[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 190 (Wednesday, December 12, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S15158-S15160]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                SCHEDULE

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, the Senate will be in a period of morning 
business for 3 hours this morning. The reason for the inordinate amount 
of time is that--I will make a presentation in a little bit to get this 
started--we have more than 100 pieces of legislation that are held up, 
legislation that could move so very quickly, in a matter of minutes. 
But we cannot do that because there are Republican holds on these 
bills.
  So we are going to go through our period of time this morning, asking 
consent to move to these bills. We hope some of them will pass. Some of 
them we should get done.
  The leading cause of death in 20 States in the United States for 
children under age 14 is getting caught in the drains of swimming 
pools. It has been somewhat noted because John Edwards had one of the 
first legal cases in that regard.
  Alaska, where you would not think there are a lot of swimming pools, 
or at least I would not, but there obviously are lots of swimming 
pools, that is the leading cause of death in Alaska for children.
  We have a hold on that bill. It passed the House with three 
dissenting votes, 418 to 3. We cannot pass that. There are children 
dying while we are not able to proceed on something such as that. There 
are over 100 issues similar to that. It is not right. So if people 
wonder why we are spending so much time, that is the reason. Maybe we 
will get some of these people who are on the other side of the aisle 
who object to this to come, rather than these hidden holds, and speak.
  It is not good for the body. If there are problems with a piece of 
legislation, that is one thing. But take that one case as an example. 
Following morning business, we will conduct two rollcall votes in 
relation to the two Gregg amendments. Other amendments will be debated 
following the Gregg votes and more rollcall votes will occur through 
the day and into the evening.
  I would like to commend Senators Harkin and Chambliss for their work 
they have accomplished in getting an agreement with respect to the 
amendments. As to the list of amendments right now, all 20 Republican 
amendments have been offered; the Democrats have offered 8 or 9.
  The work they have done in the last few days I think has been 
exemplary. While they were successful in getting agreements on these 
amendments, other amendments will still need to be debated and voted on 
or accepted by the two managers.
  As the year comes to a close, and the first year of the 110th 
Congress winds down, there is no doubt, if we continue in the current 
direction, this will be known as the Congress of Republican 
obstruction.
  Already, in 1 year, Republicans have arrived at the all-time 
obstruction record for a full 2-year session. What we are seeing this 
year from Republicans is not ordinary obstruction, it is obstruction on 
steroids. It is terribly damaging to the American people. I do not 
question the right of Republicans to block bills, in fact, block bill 
after bill; that is how the Senate has worked. And we all play by the 
same rules. But because you have the right does not make it right.

  On a daily basis, Republican Senators talk about the lack of progress 
this year. For all we have done, why have we not done more, they say. 
The answer is obstruction, Republican obstruction. It is disingenuous 
for Republicans to complain about a lack of progress and then make a 
concerted effort to block change----
  Obstruction of the prescription drug bill, to make medicines more 
affordable. We have been able to accomplish a lot, but it has been 
difficult when we have had to file about 60 cloture petitions.
  We have been able to do some good things with the minimum wage, 9/11 
Commission recommendations, the landmark ethics and lobbying reform, we 
have done some good work with mine resistant combat vehicles, we have 
given the National Guard equipment they need, we have stepped in and 
looked at the plight of American veterans based on the Walter Reed 
scandal.
  We have revitalized the Gulf Coast after Katrina, disaster relief for 
small business and farmers, Western wildfire relief. We have looked 
into the scandal relating to the U.S. attorneys. We passed legislation 
to help correct that. We have passed the WRDA, Water Resources 
Development Act, and a competitiveness bill led by Senators Bingaman 
and Alexander, we have been able to get that done.
  We have done the most significant change to college education since 
the GI Bill of Rights. We have been able to do some good things 
regarding the Internet, keeping the Internet tax free, expanding Head 
Start. We have done some good things.
  But we have been stopped from doing other important things. The 
prescription drug bill is a perfect example. As we speak, companies can 
go negotiate for lower priced drugs for their employees. The Veterans' 
Administration can negotiate for lower prices for veterans but Medicare 
cannot. There is a prohibition that Medicare cannot negotiate for lower 
priced drugs. That should be changed. We tried to change it. It was 
blocked; obstruction of our efforts to change the course in Iraq; 
obstruction of our efforts to pass an AMT fix in a fiscally responsible 
way; obstruction of our FHA bill, a bill that President Bush has called 
upon us to pass that would help Americans save their homes from 
foreclosure.
  These are a few of the well-known examples. My Democratic colleagues 
and I this morning are going to talk about some of the lesser known 
priorities Republicans have blocked. These bills might not make 
headlines, but they will make a difference in people's lives, such as 
the swimming pool drains I talked about.
  All these bills we will seek to pass today will make our country 
stronger. Every single one of them has fallen victim to Republican 
obstruction. There are no serious complaints about the bills which we 
seek to pass this morning, at least I do not think so. Many of them 
have already more than 50 cosponsors, Democrats and Republicans--we 
acknowledge mostly Democrats but Democrats and Republicans.
  Many have already been overwhelmingly passed by the House of 
Representatives and could be sent to the President's desk this 
afternoon. This morning's bills, though, are the tip of the iceberg. We 
can come to the floor tomorrow or the next day and days after that and 
seek action on bills similar to these that we are going to talk about.
  So we hope in the coming hours, the Republican minority will call off 
their needless holds, call off their obstruction, call off their 
political posturing and start working with us to make life better for 
the American people.
  As I indicated, a number of my colleagues will follow. What I am 
going to talk about now, I am going to talk about the ALS registry--
ALS, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, the Lou Gehrig's disease, this 
great first baseman for the New York Yankees who was a man of iron who 
could not overcome this disease.
  Similar to all people who get this disease, from the time it is 
discovered until you die is an average of 18 months. We have all had 
friends and relatives who have suffered and died from this disease. It 
is caused by a degeneration of the nerve cells that control voluntary 
muscle, which causes muscle weakness and atrophy. It is nearly always 
fatal. It may give victims, as I have indicated, a short time to live.
  Once in a while you find someone who lives several years, and that is 
a blessing in their lives. Early this year, a woman named Kathie 
Barrett and her husband Martin traveled to Washington, DC, from Sparks, 
NV, to advocate on behalf of the ALS registry.
  What is a registry? It is the first step to solve the problems of 
disease. Many years ago, they developed a cancer registry. I was 
involved in setting up one for a disease called interstitial cystitis. 
It is a disease that afflicts mostly women; 90 percent of the people 
who

[[Page S15159]]

have the disease are women. It is a bladder disease that is 
tremendously debilitating. I had three women visit me in my Las Vegas 
office. They did not want to be there. They were there out of 
desperation. They all had this disease, which was thought for many 
years to be psychosomatic.
  It is best described as shoving slivers of glass up and down one's 
bladder. What was the first thing we had to do? We developed a 
registry. As a result of that, 40 percent of the people who have this 
disease are no longer suffering. They are symptom free.
  Medicine was developed. It does not take care of everyone, but 
because of the registry, they were able to determine how people are 
affected, where they are affected, in different parts of the country, 
and how different medicines work. That is what we are trying to do 
here, develop, on behalf of Lou Gehrig's disease, a registry.
  Kathie was diagnosed with this disease in May of 2002. She is still 
alive, which is a miracle. Despite having a breathing capacity of about 
60 percent of normal, with considerable muscle loss in her neck and 
back, she made the long trip from Sparks, 2,600 miles. She and her 
husband made that trip because they believe passage of this registry is 
essential to the search for a cure for this devastating illness.
  Every year about 6,000 people learn they have this disease, for which 
there is no cure, and only one specific FDA-approved drug. That drug 
works on 20 percent of the patients, and even for them, it extends life 
for usually less than a year. So for a number of reasons, ALS has 
proven particularly difficult for scientists and doctors to make 
progress upon.
  One of the reasons is there is not a centralized place for data 
collected on the disease. Right now, that is the case. There is only a 
patchwork of data about ALS available to researchers. So this 
legislation, the ALS Registry Act, will do something that is both 
simple and crucial. It would create an ALS registry at the Centers for 
Disease Control to help arm our Nation's researchers and clinicians 
with the tools and information they need to make progress in the fight 
against this dread disease.
  The data made available by a registry will potentially allow 
scientists to identify causes of the disease and maybe even lead to the 
discovery of a new treatment, a cure for ALS or even a way to prevent 
the disease in the first place.
  This may not lead to a cure overnight, but it will give those who 
suffer reason for hope, real scientific hope. If you are looking for 
bipartisanship, look no further. The House recently passed a similar 
measure, H.R. 2295, by a vote of 411 to 3. How often does anything pass 
the House by such a large margin?
  Before the Thanksgiving recess, the HELP Committee in the Senate 
followed suit by reporting the ALS Registry Act unanimously. What is 
more, two-thirds of the Senate, Democrats and Republicans alike, are 
cosponsors. I am appreciative of the work of my Republican colleagues, 
Senators Warner and Enzi, as well, of course, Senator Kennedy, who is 
always out front on these issues.

  Unfortunately, despite the nearly unanimous support of the House of 
Representatives, the unanimous committee vote, and the overwhelming 
support of 67 cosponsors, we have objections--all over here, of course. 
For Kathie and Martin Barrett of Sparks and many thousands just like 
them, hope remains unfulfilled. Why has this happened? This crucial 
bill has been subjected to Republican holds. While some Republicans 
stand in the way, people's lives hang in the balance. Let's not forget 
the average life expectancy for an individual with this disease, after 
it is diagnosed, is 18 months, a year and a half. This is not a moment 
when we should stall. We don't have a moment to spare. We should send 
this bill to the President today. I ask my Republicans, please end 
their holds, end this senseless obstruction. The eyes of the Barretts 
and tens of thousands of Americans suffering are upon us. Let's honor 
their courage and grace by fulfilling their hope for a cure.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the ALS bill that is now 
before the Senate be read three times, passed, and any statements 
related thereto be printed in the Record at the appropriate place.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Is there objection?
  Mr. CORNYN. Reserving the right to object, would the Senator modify 
his request to include the passage of S. 2340, the troop funding bill?
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, isn't this something? Would I modify my 
request for the Barretts from Sparks to get billions of dollars for the 
troops in Iraq? The answer is no. We have just appropriated $470 
billion, and there will be appropriate measures before we leave here to 
direct, if the Senate wills, funding for the troops. I think the 
American people should see this. Would I modify my request to allow for 
more money for the war in Iraq at this time? The answer is no. This is 
an issue dealing with Lou Gehrig's disease, not a debate on the war in 
Iraq. It deals with people who are sick.
  I had in my office last night two marines. One of them lost both his 
legs, a wonderful young man, 21 years old. With him was a man who had 
just gotten out of bed to come to my office. He was on his fourth tour 
of duty before he got blown up in Iraq. We care about those people in 
Iraq. We care about them a lot. That is why we appropriated $470 
billion for the military. That is why we are well aware of the need to 
take a look at funding for more in Iraq. We have given the troops 
everything they have needed. We, the Democrats, have given them more 
than the President has requested, with money for MRAPs, for veterans 
coming home. I hope everyone sees this for what it is.
  Will I agree to modify my request to allow for more money for Iraq at 
this time? The answer is no.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Texas.
  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I am sorry the majority leader has 
objected. The fact is, unless we act promptly, the Department of 
Defense will be forced to issue potential furlough notices to almost 
100,000 civilian employees at the Department of Defense, since they are 
required to do so at least 60 days in advance--hardly something anyone 
would welcome during the holiday season. Our Army will be out of funds 
by mid-February, the Marine Corps by March. This demonstrates almost 
sort of an attention deficit disorder when it comes to finishing the 
work of the Congress. We have been on the farm bill. Now we are off the 
farm bill to do something else without finishing the work before us. I 
am disappointed, but the Senator does have a right to object. I respect 
that.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Is there objection?
  Mr. CORNYN. I object.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Objection is heard.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, the Secretary of Defense, Mr. Gates, told 
all of us the Wednesday before we broke for Thanksgiving that the 
troops would be fine--the Army until the first of March, the Marines 
until the middle of March. That is what he told us. I believe him. I 
have talked to him since then. He has confirmed that. I know there is 
spin from the White House that they are going to start laying people 
off. Let's be realistic.
  We have a request before the Senate to allow a registry to be created 
so we can try to find a cure for a dread disease. We are going to be 
out of here hopefully in a few days, hopefully a week or 10 days. We 
are going to complete the funding for our country prior to that time. 
Part of that consideration--I have spoken to my colleagues on the other 
side of the aisle--is what do we do about the President's request, his 
$196 billion request for more money for Iraq. We have to take a look at 
that. We want to take a look at that.
  I am concerned that we fund the Government. We don't want a 
Government shutdown. Maybe some people in the White House would like 
that. We don't want a Government shutdown. We are going to work very 
hard to accomplish that.
  Today, there are going to be a number of requests for pieces of 
legislation that are important. I believe people with Lou Gehrig's 
disease deserve a few minutes of our time today. That is what I asked 
that we pass. It was objected to. I understand that, but that is really 
too bad. That is legislation creating a registry so people can try to 
find out what causes this disease,

[[Page S15160]]

where the disease occurs in our country. It was objected to. That is 
too bad.

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