[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 178 (Thursday, December 20, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S13868-S13871]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2002--CONFERENCE REPORT
Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I have been more than patient. Under the
majority leader's order earlier, I was to
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have spoken on this subject, the Defense Department appropriations
bill. Under his order, I was to be recognized after the vote so as to
accommodate Senators that they might catch their planes.
Now there were other consents offered which I heard. I didn't object
to them, but I believe the record will show that I was to be recognized
immediately after the vote for the statement which I wanted to make on
the homeland defense section of the DOD appropriations bill. I have
been very patient.
I understand the problems of the two leaders. I have been majority
leader before I have been minority leader, and I have been majority
whip. I understand all their problems. This is the end of the year.
Everybody wants to get away for Christmas. I don't want to interject
myself in between someone's wish to catch a plane. But I have been very
patient. I have let other consent orders come up without objecting
because my speech isn't all that important. But I wanted to make it.
Now we are hearing consents offered for bills. I don't know who is
watching the place on this bill. The distinguished Senator from Kansas
is going to make a request on a bill. I want to be here when he makes
it. He is entitled to make his request. But time is fast fleeting when
this Senator is going to stand aside and just continue to wait and let
everybody else speak, let everybody else object to the order of
speaking, and just stand aside and let it be done.
That is not a big thing. It won't change the history of the world one
way or the other. But I just want to say this: Next year, the chairman
of the Senate Appropriations Committee is not going to stand aside for
every other Senator's convenience in times like this.
I shall proceed.
The Senate has considered the conference report for the fiscal year
2002 Defense Department appropriations bill. It is a good bill, but it
could have been much better. As Senators are aware, included in this
legislation is the final allocation of the $40 billion emergency
supplemental funding approved by this Senate just 3 days after the
tragic attacks on the World Trade Center Towers and on the Pentagon.
Quite simply, we wanted to respond to the attacks that occurred on
September 11 and take steps to prevent attacks from occurring in the
future. We didn't just want to respond to the attacks that had already
occurred, but we wanted to take steps that could prevent attacks from
occurring in the future.
Just a few days ago, the Senate had before it a broader package, one
that fulfilled the $20 billion commitment made by the President and the
Congress to New York and the other attacked communities; one that
provided the Defense Department with substantial funding for its
mission overseas--we wanted to give the President every dollar he asked
for, $21 billion--and one that met the many pressing needs for our
homeland defense: Improved hospital capacity to respond to terrorist
attacks, wide distribution of smallpox vaccine, more border agents,
improved safety at airports and train stations, safer mail, better
trained and equipped police and firefighters.
That package, which was supported by a majority of this Senate in
direct response to the September 11 disaster, succumbed to partisan
politics. It fell when Republicans in this Chamber raised a procedural
60-vote point of order against the provision because they believed it
was too expensive. They were within their rights to object. They were
within their rights to propose a 60-vote point of order. But I don't
understand how we can place an arbitrary price tag on protecting the
safety of our citizens.
Never in my memory can I recall a time when Congress became so
partisan over a disaster response, whether it be from earthquakes,
floods, tornados, fires, never before can I remember our lining up so
rigidly along political party lines when it came to providing the
American people with funds to recover from disaster.
Unfortunately, the Senate minority and the White House used the 60-
vote point of order against the homeland defense package. As I say,
they have a perfect right to make that point of order. That is within
the rules.
We all recognize that you can't beat 60 votes when you only have 51
at most on this side. Our Republican friends didn't want to help us get
the 60 votes. So it must be dismaying to the people who have heard so
much about the pledges of bipartisanship, so much about a new tone in
Washington, to see what should have been a united, bipartisan approach
to defending our homeland dissolve into a partisan dispute.
That is truly a shame. Since that vote, however, we have stepped back
and worked on the smaller compromise plan that is before the Senate
this afternoon. While it is not as comprehensive as the plan first
proposed earlier this month, the allocation of the $20 billion
emergency supplemental funding in this legislation provides support and
resources that are needed right now for homeland defense, for national
security, and for the recovery of New York City and the other
communities directly affected by the September 11 attacks.
For those communities, the supplemental provides $8.2 billion. This
brings the total commitment to the recovery effort to $11.2 billion,
when previously released funds are included. The bulk of this funding,
$4.35 billion, will fund debris removal at the World Trade Center site,
repair public infrastructure such as the damaged subways and commuter
trains, and assist individuals with expenses for housing, burial, and
relocation. Another $2 billion will work to restore the economic health
of the area.
This funding, to be provided in the form of community development
block grants, will give businesses a much needed hand as they attempt
to recover from the terrorist attacks. Other funding will improve
security at transportation hubs and reimburse hospitals in New York
that provided critical care on September 11 and for many days after.
Some of the money will help children who continue to be haunted by
the ghosts of the terrorist attacks. As do the businesses and the
communities, these children need to be made whole again. This money
will assist in that effort.
As part of this supplemental allocation, the Defense Department will
receive an additional $3.5 billion. When included with the funding in
the regular Defense Appropriations bill, the Pentagon will receive a
$43 billion increase over last year. This is the single largest one-
year increase in Defense spending in more than two decades. It gives
the military the resources necessary to battle terrorism overseas. It
makes sure that our brave men and women who put themselves in harm's
way will not fall short because of fiscal constraints. This package
also provides for $775 million for repairs and reconstruction efforts
at the Pentagon. As we rebuild Lower Manhattan, we must also repair the
Pentagon.
Finally, we have provided in this allocation $8.3 billion for defense
efforts here at home. In the days and weeks that have followed the
terrorist attacks, committees on both sides of this Capitol have heard
from experts, from federal, state, and local officials, and from
regular Americans who are concerned for their safety at home. We cannot
ignore the gaps in our homeland defenses. We cannot put off until
tomorrow investments that must be made today. The $8.3 billion for
homeland defense that is included in this legislation takes immediate
steps to bolster our local police and fire departments. It provides
critical funding to expand hospital capacity and to train doctors and
nurses on what to do in case of a biological, chemical, or nuclear
attack. The funding closes some of the holes in our Northern Border and
in our seaports. Under the leadership of the distinguished Senator from
South Carolina, Mr. Holdings, we had $50 billion for port security.
These things were knocked out under that 60-vote point of order. We are
not going to forget that. It provides funds for improved cockpit
security, to hire additional sky marshals and to purchase explosives
detection equipment. It provides funds for the Postal Service to
protect postal workers and purchase equipment to make our mail safer.
The funding that we have included in this package will help Americans
to know that we are not standing idly by, ignoring what are such
obvious needs in our homeland defenses. We will take steps today to
protect Americans and to try to prevent the tragedy we witnessed in
September from occurring again.
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This package is a compromise. It is not a be-all and end-all package.
This money will not fill all of the gaps that exist. But what this
package will do is move us forward. It will fund those initiatives that
we need to begin now, and lay the groundwork for priorities that every
Senator knows await us in the spring.
I want to thank my good friend, Senator Stevens, for his work on this
package. We would not be standing here today if not for his steadfast
efforts. I also want to thank our House counterparts, Chairman Bill
Young of Florida. My, what a fine Congressman he is and a fine chairman
of the Appropriation Committee now. I am sure that Bill Young wanted to
do more, but under the constraints that were upon him, he could not do
more.
I also thank Congressman David Obey of Wisconsin. He is always a
stalwart. He stood up for homeland defense. He tried in the House to
move it forward and increase it, but he didn't have the votes. They and
their staffs, led by Jim Dyer and Scott Lilly, worked closely with us
to develop this package, and I appreciate their commitment to this
successful conclusion.
As I mentioned earlier, with the Senate's passage of this conference
report, Congress will have completed work on each of the 13 individual
appropriations bills. I congratulate Senator Inouye and Senator
Stevens, and their staffs, Charlie Houy and Steve Cortese, for crafting
what I believe is a good Defense bill. I also am pleased that we were
able to pass the thirteen individual bills on a partisan basis, with an
average vote in the Senate of 91-6. We did not have to resort to an
omnibus bill as has been the case in some years past. And we worked to
protect the prerogatives of Congress. We did not invite the White House
to sit at the table and negotiate these bills. That is not the role of
the executive branch, nor should it be. The Constitutional Framers
vested the power of the purse in this legislative branch--the people's
branch--and we have a firm grasp on the strings. I only hope that
Congress never sees fit to loosen that hold and give away what is the
greatest single power afforded to this branch of government by the
Framers, in their great wisdom.
Mr. President, before closing, I want to thank the members of my
committee staff who have been so earnest and dedicated in their efforts
this year. My staff director, Terry Sauvain, and my deputy staff
director, Charles Kieffer, have done a remarkable job on these bills.
They stayed at night. They stayed into the wee hours of the morning.
They worked on the nuts and bolts. They worked and they grappled with
problems and answered questions from disgruntled Senators and people on
the outside and people on the inside. I don't see how they have been
able to maintain their sanity. I congratulate them for the good work
they did. This is their first year in these positions, and they have
certainly set a high standard for the years to come.
I also want to thank Edie Stanley and Kate Eltrich for their
assistance, as well as the staffs of our 13 subcommittees. These
appropriations bills are not written by magic. Rather they are the
product of hard work, determination, and an understanding of the
intricacies of each piece of legislation. The Senate is blessed to have
such a fine group of men and women dedicated to the service of the
nation.
I also want to thank members of my personal staff who have been
invaluable to me. My Chief of Staff, Barbara Videnieks, may
Administrative Assistant, Ann Adler, my Legislative Director, Jane
Mellow, my Press Secretary, Tom Gavin, my legislative assistant, David
McMaster, and the entire Byrd team have done an outstanding job on
these bills.
Mr. President, the fiscal year 2002 Department of Defense
appropriations bill is a good bill. I urge all Senators to support it.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record
a document entitled ``Compromise on $20 Billion Defense/New York/
Homeland Defense Funding.''
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
Compromise on $20 Billion Defense/New York/Homeland Defense Funding
The amendment allocates $20 billion as follows:
Defense: $3.5 billion ($3.8 billion below President).
New York/NJ/DC/MD/VA: 8.3 billion ($1.9 billion above the
President).
Homeland Defense: 8.3 billion ($3.9 billion above the
President).
UI/COBRA: 0.0 billion ($2 billion below President).
When combined with the $20 billion allocated by the
President, the amendment results in the following allocation
of the $40 billion approved in the September 18th
supplemental (P.L. 107-38):
Defense: $17.5 billion ($3.5 billion below the President).
New York/NJ/DC/MD/VA: 11.2 billion ($1.8 billion above the
President).
Homeland Defense: 9.8 billion ($4.0 billion above the
President).
Foreign Aid allocated by President: 1.5 billion (same as
the President).
UI/COBRA: 0.0 billion ($2 billion below the President--in
stimulus).
Unallocated: 0.0 billion ($0.3 billion below the
President).
Highlights of the $20 billion:
New York and other communities directly impacted by
September 11th attacks ($8.2 billion): Examples follow:
FEMA Disaster Relief, which funds debris removal at the
World Trade Center site, repair of public infrastructure such
as the damaged subway, the damaged PATH commuter train, all
government offices and provides assistance to individuals for
housing, burial expenses, and relocation assistance, receives
$4.35 billion.
Community Development Block Grants--$2 billion to help New
York restore their economy.
Amtrak Security--$100 million for security in Amtrak
tunnels.
Mass Transit Security--funding of $105 million for
improving security in the New York and New Jersey subways.
New York/New Jersey Ferry Improvements--$100 million for
critical expansion of interstate ferry service between New
York and New Jersey. Prior to the September 11th attacks,
67,000 daily commuters used the PATH transit service that was
destroyed.
Hospital Reimbursement--$140 million to reimburse the
hospitals of New York that provided critical care on
September 11th and the weeks and months that followed.
Workers Compensation/Job Training--$175 million that would
help New York process workers compensation claims for the
victims of the September 11th attacks. $59 million is
provided for job training, environmental health and other
programs.
Federal Facilities--$325 million for the costs of keeping
Federal agencies operating that were in or near the World
Trade Center, such as the Social Security Administration, the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Pension
and Welfare Benefits Administration, the Commodity Futures
and Trading Commission, the Secret Service, the Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Securities and Exchange
Commission, the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Marshals
Service, the EEOC, the General Services Administration, the
Food and Drug Administration, and the National Labor
Relations Board.
Emergency Highway repairs--$85 million for damaged roads in
New York City, including $10 million in FEMA for local roads.
Mental Health Service for Children--$10 million that would
help New York schools provide mental health services to the
children of the victims of the World Trade Center bombing.
Law enforcement reimbursements--$229 million for New York
($71.8 million), New Jersey ($50.7 million), Maryland ($39
million) and Virginia ($62.5 million) and Pennsylvania ($5
million) to improve counter terrorism capacity of law
enforcement and fire personnel for States directly impacted
by the attacks on September 11th. $68 million is provided for
the Crime Victims Fund.
District of Columbia--$200 million for the District and for
the Washington Metro for improved security.
Small Business Disaster Loans--$150 million.
National Monuments Security--$80 million for improved
security at national parks and monuments such as the Statue
of Liberty and the Washington Monument, the Smithsonian, the
Kennedy Center and other facilities.
Department of Defense--$3.5 billion, including funding to
repair the Pentagon.
Homeland Defense ($8.3 billion):
Examples follow:
Bioterrorism/Food Safety $3.0 billion, including $479
million for food security:
Provides $1.0 billion for upgrading our state and local
public health and hospital infrastructure.
Provides $156 million for CDC capacity improvements and
disaster response medical systems at HHS.
Provices $244 million for security improvements and
research at the CDC and NIH and for mental health services.
Provides $593 million for the National Pharmaceutical
Stockpile.
Provides $512 million to contract for smallpox vaccine to
protect all Americans.
USDA Office of the Secretary: $81 million for enhanced
facility security and operational security at USDA locations.
Agricultural Research Service: $40 million for enhanced
facility security and for research in the areas of food
safety and bioterrorism.
Agricultural Research Service Buildings and Facilities: $73
million for facility enhancements at Plum Island, NY, and
Ames, IA, which includes funding necessary to complete
construction on a bio-containment facility at the National
Animal Disease Laboratory at Ames, IA.
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Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service: $119 million
for enhanced facility security, for support of border
inspections, for pest detection activities, and for other
areas related to bio-security and for relocation of a
facility at the National Animal Disease Laboratory.
Food Safety Inspection Service: $15 million for enhanced
operational security and for implementation of the Food
Safety Bio-Terrorism Protection Program.
Food and Drug Administration: $151 million for food safety
and counter-bioterrorism, including support of additional
food safety inspections; expedited review of drugs, vaccines,
and diagnostic tests; and enhanced physical and operational
security.
State and Local Law Enforcement--$400 million.
FEMA firefighting--$210 million to improve State and local
government capacity to respond to terrorist attacks.
Postal Service--$500 million to provide equipment to cope
with biological and chemical threats such as anthrax and to
improve security for Postal workers.
Federal Antiterrorism Law Enforcement (excluding amounts
for New York)--$1.7 billion.
$745 million for the FBI.
$19 million for the U.S. Marshals.
$78 million for Cyber security.
$31 million for Federal Law Enforcement Training Center for
training of new law enforcement personnel.
$16 million for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and
Firearms.
$60 million for overtime and expanded aviation and border
support for Customs.
$73 million for the Secret Service.
$209 million for increased Coast Guard surveillance.
$95 million for Federal courts security.
$70 million for Justice Department Legal Activities.
$109 million for EPA for anthrax cleanup costs and drinking
water vulnerability assessments.
$66 million for EPA for bioterrorism response teams and EPA
laboratory security.
$25 million for the FEMA Office of National Preparedness.
$30 million for the IRS.
$27 million for Olympic security.
Airport/Transit Security--$0.6 billion, including:
$175 million for Airport Improvement Grants.
$308 million for FAA for cockpit security, sky marshals and
explosives detection equipment.
$50 million for FAA research to expedite deployment of new
aviation security technologies.
$18 million for transit security.
$50 million for Essential Air Service.
Port Security improvements--$209 million, including $93
million for DOT and $116 million for Customs.
Nuclear Power Plant/Lab/Federal Facility Improvements--$0.8
billion.
$143 million for Energy for enhanced security at U.S.
nuclear weapons plants and laboratories.
$139 million for the Corps of Engineers to provide enhanced
security at over 300 critical dams, drinking water reservoirs
and navigation facilities.
$30 million for the Bureau of Reclamation for similar
purposes.
$36 million for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to
enhance security at commercial nuclear reactors.
$50 million for security at the White House.
$26 million for GSA and the Archives to improve federal
building security.
$109 million for NASA for security upgrades at the Kennedy,
Johnson and other space centers.
$256 million for improved security for the Legislative
Branch.
Nuclear Non-proliferation--$226 million for the
safeguarding and acquisition of Russian and former Soviet
Union missile nuclear materials and to help transition and
retrain Russian nuclear scientists.
Border Security--$0.7 billion.
$135 million for Customs for increased inspectors on the
border and for construction of border facilities, with
emphasis on the northern border.
$549 million for the Immigration and Naturalization
Service.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from South Carolina.
Mr. HOLLINGS. First, let me commend the Senator from West Virginia.
Over the years, I have seen him accomplish many feats. None would be
more outstanding than what he has done on homeland security for the
City of New York. Like Horatio at the bridge, he stood there against
all forces, particularly with respect to the executive branch, and
otherwise, and made sure we at least got some semblance of homeland
security started. It is on account of Senator Byrd of West Virginia.
Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I thank the Senator for his kind words. I
want to say this: If I were out in the streets of a big city and, for
some reason, got into a street brawl, I would want Senator Hollings
with me. If that ever happened to me, I would say: Senator Hollings,
where is he? He is the man I want with me in a tough situation.
Mr. HOLLINGS. And if I were lost on a lonely, dusty road amongst the
hills, I would want Senator Byrd with me.
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