
bacteria, would lead us to believe it is not at all cause to panic.
  Is this a point of some concern? Is it worrisome that all of this 
happened? Of course. We would be fools to deny that this is a 
troublesome incident. Of course it is. It is probably not unexpected 
that those terrorists who wish to cause chaos in our country and damage 
and inflict injury on innocent humans would try to do that in our 
Nation's Capital and in the symbol of our Government here in the Senate 
or the House. But the response is not to be frightened. The response is 
to be thoughtful and careful and take the necessary steps to make 
certain we protect the folks who work here and make certain we not 
allow this to happen again.
  This is quite a remarkable country in which we live. We have faced a 
lot of challenges in many significant ways. Our country is a country 
that has split the atom, spliced genes, learned how to clone animals, 
invented great silicon chips, plastics, and learned how to build 
airplanes and how to fly them, built rockets, and flew to the Moon. We 
invented the telephone. We invented the television. We invented 
computers. We cured polio and smallpox. We survived a civil war. We 
survived a great depression. We beat back the fascism of Hitler.
  Through it all, this is the freest country on the face of the Earth, 
with the strongest economy, providing the most opportunity for the most 
citizens anywhere. That is not an accident. It is because through it 
all, through all of the challenges, all the tough times as well as the 
good times, the center of the American people--the broad center that 
thinks through things in a clear way and uses inherent common sense in 
deciding how to respond and when to respond--has largely governed our 
behavior as a country. That broad center, I am sure, in this country 
feels as I do as a result of the September 11 tragedies; it feels the 
rage and anger that there are sick, twisted people who would do that. 
They believe as I do, I am sure, when I see the kinds of terrorist 
activities such as I saw in Florida and New York and now on Capitol 
Hill, with the use of anthrax as a weapon of terror--I am sure they 
feel anger and rage.

  It is also the case that there are men and women in our Armed Forces 
who are in harm's way today because we have called on them once again 
to take action against those who would undermine the basic freedoms in 
our country.
  So what is important today, not just with respect to this incident on 
Capitol Hill and all the wonderful young men and women--and in some 
cases older men and women--is that they are here because they are proud 
to be here; they are proud of their public service. It is important for 
all of us to understand that this country stands together. This country 
stands tall in the face of challenges.
  I said yesterday it is interesting that changes occurred in this 
Chamber. In this Chamber of the Senate, for so long we had so much 
pettiness. There was so much pettiness in our politics. That is now 
gone--and good riddance, as far as I am concerned. But that pettiness 
led us to believe on every single issue, at every intersection, there 
was an ``our side'' and a ``their side.'' We have, it seems to me, in 
meeting these challenges, understood now that there is only one side 
and that is ``our side.'' That is the side that we all stand on 
together. It is not mine and yours, or us and them; it is just our side 
together. That is the way we will respond to the

[[Page S10783]]

incident that has occurred on Capitol Hill. It is the way America will 
respond to the broader threat of terrorism that exists around the 
world. It is the way the American people have responded for two 
centuries--to build a beacon of hope and opportunity for the rest of 
the world. It shall remain that way as long as we have the kind of 
leadership and capabilities that exist in this country, to say to the 
rest of the world it is worth the fight to preserve our freedom; it is 
worth that fight.
  So let me end as I began, by thanking my colleague, Senator Daschle, 
for his leadership. Our thoughts have been with his staff as they have 
worked through this challenging period, and our thoughts are also with 
the literally thousands of men and women who come to this Capitol to 
serve with us in the House and in the Senate who do that because they 
want to be involved in public service and are proud of it. We say to 
them, don't be unnerved by this; we are proud you are here and that you 
have stayed through this period. We thank you for your public service.
  Madam President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Delaware.
  Mr. CARPER. Madam President, I rise, too, to applaud the leadership 
given to us in the last several days by Senator Daschle and Senator 
Lott.
  Thirty years ago, I did not serve in this body; I served as a naval 
flight officer on the other side of the world, in a war that was not 
popular in this country. Those of us who served took our cues from 
those who served in this body with respect to the strength and support 
for our efforts from the American people and from our elected 
officials. The signals we received were not always encouraging ones.
  It is important today that those who are serving our country on the 
other side of the world in this war, flying in F-14s, helicopters, 
dropping food from C-17s, dropping munitions from B-52s and B-1s, 
special forces at work, the sailors and airmen and soldiers--it is 
important that we send to them, not just by our words but by our deeds 
today, a very clear message: There is a time for fear and there is a 
time for resolve. This is a time for resolve. Our resolve is being 
tested, and it is critically important that we meet that test. And we 
will.
  We are endeavoring to strike a balance, whether it is in Senator 
Daschle's office, Senate office buildings, the Capitol, or the House 
office buildings, to make sure we are being vigilant and careful and 
that we are mindful of their health and welfare. And we are. At the 
same time, let's remember we have a lot of work to do--not next year or 
the year after that; we have a lot of work to do this year. We have 
appropriations bills to pass to meet the needs of our Nation. We have 
compromises to hammer out on terrorism legislation, airport security, 
and rail security. We have legislation that is in conference on 
education, raising the achievement level of our students, and making 
sure there is a Patients' Bill of Rights that is fair to everybody in 
this country. We need to hammer out those compromises.
  We need an energy policy. We haven't had one in my adult life and, 
frankly, we need one now more than ever. We have plenty to do. The idea 
that some might suggest it is time for us to take leave from this place 
and go back to our States for a while is just absolutely the wrong 
approach to take. We need to stay here and stay on the job.
  There are some differences between the facts and the fiction being 
spread about what is happening on Capitol Hill. Others have spoken to 
it, and I want to mention it as well. Secretary Thompson told me this 
morning that we received lab test results of the substance opened up in 
the mail in Senator Daschle's office, and we got those results about 3 
o'clock this morning. The bad news is that it is anthrax.
  The idea that somehow this is weapons grade is not correct. That is 
just not true. This is a substance that is susceptible to penicillin. 
This is a substance that is susceptible to Ciprofloxacin, just as other 
anthrax materials are susceptible. It can be treated.
  Let's take a worst case scenario. There have been reports that the 
ventilation system of the Hart Building is somehow contaminated with 
anthrax. That is just not so. Let's assume for a moment it is. Let's 
assume for a moment that everyone who works there, including Senators, 
has been exposed to anthrax, which is not true either. As it turns out, 
maybe 20 or 30 people have been exposed--not infected but exposed.
  If we had all been exposed and if, indeed, the ventilation system was 
chock full of anthrax--and it is not--what do we do about it? We simply 
take the antibiotics that kill the bacteria. That is what we do.
  Keep in mind, anthrax is something for which we can be vaccinated. If 
we come down with an illness, we can take antibiotics that will cure 
it. If I contract an illness related to anthrax, it does not mean to 
suggest Senator Dorgan or anybody else is going to become sick. It is 
not communicable. We not only need to keep this in mind in the Senate 
and on Capitol Hill, but the American people need to know. This is 
something we can contain, and this is something we can control. We have 
to stay calm, we have to stay cool, we have to be collected, and we are 
going to do that.
  The rest of the country is watching us to see how we respond in this 
time of duress. Certainly our military men and women around the world 
are watching us to see how we respond in this time of duress, during 
this threat to our Nation's Capitol. I presume whoever is sending these 
materials our way is watching us as well. They must be amused by the 
response they see from some.
  The response we need to send to the terrorists, those who would do us 
harm, as well as to our troops, soldiers, sailors, and airmen around 
the world, and the rest of the American people is that we will make 
sure that the people who work here are protected and are safe, but at 
the same time we are committed to doing and completing our Nation's 
business.
  Madam President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Who seeks recognition?
  Mr. CARPER. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Corzine). The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. BYRD. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Stabenow). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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