[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 140 (Wednesday, October 9, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7341-S7342]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS

  Mr. NELSON. Mr. President, I want to add my remarks now for the third 
time about this shutdown. I want to say this is not the way we ought to 
be running our government, and enough ought to be enough.
  For example, as you know, the Secretary of Defense has figured out a 
way he can bring back most of the furloughed civilian employees--there 
may be a quarter of them who are still on furlough but most of them--by 
a law that passed here that saw most unintended consequences. But there 
was a little part of the law where he was able to bring them back for 
the national security and defense of this country.
  But there are still gaping holes. For example, although the active-
duty National Guard is not furloughed, a lot of the civilian force and 
the Reserve force of the Guard is furloughed.
  I just talked to an F-22 pilot of the Virginia National Guard. He is 
a long-time fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force, flew F-15s, now F-22s. 
He has transitioned to the National Guard, went to a unit that has the 
F-22s, which is the Virginia National Guard. All of those Reserve 
National Guard pilots are still coming in and flying, because we still 
have to protect the air defense of this country. They are flying, but 
they are not getting paid. Some of their technicians are there, still 
supporting the maintenance of the aircraft. Some of them are not 
getting paid. All of the ancillary support staff is on furlough.
  In this example of the protection of the national security, in this 
particular case providing for our air defense through an Air National 
Guard unit, is this the way an air guard unit ought to be run?
  Instead, it is not being run according to how it should be because of 
a political tantrum by certain people trying to get their way, instead 
of allowing the government to be functioning through its 
appropriations.
  There is now a salmonella outbreak, 278 cases in 18 States, including 
my State of Florida. The Centers for Disease Control, which monitors at 
one time 30 different diseases operating in this country--now 68 
percent of the Centers for Disease Control employees have been 
furloughed. So because of the salmonella outbreak that has occurred--it 
may be in the Presiding Officer's State as well. I will look it up 
afterwards and tell the Presiding Officer. It is in my State. I know it 
started in California, where most of the cases are.
  But had the CDC been there in full force, instead of 68 percent of 
them being laid off, maybe we would not have had this outbreak, or they 
may have been able to spot it and stem it quickly before it spread to 
17 other States.
  I will give you another example: NASA. This little agency is the one 
that has the most people furloughed as a percentage of the workforce. 
Now 97 percent of NASA employees are furloughed. Since most of NASA's 
work is done by contractors, without the NASA supervisors there now, 
the contractors are being laid off. You take a place such as the 
Presiding Officer's State of Ohio, the NASA Glenn Research Center, look 
at the impact to the people in that community.
  You take a major space center elsewhere, such as the Johnson Space 
Center in Houston, the Kennedy Space Center in my State, look at what 
it is doing to the lives of people. But remember that we have a mission 
that is going to Mars that has a unique, one-time-in-2-years launch 
window, starting the middle of November into the first part of 
December. If that narrow 3-week launch window is missed because of the 
lack of preparation of this spacecraft to launch, there is not another 
launch window for 2 years. Because of that, we were able to get NASA to 
recall that team. They are there continuing to prepare the spacecraft. 
They are not getting paid. But at least we are not going to cause all 
of the additional delay of 2 years and all of the additional expense of 
keeping that team of scientists together, along with the staging of the 
spacecraft for another 2 years.
  There are three examples: the National Guard, and the defense of this 
country; the salmonella outbreak, because of the layoffs of the CDC, 
the Centers for Disease Control; and NASA.
  This should not be. Enough is enough. The political tantrum ought to 
stop. Let us get back to the business of governing.
  I yield the floor, and I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The Senator from South Dakota is recognized.


                         SOUTH DAKOTA BLIZZARD

  Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. President, I rise to talk about the 
devastation that has been inflicted on many in my home State. An early 
season snowstorm has dumped 1 foot of snow and heavy winds on much of 
western South Dakota. The thoughts and prayers of Barbara and I are 
with those affected by this disastrous storm.
  Communities and residents are wrestling with the damage caused by 
downed trees, and utility companies are facing power outages. County, 
community, and emergency officials have shared with my office numerous 
stories of volunteers stepping in to help to transport medicines and 
oxygen to residents stranded in their homes.
  Neighbors are helping assist each other with cutting down tree limbs, 
snow removal, and getting essential food items and medical supplies to 
the elderly and disabled residents. There are countless reports of 
people helping to move stuck drivers out of snowdrifts or helping to 
shovel the roofs and snow from the home of a senior citizen or disabled 
residents. When people are in need, South Dakotans step up.

[[Page S7342]]

  One of the most significant impacts of the storm has been on my 
State's livestock producers. ``Tens of thousands of cattle killed in 
Friday's blizzard . . . '' proclaims the Rapid City Journal headline.
  Silvia Christen, with the South Dakota Stockgrowers Association, has 
shared with me gut-wrenching stories of ranchers who have lost their 
herds. She said a man near Interior found his cows had pushed 
themselves and their calves over a Badlands wall and killed many of 
them. He estimates his loss at 50 percent of his total herd.
  A young man east of Hermosa estimates he lost 30 percent of his 200 
breeding cows. He found them all in one pile in a draw covered in snow. 
He saw the heads and hooves sticking out from the snow and can't bring 
himself to go closer or dig them out. He stated:

       I'm young, but I always thought I was a good rancher. I 
     thought I'd taken care of them but I guess I should have done 
     more.

  He hung up the phone with an apology as his voice broke.
  Our cowboys are resilient people, but this blizzard comes on the 
heels of a devastating drought last year from which ranchers still 
haven't fully recovered.
  I am very proud of our State and local officials who have taken 
immediate action to assist those in need. The National Guard is 
conducting lifesaving safety operations to ensure folks without power 
are OK and to open roads. The State is working with a local rendering 
company to assist with finding, identifying, and dealing with livestock 
that have been killed. Our ag organizations in the State are providing 
help and guidance to ranchers who were hit.
  The one place where help is lacking is from the Federal Government. 
Because of the government shutdown, producers can't rely on their FSA 
offices for assistance.
  Since Congress hasn't finished the farm bill, West River ranchers may 
have to wait for disaster assistance. The 2008 farm bill included 
several critical disaster assistance programs, including the Livestock 
Indemnity Program, which provides help to producers affected by natural 
disasters. Unfortunately, that program expired in 2011, and because 
Congress hasn't yet completed a comprehensive farm bill, there 
continues to be no funding available for them.
  We passed a good farm bill here in the Senate twice in the past 2 
years. I worked to include funding for these livestock disaster 
programs, which are in both the Senate and House bills. The Senate is 
ready to negotiate the farm bill, but the House hasn't appointed 
conferees. The longer they delay, the longer my constituents will 
suffer without disaster aid.
  The House needs to pass a clean continuing resolution, and they need 
to appoint conferees so that we can finally finish the farm bill.
  It will take many months for the Black Hills communities to clean up 
from the October blizzard. For ranchers who lost livestock, it may take 
years to recover. But whatever Mother Nature has to deliver, it cannot 
dampen the spirit of South Dakotans.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor, and I suggest the absence of a 
quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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