[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 22]
[Senate]
[Pages 30890-30892]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     SENATE ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN 2005

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, we have a lot to do in wrapup tonight. As 
we get those papers ready and bring the year to a close, I want to look 
back over what we have been able to accomplish and then look ahead at 
what we can expect.
  In a letter to John Adams in September 1817, Thomas Jefferson, our 
third President, wrote:

       A morsel of genuine history is a thing so rare as to be 
     always valuable.

  This past year has presented far more than a morsel. We have been 
witness to an abundance of extraordinary historic milestones, from the 
Iraqi elections and Lebanon's cedar revolution, the selection of a new 
Pope in Rome, and a new Chief Justice to lead the Supreme Court to the 
outpouring of generosity for the American people, first for the tsunami 
survivors, and then to their fellow citizens on the gulf coast.
  Mr. President, 2005 has been a year of outsize events.
  I commend to my colleagues an article that appeared in Sunday's 
Washington Post. It was on the continuing success of the Army in 
reenlisting our GIs. It appeared on A-27 entitled ``GIs in Iraq 
Choosing to Re-up.''
  Across Iraq, U.S. soldiers on the front lines are reenlisting by the 
thousands. Since 2001, the Army has surpassed its retention targets by 
wider and wider margins each year. Conjuring up vivid scenes of daring 
and service, the Post reports that:

       On palace rooftops and pockmarked streets, GIs are 
     reenlisting in rituals that range from dramatic to harrowing. 
     Soldiers have taken the oath in gaudy former residences of 
     Saddam Hussein and in the spider hole near Tikrit where the 
     gray-bearded fugitive was captured in December of 2003 . . .
       Despite the risks and long months away from home, many 
     soldiers . . . say serving in Iraq gives them a powerful 
     sense of purpose.

  So during this holiday season, I ask every American to offer their 
prayers, to offer their thanks to these brave young men and women who 
are risking their lives in far away lands to protect us and to provide 
us security.
  I am gratified by the passage of the Defense appropriations bill 
tonight. This important legislation helps ensure that our armed 
services will receive the resources and authorities they need to 
protect America. From delivering advanced technologies to improving 
personnel protection, this bill delivers crucial support for our 
courageous men and women in uniform.
  While our troops are protecting us abroad, the PATRIOT Act is 
protecting us here at home. Tonight we passed a 6-month extension to 
this critical legislation. By unanimously and in a bipartisan way 
agreeing to a 6-month extension, the Senate reaffirmed that the PATRIOT 
Act is one of our most important tools in the war on terror both now 
and into the future.
  Yes, we need to improve that act and, yes, no longer can we tolerate 
obstruction to that improvement of the act, but in a bipartisan way we 
came together tonight to say that despite a lot of passions and 
statements that we could rise above it, put forth a 6-month extension, 
and then hopefully be able to address and improve the PATRIOT Act.
  It has been an intense and productive year for the Senate. We were 
able to meet many of our goals to deliver meaningful solutions to the 
needs, wants, and desires of the American people. Strength and security 
throughout were our guiding principles. We rolled up our shirt sleeves 
and tackled a number of fundamental structural issues that were driving 
up gas prices, that were inhibiting and constricting innovation, and 
that were threatening America's security.
  To strengthen America's economic security, we passed a sweeping 
deficit reduction bill today that for the first time in 8 years cuts 
the growth of mandatory spending. This was a huge victory for the 
American people. It was a huge victory for fiscal responsibility. It 
was a victory for the American taxpayer. It shows that we are serious 
as a body about fiscal restraint, about cutting out wasteful Washington 
spending. Because of these critical reforms, America will be in a 
stronger position to meet our obligations, especially to the baby 
boomers who, as we all know, are just beginning to retire, especially 
to that doubling of the seniors in our population today, especially to 
the workforce who will be supporting those seniors in the years to 
come.
  This year, we also passed a tax cut extension. We also passed an 
energy bill, a major highway bill. We addressed free trade through the 
Central American Free Trade Act. We addressed pensions. Just today, we 
passed SMART grants, which actually give up to $8,000 over 2 years to 
disadvantaged or low-income students, to Pell-income students, to 
encourage them to major in math, science, and engineering, those fields 
which we know are important to job creation in the future.
  By facing these issues head on, by responding to them, by 
legislating, we are making America less dependent on foreign oil, more 
prepared to compete with India and China in that global marketplace. We 
helped rebuild that infrastructure to support and promote our economic 
growth.

[[Page 30891]]

  We also addressed a problem that has been hanging over the small 
business community and the courts for years--the litigation lottery 
lawsuit abuse. We all know that frivolous litigation has been driving 
up health care costs. It has been driving up consumer prices for 
everything from toothpaste to blue jeans. It has been clogging our 
courts. It has been making our health care more expensive, and that 
drives people to the ranks of the uninsured. It generally wastes our 
taxpayer dollars, taxpayer dollars that can be spent more productively.
  For years, Republicans have fought for reform, have talked reform, 
but in this Congress we have delivered on litigation reform, on lawsuit 
abuse reform. We passed class action reform. We passed bankruptcy 
reform. We passed gun manufacturing liability reform. That is three 
reforms in terms of liability. Tonight, just a few hours ago, we passed 
very targeted vaccine manufacturing protections in emergency situations 
to make America safer, to help rebuild that manufacturing capacity 
which has been decimated over the past 20 years. This brings fairness 
to our system. This brings rationality to the system. This slows down 
the litigation lottery that injects inequities into our system. As a 
result, appropriate compensation will go to the people who really need 
it. Those resources which are wasted and which are taken out of the 
system are directed to those people who do deserve appropriately to be 
compensated. These are the economic issues.
  At the same time we were addressing those economic issues, we also 
continued to focus on securing our homeland, focusing on our homeland 
security, strengthening our national security.
  Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to travel in part as a 
Senator but in larger part probably as a physician to Sri Lanka, where 
I had the chance to witness the devastation that occurred as a result 
of that natural tsunami disaster. In the wake of that particular 
disaster, in this body we passed a generous relief package that helped 
the victims recover and rebuild. This critical help paid immediate 
dividends in lives saved and--we cannot dismiss this--it helped improve 
the way others around the world look at us. They recognize America's 
good will. They recognize America's compassion. I say this because I 
think it particularly is important among Muslims in Southeast Asia.
  Likewise, our outpouring of aid and assistance to Pakistan following 
their earthquake disaster has significantly improved our standing in 
that country.
  Disaster, as we all know, unfortunately, was a dominant thing 
throughout 2005, and here at home we were hit through Katrina and Rita 
by the worst natural disaster in the history of this country. Hundreds 
of thousands of residents across Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi 
were flooded from their homes. Katrina devastated 90,000 square miles. 
That is an area larger than the United Kingdom.
  A few hours ago, on the Senate floor, Senator Stevens was recounting 
his experiences having spent several days along that gulf coast. About 
3 to 4 days after the levees broke in New Orleans, I, too, had the 
opportunity to be in the airport as patients were being brought in and 
people were being evacuated out of New Orleans. I had the opportunity 
to talk to people on stretchers who 3 days before had homes that they 
had been in for 30, 40, 50 years. Those homes were totally washed away 
and destroyed with all of their belongings. Whole towns were washed 
away.
  We traveled also on the first trip, as well as the second trip, to 
Alabama and to Mississippi, along that entire gulf coast. One can see 
the utter catastrophe of that coast, inland for miles. The Senate 
immediately set to work providing aid, relief, and support, and that 
continued tonight.
  We passed numerous measures to help people get up off the ground and 
to get their boots back on the ground and be able to reestablish some 
element of normalcy and also to support the rebuilding efforts that 
have begun, that will result in renewal we all know will continue long 
into the future.
  Tonight, as part of the Defense appropriations bill, we passed $29 
billion in Hurricanes Katrina and Rita relief. We will continue to work 
hard to help the citizens of the gulf coast rebuild, renew, and restore 
their communities in the days ahead, in the weeks and months ahead, 
and, indeed, in the years ahead. The American people stand firmly 
behind their neighbors in the gulf region.
  We also took action tonight to prepare for another potential disaster 
that is waiting to happen, and that is the threat of avian flu. We do 
not know if avian flu is going to become transmissible from one person 
to another person to another, but what we do know is that it is a novel 
virus. It is a new virus. It is very similar to that virus of 1918 
which we know killed about 50,000 people--actually killed about 30 
million to 40 million people worldwide and half a million people in 
this country.
  We know that novel virus we do not have any immunity to. We don't 
have any natural immunity to it. We know with that novel virus today, 
that people who have been infected have a 50-percent mortality rate. 
One out of every two people we know were infected with that virus died. 
We know that virus has jumped to other species. It jumped from avian or 
birds that it starts in, to cats, and from cats we know that it has 
jumped to humans. We know that 5 million--20 million birds died, and 
100 million, now 200 million birds died, and it started in southeast 
Asia and is now moving across to eastern Europe. We do not know if it 
is going to become a pandemic, but what we do know is we are 
unprepared. We know it is fast moving.
  The Congressional Budget Office study the other day said if that 
virus does become transmissible, and if it has the same fatality rate 
and prevalence rate as that virus in 1918, the so-called Spanish flu, 
the economic impact on this country could be as high as $675 billion.
  The good news is we know if we become prepared, we can reduce that 
markedly, and we can save lives. But we are unprepared today. How do we 
respond? Again, about 2 hours ago we put in money, additional 
resources, and we put in appropriate targeted liability protections to 
help build our manufacturing base, and we added an element of 
compensation in the event that somebody was inadvertently hurt in some 
way by a vaccine or a countermeasure that was necessary in emergency 
situations, they could seek and receive compensation.
  We are going to be better prepared as a product of this. Whether it 
is in the next 5 weeks, 5 months, or 5 years, we will be able to look 
our constituents in the eye and tell them that we did the right thing 
on December 21, 2005, and that help, indeed, is on the way.
  Our Nation is a large nation. It is a diverse and a vibrant nation. 
To meet all of these challenges before us, we need a sound government, 
a strong government, an efficient government that meets its basic 
obligations. Here, too, we have acted this year. We made progress. We 
need a government that is smart, that is efficient, that is effective; 
a government that works for the people and respects the taxpayers' 
hard-earned dollar. To that end, this year we passed a budget 
resolution. What is remarkable--but I am sure doesn't sound remarkable 
to people across America who are viewing tonight--is the fact that we 
passed all 12 appropriations bills, our spending bills, one by one, 
individually, across the floor of the Senate.
  It is almost embarrassing that we have to say that is a great 
achievement, but indeed in this body it is a tremendous achievement 
that has not been achieved in years. We passed the Health and Human 
Services bill a couple of hours ago, the 12th of those bills. These are 
the bills that ensure that Government is carrying out its most basic 
function: to protect and serve the American people and to do so in a 
fiscally responsible way.
  This year we were also able to overcome partisan obstruction, which 
was very frustrating, which continued for about 2\1/2\, almost 3 years. 
We were able to overcome the judicial obstruction, this partisan 
obstruction, and indeed successfully confirm eight Federal

[[Page 30892]]

judges who had previously been obstructed, who had previously been 
filibustered. These judges now are serving America proudly. They allow 
our courts to be able to function at full capacity and thus provide the 
justice that had been lacking because of not being able to fill those 
seats.
  Of course, this fall we had the privilege of confirming a new Chief 
Justice to the Supreme Court; a man all of us have gotten to know, the 
eminently qualified and highly respected Justice John Roberts.
  All of this is just a partial accounting of the work that we were 
able to do this year to strengthen America, to move us forward, to 
strengthen our economic security, to strengthen our national security. 
In the new year, we are going to have a lot of challenges. We have a 
lot to accomplish over the next year. But I am absolutely confident 
that by keeping our eye on the ball, by staying focused, by working 
together in a bipartisan way we will be able to continue to cut 
bureaucratic redtape, to have more efficient Government, to demonstrate 
more fiscal restraint, to lower Government spending, to support our 
troops in the field, and to promote policies that will make America 
safer and more prosperous and healthier and stronger.
  I extend my warm wishes to my colleagues for a joyous holiday season. 
The holidays also are an opportunity to gather with loved ones, to 
cherish achievements, and to recommit ourselves to the challenges that 
lay ahead. May we all find strength and renewal in this season, and may 
we all allow the good will which warms our homes during the holidays to 
be shared with others--our families, our friends, our neighbors--
throughout the year to come.
  To our colleagues, to our staff, to the pages who are here tonight, 
the colleagues who hopefully are at home and in bed now, to the press 
corps who has been so actively covering us up until about 15 or 20 
minutes ago and are probably writing their stories right now, I wish 
you all happy holidays, and to all a very Merry Fristmas.
  Mr. President, 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. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the order for the 
quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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