Congressional Record United States Th of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 113 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION

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, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2013 No. 117 Senate The Senate met at 2:00 p.m. and was Mr. KAINE thereupon assumed the of New York, at 5:30 p.m., and then called to order by the Honorable TIM chair as Acting President pro tempore. there will be two rollcall votes on the KAINE, a Senator from the Common- f confirmation of those nominations. We wealth of Virginia. may only have one rollcall vote and RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY one voice vote, but we will get both of PRAYER LEADER them done today. The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- I just moved to proceed to the joint fered the following prayer: pore. The majority leader is recog- resolution reported last week by the Let us pray. nized. Foreign Relations Committee to au- Shepherd of our souls, the center of f thorize the limited use of force against our joy, we look to You today for Syria. This matter demands the atten- strength and wisdom. Lord, we ac- THE CHAPLAIN tion of the Senate and this country. It knowledge that unless You guard our Mr. REID. Mr. President, I just had a is this resolution the Senate will turn Nation, our efforts to find security are brief conversation with the Chaplain, to. Regardless of where Senators stand futile. who came down to wish me well on my on the merits of this issue, we should Today illuminate the minds of our return. He indicated he was going to do have this debate. I hope all Senators Senators with the light of Your in- a special prayer this afternoon for the will support proceeding to this meas- sights, enabling them to act decisively. Senate in this time of crisis. I am al- ure. That vote will occur sometime on As they anticipate the forces that ways aware of how he looks out for us Wednesday on the motion to proceed. threaten freedom in our world, lead spiritually. The prayer is for Demo- Under a previous order, at 11 tomor- them on the path that will bring life, crats, Republicans—all of us. His pray- row morning, the Senate is to have a liberty, and joy. ers are very heart-warming. Not only is motion to proceed to the energy effi- ciency bill. It is obvious we are not We pray in Your merciful Name. he our chaplain, but he is a retired ad- going to be able to do that. I will work Amen. miral in the U.S. Navy. He has been all with the Republican leader to reach a f over the world in that capacity. We ap- consent agreement to defer consider- preciate him very much. We don’t ac- PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE ation of that bill to a later time. knowledge him as often as we should. I On the Syria resolution, I intend that The Presiding Officer led the Pledge appreciate how he is always available of Allegiance, as follows: the Senate should have a full and open and so kind and thoughtful to every- debate. I encourage Senators to come I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the one. United States of America, and to the Repub- to the floor to begin that debate. lic for which it stands, one nation under God, f Also this week, President Obama will indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. AUTHORIZING THE LIMITED AND come to the Capitol to address the f SPECIFIED USE OF THE UNITED Democratic caucus. He has also ex- STATES ARMED FORCES tended his invitation to the Repub- APPOINTMENT OF ACTING licans. I have not heard back from the PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE AGAINST SYRIA—MOTION TO PROCEED Republicans as to whether they wish to The PRESIDING OFFICER. The hear from the President. clerk will please read a communication Mr. REID. Mr. President, I now move President Obama will address the Na- to the Senate from the President pro to consider S.J. Res. 21. tion tomorrow evening. Senior admin- tempore (Mr. LEAHY). The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- istration officials will brief all Sen- The legislative clerk read the fol- pore. The clerk will report the joint ators in a classified session on Wednes- lowing letter. resolution by title. day. There will be other meetings in U.S. SENATE, The legislative clerk read as follows: the White House today with Demo- PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, Motion to proceed to S.J. Res. 21 to au- cratic and Republican Senators. The Washington, DC, September 9, 2013. thorize limited and specified use of the Senate will give this matter the seri- To the Senate: United States Armed Forces against Syria. ous attention it deserves. Under the provisions of rule I, paragraph 3, SCHEDULE CHEMICAL WEAPONS of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby Mr. REID. Mr. President, this Mr. President, the first large-scale appoint the Honorable TIM KAINE, a Senator from the Commonwealth of Virginia, to per- evening the Senate will proceed to ex- military use of deadly military weap- form the duties of the Chair. ecutive session to consider a couple of ons occurred almost 100 years ago when PATRICK J. LEAHY, would-be judges, Caproni and Brod- the Germans deployed chlorine gas dur- President pro tempore. erick, both from the Southern District ing World War I. During that war, ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S6273 . VerDate Mar 15 2010 01:54 Sep 11, 2013 Jkt 079060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\RECORD13\RECFILES\S09SE3.REC S09SE3 bjneal on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with CONG-REC-ONLINE S6274 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE September 9, 2013 World War I, there were 1,200,000 cas- ing those attacks died terrible deaths. Today, many Americans say that ualties from attacks with deadly tox- Their death was just as painful and these atrocities are none of our busi- ins—chlorine gas, mustard gas, and shocking as those suffered on the bat- ness, that they are not our concern. I other deathly and destructive chemical tlefields of World War I. These deaths disagree. Anytime the powerful turn agents. Great Britain, Austria, Hun- were just as terrible as those that con- such weapons of terror and destruction gary, France, Germany, Italy, and the vinced the global community to outlaw against the powerless it is our busi- United States all suffered losses. the use of such brutal tactics against ness. ‘‘This is a horrible weapon,’’ wrote soldiers, and, of course, against inno- The weapons in question are cat- German Major Karl von Zinger, who re- cent civilians such as those Asad mur- egorically different. Chemical weapons, ported a firsthand battlefield account dered last month. we know, can kill not just dozens or of the carnage to his superior officers. The evidence of the Asad regime, and hundreds of people but tens of thou- One hundred thousand soldiers died, their using outlawed nerve agents sands of innocents in a single attack— and most of the other casualties were against its own citizens, is clear and tens of thousands. These weapons don’t debilitated for life by the exposure to very convincing. The Syrian Govern- just pose a threat to the Syrian people these deadly toxins. The effects of ment has worked to hide the gruesome or to our allies in the region; they pose these killers were horrific. Those who evidence. They have done it a number a threat to every one of us, every didn’t die suffered blindness, burns, of different ways. After the bodies had American, and, in particular, every blisters, and labored breathing. For been cleared away, they sent a barrage member of the U.S. Armed Forces. those dying, it was as terrible as any- of weaponry in there—artillery and If we allow Asad’s use of chemical one could imagine. The great World tanks—and blasted the ground and de- weapons to go unchecked and unan- War I era poet Wilfred Owen from stroyed the evidence. They couldn’t de- swered, hostile forces around the world Great Britain wrote that gassed sol- stroy it; it is still there, but they did will also assume that these terrible diers cried out like men on fire as they try. They worked very hard to hide tactics of demons such as Asad are per- drowned in air thick with poison. The these gruesome attacks by repeatedly missible, that they are OK. That Amer- world was horrified by the gruesome- bombing the site of these grisly and ica cannot allow. That is why the mas- ness of these new evil weapons of war, unforgettable occurrences. Without sacres in Syria are our business and and so, as a global community, we question, this brutality demands a re- our concern, both as humans and as agreed these weapons should be ban- sponse. The satellite imagery and ama- Americans. America’s willingness to ished from the battlefield forever. teur video shot by eyewitnesses—and I stand for what is right should not end Despite the success of global efforts talked about that—paint a clear pic- at its borders. to eliminate their use, today the Syr- ture of the brutality of this awful re- Our intervention on behalf of those ian Government is the second largest gime. in danger hasn’t always been popular. holder of chemical weapons in the President Obama sought approval 2 Look back at history.

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