Congressional Record United States Th of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 110 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION
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E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 110 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 153 WASHINGTON, THURSDAY, APRIL 12, 2007 No. 59 House of Representatives The House was not in session today. Its next meeting will be held on Monday, April 16, 2007, at 2 p.m. Senate THURSDAY, APRIL 12, 2007 The Senate met at 9:30 a.m. and was to the Senate from the President pro this week. A lot will depend on what called to order by the Honorable BEN- tempore (Mr. BYRD). happens in the motion to proceed on JAMIN L. CARDIN, a Senator from the The legislative clerk read the fol- the Intelligence bill. State of Maryland. lowing letter: f U.S. SENATE, PRAYER PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, FIRST 100 DAYS Washington, DC, April 12, 2007. The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- Mr. REID. Mr. President, last No- fered the following prayer: To the Senate: Under the provisions of rule I, paragraph 3, vember, the call for change in Wash- Let us pray. of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby ington rang out from coast to coast. Lord of humanity, forgive our foolish appoint the Honorable BENJAMIN L. CARDIN, The Presiding Officer was one of the re- ways. We have tried to enjoy freedom a Senator from the State of Maryland, to sults of that historic vote on November without duty and have attempted to perform the duties of the Chair. 7, which has been good for the people of receive forgiveness without true re- ROBERT C. BYRD, the State of Maryland and for the peo- President pro tempore. pentance. Forgive us. We have received ple of this country. The American peo- without gratitude and without giving Mr. CARDIN thereupon assumed the ple called for us to put partisanship in return. Forgive us. We have sought chair as Acting President pro tempore. aside in pursuit of common ground, to for victory without wisdom or sac- f end the culture of corruption, to cast rifice. Show us the folly of our ways. RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY away the rubber stamp, and, most im- Transform our contrition into exem- LEADER portantly, to change the course in Iraq. plary living for Your glory. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- This Congress has heard that call. As Today, bless our Senators as they we reach our 100th day, we are well on labor for You and country. Create in pore. The majority leader is recog- nized. our way to delivering a government as them hearts fit to be filled with Your good and honest as the people it serves. presence and minds ready to think f From the very first day, we knew all Your thoughts. Go before them to show SCHEDULE our progress would depend on renewing the way. the people’s faith in the integrity of We pray in Your merciful Name. Mr. REID. Mr. President, this morn- Congress. And just as an aside, Mr. Amen. ing there will be a period of 60 minutes for morning business. The majority President, I would note that while I am f will control the first 30 minutes and not much of a poll watcher, it was PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE the Republicans the second 30 minutes. brought to my attention earlier this week that the polls showed the Amer- The Honorable BENJAMIN L. CARDIN Following morning business, the Sen- led the Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: ate will resume the motion to proceed ican people are much more supportive to S. 372, the Intelligence authorization of the Congress than they were just a I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Repub- bill, and vote soon thereafter on a mo- few months ago. A lot of that is as a re- lic for which it stands, one nation under God, tion to invoke cloture on the motion to sult of what we have been able to do indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. proceed. I have been advised that the here. f chairman of the Intelligence Com- Our first order of business was pass- mittee, Senator ROCKEFELLER, will be ing the toughest lobbying ethics re- APPOINTMENT OF ACTING on the floor and will speak prior to the form legislation in the Nation’s his- PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE vote. tory, and we have done that. We voted The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Later today, I will have more to say to give working Americans a much de- clerk will please read a communication about the schedule for the remainder of served and long overdue raise in the ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S4399 . VerDate Aug 31 2005 00:39 Apr 13, 2007 Jkt 059060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0637 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A12AP6.000 S12APPT1 mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with SENATE S4400 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE April 12, 2007 minimum wage. We passed a con- its rightful, constitutionally mandated ican troops doesn’t end when they tinuing resolution that enacted tough role as a coequal branch of Govern- leave Iraq; it must continue when they spending limitations, and earmarks ment. The Bush administration is fi- come home to American soil. were eliminated. We passed every sin- nally being held accountable for some No single piece of legislation will gle recommendation of the 9/11 Com- of its failures—and I say some of them, bring this tragic war to a climax. The mission, after they languished in the whether the political manipulation at American people understand that, but Congress for years with nothing being the Department of Justice, where we they elected us to lead the way, to done. We passed a responsible pay-as- learned today that all the e-mails deal- chart a new course, showing President you-go budget that cut taxes for work- ing with their so-called political com- Bush the way forward, and in these ing people and invested more in edu- puters appear to have been destroyed first 100 days, we have done precisely cation, veterans, and health care. And or hidden—just part of the manipula- that on the war in Iraq and the issues I might say that as a result of Senator tions of this very historic Justice De- here at home. JOHNSON being incapacitated for the partment, and I mean historic in the In the weeks and months ahead, we next few weeks, we were able to pass sense of being the most corrupt ever, will continue to do the very best we that budget even though the margin the most inept ever. We have also been can to change the direction at home here was 50 to 49. We had two brave Re- able to look at this administration for and abroad. publicans to join with us on this very its failures at Walter Reed, the deplor- f sound budget, which we appreciate able conditions at Walter Reed, and the very much—Senators SNOWE and COL- tragic mishandling of the war in Iraq. RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME LINS—and it was done even though in No message was more clear in No- The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- the past the Republicans couldn’t pass vember than the call for a new direc- pore. Under the previous order, the the budget with a much larger major- tion in Iraq. Yet, in the months that leadership time is reserved. ity than we have. have passed, President Bush has only Yesterday, we passed legislation of- dug us deeper, deeper in this intrac- f fering the promise of stem cell re- table civil war going on in Iraq. Now MORNING BUSINESS search in a responsible, ethical way, we hear the Army will be forced to put The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- with 66 votes—or actually 63, but three further strain on the troops by extend- pore. There will now be a period for the Democratic Senators were unable to be ing their tours of duty from 12 to 15 transaction of morning business for 60 here. They would have voted for that. months. Next, the Marine Corps will minutes, with Senators permitted to So 66—1 short of being able to override have added time to their already speak therein for up to 10 minutes the promised veto of the President. I strained forces. each, with the first 30 minutes con- think it is very possible we will get Today, although you didn’t read it in trolled by the majority leader or his this bill, and it will be the first to over- the paper because it happened since the designee and the last 30 minutes con- ride the President’s veto. I think we papers went to print, a bridge in Iraq trolled by the Republican leader or his can do that. There must be another Re- was blown up right in the city of Bagh- designee. publican who will step forward, in a dad, with cars piled up off of that. They The Senator from New York is recog- profile in courage, and vote with us and do not know how many are dead as a nized. give hope to millions of Americans. result of that. In the Green Zone, in- In the weeks ahead, we will turn our side the Iraqi Parliament, a bomb went f focus to reducing drug costs for senior off today, killing members of Par- FIRST 100 DAYS citizens. That is going to be a battle liament.