[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Pages 16875-16889]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2010--Continued


                           Amendment No. 1371

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I rise in opposition to Senator Sessions' 
amendment to the Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill. 
The Sessions amendment would make E-Verify permanent and would 
immediately mandate all Federal contractors and subcontractors to use 
E-Verify.
  First of all, obviously, legislating on and delaying a critical 
appropriations bill, which is necessary for us to pass quickly to 
secure our borders, ports of entry, and our interior points of 
vulnerability, is a delay we do not need. But, secondly, and more 
importantly, despite claims that this amendment only seeks to 
reauthorize E-Verify for 3 years, which I do not oppose, the actual 
language of the amendment of my distinguished colleague would make E-
Verify permanent and mandatory.
  There would be nothing wrong with that if the system actually worked, 
but it does not. The distinguished Senator from Alabama and I agree 
upon one of the main seven principles for immigration reform which I 
issued 2 weeks ago; namely, that an employer verification system with 
tough enforcement and auditing is necessary to significantly diminish 
the job magnet that attracts illegal aliens to the United States. The 
bottom line is that they mainly come for jobs, and until they are tough 
on employers, wave after wave is not going to stop.
  As we speak, even under the E-Verify system, any individual who 
steals a Social Security number--and that is easy these days--and has 
access to a credible fake ID can get a job in the United States. What 
is more, nothing about E-Verify stops a U.S. citizen from ``loaning 
their identity'' to their friends and family to get a job. In either of 
these cases--an illegal immigrant stealing a Social Security number and 
getting a fake ID done or some citizen, an employer or whatever, giving 
a Social Security card to the person--it doesn't do the job because 
that illegal immigrant can enter into the system. Once they are in the 
system, they stay in it, never to be removed. So E-Verify, frankly--and 
I know many in the immigrant community object to it because it only 
affects immigrants. But there is also another objection, and that is 
that it is just not tough enough, it is not strong enough. If we are 
going to make a system permanent, it really ought to work.
  The current E-Verify system creates havoc for both employers and 
employees. No one has any certainty. Employers who accept all credible 
documents in good faith are not guaranteed they will never be targeted 
by ICE for turning a blind eye toward illegal immigrants in their 
workplace, and employers who question suspicious documents face 
potential lawsuits from U.S. citizen employees who can claim they were 
wrongly profiled as illegal immigrants.
  There is only one way to really get a system that will stop illegal 
immigration and stop employers from hiring, and that is by creating a 
biometric-based Federal employment verification system that will give 
both employers and employees the peace of mind that employment 
relationships are both lawful and proper. It will also give the 
American people the same peace of mind. This system will be our most 
important asset in dramatically reducing the number of illegal aliens 
who are able to live and work in the United States.
  There are many proposals for practical and effective biometric-based 
employment verification systems, and the immigration subcommittee, 
which I chair, will be vetting each proposal during our upcoming 
hearing on July 22. The distinguished Senator from Alabama, my friend, 
is a member of the immigration subcommittee. I invite him to engage in 
this critical process for our country during the hearing and ask all of 
the questions he would like to the distinguished panel of expert 
witnesses who will be appearing. We are not seeking to delay. I am 
eager to enact comprehensive reform with a strong, tough employer 
verification system.
  An amendment making the flawed E-Verify system permanent and 
mandatory will only create more problems than it solves. Once we go 
down the road of making this flawed system permanent and mandatory, 
without fixing what is wrong with the program, we will waste 
substantial amounts of taxpayer money and we will make life more 
difficult, rather than simpler, for employers who wish to do the right 
thing, and for employees.
  The time is coming for comprehensive immigration reform. The 
legislation will create the best employment verification system 
possible that will be a product of deliberation and consensus and will 
be informed by the world's foremost experts on this issue. It will be 
tougher, tighter, and more effective than E-Verify. I believe we can 
get that done this year.
  Let's not do something hasty and counterproductive just to say we are 
doing something, and, just as important, let's not do it as an 
amendment to an appropriations bill. I urge my colleagues to vote 
against this amendment, and let's get to work on crafting an employer 
verification system that really works, prevents identity fraud, and 
actually curtails the illegal immigration job magnet.
  I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as in 
morning business.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.


                             Cap and Trade

  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, like many of my colleagues, last week, over 
the Fourth of July break, I spent much of the week traveling in my 
State of South Dakota. Many of my colleagues were in their individual 
States and probably heard a lot from their constituents about what they 
perceive to be the challenges facing our country's economy. First and 
foremost is jobs and the economy.
  I think there is a real concern--and rightly so--about in which 
direction the economy is headed and what are the things Congress ought 
to properly be focused on, and I think that discussion is always 
informed by the American people by commonsense realizations. One 
realization is that you cannot spend money you don't have. That is 
something I think the American people get very clearly, largely because 
that is their reality. They cannot spend money they don't have. They 
have to live within a budget. The same is true with many small 
businesses. The second realization is that when you borrow money, 
someday you have to pay it back. You cannot continue to borrow 
endlessly and rack up more and more debt. At some point, there is an 
end to that. Certainly, that is true for family budgets and small 
business budgets. The only place it is evidently not true is in 
Washington, DC, where we continue to borrow and spend and put massive 
amounts of borrowing and debt upon future generations. Even most State 
governments--mine included--have balanced budget amendments that 
require them in any given year to make sure the revenues they

[[Page 16876]]

take in match up with expenses. If they don't do that in South Dakota, 
the legislature has to stay until the budget is balanced. So most 
Americans, as they observe what is happening in Washington these days, 
are increasingly concerned by the massive amounts of spending and 
borrowing and, frankly, the taxes they perceive to be in their future 
as well.
  One of the things that is clear to me in doing parades and public 
events over the Fourth of July break is how much people picked up on 
the debate about the cap-and-trade bill, which is a national energy tax 
on the American people. It passed in the House a little over a week 
ago--before the break--by a seven-vote margin. There was big pressure 
to move it very quickly and jam it through the process. It was over 
1,200 pages long. One amendment was 300 pages long. There weren't many 
Members of the House--before the bill passed--who had an opportunity to 
review it and study it closely to determine what the ramifications will 
be on their constituents if the bill passed. Yet it did. It was a very 
close vote. At some point, it will be considered by the Senate.
  The one thing we know, at a minimum, is that we can debate about how 
much or how big the cost of that bill will be, but we do know it is 
going to impose significant increases in costs on the American public 
for power, whether it is electricity, fuel, natural gas, or home 
heating oil--the things the American people depend upon every single 
day for their very existence. They are going to see the cost of those 
things go up if this cap-and-trade bill passes. We have seen different 
estimates by different organizations. The most recent one was done by 
the CBO, which concluded that it will have a $700 billion impact. I 
think that if you reduced it to a per-family cost, it ends up being 
several hundred dollars a year in increased rates that they are going 
to pay. I argue that it will be much higher for people in the Midwest, 
where I come from, because of the way we derive our power. Most of it 
comes from coal-fired power. It is true that we get a good amount in 
South Dakota and other States around us get even more from those 
sources. There will be additional costs imposed upon the people in the 
Midwest, where the people on the west or east coasts may not see their 
costs go up as much. This will disproportionately impact people in the 
heartland, but everybody's electricity costs and fuel costs are going 
up if this passes.
  The American people are asking: OK, if you are going to put a massive 
new tax on us with a new energy tax, what kinds of benefits do we 
derive? I think there is increasing concern and questions being raised 
about whether the environmental benefit that would be derived as a 
result of this massive new tax on energy in this country would be in 
any way close to the cost that would be associated with it. I think 
most Americans have concluded that it will not. Most of the data bears 
that out. Other countries in the world are not going to participate in 
this system, and America will be unilaterally implementing this regime, 
if passed, and the Americans will pay the costs for little benefit.
  There are many ways you can get reduction in carbon emissions, and we 
are all looking for ways to reduce pollutants in the atmosphere. You 
can give incentives and drive investment in certain directions, and we 
could make more use of nuclear power, which is clean, green energy--
something we do very little of relative to our counterparts in other 
parts of the world. France gets 80 percent of its power from nuclear 
energy. There is no reason why the United States could not turn to that 
clean, green energy source, as well as renewable energy sources that we 
have an abundance of in my part of the country, such as wind energy. If 
you put in incentives and drive investment in that direction, you can 
achieve the same ends without putting the big cap, top-down government 
mandate on the American economy at an enormous cost to the American 
consumers.


                              Health Care

  That is the issue, I would say, probably as much as anything else I 
have heard people talk about, but not far behind it was this notion 
that the government is now going to take over one-sixth of our economy 
because of the legislation that is moving through the Congress right 
now that would ``reform'' our health care system.
  It is, I guess, no surprise to most Americans that we spend a lot on 
health care. Most of us would like to see us spend less on health care. 
Many of us think we can do that, that we can get costs under control, 
that we can do it through reforms that preserve what is good about the 
American health care system, that doesn't copy what is happening in 
other places around the world, Europe being an example, where care is 
rationed, where people don't have access to the types of therapies and 
treatments because the government decides what procedures are going to 
be covered, which procedures are cost-effective.
  Those are decisions made by government. In this country, those are 
decisions made by patients and doctors, by physicians, by health care 
providers and those they serve. We believe that is a basic relationship 
we ought to preserve when we talk about reforming our health care 
system.
  But most Americans are very concerned that the government may take 
over one-sixth of the American economy and run it, imposing the 
government in the place of, as I said before, what has typically been a 
relationship between physicians and patients.
  What I would argue is that whether it is the issue of new energy 
taxes on the American consumer, whether it is the issue of the 
government taking over the health care system in this country at a 
minimum cost of $1 trillion--there was a CBO Congressional Budget 
Office report that came out recently that said the new plan the 
Democrats are unveiling may only be $600 billion, but it also doesn't 
include many of the most costly parts of the plan that we expect the 
Democrats to put on the floor of the Senate at some point in the not 
too distant future.
  I will simply say again that based on the feedback I got from people 
across this country and people across South Dakota in particular over 
the break, the government takeover of health care in this country is 
something with which they are very uncomfortable, and they don't want 
to pay trillions of dollars in new taxes to make that possible.
  If you talk about the amount of spending that is going on, the amount 
of borrowing we are doing from future generations, I think most 
Americans come back to those two basic principles I mentioned earlier, 
what I call our sort of commonsense conclusions that the American 
people come to. One is, you cannot spend money you do not have, and 
they see Washington doing that every single day; that when you borrow 
money, at some point you have to pay it back. And there is borrowing 
going on here right now like there is no tomorrow.
  The health care entitlement program, if passed, would be a minimum of 
$1 trillion in new spending and would either have to be financed by tax 
increases, by revenue raisers the economy is going to pay for at a time 
we can least afford it, or by borrowing at a time when we are running 
over the next decade at least on average $1 trillion a year in 
deficits.
  We cannot continue on this path. It is unsustainable. I believe the 
American people are coming to that realization. I hope the Senate will 
put the brakes on this energy tax, will put the brakes on this massive 
rush to take over one-sixth of our economy by taking over the health 
care system in this country.
  I believe as the American people start to weigh in to this debate 
those of us in Washington who are in positions to make some of these 
policies and shape some of these policies will be getting an earful, 
and I hope so because we need to put the brakes on this massive 
takeover of the health care system, and we need to put the brakes on 
this cap and trade, this energy tax imposed on the American people, if 
it is passed in the Senate as it was a week ago in the House of 
Representatives.
  I hope we can stop those things. I hope at least we can bring some 
sense

[[Page 16877]]

to the debate about health care that does reform our system, that does 
get costs under control, that does not allow the government to get in 
the way of making decisions that rightfully ought to be made by 
patients and their doctors.
  I yield the floor and yield back the remainder of my time.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from South Carolina.
  Mr. DeMINT. Mr. President, I thank my colleague, Senator Thune, for 
pointing out, again, the disastrous course we are on as a nation with 
the level of spending, borrowing, and debt we are creating and the 
amount of government intrusion into so many areas of our economy that 
have alarmed so many Americans. I appreciate the Senator bringing up 
that issue today.


                Amendment No. 1399 to Amendment No. 1373

  I rise today to express my grave concerns about the administration's 
response to the situation in Honduras. There are few absolutes in the 
arena of diplomacy and international affairs. As circumstances and 
regimes change, so do our interests and allegiances. But one principle 
that should stand as a bedrock constant is this: a friend of freedom is 
a friend of America. Our commitment to freedom is not confined to a 
culture or a continent. It is absolute and universal.
  It was this principle, hardwired into our DNA, that President Obama 
appeared to violate during his 8 days of silence while innocent 
democratic demonstrators were tortured and murdered in the streets of 
Tehran by Iran's tyrannical regime.
  Thankfully, the President finally changed his rhetoric and offered 
some support to the people of Iran risking their lives for their 
freedom. But he stopped short of any criticism or action that might be 
construed as ``meddling,'' in his words, in the domestic affairs of a 
sovereign nation.
  But in the last week, the President has reversed course, meddling up 
to his ears in the domestic affairs of another sovereign nation, 
Honduras. Depressingly, the President has once again sided with an 
illegitimate and anti-American autocrat over democracy, the rule of 
law, and an oppressed people who only want to be free.
  The facts on the ground in Honduras are neither disputed nor 
confusing, but they have been largely ignored by an international media 
distracted by the death of a celebrity.
  Let me read these facts into the record.
  Honduras is a constitutional republic and a longtime ally of the 
United States. It is one of the poorest nations in the Western 
Hemisphere, especially since it was ravaged by the direct hit of 
Hurricane Mitch in 1998.
  In 2005, Hondurans elected as their President Manuel Zelaya, a left 
of center but seemingly moderate candidate from the Liberal Party. 
Given Latin America's troubling history of military coups and self-
appointed Presidents for life, the Honduran Constitution strictly 
limits Presidents to one term.
  So seriously do Hondurans take their Presidential term limits that in 
Latin America, the phrase--and I will butcher this Spanish, but I want 
to give it a try--``continuar en el poder.'' It means to continue in 
power. It carries with it a dark connotation to the region for everyone 
living there.
  For a President to overthrow the Constitution and violate term limits 
is violating the constitutional form of government. So seriously that 
article 238 of the Honduran Constitution says any President who even 
proposes an extension of his tenure in office ``shall immediately cease 
performing the functions of his post.'' So it is a de facto resignation 
of office in Honduras for a President to attempt to do what their 
President did.
  Zelaya's 2005 campaign was supported by Hugo Chavez, the Marxist 
Venezuelan dictator bent on amassing power in the Western Hemisphere at 
the expense of what he calls ``the North American empire.'' That is us.
  Zelaya quickly aligned his government with Chavez's and joined anti-
American socialists, such as the Castro brothers in Cuba and Daniel 
Ortega in Nicaragua, in Chavez's economic cartel.
  With Zelaya's term coming to an end early next year, Chavez convinced 
him to do as he has done in Venezuela: to force a constitutional 
amendment extending his Presidential term. This would be in direct 
violation of what their Constitution says.
  Earlier this year, Zelaya called for a referendum to initiate a 
constitutional convention. In the ensuing litigation, the Honduran 
courts ruled the referendum was unconstitutional and illegal, as the 
Honduran Constitution explicitly gives only its Congress the power to 
call such a vote.
  Zelaya forged ahead, calling his referendum a ``nonbinding survey.'' 
This, too, the supreme court found unconstitutional.
  Zelaya then ordered the head of the Honduran military, General 
Vasquez, to conduct the election anyway. Vasquez expressed concerns 
about the vote's legality, so Zelaya fired him.
  The supreme court ordered Zelaya to reinstate Vasquez, and Zelaya 
refused. The supreme court ordered the military to seize the referendum 
ballots to prevent Zelaya from going ahead with the illegal vote. 
Zelaya then personally led an armed mob to steal back the ballots, 
which, it should be noted, were suspiciously printed in Venezuela. 
Zelaya ordered his government to set up 15,000 polling places to 
conduct the referendum for June 28.
  On Friday, June 26, the Attorney General of Honduras, Luis Rubi, 
filed a complaint before the Honduran Supreme Court petitioning for an 
arrest warrant for President Zelaya. The court issued the warrant 
unanimously and, according to the Constitution, ordered the Honduran 
military to execute it.
  Early in the morning of Sunday, June 28, the day of the vote, the 
military arrested President Zelaya at his home. They put him on a plane 
to Costa Rica, as Honduras has no prison capable of withstanding a mob 
riot of the sort they feared Chavez and Ortega might whip up. So they 
did it for his safety.
  That same day, the Honduran Congress, controlled by his Liberal 
Party--his own party--voted 125 to 3 to replace Zelaya with their 
speaker, Roberto Micheletti, as a member of the Liberal Party. This 
transfer of power was strictly in keeping with Honduras's 
constitutional line of succession as the Vice President had recently 
resigned.
  The regularly scheduled general elections remain set for this 
November, and interim President Micheletti is not a candidate. The 
previously nominated candidates from the two major parties remain on 
the campaign trail, and both candidates and parties overwhelmingly 
approved the ouster of Zelaya.
  At every step in the process, the legitimate democratic government 
strictly adhered to the Honduran Constitution and civilian leadership 
of the military remained intact. The military did not execute a coup. 
It thwarted the coup plotted by Hugo Chavez and implemented by Manuel 
Zelaya.
  Honduras's democratic institutions are operating today, and its 
government functions are secure. The only aggrieved party in this 
process is Mr. Chavez, whose brazen attempts to corrupt Honduran 
democracy was thwarted by what has now been nicknamed ``the little 
country that could.''
  The people of Honduras stood up to Hugo Chavez, Daniel Ortega, the 
Castro brothers, and they stood up for freedom and the rule of law. For 
their courage, President Obama has condemned them. He has called the 
constitutional ouster of President Zelaya not legal, claiming an 
expertise in Honduran law over and above that of a unanimous Honduran 
Supreme Court and a nearly unanimous Honduran Congress.
  Secretary of State Clinton lazily joined the international media in 
calling the removal of President Zelaya ``a coup,'' a term fraught with 
dark memories of military juntas and banana republic. Of course, this 
is the same administration that insists on calling the recent fraud in 
Iran an election.
  The Obama administration joined Chavez's preposterous Soviet-style 
propaganda resolution in the Organization of American States condemning 
Honduran democracy. Hondurans I have spoken with--I have spoken with

[[Page 16878]]

a number of folks who have missionary groups there, medical groups. I 
have talked to Miguel Estrada who was born and raised in Honduras and 
is now a constitutional expert in this country. This morning I talked 
to former Honduran President Ricardo Maduro. They are all totally 
befuddled at the strange response they are getting from the supposedly 
free world, including our own administration. Why are we siding with 
Hugo Chavez?
  This morning in Russia, President Obama reiterated his support for 
Zelaya, the would-be dictator, as the rightful President of Honduras. 
According to ABC News, he said:

       America supports now the restoration of the democratically 
     elected President of Honduras, even though he has strongly 
     opposed American policies.

  Continuing with the quote from President Obama:

       We do so not because we agree with him. We do so because we 
     respect the universal principle that people should choose 
     their own leaders, whether they are leaders we agree with or 
     not.

  The President appears to think his support for Zelaya is based on 
some principles of self-determination. He speaks as if opposition to 
Zelaya is based on partisan political differences. Zelaya was not 
ousted by political enemies; he was ousted by a government controlled 
by his own party. He was ousted by a unanimous supreme court operating 
in accordance with the Honduran Constitution and in conjunction with 
the nation's attorney general and Supreme Electoral Tribunal. These 
folks followed the rule of law.
  The Honduran people have chosen their own leaders. Those leaders--in 
a constitutional, bipartisan, and nearly unanimous process--removed 
Manuel Zelaya from office. The Honduran people have upheld our 
President's so-called universal principle. The people seeking to 
undermine that principle are Hugo Chavez, the Castro brothers, Daniel 
Ortega, Mel Zelaya, and--unbelievably--the Obama administration.
  This is not about politics. This is about the rule of law, freedom, 
and democracy, all of which are being defended by the Hondurans right 
now against their enemies--of which we appear to be one. Why are we not 
standing with them? Blood was shed in Iran while we stood idly by. 
Zelaya's return to Honduras on a Venezuelan jet and with the moral 
authority of the United States will almost certainly lead to more 
bloodshed. What are we doing on the side of tyrants and sworn enemies 
of freedom; going as far, on their behalf, to threaten economic 
sanctions against one of our poorest and bravest allies?
  Secretary of State Clinton is reportedly planning a meeting with Mr. 
Zelaya in Washington this week. I implore her to reconsider that 
meeting. Elevating an impeached and disgraced autocrat is more than an 
insult to Honduran democracy, it is a green light to other would-be 
Chavezes around Latin America. It is a signal to the enemies of 
democracy and freedom that the United States no longer stands as a 
beacon of liberty. It is a signal that the rule of law is now passe in 
Latin America and that Hugo Chavez and his corrupt and brutal idealogy 
has free rein to meddle wherever he pleases in the Western Hemisphere.
  What do we stand for, if not for freedom, democracy, and the rule of 
law? Where is the spine of the administration to stand up to anti-
American and antidemocratic thugs in our own back yard? Where is the 
intellectual clarity to see the facts on the ground as they are? Manuel 
Zelaya is a criminal, a constitutionally removed former President of a 
proud and noble country. To my knowledge, no administration official 
has refuted or even grappled with the facts regarding Zelaya's 
attempted coup.
  Given those still undisputed and documented facts, on what basis does 
the administration demand Zelaya's reinstatement? His removal from 
office was no more a coup than was Gerald Ford's ascendance to the Oval 
Office or the election to the Senate of our newest colleague, Al 
Franken. It is bad enough that the President's ad hoc and highly 
personalized foreign policy seems to be less about supporting the rule 
of law than it is about supporting particular rulers. But the last 4 
weeks suggest that the President cannot even be counted upon to support 
our legitimate allies.
  What happened in Honduras last week was not a tragedy, it was a 
triumph of democratic courage and the unyielding determination of a 
free people to stand up to despotism. The tragedy has been the failure 
of the West and of our own government in Washington to stand up for 
justice and freedom in Latin America.
  It is not too late. I have written to Secretary Clinton, and there is 
growing congressional support for the legitimate government in 
Honduras. Everywhere I go someone comes up to me and tells me to stand 
up for freedom in Honduras. There is still time to look at the facts, 
even to visit Honduras itself. Call down there, talk to the people, 
even Americans in the Peace Corps or on missionary work, and ask them 
if they are living under an oppressive military junta. They will laugh 
and tell you they are living under an independent and vibrant 
democracy, with a representative government led by people they elected. 
They will tell you about the free and open debate in the ongoing 
Presidential campaign and whom they are supporting in the November 
elections.
  There is still time to correct our position and support our true 
allies. And because we can, we should. We must. Because today--and I 
will try my Spanish again--``un amigo de libertad es un amigo de 
Honduras''--a friend of freedom is a friend of Honduras.
  Mr. President, before I yield, I ask unanimous consent to set aside 
the pending amendment and call up the DeMint amendment.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Udall of Colorado). Is there objection?
  Hearing no objection, it is so ordered. The clerk will report.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       The Senator from South Carolina [Mr. DeMint] proposes an 
     amendment numbered 1399 to amendment No. 1373.

  Mr. DeMINT. I ask unanimous consent to dispense with the reading of 
the amendment.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment is as follows:

(Purpose: To require the completion of at least 700 miles of reinforced 
        fencing along the southwest border by December 31, 2010)

       At the appropriate place, insert the following:

     SEC. __. BORDER FENCE COMPLETION.

       (a) Minimum Requirements.--Section 102(b)(1) of the Illegal 
     Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 
     (8 U.S.C. 1103 note) is amended--
       (1) in subparagraph (A), by adding at the end the 
     following: ``Fencing that does not effectively restrain 
     pedestrian traffic (such as vehicle barriers and virtual 
     fencing) may not be used to meet the 700-mile fence 
     requirement under this subparagraph.'';
       (2) in subparagraph (B)--
       (A) in clause (i), by striking ``and'' at the end;
       (B) in clause (ii), by striking the period at the end and 
     inserting ``; and''; and
       (C) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(iii) not later than December 31, 2010, complete the 
     construction of all the reinforced fencing and the 
     installation of the related equipment described in 
     subparagraph (A).''; and
       (3) in subparagraph (C), by adding at the end the 
     following:
       ``(iii) Funding not contingent on consultation.--Amounts 
     appropriated to carry out this paragraph may not be impounded 
     or otherwise withheld for failure to fully comply with the 
     consultation requirement under clause (i).''.
       (b) Report.--Not later than September 30, 2009, the 
     Secretary of Homeland Security shall submit a report to 
     Congress that describes--
       (1) the progress made in completing the reinforced fencing 
     required under section 102(b)(1) of the Illegal Immigration 
     Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 
     1103 note), as amended by this Act; and
       (2) the plans for completing such fencing before December 
     31, 2010.

  Mr. DeMINT. Mr. President, I will speak to the amendment later. I see 
a colleague wanting to speak and so I will yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Arizona is recognized.
  Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, what is the pending business?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The DeMint amendment No. 1399.

[[Page 16879]]


  Mr. McCAIN. And the underlying legislation is the Department of 
Homeland Security appropriations bill?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator is correct.


                Amendment No. 1400 to Amendment No. 1373

  Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to set aside the 
pending amendment and to call up amendment No. 1400.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The clerk 
will report.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       The Senator from Arizona [Mr. McCain] proposes an amendment 
     numbered 1400 to amendment No. 1373.

  Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that further 
reading of the amendment be dispensed with.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment is as follows:

  (Purpose: To eliminate the appropriation for the Over-the-Road Bus 
       Security Assistance, as recommended by the Administration)

       On page 31, line 19, strike all through page 32, line 3, 
     and insert the following:
       (6) $350,000,000 shall be for Public Transportation 
     Security Assistance and Railroad Security Assistance under 
     sections 1406 and 1513 of the Implementing Recommendations of 
     the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 (Public Law 110-53; 6 U.S.C. 
     1135 and 1163), of which not less than $25,000,000 shall be 
     for Amtrak security.

  Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, the Department of Homeland Security 
appropriations bill before us today spends $44.3 billion. It is $207.5 
million--or 7 percent more than last year's appropriation and nearly 
$97 million more than the budget request. An increase of this size is 
remarkable. I need to remind my colleagues that Americans are hurting, 
they are losing their jobs and their homes at record rates, and here we 
are, business as usual, as was made very clear in the vote on the 
amendment that was defeated concerning a museum in Nebraska on another 
appropriations bill--a bill that was supposed to be for funding 
legislative business of the Congress. On this bill again, it is 
business as usual. The level of spending is wrong, and there are 
numerous unrequested, unauthorized earmarks which were added at the 
direction of members of the Appropriations Committee and the Senate.
  Maybe we ought to take a look at them. This is the Department of 
Homeland Security appropriations bill, I would remind my colleagues, 
but we threw in $4 million for the Fort Madison Bridge in Fort Madison, 
WI. As always, there are earmarks and geographic locations delineated 
in the bill for these pork-barrel projects. There is $39.7 million for 
the Advanced Training Center in West Virginia and $3.6 million for the 
Coast Guard Operations Systems Center in West Virginia. That is a good 
place for Coast Guard operations, to say the least.
  I wish to point out that none of these earmarks were authorized. None 
of them had a hearing. None of them were requested. In fact, three of 
them I will read about were included in the President's budget request 
in a report from the Office of Management and Budget entitled 
``Terminations, Reductions, and Savings: Budget of the U.S. Government, 
Fiscal Year 2010,'' which was submitted by the Office of Management and 
Budget. In other words, the administration requested that these 
specific appropriations not be spent because of the fact they either 
are not needed or are outright wasteful spending of the taxpayers' 
dollars.
  Continuing with the list of earmarks in this bill, we have another 
$16.8 million for the Coast Guard Station in Cleveland Harbor, OH, to 
demolish the existing facility and construct a new multipurpose 
building.
  I wish to emphasize to my colleagues that these may be worthy 
projects. They may be. Generally, they aren't, but they may be. But 
there has been no hearing, there is no request on the part of the 
administration, there is no request from anybody except for the 
representative of that State.
  Continuing: $4 million for the National Infrastructure Simulation and 
Analysis Center; $102 million for the National Domestic Preparedness 
Consortium--and that contains six earmarks: The National Energetic 
Materials Research and Testing Center in New Mexico, $23 million; 
National Center for Biomedical Research and Training at Louisiana State 
University, $23 million; National Emergency Response and Rescue 
Training Center at Texas A&M University, $23 million; National 
Exercise, Test, and Training Center in Nevada, $23 million; 
Transportation Technology Center in Pueblo, CO, $5 million; and, of 
course, we never want to forget the Natural Disaster Preparedness 
Training Center at the University of Hawaii, $5 million.
  There is $3 million for the Distributed Environment for Critical 
Infrastructure Decision-making Exercises. We need $3 million for the 
infrastructure decision-making exercises. Money is also set aside for 
the Cyber Security Consortium, which is a group of schools, including 
Miami University of Ohio, Utah State University, University of Nevada 
at Reno, and Potomac Institute for Policy Studies.
  A certain thread may become apparent throughout this conversation and 
that is that States which are generally getting most of this money 
happen to have representatives in the Senate on the Appropriations 
Committee.
  There is $2 million for the Cincinnati Urban Area Partnership; $20.8 
million for the Southeast Region Research Initiative; $300,000 for the 
City of Hackensack Emergency Operations Center. Emergency operations 
centers are very popular in this bill. But there was no competition for 
these emergency operation centers. They may be worthwhile, they may 
not. We will never know because they are earmarked by the Members and 
they range from $1 million to $20 million to $247,000. We have New 
Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey; Washington State; Providence, RI; north 
Louisiana; Little Rock; Vermont; Columbus, OH; city of Ames; and the 
city of Mount Vernon.
  There is $900,000 for the City of Whitefish Emergency Operations 
Center in Montana. And because we wouldn't want to leave them out, 
there is $1 million for the City of Chicago Emergency Operations 
Center.
  None of these projects were requested by the administration or 
authorized or competitively bid in any way. No hearing was held to 
judge whether these were national priorities worthy of scarce 
taxpayers' dollars. They are in this bill for one reason and one reason 
only: because of the selective prerogatives of a few Members of the 
Senate. Sadly, these Members choose to serve their own interests over 
those of the American taxpayers.
  I have filed, and intend to offer, amendments to strike each and 
every one of these earmarks. Enough is enough. The American people are 
tired of this process, and they are tired of watching their hard-earned 
money go down the drain. I intend to fight every single unnecessary, 
unrequested, unauthorized earmark in every appropriations bill.
  In addition to the earmarks I covered, this bill includes millions of 
dollars for programs that the administration has sought to cut due to 
the program's ineffectiveness or lack of necessity. The amendment I 
propose has as an example: The Over-the-road Bus Security Program. The 
administration proposed in its 2010 budget to eliminate the Over-the-
Road Bus Security Program since the awards are not based on risk, as 
recommended by the 9/11 Commission, and has not been assessed as 
effective. Specifically, the Office of Management and Budget stated:

       Recently, the funding (for this program) has gone to 
     private sector entities for business investments in GPS-type 
     tracking systems that they could be making without Federal 
     funding. For now, this program should be eliminated in favor 
     of funding initiatives aimed at mitigated verified transit 
     threats.

  Again, in the Office of Management and Budget submission the 
administration says:

       The Government Accountability Office has recommended that 
     TSA conduct an in-depth risk analysis of the commercial 
     vehicle sector before more funding is allocated.
       For now, this program should be eliminated in favor of 
     funding initiatives aimed at mitigating verified transit 
     threats. Funding for the intercity bus industry should be 
     included in the larger Public Rail/Transit Security Grant 
     program and prioritized against all transit-related security 
     investments.


[[Page 16880]]


  But it is not. Here, on the one hand, we have the President announce 
with great fanfare a group of reductions and terminations and savings 
that the administration is going to make and is strongly urging be 
done. Here we have on the bill an earmark that, indeed, funds these 
very same programs the administration wants eliminated.
  There is another one, and that is the U.S. Coast Guard Loran-C. 
Loran-C sounds like a pretty good program, but the fact is, this $35 
million, by the way, is a federally funded radio navigation system for 
civil marine use in coastal areas. I will quote from the Office of 
Management and Budget:

       The Nation no longer needs this system because federally 
     supported civilian Global Positioning System--GPS--has 
     replaced it with superior capabilities. As a result, Loran-C, 
     including recent limited technological enhancements, serves 
     only the remaining small group of long-time users. It no 
     longer serves any governmental function and is not capable as 
     a backup for GPS.

  So we are going to spend $35 million on GPS that is useless. It is 
useless for Loran-C. Why? Why would we want to do that? Why would we 
want to spend that kind of money? It is amazing.
  Then there is the emergency operation centers, of course, some $20 
million for operation centers in Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey--
et cetera. These, of course, are obviously the result of earmarks. 
Again, the Office of Management and Budget says the administration is 
proposing to eliminate the Emergency Operations Center Grant Program in 
the 2010 budget because the program's award allocations are not based 
on risk assessment.
  Oh, really. Also:

     . . . other Department of Homeland Security grant programs 
     can provide funding for the same purpose more effectively.

  It goes on to talk about how the grant program was established:

     . . . by supporting flexible, sustainable, secure and 
     interoperable EOCs, with a focus on addressing identified 
     deficiencies and needs. . . . The EOC Grant Program uses 
     award criteria that are not risk-based, and the 
     administration supports a risk-based approach to homeland 
     security grant awards.

  I wonder how many of these would be awarded if they were risk based 
and how many of them are awarded because of the influence of members of 
the Appropriations Committee.

       In addition, in 2009, EOC construction and renovation was 
     approved as an allowable expense under the Emergency 
     Management Performance Grant Program, thus providing a more 
     effective funding mechanism through which potential grantees 
     prioritize expenditures on EOCs against other emergency 
     management initiatives.

  In other words, we are spending these millions of dollars--$20 
million I guess it is--in an unnecessary fashion that has nothing to do 
with risk but has everything to do with influence.
  It is business as usual in our Nation's Capitol. We just came off a 
recess. A lot of us spent time, as I did, traveling around our States. 
People in my State are hurting. People in my State are wondering 
whether they are going to be able to keep their jobs or get a job; 
whether they will be able to afford health care; whether they are going 
to be able to educate their children. They are having to tighten their 
belts in ways that certainly no one has ever had to do before in their 
lifetime.
  So what do we do here? Business as usual: $97-some-million of 
unnecessary and unwanted pork. Last year, Congress appropriated many 
millions of dollars. This, once again, is $97 million more than the 
budget request, and much of that is obviously unnecessary and unneeded 
and in some cases even unwanted.
  On behalf of the citizens of my State who are having to tighten their 
belts, who are undergoing unprecedented difficulties and hard times 
while we are on this spending spree and accumulating trillions of 
dollars of debt--we are committing generational theft, laying it on our 
children and grandchildren. I intend to fight for their tax dollars, 
and I intend to fight until this egregious practice of porkbarrel 
earmarked spending, which has bred corruption, is brought to a halt.
  I ask for the yeas and nays on this amendment.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second? There is a 
sufficient second.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, before I yield the floor I would like to 
include in the Record at this time a list of the various bus companies 
and the States in which they operate. I ask unanimous consent they be 
printed in the Record at this time.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

     FY 2009 INTERCITY BUS SECURITY GRANT PROGRAM FINAL ALLOCATIONS
------------------------------------------------------------------------
               State                     Entity name          Amount
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                 Tier I
 
MA................................  Peter Pan Bus Lines,        $258,749
                                     Inc. (PPBL).
NJ................................  Academy Express,           1,348,460
                                     LLC..
                                    Coach USA Inc.......         444,075
TX................................  CUSA, LLC...........         699,641
                                    Greyhound Lines,           3,675,223
                                     Inc..
 
                                 Tier II
 
AR................................  Little Rock Tours...          50,815
CA................................  SF Navigatour Inc.            99,691
                                     dba Super
                                     Sightseeing.
                                    Silver State Coach..           8,497
CT................................  DATTCO..............         115,743
FL................................  Escot Bus Lines,              67,377
                                     Inc..
GA................................  HTA Enterprises dba          103,275
                                     Swept Away Coach
                                     and Tours.
                                    Pendergrass Charters          43,921
IA................................  Burlington Stage             132,675
                                     Lines.
                                    Windstar Lines, Inc.          50,803
IL................................  O'Hare Wisconsin               8,497
                                     Limousine dba
                                     Prairie Trailways.
                                    Vandalia Bus Lines..          17,563
IN................................  Bloomington Shuttle           57,286
                                     Service, Inc..
                                    Free Enterprise               34,029
                                     System/Royal, LLC.
                                    Star of America dba           49,324
                                     Star of Indiana.
                                    The Free Enterprise           34,029
                                     System.
KS................................  Village Charters dba          84,683
                                     Village Tours &
                                     Travel.
LA................................  American                       8,497
                                     International
                                     Travel dba
                                     Dixieland Tours and
                                     Cruises.
                                    Calco Travel, Inc...          42,601
                                    Hotard Coaches, Inc.          85,664
                                    Louisiana Coaches              8,497
                                     Inc..
MA................................  CAVALIER COACH                 8,497
                                     TRAILWAYS.
                                    Crystal Transport,           108,625
                                     Inc..
MD................................  BK Charter, Inc.....          63,339
ME................................  NorthEast Charter              8,497
                                     and Tour Co., Inc..
MN................................  Jefferson Partners           224,069
                                     LP.
MO................................  Heartland Motor                8,497
                                     Coach,Inc..
MS................................  Cline Tours Inc.....         139,627
MT................................  Rimrock Stages Inc..           8,497
NC................................  T.R.Y., Inc. dba              93,564
                                     Young
                                     Transportation.
NE................................  Busco, Inc. dba              137,156
                                     Arrow Stage Lines.
NJ................................  A-1 Limousine, Inc..         131,430
                                    Lakeland Bus Lines,          191,800
                                     Inc..
                                    Rossmeyer & Weber,            56,154
                                     Inc. dba Raritan
                                     Valley.
                                    Safety Bus Service,           34,029
                                     Inc. dba Safety Bus.
                                    Stout's Charter              363,001
                                     Service, Inc..
NY................................  Brown Coach, Inc....          84,405
                                    Excellent Bus                 17,563
                                     Service, Inc..
                                    Leprechaun Lines,             63,183
                                     Inc..
                                    Monroe Bus Company,          157,069
                                     Inc..
                                    Monsey New Square            265,051
                                     Trails Corp..
                                    Paradise Travel,               7,956
                                     Inc..
                                    Private One of New           200,262
                                     York LLC.
                                    Upstate Transit of            46,611
                                     Saratoga, LLC.
                                    West Point Trailways           7,956
OH................................  Croswell Bus Line            274,093
                                     dba Croswell VIP
                                     Motorcoach Services.
OK................................  Passenger                     49,324
                                     Transportation
                                     Specialist, Inc.
                                     dba Red Carpet
                                     Charters.
PA................................  Carl R. Bieber......         111,607
                                    Frank Martz Coach             16,313
                                     Company, Inc..
                                    Fullington Auto Bus          187,001
                                     Co..
                                    Krapf Coaches, Inc..          64,172
                                    MGR Travel, Ltd. dba          58,946
                                     Elite Coach.
                                    Myers Coach Lines              8,497
                                     Inc..
                                    Red Lion Bus Company          40,192
                                    Trans-Bridge Lines,          237,600
                                     Inc..
RI................................  Flagship Trailways..           8,497
SC................................  Cross Country Tours.           8,497
                                    Lancaster Tours,             135,966
                                     Inc..
TN................................  Anchor Tours, Inc.           112,653
                                     dba Anchor Bus
                                     Charters.
TX................................  Gotta Go Express               8,497
                                     Trailways.
                                    Sierra Stage                   8,497
                                     Coaches, Inc..
VA................................  Abbott Bus Lines,              8,497
                                     Inc..
                                    DC Trails, Inc......         180,800
WA................................  Discovery Tours LLC.          43,141
WI................................  Kobussen Buses LTD..           8,497
                                    Lamers Bus Lines,             85,260
                                     Inc..
                                    Riteway Bus Service,          45,000
                                     Inc..
                                   -------------------------------------
    Total.........................  ....................      11,658,000
------------------------------------------------------------------------

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Florida is recognized.
  Mr. MARTINEZ. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent I be permitted 
to speak as in morning business for a period of about 10 minutes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. MARTINEZ. Mr. President, let me begin by thanking my dear friend 
from the State of Arizona for once again reminding us of this egregious 
practice of earmark spending that continues to not only grow but 
continues to be a dark mark on our record as Members of the Congress.
  I think, as he rightly pointed out, at a time of serious economic 
distress in places such as Arizona--and I certainly could say as well 
in Florida--it is a bit out of sync for us to continue the spending as 
usual just for the mere fact that there is a member of the 
Appropriations Committee who can, in fact, command something be done 
only because it would benefit a narrow interest in their State, within 
their district, and which, in fact, may not be requested and which may 
not be needed.


                                Honduras

  Mr. MARTINEZ. Mr. President, I rise, though, to speak about the 
events in Honduras. The events that are taking place in Honduras right 
now are the unfortunate result of the silence of both the United States 
and the inter-

[[Page 16881]]

American community to the assault on Honduras' democratic institutions.
  It is difficult for Hondurans and other democrats within the region 
to understand the full significance of President Zelaya's expulsion 
from Honduras. Up until this point, there has not been any significant 
voice in the opposition to the dismantling of democratic institutions 
and free societies in Venezuela, Bolivia--and as Honduras was going 
down the path, you might also add Nicaragua to that, to name only a few 
of the most visible cases.
  It is also hard to explain why there was this silence in the face of 
President Zelaya's earlier unconstitutional actions, especially the 
event that appeared to precipitate his ousting: the storming of a 
military base to seize and distribute ballots for a referendum that 
previously had been declared unconstitutional by the Honduran Supreme 
Court.
  A fundamental tenet of democracy is the separation of powers. You 
have a President in the executive branch and then you have the judicial 
branch of government, a coequal and separate branch, and that branch 
told the President the referendum he was seeking to have to extend his 
rule beyond the constitutional term was illegal, it should not be done. 
He was undeterred and he was completely unrepentant as he sought to 
continue his plan to have a referendum, even though the Congress, even 
though the judiciary had already told him that was in contravention of 
the Constitution of their country.
  Where was the region's outrage over Hugo Chavez's support for Mr. 
Zelaya's unconstitutional actions in Honduras? Mr. Chavez supported Mr. 
Zelaya because they are kindred spirits, because Mr. Chavez had already 
been able to usurp every institution of democracy within his country of 
Venezuela and now rules as an autocrat. He wanted to have the same 
playbook applied in Honduras as he coached and shepherded to do some of 
the same things in Bolivia and to some degree in Nicaragua as well--and 
Nicaragua coming along.
  The Honduran people decided this was not going to happen in their 
country, and the people in the Honduran Congress and in the Honduran 
Supreme Court decided it was not going to happen on their watch. But 
the region's silence toward the assault on democracy in Honduras 
followed a pattern of acquiescence of Chavez's dismantling of 
democratic institutions and civil liberties in Venezuela.
  For instance, the OAS has said absolutely nothing about Chavez's 
closing of independent media, his manipulation of elections, his 
erosion of independent branches of government, and his usurping of the 
authority of local elected officials. Leaders like Chavez, Ortega, and 
Zelaya have cloaked themselves in the language of democracy when it was 
convenient for them. Yet their actions ignored it when it did not 
further their personal ambitions.
  This situation was compounded by the actions of the United States, 
including work behind the scenes to keep the Honduran Congress and 
Supreme Court from using the clearly legal means of Presidential 
impeachment. Some of us have wondered why wasn't he impeached? Why 
didn't the Congress go ahead and impeach President Zelaya? Our Embassy 
in Tegucigalpa counseled that the Hondurans should not use the tools of 
impeachment.
  Having stood on sidelines while Mr. Zelaya overstepped his nation's 
Constitution, the United States and the inter-American community only 
speak now. Protecting a sitting President, regardless of his illegal 
acts, sets a dangerous precedent. Instead, U.S. policy should be 
focused on only supporting efforts that uphold the integrity of 
constitutional order and democratic institutions.
  In fairness to the Obama administration, this distorted policy is not 
new. Through advice from the State Department, former President George 
W. Bush was talked out of having the United States stand visibly with 
democratic advocates in Latin America. The advice was based on the 
belief that by not making the United States an issue, this would allow 
the region to stand up for democratic activists. Unfortunately, no 
country or leader did so, and most significant of all, the leader of 
the OAS has sat idly by, year after year, as democracy after democracy 
was dismantled, one piece at a time, one election at a time, one 
institution at a time, saying absolutely nothing.
  The OAS has a responsibility to condemn and sanction Presidential 
abuses, not just abuses against Presidents. Because of the OAS failure 
to uphold the checks and balances within democracies, it has become an 
enabler of authoritarian leaders throughout the region. The result of 
this has been a signal of acceptance to antidemocratic actions and 
abandonment of those fighting for democracy in Venezuela, Bolivia, 
Nicaragua, Ecuador, and elsewhere.
  This silence was compounded by the recent repudiation of the 
application of the Inter-American Democratic Charter to the Cuban 
dictatorship. Ironically, it was in Honduras, with Mr. Zelaya taking a 
leading role, where the OAS General Assembly decided against any clear 
democratic standards for Cuba retaking its seat in that organization.
  So here is what occurred: The OAS, filled with a desire to 
reincorporate Cuba into the family of nations, completely ignored that 
for 50 years Cuba has been a military dictatorship without even the 
vestiges of a free and fair election, and they invited Cuba to be 
readmitted without setting up a standard by which they would have to 
live.
  President Zelaya, with his partner Hugo Chavez, was leading the 
charge in saying Cuba should be welcomed back and there should be no 
conditions, no conditions of democratic rule like the ones he is now 
relying upon to try to get his Presidency back.
  It is Mr. Zelaya now seeking the very protection of the Democratic 
Charter of the OAS which he thinks applies to him but which he felt was 
unimportant to apply the rights and opportunities to the Cuban people 
to try to claim the democratic future for themselves.
  The crisis in Honduras stems from the failure of its leaders to live 
within constitutional boundaries and from the earlier silence of the 
United States and the international community regarding the abuse of 
power by the Honduran executive. Tragically, the United States and the 
OAS have put Honduras and the region in a position where democracy is 
the loser once again.
  The return of Mr. Zelaya will signal the approval of his 
unconstitutional acts. If he is not allowed to return, then the 
unacceptable behavior of forcibly exiling a leader elected by the 
people would be given tacit approval. This is what happens when 
principles are sacrificed for a policy that can only be described as 
the appeasement of authoritarians.
  In the current crisis, neither the United States nor other countries 
in the region or the international community should be taking sides in 
a constitutional dispute but, rather, encouraging a resolution through 
dialog among Hondurans. To this end, efforts should be focused on 
helping Hondurans form a reconciliation government that would include 
representatives not associated with either the Zelaya administration or 
the current interim government.
  The objective should be to keep Hondurans on track to hold currently 
scheduled Presidential elections in November, with the inauguration of 
a new President in January as mandated in the Honduran Constitution. 
The newly elected President, with an electoral mandate, then can decide 
whether and how to deal with Mr. Zelaya and those involved in his 
ouster.
  As the Senate takes up President Obama's nominees for key State 
Department positions in Latin America, it is time to question the 
acceptance by the United States and the inter-American community of the 
sustained dismantling of democratic institutions in free societies by 
Presidents seeking to consolidate personal power at any cost. This is 
the larger challenge in Latin America, and Honduras is only the latest 
symptom. The United States must no longer remain silent when democratic 
institutions are undermined. Any disruption of the constitutional order 
is unacceptable, regardless of who commits it.
  It would be well for us to remember that as we look forward to what 
may

[[Page 16882]]

come next, the Presidential succession ought to be honored, however, 
institutions of democracy ought to also be equally honored.
  Secretary of State Clinton met today at 1 o'clock with deposed 
President Zelaya. It appears she is seeking to align the United States 
with the mediation that is about to be undertaken by President Oscar 
Arias, a Nobel Prize-winning, well-regarded man from Costa Rica, and 
that President Arias might take this opportunity to see how we can 
bring this process back together again.
  It seems to me that the elections in Honduras ought to take place as 
scheduled and a new democratically elected government ought to go 
forward. The real question is, Will Mr. Zelaya be allowed to return to 
the office of President? It seems to be fairly unanimous that all 
Honduran institutions oppose such an outcome. They do not want Mr. 
Zelaya back. They have seen the dark movie of what life can be like in 
a Cuba-type situation. They have seen the dark movie of what life can 
be like in a Cuba-type situation. They have seen the erosion of 
democracy with the complete erosion of freedoms, so much made a dear 
part of what we in this country believe in that has taken place in 
Venezuela. They have seen the continued erosion of democratic values in 
Nicaragua and they do not want to see it happen in their country, and 
one cannot blame them. It would only be fitting that they should find 
comfort by those of us in this country who not only value democracy for 
us but believe it should be shared by others around the world no matter 
their circumstances.
  It isn't good enough to be elected democratically but then rule as a 
dictator and in the process of being an elected President, then move to 
erode all of the institutions of democracy--the courts, the congresses, 
even the military as an institution; they ought to be respected. Their 
independence ought to be valued. The playbook of Mr. Chavez, which is 
to dismantle the military leadership and bring in cronies of his, the 
efforts to then discredit the courts and bring in judges that he would 
also approve--this has been the playbook by which Chavez has operated 
and one that Mr. Zelaya was attempting to put into play.
  So let's hope President Arias from Costa Rica will be able to lead a 
mediation effort that will bring together all of the disparate groups 
so that there can be a free and fair election and there can be a 
resolution to this crisis of democracy. But let this also be a wake-up 
call to the rest of us who have sat silently by as this erosion of 
democracy takes place one country at a time in Latin America. We ought 
to say: Enough is enough. Let's stand for the rule of law, let's stand 
for democracy, not only on election day but each and every day 
thereafter as we seek leaders who not only are elected democratically 
but govern democratically.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Arizona.
  Mr. KYL. Mr. President, I wish to compliment my colleague from 
Florida for a very thorough explanation of what has been, to many 
Americans, a very confusing situation and also his support for the most 
recent call for a mediation and discussion among the various parties so 
that this whole matter can be brought to a successful conclusion 
without armed force or other inappropriate action. I, too, hope that 
can produce the right kind of result. But I think the point--if I 
could, while the Senator is still here, make this point strongly, as he 
did--you have to stand up for what is right. And we all know an 
election does not a democracy make. You can elect a government which 
then begins to govern undemocratically.
  Unfortunately, some of the governments in the southern part of our 
hemisphere have started all right with the elections and then ended in 
a very bad way. We certainly did not want that to happen to our friends 
in Honduras. And, in fact, the people of Honduras did not want that 
either. They are people who stood by us when we were trying to support 
the forces of freedom who were fighting in Nicaragua, and there were 
some sacrifices on the part of the Hondurans to do that. It is a 
country that has had very friendly relations with the United States 
over the years, and it is important for us to stand up for our friends.
  For that, I compliment my colleague from Florida, and I again add my 
voice to his saying we hope these discussions the Secretary of State 
has now called for can produce an appropriate resolution to this issue 
without any kind of bloodshed.
  Mr. MARTINEZ. I thank the Senator from Arizona for his kind comments. 
But it also brings up one more point. Honduras has been by our side. 
There is no more important country, in terms of military relations in 
Central America, than Honduras, where we have a presence of our 
military, where we work together in partnership to try to stem the flow 
of drugs and narcotics into our country, and where we conduct not only 
training missions but other important training missions with the 
Honduran military, where we are very involved in providing aid and 
assistance.
  I think it would be well for us to hold back any declaration that a 
coup has taken place that would then trigger other events. This is not 
your traditional military coup where a military group decides to set up 
a junta. These are military people who, while maybe they acted a little 
too strongly, the fact is, they did not seek power for themselves but 
they established a congressional order. So it is important.
  Mr. KYL. Mr. President, that is precisely the way I see it as well. I 
hope that helps to clarify for the American people what is really going 
on there and that we can support our friends in Honduras and that 
relationship which has existed all these years can continue to be the 
productive one it has been.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maryland.
  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I be able to 
speak as in morning business.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


                          Helsinki Commission

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I take this time as the Chairman of the 
U.S. Helsinki Commission, for which I had the opportunity to lead a 
delegation of 13 members representing the United States at the 18th 
Annual Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and 
Cooperation in Europe. We attended meetings in Europe, along with 
representatives, parliamentarians from 56 countries representing 
Europe, central Asia, Canada, and the United States.
  We first decided to stop in Bosnia, and we did that because I am sure 
my colleagues recall the bloody conflict that erupted in the former 
Yugoslavia, in Bosnia, in which communities were dislocated and people 
were killed because of their ethnic background.
  We found in Bosnia, because of outside interference, the three ethnic 
communities that had coexisted for many years were drawn into a 
conflict. The United States, in the Dayton Accords, took the leadership 
in trying to figure out a way in which we could get the ethnic 
communities to live together in peace. As a result of the Dayton 
Accords, there was this government established for Bosnia which is a 
bit unusual. There are three Presidents, one representing the orthodox 
community, the Serbs, one representing the ethnic Bosnians, and one 
representing the ethnic Croats. And this government brought an end to 
the open violence.
  But we knew in recent weeks and months there had been problems in 
Bosnia. So we traveled to Sarajevo to talk to all of the ethnic 
community leaders to see what was happening. And I must tell you, there 
has been progress in that region, particularly with the neighboring 
countries that are now progressing, some of which are our strong allies 
in NATO, and we have seen progress to integration in Europe. So we can 
take pride in what we have been able to achieve in that region of 
Europe in the Balkans.
  But Bosnia needs our attention. I am pleased we were there. I think 
it is clear to each member of our delegation that if Bosnia is going to 
be able to continue its integration into Europe--

[[Page 16883]]

we hope that will occur--if Bosnia is going to be able to move on a 
path toward NATO membership, it needs to have constitutional reform so 
it has a functioning federal government protecting the rights of the 
three entities. But it needs to have a government that can function, 
and during our trip I think we delivered that message. We were there 
shortly after Vice President Biden was there.
  We then traveled to Vilnius, where the annual meeting was taking 
place. But we took the opportunity to visit Minsk in Belarus. We did 
that because Belarus is a repressive state in which the President, Mr. 
Lukashenko, rules with an iron fist. The political opposition is denied 
the normal opportunities of a government.
  We went there because we wanted to have an opportunity to advance the 
OSCE principles. The Helsinki Commission, which is our arm in 
implementing the OSCE, is known for advancing human rights, it is known 
for advancing economic cooperation, it is known for advancing security 
issues. And we went to Belarus because we wanted that country, which is 
a member of OSCE, to live up to its OSCE commitments, to allow its 
people basic human rights, the right of a free press, the right to 
express their views, the right to challenge their government 
peacefully, the right to organize the religions of their choice, and 
the right for economic reform, which is being denied to the people of 
Belarus. We met with President Lukashenko, and we met with the leaders 
of the different factions, of the activists.
  We also carried a humanitarian request. There was an American, Mr. 
Zeltser, Emanual Zeltser, who was imprisoned in Belarus. We do not know 
why he was imprisoned. There were secret indictments and a secret 
trial. The United States was not permitted to monitor the trial. He was 
sentenced to 3 years. He has a very serious medical condition. It is 
believed he could not survive if he remained in Belarusian prisons. So 
we carried a humanitarian request that he be released. Mr. Lukashenko 
had the power to do that, and we were very pleased that our 
humanitarian request was granted. During our meetings, the President 
told us he would honor our request that he be released immediately, and 
Mr. Zeltser was released later that afternoon, and he is now back in 
safe care. So we appreciated that effort, and we hope that represents a 
change in the direction of Belarus.
  We made it clear that if the Belarusian Government made concrete 
steps toward the OSCE-type reforms on human rights, on economics, and 
other issues, then it would be a signal to the international community 
that we would bring Belarus more into the family of nations.
  This Congress passed the Democracy Act, which imposed sanctions 
against Belarus because of their repressive regime. I hope our trip, 
which was the highest delegation to visit Belarus in over a decade, 
will be the first step to seeing change in that country and a better 
relationship between Belarus and other countries in Europe and the 
United States.
  The main reason for our visit was to go to Vilnius, Lithuania, to 
participate in the Parliamentary Assembly. One member of our delegation 
visited Latvia in order to advance relations. At the Parliamentary 
Assembly, I was pleased that Congressman Robert Aderholt was elected 
vice chairman of the Third Committee, which is human rights. There are 
only three committees in the OSCE: for human rights, economics, and 
security. An American, Congressman Aderholt, will be vice chairman of 
the Human Rights Committee. I was elected vice president. That follows 
in the footsteps of Congressman Alcee Hastings, former President of the 
Parliamentary Assembly.
  The United States proposed three resolutions in addition to the 
normal work. All three were adopted--one on maternal mortality, one on 
Afghanistan encouraging the Obama administration's policies in 
Afghanistan, and one on Internet freedom. All three of these 
resolutions were adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly.
  We also recommended 26 amendments to the core resolutions. All 26 
amendments were adopted. I wish to cover some quickly because I think 
they are important to U.S. policy and we now have the support of the 
OSCE, of the European and central Asian communities in advancing these 
goals.
  One was to seek Pakistan's interest in becoming an OSCE partner. They 
are not eligible for membership because it is central Asia, Europe, and 
North America. But we have partners in cooperation that work with us. 
We have Mediterranean partners, including Israel and Jordan and Egypt. 
We have Asian partners that belong, including Afghanistan. We think it 
would be helpful if Pakistan sought membership as a partner in 
cooperation within OSCE. By way of example, OSCE has a mission in 
Afghanistan that deals with border security. They know how to do nation 
building, how to help countries. We think that could be useful in 
dealing with U.S. policies against terrorists in Afghanistan and 
Pakistan if both had an arrangement with the Organization for Security 
and Cooperation in Europe. That amendment was approved by the 
Parliamentary Assembly.
  We offered another amendment dealing with combating anti-Semitism. 
The U.S. Helsinki Commission has been a leader in developing strategies 
to deal with the rise of anti-Semitism. We have made a lot of progress. 
We continued to make progress at this meeting in dealing with the rise 
of anti-Semitism.
  There were amendments offered dealing with water issues, energy, 
climate change, and preserving cultural heritage sites. We had a very 
active delegation, and we advanced many causes that were important to 
the United States.
  We had bilateral meetings. We met with our counterparts from Russia 
to try to improve the dialog between Russia and the United States. This 
was a day or two before the meeting of our Presidents in Moscow. I 
think it is in keeping with the Obama strategy of trying to have a more 
effective dialog between the United States and Russia. We have 
differences, but we need to understand each other's positions to try to 
bring about the type of change that would be in the interests of both 
countries. We underscored those points during our bilateral meetings 
with the Russian parliamentarians.
  We also met with the parliamentarians from Georgia. We were very 
disappointed that the OSCE mission in Georgia was terminated as a 
result of Russia's veto of the continuation of that mission. That 
mission deals with conflict prevention. It is there to keep peace in 
Georgia, where we know there is still the potential for conflict to 
erupt at any moment. We had a chance to meet with the Georgia 
parliamentarians to go over those issues.
  We met with the parliamentarians from Lithuania. The last time I was 
in Lithuania was February 1991, when the Soviet tanks were in 
Lithuania, where they had taken over the TV towers. We returned to the 
TV towers. We were there in 1991 and saw the tragedy that the Soviets 
had committed in that country. We also went to the parliament building, 
where it was barricaded in 1991 because of Soviet tanks. Now we were 
able to enter a free country, a close ally of the United States, a 
member of NATO. It was a proud moment to return to that site and see 
what has happened. The United States has a proud record of always 
recognizing the independence of Lithuania and never recognizing the 
Soviet takeover of that independent country. We had a chance to meet 
with the President. We had a chance to meet with the parliamentarians, 
and we met with the Prime Minister. We mentioned an issue that is still 
pending that needs to be resolved; that is, property restitution issues 
and community property issues dating back to the Nazi occupation. We 
urged the Lithuanian Parliament to promptly pass an appropriate law so 
that the payments can be made to the appropriate victims as quickly as 
possible since many of the families are dying out and it is important 
that this issue be handled as quickly as possible. I hope Lithuania 
will follow through on those recommendations.
  We had a very busy agenda. I am very proud of the work of each member 
of our delegation. We advanced the interests of the United States. We 
will be

[[Page 16884]]

following through on the different discussions we had to make sure 
progress continues in each of these areas. It was an honor to represent 
the Senate with the Helsinki Commission. We will keep Senators informed 
on the progress we are making.
  I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Kaufman). The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that at 4:45 p.m. 
today, there be 2 minutes of debate prior to a vote in relation to 
McCain amendment No. 1400, with the time equally divided and controlled 
between Senator McCain and the majority leader or their designees; 
further, that on Wednesday, July 8, when the Senate resumes 
consideration of H.R. 2892, there be 5 minutes for debate prior to a 
vote in relation to the Sessions amendment No. 1371, with the time 
equally divided and controlled between Senator Schumer and Senator 
Sessions or their designees; that upon disposition of the Sessions 
amendment No. 1371, the Senate resume consideration of DeMint amendment 
No. 1399, with 2 minutes of debate prior to a vote in relation thereto, 
with the time equally divided between Senator Murray and Senator DeMint 
or their designees; that no amendment be in order to any of the 
amendments covered in this agreement prior to a vote in relation to 
these amendments.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, let me quickly say, before I turn it over to 
my friend from New Hampshire, we have been in many quorum calls today, 
with plenty of opportunities to offer amendments. We have to move 
forward on this bill. When we finish this bill, we have 10 other 
appropriations bills to do. We have to move forward on this bill. 
People cannot complain that they have not had opportunity to offer 
amendments when they don't offer them.


                             Debt explosion

  Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I rise to speak on a couple of items. The 
two things I wish to speak about are, first, this rumbling we are 
starting to hear about having a third stimulus package. Some people say 
it is a second. It is a third stimulus package. We did a tax stimulus 
package about $140 billion and the $700-plus billion stimulus package 
earlier this year. It is incomprehensible to me that we would want to 
have another stimulus package unpaid for and add that to the debt.
  We are facing a massive explosion of debt in this country. The best 
thing we can do to get this economy going would be to show the world 
and the American people we are serious about doing something about our 
debt.
  To roll out another stimulus package in the face of that type of a 
situation that would be unpaid for is a huge mistake, whether it is a 
tax cut or whether it is spending. I cannot understand why we are even 
thinking about it.
  When we look at the stimulus package which was just passed a few 
months ago, that hasn't even spent out. Only 15 percent of that is 
going to be spent this year, and another 37 percent of it will be spent 
next year. That means we still have 50 percent of the spending of that 
$700-plus billion bill to occur in 2011 and beyond. So if the purpose 
of a new stimulus package is to try to bring up the slack in the 
economy as we move into 2010 and on to 2011, we do not need it because 
we already have a stimulus package that is coming down the road, if you 
accept that as being useful--I don't happen to--but it is clearly 
counterproductive if it is simply going to add to and increase the debt 
of this Nation and the debt that is passed on to our children.
  The debt of this country is increasing to astronomical proportions. 
We are looking at deficits of 4 to 5 percent of GDP for the next 10 
years. We are looking at a debt that goes to 80 percent of GDP. The new 
stimulus would aggravate both those numbers dramatically.
  To quote my colleague from North Dakota, the chairman of the Budget 
Committee, the debt is the threat. If we continue to pass through this 
Congress spending which is not offset, which is not paid for, in the 
name of stimulus or anything else, we are simply aggravating this 
extraordinarily difficult situation, which is the massive explosion of 
Federal debt. It is not fair to our children. More importantly, it is 
not correct, and it is not good policy.
  Nothing would energize this economy more than to have the world look 
at America and recognize that we are going to do something substantive 
about reducing our debt and our deficits. People around the world and 
in our Nation would have confidence in our government again. But if we 
continue to talk about rolling out another stimulus upon the stimulus 
we already have--the first stimulus and the second stimulus--rolling 
out a third stimulus, which will be unpaid for and expensive, that is 
not sound fiscal policy.
  Since the debt is the issue, let me turn to the second point I wish 
to make. The TARP, which has received a lot of negative press over the 
last few months, has accomplished its purpose in large degree. The 
reason the TARP was passed was to stabilize the financial industry 
during a period when it looked like we were going to have a cataclysmic 
implosion of the financial industry. We were on the verge of a 
catastrophic event, where basically our whole financial industry would 
have melted down, bringing down with it Main Street and people's 
ability to get loans, people's ability to send their kids to school, 
people's ability to buy a house, to meet a payroll, run a small 
business. All that would have been at risk if the financial 
institutions of this country had been allowed to implode, which is 
exactly where we were back in September and October when the TARP was 
passed.
  With those TARP dollars, those financial institutions are stabilized, 
and they were stabilized by purchasing what is known as preferred stock 
in them.
  As part of the TARP, it was made very clear that the $700 billion 
that was going to be spent to stabilize the financial institutions, or 
potentially spent--not all of it was spent--that those dollars, when 
they came back--and we expected them to come back because it was an 
investment; it was not spending like a stimulus package where we 
essentially put money out the door and it never comes back; we were 
buying assets, the preferred stock of these banks. When those moneys 
came back to the Treasury, it was understood that those moneys would be 
used to reduce the deficit and the debt. That was the understanding 
that was written in the bill. The moneys from TARP, as they came back 
in, would be used to reduce the debt.
  We are now seeing the first group come in. Mr. President, $70 billion 
has come back to the Treasury as a result of four or five major banks 
paying off the TARP moneys through repurchasing their preferred stock. 
Interestingly enough, the taxpayers made some money here. We made about 
$4.5 billion on that investment--a pretty good deal over 4 months to 
make $4.5 billion. That money is also coming to the Treasury. Those 
dollars should be used to reduce the debt. That is what the whole idea 
was: Buy assets, stabilize the financial industries, as the assets come 
back, pay down the debt that was run up in order to purchase those 
assets.
  Unfortunately, some of my colleagues in the other body have suggested 
that we now start spending this money as it comes in on what happens to 
be, I am sure, very worthwhile initiatives which they want to pursue in 
the area of housing, in the case of one proposal. That would be the 
totally wrong thing to do. These dollars have to be used to reduce the 
debt, and by using them to reduce the debt, once again we will make it 
clear to Americans and to the international community that we are going 
to act in a fiscally prudent way, and we will have a very positive 
impact on how much it costs us as a nation to borrow on the value of 
our dollars and on the amount of outstanding debt which we face as a

[[Page 16885]]

nation, which is extraordinary, as I mentioned earlier.
  It is totally inappropriate to spend this money on something other 
than what the proposal originally was, which was to spend it to 
stabilize the financial institutions and then take the money we 
received--in this case, with interest--and use it to pay down the debt.
  The administration understands this, and I respect the fact they made 
it very clear in a letter to me from Secretary Geithner--I ask 
unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the letter from 
Secretary Geithner.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                                   Department of the Treasury,

                                    Washington, DC, June 30, 2009.
     Hon. Judd Gregg,
     U.S. Senate,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Gregg: Thank you for our recent conversation 
     on June 11. In addition to our discussion on deficit 
     reduction and the repayment of Emergency Economic 
     Stabilization Act (EESA) funds, I also wanted to formally 
     respond to your letter of April 23.
       As you know, banks are indeed permitted to repay Treasury's 
     investments through the Capital Purchase Program (CPP). 
     Repaid funds will be deposited into the general fund for the 
     purpose of deficit reduction, as required by EESA. This 
     reduction in the total amount of outstanding assets frees up 
     headroom under EESA's $700 billion cap, providing additional 
     flexibility to Treasury in its efforts to stabilize the 
     economy and build the foundation for long-term economic 
     growth.
       To date, 32 banks have repaid Treasury's investment for a 
     total of approximately $70.1 billion, including $68.3 billion 
     received on June 17, 2009, from ten of the largest banks that 
     participated in the stress test. With these repayments, we 
     have $127 billion remaining to support EESA's objectives. 
     Another important item to note is that to date the United 
     States Government's general fund has received $5.2 billion in 
     dividends.
       These repayments and dividends are an encouraging sign of 
     financial repair, but we still have work to do in order to 
     mend our economy. We believe that it is critical that 
     Treasury maintain the full flexibility provided by EESA to 
     strengthen our financial system, promote the flow of credit, 
     and permit a rapid response to unforeseen economic threats.
       As you know, I share your concerns about the fiscal 
     situation. I look forward to working with you to bring down 
     the deficit once we are confident that the economy is back on 
     track and we have successfully addressed the challenges to 
     our financial system.
           Sincerely,
                                              Timothy F. Geithner,
                                        Secretary of the Treasury.

  Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, Secretary Geithner has made it very clear 
that they understand this money should go to reduce the debt. They 
would like to hold it sort of at the desk for a few months to make sure 
they are not going to need it for another event of maybe severe fiscal 
strain. But it is pretty obvious we are past that time and they 
probably are not going to need it. So this money is coming back to the 
Treasury and will only be used to reduce the debt unless we, as a 
Congress, change the law.
  I wished to come to the floor and say it would be a real failure of 
fiscal stewardship for us to use these dollars for anything other than 
what their purpose was, which was to reduce the debt.
  I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I yield back any remaining time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The question is on agreeing to McCain amendment No. 1400. The yeas 
and nays were previously ordered. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk called the roll.
  Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from West Virginia (Mr. Byrd) 
and the Senator from Massachusetts (Mr. Kennedy) are necessarily 
absent.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber 
desiring to vote?
  The result was announced--yeas 47, nays 51, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 218 Leg.]

                                YEAS--47

     Barrasso
     Bayh
     Bennet
     Bennett
     Bond
     Brownback
     Bunning
     Burr
     Chambliss
     Coburn
     Collins
     Conrad
     Corker
     Cornyn
     Crapo
     DeMint
     Ensign
     Enzi
     Feingold
     Graham
     Grassley
     Hatch
     Hutchison
     Inhofe
     Isakson
     Johanns
     Kyl
     Lincoln
     Lugar
     Martinez
     McCain
     McCaskill
     McConnell
     Murkowski
     Nelson (FL)
     Risch
     Roberts
     Sessions
     Shaheen
     Snowe
     Thune
     Udall (CO)
     Udall (NM)
     Vitter
     Warner
     Webb
     Wicker

                                NAYS--51

     Akaka
     Alexander
     Baucus
     Begich
     Bingaman
     Boxer
     Brown
     Burris
     Cantwell
     Cardin
     Carper
     Casey
     Cochran
     Dodd
     Dorgan
     Durbin
     Feinstein
     Franken
     Gillibrand
     Gregg
     Hagan
     Harkin
     Inouye
     Johnson
     Kaufman
     Kerry
     Klobuchar
     Kohl
     Landrieu
     Lautenberg
     Leahy
     Levin
     Lieberman
     Menendez
     Merkley
     Mikulski
     Murray
     Nelson (NE)
     Pryor
     Reed
     Reid
     Rockefeller
     Sanders
     Schumer
     Shelby
     Specter
     Stabenow
     Tester
     Voinovich
     Whitehouse
     Wyden

                             NOT VOTING--2

     Byrd
     Kennedy
       
  The amendment (No. 1400) was rejected.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Arizona is recognized.
  Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, the Senate just voted against the 
President of the United States--I think we should know that--and his 
recommendation. The President, on May 7 of this year, as part of his 
budget submission, recommended terminating or reducing 121 Federal 
programs, which was estimated to save the taxpayers $41 billion over 
the next decade. One of the programs the President hopes to see 
terminated is the Intercity Bus Security Grant Program.
  What the Senate did was to tell the President of the United States: 
No, we are sorry, this is a vital program, the Intercity Bus Security 
Grant Program. I am sure the folks in Maryland at Cavalier Coach 
Trailways that got $8,000 and Crystal Transport, Inc., that got 
$108,000--there is one in here that is a limousine service that got 
several thousand dollars, the Rimrock Stages got only $8,000. But 
Busco, Inc., doing business as Arrow Stage Lines, they got $137,000 in 
Nebraska. Maybe they will take people to visit the library that just 
got $200,000, those from outside of Omaha.
  What we are talking about is that we cannot even eliminate a program, 
with a decent number of Democratic votes, about which the President 
told the American people: We will reduce spending, we will cut 
spending, don't worry; here are the 121 Federal programs. There are two 
more that are coming, my friends, that you will be able to vote against 
the President on because there are two more on his list that are 
included in this appropriations bill.
  Anybody in the United States who thinks we got the message that it is 
time to tighten our belts, including especially members of the 
Appropriations Committee on both sides of the aisle, they are sadly 
mistaken.
  They are sadly mistaken. We are going to vote on all 27. We are going 
to be on record, and the American people are going to hear about it. 
They are going to figure it out. It is business as usual. The 
porkbarrel spending continues even to the point where we cannot even 
eliminate a program the President of the United States said we would 
eliminate. There are 60 votes over there. We could not get 51.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Wisconsin is recognized.


                Amendment No. 1402 to Amendment No. 1373

  Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the pending 
amendment be set aside.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. FEINGOLD. I rise to call up amendment No. 1402 to the bill.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       The Senator from Wisconsin [Mr. Feingold] proposes an 
     amendment numbered 1402 to amendment No. 1373.


[[Page 16886]]

  Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the reading 
of the amendment be dispensed with.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment is as follows:

   (Purpose: To require grants for Emergency Operations Centers and 
   financial assistance for the predisaster mitigation program to be 
                  awarded without regard to earmarks)

       On page 32, strike line 19 and all that follows through 
     page 33, line 22, and insert the following:

     Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5196c), which shall be awarded on a 
     competitive basis: Provided, That the Administrator of the 
     Federal Emergency Management Agency shall award financial 
     assistance using amounts made available under the heading 
     ``national predisaster mitigation fund'' under the heading 
     ``Federal Emergency Management Agency'' under this title--
       (A) in accordance with section 203 of the Robert T. 
     Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 
     U.S.C. 5133); and
       (B) without regard to any congressionally directed spending 
     item (as defined in rule XLIV of the Standing Rules of the 
     Senate) or any congressional earmark (as defined in rule XXI 
     of the Rules of the House of Representatives) in a committee 
     report or joint explanatory statement relating to this Act.

  Mr. FEINGOLD. This amendment would prohibit the earmarking of two 
critically important homeland security grants: the Emergency Operations 
Centers and the Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program.
  The Emergency Operations Centers, or EOC program, is intended to 
improve emergency management and preparedness capabilities, and it 
funds, among other things, construction of State and local EOCs. These 
centers are a vital part of the comprehensive national emergency 
management plan.
  The Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program is intended to implement hazard 
reduction measures before disasters strike. Eligible projects can 
include, for example, preparing mitigation plans, or retrofitting 
public buildings against hurricane-force winds, and constructing so-
called ``safe rooms'' in tornado-prone areas.
  While we may not all agree on the appropriateness of earmarking in 
general, I certainly hope we can agree certain things should not be 
earmarked, including FEMA grant programs such as those that protect 
Americans from terrorist attacks and natural disasters.
  Obviously, these funds should be awarded by an impartial entity that 
is expert in matters of emergency operations and disaster mitigation. 
It is FEMA that actually possesses these qualities; Members of Congress 
do not. Indeed, FEMA has informed me that many past earmarks would not 
have even qualified for the Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program under the 
established guidelines. The result is that low-priority projects get 
funded and high-risk areas do not have adequate resources they need so 
people in those areas can truly be protected from natural disasters. I 
think these funds are too important to be passed out based on political 
dealings.
  The Association of State Floodplain Managers supports this amendment 
and notes that a key element of the Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program is 
the encouragement of hazard mitigation planning. According to the 
Association:

       Congressional earmarks, unfortunately, undercut the local 
     planning process when it became evident that process could be 
     short-circuited by getting a Congressional earmark.

  This year, the House has earmarked all of its Emergency Operations 
Centers funds in its Homeland Security appropriations bill. The Senate 
has earmarked nearly half of its funds. The earmarks in the Senate are 
directed to 10 States. That means 40 States will have to compete for 
the remaining half of these funds.
  If my amendment fails, 10 States get half and the other 40 States 
only get half combined. Many of these earmarks have historically gone 
to small communities while at the same time many State operations 
centers in major cities still need assistance. So my amendment would 
strike the earmarks in the text of the Senate bill so that FEMA can 
decide which projects are homeland security priorities and Federal 
responsibilities.
  With regard to the Pre-Disaster Mitigation funds, the House report 
has earmarked one-fourth of the funds, and the Senate has so far not 
earmarked any of them. However, last year both the House and the Senate 
earmarked roughly 27 percent of the funds in conference. So my 
amendment directs FEMA to disregard any such earmarks in the 
explanatory statement of managers. As the majority of us will not be 
members of the conference committee, I urge my colleagues to consider 
whether it is in the best interests of your State to permit the 
earmarking of these critical homeland security funds outside of the 
regular legislative process.
  The chairman and the ranking member of the Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs Committee introduced legislation last year to 
mandate that Pre-Disaster Mitigation funds be awarded competitively. I, 
of course, commend both of them for their leadership on this issue.
  Given that a percentage of these funds are guaranteed for every State 
in light of the fact that all States are at risk of natural disasters, 
there is even less reason for these funds to be earmarked.
  President Obama has stated that he would like these funds to be 
awarded on the basis of risk. Federal law lays out the criteria for the 
competitive awarding of these grants and focuses on the need to fund 
those projects that will mitigate the most high-risk areas.
  Therefore, I think this amendment is consistent with the President's 
request that we focus on those communities that are in most need of 
assistance. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.
  I ask unanimous consent that Senator McCain be added as a cosponsor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. FEINGOLD. Not only will the amendment restore objectivity to two 
homeland security grant programs, it will also help ensure important 
decisions about Federal spending are actually made on the merits not on 
the basis of political backroom deals.
  I yield the floor, and I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. BROWN. I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning business.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


                           Generic Biologics

  Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, I thank my colleague from Ohio, Senator 
Voinovich, for allowing me to go first. I appreciate his public service 
as he concludes his Senate career in the next year and a half.
  This week Congress is debating whether to broaden access to 
affordable generic drugs for millions of Americans. Let me explain how 
access to generic drugs--and generic drugs for pharmaceuticals--so-
called chemical drugs are called generics, just to make this clear, for 
live--what are called biologics they are called follow-on biologics. 
But either is the same concept.
  Let me explain how the access to generic, or follow-on biologics, 
would benefit millions of Americans who cannot afford the crushing drug 
costs they face, whether prescription drugs or biologics.
  Sergio from Rocky River, a suburb west of Cleveland, wrote about how 
he and his family lost their health insurance last year and are heavily 
buried with debt. His young son has type 1 diabetes, a terrible disease 
that an increasing number of young people have. His wife has severe 
asthma, and Sergio had quadruple heart bypass surgery, along with 
surgeries to repair a hernia and treatment for back and knee injuries, 
all within the last 3 years. Sergio and his family have cut back on the 
medications they were taking and stopped going to the doctor because 
they can't afford the $35,000 in outstanding medical bills, much of it 
in prescription drug costs. Sergio writes that his family walks on 
eggshells each day hoping they don't get sick and slide further into 
debt.

[[Page 16887]]

  For far too long, Americans like Sergio have struggled with the 
exorbitant cost of prescription drugs. For far too long, soaring drug 
costs have meant seniors were forced to choose between eating and 
taking medicine. I have heard these stories for more than a decade, 
most acutely when I traveled with seniors from Ohio to Canada to buy 
affordable prescription drugs. I was a Member of the House in those 
days in the late 1990s. It was curious that an elected Federal official 
in one country would rent a bus and take 30 to 40 seniors 3 hours from 
Lorraine up through Toledo, OH, into Detroit, then into Windsor, 
Ontario, from one country to another to buy prescription drugs. Of 
course, I did that because these people were hurting. They didn't have 
decent health care and couldn't get low-cost prescription drugs. So 
they went to Canada where the prices were much, much cheaper, one-half 
to one-third the cost, the same drug, same manufacturer, same 
packaging, same dosage, but costing one-half or one-third as much.
  As we move forward on health care reform, we have the opportunity to 
make affordable generic drugs more accessible to seniors and to the 
Nation's middle class. Health care reform must broaden access to 
generic alternatives to the most expensive kinds of prescription drugs 
known as biologics. Biologics are different from the chemical 
pharmaceuticals we are most used to that sell in much larger numbers 
than the biologics based on living ingredients that are more expensive 
and--much more expensive to produce, originally, with the research but 
also much more expensive for the person taking the biologics. Failing 
to come up with generic alternatives to these most expensive kinds of 
prescription drugs is not just bad policy, it is irresponsible on our 
part.
  Countless Americans simply cannot afford these expensive brand-name 
drugs. These drugs provide promise and hope to those suffering from 
devastating diseases and chronic illness: cancer, Parkinson's, 
diabetes, Alzheimer's, MS. For example, annual treatment for breast 
cancer in the 1990s was with a drug called Taxol which cost an 
exorbitant amount of money--$4,000 a year. Today, annual treatment for 
some cancers--in this case, breast cancer--is with the biologic drug 
Herceptin, which costs $48,000 a year or $4,000 a month. Annual 
treatment for rheumatoid arthritis with Remicade costs approximately 
$20,000 a year, almost $2,000 a month. These drugs are simply too 
expensive for many people to afford.
  Liz from Brecksville is a director of a breast cancer advocacy group 
in northern Ohio and wrote to me that many of her members and clients 
face impossible financial barriers after being diagnosed with breast 
cancer and needing treatment. Liz works with breast cancer patients who 
face excessive copays and deductibles for prescription drugs, often 
with 10-year preexisting condition restrictions. That is why we must 
provide broader access to generic drugs to help lower prescription drug 
costs for millions of Americans.
  This isn't a debate about policy between biologics and follow-on 
biologics and prescription drugs and generics. That is interesting for 
the textbooks and the economists. This is about the lives of people who 
simply cannot afford $4,000 a month for a cancer drug, $1,500 a month 
for a drug if they are dealing with rheumatoid arthritis.
  Ensuring a pathway for generic drugs and breaking the monopoly 
pharmaceutical companies have on brand-name drugs can make prescription 
drugs affordable for Americans who need them. By setting a reasonable 
period of exclusivity for many brand-name drugs, we will speed up the 
generic approval process and speed up cost savings for families in 
Toledo, Lima, Canton, Youngstown, and Cincinnati, OH.
  It is estimated that biologics, those drugs that increasingly are 
used to help treat cancer and Parkinson's and diabetes and Alzheimer's 
and MS, will make up 50 percent of the pharmaceutical market by 2020. 
These are becoming more and more common. Yet there is not even a 
process to establish generic drug alternatives. Therefore, there is no 
price competition and the price for these biologics goes up and up and 
up. The prices go up and up and up, yet there is no competition and 
they can keep charging outrageous prices. These prescriptions cost 
anywhere from $10,000 a year, almost a $1,000 a month; sometimes they 
cost as much as $200,000 a year, which is $16,000 or $17,000 a month.
  We are not saying the prescription drug companies don't deserve a 
chance to recoup the $1.2 billion they spend on research and 
development. This chart is 1 year of sales with no competition from 
generics. It often means multiple billions of dollars in revenue. This 
was compiled by the AARP. The drug Enbrel for rheumatoid arthritis--
average cost to develop a new biotech product, $1.2 billion; annual 
total U.S. sales for top-selling biologic drug, $14.8 billion. Look at 
another pretty common drug, Remicade, for rheumatoid arthritis. In this 
case, this company spends a little more than $1.2 billion to develop 
this product; $13 billion in sales. We can go down the list: Epogen for 
anemia, Procrit for anemia, Rituxan for rheumatoid arthritis, Humira 
for rheumatoid arthritis, Avastin, Herceptin, Aranesp for anemia, 
Neulasta for neutropenia. On biologic after biologic, the average cost 
not just to develop this biologic, the average cost to the company as a 
whole for its successful biologics and its unsuccessful biologics, for 
the amount of research they are putting forward averaging $1.2 billion, 
look at their sales: 14.8, 13, almost 15, almost 14, almost 12, almost 
7, 8 billion, 5.5 billion, 11, almost 12 billion. These are costs for 
which consumers are paying $2,000 a month, $3,000 a month. They simply 
can barely afford it in many cases and can't afford it at all in other 
cases. These are costs that employers have to pay, that taxpayers have 
to pay if they are in Medicaid.
  It is pretty clear these are huge profits these companies are making. 
And I want more innovation. You bet I want to see these companies 
succeed. But they don't need to make these kinds of profits at the 
expense of taxpayers and small businesses that are paying the freight 
and larger businesses that are less competitive because they have to 
pay such high costs for health care. That makes it harder for GM to 
compete with Toyota and compete with overseas auto manufacturers, one 
after another after another.
  Sales in 2008 for the average biologic, not just the blockbusters, 
totaled over $666 million. That means it takes less than 2 years for 
the average brand-name biologic to recoup the R&D cost. Why are some of 
my colleagues advocating for a 12-year monopoly period? They want to 
give these companies that are recovering this kind of money this 
quickly each year, this kind of money with the kinds of sales they have 
had, they want to give them 12 years to recoup this $1.5 billion. Many 
of them recoup it in the first year, let alone the second, third, 
fourth, and fifth. Again, I want to have a healthy profit, but I don't 
want to see price gouging aimed at small businesses and large companies 
that are less competitive as a result, aimed at seniors and others who 
suffer from these diseases. Why a 12-year monopoly period? Twelve years 
sounds good. If the industry gets 12 years, they will laugh all the way 
to the bank. They will be exultant if they get 12 years.
  The President says 12 years is too long. The President thinks it 
should be 7. The Federal Trade Commission says it is too long. The 
Federal Trade Commission thinks giving them 12 years will actually 
reduce innovation because the drug companies won't even try to compete 
with themselves and come up with new drugs. Nearly everyone--insurance 
companies, patients groups, consumer groups, and the AARP--has said 
this is too long. All kinds of organized labor unions, because of their 
members, say it is too long. Most insurance companies say it is too 
long. Patient groups, groups that advocate for people with diabetes, 
with heart disease, groups that advocate for people with arthritis and 
MS and other deadly and crippling diseases--all say 12 years is too 
long. Everyone says 12 years is too long except two groups: the drug 
companies and some House Members and Senators.

[[Page 16888]]

  It is clear this is a fight between pharmaceutical companies looking 
to make lucrative profits and patients in need of prescription drugs.
  I read yesterday in the Washington Post how the pharmaceutical 
industry is spending well over $1 million every single day trying to 
influence the outcome of health care reform legislation. Over $1 
million a day spent to prevent generic drugs--affordable medicine--from 
making their way to seniors in Zanesville and Bolero and Youngstown and 
Van Wert and Piqua and all over my State, from making their way to 
people in middle-class families, to patients who can't afford brand-
name drugs. We can't let special interests or political maneuvering 
delay making affordable prescription drugs more available to millions 
of Americans.
  We are on the cusp of fundamental reform of our health care system. 
Let's not blow it. Let's not pass this giveaway of billions and 
billions of taxpayer dollars, individual dollars out of people's 
pockets, dollars raided from small businesses and large corporations 
alike.
  We should not let that stand in the way. We are on the cusp of 
meaningful, fundamental reform. We must ensure access to generic drugs 
that will reduce costs, that will improve quality of care for millions, 
that will mean more innovation and more miracle drugs. This is part of 
our historical moment. We need to do it right.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Ohio.
  Mr. VOINOVICH. I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning 
business.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. VOINOVICH. Mr. President, it is time for Congress to join forces 
and unite in a bipartisan way to help the President deal with the 
unbelievable challenges he has domestically and internationally. One 
easy way to help our Nation is by passing our appropriations bills by 
September 30. Our getting it done this year is urgent because of the 
state of our economy and the impact Federal spending has on that 
economy. Our reliance on continuing resolutions to fund the Federal 
Government continues to plague Congress and has a cascading effect on 
government agencies and the citizens they serve.
  In recent decades, it has become common for appropriations bills to 
be enacted after the start of the fiscal year, during the last quarter 
of the calendar year, or even in the next session of Congress, as was 
the case this year. Repeatedly managing by continuing resolution is 
inefficient. It results in wasteful spending, disruption and chaos in 
the operations of Federal programs, and dramatic productivity 
slowdowns. This is not a good record for either party and is an 
irresponsible approach to managing our limited resources. It has to 
stop.
  Last year, because the Senate did not do its job, agencies were 
rushed to spend their budgets before the end of the fiscal year and 
used overtime to ensure requests were processed before midnight on 
September 30, making it ripe for overspending as agencies stockpiled to 
try to meet future needs. This also means fewer dollars being returned 
to the Treasury to help reduce our growing budget deficit.
  We need to get back to basics to solve it. This is one problem the 
Congress can solve, and we need to do it this year. Congress may hold 
the power of the purse, but we undermine our credibility by starving 
good managers and agencies of necessary resources and by turning a 
blind eye to failing programs. This is about more than allocating 
funds. It is about good management and good public policy. I can assure 
you, as a county commissioner, mayor, and Governor, if the 
appropriations were not done on time we would have been run out of town 
for not doing our job.
  Inaction causes chaos in the operations of our Federal Government. 
Continuing resolutions do exactly what their name implies: they 
continue funding at prior year levels, without regard to whether 
changes in funding are necessary or appropriate. As a result, agency 
program managers are now in the untenable position of having to manage 
on the prior year's budget, which often results in a loss of 
productivity and a waste of taxpayer dollars. Imagine if these same 
program managers could spend their time instead on our current economic 
situation, ensuring that the stimulus funds are being spent wisely and 
appropriately.
  Programs which cannot justify the level of funding they used to have, 
and ought to be cut, will continue to get the level of funding they 
were getting. Likewise, programs for which increased need has been 
demonstrated, and which therefore should get increased funding, will 
continue to be funded at the prior year's level, leaving the increased 
need unaddressed.
  Since 1990, the Government Accountability Office has issued its 
biennial high-risk report, which examines the challenges faced by 
Federal programs and operations and recommends ways to improve their 
performance and accountability. Many of the programs on the GAO high-
risk list are dysfunctional and fail to deliver the intended services 
to the taxpayer. In other instances, the Federal Government is wasting 
taxpayer dollars that could be better used for higher priority programs 
or cutting the deficit.
  Imagine if we were able to dedicate 1 week--or even 1 day--per month 
as a body debating solutions to the challenges identified by GAO 
instead of debating whether and when to proceed on appropriations bills 
or throwing together a continuing resolution to ensure we avoid the 
embarrassment of a government shutdown.
  This is not a case of benign neglect. We have become overly reliant 
on past practice and refuse to make the end-to-end budget process a 
priority. Continuing appropriations acts have become commonplace and, 
unfortunately, fully integrated into the process. The end result is 
funding uncertainty--not because the money is not there but because 
Congress cannot join in a bipartisan manner and hammer out an agreement 
on how money should be spent. No business would manage its affairs in 
this manner, and neither should the Federal Government. As I said, the 
Federal Government is the only level of government that gets away with 
it.
  I think few in the Senate recognize the adverse impact continuing 
resolutions have on agencies where budgets rely heavily on personnel. 
Hiring freezes, cuts in training budgets have lasting effects. It is 
irresponsible for us not to provide appropriations on time to those we 
have asked to provide services to the American people and give them 
gigantic excuses to not perform.
  Our inaction also has an impact on program management. Federal public 
servants spend countless hours preparing detailed budget justifications 
for our review. We reward their hard work by asking them to spend their 
time figuring out how to manage under last year's budget. Imagine if 
these people could spend their time managing programs instead of 
figuring out how to operate under a continuing resolution, including 
completion of reprogramming requests.
  Managing by continuing resolution has the effect of delaying 
construction, reducing overall efficiency, wasting time and paper 
resources, and disallowing any new starts in procurement. Fortune 100 
companies do not walk away from difficult budget choices by taking a 
pass to the next fiscal year. Neither does Main Street USA. Regardless 
of whether you subscribe to the belief that CRs save money, this is no 
way to run an organization. It is part of our obligation to the 
American people to ensure our scarce resources are given to projects 
that produce results.
  I want to share a few examples of the true impact of continuing 
resolutions, taken from a memo prepared by the Congressional Research 
Service and hearings before the Committee on Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs.
  Let's take the Department of Education. The Impact Aid Program is an 
elementary and secondary education program that does not receive 
forward funding or advance appropriations and, therefore, is more 
easily affected by an

[[Page 16889]]

interim continuing resolution. Payments for children with disabilities 
are delayed when the Department of Education is operating under a 
continuing resolution.
  USAID: The delay of funding of the President's Malaria Initiative, 
which was enacted in order to reduce deaths due to malaria by 50 
percent, lasted until February 15, 2007, 5 months or 138 days into 
fiscal year 2007. Doing the math, this delay in funding relates to the 
loss of, say, 198,000 lives unnecessarily. In other words, by delaying 
it, the money was not there. We did not get the job done, and this 
resulted in the deaths of individuals.
  NASA: On June 8, 2009, the Federal Times reported the following from 
NASA Administrator Michael Griffin:

       Any time Congress passes a continuing resolution that holds 
     agencies to their current spending levels at a time when the 
     economy is experiencing inflation translates into a budget 
     cut. And so we will be cutting the budget at NASA and the 
     only question is how much. . . . And then the second 
     question, after how much is decided, is will the continuing 
     resolution be broadly applied and left to the discretion of 
     agency heads to implement or will special programs be 
     targeted to be either favored or disfavored.

  FEMA: In fiscal year 2008, the Emergency Food and Shelter Program, 
which ``provides emergency food and shelter to needy individuals,'' did 
not receive funds under the CR. Thus, the program did not have funds 
available for communities and their respective homeless provider 
agencies during what many view as critical winter months until February 
26, 2008, or 149 days into fiscal year 2008.
  The judiciary: The judiciary has had to resort to hiring freezes or 
furloughing employees under continuing resolutions. In fiscal year 
2004, the judiciary reduced 1,350 positions, with probation and 
pretrial services receiving significant cuts.
  HUD: During fiscal year--I am just giving you examples that have been 
pointed out by CRS. During fiscal year 2004, the Department of Housing 
and Urban Development had to temporarily suspend the General Insurance 
and Special Risk Insurance Fund of the Federal Housing Administration 
because the continuing resolution did not provide a sufficient credit 
subsidy to continue with the programs. During the suspension, HUD was 
unable to meet the needs of the borrowers who would ordinarily be 
served by the respective programs, which created uncertainty among the 
lenders and potential borrowers. Mr. President, I think most of us have 
seen what happens when we have uncertainty in our mortgage system.
  The Treasury Department: Continuing resolutions in fiscal year 2007 
and fiscal year 2008 limited and delayed the IRS's ability to implement 
improvements in the taxpayer service. Also, these continuing 
resolutions prevented the agency from making job offers to highly 
qualified candidates until enactment of a full year's appropriation.
  Just jerk them around.
  Research and development: Most research and development programs 
continue to receive funding at the prior year's level when operating 
under a continuing resolution. However, this funding mechanism can only 
support existing R&D priorities rather than shifting to new ones 
because only existing programs retain funding. New and emerging 
technologies must be funded in real time.
  The Social Security Administration: Operating under a continuing 
resolution for fiscal year 2010 will hamper efforts to reduce backlogs 
in the agency's disability program, which would result in decreased 
efficiency. Also, in previous years continuing resolutions caused the 
agency to implement a hiring freeze that contributed to service 
delivery problems. While Commissioner Astrue has gone to great lengths 
to send additional resources, for example, to my home State, Ohio still 
has people waiting more than 500 days for a decision on their Social 
Security disability claim.
  I was very critical of SSA. I started looking back on the continuing 
resolutions that were passed. It was a chaotic situation. They were not 
able to keep the people they had. They were not able to hire more 
people, and we have a 500-day wait now. I am sure the Presiding Officer 
gets the same complaints from his people that they cannot get their 
disability appeals heard.
  DHS: In testimony before the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on 
Management, the Department of Homeland Security's Deputy Procurement 
Officer, Richard Gunderson, spoke to the impact continuing resolutions 
have on the key homeland security programs. Gunderson testified:

       A CR would stop those programs in their tracks and we would 
     not be able to grow the way that everybody is saying that we 
     need to grow.

  Mr. President, there are a lot more examples of what I am talking 
about. I think this has to be the year we do our job. The Senator from 
Nevada, our leader, and the Senator from Kentucky, our minority leader, 
have both publicly stated that we need to do our job on time. As I 
mentioned earlier, the need for it is more urgent than ever before.
  If I were the President of the United States today, I would probably 
look at what the Congress is doing, and I think I would say: One of the 
greatest gifts you can give me, one of the greatest gifts you can give 
our country, is to do your work on time so we do not have this chaotic 
situation we have had for so many years.
  None of our hands are clean. None of our hands are clean. I have been 
here when we have deliberately not passed appropriations with the idea 
that maybe our guy is going to get elected President or we are going to 
get the majority in the Senate or the Congress and so then we can tweak 
it the way we want to because a majority is no longer in the majority.
  This game has been played for too long around here, and it is about 
time we recognized it and did something about it.
  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.
  Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. Shaheen). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

                          ____________________