Barbara Boxer

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. Reserving the right to object, we are laying down our bill. Senator DeMint has been waiting for his amendment. He has a time problem. So I am willing to give another 3 minutes to our Republican friends. But, seriously, we need to get going on this bill. We have been on this bill now for 3 days. We finally have an amendment. We would like to hear it. So I would agree to 3 minutes more.

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. I have an amendment at the desk, and I ask for its immediate consideration.

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, again, I thank the Senator for his kind comments about the way we have handled this legislation. This amendment is, first, wrong on its face and, second, it is going to kill the bill. Of all times to try and kill what I consider a mini- economic stimulus plan, this is not one of them. We have a lot of people out of work. Many people have called Senator Inhofe and myself, and others, saying this is an important piece of legislation. I will read the names of those people, because I believe it is important that we show the breadth of support. It is a very simple piece of legislation, but it will correct some errors. It will say, as an example, in Oklahoma--and we have them in California--and for all these 500 projects, one leg of a project might not have been ready. Let's put the funds where they can be used now, where they are ready to go. Unleashing up to a billion dollars of funds right now means tens of thousands of jobs, and we have to rebuild our infrastructure. We are doing it within the confines of the moneys that were already authorized. Again I have said this so many times, I am sure it is boring people, but I think it is important to note who has written to Senator Inhofe and myself to move this bill: the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, whose members include the Departments of Transportation for all 50 States; the American Highway Users Alliance, whose members represent millions of highway users; the American Public Transit Association; the American Road and Transportation Builders Association; the Associated General Contractors; the Council of University Transportation Centers; the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association; the National Asphalt and Pavement Association. This is not one of these bills that is a matter of some intellectual debate. This means real jobs for real people and real infrastructure improvements for all the people of this Nation who count on us to keep their highway and transit systems moving. What does Senator DeMint do? He would send this bill back to the committee, in essence killing the bill. We passed this bill out of committee on a bipartisan voice vote on June of 2007. Here we are, moving toward June of 2008. Why on Earth would we want to stop the forward progress of this legislation? We can't afford further delay. I am sorry my colleague has left the Chamber, but Senator DeMint had several projects that he asked for in SAFETEA-LU. I ask unanimous consent to print a list of those projects in the Record.

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I know my colleague Senator DeMint is here to offer what will be the first amendment to this bill. I thank him, because I know he initially had several amendments. It looks as though he has boiled it down to one amendment. I know Senator Inhofe and I are glad about that. I thanked him previously for calling me and saying that he was pleased with the way we treated the transparency of this bill. I have been given a copy of the amendment by the Senator from South Carolina. I will listen carefully to his presentation, and I will have remarks afterward. Senator Inhofe may also have some remarks prior to Senator DeMint being recognized. Senator Inhofe and I are hopeful we can get this completed. This is a bill that overall creates not one more penny of new spending. It will unleash into our economy, however, a billion dollars already budgeted for. That is why so many people are supporting this in real life: Construction companies, workers, transit operators. All of them have written to us. I will put those names in the Record. We are hopeful, if everybody cooperates today, we can get this finished. This bill isn't rocket science. It is very simply making technical corrections to SAFETEA-LU and in places where some projects simply couldn't go forward, replacing those projects without adding a penny of new spending. There is full transparency. I yield the floor.

Mrs. BOXER. All of these will bring jobs and improve transportation in the State of South Carolina. That is why I supported it, as did Senator Inhofe. That is why we all supported it. There is a number of projects contained here, 13 projects, $110 million, Senator DeMint has in SAFETEA-LU. Fortunately for Senator DeMint, none of his projects required any technical corrections. Let's take one: Construction of I-73 from Myrtle Beach, SC to I-95, ending at the North Carolina State line. Suppose something had turned up in the engineering and they had to stop it further toward Myrtle Beach, but they couldn't go ahead with the project until they made that technical change. Then Senator DeMint would find that the project was stymied. He is fortunate. He didn't have this problem. But a lot of us weren't so fortunate. We did have issues in our States where we had to make changes. This legislation fixes nearly 500 descriptions for highway and transit projects. Without the changes included in the legislation, many of these projects will continue to be stuck at red lights. This isn't the time to slow down job creation. This is the time to unleash job creation. This technical corrections bill provides a green light that could unleash up to $1 billion in transportation projects. The funding has been approved before, so we are not increasing spending. Given the current slowdown in our economy, we simply cannot afford to allow these funds to remain unused. At the appropriate time, I am going to move to table the DeMint motion. I think we are working on an agreement to have a vote on that motion at around 2 o'clock. I yield the floor.

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that at 2:15 p.m. today the Senate proceed to vote in relation to the DeMint motion to recommit the bill, and that no further amendments be in order to the motion prior to the vote; that following the conclusion of the debate this morning with respect to the motion, it be set aside to recur at 2 p.m., with the time until 2:15 p.m. equally divided and controlled between Senators Boxer and DeMint or their designees; and that at 2:15, without further intervening action or debate, the Senate proceed to vote in relation to the DeMint motion to recommit the bill.

Mrs. BOXER. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, since we have a lull in the conversation about the technical corrections bill--and the reason for that is, frankly, it is a very straightforward bill. We know of two other amendments. We are working with Senator Coburn on his amendment dealing with an investigation into what occurred in the Coconut Road project in Florida. We know Senator Bond has an amendment which is really not a technical correction. It goes to overturning a law that was passed which protects consumers when they are defrauded by furniture moving companies. That is his amendment. We hope he can come down here so we can get going; we can start to debate that. But in the meantime, I have asked Senator Inhofe if he had any objection if I rose to pay tribute to 19 young Americans who were killed in Iraq who were either from California or based in California, and he had no objection to that. I don't know if I need to ask to speak as in morning business. If that is the appropriate thing, I ask unanimous consent to do so.

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I ask my friend from Iowa if he wants to speak in morning business.

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that at the conclusion of my remarks, Senator Grassley be recognized for up to 10 minutes.

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, first of all, I make a plea to my friends on the other side of the aisle. There are a couple of amendments out there. Senator Inhofe and I are anxious to get done with the bill. The bill is a mini-economic stimulus. It would release a billion dollars worth of projects for important highway and transit programs. It is a technical corrections bill that stays within the limits we set in terms of spending. When Senator Inhofe and I agree on something, it usually covers the spectrum. So we hope we will have a good vote. I wanted to say something before Senator Barrasso leaves because he mentioned the President's goals. The President says we should halt the growth of greenhouse gases by 2025--``halt the growth,'' which means 18 years of nothing. What a pathetic response to a crisis that has united evangelical groups, scientists, businesses, and much of the world. So I am just here to say--I am not going to have a debate with my good friend, whom I really enjoy as a member of our Committee, but I want to say this gives new meaning to doing nothing. When we have a crisis such as we have now and we have a small window to act and we wait 18 years, this is not talking about leaving the problems to the new President, like he is doing in Iraq. It means we are following a recipe for gloom and doom instead of looking at this problem and seeing it for what it is--an amazing opportunity. It is interesting that my friend, Senator Grassley, is here, who is so strong on ethanol. Well, this is the kind of thing we are going to do so we can get off of fossil fuel. We have other opportunities, such as cellulosic. We have new ways of making cars. I happen to drive a hybrid. It is amazing. I get over 50 miles per gallon. I sort of wave at the gas stations because I don't have to go there that often. These cars are getting better and better. We have so many ways, but it is not going to happen if we simply say, by 2025 we will halt the growth of greenhouse gas emissions. We have to halt the growth very soon. I view it as a great opportunity for an economic renaissance in this country. If you look at Great Britain, they have cut their carbon emissions by 15 percent over the last 10 years or so. Their GDP has grown by 45 percent, and they have added 500,000 new green jobs. I think rather than being so frightened and meek as the President is about this, we should be leading the world to this new great economic renaissance. America should be in the front, inventing these products. I know the President says he wants to invest in new technology. Unless you have a cap on greenhouse gas emissions, unless your proposal involves a cap so we get down to what is necessary to prevent catastrophe, then you are part of the problem. You are not part of the solution. You are just making believe you are part of the solution. I don't want to do any more than is necessary. I want to do what is necessary to reverse a real, serious, horrific problem for the world. As our intelligence community tells us, as our Pentagon tells us, if we do nothing, the ravages of global warming will be the cause of wars, will be the cause of droughts, will be the cause of famine, will be the cause of unrest, and will be the cause of refugees wandering around starving to death. That is why so many churches have joined us, many of the great religions have joined us in this effort. We have a great group working here. I was a little bit surprised when the President sort of took on the Lieberman-Warner bill in his way. He didn't mention it by name, but he basically referred to efforts in the Senate and the dangers. Mr. President, I have been trying to get to see you on this issue. I have wanted to talk to you on this issue. I know the former Prime Minister of England, Tony Blair, spoke to you about this issue. He is coming to speak to me again. We need to work together. This should not be partisan. Unfortunately, it is. When I and my staff were in Great Britain, we were meeting to understand what steps they have taken and how about a cap-and-trade system and the rest. What we found out was most remarkable. Each party, Labor and Conservative, was staking claim to the issue of global warming and saying to the other party: You are not doing enough. I turned to my staff and said: Oh, if I have one prayer, it is that we have a situation where that happens at home instead of this horrible fight. And if I have another prayer, it is that the Presidential candidates, Republican and Democratic, will argue over who has the best plan. That may happen, and that would be exciting. But I do not want to wait until then. I do not want to do nothing. I do not want to be part of the problem. I do not want my grandkids to say: Where was my grandma? At the moment they had a window to do something, they slammed it shut. I am glad my friend came to speak about global warming. I hope we can continue to work together to get him on board in a more aggressive way to do more, to do our job, to fulfill our responsibility. We would never take our grandchild, put him or her in an infant seat in the car, go to a parking lot at the supermarket and leave him or her inside with the windows closed and the Sun beating down. We would not do that because we adore our children and our grandchildren, and we want the world to be better. At least we want it to be as good as it was for us. We are so lucky. We have lived through such golden years for ourselves and our families. We have the American dream. We saw Richard Nixon step to the plate and create the Environmental Protection Agency, and Presidents, Republican and Democratic, who have come after stand up--until now. I say to my colleagues, we are going to have a moment come June. It is going to be a little bit different than today. Today Senator Inhofe and I are joined at the hip on this technical corrections highway bill. We are not going to be that way on global warming, but I hope we can have some bipartisanship, and John Warner has been leading the way. We need to do more instead of wait until 2025 to halt the growth of greenhouse emissions. That is too late. That is dangerously late. That is the equivalent of doing nothing. Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I don't see the Senator from South Carolina here, and I don't want to presume to describe his amendment. That wouldn't be fair because he views his amendment as something that will help this bill and I view it as something that will kill this bill. Simply put, what he is saying is we need to recommit this bill to the Environment and Public Works Committee, and what he is basically saying is that we need to scrub out of this bill any changes that were made to projects. Although Senator DeMint wasn't here at the time, I made the point earlier that in this SAFETEA-LU bill is $110 million worth of projects he requested. He was fortunate: all those projects seemed to be moving forward, and they do not need any technical correction. But many of us--many of us--don't have that experience. For example, Senator Inhofe explained a road project in Oklahoma where one portion of the project wasn't ready for funding and another was. So, yes, we make a technical correction. I have a similar project in my State where we have to make sure the project is changed a little bit or there are going to be some bad impacts on some of my people who live in those communities. So there is really nothing nefarious going on here. We are just trying to get these projects moving. We are trying to give a green light to projects that are facing a red light. What that means is that about $1 billion worth of projects could actually get started--transit projects, road projects--and we think that, at this particular time when we are suffering a recession, the last thing we should do is try to bring this bill back to the committee because, effectively, that would kill it. So I have respect for my colleague's intention here, but, in essence, if he was being completely straightforward, he would admit this is going to kill this bill. We know how hard it is to get bills up before the Senate. This bill actually passed when Senator Inhofe was chairman of the committee, but it has languished because we haven't had a chance to bring it to the floor. Senator Reid gave us time. It is a simple bill. I was hopeful it could be finished by now. I am grateful we are having a vote on at least one of the amendments--we know of another couple of amendments. So that is really what I have to say. At the appropriate time, I am going to make a motion to table this motion, so I will return to do that, as I say, at the appropriate time. Mr. President, I yield the floor, and I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I move to table the DeMint motion to recommit and I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mrs. BOXER. Madam President, when I learned about this whole issue of what went on in a very devious way related to a highway project, I was very glad Senator Coburn called it to our attention. Where we are right now is the best way to handle this, and this is where there is a bit of a disagreement. I am concerned, as I look at the Senator's solution here. Essentially, what he has is the House and Senate selecting Members to go on this special committee, and I believe that injects politics into it right away. We can all say we are going to be objective, and so on and so forth, but I think people get the sense, oh, that is a Republican, and he may feel one way; or she is a Democrat, she may feel one way; or I saw that person going to dinner with another Senator or another House Member this way. I am chair of the Ethics Committee, so I know it is very hard to be totally objective, and you must be in this circumstance. But I think the appearance of a conflict of interest in setting up this committee is something I would rather avoid. So I think that Senator Coburn has done everything in his power to set up a way to investigate this that is fair, but my feeling is there is a better way to go. As a matter of fact, I am going to offer an amendment to the underlying substitute, and I would ask the Parliamentarian if I need to lay aside the pending amendment in order to do that.

Mrs. BOXER. I send an amendment to the underlying substitute to the desk.

Mrs. BOXER. Do I need to ask for its immediate consideration?

Mrs. BOXER. Madam President, I thank the clerk for reading. That is it in its entirety. We call attention to the exact problem that occurred in the bill, the exact project, without naming it. It is explained here. We know it is the Coconut Road project. This is not a sense of the Senate. This is a very direct amendment that says the Department of Justice shall review these allegations and they shall ascertain if a violation of Federal criminal law has occurred. So what we do, by taking it into this realm, we take it out of the realm of politics. Senators selected by the Senate to be on this investigation committee of something that happened over in the House; House Members selected by the House to investigate, to me it injects politics into the process. Secondly, if you read the Constitution and you see the speech and debate clause, you understand that this raises constitutional issues-- the Coburn amendment--as to whether one part of Congress can investigate another. I don't want to see this whole thing collapse like a deck of cards because we did something unconstitutional. We know that the Justice Department, when there is an allegation of improper behavior, we know when there is a possibility here of laws being broken, they have the clear obligation and responsibility, and now we are, in essence, telling them they must review this. In our conversations, one of the things Senator Coburn was worried about was that the Department of Justice could not use the subpoena power. I have looked at that and what I have found is that is not true. In the case of the Jefferson investigation, it was because there was no warrant. That was the problem. There was some narrow issue involving that. Clearly, this investigation would be appropriate. Also, we don't give up anything here, I say to my colleague. Consistent with applicable standards and procedures, that is what we say. The Department of Justice shall review, consistent with applicable standards and procedures. No new rules, no new laws, no new ways, and very clearly done. Frankly, if I might say, I am so angry about this. I am so upset about this. I am sick about this. I think it is very possible people ought to go to jail here. A Senate and House committee can't send anybody to jail. They simply can't. They could make a referral to Justice, but they can't do it. I am saying I think what we are doing here, by requiring that the Justice Department--by saying, ``They shall review allegations,'' I think is a much better way to go. It keeps politics out of this, it keeps constitutional questions about the debate clause out of this, and it gets to the heart of this, which is, if there was a crime, the person ought to go to jail or the people ought to go to jail. Let's get right to the point instead of setting up some political committee. They will call hearings and the press will come and people-- Senators will make speeches and make their careers. I can just see this thing. I can see this coming. I want to avoid a circus. I want to put somebody in jail if they did something wrong. That is why I think this particular amendment I am offering is the way to go. I do respect my friend. I certainly am looking forward to having votes on both of these, but I do think this simple amendment we have here will get to the bottom of this, which is where my friend wants to go. He wants to punish the people who have done something wrong. That is what I think we do here. I will be happy to yield the floor because I see my colleague would like to respond.

Mrs. BOXER. Is that a question to me?

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 16, 2008, at 10 a.m., to conduct a committee hearing entitled ``Turmoil in U.S. Credit Markets: Examining Proposals to Mitigate Foreclosures and Restore Liquidity to the Mortgage Markets.'' The Presiding Officer. Without objection, it is so ordered. committee on banking, housing, and urban affairs

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 16, 2008, at 2 p.m., to conduct a subcommittee hearing entitled ``Affordable Housing Opportunities: Reforming the Housing Voucher Program.''

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. Madam President, today I rise to pay tribute to 19 young Americans who have been killed in Iraq since November 6, 2007. This brings to 831 the number of servicemembers who were either from California or based in California who have been killed while serving our country in Iraq. This represents 21 percent of all U.S. deaths in Iraq. SPC Peter W. Schmidt, 30, died on November 13, in Mukhisa, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated during dismounted combat operations. Specialist Schmidt was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, WA. He was from Eureka, CA. SSgt Alejandro Ayala, 26, died November 18, of injuries sustained as a result of a vehicle accident in Kuwait. Staff Sergeant Ayala was assigned to the 90th Logistics Readiness Squadron, F.E. Warren Air Force Base, WY. He was from Riverside, CA. SGT Kyle Dayton, 22, died December 3 in Ashwah, Iraq, of injuries suffered from a noncombat-related incident. Sergeant Dayton was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, NC. He was from El Dorado Hills, CA. CPO Mark T. Carter, 27, died December 11 as a result of enemy action while conducting combat operations in Iraq. Chief Petty Officer Carter was permanently assigned as an East Coast-based Navy SEAL. He was from Fallbrook, CA. PFC George J. Howell 24, died December 21 in Riyadh, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle was attacked by an improvised explosive device. Private First Class Howell was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Infantry Division, Light Infantry, Fort Drum, NY. He was from Salinas, CA. SGT Benjamin B. Portell, 27, died December 26 in Mosul, Iraq, of wounds suffered from small arms fire during dismounted combat operations. Sergeant Portell was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, III Corps, Fort Hood, TX. He was from Bakersfield, CA. PFC Ivan E. Merlo, 19, died in Samarra, Iraq, on January 9, of wounds sustained during combat operations. Private First Class Merlo was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Air Assault, Fort Campbell, KY. He was from San Marcos, CA. SGT David J. Hart, 22, died in Balad, Iraq, on January 9, of wounds sustained during combat operations in Samarra, Iraq. Sergeant Hart was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Air Assault, Fort Campbell, KY. He was from Lake View Terrace, CA. SGT James E. Craig, 26, died from wounds suffered when his unit encountered an improvised explosive device during convoy operations on January 28, in Mosul, Iraq. Sergeant Craig was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, CO. He was from Hollywood, CA. PFC Brandon A. Meyer, 20, died from wounds suffered when his unit encountered an improvised explosive device during convoy operations on January 28 in Mosul, Iraq. Private First Class Meyer was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, CO. He was from Orange, CA. SGT Timothy P. Martin, 27, died February 8 in Taji, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. Sergeant Martin was assigned to 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, HI. He was from Pixley, CA. SPC Michael T. Manibog, 31, died February 8 in Taji, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. Specialist Manibog was assigned to 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, HI. He was from Alameda, CA. LCpl Drew W. Weaver, 20, died February 21 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. Lance Corporal Weaver was assigned to 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, CA. CPL Jose A. Paniagua-Morales, 22, died March 7, in Balad, Iraq, of injuries sustained in Samarra, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Corporal Paniagua-Morales was assigned to C Company, 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, WA. He was from Bell Gardens, CA. PVT George Delgado, 21, died March 24 in Baghdad, Iraq, from wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive on March 23. Private Delgado was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, GA. He was from Palmdale, CA. MAJ William G. Hall, 38, died March 30 from wounds he suffered while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, on March 29. Major Hall was assigned to 3rd Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion, Marine Air Control Group 38, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, CA. SGT Richard A. Vaughn, 22, died April 7, in Baghdad, Iraq, from wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked using a rocket propelled grenade, improvised explosive device and small arms fire. Sergeant Vaughn was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, TX. He was from San Diego, CA. SGT Timothy M. Smith, 25, died April 7, in Baghdad, Iraq of wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. Sergeant Smith was assigned to the 4th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Light Infantry, located at Fort Polk, LA. He was from South Lake Tahoe, CA. TSgt Anthony L. Capra, 31, died April 9, near Golden Hills, Iraq, of wounds suffered when he encountered an improvised explosive device. Technical Sergeant Capra was assigned to Detachment 63, 688 Armament Systems Squadron, Indian Head City, MD. He was from Hanford, CA. I would also like to pay tribute to the eight servicemembers from California who have died while serving our country in Operation Enduring Freedom since November 6. SPC Lester G. Roque, 23, died November 10 of wounds sustained when his patrol was attacked by direct fire from enemy forces in Aranus, Afghanistan, on November 9. Specialist Roque was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy. He was from Torrance, CA. SPC Sean K. A. Langevin, 23, died November 9 of wounds sustained when his patrol was attacked by direct fire from enemy forces in Aranus, Afghanistan. Specialist Langevin was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy. He was from Walnut Creek, CA. First Lieutenant Matthew C. Ferrara, 24, died November 9 of wounds sustained when his patrol was attacked by direct fire from enemy forces in Aranus, Afghanistan. First Lieutenant Ferrara was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy. He was from Torrance, CA. SGT Phillip A. Bocks, 28, died November 9 while conducting combat operations in Aranus, Afghanistan. Sergeant Bocks was assigned to Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center, Bridgeport, CA. SrA Nicholas D. Eischen, 24, died December 24, in Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, in a noncombat-related incident. Senior Airman Eischen was assigned to the 60th Medical Operations Squadron, Travis Air Force Base, CA. He was from Sanger, CA. SGT James K. Healy, 25, died at Jalalabad Airfield, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device on January 7, in Laghar Juy. Sergeant Healy was assigned to the 703rd Explosive Ordnance Detachment, Fort Knox, KY. He was from Hesperia, CA. SGT Robert T. Rapp, 22, died March 3, in the Sabari District of Afghanistan, of wounds suffered during combat operations. Sergeant Rapp was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, NC. He was from Sonora, CA. SGT Gabriel Guzman, 25, died March 8 at Orgun E, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device in Gholam Haydar Kala, Afghanistan. Sergeant Guzman was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, NC. He was from Hornbrook, CA. May all these brave soldiers, brave marines, brave Navy SEALS and sailors, brave airmen--brave all--may they rest in peace. I wish to say that if you come to my office in the Hart Building, before you enter, I have listed on big charts the names of all the individuals who are either from California or assigned in California, and if they passed, they are on that listing. We started with one enormous chart, then two, three, and four. I am sad to say it is growing. The reason I wished to mention their names on the floor is because sometimes we tend to just look at numbers--and we should--but behind those numbers are our children. I am a grandmother. I ache every time I sign a letter. Every single one of these brave Americans died doing something they wanted to do for their country. Their Commander in Chief sent them into battle, so of course not one of them has died in vain. But I want to do all I can--and I say this from my heart--to ensure that when we get into a conflict, we know there is a way out and that we can bring these conflicts to an end as soon as possible because so many sacrifices are being made, and no more so than the loss of America's finest. Sergeant Heather Springer