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, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2013 No. 119 Senate The Senate met at 10 a.m. and was appoint the Honorable EDWARD J. MARKEY, a derstanding that the time is equally di- called to order by the Honorable ED- Senator from the Commonwealth of Massa- vided between the two sides; is that WARD J. MARKEY, a Senator from the chusetts, to perform the duties of the Chair. right? Commonwealth of Massachusetts. PATRICK J. LEAHY, The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- President pro tempore. pore. The Senator is correct. PRAYER Mr. MARKEY thereupon assumed the f The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- chair as Acting President pro tempore. SCHEDULE fered the following prayer: f Let us pray. RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME Mr. REID. Following leader remarks, Eternal God, You are our rock, our the time until 2:30 p.m. will be divided fortress, and our deliverer, for we find The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- and controlled between the two leaders refuge in Your sovereign leading. On pore. Under the previous order, the or their designees, with Senators per- this 12th anniversary of the September leadership time is reserved. mitted to speak for 10 minutes each. 11 attacks, we thank You for the wis- f There will be a remembrance ceremony on the east side of the Capitol. Mem- dom You provide us in our trying OBSERVING THE TWELFTH ANNI- bers will gather in the rotunda at 10:45 times. Through the terrorist attacks, VERSARY OF THE ATTACKS ON a.m. You helped us to become more aware of SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 our vulnerability as a Nation, to better f appreciate the heroes and heroines who The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- emerge during seasons of crisis, and to pore. Under the previous order, there REMEMBERING SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 discover how the worst of times can will now be a moment of silence to pay Mr. REID. Mr. President, I can re- bring out the best in us. tribute to the Americans whose lives member events 12 years ago so clearly. As our Nation again confronts pre- were taken on September 11, 2001. I was not far from here at the time. I carious challenges, use our lawmakers (Moment of Silence.) was in S–219, which is a meeting room. as instruments of Your peace, bringing f That is where Leader Daschle held his hope where there is despair and order leadership meetings every Tuesday RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY where there is chaos. morning at 9 a.m. I was the first one in LEADER We pray in Your great Name. Amen. the room. Senator John Breaux from f The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- Louisiana came in and said: Flip on the pore. The majority leader is recog- TV. There is something going on in PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE nized. New York. The Presiding Officer led the Pledge f We turned on the TV, and it looked of Allegiance, as follows: as though something happened in New I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the ORDER FOR MORNING BUSINESS York. We just thought an airplane had United States of America, and to the Repub- Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unan- malfunctioned or something had gone lic for which it stands, one nation under God, imous consent that the Senate be in a wrong to cause the plane to hit that indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. period of morning business until 2:30 tower. f p.m. this afternoon for debate only, So the meeting started and the TVs APPOINTMENT OF ACTING with all other aspects of the previous were off. We were doing our business of PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE order being in effect. the day when suddenly a group of po- The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- lice officers came in and grabbed Sen- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The pore. Is there objection? Without objec- ator Daschle and took him outside. He clerk will please read a communication tion, it is so ordered. came back very quickly and said: to the Senate from the President pro Mr. REID. Mr. President, the Repub- There is an airplane headed for the tempore (Mr. LEAHY). lican leader and I have spoken, and we Capitol. We have to get out of here. The legislative clerk read the fol- are working on a way forward based on There was a lot of confusion, to say lowing letter: the President’s speech and what has the least, as staff and Senators were U.S. SENATE, happened over the last few days. He ordered out of the buildings—plural. As PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, Washington, DC, September 11, 2013. and I will confer shortly again, but we left S–219, we looked out the win- To the Senate: right now we will be in a period of dow toward the Pentagon, and smoke Under the provisions of rule I, paragraph 3, morning business. Senators may talk was billowing out of it. We could see it of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby about whatever they want. It is my un- so very plainly. At that time we didn’t ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S6337 . VerDate Mar 15 2010 23:35 Sep 11, 2013 Jkt 029060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A11SE6.000 S11SEPT1 smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with SENATE S6338 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE September 11, 2013 know what was happening; we just breathe. We could see the perspiration will report back at a later time. Amer- knew we had been ordered to get out of on some of them. They dumped water ica must remain vigilant and ready to the building. on them—anything to give them some use force if necessary, and Congress Of course, we all have memories of relief. The video showed rows of dead should not take the threat of military what took place that day. I was the as- people. Hundreds of them were little action off the table. sistant leader, as was Senator Nickles children. Some of them were dressed in I want to spend a little time talking from Oklahoma. Senator Lott was the their play clothes, little fancy, colorful to Senator MENENDEZ, the chair of the Republican leader, and Senator T-shirts. committee. I want to talk to other Daschle was the Democratic leader. We Even as we pay tribute to America’s Senators who are trying to work some- were taken in helicopters from the tradition of freedom for every citizen thing out on their own, and I will do west front of the Capitol to a secure lo- across the globe, an evil dictator denies that. cation. When I was taken to the west its citizens not only their right to lib- Leaders in Damascus and Moscow front of the Capitol, the scene was erty but also their right to live. The should understand that Congress will eerie to say the least. There were lots Asad family is pretty good at killing be watching these negotiations very of people in black uniforms trying to people. The New York Times had an ar- closely. If there is any indication this create order out of confusion. Without ticle over the last 24 hours about his is not serious—that it is a ploy to going into a lot of detail, we went to a dad, because of the failed assassination delay, to obstruct, to divert—then I location, and the Vice President was attempt, killing 30,000 people he think we have to again give the Presi- there. He met with us and kept us in- thought needed to be killed—30,000. dent the authority to hold the Asad re- formed as to what was going on with That country, Syria, denies its citizens gime accountable. So it is our deter- the President. We spent the day there the right to liberty, but even more sig- mination not to let Asad’s atrocities go and then came back to the west front nificant the right to live. unanswered. How we answer is a ques- of the Capitol, where all Members of Yesterday I showed the video at the tion we will continue to pursue. But it Congress gathered. BARBARA MIKULSKI, caucus. No one wanted to see it. I is very clear that we wouldn’t be where for lack of anyone having a better sug- didn’t want to see it again. It was all I we are today—even my friend, the jun- gestion, said: We should sing ‘‘God could do to glance up. I had already ior Senator from Kentucky, today said Bless America.’’ She got the song seen it. Those visions will always be in the reason we are having the possi- started, and that was extremely memo- my mind. I showed my Senators a bility of a deal is because of the Presi- rable. video of this: little boys and girls and dent threatening force. We are going to have a ceremony in grown men with their eyes crusted, It is interesting. Asad has even de- a few minutes out front, and I will talk frothing from the mouth. It was such nied, until just recent hours, ever even a little bit there. The four leaders have unspeakable scenery. They were con- having had chemical weapons. So it is been asked to talk out there. vulsing, writhing, spasms from the poi- in Syria’s power to avoid these strikes, We did have a moment of silence re- son gas he used to murder his victims.