E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 111 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 155 WASHINGTON, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2009 No. 127 Senate The Senate met at 9:30 a.m. and was appoint the Honorable MARK L. PRYOR, a REMEMBERING SENATOR EDWARD called to order by the Honorable MARK Senator from the State of Arkansas, to per- M. KENNEDY form the duties of the Chair. L. PRYOR, a Senator from the State of Mr. REID. ‘‘A freshmen Senator Arkansas. ROBERT C. BYRD, President pro tempore. should be seen, not heard; should learn, PRAYER Mr. PRYOR thereupon assumed the and not teach.’’ The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- chair as Acting President pro tempore. Mr. President, that is a quote from fered the following prayer: Senator Ted Kennedy. These are the Let us pray. f very first words he spoke on the floor Eternal God, we turn to You this of this Chamber. He was hesitant to morning aware of our insufficiency. We RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY rise and speak that April day when he are but burning candles lashed by LEADER said those words. He had been a Sen- winds that mock our boasting pride. ator for less than 18 months. The coun- Remind us that human efforts and in- The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- try was still reeling from President genuity are powerless without You. pore. The majority leader is recog- Kennedy’s death just months before. You alone, O Lord, deserve honor and nized. But the question before the Senate praise, for power, glory, and victory be- was the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and long to You. f Senator Kennedy knew he could hold Infuse our lawmakers with Your his tongue no longer. might. Be for them as the shadow of a SCHEDULE He rose to speak because he loved his great rock in a weary land. Give them Mr. REID. Mr. President, following country. He waited as long as he did to some wisdom, Lord, that their labors leader remarks, the Senate will be in a give that maiden speech because he will enable America to stand with free- period of morning business until 12:30 loved this institution. In that speech, dom’s lamp aloft as a beacon of hope today, with the time equally divided he said a Senator of his stature at the for our world. As our Senators tackle between the two leaders or their des- time should be seen and not heard. But today’s tasks, make them conscious of ignees. This period of morning business 45 years later, we can still hear his their great heritage of liberty and jus- will give Senators an opportunity to great booming voice. He said young tice for all. May no weapon that is pay tribute to our colleague, the late Senators should learn and not teach. formed be able to defeat this land we Senator Ted Kennedy. But who can list all we learned from love. We pray in Your great Name. Following morning business, the Sen- his leadership? Amen. ate will proceed to executive session It was a thrill to work with Ted Ken- f and resume debate on the nomination nedy personally. He was a friend, the PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE of Cass Sunstein to be Administrator of model of public service, and an Amer- ican icon. He was a patriarch of both The Honorable MARK L. PRYOR led the Office of Information and Regu- the Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: latory Affairs in the Office of Manage- the Kennedy family and the Senate I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the ment and Budget. family. Together, we mourn his loss. United States of America, and to the Repub- Yesterday, cloture was invoked on At so many difficult times in their lic for which it stands, one nation under God, the nomination. Senators will be noti- family’s history, the Kennedys have indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. fied when the vote on confirmation of turned to their Uncle Teddy for com- f the nomination is scheduled. fort. At so many critical times in our APPOINTMENT OF ACTING As a reminder to Senators, at 2:45 country’s history, America has turned PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE p.m. today, Senator-designate GEORGE to Ted Kennedy for the same. LEMIEUX will be sworn in as a Senator We can all remember how he walked The PRESIDING OFFICER. The from the State of Florida, replacing solemnly with the grieving First Lady clerk will please read a communication Mel Martinez. at Arlington National Cemetery. We to the Senate from the President pro Following disposition of the Sunstein can remember how his deep love for his tempore (Mr. BYRD). The legislative clerk read the fol- nomination—and I have had conversa- brother helped him somehow summon lowing letter: tions with floor staff, both Democratic the strength to deliver a defining eu- and Republican, to see if we can move logy in New York. We can all remem- U.S. SENATE, forward on an appropriations bill. Sen- ber how, as patriarch, he memorialized PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, ator MCCONNELL and I have talked Washington, DC, September 10, 2009. his nephew off the shores of Massachu- To the Senate: about trying to get as many done as we setts. Under the provisions of rule I, paragraph 3, can. We have four done, and we have For decades, Ted Kennedy was a rock of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby eight to go. to his family. The impact he has etched ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S9193 . VerDate Nov 24 2008 05:31 Nov 11, 2009 Jkt 079060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\RECORD09\RECFILES\S10SE9.REC S10SE9 mmaher on DSK69SOYB1PROD with CONG-REC-ONLINE S9194 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE September 10, 2009 into our history will long endure. It is care they need to live longer, fuller might be as far back as 1965, when he now left to us to remember the man lives. Because of Ted Kennedy, more spoke of setting a record for longevity. who helped remember the lives of so minorities, women, and immigrants Mike Mansfield saw a glimpse of it, many others. He was a very famous could realize the rights our founding too, a few years later. When somebody man. If you take the subway, people documents promised them. Because of mentioned Ted as a possible Presi- would always come up to Senator Ken- him, more Americans could be proud of dential candidate, Mansfield responded: nedy. I would joke with him, ‘‘Ted, are their country. He’s in no hurry. He’s young. He likes the they coming for me or for you?’’ It was Ted Kennedy came from a family of Senate. Of all the Kennedys, he is the only obvious whom they were coming for. It great wealth and status. He didn’t need one who was and is a real Senate man. was a joke. to work hard for himself. So he chose a As it turned out, Mansfield was right. Ted was so good. When he thought life of working hard for others. When But Ted knew even then that his leg- you did something well, he would drop he was admitted to the Massachusetts acy as a lawmaker would not come you a note or give you a call. It meant bar in 1959, the application asked him about just by sitting at his desk; he a lot to me that he would take the to state his main ambition. Ted Ken- would have to build it. And over the time to do that. I have come to learn nedy answered: ‘‘The public service of course of the next 47 years, that is ex- since his death that he did that for so this State.’’ actly what he did, slowly, patiently, many people. You didn’t have to be a To quote one of his favorite poems— doggedly, making his mark as much in Senator. He would do that for anybody the Robert Frost verses that now rest tedious committee hearings as on the whom he thought deserved a pat on the on his desk on the Senate floor—that stump, as much in the details of legis- back. It is up to us to celebrate a Sen- has made all the difference. lation as in its broader themes. ator who helped so many live better Ted Kennedy’s America was one in Ted’s last name ensured he was al- lives. which all could pursue justice, enjoy ready one of the stars of American pol- I have long been a devotee of the equality, and know freedom. That is itics even before he became a Senator. Kennedys and an admirer of their serv- Ted Kennedy. To this day, he is still the only man or ice to our Nation. As a student at Utah Ted’s life was driven by his love of a woman in U.S. history to be elected to State University, I founded the first family who loved him and his belief in the Senate while one of his relatives Young Democrats Club—in that bas- a country that believed in him. Ted’s sat in the White House. But to those tion of Republicanism. I worked for dream was the one for which the who thought Ted, even if elected, President Kennedy’s election in 1960. Founding Fathers fought and which his would avoid the rigors of public life, he A week before President Kennedy brothers sought to realize.