October 1, 2008 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S10191 are confident we will be able to restore by the House of Representatives under If you look at this map—I will leave the circulatory system, if you will, and the leadership of HOWARD BERMAN, the it up for a good part of the day—you regain health for the economy—the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Com- will appreciate, aside from the agree- body, if you will—and get the problem mittee of that body. ment itself, the strategic importance fixed for the American people. I have a letter from the Secretary of of this relation for the United States. I said yesterday that we are going to State, as well as other supporting in- India has become a major actor in fix this problem this week. The Senate formation, that leads us to the conclu- the world, and it increasingly sees will speak tonight. We will send to the sion that this bill ought to be passed, itself in concert with other global pow- House a package that, if passed, will and passed, I hope, overwhelmingly by ers, rather than in opposition to them. address the issue. this body because of the message it Indian Prime Minister Singh, who We will have demonstrated to the would send not only to the people and visited Washington just last week, has American people that we can deal with the Government of India but others as devoted energy and political courage in the crisis in the most difficult of well about the direction we intend to forging this agreement, and in seeking times—right before an election, when take in the 21st century about this approval for it in India. Put simply, he the tendency to be the most partisan is matter. has placed himself and his political the greatest. But we are in the process I will share some opening comments, party on the line. of setting that aside, rising to the chal- and I will turn to my colleague, Sen- In India, the political symbolism of lenge—both Democrats and Repub- ator LUGAR, for any comments he has, the agreement is extremely important. licans—and doing what is right for the and then Senator DORGAN and Senator It addresses the most divisive and long- American people. BINGAMAN—at least two people I know standing issue between our two coun- I yield the floor. who have amendments they wish to tries dating back to 1974. Most impor- have offered. I know they have com- tant, the agreement addresses India as f ments and thoughts they have to share an equal—a point that looms large in RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME on this subject matter as well. India, where there are strong memories The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- In addition to Senator LUGAR and of a colonial past and of tensions with pore. Under the previous order the Senator BIDEN on the committee, there the United States during the Cold War. Some of the debate in India focused leadership time is reserved. are other Members as well who ex- pressed a strong interest in the subject on whether the agreement with the f matter—not necessarily an agreement United States would hamper India’s CORRECTION TO APPOINTMENT with this proposal but nonetheless nuclear weapons program. But much of should be recognized for their diligence the give-and-take was really about a Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I ask unan- in paying attention to the issue. Sen- more basic question—whether it was imous consent that action on the ap- ator FEINGOLD of Wisconsin and Sen- really time for India to work coopera- pointment of Rainier Spencer made ator BARBARA BOXER of California have tively with Western countries. Reach- yesterday be corrected to reflect that demonstrated a real interest and con- ing an accord on nuclear status has is an appointment made on behalf of cern about this issue. been wrenching for India, despite the the majority leader and that correction I want to speak for a few minutes favorable terms that some say India be printed in the RECORD. about Representative Henry Hyde. I obtained. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- was elected with him in 1974 to the This agreement is indicative of a new pore. Without objection, it is so or- House of Representatives. He is no era in Indian foreign policy—an era in dered. longer with us, but nonetheless he which India will see all the world’s f made a remarkable contribution as a powers as potential partners in efforts Republican Member of the House of to address its own needs and the needs UNITED STATES-INDIA NUCLEAR of others. I believe that this new era COOPERATION APPROVAL AND Representatives, not the least of which was this one, on the Hyde amendment, will bring increased stability and NONPROLIFERATION ENHANCE- progress to South Asia. I see the bill MENT ACT which will be discussed, I presume, at some length today as we talk about before us as approving far more than The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- this bill, H.R. 7081, the United States- just a nuclear agreement. Among other pore. Under the previous order, the India Nuclear Cooperation Approval things, it will set the stage for a Senate will now proceed to the consid- and Nonproliferation Enhancement stronger U.S.-India relationship, which eration of H.R. 7081, which the clerk Agreement. will be of critical importance to our will report. I rise to urge passage of this bill, ap- country in the 21st century. The assistant legislative clerk read proving the United States-India peace- The Committee on Foreign Relations as follows: ful nuclear cooperation agreement. On held an in-depth hearing on the U.S.- A bill (H.R. 7081) to approve the United this past Saturday, the House of Rep- India agreement last month. The com- States-India Agreement for Cooperation on resentatives passed this bill by a mar- mittee, along with the House Com- Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy, and for gin of 298 to 116, a resounding vote in mittee on Foreign Affairs, worked other purposes. support for this agreement. closely with the administration to ad- The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- This agreement with India is as im- dress technical concerns expressed pore. The Senator from Connecticut is portant as it is historic. This bill en- about the agreement. This extraor- recognized. ables the United States and India to dinary consultation resulted in a bill Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I am chart a new course in relations be- that will improve U.S. implementation standing in today, my colleagues tween our two great democracies. of the accord and assure that nuclear should be aware, for Senator BIDEN, There are compelling geopolitical non-proliferation remains at the core who is the chairman of the Foreign Re- reasons to move forward with this rela- of U.S. foreign policy. Our committee lations Committee. As most of the tionship. India has become a major approved a bill identical to the House- world is aware, he is otherwise occu- actor in the world. passed bill by a vote of 19-to-2. I com- pied. Why don’t we put up this map. One of mend chairman HOWARD BERMAN in the As the ranking Democrat next to the things I thought I would do is put House and Senator LUGAR for his lead- him, I have been asked to assume the up a map. I know everyone knows ex- ership as well. responsibility of bringing this matter actly where these countries are lo- This agreement is not a partisan before the Senate. Senator BIDEN has cated, but I think sometimes it can be issue. President Clinton launched the spent a great deal of time on this issue, helpful to remind people of the tremen- initiative, and President Bush pushed along with his friend and colleague, the dous importance of India’s location in it to fruition. It had strong support on former chairman, Senator LUGAR, as Asia, sharing borders with many coun- both sides of the aisle in 2006, when we have other Members as well. tries—certainly China and Pakistan voted on the Henry J. Hyde Act, estab- Today we will talk about this issue, and in close proximity with Afghani- lishing the underlying principles and the importance of it, the action taken stan, a very fragile part of the world. requirements of this accord. Indeed, 85 VerDate Aug 31 2005 00:47 Oct 02, 2008 Jkt 079060 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 4637 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G01OC6.025 S01OCPT1 smartinez on PROD1PC64 with SENATE S10192 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE October 1, 2008 members of the Senate supported the India will bring under IAEA safe- versation at the committee hearing on Hyde Act, and only 12 voted against it. guards over a dozen existing or planned this very matter, talking about the I believe the resulting agreement has nuclear facilities that were not pre- heavy water issue and what can be pro- strong support today. viously subject to safeguards. duced by that. I left the hearing con- I mentioned Henry Hyde arrived in The bill before the Senate provides fident that the administration intends Congress in 1975, along with some 74 of additional measures that guide the im- to pursue these matters very aggres- us elected in that fall of 1974. I had a plementation of the agreement, and sively. wonderful relationship with Henry they are worthy of note. The bill requires regular reporting on Hyde. We served together in the House This agreement reaffirms that our the executive branch progress in its ef- and then during our respective tenure approval of the agreement is based on forts on enrichment and reprocessing in that body, and then in this body.