[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 142 (Tuesday, November 1, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12144-S12145]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    DEFICIT REDUCTION OMNIBUS RECONCILIATION ACT OF 2005--Continued


                  modifications to amendment no. 2352

  Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Enzi 
amendment No. 2352 be modified with the changes at the desk.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The modifications are as follows:

     of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (as amended by this Act) 
     (20 U.S.C. 1087e(c)), the second sentence of such subsection 
     shall be applied by substituting ``2.0 percent'' for ``2.5 
     percent'' with respect to loans for which the first 
     disbursement of principal is made on or after July 1, 2007.
       (c) Repeal of Origination Fees.--
       (1) Amendments.--Sections 438(c) and 455(c) of the Higher 
     Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087-1(c), 1087e(c)) are 
     repealed.
       (2) Effective date.--The amendments made by paragraph (1) 
     shall take effect on July 1, 2011.
       (d) Nonapplicability of Sunset Provision.--Section 7959 
     shall not apply to this section or to the amendments made by 
     this section.

     SEC. 7958. AUTHORIZATION AND APPROPRIATION OF FUNDS.

       There are authorized to be appropriated, and there are 
     appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise 
     appropriated, $1,660,000,000 to carry out this subtitle, of 
     which--
       (1) $450,000,000 shall be available to carry out section 
     7952;
       (2) $10,000,000 shall be available to carry out section 
     7955; and
       (3) $1,200,000,000 shall be available to carry out section 
     7956.

  Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I have recently received a very powerful 
and thoughtful letter from the Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical 
Lutheran Church in America, ELCA, of which I am a member. While my 
religious faith is central to the values which inform my political 
decisions, these decisions are never based exclusively on direction I 
might receive from my religious denomination's leaders.
  Nonetheless, in this instance I believe that this letter, signed by 
all 66 ELCA bishops, sends the Senate a profoundly important and timely 
message concerning the budget reconciliation bill currently before this 
body.
  I ask unanimous consent that this letter be printed in the Record, 
and I urge all my colleagues to take this message of Christian 
compassion and values to heart.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

[[Page S12145]]

                 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

       Dear Members of Congress, We write to you as religious 
     leaders seeking justice for millions of vulnerable and 
     dispossessed people in our Nation. As Bishops of the 
     Evangelical Lutheran Church in America we represent diverse 
     regions but speak with one voice about the fundamental 
     responsibility of the government, as an expression of the 
     will of the people, to protect the least of its citizens and 
     provide for the poorest in our society. In this spirit we ask 
     specifically that you oppose any attempt to move forward on 
     the budget reconciliation measures now before Congress.
       Cuts to mandatory spending called for in the reconciliation 
     package would decrease valuable assistance to millions of 
     low-income families, children, elderly and people with 
     disabilities. Even as the number of people living in poverty 
     and without insurance has increased dramatically in the past 
     five years, the last few tragic weeks in the Gulf Coast area 
     have put a face, indeed, thousands of new faces, on poverty 
     in the heart of our society. Programs such as Food Stamps, 
     Medicaid, the State Children's Health Insurance Program 
     (SCHIP), and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) 
     help to keep struggling families together and assist low-
     income working families in moving to higher economic ground. 
     This is not the time to cut such important programs while 
     using the cuts to pay for tax breaks for those who don't need 
     them.
       The Biblical record is clear. The Scriptural witness on 
     which our faith tradition stands speaks dramatically of God's 
     concern for and solidarity with poor and oppressed 
     communities while speaking firmly in opposition to 
     governments whose policies place narrow economic interests 
     driven by greed above the common good. Jesus speaks and acts 
     unequivocally on behalf of those on the margins of society. 
     St. Paul writes forcefully about the importance of community 
     and expands the definition of those we call brothers and 
     sisters in Christ. As Americans open their homes to embrace 
     neighbors from Gulf Coast states, as non-profit and religious 
     organizations provide relief services, we strongly urge you 
     to reflect on your role as a government official in providing 
     for the least in our society and ask that you oppose any 
     attempt to move forward with the budget reconciliation 
     process.
           Peace Be With You,

                                        Bishop Mark S. Hanson,

                                                 Presiding Bishop,
                           Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.


                                ALABAMA

       Bishop Ronald B. Warren


                                 ALASKA

       Bishop Ronald D. Martinson


                                ARIZONA

       Bishop Michael J. Neils


                                ARKANSAS

       Bishop Floyd M. Schoenhals


                               CALIFORNIA

       Bishop Murray D. Finck
       Bishop David G. Mullen
       Bishop Dean W. Nelson


                                COLORADO

       Bishop Allan C. Bjornberg


                              CONNECTICUT

       Bishop Margaret G. Payne


                                DELAWARE

       Bishop H. Gerard Knoche


                                FLORIDA

       Bishop Edward R. Benoway


                                GEORGIA

       Bishop Ronald B. Warren


                                 HAWAII

       Bishop Murray D. Finck


                                 IDAHO

       Bishop Martin D. Wells


                                ILLINOIS

       Bishop Warren D. Freiheit
       Bishop Paul R. Landahl
       Bishop Gary M. Wollersheim


                                INDIANA

       Bishop James R. Stuck


                                  IOWA

       Bishop Philip L. Hougen
       Bishop Michael A. Last
       Bishop Steven L. Ullestad


                                 KANSAS

       Bishop Gerald L. Mansholt


                                KENTUCKY

       Bishop James R. Stuck


                               LOUISIANA

       Bishop Paul J. Blom
       Bishop Kevin S. Kanouse


                                 MAINE

       Bishop Margaret G. Payne


                                MARYLAND

       Bishop Ralph W. Dunkin
       Bishop H. Gerard Knoche
       Bishop Theodore F. Schneider


                             MASSACHUSETTS

       Bishop Margaret G. Payne


                                MICHIGAN

       Bishop Gary L. Hansen
       Interim Bishop Kenneth R. Olsen
       Bishop Thomas A. Skrenes


                               MINNESOTA

       Bishop Jon V. Anderson
       Bishop Craig E. Johnson
       Bishop Peter Rogness
       Bishop Peter Strommen
       Bishop Harold L. Usgaard
       Bishop Rolf P. Wangberg


                              MISSISSIPPI

       Bishop Ronald B. Warren


                                MISSOURI

       Bishop Gerald L. Mansholt


                                MONTANA

       Bishop Richard R. Omland


                                NEBRASKA

       Bishop David L. deFreese


                                 NEVADA

       Bishop David G. Mullen
       Bishop Michael J. Neils


                             NEW HAMPSHIRE

       Bishop Margaret G. Payne


                               NEW JERSEY

       Bishop E. Roy Riley


                               NEW MEXICO

       Bishop Allan C. Bjornberg


                                NEW YORK

       Bishop Stephen P. Bouman
       Bishop Marie C. Jerge
       Bishop Margaret G. Payne


                             NORTH CAROLINA

       Bishop Leonard H. Bolick


                              NORTH DAKOTA

       Bishop Duane C. Danielson
       Bishop Richard J. Foss


                                  OHIO

       Bishop Callon W. Holloway, Jr.
       Bishop Marcus C. Lohrmann
       Bishop Marcus J. Miller


                                OKLAHOMA

       Bishop Floyd M. Schoenhals


                                 OREGON

       Bishop Paul R. Swanson


                              PENNSYLVANIA

       Bishop Roy G. Almquist
       Bishop Carol S. Hendrix
       Bishop Ralph E. Jones
       Bishop A. Donald Main
       Bishop Donald J. McCoid
       Bishop Gregory R. Pile
       Bishop David R. Strobel


                              RHODE ISLAND

       Bishop Margaret G. Payne


                             SOUTH CAROLINA

       Bishop David A. Donges


                              SOUTH DAKOTA

       Bishop Andrea F. DeGroot-Nesdahl


                               TENNESSEE

       Bishop Ronald B. Warren


                                 TEXAS

       Bishop Allan C. Bjornberg
       Bishop Paul J. Blom
       Bishop Kevin S. Kanouse
       Bishop Ray Tiemann


                                  UTAH

       Bishop Allan C. Bjornberg


                                VERMONT

       Bishop Margaret G. Payne


                                VIRGINIA

       Bishop James F. Mauney
       Bishop Theodore F. Schneider


                               WASHINGTON

       Bishop William Boerger
       Bishop Robert D. Hofstad
       Bishop Martin D. Wells


                            WASHINGTON D.C.

       Bishop Theodore F. Schneider


                             WEST VIRGINIA

       Bishop Ralph W. Dunkin


                               WISCONSIN

       Bishop Robert D. Berg
       Bishop George G. Carlson
       Bishop James A. Justman
       Bishop Thomas A. Skrenes
       Bishop Paul W. Stumme-Diers
       Bishop April Ulring Larson


                                WYOMING

       Bishop Allan C. Bjornberg


                                BAHAMAS

       Bishop Edward R. Benoway


                              PUERTO RICO

       Bishop Margarita Martinez


                          U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS

       Bishop Margarita Martinez


                           Slovak Zion Synod

       Bishop Wilma S. Kucharek
       (CT, IL, MI, NJ, NY, OH, PA)

                          ____________________