[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Pages 20290-20291]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                UPDATE ON EVENTS IN THE CAPITOL COMPLEX

  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I noted yesterday I would be coming to 
this Chamber. I will take a moment, if I may, to provide our colleagues 
with a short update on the circumstances involving the Senate today.
  This has been a trying time for all of us, in particular for my 
office and staff. I am thankful for the outpouring of concern and 
support we have received, especially from the family of Senators. I am 
very grateful for their friendship, for their words of encouragement, 
for the strength they have given me and my staff over these very 
difficult days. It has meant a lot.
  I wish to thank as well the many experts who have come to investigate 
and to help. I wish to recognize Secretary Thompson; Dr. Ken Moritsugu, 
deputy surgeon general; all of the Health and Human Services staff; Dr. 
John Eisold, our attending physician of the U.S. Capitol, and all the 
physicians who are working in his office; MG John Parker of the U.S. 
Army; Dr. Greg Martin, who has been unbelievable, an incredible help to 
my staff, to me, and to the entire Senate during this time.
  There are a number of professionals who work with Dr. Martin at 
Bethesda Naval Hospital whom I want to recognize as well. Were it not 
for their effort, we would not be in the position we are today. They 
have been working around the clock analyzing the thousands of tests 
that were taken. Though they are not in the Capitol compound, they have 
had every bit as much to do with our success in dealing with these 
circumstances as anyone else. So we are extremely grateful to them for 
their work.
  I want to thank as well the Centers for Disease Control, including 
Rima Khabbaz and Ali Khan; the District of Columbia Department of 
Public Health. Finally, I thank the members of the Senate family who 
have been working around the clock to address this situation, to 
coordinate our response, and see to it that the Senate was able to 
continue its important work.
  Maybe first, among all of those, I thank our Secretary of the Senate 
and our Sergeant at Arms for their outstanding work. There were several 
nights where they literally did not go to bed. They stayed up the 
entire night working to be able to address the many challenges we were 
facing as we looked at the logistical and health concerns people had.
  I also wish to thank Dr. Bill Frist. He was in this Chamber earlier. 
He has been an amazing resource. While he is not present now, I know I 
speak for all of our colleagues in thanking him. He again spoke for all 
of us in a news conference wherein he was able to answer in very 
understandable ways many of these complicated questions. So I 
personally thank him, and I know I speak for everybody in thanking him 
as well.
  The challenge facing all of these people, and all of us, is 
unprecedented. To a person, every official I have mentioned has 
responded in the most admirable way. Their poise, their 
professionalism, their compassion have been a comfort to all of us, 
especially to my staff and me.

[[Page 20291]]

  I want to provide an update on where we stand based on Dr. 
Moritsugu's briefing a few moments ago. It is now 72 hours after this 
incident occurred, and we now can say we are confident about the health 
of the public. Beyond the 31 positive nasal swabs I reported yesterday, 
the results on nasal swabs analyzed to date have all--and let me 
emphasize all--come back negative. The CDC has determined no further 
nasal swabs are needed. Tests on all of the nasal swabs collected on 
Monday will be completed by the end of today, although we may not be in 
session, so I chose this moment to come and give at least this partial 
report.
  A total of 278 swabs were taken Monday. At this time, there are no 
further positive results. So the number of positive results to date 
remains at 31. Everyone who has tested positive has been notified by 
medical authorities.
  Let me put some rumor to rest because it has been circulating all 
afternoon that some member of the leadership has been provided with a 
positive test result. The unequivocal clarification in that regard is, 
that story is not true. There is no positive result among any members 
of Senate leadership.
  Testing also continues on approximately 1,400 swabs collected 
Tuesday. Of those, preliminary results on approximately 600 have 
produced no new positives. To this point, the CDC investigation has 
established the exposure area as the fifth and sixth floors in the 
southeast wing of the Hart Building. Based on this determination, the 
CDC has said no further nasal swabs are needed there.
  People who were on the fifth and sixth floors in the southeast wing 
of the Hart Building on Monday are being reminded to complete their 
full 60-day course of antibiotics, regardless of the results of their 
nasal swabs. Anyone who entered that area but has not received 
antibiotics should report to the treatment center at the Architect of 
the Capitol facility on the southeast corner of 6th and East Capitol 
Streets.
  A thorough environmental sweep of the Capitol complex began last 
night. It went on throughout the night and continues today. Those 
sweeps were conducted by the EPA and the National Institute for 
Occupational Safety and Health. Areas were swept in the Capitol, the 
Dirksen Senate Office Building, the Ford House Office Building, the 
Capitol Police offsite delivery center where all Capitol mail and 
deliveries go through security screening, and at this time there are no 
additional results to report.
  The sweeps will continue, as we reported yesterday, over the next 
several days of the other areas of the Capitol complex. The entire 
Capitol complex will be swept, and so there will not be any area left 
unattended or unchecked before we are cleared.
  Numerous additional samples have been taken of the ventilation 
systems, and these samples are under evaluation. I think it is 
important to emphasize, too, at this time there is no evidence of 
contamination in the ventilation system.
  Because of the extensive work being done, it is not clear when the 
Hart Building will reopen, but it will reopen as soon as we are 
absolutely confident it is completely safe.
  I want to make one final point. The people who work in these 
buildings, regardless of their political affiliation, have come to the 
city and to the Congress because they believe in what this Nation 
represents to its citizens and to the world. Many have made sacrifices 
to do so. Some are accepting lower pay than they would receive 
elsewhere. Many are far from their families. All believe that by being 
here we can improve the lives of Americans and, in the process, make 
America stronger.
  That letter may have been addressed to me, but these attacks didn't 
strike just my office. They struck at the heart of that belief. In the 
past couple of days, members of my staff, who have every right to be 
afraid, who have every right to take some time and be with their loved 
ones, have come to talk to me. More than one has told me they were more 
proud than ever to show up for work. This attack was meant to undercut 
that spirit. What I have seen in the past 3 days is all I need to know 
that the attack has missed its mark.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Johnson). The Senator from Nevada.
  Mr. REID. Everyone knows the close personal relationship I have with 
the majority leader. This statement I am making could come from any of 
the 99 Senators. It doesn't have to come from me.
  The leader has gone out of his way to congratulate his staff, to 
compliment his staff, to talk about the great work the Sergeant at Arms 
and the Secretary of the Senate have done. They deserve every bit of 
credit that the leader has given them. Senator Frist deserves the 
credit he has been given by the majority leader. But speaking for the 
whole Senate, there is no one who deserves more credit during this time 
of strife and trouble and turmoil caused by evil people trying to do 
bad things than our majority leader. He has stood very tall.
  I am speaking for the entire Senate, the people of the State of 
Nevada, the people of New Jersey, the people of Minnesota, the people 
of Maine: Everybody in this country is so proud of the majority leader 
of the Senate. When the history books are written about people standing 
tall during a time of crisis, Tom Daschle will be at the top of that 
stack.
  Mr. DASCHLE. I thank the distinguished Senator from Nevada for his 
kind and generous words. This has been a difficult challenge for all of 
us. I am grateful.
  I note that any time somebody gives me credit for ``standing tall,'' 
I will take that as the highest compliment.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maine.
  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I echo the words of the Senator from 
Nevada. We have all been impressed with the tremendous grace and 
strength that our Senate majority leader has shown under unbelievable 
pressure. Our thoughts are with him and with his staff as they continue 
to go through this ordeal. He has, indeed, made every Member proud by 
his actions during this difficult time.

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