Sherrod Brown

Mr. BROWN of Ohio

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. I now ask for its second reading and object to my own request.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. President, it is my privilege to honor the Montford Point Marines, who today will be collectively decorated with the Congressional Gold Medal. The Montford Point Marines served our country bravely during World War II, despite being segregated from their fellow servicemembers. In 1942, President Roosevelt directed that African Americans be recruited into the Marine Corps. These men were not sent to the traditional Marine recruit depots of Parris Island or San Diego. Instead, they were segregated and trained at Montford Point in Camp Lejeune, NC. Collectively, these Marines--who became known as the ``Montford Point Marines''--served in the Pacific Theater as part of the 51st and 52nd Marine Defense Battalions, and with various Depot and Ammunition Companies. The Defense Battalions saw action against surviving Japanese troops on the captured island of Guam, while the Depot and Ammunition Companies participated in the fighting at Saipan, Tinian, Guam, Peleliu, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. Their jobs consisted of loading and unloading supplies, resupplying frontline units, and evacuating the dead and wounded--sometimes under heavy enemy fire. All together, the Depot and Ammunition Companies suffered seven killed and 78 wounded. Of the nearly 20,000 African-American Marines in World War II, about 13,000 served overseas. In July 1948, President Harry S. Truman issued his executive order ending military segregation. In September 1949, Montford Marine Camp was deactivated, ending 7 years of segregation. The commitment and sacrifice of African-American servicemembers during World War II is embodied in the lives of two cousins, Howard and Kenneth Tibbs. Howard served this Nation as one of the Tuskegee Airmen. I had the privilege of honoring him in 2007 when the Congressional Gold Medal was awarded to the Tuskegee Airmen. Today, I am able to honor his cousin, Kenneth Tibbs, who served as a Montford Point Marine. Kenneth was born on May 30, 1925, in Lancaster, OH, and served from 1943 to 1944 as part of the 20th Marine Depot Company. Ultimately, PFC Kenneth Tibbs was killed in action during the invasion of Saipan. He was his unit's only fatality. Private Tibbs and all of the Montford Point Marines exemplified the qualities for which the Montford Point Marines are so admired. Our Nation is indebted to him and his fellow Marines for their sacrifice. Not only did they contribute to the America's victory in the Pacific, but they did so within a highly segregated military. Many went on to serve in Korea and Vietnam, alongside their white counterparts. Montford Point Marine Edgar Huff became the first African-American in the United States Marine Corps to be promoted to the rank of Sergeant Major. His brother-in-law, Gilbert ``Hashmark'' Johnson, also served at Montford Point and earned the rank of Sergeant Major. Today, Montford Point's Camp Johnson at Camp Lejeune is named after him. I am proud to have been an original cosponsor of the 2006 House Resolution 80 to honor these Marines, and it is my privilege to recount their legacy today in the United States Senate. I proudly celebrate the life and sacrifice of PFC Kenneth J. Tibbs, and all Montford Point Marines, on the occasion of this award of the Congressional Gold Medal.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Madam President, I come to the floor this evening to discuss the bipartisan transportation jobs bill that has been lingering since March 14. March 14 was pretty early in the construction season. If the House had moved as quickly as they should have, if the House were not, apparently, held hostage by some tea party members who think transportation should be a State issue and the Federal Government shouldn't be involved, there would have been so many more jobs created in the Presiding Officer's State of North Carolina and in Ohio and elsewhere. Those tea party members should think about President Eisenhower's legacy when they talk about transportation being a State and not a Federal issue. The Senate passed this job-creating economic development bill more than 100 days ago, but this historically bipartisan highway bill remains stalled. We know investments in infrastructure mean jobs directly. We know investments in infrastructure mean economic development in the future. President Eisenhower and Congress established the Interstate Highway System not too many years after I was born, in the 1950s. A generation of Americans was set to work carving freeways, paving new roads, building bridges and tunnels across our great country that allowed people and products to travel across the 48 States. In the 1950s, the 1960s, the 1970s, and the 1980s, we had an infrastructure which was the envy of the world--an infrastructure the likes of which the world had never seen. Since then, we have not done quite so well. Our Nation used our postwar infrastructure boom to become an economic superpower, similar to how the GI bill helps millions of families who take advantage of it--soldiers, veterans, and families--yet at the same time creating prosperity for the whole country. Infrastructure building helps those men and women who are actually doing the construction, doing the work on the highways and bridges and water and sewer systems, but it also helps the companies and the workers who are manufacturing the steel and the concrete and the glass that goes into infrastructure, and it also helps the prosperity of society as a whole. A truck leaving Toledo, OH, could be in Miami, FL, in less than a day. A family could drive from one corner of Ohio--from Conneaut, the county my wife was born in--to North Bend on the other end of the State in several hours instead of a whole day. We know infrastructure investments are forward thinking, with payoffs that last for decades, yet also benefit our Nation--our small businesses, our workers--both today and for generations to come. So it is unacceptable that at a time of still too high unemployment--even though the unemployment rate in my State has dropped between 2 and 3 percent in the last 3 years, it is still too high--Washington politicians, for whatever reason, continue to block progress on this bill. No one in this Congress should be proud of the condition of our roads or the safety of our bridges. No one in this Congress should be proud of the fact the world's newest airports and most modern train stations are not in the United States of America, as they were in the 1950s, 1960s, the 1970s, and the 1980s. They are being built overseas. No one in this Congress should be proud of creating new hurdles to progress, of obstruction, when the need is so great for us to create new jobs. Historically, infrastructure has been a bipartisan issue. There is no so such thing as a Democratic or Republican bridge. The most recent extension is slated to expire Saturday at midnight. We can't afford to keep passing short-term extensions. We need to think about consequences for businesses that plan for the long term. Because Congress keeps passing inch-by-inch, month-by-month extensions, businesses can't plan, workers can't plan, State departments of transportation can't plan. It hurts the contractor, who is unsure whether she will have the funds to buy a new bulldozer; the crane operator, who is unsure of where his next job will be; and it hurts the small business owner who sells aggregate to the construction industry. We cannot afford to keep passing the buck with these short-term extensions and disrupting the ability of businesses to plan for the future. This past weekend I visited El Meson Restaurante, a family-owned restaurant located near the I-75 modernization project in West Carrollton in Montgomery County, OH, in southwest Ohio, near Dayton. I spoke with the owner Bill Castro. I asked him: What happens if the bill expires and this project is delayed? He tells me that construction surrounding the restaurant has already cut into El Meson's profits. I have eaten at that restaurant three or four times. It has always been crowded. The food is good, the hospitality is great, and the owners are friendly and embracing. It is a great place. But because of this delay--which happens from time to time, I understand, and should--he has had to scale back his own salary, rather than lower his workers' wages and reduce the staff. He knows this is good for Montgomery County, for Dayton, and for the Miami Valley, but it is clear if this project gets delayed it will do serious damage to his restaurant and to the other small businesses in the area. It is clear business owners in my State are doing their jobs. It is time the House of Representatives does its job and works with us to pass this highway bill, then get it back to the Senate and the House so we can vote on it. We know what is at stake: Jobs created by infrastructure investments are almost always good-paying middle-class jobs. Whether they are the construction jobs or the manufacturing jobs producing the products that go into the construction, these jobs typically provide workers with health care and retirement benefits and are the kinds of jobs our neighbors need to create a strong middle class. These jobs enable people to buy a home, to save for their children's college education, and plan for the future. These investments not only create construction jobs, they improve our Nation's economic efficiency, obviously creating more prosperity. This bill is about rebuilding our infrastructure as much as it is about rebuilding our middle class. It is time for Congress to pass the highway bill. There is simply too much at stake not to. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. President, we recognized May as National Cancer Research Month. This year, more than 1.6 million Americans will receive a cancer diagnosis and more than half a million Americans will lose their battle with cancer. However, due to the discoveries made by cancer researchers, people are living with cancer longer and, increasingly, are beating it. Cancer researchers--world-class scientists and clinicians--are making invaluable contributions to our health care knowledge. The National Institute of Health, NIH, and the National Cancer Institute, NCI, are the leading funders and conductors of biomedical research in the world--including cancer research. According to Families USA, approximately seven jobs are created per research grant and each dollar of NIH grant money generates about $2.21 of new business activity. In fiscal year 2011, Ohio scientists and physicians attracted more than $710 million in grant funding, including $104 million dedicated to cancer research. Ohio is on the cutting edge of cancer research thanks to world renowned medical institutions, including Ohio's two NCI-designated cancer centers: the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center--the James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute. The Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, CCC, brings together the cancer research efforts at Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, and the Cleveland Clinic. Through this collaboration, the brightest minds at Case, University Hospital, and the Cleveland Clinic partner on cutting-edge cancer research bringing together more than 300 scientists and physicians to work on research projects supported by more than $100 million in annual funding. Case CCC also was awarded a Specialized Programs of Research Excellence, SPORE, grant--to promote translational cancer research. The Case SPORE grant will allow Case to research gastrointestinal, GI, cancers. GI cancers are a leading cause of cancer deaths in men and women as well as disproportionately affect African Americans. African Americans are more likely to have--and die--from colon cancer. Additionally, the onset of colon cancer occurs at an earlier age for African Americans. Of the four projects that would be funded by the Case GI SPORE, several include a research emphasis on colon cancer in African Americans. Case is also the lead center for the Barrett's Esophagus Research Network. This multiple center network allows for collaboration to develop a better understanding of Barrett's esophagus disorder and its correlation with esophageal cancer. The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, also referred to as ``the James,'' was the Midwest's first fully dedicated cancer hospital and research institute. The James researchers are drawn from 12 of Ohio State's 18 colleges to collaborate and study ways to prevent and treat cancer, including the ways genetics influences cancer development and how targeted therapies based on molecular genetics can promote treatment. Research at the James has expanded our knowledge and understanding of cancer treatment. Researchers at the James found that 1 in 35 people with colon cancer carry a genetic disease called Lynch syndrome. Of the patients who had this gene mutation, each had on average three family members with the mutation. Thanks to the outstanding research conducted by the James, the early detection of the mutation means that through regular colonoscopies, people with Lynch syndrome will never develop colon cancer. This is remarkable-- through genetic advances, people can beat cancer before it starts. OSU scientists are also developing a medicated patch that releases a cancer-preventing drug onto precancerous oral lesions. Other scientists are conducting clinical trials for new drugs to treat patients with advanced or recurring breast, colon, lung, or prostate cancer. These drugs may offer new hope to patients who have exhausted most--if not all--existing therapeutic options. The James and the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center is expanding its cancer research as the result of a $100 million grant made available from the health care reform legislation. The funding has spurred the largest construction project in university history, which will expand the Wexner Medical Center, including the James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute. Slated to be completed by 2014, the expansion includes a new cancer hospital, critical care tower, outpatient center, research laboratories, and classrooms--all designed to advance the medical center's mission to improve people's lives through innovation in patient care, education, and research. This project put more than 5,000 Ohioans to work constructing the facility and is expected to create 10,000 full-time jobs by 2014. The University of Cincinnati Cancer Institute is another Ohio institution making strides in combating cancer. UC's Division of Experimental Hematology and Cancer Biology is partnering with the Cancer and Blood Diseases Institute at Cincinnati Children's Hospital to explore gene therapy for the treatment of pediatric cancers and blood disorders. I applaud the groundbreaking work conducted every day in Ohio and across the country to increase prevention, improve treatment, and extend life-expectancies--for all constituencies. Even though National Cancer Research Month has come to an end, I urge my Senate colleagues to continue to support cancer research. While researchers have made incredible strides in cancer research, only a mere 5 percent of Americans with pancreatic and other cancers have a 5- year survival rate. Now is the time to strengthen the investment in the revolutionary work of cancer researchers across the country.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Madam President, let me begin by thanking the chair of the Senate veterans committee for her incredible leadership on one of the most tragic issues of our times--the suicide rate among active-duty personnel in our Armed Forces, and especially among veterans. Last week I spoke to the Disabled American Veterans in Columbus. I hear these same issues all the time, particularly among men and women who are sent for their second, third, fourth, and fifth deployments. One veteran, active in the DAV, told me about an Ohio soldier who has had a seventh deployment. That is not what we should be doing, and so I appreciate Senator Murray's leadership. I am a member of that committee--the first Ohioan to ever serve on the veterans committee for a full term--and I am on this committee because of these problems. So I am thankful for the leadership we have on that committee and for what Senator Murray has done. I remember when I was presiding some years ago, and she was talking on the Senate Floor about her dad, who is a veteran, and I know that is a big part of why she does what she does. I thank the Senator from Washington State.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Madam President, let me begin by thanking the chair of the Senate veterans committee for her incredible leadership on one of the most tragic issues of our times--the suicide rate among active-duty personnel in our Armed Forces, and especially among veterans. Last week I spoke to the Disabled American Veterans in Columbus. I hear these same issues all the time, particularly among men and women who are sent for their second, third, fourth, and fifth deployments. One veteran, active in the DAV, told me about an Ohio soldier who has had a seventh deployment. That is not what we should be doing, and so I appreciate Senator Murray's leadership. I am a member of that committee--the first Ohioan to ever serve on the veterans committee for a full term--and I am on this committee because of these problems. So I am thankful for the leadership we have on that committee and for what Senator Murray has done. I remember when I was presiding some years ago, and she was talking on the Senate Floor about her dad, who is a veteran, and I know that is a big part of why she does what she does. I thank the Senator from Washington State.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. President, the Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act, or the 2012 farm bill, represents the most significant reform of U.S. agriculture in decades. This bill is the product of many months of policy discussions and late night deliberations guided by the steady leadership of Chairwoman Stabenow and Ranking Member Roberts. I commend their efforts in successfully navigating this bill. All Americans stand to benefit from their hard work and commitment to reform agriculture policy and strengthen our rural communities. There is a reason why people across the country--farmers and business owners, faith leaders and county commissioners--have been paying attention to what we are doing. This bill benefits all Americans, including in Ohio, where 1 in 7 jobs is related to the food and agriculture sector. From making the farm safety net more fiscally responsible, ensuring communities have access to broadband, protecting nutrition and conservation programs, to strengthening initiatives for healthy, nutritious food--this legislation touches all Ohioans. Also, at a time where there is too much gridlock, this bill is a welcome change. Many thanks to Leader Reid and Senator McConnell for their patience, their cooperation, and for allowing time for proper consideration of the farm bill. Many of the policies I proposed as legislation and worked to include in this farm bill were made at the suggestion of Ohioans. Traveling across the State on my ``Grown in Ohio'' listening tour, I learned what is working and what needs to be changed from people whose primary job is to grow our food, feed the hungry, and run small businesses and small towns. Thanks to the many Ohioans who have shared their opinions, ideas, and provided feedback over the past several months. This farm bill is better because of their involvement. This legislation would not have been possible without the dedicated work of the Senate Agriculture Committee's leadership of Chairwoman Stabenow, Ranking Member Roberts, and that of its members. In particular, I enjoyed the opportunity to work with a number of my Agriculture Committee colleagues. Their willingness to reach across party lines ensured that this bill had a much-needed dose of Midwestern pragmatism. I would like to thank Senators Thune and Grassley, as well as Senators Harkin, Nelson, Lugar, Johanns, Klobuchar, and Casey. Their continual engagement in the farm bill process has made a stronger product and I am grateful for their efforts. The 2012 farm bill has been many months in the making and was made possible by the work of Senate staff, often in a bipartisan manner. Mike Seyfert, Joel Leftwich, and Tara Smith of Ranking Member Roberts' staff were invaluable resources in this process, as well as Jared Hill for Senator Grassley and Lynn Tjeerdsma with Senator Thune, whose work with my staff was indispensable. I was continually impressed with the open and collaborative nature of Senator Stabenow's staff. This farm bill was written in a unique and challenging process--all of which made the efforts by Chris Adamo, Jonathan Coppess, Joe Shultz, Tina May, Brandon McBride, Jacklyn Schneider and others to remain engaged and open to suggestions all the more invaluable. Their hard work has not gone unnoticed.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. President, for many Ohio children, schools have let out for the year, and summer vacation is just beginning. During the school year, in my State--a State of about 11 million people--840,000 Ohio children receive some nutrition assistance through free or reduced-price school lunches or breakfasts during the school year. It is a statistic that tells the story of families struggling to get by. In many of these children's cases their parents have jobs but simply are not making enough money. It is a statistic that tells a story of how children are often helpless victims in a challenging economy. Many of these children come from the 18 percent of Ohio families--about 1 out of 6--who are food insecure. Essentially it means they are unsure where their next meal may actually come from. When the school year comes to a close, many of these children go hungry. Where can these 840,000 students go? Where do they turn for nutritious meals when their school cafeterias are closed for the summer? The answer is the Summer Food Service Program run through the U.S. Department of Education and administered in my State by the Ohio Department of Education. For Ohio parents and guardians and school administrators, the Summer Food Service Program is available for them to find healthy meals for children during the summer. But too many Ohio families don't know about this critical program, and that is why it is so important to raise awareness and increase access to the program for all Ohio children regardless of where they live. Summer break shouldn't mean a break from good nutrition. At the beginning of this talk, I mentioned that 840,000 Ohio children benefit from free and reduced school breakfast and lunch programs-- 840,000. But, unfortunately, last year in the summer only 66,000 Ohio children utilized the Summer Food Service Program. Only 66,000 when there are 800,000 eligible. I believe last year Ohio was slightly above the national average. So in State after State, of those students who were benefiting from the free and reduced- price breakfasts and lunches at the school, less than 10 percent of those children benefit in the summer. In Ohio, only 66,000 children utilize this program. Obviously hundreds of thousands need to receive nutrition assistance during the school year. Ensuring that our children have access to healthy food during the summer is so important, especially as more families slip into poverty. The Summer Food Program is a vital program that helps stem the crippling cycle of food insecurity by providing school-aged children breakfast, lunch, or a snack during the summer. In some sites children can receive these meals while participating in educational activities or organized games. The Presiding Officer was a superintendent of one of the great school districts in the country. We know particularly how low-income students during summer months slide back in their educational attainment. In the beginning of the school year, the teachers have to sort of reteach what was taught perhaps in April and May. We also know that in families with a little higher income, the children often have activities in the summer which include exposure to books, magazines, vacations, and cultural events to help those children continue to advance in the summer. Many of these students who are not getting proper nutrition in the summer also are not getting the educational challenges they need. That is why at these sites children--while they receive these meals-- participate in educational activities or organized games. The good news is there are more sites this year for Ohio families to turn to. There are more than 1,700 sites across 77 counties. Nonetheless, 11 counties out of the 88 in Ohio still lack feeding sites. It is not too late for program sites to be established. The official deadline was May 31. Interested sponsors and volunteers can still work with the Ohio Department of Education to establish new centers for children to get meals. Understand the difficulty here. Somebody needs to step forward, such as a teacher, an administrator, someone in the school district, someone in a church, someone in a recreation center of some type has to step forward every May or June and set up one of these programs and take it down again in August or September. So it is unlike the school district which has this built into its process. At existing sites, such as schools, summer camps, churches, community centers, and recreation centers, volunteers spend their time ensuring our children have the food they need to succeed. The Federal Government will reimburse local groups small amounts of money for the breakfast, snack, or lunch for these children, but volunteers need to come forward. Two years ago I co-hosted a first-of-its-kind hunger summit at the Mid-Ohio Foodbank in Columbus with leading antihunger advocates across Ohio. This past year the USDA Under Secretary Kevin Concannon came to Ohio to hold the second summit. We continue to reach out to organizations such as the AmeriCorps and VISTA Summer Association Partnership that can help with volunteers through AmeriCorps and can set up the programs and provide meals to the children in need. This summer will be an important few months to learn how far we have come and how far we have to go in serving our State's children. Outreach and public awareness are critical components to ensure that the end of the school year doesn't mean the end of children getting the nutrition they need for the summer. I yield the floor, and suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. President, I call up my amendment No. 2445.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. President, Congress has provided an average of $400 million for farm bills in the rural development title. The bill we are considering includes no funding at all. My fiscally responsible amendment funds rural business development programs, a portion of the backlog of wastewater infrastructure projects, and will help bring a new generation of farmers into agriculture. As a member of the Agriculture Committee, I know how important it is that this amendment maintain our committee's commitment to save at least $23 billion in the farm bill. I yield the rest of my time to the chairwoman, Senator Stabenow.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning business for up to 5 minutes.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Madam President, I rise today in support of a resolution I am cosponsoring to commemorate Juneteenth Independence Day. In just 2 weeks, Americans will gather, of course, as we know, to celebrate the Fourth of July, but it is important to remember that when our Nation gained its independence, there were some 450,000 enslaved people in the 13 States. It wasn't until June 19, 1865, more than 2 years after President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which liberated a limited number of people, that enslaved people in the Southwestern States finally learned of their freedom. Months after the 13th amendment was ratified, Army MG Gordon Granger and Federal troops arrived in Galveston, TX, to enforce emancipation. Since then, Americans in Texas and throughout the United States have celebrated Juneteenth, which is the oldest known celebration of the end of slavery in our country. To celebrate that day, people from all backgrounds--not only African Americans and not only descendants of slaves but people of all backgrounds and ethnicities--will gather in special places all over Ohio. They will gather at Franklin Park in Columbus, our State capital. They will gather at ``The Coming of Emancipation'' memorial service in Oberlin, just a few miles from my house, the site of visits from Martin Luther King and the site of the Underground Railroad where those escaping slavery were housed on their way to Canada. Ohioans will reflect in Westwood Cemetery in Oberlin, where former slaves and famous abolitionists are buried. At Cincinnati's Juneteenth Festival in Eden Park, families and visitors will gather on one of the hilltops overlooking the Ohio River, which slaves saw while coming from Kentucky into freedom as they crossed the river into the North. They will remember the perilous journey to freedom that many made at the banks of that river. In Wilberforce, an African-American school--a university in southwest Ohio--and Zanesville, in Newcomerstown and Cleveland, Ohioans will hold ceremonies of remembrance and celebration. On Juneteenth Independence Day, especially, we have yet another opportunity to celebrate our great Democratic traditions--our American ingenuity, innovation, and imagination. We celebrate the rich heritage and vibrant culture of all Americans who are descendants of enslaved people on American soil. We celebrate the ingenuity of Ohioans such as Columbus native Granville T. Woods, who invented the telegraph device that sent messages from moving trains and train stations. We celebrate the innovation of Ohioans such as Garrett Morgan, a Clevelander who invented the traffic light. We celebrate the imagination and wisdom of Ohioans such as Nobel Prize-winning and recent Presidential Medal of Freedom honoree Toni Morrison of Lorain, OH. In America, progress is never promised, but through the work of dedicated citizens, we move closer to being the Nation our Framers envisioned. We can work together toward achieving a more perfect union, where justice isn't limited to the powerful but is also accessible to the people. Today I am proud to commemorate Juneteenth Independence Day. I yield the floor.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. President, we continue to work on an agreement on amendments to the farm bill. We hope such an agreement can be reached. Votes are possible during tomorrow's session, and we will notify Senators when they are scheduled.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask that it adjourn under the previous order.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning business for up to 10 minutes.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. President, the Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act of 2012, which the Presiding Officer from New Jersey just spoke of, in my State called the farm bill, represents the most significant reform of U.S. agriculture in decades. It is the product of months of policy discussion and late-night deliberations, guided by Chairwoman Stabenow and Ranking Member Roberts. It is the reason why people across the country, farmers and business owners and faith leaders and county commissioners are paying attention. The bill benefits all of us, all Americans. Today, one in seven jobs in Ohio is related to the food and agriculture industry. To get the economy back on track, the farm bill must remain a priority in Congress. The Agriculture Committee has worked to craft a farm bill that is forward-looking and realistic. The centerpiece of the bill's deficit reduction efforts is based on a bill I authored with my colleague John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, along with Senator Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois, and Senator Lugar, a Republican from Indiana. Our Aggregate Risk and Revenue Management Program proposed streamlining the farm safety net and making it more market oriented. The era of direct payments--the billions of dollars that newspaper editorial writers and constituents alike complained about, these huge farm subsidies that went mostly to large corporate farmers--the era of direct payments made annually regardless of need under this bill is over. Instead, the new Ag Risk Coverage Program will work hand in hand with crop insurance to provide farmers the tools needed to manage risk, making payments only when farmers need them most. The program is market oriented. It relies on market data instead of arbitrary numbers in statutes. It is more responsive to farmers' needs and more responsible to taxpayers. The bill reforms a number of longstanding, unjustifiable practices. For the first time, this farm bill ends payments to landowners who have nothing to do with farm management. It puts a firm cap on how much support any farmer can receive from the direct farm support programs every year. There are commonsense reforms that ensure the taxpayer dollars go only where they are needed. Is there more to be done to make sure taxpayers get the most efficient, effective, and affordable farm policy possible? Of course there is. In the coming years, we will continue to improve our farm and food policy, but this is a good start. It is good for farmers, good for taxpayers. It continues to move our Nation's food and agriculture policy in a positive direction. The farm bill is a jobs and innovation bill. Every $1 billion in exports supports 8,400 American jobs that cannot be shipped overseas, according to the USDA. In 2011, U.S. agriculture enjoyed a trade surplus of $42 billion, $42 billion we sold more than we brought in from abroad in farm products, the highest annual surplus on record. Contrast that with the billions and billions, tens of billions, hundreds of billions of dollars in trade deficit we have in manufacturing in other parts of our economy. There is so much room for growth, not only overseas but also at home. Bio-based manufacturing and renewable energy are two examples of the potential that American agriculture holds for U.S. economic growth and for job creation. Alongside food production, farm-based and renewable energy production, such as advanced biomass energy, can serve as the engine of the rural economy for decades to come. It is investments in agriculture such as this, such as the ones this bill maintains in research and energy and bio-based products and food production, that will enable continued creation of good-paying jobs, again that will not, that cannot be shipped overseas. The farm bill provides economic relief to millions of Americans. Alhough we call it a farm bill, this bill is fundamentally an economic relief bill. For farmers, the bill provides financial assistance to weather tough times or adopt conservation practices that protect clean water and healthy soils and wildlife habitat. For millions of Americans, this bill helps put dinner on the table when wages are tight and families are struggling to make ends meet and keeps children from going hungry. That is why this bill is so important. I add, the Presiding Officer from New Jersey has always been such a strong advocate of these nutrition programs. We both understand that more than one-third of people who are getting SNAP, who are receiving what we used to call food stamps, are working families, people who are only making $9, $10, $11 an hour, sometimes working two jobs, and still cannot make it without some food assistance. The bill includes resources for SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which is one of the Nation's most essential antipoverty programs. In addition to supporting people who are struggling to feed their families, SNAP supports retailers and businesses and the farmers and ranchers who grow the food. At a time of high unemployment, SNAP participation now exceeds 44 million Americans, half of whom are children. Many of these families are working families. Half the people served by SNAP are children. SNAP participation is expected to fall as the economy recovers. The bill continues to support SNAP with minimal modifications. It continues and increases support for commodity distribution to food banks at a time when food pantry shelves in Ohio and across the Nation are bare. But I want to be clear. I have serious concerns with the cuts, not large cuts such as the House Agriculture Committee wants to do and that Senator Paul tried to do--very unsuccessfully--and that Congressman Ryan made with his budget from the House of Representatives--nothing even close to the tens and tens of billions of dollars they want to cut from nutrition. But I am concerned about this $4 billion cut. When compared to the $130 billion in cuts to SNAP in the Ryan budget, the modification in this bill was done carefully. The farm bill is a deficit reduction bill, a jobs bill, an economic relief bill. It affects every American every day. I commend, again, Chairwoman Stabenow and Ranking Member Roberts. Their joint effort to work across party lines is to be commended. These months of work and deliberation are at risk because some insist on debating dozens of unrelated amendments and others seek to score political points at the expense of American families and at the expense of American farmers. This is not the time to debate conceal-and-carry laws or American aid to Pakistan or the future of the Labor Relations Board. Not that any of those are not debatable or any of those aren't a place where people can have reasonable differences on public policy. But conceal and carry, American aid to Pakistan, the future of the Labor Relations Board should not be part of the farm bill. I urge my colleagues to work together and halt the impasse that keeps us from making progress on this bill. I am the first Ohio Senator who is a member of the Agriculture Committee in 40 years. In my first month in the Senate, I made a request to Senator Reid to join the Agriculture Committee, along with other duties, because of the importance of agriculture in my State. One out of seven jobs in Ohio is related to agriculture. It is the largest business, largest industry in my State. It matters so much to Ohio. My position on the Agriculture Committee has helped as I have done roundtables around Ohio and met with literally hundreds of farmers, including grain farmers, dairy farmers, specialty crop farmers, nursery farmers, tree farmers, experts at Ohio State in the agriculture school, and I have come prepared to help write this farm bill both back in 2007 and this year. This is a major step forward. It is something of which we can be proud.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to a period of morning business with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, June 14; that following the prayer and pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, and the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day; that the majority leader be recognized and that following any leader remarks, the first hour be equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees, with the majority controlling the first half and the Republicans controlling the second half.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning business.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. President, people in my home State of Ohio know how to make things. We know how to make big things. For decades, Ohio has been a national leader in auto production, in chemicals, in steel, in concrete, in aluminum, and in the aerospace industry and food processing. Now we are a leader in solar power, in wind turbine components and batteries and all the kinds of things that really create middle-class jobs and help us lead the world in manufacturing production. Ohio is the third leading manufacturing State in the country. We make more in Ohio than any State but California, three times our population, and Texas, twice our population. What Ohio perhaps is best known for in production is the auto industry. The auto rescue did not just save the U.S. auto industry 3, 3\1/2\, 4 years ago, it saved thousands of auto-related jobs in Ohio. Estimates are that some 850,000 jobs in Ohio--a State of 11 million people, only smaller than the Presiding Officer's home State of Pennsylvania--that 800-plus thousand jobs in Ohio are related to the auto industry. It is clear from the auto rescue that the President, the Senate, and the House supported that it saved tens of thousands and created tens of thousands of those jobs. New data shows manufacturing is at the forefront of the economic recovery, with factories adding 250,000 jobs since early 2010--the first sustained increase in manufacturing employment since 1997. From 1965 until the late 1990s, America had about the same number of manufacturing jobs in the late nineties as it did in the midsixties--a smaller percent of the workforce, a smaller percent of GDP, but a pretty constant number of manufacturing jobs, with some ups and downs, obviously, during that period. But from 2000 to 2010, during that philosophy of trade agreements that ultimately cost us jobs, tax cuts and tax policy that contributed to outsourcing jobs, and an economic policy of ``trickle down'' during the Bush years--from 2000 to 2010, America lost one-third, more than 5 million manufacturing jobs. One out of three manufacturing jobs disappeared during those 10 years from 2000 to 2010. Thousands of factories closed, never to be reopened, as jobs were outsourced, as jobs left our country. But since 2010, almost every single month in Ohio and across the country we see manufacturing jobs increasing. The auto industry has led the rebound, with more than 20,000 jobs at General Motors and Chrysler saved or created thanks to the 2009 auto rescue, and thousands more were saved or created in the auto supply chain. Too many Ohioans are struggling. Many are still looking for work, while others have seen their wages cut or their hours reduced. There are also important signs of recovery at our manufacturers, auto suppliers, and small businesses. Just 4 years ago the auto industry, many people thought, was faltering and imploding. But look where we are today. As a result of the auto rescue, we are seeing a healthy turnaround. The Toledo Supplier Park employs 1900 people. The GM assembly and stamping plant in Lordstown employs some 4,500 Ohioans. GM Powertrain in Defiance is home to some 1,200 workers. Following the auto rescue, these facilities all created new jobs due to increased demand. Some Members of Congress were willing to bail out Wall Street without so much as asking for reasonable executive compensation restrictions on banks that received taxpayer help but then attacked middle-class auto workers. Bonuses and huge salaries have continued unabated for far too many Wall Street executives. Yet some of my colleagues have said that auto workers' retirement--union and nonunion retirement--and health care and wages were simply too much. Let's be clear. Ohio would be in a depression if these naysayers had their way and let the auto industry collapse or let it ``go bankrupt.'' It was about rescuing middle-class workers, and it was about fueling the next generation of U.S. automakers and auto manufacturing. Ohio is home to an almost completely Ohio-made automobile, the Chevy Cruze. Its engine was made in Defiance, the transmission in Toledo, the sound system in Springboro, the steel in Middletown, the underpinning steel in Cleveland, and the aluminum wheels in Cleveland. The car is stamped in Parma, OH. The Chevy Cruze is assembled in Youngstown, OH. The Jeep Wrangler had only 50 percent America-made components 4 years ago. The Jeep Wrangler and the Jeep Liberty are assembled in Toledo, now made with more than 70 percent U.S.-made parts. When things looked bleak and when nobody wanted to stand with workers or auto companies, we didn't give up on American auto companies or American manufacturing. The decision wasn't popular, and there were clearly some naysayers. But it was the right thing to do. Our work is far from over. In particular, we have to keep our foot on the gas pedal and fight back against China's unfair trade practices and other new threats to our auto industry. Our trade deficit in auto parts with China--the parts that are obviously used, that you buy at various retail operations to fix your car when something goes wrong--grew from about $1 billion 10 years ago to about $10 billion today, fed by unfair subsidies, currency manipulation, and illegal dumping of Chinese products. This is an unlevel, tilted playing field that will cost hundreds of thousands of jobs. My China currency manipulation bill--the biggest bipartisan jobs bill to have passed the Senate this session--costing taxpayers zero, would level the playing field for American manufacturers when China tries to cheat by manipulating its currency. A recently released report shows that addressing Chinese currency manipulation could support the creation of hundreds of thousands of American jobs--without adding a dime to the deficit. It is time to take bold action and stand up to China, and it is time to put American workers and businesses first. We did it in 2008 and 2009. The Presiding Officer played a role in that, as did so many in this body. We can do it again if our colleagues in the other Chamber take up this currency bill. I yield the floor.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning business for up to 10 minutes.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. President, I come to the floor fairly often to share letters I get from people in Ohio and especially when it is an issue that is on the tips of so many young people's tongues and on the minds of so many in our State. I spent much of the last month visiting with students on college campuses at Wright State University in Dayton, at Hiram College in Portage County in northeast Ohio, at the Cuyahoga County Community College in Cleveland, at the University of Cincinnati, and Ohio State University. Just this last Monday, I was at Owens Community College in Toledo. I hear over and over and over about the debt that far too many of our young people bear when they get out of school. Today is the last session day for our pages from the winter term, and I hope the burden of debt on them--they are still several years away from absorbing the debt from college and going on to the workplace. But I worry for them, as I worry for so many of my constituents from Cleveland to Cincinnati and Ashtabula to Middletown and Gallipolis to Wauseon because the average Ohio student who is graduating from a 4- year school and who has borrowed money owes $27,000. This is a small step, but it is one more piling on of debt. If we are not able to freeze interest rates on Stafford loans--which is what my legislation will do, with Senator Reed of Rhode Island, Senator Harkin of Iowa--to freeze interest rates for at least another year, these students will be faced with another $1,000, in addition to what they are already facing. It has become a moral issue. If we turn things over to these young people when they come out of school and they face this kind of debt, it means they are less likely to buy a house, it means they are less likely to start a business, and it means they are less likely to start a family. Do we want to do that to this generation of smart, young, enthusiastic, talented people, instead of giving them a better launch for their lives in their twenties and thirties? That is why it is essential we do this. Two years before the Presiding Officer came to the Senate, in 2007, we passed this freeze; President Bush signed legislation that Senator Kennedy and I and others in the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee worked on to freeze interest rates for Stafford subsidized loans at 3.4 percent. There is a 5-year freeze. If we don't act by July 1, 2012, 5 years after we passed it, that will mean these loans are going to double. I wish to share a couple letters I have gotten from people in Ohio. This doesn't just affect the students; there are some 380,000 college students in my State whom it affects. But it doesn't just affect these students; it affects their families. Their parents, sometimes their grandparents, send us letters about how serious this is for them. I will read two letters. Jeff from Lorain--which happens to be my home county: I've been a lifelong resident of Lorain, OH. My daughter graduated top of her class from Southview in 2008. She just graduated from Hiram College with a bachelor in Mathematics and minor in Political Science Cum Laude. She maxed out her Stafford loans each year, and these help her to attend college. I've worked in factories all my life, the last 20 years at Avon Lake Ford so we are able to help some but the major work was done by our daughter with her focus and hard work. She is moving on to grad school but at some point she will have to start repaying these loans. Do we want to burden these young bright minds with loan payments that are so large they will weigh them down financially for a large portion of their young adult lives? Were these loans designed to help students who don't come from families with large disposable incomes? Or are they to be used as a way to make money off our young people trying to reach their potential? One of the good things President Obama did about this was he helped people get into the Federal Direct Loan Program so they would no longer be borrowing from banks at much higher interest rates. College is too expensive. The States don't put enough money into colleges so that the colleges don't charge such high tuitions. Tuitions have gone up like this over the years. But at least we were able to make a big difference on interest. This is our chance to do it again, and we shouldn't let Jeff and his daughter down and others. The other letter I will read is from Marcelline from Wilberforce. I am 60 years old. I went back to school to get a job that would not continue to destroy my physical health. My previous job for companies like BP and Wal-Mart were devastatingly hard on me all with little or no medical help. I also returned in hopes of obtaining employment that will position me to be gainfully employed for the next 15 to 20 years. I am supporting my two grandchildren both are aspergers and my son while he tries to gain a degree of his own. I see no possibility of retiring before I die. I also see no possibility of paying off my education before I die. When I started my education I could justify the cost, but I have seen it going up yearly to the point I see no way of paying for it now, especially if interest rates continue to climb. I cannot conceive how the young people will be able to repay their debts. I am very concerned for them. The burden this will place on them as they go forward is heartbreaking. This is the story the Presiding Officer hears in Anchorage, in Fairbanks, in Nome. I hear it in Toledo. I hear it in Lima. I hear it in Mansfield. I hear it in Sandusky. It is incumbent upon us--it is a moral question--not to load more debt on these young people so they can develop their talents in a way that not only will help them individually, not only will help their families but will help our society prosper. We know what the GI bill did in the 1940s and 1950s and 1960s. It not only helped millions of service men and women and their families, it also lifted the prosperity of the United States of America. We owe this generation no less than that. I suggest the absence of a quorum.