[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 135 (Wednesday, September 23, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9693-S9694]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                SCHEDULE

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, following leader remarks, there will be a 
period of morning business for 90 minutes, with Senators permitted to 
speak for up to 10 minutes each. The majority will control the first 45 
minutes and the Republicans will control the final 45 minutes.
  Following morning business, the Senate will resume consideration of 
the Interior Appropriations bill. Last night, I filed cloture on the 
bill and the substitute amendment. As a result, Senators must have 
their germane amendments filed at the desk prior to 1 p.m. today.
  I also want to remind Senators there is a reception and buffet dinner 
in S. 211 tonight--that is the LBJ room--at 6 o'clock to celebrate 
Henry Clay in the Senate.
  There is a wonderful story about a 150-year-old painting that was 
discovered. It is a magnificent painting, right outside these doors, 
and we will talk a little about that tonight. It is historic and a 
great way to recognize the success of this country over the years.
  We will need to be out of session at 5:30 for the Senate reception 
room to be swept by the security folks. This event is hosted by the 
Senate Commission on Art, and our spouses will be expecting us to be on 
time.
  I want to say also that 45 minutes of our time is going to be 
controlled by Democratic freshmen Senators. The American people are 
going to see here today the quality of the people who are new 
Senators--all successful prior to coming here, from many different 
walks of life, men and women. As I have watched these past 9 months the 
bringing of these men and women into Senate business, I am so impressed 
and understand how they did so well before coming here. Today, they are 
going to talk about health care.
  As an example of the quality of our Senators--and I am not going to 
run through all the freshmen Senators--we have our Presiding Officer. 
The Presiding officer had a long and successful career before coming to 
the Senate as Attorney General of the State of New Mexico, as a long-
time Member of Congress, and now as a Member of this body.
  I had one of the pleasures of my life a month or so ago in being able 
to go to New Mexico and spend about an hour with the Presiding 
Officer's father--the historic Stewart Udall. What a wonderful visit we 
had. We talked about his brother Morris Udall, whom I had the good 
fortune of being able to serve with in the House of Representatives. I 
am sure that Morris Udall is beaming up in Heaven that his son Mark is 
now serving in the Senate.
  What a quality group of people they are, and the American people are 
going to be seeing them in a few minutes as they talk about health 
care. I don't know what they are going to talk about with regard to 
health care, but I can almost bet that one of the things all these fine 
Senators are going to say is that we do not have as an option in health 
care to do nothing. The status quo will not work.

[[Page S9694]]

  Because of the monopolistic handle the insurance company has on 
everything that happens--all the profits being made by the insurance 
industry, the pharmaceutical industry--the cost of health care is 
leaving 50 million American people uninsured, with many people losing 
their insurance. Today, 14,000 people will wake up in America with 
health insurance and go to bed without it. In the State of Nevada--
sparsely populated, relatively speaking--220 people will wake up this 
morning with health insurance and go to bed tonight losing it, 7 days a 
week.
  I admire and appreciate the freshmen Senators speaking out on the 
need to do something about health care.

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