Senate the Senate Met at 10 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 110 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 153 WASHINGTON, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2007 No. 161 Senate The Senate met at 10 a.m. and was APPOINTMENT OF ACTING lobby of the U.S. Marine Corps’ head- called to order by the Honorable JON PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE quarters. The bomb exploded with the TESTER, a Senator from the State of The PRESIDING OFFICER. The force of 18,000 pounds of dynamite. It Montana. clerk will please read a communication transformed the four-story cinder The PRESIDING OFFICER. Today’s to the Senate from the President pro block building into rubble. opening prayer will be offered by Cap- tempore (Mr. BYRD). It was so powerful, the U.S. District tain Margaret Kibben, United States The assistant clerk read the fol- Court for the District of Columbia Navy. lowing letter: later described it as ‘‘the largest non- U.S. SENATE, nuclear explosion that had ever been PRAYER PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, detonated on the face of the Earth.’’ The guest chaplain offered the fol- Washington, DC, October 23, 2007. Some of the men and women lost lowing prayer: To the Senate: that day were murdered in their sleep. Let us pray. Under the provisions of rule I, paragraph 3, Others who saw the truck come crash- Gracious Creator, whose presence of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby ing in may have seen the face of the appoint the Honorable JON TESTER, a Sen- permeates like sunlight, whose mercy ator from the State of Montana, to perform enemy as their last sight on Earth. Ei- is revealed through Your ceaseless the duties of the Chair. ther way, 241 Americans wearing their compassion, and whose authority has ROBERT C. BYRD, country’s uniform were killed in a bru- called the world into being, we call on President pro tempore. tal attack that shocked America and You to bring forth this day in accord- Mr. TESTER thereupon assumed the the world. ance with Your grace plan. chair as Acting President pro tempore. Five Kentuckians were among the 241 As the men and women who serve in who died in that attack. They were: f the Senate gather together in this PFC Sidney James Decker, U.S. Marine Chamber to exercise the processes of RECOGNITION OF THE MINORITY Corps, of Clarkson, KY; LCpl Virgil D. power and politics, remind them that it LEADER Hamilton, U.S. Marine Corps, of is Your transcendence that presides The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- McDowell, KY; Hospital Corpsman 3rd over today’s deliberations, Your mer- pore. The Republican leader is recog- Class Robert S. Holland, U.S. Navy, of ciful will that guides the political de- nized. Gilbertsville, KY; SGT Thomas C. bate, and Your ultimate authority that Keown, U.S. Marine Corps, of Louis- is the source and foundation of their f ville, KY; and SGT Daniel S. Kluck, objectives. MARKING THE 24TH ANNIVERSARY U.S. Army, of Owensboro, KY. So reminded, ordain these elected of- OF THE U.S. MARINE BARRACKS Terrorists and their favorite tactic— ficials this day to wield this Nation’s BOMBING IN BEIRUT, LEBANON the suicide attack—are still with us legislative power guided by Your pres- Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, today. Thankfully for America, so are ence; to engage in partisan discourse in normally the majority leader would the U.S. Marines. response to Your mercy; and to align proceed first. Since he is not on the Founded in 1775, the U.S. Marine their objectives in accordance with floor at the moment, I wish to make a Corps has been ‘‘at the tip of the Your authority, so that all that is said few remarks on leader time here as we spear’’ in every one of this Nation’s and done here may reflect Your pres- get started. wars, and they will never be stopped by ence, Your mercy, and Your power. I rise today in honor of the 241 U.S. a terrorist’s suicide attack. This No- We stand in Your grace and pray in marines, sailors, and soldiers who were vember, the country will celebrate the Your holy Name. Amen. killed in a despicable suicide bombing Corps’ 232nd birthday, and thank them attack on the U.S. Marine barracks in for defending our freedoms. f Beirut, Lebanon. That attack occurred By taking the fight to the terrorists 24 years ago today on October 23, 1983. wherever they hide, the Marines have PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE President Ronald Reagan had dis- put terrorists on the defensive, making The Honorable JON TESTER led the patched U.S. forces in 1982 to maintain it less likely they will hit us again here Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: the peace in Lebanon. On the morning at home. By their courage on the bat- I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the of October 23, one Lebanese terrorist tlefield and constant risk of danger, to- United States of America and to the Repub- drove a truck packed with explosives day’s Marines honor every one of their lic for which it stands, one nation under God, through three guard posts and a forebears who died defending our coun- indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. barbed-wire fence, straight into the try. ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S13205 . VerDate Aug 31 2005 00:11 Oct 25, 2007 Jkt 059060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\MIKE\TEST\S23OC7.REC S23OC7 mmaher on PRODPC24 with CONG-REC-ONLINE S13206 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE October 23, 2007 America still remembers her brave Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, we en- money to follow the people who had men and women lost in the Marine bar- tered into a unanimous consent agree- the problem. racks bombing of 1983. We honor them ment last night. I will repeat it for the Today, in this bill, there is an ear- and their families for their sacrifice. benefit of Senators. mark that provides for money now to We continue to fight terror today with Senators should be aware that we go to people who may no longer even a steady hand, even if it is at times will now start a series of debates and exist—people who are dead. It is a way paired with a heavy heart. And we are we will stack the votes. The first that they are trying to change the au- proud of the brave men and women who amendment will be the amendment of thorization process we went through so fight for their country against the the Senator from Wyoming, Mr. ENZI, meticulously, so unanimously, in such would-be terrorists of today and tomor- amendment No. 3437. There will be 30 a way that it undoes it in an appropria- row. minutes of debate equally divided. tions bill. We shouldn’t be changing Mr. President, I yield the floor. That will be the first one. law in an appropriations bill. We espe- f The second one will be the amend- cially shouldn’t be changing law for a ment of the Senator from South Caro- specific area of the country in an ap- RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME lina, Mr. DEMINT; that is amendment propriations bill. That is why I bring The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- No. 3387. There will be 20 minutes of de- this amendment. pore. Under the previous order, the bate equally divided. I want to discuss the Ryan White pro- leadership time is reserved. The third one would be the amend- gram and the need to ensure that this f ment No. 3365 by the Senator from Labor-HHS bill does not undo our re- Kansas, Senator ROBERTS. There will cent work. Last December, after DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, be 10 minutes of debate equally di- months of negotiations, the House and HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, vided. the Senate passed a new 3-year Ryan AND EDUCATION APPROPRIA- Then the fourth one would be the White reauthorization. Most impor- TIONS ACT, 2008 amendment No. 3358 offered by the Sen- tantly, we ensured that those new for- The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- ator from Oklahoma, Senator COBURN. mulas focused on the lifesaving treat- pore. Under the previous order, the There will be 20 minutes of debate ment by including individuals with Senate will resume consideration of equally divided. At the end of all of HIV, not just AIDS. that time, the Senate will proceed to H.R. 3043, which the clerk will report. One of the key items that delayed vote on and in relation to those amend- The assistant legislative clerk read this reauthorization for months was ments. as follows: the careful negotiations surrounding We are ready for the amendment of A bill (H.R. 3043) making appropriations the funding formulas. In that bipar- the Senator from Wyoming as soon as for the Departments of Labor, Health and tisan, bicameral agreement, we were he arrives, and he is here. Human Services, and Education and related very clear about the implications of agencies for the fiscal year ending Sep- AMENDMENT NO. 3437 TO AMENDMENT NO. 3325 tember 30, 2008, and for other purposes. those new formula changes. We pro- Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, I call up vided GAO data runs that were nearly Pending: amendment No. 3437. identical to how the funding has been Harkin/Specter amendment No. 3325, in the The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- distributed. I hope everybody takes a nature of a substitute.