Barbara Boxer

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Mrs. BOXER

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I have decided to come to the Chamber in my capacity as chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee to address a number of Coburn amendments that he has either laid down or intends to lay down, and I hope we can work to defeat these amendments, as I understand them, and I want to say why. We have a very important relationship with our States when it comes to transportation and highway programs, and we work with them on many aspects of transportation. We have something called the Transportation Enhancement Program. It is a TE program. It was created in 1991 in the ISTEA bill, and one of the purposes was to encourage investments in many areas that have been overlooked. I want to give you an example of those. Since 1992, because of this TE Program, over $11.5 billion has been made available to the States for some very important purposes that deal with safety, that deal with making sure our highways are kept in a condition we want to see them kept. I will give more examples of the funding. But over that period of time, that $11.5 billion has created 399,000 jobs. Let me repeat that. This special program Senator Coburn wants to strip--and he wants to strip parts of it--is responsible for 399,000 jobs since 1992. I am here to say--because I know my friend, Senator Murray, agrees with me--of all the times not to visit more job losses on our people, it certainly is now. Jobs are key, and the Coburn amendment is a jobs killer. Let me tell you about the various areas that fall under this program he is taking the ax to. Environmental mitigation. This includes projects that address water pollution due to highway runoff. We just read a front-page story in the New York Times where we see terrible water pollution affecting our children. They had a picture of a child who has been drinking water that really has not been tested in the right way according to the law. This child's teeth all have to be capped because his teeth rotted. So we want to make sure we do not let that runoff get into waterways. Also, we hear about wildlife mortality. Anyone who has seen the result of a crash between a car and, let's say, a deer on a road knows this is a horrific situation for all parties, and it is a matter of life or death for drivers and their passengers. That is what some of this money is used for and that is what our friend, Senator Coburn, wants to take the ax to, as far as I understand it. Then there are facilities for pedestrians and bicyclists and safety and educational activities for pedestrians. Residents of my State are strong supporters of spending transportation funds on bicycle paths and pedestrian facilities. We all know walking and biking are forms of transportation which should not be cut but, rather, encouraged. Other categories of TE, the transportation enhancements, that it is my understanding Senator Coburn wants to cut: acquisition of scenic easements and scenic history sites, including historic battlefield sites. Does he think that little of the history of the country that he wants to take an ax to this, scenic or historic highway programs, including the provision of tourist and welcome center facilities? Again, tourism is one of the things we need to build up. There are many millions of jobs related to tourism, landscaping, and other scenic beautification. We all know and take pride in our communities. Highway beautification, to me, is a key part of our quality of life--historic preservation, rehabilitation, and operation of historic transportation buildings. We have seen some of those. We have seen them in places as far flung as New York to places in St. Louis, MO, to San Francisco, CA-- preservation of abandoned railway cars, including conservation and use of the cars for pedestrian or bike trails; inventory control and removal of outdoor advertising and archeological planning and research. Senator Coburn would have us believe that transportation enhancements are a low-priority project. These are investments that put hundreds of thousands of Americans to work. These are investments that improve safety, prevent pollution, save fuel, and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans. I wonder if Senator Murray and I can engage for a minute here through the Chair. What is the timing of when these amendments will be voted on? Can the chairman tell me?

Mrs. BOXER. May I ask, through the Chair, if the chairman of the subcommittee would allow me to be heard for a minute before we have a vote on any of these amendments that deal with transportation enhancement programs.

Mrs. BOXER. I thank the Senator. I yield the floor.

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. Madam President, I am deeply honored to pay tribute to Ted Kennedy today and to honor his extraordinary legacy. I will always think of Ted Kennedy as many think of him--as the lion of the Senate. From that seat, in that seat in the back of this beautiful Senate Chamber, he used his powerful voice to speak out for those whose voices were rarely heard. I also have described Ted as the drummer in a large orchestra. Ted Kennedy was a steady drumbeat--a steady drumbeat for justice, for fairness, for compassion, and for progress. On days when the Senate wasn't that interested in listening; on days when maybe the polls were against him; on days when his compassion might not have been in fashion, that drumbeat got louder and louder and louder because Ted Kennedy knew that at the end of the day, the values he stood for would be embraced again. Ted never let us forget why we are here--never. He always reminded us to be courageous. He always reminded us to be strong in fighting for the causes we believe in, not by lecturing us about it but by being brave, being strong, being courageous, taking on the tough issues. He spent 9 long years standing in the back of the Chamber talking about raising the minimum wage and explaining why people needed it--9 long years--but he knew the drumbeat would go on until we passed it. And we did. Ted Kennedy had genuine and deep friendships in the Senate on both sides of the aisle. His greatest legislative skill was to know every Senator and to know their passions. When I first came to the Senate in the early 1990s, I had spent 10 years in the House and Senator Kennedy was already an icon, but he knew I was passionate about health issues and, in particular, women's health issues. So even though I was new to the Senate, he came to me when he was managing a bill on the floor to protect the rights of women who were trying to get into reproductive health care clinics. At that time, protesters were blocking the entrances to the health care clinics so the women could not get in and get treated. So Senator Kennedy wrote a bill that simply said: It is fine to express your views, but you cannot block women or individuals from entering those clinics. It is dangerous, it is wrong, and you are denying women health care. Senator Kennedy asked me if I would be his lieutenant--that was his word, his ``lieutenant''--and help him manage that bill on the floor of the Senate. Well, clearly, I was so pleased. It was such a thrill to watch him work and, as did so many of Ted Kennedy's bills, it passed and it became the law of the land and women can get health care without being intimidated and frightened and harmed. Later, when he was championing the bill to increase the minimum wage--and he did it year after year after year--he asked me and the other women of the Senate to come to the floor and to organize and speak about the impact raising the minimum wage would have on women and families across the country. He said: Barbara, you know, 60 percent of the people earning minimum wage are women. A lot of our colleagues think it is teenagers. That is not true. It is women. They are supporting their families. Can you help me with this? I said: Senator, I am all over it. I am with you. The women of the Senate had a special role to come to the floor-- unfortunately, for 9 years in a row--until we made the case that it was important America's families, working so hard, can actually afford to live in this, the greatest country of all. Although Ted had deeply held views, he worked beautifully with Members across the aisle. We have colleague after colleague coming down to speak about their experiences. He was an expert at finding the thread of common ground. Sometimes it was just a tiny little strand of commonality, but he could weave it into something bigger and bigger and come to an agreement without losing his principles. Ted's legislative work has touched the lives of every American, and I think it is going to take 5, 6, 7, 10 of us to pick up this void he has left. I am so proud that Tom Harkin, who has come to the floor, will be the chairman of the HELP Committee because Tom shared with Ted those deep feelings about us being here not to champion the voices of those who have a strong voice and are heard but for those who don't have a strong voice: the middle class, the workers, the working poor, the families, the children. They don't have a voice here. Ted Kennedy worked to help get 18-year-olds the right to vote. He made it easier for Americans to change jobs and keep their health insurance. He expanded Head Start Programs. He wrote the law creating Meals-on-Wheels. He was the driving force behind the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Family and Medical Leave Act. Many of these Senator Harkin and he partnered up on. He led efforts to reform the Nation's immigration system--never a popular issue, a tough, hard issue. He worked to increase competition in the airline industry. He worked to protect women from violent crime. Virtually every major health care advance of the last four decades bears his mark--Whether it is the CHIP program, the Ryan White CARE Act, COBRA, the mental health parity bill or increased funding for cancer research. The list goes on and on and on. Senator Kennedy was once asked what his best quality was as a legislator, and he answered with a single word: ``Persistence.'' Persistence. That is a message to all of us on both sides of the aisle. If you believe something in your heart is right, you don't give up. You don't give up because progress takes time. Piece by piece, every year, for almost half a century, he advanced the causes he believed in: expanding access to health care, educating our children, extending civil rights, helping our society's least fortunate. I will say, if we were in danger of losing our way in the Senate, Senator Ted Kennedy held steady. He stayed true to his ideals. That is why it is fitting that his new biography is entitled ``True Compass.'' In many ways, he was a compass in the Senate. I wish to thank the people of Massachusetts for sending Ted Kennedy to us for these last 47 years. He loved his State. He fought for you and he fought for all Americans. I wish to thank his wife Vicki, who gave him so much joy, and the entire Kennedy family for sharing Ted Kennedy with us. I will miss his warm and engaging presence, his sense of humor, his bellowing laughter, and the way he reached out to all Senators in friendship. No one person will ever be able to fill his shoes. No one. He was one of a kind and irreplaceable. But we know how to honor his legacy. We know how to fill this void and that is by continuing his life's work. I believe the most fitting tribute we can give him is to carry on his fight for a quality education for all our children, affordable health care our families can rely on and an economy that works for everyone. Ted Kennedy came from a privileged and renowned family, but he saw so much suffering in his lifetime, so much loss. He saw what happens in your family when two of your three children have cancer. Even though you have every bit of financial stability to give them what they need, he saw how hard it was. And then to have another child with an addiction and the pain of that. So what Senator Ted Kennedy understood is, if it is so hard for me to see my children suffer, what must it be like for someone without the financial resources or someone who had an insurance company walk away from them at the time they needed it the most, they needed help the most. Ted Kennedy could put himself in other people's shoes, and that is what he did every single day. Even when it was hard for him to get up from his chair, he stood and he fought. As he said during his concession speech at the 1980 Democratic National Convention: ``For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.'' I say to Ted and to his family, I believe these words are true. The hope still lives and the dream shall never die. Thank you.

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I take this opportunity to honor the life of Judge Robert M. Takasugi, the first Japanese American appointed to the Federal bench. Judge Takasugi passed away on August 7, 2009, at the age of 78. Robert Takasugi was born in Tacoma, WA, on September 12, 1930, to Japanese parents who had immigrated to the United States in search of a better life. His family moved to Los Angeles in 1942 in the wake of anti-Japanese sentiment following the Pearl Harbor attack. That same year, Robert and his parents were sent to an internment camp at Tule Lake, CA, 3 of 130,000 Japanese Americans who were interned during the war. In the years since, Judge Takasugi often called the experience ``an education to be fair.'' After being released from the internment camp in 1945, Robert returned to Los Angeles where he resumed his studies and graduated from Belmont High School. He went on to earn a bachelor's degree from UCLA in 1953. Robert was then drafted into the U.S. Army during the Korean War, where he served as a criminal investigator. Upon discharge, he went on to earn a law degree from USC in 1959 with the aid of the G.I. bill. After graduating from USC, Robert joined his only Latino classmate, future Superior Court Judge Carlos Velarde, and together they opened a law practice in East Los Angeles. The firm represented many indigent minorities, including arrestees from the 1965 Watts riots, East Los Angeles riots, and other civil rights demonstrators in the 1960s. Robert's first judicial appointment, by then-Governor Ronald Reagan, landed him on the Los Angeles Municipal Court in 1973. Two years later, then-Governor Jerry Brown promoted him to the Los Angeles County Superior Court and in 1976, Judge Takasugi became the first Japanese American to be appointed to the Federal bench after being named by President Gerald Ford. Throughout his career, Judge Takasugi was known for his fairness and compassion. In his spare time, he served as a mentor to thousands of young lawyers. He founded a free bar review course, which he taught from his living room for many years, for students who were having trouble passing the bar exam. In 1999, the Robert M. Takasugi Public Interest Fellowship was created by his colleague to honor Judge Takasugi and ensure that his courage and vision of equal justice are carried out by generations to come. Judge Takasugi was a trailblazer for Asian Americans in the field of law. His dedication to justice and equality was evident in everything that he did throughout his 36-year judicial career on the Federal bench. His many years of service to the City and County of Los Angeles, to the State of California, and to our Nation will not be forgotten. Judge Takasugi is survived by his wife Dorothy; his son Jon; his daughter Lesli; and his two grandchildren. I extend my deepest sympathies to his family. Whether he was fighting for our country or fighting for integrity and equality under the law, Judge Robert Takasugi was undeterred in his efforts to make America a better place to live. He will be missed by all who knew him. We take comfort in knowing that future generations will benefit from his passion and dedication to justice.

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I ask my colleagues to join me today in honoring the San Francisco VA Medical Center, SFVAMC, on the occasion of its 75th anniversary. Since its official dedication on November 11, 1934, the SFVAMC has been honoring America's veterans by providing them with accessible, quality health care. Today the center provides state-of-the-art medical, neurological, surgical, and psychiatric care for the more than 310,000 veterans living in northern California. Were it not for the leadership and persistence of Congresswoman Florence P. Kahn, the SFVAMC might never have come to be. Congresswoman Kahn was the first Jewish woman to serve in the U.S. Congress, and the fifth woman ever to serve in Congress. She was also the first woman to serve on the House Military Affairs Committee. In 1930, Congresswoman Kahn made an appeal to the Federal Board of Hospitalization--the precursor to the Veterans Administration--to build a veterans hospital in San Francisco. At the time, the only facility for veterans in California was in Los Angeles. Congresswoman Kahn recognized that veterans in the northern part of the state were in dire need of services, and worked tirelessly to garner support for building a medical center in San Francisco. I would like to acknowledge and honor the work of Congresswoman Kahn, as her efforts have ultimately improved the lives of countless American veterans. Today the SFVAMC serves veterans in Marin, Napa, Sonoma, Lake, Mendocino, Humboldt, San Mateo, and San Francisco counties. The center operates five community-based outpatient clinics that provide primary and mental health care. These clinics offer a variety of services, including those that place veterans in supportive housing, provide case management, and offer individual and vocational counseling. In addition to providing direct care, the SFVAMC hosts some of the largest funded research programs in the Veterans Health Administration. The Center for Imaging of Neurodegenerative Diseases, for example, works to develop treatments to prevent the development and slow the progression of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, vascular dementia, post traumatic stress disorder, gulf war illness, depression, and other conditions associated with nerve loss in the brain. Thanks to the Center for Imaging Neurodegenerative Diseases, the SFVAMC's three Medical Science Research Enhancement Award Programs, and partners such as the Veterans Health Research Institute, the SFVAMC is at the forefront of medical research and is working to extend and improve the lives of veterans across the country. I applaud the staff and volunteers at the SFVAMC for the tremendous service they have provided to our veterans since 1934, and offer my best wishes for many more successful years of delivering care and advancing medical research. Please join me in celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the SFVAMC.

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the life of Thomas M. Marovich, Jr. This brave man lost his life while working to protect Californians from a forest fire. On July 21, 2009, Thomas Marovich died during a rappel proficiency training exercise while he was assigned as an apprentice with the Chester Helitack Crew fighting the Backbone Fire in Humboldt County. He was 20 years old. Those who knew Thomas recall that, since childhood, his dream was to become a firefighter. When he was a student at James Logan High School in Union City, he was honored as Student of the Year in the regional fire technology program. Shortly thereafter, he began his firefighting service as a member of the Cadet Program for the Fremont Fire Department at the age of 17 and became an emergency medical technician, EMT, by 18. He was hired on as a firefighter for the Modoc National Forest in the Big Valley Ranger District in Adin, CA, after working as a volunteer while completing basic fire training. In 2008, after two fire seasons, he was hired as a Wildland firefighter apprentice to train for fire management. Thomas is survived by his parents, sister, and three grandparents. Thomas Marovich, like all those who fight fires across California, put his life on the line to protect our communities. My heart goes out to his family and loved ones and my thoughts and prayers are with them. We are forever indebted to him for his courage, service, and sacrifice.

Mrs. BOXER

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

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I want to begin my remarks by introducing into the Record a letter I wrote with Senator Olympia Snowe in May, after Justice Souter announced he would be retiring from the Supreme Court. I ask unanimous consent that this letter be printed in the Record.

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, at that time, we wrote, in part: The most important thing is to nominate an exceptionally well-qualified, intelligent person to replace Justice Souter--and we are convinced that person should be a woman. That was the letter that was written by a Democrat and a Republican Senator who believe strongly that it does matter, when you only have one woman on a Court of nine, as we do right now--until we vote--it is just not enough. President Obama has nominated an exceptionally well-qualified and intelligent woman. She has more experience on the Federal bench than any Supreme Court nominee in the last hundred years. Judge Sotomayor received the highest rating from the American Bar Association, and she will be an outstanding addition to the high Court. When she is confirmed, she will become only the third woman ever to don the robes of a Supreme Court Justice. She will make history as the Nation's first Hispanic Supreme Court Justice. This is a proud moment for our entire Nation, and especially for the 13 million Latinos in California and the 45 million Latinos nationwide. She already is a role model for so many young women. As Justice Sandra Day O'Connor said in a recent interview: About half of all law graduates today are women, and we have a tremendous number of qualified women in the country who are serving as lawyers. So they ought to be represented on the Court. In the weeks since she was nominated, Judge Sonia Sotomayor has proven that she has the right judgment and the right temperament to serve on the Nation's high Court. This is a proud moment for our Nation, a very proud moment. She demonstrated, during a week of intense questioning before the Judiciary Committee, that she is tough, she is smart and, most importantly, she knows the law. During those hearings, she made clear that she understands the role of a judge, which is to apply the law to the facts of each and every case. She said: In the past month, many Senators have asked me about my judicial philosophy. It is simple: fidelity to the law. The task of a judge is not to make law. It is to apply the law. Her 17-year record as a Federal judge demonstrates a respect for the law and for precedent. Let me read some comments from Judge Sotomayor's many supporters. Robert Morgenthau, District Attorney for the County of New York, said: Judge Sotomayor's career in the law spans three decades, and [she] worked in almost every level of our judicial system--prosecutor, private litigator, trial court judge, and appellate court judge. . . . She is an able champion of the law, and her depth of experience will be invaluable on our highest court. Kim Askew, chair of the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary, said: [Judge Sotomayor] has a reputation for integrity and outstanding character. . . . Her judicial temperament meets the high standards for appointment to the court. I have to say, having watched some of the very tough questioning of Judge Sotomayor--if I might say, questions that were asked and answered, asked and answered, and asked and answered--the judge showed she understood that the Senators had a right to be tough, had a right to ask her anything they wanted, and she stood her ground beautifully. Second Circuit Chief Judge Dennis Jacobs said: Sonia Sotomayor is a well-loved colleague on our court-- everybody from every point of view knows that she is fair and decent in all her dealings. . . . The fact is, she is truly a superior human being. We all bring different experiences to our work. The judge has had experiences growing up as a young Latina that have shaped her life, and she has a firsthand appreciation of the American dream. She was raised in a South Bronx housing project. Her father, a factory worker, died when she was only 9 years of age. Her mother worked two jobs to support the family. From this humble background, she graduated summa cum laude from Princeton and became an editor of the Yale Law Review. As a woman, Judge Sotomayor will bring a different perspective than her male counterparts on the high Court. As we have said, those of us who feel it is important to have women represented, whether it is in the Senate, the House, or in corporate boardrooms or on the Supreme Court, a different perspective is important. I will give you an example of why I believe this. During oral arguments in a recent Supreme Court case involving a 13- year-old girl who was strip-searched, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg pointed out that her male colleagues didn't understand the humiliation a teenage girl would feel from being strip-searched. Justice Ginsburg said the obvious: They have never been a 13-year-old girl. It's a very sensitive age for a girl. I didn't think that my colleagues, some of them, quite understood. So Justice Ginsburg pointed out in that one case how important it is to have this type of diversity on the court. As the Nation's first Latina Supreme Court Justice, Judge Sotomayor will bring a unique set of experiences to her role; and the Court will be a richer place because of her perspective. I commend our President for selecting such an outstanding, well- qualified nominee. I congratulate Judge Sotomayor for the very dignified manner in which she carried herself throughout this long, grueling process. As President Obama said when he nominated her: When Sonia Sotomayor ascends those marble steps to assume her seat on the highest Court of the land, America will have taken another important step toward realizing the ideal that is etched above its entrance: Equal justice under the law. I look forward to seeing her sworn in as our next Supreme Court Justice.

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Amendment No. 2301, as Modified

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I rise to discuss the Gold Hill-Wakamatsu Preservation Act. This legislation would authorize the Bureau of Land Management to acquire and manage the Gold Hill Ranch near Coloma, California. This site was the location of the Wakamatsu Tea and Silk Colony from 1869 to 1871, recognized by the State of California and Japanese American Citizens League as the first Japanese settlement in the United States. After Commodore William Perry opened Japanese ports to U.S. trade, the weakness of Japan's shoguns was exposed, leading to a revolution and return to imperial rule under the Meiji emperor. In 1869, seven Japanese individuals and a European expatriate fled the turmoil in Japan and sailed across the Pacific to San Francisco aboard a side wheeler called the ``China.'' The group made their way eastwards and purchased land in Gold Hill. Within 2 years, the colony grew to 22 Japanese settlers and began producing traditional Japanese crops such as tea, silk, rice, and bamboo. The Japanese colonists and surrounding community learned about each others' culture and agricultural techniques. Local and San Francisco newspapers wrote about the colony, and the settlers began to receive acceptance in American society. Unfortunately, the colony was short-lived--drought and financial problems forced the group to disperse and settle throughout California beginning in 1871. The Veerkamp family, which owned neighboring lands, purchased the property in 1875. Despite the short history of the colony, it was an important milestone that helped bridge Japanese and American cultures and paved the way for large-scale emigration of Japanese settlers to the United States. It also contributed to major Japanese influences on the agricultural economy of California. Many of the original structures on the site remain intact, including a farmhouse, the grave of a young girl named Okei, numerous artifacts, and agricultural plantings. Japanese-Americans and other visitors come to see the site and place offerings on Okei's grave. As a testament to the cultural exchanges that occurred at this site, the Gold Trail Middle School, located on an in-holding carved out of this site, now maintains an exchange program with a sister school in Wakamatsu, Japan. Governor Reagan recognized the property as a State historic site in 1969, and the site is currently being considered for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The 272-acre ranch encompassing the original colony site has been passed down for generations through the Veerkamp family. Thanks to the hard work of the American River Conservancy and Wakamatsu Gold Hill Colony Foundation as well as the generous accommodation of the Veerkamp family, the site has been preserved for visitors to come and learn about the history of the Wakamatsu colonists and Japanese-American culture. The site provides multiple other benefits, including wildlife habitat, open space with hiking trails and picnic areas, and grazing and pastureland. The family and non-profit partners agree that federal acquisition would help guarantee that the site's cultural history, agricultural character, and open space are permanently preserved for generations to come. The Bureau of Land Management is well-suited to manage this site since it has an excellent relationship with the local community and manages several other sites nearby. This project is supported by the Japanese American Citizens League, the National Japanese American Historical Society, the Consul General of Japan, the Governor of Fukishima Prefecture and the Mayor of Wakamatsu in Japan, People-to-People International, the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors, the El Dorado County Chamber of Commerce, numerous elected officials including Assemblyman Ted Gaines, who represents this district, and numerous other members of the local community. The significance of this site for Japanese Americans has been compared to the significance of the Mayflower journey and Plymouth Rock landing for European Americans. This site is testament to Japanese history, California's agricultural economy, and the American tradition of bringing together people of diverse cultures in the common pursuit of freedom and prosperity. I look forward to working with my Senate colleagues to move this legislation and preserve the story of the Wakamatsu colonists for future generations.

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I rise to discuss the Gold Hill-Wakamatsu Preservation Act. This legislation would authorize the Bureau of Land Management to acquire and manage the Gold Hill Ranch near Coloma, California. This site was the location of the Wakamatsu Tea and Silk Colony from 1869 to 1871, recognized by the State of California and Japanese American Citizens League as the first Japanese settlement in the United States. After Commodore William Perry opened Japanese ports to U.S. trade, the weakness of Japan's shoguns was exposed, leading to a revolution and return to imperial rule under the Meiji emperor. In 1869, seven Japanese individuals and a European expatriate fled the turmoil in Japan and sailed across the Pacific to San Francisco aboard a side wheeler called the ``China.'' The group made their way eastwards and purchased land in Gold Hill. Within 2 years, the colony grew to 22 Japanese settlers and began producing traditional Japanese crops such as tea, silk, rice, and bamboo. The Japanese colonists and surrounding community learned about each others' culture and agricultural techniques. Local and San Francisco newspapers wrote about the colony, and the settlers began to receive acceptance in American society. Unfortunately, the colony was short-lived--drought and financial problems forced the group to disperse and settle throughout California beginning in 1871. The Veerkamp family, which owned neighboring lands, purchased the property in 1875. Despite the short history of the colony, it was an important milestone that helped bridge Japanese and American cultures and paved the way for large-scale emigration of Japanese settlers to the United States. It also contributed to major Japanese influences on the agricultural economy of California. Many of the original structures on the site remain intact, including a farmhouse, the grave of a young girl named Okei, numerous artifacts, and agricultural plantings. Japanese-Americans and other visitors come to see the site and place offerings on Okei's grave. As a testament to the cultural exchanges that occurred at this site, the Gold Trail Middle School, located on an in-holding carved out of this site, now maintains an exchange program with a sister school in Wakamatsu, Japan. Governor Reagan recognized the property as a State historic site in 1969, and the site is currently being considered for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The 272-acre ranch encompassing the original colony site has been passed down for generations through the Veerkamp family. Thanks to the hard work of the American River Conservancy and Wakamatsu Gold Hill Colony Foundation as well as the generous accommodation of the Veerkamp family, the site has been preserved for visitors to come and learn about the history of the Wakamatsu colonists and Japanese-American culture. The site provides multiple other benefits, including wildlife habitat, open space with hiking trails and picnic areas, and grazing and pastureland. The family and non-profit partners agree that federal acquisition would help guarantee that the site's cultural history, agricultural character, and open space are permanently preserved for generations to come. The Bureau of Land Management is well-suited to manage this site since it has an excellent relationship with the local community and manages several other sites nearby. This project is supported by the Japanese American Citizens League, the National Japanese American Historical Society, the Consul General of Japan, the Governor of Fukishima Prefecture and the Mayor of Wakamatsu in Japan, People-to-People International, the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors, the El Dorado County Chamber of Commerce, numerous elected officials including Assemblyman Ted Gaines, who represents this district, and numerous other members of the local community. The significance of this site for Japanese Americans has been compared to the significance of the Mayflower journey and Plymouth Rock landing for European Americans. This site is testament to Japanese history, California's agricultural economy, and the American tradition of bringing together people of diverse cultures in the common pursuit of freedom and prosperity. I look forward to working with my Senate colleagues to move this legislation and preserve the story of the Wakamatsu colonists for future generations.

Mrs. BOXER

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

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, could the Presiding Officer let us know how much time remains on the Vitter amendment and general debate?

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, thank you very much. Mr. President, of all the times to stop job creation in its tracks, I will tell you, this is not the time to do it. The Republican response to the bill that has come over from the House--the bill that would restore the funding, make sure there is funding in the highway trust fund to get us through September 30, and also make sure we can handle unemployment insurance and also ensure that our families can get mortgages, those who qualify--the answer from our Republican friends, and they have a right to do it, is to take that funding from the unobligated stimulus package. Now, here is the thing. We know we are starting to finally get those dollars for our economic recovery out the door. We know that. Yes, they are not flying out the door because the administration wants to make sure these are worthy projects. But I will tell you right now, the Republicans are putting at risk the very program they say they embrace: the highway program. The fact is, we still have $10 billion for highway-related jobs that would be subjected to the Vitter amendment. So, irony of ironies, they say they are extending the highway trust fund, but that amendment puts these funds at risk, puts these jobs at risk. The stimulus is designed to create those jobs. The funding is getting out the door. I have gone to my State and seen it at work. Yes, we know employment is lagging. So what do you do when employment is lagging? You do not go to a program that is designed to put people to work. I think it is important to note that the House bill is not only deficit neutral, it actually reduces the deficit. According to CBO, not only does it do it in 2010 but over the next 5- to 10-year period. That is because of the way they are funding the trust fund and the way they are funding the housing priority. What the Republicans are doing is they are taking a deficit reduction measure that keeps the highway trust fund solvent through the end of September, that makes sure people can continue to get unemployment insurance, that makes sure people can get mortgages--those who qualify--and they are saying that, instead of reducing the deficit, let's slash the stimulus program, take funding away from our States, away from our counties, our cities, and our businesses back home when it is not necessary.

Mrs. BOXER. Clearly, it is not even moving funds, it is slashing funds from the stimulus program, which has one purpose, and that purpose is to create jobs.

Mrs. BOXER. We have heard from our Republicans friends over and over again, who voted against the stimulus--although I have to say some of them are standing in front of projects built with stimulus dollars, but we will forget that for now--we are hearing from them that the stimulus isn't working fast enough. What do they want to do today but cut the funding? What I have suggested--and I want to get my friend's reaction to this--to my friends on the other side--because I agree we ought to extend the highway trust fund for 18 months; I don't like the way they are paying for it--is to wait until the end of the stimulus program, and if there is funding at that time that hasn't been obligated, that has been left on the table, take those funds and add them to the highway trust fund.

Mrs. BOXER. I will yield to the Senator from Louisiana on his time, but I will keep my time right now. It is very important we thread this needle in the right way. We want those jobs out there, and we want them out there as fast as they can get there. Out of the $27 billion for highway projects, there is $10 billion remaining. I can assure both my friends that it is very important to be careful in the way you do it. If you do it too quickly, you know what will happen on the floor of the Senate. We will have our friends on the other side saying: `` they rushed.'' We want to be careful, but we don't want to, at this point, as we see this recovery starting to take hold--we all believe and hope it is true--we know employment is the lagging indicator. This is not the time to throw a dagger into the heart of job creation. That is what the Senator's amendment will do.

Mrs. BOXER. I believe the Senator's amendment--and he can explain it--deals with the trust fund, and others will have similar amendments for UI and mortgage insurance.

Mrs. BOXER. My understanding is it is 100 percent because it is the stimulus. We are trying to do that because our States are suffering-- yours is and mine. We saw our Republican Governor talk about how heavy our hearts are back there, and we decided to help our State. This is very different. It is 100 percent offset.

Mrs. BOXER. That is correct; 20, 30 percent.

Mrs. BOXER. I say to the assistant majority leader, he is absolutely correct. I understand the need to extend the trust funds to 18 months. On that part, Senator Vitter and I are in agreement. But the way he funds it is hurtful to the American people, to the American workers, to our businesses, and to our contractors. Even though we know a lot of us want to see these funds get out there quicker, they are on the verge-- Vice President Biden has said we have committed more than a fourth of the Recovery Act total funds. We are on track to meet the deadline set when the act was passed in February, spending 70 percent by the end of September of 2010. He points out that the purpose of the stimulus was the jolt for immediate help but then a long-term economic recovery. This kind of amendment--and the others we will see--which says to the American people: Gee, it is 4 months and we want to forget about this whole notion--doesn't make sense. The timing of this is way off. If at the end of the 2-year period, within which the stimulus is supposed to act, there is money left over, I will be the first one saying: Let's either reduce the deficit with it or let's put it into the highway trust fund. I do believe infrastructure should have gotten more funds from the stimulus, but that is another point.