Senate Section
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 113 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 159 WASHINGTON, THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2013 No. 33 Senate The Senate met at 10 a.m. and was ator from the State of Hawaii, to perform get back to regular order, they say, we called to order by the Honorable BRIAN the duties of the Chair. could function again. Yesterday, we SCHATZ, a Senator from the State of PATRICK J. LEAHY, saw both sides of that. Hawaii. President pro tempore. On the one hand, my Republican col- Mr. SCHATZ thereupon assumed the leagues did practice regular order. On PRAYER chair as Acting President pro tempore. the other, they didn’t. Let’s take the The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- f one they didn’t. fered the following prayer: They demanded a 60-vote threshold RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY for confirmation of a very qualified Let us pray. LEADER God, our fortress, we live under Your nominee, Caitlin Halligan, to be United protection. Keep America safe from the The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- States Court of Appeals Judge for the forces of evil that come against it. pore. The majority leader is recog- DC Circuit. Republicans once again hid behind a cloture vote—filibuster, by Lead our Senators away from the trap nized. another term—to prevent a simple up- of trusting only in their resources so f or-down vote on this important nomi- that they will never forget that noth- SCHEDULE nation. They took the easy way out. ing truly succeeds without You. You do On the other hand, one Republican great things, O Lord. Your thoughts Mr. REID. Mr. President, following leader remarks, the Senate will resume Senator did return to regular order. As are too deep for us to comprehend is his right, he spoke for as long as he without the gift of Your discernment. executive session to consider the nomi- nation of John Brennan to be the Di- was able to speak. And that is a fili- Give Your spirit’s discernment to our buster. After 12 hours standing and lawmakers. Show them Your ways and rector of the Central Intelligence talking, this is how Senator PAUL teach them Your paths. Be their Agency. I ask unanimous consent that the time until 12:30 and the time from ended his filibuster: strength and shield this day and al- I would go for another 12 hours to try to ways. 2:00 until 3:00 be equally divided in the usual form, and that I be recognized at break Strom Thurmond’s record, but I’ve We pray in Your sacred Name. Amen. discovered there are some limits to filibus- 3 p.m. tering and I’m going to have to take care of f The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- one of those in a few minutes here. pore. Without objection, it is so or- PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Well, I have been involved in a few dered. filibusters, as RAND PAUL was yester- The Honorable BRIAN SCHATZ led the Mr. REID. Mr. President, the Senate day, and what I have learned from my Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: will recess from 12:30 until 2 p.m. experiences with talking filibusters is I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the today. Both the majority and minority this: To succeed, you need strong con- United States of America, and to the Repub- have caucus meetings. Cloture was victions but also a strong bladder. It is lic for which it stands, one nation under God, filed on the nomination this morning. obvious Senator PAUL has both. indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. If no agreement is reached, we are We should all reflect on what hap- going to vote Saturday morning. I hope f pened yesterday as we proceed with we can arrive at an earlier vote, but ev- other nominations, including a lot of APPOINTMENT OF ACTING eryone should note we have sent direc- judicial nominations. This can be a PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE tives to all of the Senators on this side Senate where ideas are debated in full indicating we may need a vote on Sat- public view and obstruction happens in The PRESIDING OFFICER. The urday. We need to do this because we clerk will please read a communication full public view as well or it can be a have to be on the continuing resolution Senate where a couple Senators ob- to the Senate from the President pro on Monday, and we have to finish that tempore (Mr. LEAHY). struct from behind closed doors with- next week because the next week is the out ever coming to the Senate floor. The bill clerk read the following let- budget and we have to do that before f ter: the break we take for Easter. U.S. SENATE, BLOODY SUNDAY f PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, Mr. REID. Mr. President, forty-eight Washington, DC, March 7, 2013. REGULAR ORDER To the Senate: years ago today, a young man by the Under the provisions of rule I, paragraph 3, Mr. REID. Mr. President, my Repub- name of JOHN LEWIS set out on a march of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby lican colleagues love to extol the vir- across Alabama, from Selma to Mont- appoint the Honorable BRIAN SCHATZ, a Sen- tues of regular order. If only we could gomery. By his side were a few hundred ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S1239 . VerDate Mar 15 2010 00:18 Mar 08, 2013 Jkt 029060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A07MR6.000 S07MRPT1 jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with SENATE S1240 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE March 7, 2013 freedom-loving men and women calling waited hours to cast a ballot in 2012 Second, in reviewing Mr. Brennan’s for an end to discrimination violence knows that is not true. A 102-year-old nomination, Senator PAUL has asked a against African Americans. woman waited 8 hours to vote. And series of questions of the executive Today, JOHN LEWIS is a distinguished anyone who has watched the State leg- branch. Senator PAUL has a right to member of the U.S. House of Rep- islature pass laws designed to intimi- ask questions of the administration, resentatives, but back then when he date eligible voters and keep the poor, and the administration has a responsi- was a young civil rights leader, he was minorities, and the elderly from the bility to answer in keeping with the determined to fight injustice and force polls knows the fight for freedom is not rules established for oversight of intel- the United States to live up to its over. ligence activities and for protecting founding principle that all people are America has made great strides to sensitive information. created equal. eradicate racism, thanks to legends The specific question, however, is not I had the good fortune to go—not this such as JOHN LEWIS. But, together, we an intelligence-related question but a year but a year or two ago—down to must guard that progress with vigi- straightforward legal question: Does Selma and participate in this reenact- lance, keeping in mind the sacrifices the President have the authority to ment. JOHN LEWIS was there, as I saw made by so many 48 years ago today. order the use of lethal force against a on TV a few days ago. It was a cold day f U.S. citizen who is not a combatant on when I went there, and you saw them U.S. soil without due process of law? RECOGNITION OF THE MINORITY To his credit, John Brennan directly all bundled a few days ago. And on the LEADER day of the march, you see the TV pic- answered the question motivating Sen- ator PAUL’s filibuster: The Central In- tures of JOHN LEWIS with a long coat, The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- telligence Agency does not conduct le- and he had a backpack. I asked him pore. The Republican leader is recog- thal operations inside the United what was in the backpack. He said, I nized. States, nor does it have the authority thought I would be arrested and I f to do so. What is befuddling is why the would be put in jail. I had in that back- BRENNAN NOMINATION Attorney General has not directly and pack an apple and a book I was read- Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, yes- clearly answered the question. ing. terday the junior the Senator from The U.S. military no more has the After being viciously beaten, JOHN Kentucky took to the Senate floor to right to kill a U.S. citizen on U.S. soil LEWIS doesn’t know what happened to exercise his rights as an individual who is not a combatant with an armed his apple, his book, or his backpack. Senator in pursuit of an answer from unmanned aerial vehicle than it does But what a legend he has become. He the Attorney General concerning the with an M–16. The technology is beside wasn’t arrested that day. Instead, JOHN rights of U.S. citizens. the point. It simply doesn’t have that and the peaceful protesters by his side The filibuster was extended, heart- right, and the administration should were met a few blocks into their march felt, and important, and I wish to say a simply answer the question.