Senate the Senate Met at 9:45 A.M
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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 109 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION Vol. 152 WASHINGTON, TUESDAY, APRIL 25, 2006 No. 46 Senate The Senate met at 9:45 a.m. and was appoint the Honorable JIM DEMINT, a Sen- Passover recess. It was a 2-week recess, called to order by the Honorable JIM ator from the State of South Carolina, to where many had the opportunity to DEMINT, a Senator from the State of perform the duties of the Chair. spend time with our families and with South Carolina. TED STEVENS, our constituents back at home. I hope President pro tempore. everybody had a rejuvenating and pro- PRAYER Mr. DEMINT thereupon assumed the ductive period of time because we have chair as Acting President pro tempore. The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- a lot to do. fered the following prayer: f We have before us a 5-week block of Let us pray: RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY time, during which I intend to keep the O God of mercies, You preserve the LEADER Senate focused on the big challenges seas and all that is in them. You have The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- facing America and on delivering promised to keep in perfect peace those pore. The majority leader is recog- meaningful solutions to the problems whose minds are fixed on You. nized. Americans are seeing out there every Give our Senators today the serenity day, some of which are very apparent that comes through trusting in Your f and some of which are not very appar- strength. As they do the work of free- SCHEDULE ent in their everyday lives. dom, may they seek Your guidance and Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, today, we As we set out from the very start, the wisdom. Lead them with Your precepts will start with a 1-hour period of morn- goal of this Republican-led Senate is to to the decisions that will honor Your ing business, and following that we will make America safer, stronger, more name. Give your peace and unity to go into executive session to consider productive, and healthier. That applies their hearts so that harmony can be the nomination of Gray Miller to be a across the board, from the war on ter- seen in their interactions. Shine Your U.S. district judge for the Southern ror abroad—and we will have a lot of light within them so that they can District of Texas. We have 10 minutes discussion on that on the supple- serve humanity well. allocated for debate on that nomina- mental—to the family budget right Help us all to humble ourselves under tion, with the vote occurring after that here at home, and people are feeling Your mighty hand, that You may exalt time. the pinch of gasoline prices and sky- us in due time. We pray in Your sov- Senators can expect the first vote rocketing health care costs every day. ereign Name. Amen. today at approximately 11 o’clock this Time is of the essence. We have seri- f morning. We have a group of Senators ous issues to tackle in 5 short weeks. That means working together, pulling PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE going to the White House. Therefore, we want to start that vote no later the very best out of both sides of the The Honorable JIM DEMINT led the than 11 o’clock. I hope Members will be aisle, and recognizing that obstruction Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: able to keep their remarks brief so we is not in order as we proceed along this I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United can get to that vote. upward path of producing for the States of America, and to the Republic for After the vote, we will resume con- American people. which it stands, one nation under God, indi- sideration of the supplemental appro- It is an election year. That always visible, with liberty and justice for all. priations bill. There is an opportunity makes it challenging for everything we f for Senators to give opening state- do every step along the way. But the APPOINTMENT OF ACTING ments this morning prior to the policy American people expect us to legislate, PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE lunch. The Senate will recess for each to govern, and not to get mired down in partisan obstruction and partisan The PRESIDING OFFICER. The party’s policy meeting between 12:30 politics. It is our obligation and re- clerk will please read a communication and 2:15. Later this afternoon, I expect sponsibility to deliver to them. We to the Senate from the President pro amendments to be offered to the sup- have the challenges out there. We have tempore (Mr. STEVENS). plemental, and I hope we will be voting The legislative clerk read the fol- on those amendments during today’s to act and we need to act with solu- lowing letter: session. tions. That is what the American peo- f ple expect—challenge, action, solu- U.S. SENATE, tions. That is what they deserve. PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, FOCUSING ON THE CHALLENGES We need to support our troops who Washington, DC, April 25, 2006. FACING AMERICA To the Senate: are fighting in the field for our freedom Under the provisions of rule I, paragraph 3, Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I welcome and safety. We need to address the sky- of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby my colleagues back from the Easter/ rocketing health care costs and make ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S3435 . VerDate Mar 15 2010 23:59 Feb 05, 2014 Jkt 081600 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\2006SENATE\S25AP6.REC S25AP6 mmaher on DSKCGSP4G1 with SOCIALSECURITY S3436 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE April 25, 2006 health care more affordable, more ac- out and gain that purchasing clout more to do. In the next 5 weeks, I in- cessible to every American, no matter which we know in the marketplace can tend to bring legislation to the floor to where they live. We need to put judges drive prices down. It can make those eliminate the death tax once and for on the bench who interpret and not insurance policies less expensive and all. The death tax is unfair, it is ineffi- make the law. We need to keep our thus more accessible. cient, and it taxes people for dying. It economy strong and growing. We need The Enzi legislation, when fully is double and triple taxation. The to tackle that rising cost of gasoline. phased in, would reduce employer pre- death tax drives hard-working people Right now it is up, teetering at the $3 miums by 12 percent and the number of to spend billions of dollars on com- level. That is too much to be paying uninsured workers by at least a mil- plicated tax structures for the sole pur- per gallon. lion. Voters are close to unanimous in pose of avoiding death taxes on income Over the next 5 weeks, we are going their support for allowing self-em- that has already been taxed. to tackle each of these items. I call ployed workers and small business em- Because of Katrina, we could not upon my colleagues on both sides to ployees to band together to negotiate move forward on repealing the death work together to get this done for the lower insurance costs as spelled out in tax last fall, but now is the time to sake of our fellow citizens who have that Enzi bill. bury that death tax once and for all. sent us here to work for them, to rep- Again, challenge, action, solutions. It Keeping America strong, protecting resent them. is time to get it done. the democratic process means pro- Unfortunately, before the Easter re- We have also known for some time tecting the separation of powers. We cess, obstruction from the other side that the medical malpractice system is need judges who interpret the law and got in the way of comprehensive border broken. It is driving up costs, driving who don’t make law from the bench. security and immigration reform. But my doctor colleagues out of their pro- We have made substantial progress as I have announced over the last cou- fessions, from practicing medicine and on judicial nominations. We put one ple of days, I intend to bring this issue delivering care. Nearly half of Amer- Chief Justice, one Associate Justice, back and to continue driving forward ica’s counties today lack an obstetri- six previously filibustered circuit court cian/gynecologist, and that is due in on this important issue to the Amer- nominees, 20 other circuit nominees, large part to excessive, skyrocketing ican people. We need real border secu- and 104 district court nominees on the medical malpractice premiums. Three rity. That includes a fence along cer- bench since 2003. But we cannot rest on out of four neurosurgeons will no tain parts of the border, surveillance that progress. longer operate on children. When you along other parts of the border. But we Terry Boyle is one example of a ask why, it is because of medical liabil- have to get this border under control. nominee who deserves our consider- ity. And 79 percent of doctors practice We took very positive steps last year in ation. He was nominated for a circuit defensive medicine for fear of getting increasing the number of border agents court judgeship back in 1991 and then sued.