[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Pages 20781-20785]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                               AMERICORPS

  Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, I am appalled at the House's refusal to 
provide needed emergency supplemental funding to AmeriCorps.
  There was an editorial in the Wall Street Journal yesterday 
describing their rationale for the House position. The WSJ says, ``the 
concept of federally subsidized volunteerism strikes us as something 
the country can't afford '' and ``if Congress lacks the nerve to kill 
AmeriCorps, then we're glad it at least won't throw good money after 
bad.''
  The Wall Street Journal can say that this is something the country 
can't afford. But I know differently. AmeriCorps is something the 
country can't afford to do without.
  I will be the first to say that the administration's mismanagement of 
funds is disappointing to say the least. It is further upsetting that 
they are unwilling to put up the money it takes to keep those mistakes 
from hurting the volunteers.
  I am also disappointed that the President promised to promote and 
grow the program, but is unwilling to put up the money to do so. It is 
really unfair for the President and the House to talk out of both sides 
of their mouths, supporting volunteerism, but then refusing to pay the 
comparatively small cost involved in keeping volunteerism afloat.
  But this is not a problem with AmeriCorps volunteers, or with the 
communities they serve. Senators Mikulski and Bond in the ``Strengthen 
AmeriCorps Act'' are doing the things that need to be done to prevent 
future financial discrepancies.
  These funding cuts don't punish those who are guilty for the 
problems. These cuts punish volunteers, and communities, and the 
beneficiaries of the volunteers' work.
  In Iowa, AmeriCorps volunteers have improved 30,000 acres of wildlife 
habitat. They work to improve water quality, they restore prairie land, 
they prevent soil erosion, they fix trails, they provide interpretive 
centers, and they work with communities to teach people to do these 
things year-round on their own.
  AmeriCorps volunteers give presentations on disaster preparedness. In 
Dubuque, Iowa, 13 year old Korey Monahan took one of those classes. She 
went home, and helped her family develop a plan in case of a fire. 
Around midnight on April 1, their house did catch fire. But Korey, her 
mother Kristy, and her four brothers and sisters survived that fire 
because they had a solid plan. Korey won a national award from the 
American Red Cross for her outstanding preparedness.
  In Davenport, IA, vandalism and crime in city parks have been reduced 
sharply in just two months, as AmeriCorps members have begun patrols 
through a Park Ambassador program. AmeriCorps members provide a 
welcoming presence and act as ``eyes and ears'' for local law 
enforcement. They walk through parks, and provide a welcoming presence. 
They connect with nearby neighborhood watch groups to recruit 
volunteers to join them in helping keep the parks safe and clean.
  The REACH, Rural Education and Community Help, AmeriCorps program 
provides assistance to battered women and children in rural Iowa and 
minority communities where services for victims of domestic violence 
are minimal or non-existent. REACH members also provide programs in 
schools, including conflict resolution, sexual harassment, diversity 
and dating violence.
  During the 2001-2002 program year, members made 5,994 victim 
contacts. Members also provided court accompaniment to battered women 
as they navigate the legal system. In both 2001 and 2002, members 
provided legal advocacy at over 600 court hearings.
  The original goal was to ensure that no battered women would need to 
drive more than thirty miles to receive services. They are well on 
their way to making that dream a reality. Four stand-alone offices are 
now open. They have secured other sources of funding and have hired 
full-time staff. In addition, members have opened offices in sixteen 
counties and provide additional coverage to surrounding communities. 
Before AmeriCorps, roughly a third of Iowa's 99 counties had services, 
now only four in Iowa are without a victim outreach program.
  Apparently, helping people like Korey Monahan to save her family from 
fire, repairing our environment, reducing crime, and assisting battered 
women is ``throwing good money after bad.'' that's not what I call 
``bad money,'' and I am glad that Congress saw fit to appropriate it. I 
will do all I can to see that we continue to spend ``good money'' for 
great purposes.


                     the amtrak board of directors

  Mr. HOLLINGS. The Amtrak board of directors is a seven-member body 
charged with making important corporate decisions for the National 
Passenger Rail Corporation. The board members are appointed by the 
President, and they each bring with them a certain background or 
expertise that benefits the National Passenger Rail Corporation and its 
executives.
  Mrs. HUTCHISON. The most recent Amtrak board was comprised of 
governors, mayors and corporate executives, each of whom brought a 
unique

[[Page 20782]]

perspective. A geographically diverse board is crucial to establishing 
a national rail system. I was very pleased when President Bush 
appointed David Laney of Texas to the board last year. Earlier this 
month, Mr. Laney was selected by his fellow board members to serve as 
chairman.
  Mr. CARPER. As a former member of the Amtrak board and Governor of 
Delaware, I personally understand the important role that board members 
play in leading the corporation and I want to thank my colleague for 
recognizing the special skills that governors bring to such a position. 
The board's strong leadership establishes a clear direction for the 
corporation and provides proper oversight and accountability. Without 
this clear direction, investors and customers can quickly lose 
confidence in the company and its ability to preform and grow. The 
current board of management has done an excellent job of maintaining a 
solid and predictable course through particularly uneasy times.
  Mr. HOLLINGS. The board members have a formidable responsibility to 
make sound decisions and investments that will successfully serve both 
the corporation and the Nation's rail passengers. At this critical 
juncture, when Amtrak is poised for either salvation or bankruptcy, the 
work of the board must be allowed to continue uninterrupted.
  Mr. LAUTENBERG. I fully agree with your concern that the Amtrak board 
of directors must continue to function even while the board is in the 
process of being restaffed. Terms of two of the board members, 
specifically Governor Dukakis and Mayor Smith, expired on June 25. I 
understand that the terms of two other board members, Ms. Rosen and 
Governor Holton, will expire on September 24. If no new board members 
are appointed before September 24, the board will be reduced from seven 
members to only three members.
  Mr. HOLLINGS. Yes, by September 24, the Amtrak board will lose its 
quorum and its ability to function unless it uses other avenues 
available under the law to continue its important role. That is why I 
am pleased to learn that the board is already exploring measures that 
can be taken under the corporate laws of the District of Columbia to 
continue to operate as a board even while it cannot achieve a quorum of 
members.
  Mr. LOTT. It is good to know that there are other legal avenues that 
can be followed so that the duties of the Amtrak board are not 
suspended indefinitely while candidates are nominated, vetted, and 
confirmed by Congress. As we all know, Presidential appointments can 
often be a long and arduous process. However, its my hope that the 
Commerce Committee and the Senate will consider the confirmation of 
Amtrak board members as promptly as possible once we have received 
candidates from the President. Of course, I would like to acknowledge 
the work of Mayor Smith of Meridian, MS. He agreed to offer his 
knowledge and experience to the board, and has served for years as 
chairman of Amtrak's board of directors. I am grateful for his 
dedication to Amtrak and the excellent work he did for the railroad 
during his term. It is most important that the White House provide 
names of candidates for the board as quickly as possible so that we can 
begin moving through the confirmation process and return the Amtrak 
board to its full composition.
  Mr. LAUTENBERG. I am concerned that after September 24, there will be 
no one on the board from the Northeast corridor, which represents over 
half of Amtrak's ridership as well as the primary infrastructure owned 
by the corporation. The board needs to have qualified people who are 
knowledgeable about the complex operations of the Northeast corridor 
and its critical importance to the entire region.
  Mr. CARPER. The Senator from Mississippi's comments about the 
importance of receiving candidates soon is very true and I hope that 
the Bush administration will promptly follow the normal procedures of 
appointments, with the advice and consent of the Senate. The members of 
the Amtrak board are tasked with leading our national passenger 
railroad, with stewardship over substantial Federal resources and the 
responsibility of ensuring that the needs of the corporation and the 
traveling public are met. A stable and competent board is critical for 
so many reasons. Now is not the time for the kind of uncertainty that 
would clearly come from an partially staffed or incapacitated board as 
my colleagues have mentioned. As vacancies occur on the Amtrak board, 
the Bush administration has two critically important obligations that 
they must meet to ensure that Amtrak has a chance to survive and 
prosper. First, they must allow the Senate to fulfill its 
constitutional role of reviewing nominees so that we have the most 
qualified and capable people for this important job. Second, while that 
process is underway, they must ensure that a strong, fully functional 
board remains in place to provide the direction and stability Amtrak 
needs.
  Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, this emergency supplemental would provide 
an additional $983.6 million for disaster relief and emergency 
assistance. It is estimated that the disaster relief fund will exhaust 
its current funding by the end of July 2003 in part due to higher-than-
expected costs for disaster relief, including funding for tornadoes and 
winter storms. These additional resources are needed to continue to 
provide necessary emergency assistance.
  With respect to the firefighting funds requested by the President, I 
am pleased to announce that we have an agreement with the 
administration on funds to continue our battle against fires, 
particularly in the West and Alaska. The administration has informed me 
it remains committed to the President's request for emergency 
supplemental appropriations for disaster relief and recovery efforts. 
Their commitment to continue to pursue enactment of the full request 
when we return in September is paramount to the challenges we face.
  I ask unanimous consent that the Transfer Strategy statement be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                           Transfer Strategy

       As of July 28, the Forest Service has obligated $304 
     million for fire suppression, leaving $48 million in 
     remaining balances in the suppression account. Based on this 
     information, the Forest Service will need to transfer between 
     $147 million and $235 million of unobligated available funds 
     from other accounts to pay for fire suppression.
       The Administration remains committed to the President's 
     July 7, 2003, request for emergency supplemental 
     appropriations for disaster relief and recovery efforts and 
     will continue to pursue enactment of the full request when 
     Congress returns in September.
       The following table illustrates how the Forest Service 
     would likely transfer funds from other accounts to cover the 
     anticipated cost.

 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                 Transfers    Transfers
                    Account                       to reach     to reach
                                                   $195 M       $283 M
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Preparedness..................................           30           30
Fuels Reduction...............................           10           10
Land Acquisition..............................           38           65
Capital Improvement and Maintenance...........           11           21
Working Capital Fund..........................                        20
National Forest System........................           40           40
State and Private Forestry*...................           10           34
Research and Development......................            8           15
    Total.....................................         $147         $235
------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Includes Forest Legacy Program.

  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, the Senate now takes up a fiscal year 2003 
supplemental appropriations bill in the amount of $983.6 million to 
replenish the Federal emergency disaster relief fund in the Department 
of Homeland Security.
  These funds are urgently needed. In April of this year, Senator 
Cochran, chairman of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, 
and I, as the ranking member, urged the administration to release funds 
that the President was holding up and also urged the administration to 
request necessary funds to shore up a looming shortfall. Now we are 
told that the disaster relief fund has a balance of $89 million and is 
expected to be completely exhausted by August 8.
  The President finally sent up an emergency supplemental request on 
July 7 for $1.55 billion to assist recovery efforts in West Virginia 
and over 300 other areas in every State of the Nation that had been 
hard hit by severe rains, floods, and tornadoes. It

[[Page 20783]]

took the Senate Appropriations Committee, under the leadership of 
Senator Ted Stevens, only 2 days to report out the necessary $1.55 
billion in supplemental funds for disaster relief. That legislation 
also included $253 million for fighting 42 major wildfires which have 
consumed over 400,000 acres in 12 Western States, as well as $50 
million for unanticipated costs associated with the recovery and 
investigation of the Space Shuttle Columbia accident--all requested by 
the President.
  That legislation also included $100 million for the AmeriCorps 
program in order to avoid deep cuts in the number of volunteers at a 
time when the President has proposed to increase the number of 
volunteers by 50 percent.
  Only 2 days later, on July 11, this legislation cleared the Senate 
floor by a vote of 85 to 7, and conferees on behalf of the Senate were 
appointed. During Senate debate, the $100 million for AmeriCorps was 
voted on separately and was sustained by an overwhelming 71-to-21 vote.
  Now here we are almost 3 weeks later. The House Members have gone 
home for an August recess. Just before they left, they sent over to the 
Senate a $983.6 million stand-alone supplemental for disaster relief 
only without the necessary funds for fighting the wildfires in 12 
Western States, nor the funds for the Columbia Shuttle investigation, 
nor the necessary funds for AmeriCorps. According to the latest 
Department estimates, this funding level for disaster relief isn't even 
enough to make it to September 30. The House sent to the Senate this 
stripped-down, stand-alone supplemental for disaster relief on a take-
it-or-leave-it basis.
  This is no way to legislate. The chairman of the Appropriations 
Committee knows that I am not blaming him. He has been trying 
energetically to engage the House to accept the necessary funds for 
fighting wildfires, for the NASA shuttle investigation, and for the 
AmeriCorps shortfall. However, the House leadership and its allies in 
the White House have turned a deaf ear to needs of the firefighters in 
the Western States, the requirements of the NASA investigation, and the 
20,000 AmeriCorps volunteers who are expecting to embark on a program 
of working in schools teaching our children reading and math, providing 
care to our senior citizens, cleaning up our parks, and other valuable 
volunteer services to our communities.
  All of these funds are urgently needed, and none are more urgently 
needed than the funding for disaster relief.
  I am advised that, because of the lateness of the administration's 
request, FEMA has already stopped making payments to States for $400 
million of infrastructure repairs in the 300 communities with 
outstanding natural disasters. Communities have already been forced to 
put projects for repairing damage from past disasters on hold.
  In my State of West Virginia, for example, I am told that payments 
for projects have not been made since February of this year almost 6 
months ago. West Virginia is owed over $10 million in disaster relief 
fund payments. Of this amount, $7 million is owed for payments for 
repairs to dams, sewers, and public buildings, and $3 million is owed 
to reimburse the State of West Virginia for hazard mitigation, 
including acquisition and demolition of properties in floodplains and 
for relocating structures.
  In McDowell County, WV, for example, FEMA owes $1.1 million to help 
McDowell County to acquire 64 structures that were substantially 
damaged or demolished in the June 2002 flood.
  In the town of Welch, WV, FEMA owes $250,000 for a sewer project 
already completed by the contractor. The town is unable to pay the 
contractor for the work, which could result in a lawsuit.
  A similar situation obtains in the city of Bradshaw, where the work 
has been completed to prevent raw sewage from being dumped into a 
river. In this case, an amount of $50,000 is owed to the contractor.
  The West Virginia Conservation Agency, a State agency responsible for 
cleaning blockages forming in streams, dams, and reservoirs to avoid 
further flooding and damage, is owed $200,000 by FEMA. The State agency 
has an annual budget of $500,000 and FEMA's delay has caused the 
agency's balances to drop to near zero. As a consequence, should there 
be another flood in West Virginia, the State conservation agency would 
not be able to perform its work.
  These problems exist all across the country. We cannot wait any 
longer. We must approve this urgent legislation. However, because of 
the intransigence of the other body, we will be acting, regrettably, 
without providing the necessary funds for fighting wildfires, for 
investigating the Space Shuttle Columbia accident, or for the shortfall 
in the AmeriCorps program.
  Once again, the President has failed to follow through on his 
promises. This legislation is $566 million below the administration's 
budget request for disaster relief. It is $50 million less than the 
administration budget request for NASA. It is $289 million less than 
the administration's budget request for fighting wildfires. It includes 
no funds for the shortfall in AmeriCorps--a program the administration 
claims it supports.
  By its failure to engage the House leadership in support of these 
funds, the President's silence speaks volumes. It is the same old 
administration theme of rhetoric without resources.
  Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, it is imperative that the Senate act on 
this measure now. The Department of Homeland Security's Emergency 
Preparedness and Response disaster relief fund has been depleted to a 
dangerously low level. This is due to nearly $300 million in unexpected 
expenses related to the Shuttle Columbia disaster recovery effort, and 
another $200 million because of the tornadoes and floods that have 
affected many States this year.
  On July 7, 2003, the President submitted an emergency supplemental 
request to Congress totaling $1.9 billion.
  Emergency supplemental appropriations fully funding the President's 
request are included in the Senate-passed fiscal year 2004 Legislative 
Branch Appropriations Act. However, the House approved for the 
Department of Homeland Security's Emergency Preparedness and Response 
disaster relief fund only $983.6 million. Not only does this bill not 
meet the needs of wildland fire management and NASA, but it does not 
include all that is needed in the Emergency Preparedness and Response 
disaster relief fund. The House bill is not sufficient to meet the 
needs for disaster relief outlined by the President in his request.
  I received from my state's Emergency Management Agency a specific 
request that illustrates why this supplemental is needed now. I ask 
unanimous consent that a copy of the letter from Robert Latham, Jr. be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the letter was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                             Mississippi Emergency


                                            Management Agency,

                                       Jackson, MS, July 30, 2003.
     Senator Thad Cochran,
     Chairman, U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee, Dirkson 
         Senate Office Building, Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Cochran: The shortage of funds in the federal 
     disaster relief account is placing serious financial 
     hardships on the communities in our state. The State of 
     Mississippi has experienced 8 presidential disasters in 2\1/
     2\ years. As a result 79 of our 82 counties have been 
     declared disaster areas by the President during this short 
     period of time. Because of 2 previous open disasters, 
     Mississippi now has 10 open disasters.
       Currently the federal obligation for Public Assistance 
     under these open disasters is over $31.5 million. These funds 
     are critical to the rebuilding of critical infrastructure 
     such as public buildings, roads, bridges, and schools in our 
     cities and counties. In addition to this, we currently have 
     in excess of $5 million in submitted projects designed to 
     mitigate the effects of future disasters on our communities. 
     We also have over $7 million in mitigation projects awaiting 
     submission pending the availability of funds in the federal 
     disaster relief account.
       The State of Mississippi and its communities continue to 
     incur a tremendous amount of disaster related costs that must 
     be reimbursed in accordance with the FEMA-State Agreement. 
     Adequate funding of the federal disaster relief account is 
     critical to rebuilding our communities and providing

[[Page 20784]]

     the services that our citizens expect and deserve. The 
     federal government has a professional and moral 
     responsibility to fulfill its financial obligation to assist 
     the state and its communities in this recovery process.
       I appreciate your assistance in this matter and urge you to 
     encourage Congress to move quickly on this issue. As always, 
     please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of any 
     assistance to you or your staff.
           Sincerely,
                                            Robert R. Latham, Jr.,
                                               Executive Director.

  Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, last Friday, on July 25, just as it was 
preparing to leave town and recess, the House of Representatives sent 
to the Senate an emergency supplemental appropriations bill that fails 
to meet the needs that have been outlined by the President and by the 
majority of Members of the House and the Senate. I rise to express my 
profound disappointment with the House leadership for their action. It 
put the Senate in the objectionable position of having to adopt or 
reject the House version because any effort to amend that bill would 
delay urgently needed disaster aid.
  The House-passed bill includes only $984 million for disaster 
emergency spending, even though the President requested $1.55 billion 
for disaster relief and emergency assistance. These funds are needed to 
cover the unexpected costs of the winter storms, as well as tornadoes 
and hurricanes which are affecting Texas and other southern States. 
Just last week we saw the streets of Denver flooded so high, cars were 
floating in the streets.
  The House bill also leaves out $289 million to fight fires in the 
West even though this is proving to be one of the driest seasons on 
record. At this time there are 45 large fires burning in the West, a 
total of almost 400,000 acres of active wildfires. If they continue to 
rage, these fires will take more lives--five were lost in the last week 
alone--and ruin homes and even communities. How are these communities, 
which are experiencing the worst fiscal crisis in a generation, to 
cover these costs without any Federal assistance?
  The House bill also neglects to provide $50 million for the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration to cover unanticipated costs 
associated with the Shuttle Columbia accident and to allow NASA to 
begin to implement measures recommended by the Columbia Accident 
Investigation Board. The President requested these funds and I agree 
that we should provide them. When the Columbia space shuttle accident 
occurred, it devastated our Nation, reminding us that we cannot become 
complacent about space travel. Let us at least learn from this accident 
and ensure that it never happens again by implementing the 
recommendations of the accident board.
  Of most concern to me and to the New Yorkers I represent, the House 
bill fails to include $100 million for AmeriCorps--emergency spending 
that the Senate passed overwhelmingly by a vote of 71 to 21 July 11. 
This funding is not only supported by the vast majority of Senators, it 
is also strongly supported by the majority of House Members. Two 
hundred and thirty four Representatives from both sides of the aisle 
signed letters to the President requesting additional funds for 
AmeriCorps.
  In addition to Members of Congress, the Governors have weighed in to 
support AmeriCorps. Forty-four Governors including Governor Bush from 
Florida, Governor Taft from Ohio, and Governor Pataki from my home 
State of New York sent a letter to the President and Congress asking us 
to provide additional funding for AmeriCorps.
  Over 145 U.S. mayors, including the mayors of Los Angeles, Chicago, 
Boston, San Diego, and New York, have sent letters in support of 
additional funding for AmeriCorps. One hundred and ninety college and 
university presidents have signed a letter in support of additional 
funding for AmeriCorps.
  Two hundred and fifty business and philanthropic leaders took out 
full-page ads in the New York Times and the Financial Times asking the 
President to request $200 million in additional AmeriCorps funding.
  One thousand eleven hundred and eight community-based programs that 
relay on AmeriCorps to meet their community's vital needs have also 
sent a letter to Congress about their support for this funding and I 
ask unanimous consent to print that letter into the Record now as well.
  Seventy-one editorials have appeared in newspapers from coast to 
coast endorsing the additional funds for AmeriCorps and calling on 
Congress to act to prevent programs from being forced to close and 
prevent thousands of young people from being denied the opportunity to 
serve.
  So how do we account for this outpouring of support?
  Mr. President, I submit that it is for the simple reason that 
AmeriCorps works. For the price of a small grant towards higher 
education and a small living stipend, AmeriCorps volunteers transform 
communities. They fill vital gaps that otherwise would go unfilled and 
in the process, they make the future brighter for themselves and so 
many others in our society.
  Sister Mary Johnice, who runs a shelter in Buffalo, described the 
impact AmeriCorps has had on her organization at a recent event, 
``AmeriCorps forms a team of workers, hard workers, who make a 
difference in other people's lives. They are selfless, outstanding and 
sacrificial, never counting the cost of what they do and whom they 
serve.'' She went on to describe how Buffalo has come to count on 
AmeriCorps members during difficult times. ``Everyone knows when snow 
hits the City of Buffalo, although it's a beautiful sight, the city can 
be paralyzed,'' said Sister Johnice. ``I worked with AmeriCorps to pack 
thousands of food bags, and deliver heavy packages of food to the 
homebound. I saw AmeriCorps workers walk miles for a prescription a new 
mother needed after having a baby. I looked at workers shoveling snow 
for hours so emergency vehicles could move. And I witnessed faith and 
love in action . . . lives touching lives! Isn't that what life is all 
about?'' she asked.
  Quincy Calimese, a young man from the Bronx said that AmeriCorps has 
changed his life. ``I was waking up at two o'clock every day,'' he 
said. ``I had nothing to do but run the streets and be the baddest 
person on the block, meanwhile getting others to do the same. Now I'm 
asleep by ten o'clock and up every morning at seven o'clock. I'm not 
running the streets and I try to motivate others to do the right thing, 
especially the younger kids. Mostly now I'm focused on my future as an 
architect and staying out of trouble. I spend a lot of time in the 
house, and now I'm reading, something I used to think was boring. I 
like how simple my life has become. No more worries, no more watching 
my back everywhere I go.''
  If the $100 million are not approved, programs like the ones Sister 
Johnice runs and the one Quincy Calimese participates in will be 
devastated.
  National programs with proven records of success like CityYear, Teach 
for America, and Jumpstart will lose more than half of their sites. 
Jumpstart, which today serves 3,500 children, including 900 in New 
York, will probably have to close every one of its New York sites. This 
poster shows the progress of a shy little boy who, through the help of 
Jumpstart members, is now about to write his name. He is on the path to 
a successful future thanks to AmeriCorps.
  President Bush himself said of this program, ``I want you to know, 
America can be saved one person at a time. You see, this great society 
of ours can be changed one heart, one soul, one conscience at a time. 
And these six heroic students, people who have said, listen, serving 
something greater than myself in life is an important part of being a 
citizen, have been a part of what's called Jumpstart.'' I believe that 
he meant those words when he spoke them. And I agree with him. So, how 
can we stand by and watch as Jumpstart loses 60 percent of its Corps 
members?
  AmeriCorps is also integral to reducing the achievement gap between 
students living in high-poverty communities and their better off peers. 
Teach for America is an AmeriCorps program that recruits extremely 
talented and bright college graduates to teach in

[[Page 20785]]

America's neediest schools. Last year 16,000 college seniors with 
average GPAs of 3.5 and average SATs of 1,300 applied to teach. Only 
1,700 of them were selected. The majority of these students stay in 
education, devoting their careers to improving educational outcomes for 
low-income students. I am proud that the largest Teach for America 
corps in the country is in New York City. But I am deeply concerned 
about the number who will choose not to join the program after they 
learn that their education awards will not be forthcoming.
  Mr. President, this is not a partisan issue. When I organized a 
letter in support of providing $3 million for Teach for America in 
April, 9 Republicans and 10 Democrats signed on. This program has 
strong bipartisan support. So, why will only 16 percent of Teach for 
America members receive education awards this year?
  How did all of these programs, which have such overwhelming support, 
get to the point where they need an additional $100 million or they 
will go out of business?
  Well, we have to look at the history. Yes, there was mismanagement by 
Corporation officials. The inspector general's report revealed that for 
a long time the Corporation was enrolling more volunteers than it had 
the resources in the trust to support.
  But Congress has not helped the situation. In 2000 and 2001, 
believing that the Corporation was being overly prudent in the way it 
was managing the trust, Congress rescinded a total of $111.2 million. 
And in 2002, Congress appropriated nothing for the trust, leaving it to 
rely on the interest it was accruing from previously appropriated 
funds. At the time, it seemed like the right thing to do. And an 
independent analysis from KPMG LLP confirmed that the National Service 
Trust was solvent. How could Congress have foreseen the tragic events 
of September 11 and the President's Call to Service for every American?
  Nevertheless, they occurred. And the response to the President's call 
was overwhelming. Twenty-five percent more volunteers enrolled in 
AmeriCorps in the year after he made his announcement.
  Should we not have rescinded the funds from the trust? Probably. 
Should we have appropriated more for the trust in 2002? Yes. Should the 
President have acted sooner to ensure that the Corporation was 
allocating the correct number of volunteers, based on the resources it 
had at its disposal? Yes, I believe so. Should Corporation officials 
have been less accommodating to Americans who rose to meet the 
President's call to service? I suppose so.
  But here we are today. And we have to act in the best interest of our 
Nation.
  I believe we should reward the thousands of young people who signed 
up to serve their communities. They are not at fault for the 
misjudgment of the Corporation officials. Yet they are the ones who 
will be punished if we take the House's lead here today.
  President Bush proposed to increase AmeriCorps by 50 percent. Instead 
it is about to be cut by 60 percent. This is not what the President 
claims to want. It is not what the majority of the Senate wants. It is 
not what the majority of the House wants. It is not what most Governors 
want. It is not what most mayors want. It is not what most community 
leaders want. And it is not what most business leaders want.
  I know we can do better for AmeriCorps, which has been such a 
lifesaver for so many communities across New York and America.
  Today is a tragic day for AmeriCorps. It is a day when we are giving 
pink slips to 20,000 dedicated Americans who want to serve their 
communities. We are telling them that their service is no longer 
needed. I hope that we can find a way to do better by AmeriCorps when 
we return in September.
  Mr. NELSON of Florida. Mr. President, I am proud to live in a country 
where so many citizens volunteer their time to serve their Nation. The 
United States has always had a strong tradition of volunteerism.
  And my pride is bolstered by a surge in participation at volunteer 
organizations--including AmeriCorps--since the September 11 terrorist 
attacks.
  Our Nation depends on such volunteer organizations to provide crucial 
community services. For example, AmeriCorps enlists the help of our 
Nation's youth to tutor and mentor children, build affordable housing, 
teach computer skills, clean parks and streams, run afterschool 
programs and help respond to disasters in communities that wouldn't 
otherwise have such services.
  At a time when our Nation's youth are turning out in record numbers 
to volunteer and our communities are facing budget crises, you would 
think that Congress would make funding for our national service 
programs a high priority. But it has done the opposite.
  Before they left town last week, the Republican-controlled House 
rebuffed attempts to provide $10 million for the program. As a result, 
AmeriCorps will drop 20,000 of its 50,000 volunteer slots this year.
  This dramatic downsizing during these tough economic times will 
deprive communities of needed help, and young volunteers of a small 
stipend they need to pay for college or student loans.
  We know the program has a history of mismanagement--and those 
problems are being fixed. In fact, the President this month announced 
an overhaul of the agency's management.
  But the mistakes of a few at the top shouldn't jeopardize the 
opportunities for young volunteers or the communities that rely on the 
services they provide.
  There is no questioning the essential role AmeriCorps plays in 
helping communities and promoting volunteerism in America. In order for 
volunteers to make the greatest possible impact on society, we must 
continue our support for this and other national service programs.
  I hope when we return in September, we can provide AmeriCorps the 
support it needs to put our Nation's eager recruits to work in 
communities that depend on their help.

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