6552 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE, Vol. 157, Pt. 5 May 4, 2011 SENATE—Wednesday, May 4, 2011 The Senate met at 10 a.m. and was morning business for debate only until States in the region that have been af- called to order by the Honorable 12 p.m. with Senators permitted to fected by this terrible flooding. In KIRSTEN E. GILLIBRAND, a Senator from speak therein for up to 10 minutes many cases this flooding is, unfortu- the State of New York. each, with the first hour equally di- nately, going to be there for some vided and controlled between the two time. PRAYER leaders or their designees, with the ma- One of the properties I showed was in The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- jority controlling the first 30 minutes Cairo, IL. The water is already waist fered the following prayer: and the Republicans controlling the high and will continue to rise. It can be Let us pray. next 30 minutes. weeks before people can return home to Eternal Lord God, the Father of mer- The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- see what, if anything, they can salvage. cies, show mercy to our Nation and the pore. The Senator from Illinois. Late Monday night, the Army Corps world. In Your mercy, give our Sen- f of Engineers made a very difficult deci- ators a discerning spirit so that they SCHEDULE sion. They blew a hole in a levee on the Missouri side of the Mississippi River will understand our times and know ex- Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, the actly what they should do. Lord, in- near Cairo, IL, to relieve pressure on filing deadline for all second-degree the levee and on other levees along the struct them in knowledge that trans- amendments to S. 493, the small busi- forms, enabling them to guide others Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. That deci- ness jobs bill, is at 11 a.m. There will sion will flood farmland, and that through exemplary living. Provide for be up to two rollcall votes at noon. The their needs, lighten their burdens, and flooding will relieve some of the pres- first rollcall vote will be on the motion sure on the towns and communities, fill them with Your joy. Refresh them to invoke cloture on S. 493, the small with Your presence as You equip them the families and homes which have business jobs bill. If cloture is not in- been threatened by these rising river to serve You and humanity. voked on the bill, the Senate will im- We pray in Your holy Name. Amen. waters. mediately proceed to a second vote on The decision to disable the levee at f the motion to invoke cloture on the Birds Point in Missouri, as difficult as nomination of John McConnell to be PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE it was, may have saved the lives of U.S. District Judge for the District of some of the nearly 3,000 people in The Honorable KIRSTEN E. GILLI- Rhode Island. Cairo, IL, and surrounding commu- BRAND led the Pledge of Allegiance, as f follows: nities. There are early indications that MIDWEST FLOODING the Army Corps plan is starting to I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the work. The Ohio River has already United States of America, and to the Repub- Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, hun- 1 lic for which it stands, one nation under God, dreds of local first responders, 500 Na- dropped 1 ⁄2 feet at Cairo since 10 indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. tional Guardsmen, and hundreds of vol- o’clock Monday night. Engineers esti- mate the water level may go down as f unteers in southern Illinois are work- ing around the clock to try to protect much as 7 feet as a result of the release APPOINTMENT OF ACTING homes and communities from the ris- of water at Birds Point. PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE ing waters of the Ohio River and other I want to make it clear to the people The PRESIDING OFFICER. The rivers in the region. of Missouri, to my colleagues from clerk will please read a communication I have a photo that shows the devas- Missouri, that I will stand with them to the Senate from the President pro tation, which I witnessed personally to make certain there is compensation given to those farmers and homeowners tempore (Mr. INOUYE.) last Friday. This is an area of southern The legislative clerk read the fol- Illinois, one that has been hard pressed who were affected by this decision to lowing letter: economically, has been struggling, and open this levee. Their misfortune is going to spare literally thousands of U.S. SENATE, now is inundated with flooding. homes and businesses from the inunda- PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, A few days ago when I visited Olive Washington, DC, May 4, 2011. Branch and Cairo, IL, near the south- tion of these floodwaters, and we To the Senate: ern tip of the State, I saw this flooding should stand with them just as if they Under the provisions of rule I, paragraph 3, firsthand. Homes, barns, and roads were the victims of the original flood- of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby were covered by floodwater. Voluntary ing. appoint the Honorable KIRSTEN E. GILLI- evacuations have been called for in a I am thankful for the good news that BRAND, a Senator from the State of New dozen Illinois towns, and people are the river levels are coming down, but York, to perform the duties of the Chair. scrambling to find a place to stay with the flooding is far from over. Water DANIEL K. INOUYE, continues to rise and overtop levees President pro tempore. friends and family and shelters to wait throughout the southern part of my Mrs. GILLIBRAND thereupon as- out the flood. They worry about what will happen, State. My heart goes out to the men sumed the chair as Acting President when they will get back in their and women piling sandbags, to the Na- pro tempore. homes, and when the kids will get back tional Guard—God love them; every f to school. time we have an emergency in our State, they are there working night RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME This is another photo which dem- onstrates the kind of floodwaters that and day—also to the men and women of The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- people are struggling with in my part the Army Corps of Engineers, the Illi- pore. Under the previous order, the of the world in southern Illinois. My nois Department of Natural Resources, leadership time is reserved. colleague, Senator KIRK, was in south- the Illinois Emergency Management f ern Illinois over the last couple of days Agency, and all of the agencies—Fed- and has witnessed this firsthand as eral, State and local—that are pitching MORNING BUSINESS well. in. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- We are both prepared to do whatever I stand ready with Senator KIRK to pore. The Senate will be in a period of we can to help our State and all of the help in any way we can in Illinois and ● This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. VerDate Mar 15 2010 12:18 May 20, 2014 Jkt 099102 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0686 Sfmt 0634 E:\BR11\S04MY1.000 S04MY1 ehiers on DSK2VPTVN1PROD with BOUND RECORD May 4, 2011 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE, Vol. 157, Pt. 5 6553 here in Washington over the next few America faces, in his words, ‘‘the most What I am saying this morning is days and weeks. predictable economic crisis in his- that the danger posed by the debt is I yield the floor. tory.’’ not uncertain. f Few of us saw the last crisis mate- It is coming right at us. rialize. This one we can see. And a It is, as the cochair of the President’s RECOGNITION OF THE MINORITY growing number of people now recog- Debt Commission put it, the most pre- LEADER nize that the upcoming vote on the dictable crisis in history. And anyone The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- debt limit provides us with the single who is more concerned about raising pore. The Republican leader is recog- best opportunity we have to avoid this the debt ceiling than in using this de- nized. crisis before it strikes. bate as an opportunity to prevent this f This is the moment to get serious most predictable crisis will answer for about preventing this approaching cri- it. The American people will make sure DEBT LIMIT sis and to show the world that we can of it. Mr. MCCONNELL. Madam President, come together, not for the sake of Some may continue to deny that we although lawmakers returned to Wash- party but for all Americans. need to do something about the debt; ington this week amidst news of a sig- The world is waiting for America to that the only thing we need to do is nal achievement in the war on terror, get its fiscal house in order. The fact raise the debt limit and leave it at we also return to many critical debates that members of both major parties are that. They want people to think this is about the situation here at home. now showing a willingness to do it is all just some political exercise, and Gas prices are straining budgets and an encouraging sign. that we all just vote according to the threatening to stall the economic re- But if we are actually going to do President’s political affiliation any- bound we have all been waiting for.