Benjamin Cardin

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, one additional question, if I might ask at this time. The Senator pointed out--and rightly so--that there is no one problem we have to deal with, there are multiple issues involved. I have heard some of my colleagues say, well, the problem is not the weapons they use or the problem is not the social issues or the problem is not this or that, but I would ask this of my friend from Connecticut: It seems to me the one option that should be off the table is doing nothing. It just seems to me that the American people are demanding--and rightly so--that we take action now to make our communities safer. Quite frankly, they don't understand the inaction of this body. Quite frankly, I don't understand the inaction of this body. Would my colleague agree that the only option we should take off the table in trying to deal with this is doing nothing?

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, 100 years ago, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation which established June 14 as Flag Day, the day during which we commemorate the 1777 adoption of our great Nation's flag. In 1949, an act of Congress established National Flag Day. Today I wish to recognize and celebrate Flag Day and remember all those who have fought in defense of our flag and everything it symbolizes. The Flag Act of 1777 established that the first flag of the United States would have 13 red and white stripes, as well as 13 white stars in a blue field in order to recognize the Thirteen Original Colonies. Since then, our flag has grown to include 50 stars which represent all 50 States in our Union today. The final star, representing the State of Hawaii, was added in 1960. Since then, our flag has flown proudly throughout the United States and in embassies around the world, celebrating our Nation's history of freedom and liberty. The evolution of our flag is representative of our evolution as a nation and how far we have come over the past 239 years. In Maryland, Flag Day is also a day to remember the important contributions made by our State to our Nation's development in the early days of the Union. In the midst of the War of 1812, General Samuel Smith asked Baltimore resident Mary Pickersgill to make a flag ``so large that the British will have no difficulty seeing it from a distance.'' That flag, 30 feet tall and 42 feet wide, was raised and flown over Fort McHenry during the famous Battle of Baltimore in 1814. Mary Pickersgill's flag also became the inspiration for the poem written by Francis Scott Key, which would eventually become our country's national anthem. That night, our flag stood as a symbol of the strength of our union and the bravery and resilience of those willing to fight for it. Today it continues to serve as a reminder of the courage and commitment of those willing to give all in defense of the freedoms granted to every American. On this day, we remember not only the history and growth of this Nation, but also the men and women who gave that ultimate sacrifice in order to uphold the liberties for which our flag stands. For over two centuries, our flag has meant hope, freedom, and liberty to all those who enter this country, and it will continue to uphold this meaning for many years to come. Since 1777, the flag has been a reminder to every American of the work and sacrifices made to keep our Nation great. This Flag Day, it is important to remember everything our flag symbolizes. We must reflect on the history of our Nation and the growth of its unity--from our geographic expansion over time to the evolution of our population and the definition of what it means to be an American. We must also commemorate the lives of those who have served our Nation and its people in pursuit of the values for which the flag--and we--proudly stand. Our banner waves in the name of the freedom of every American, and we join together on this day in order to commemorate every contribution which has kept that freedom alive.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, shortly we will be voting on Laura Holgate for the nomination to the position of Ambassador and U.S. Representative to the Vienna Office of the United Nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA. I urge my colleagues to vote for her confirmation. She came through the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and is strongly recommended by that committee. Ms. Holgate's extensive experience makes her uniquely qualified to serve in this position. She has served in senior positions in the Department of Energy and the Department of Defense for 14 years, building and leading global coalitions to prevent States and terrorists from acquiring and using weapons of mass destruction. She currently serves as the Senior Director for Weapons of Mass Destruction, Terrorism and Threat Reduction on the National Security Council. Having this post filled with a highly qualified nominee has never been more critical. The position of the U.S. representative to multiple U.N. agencies as well as the IAEA includes the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and the International Monetary Money Laundering Information Network, among many others. This position covers a range of other issues at the IAEA, including North Korea. The International Atomic Energy Agency in the coming years will be responsible for monitoring and verifying the nuclear agreement with Iran, confronting North Korea's continued violations of its nuclear obligations, and dealing with a variety of other nonproliferation threats. We need Laura Holgate in this position to represent U.S. interests and for our national security, and I urge my colleagues to support her nomination. I yield the floor.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, as I have said previously, there are many people who work behind the scenes to help the Senate function. We tend to take them for granted, but we shouldn't. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge one such Senate staffer, Deputy Director of Doorkeepers Ruby Paone, who is retiring after more than 41 of steadfast service to the U.S. Senate and to our Nation. Everyone knows and loves Ruby, who has been here longer than any U.S. Senator currently serving, except for our esteemed colleague, the senior Senator from Vermont. Ruby Paone, one of Lena and Wilbur Smith's five children, grew up on a farm in Bladenboro, NC, where she spent her summers pulling peanuts and harvesting tobacco. She graduated from St. Andrew's University and then came to Washington, DC. On March 17, 1975, she started working in the Senate as a card desk attendant. Then she became a reception room attendant and steadily worked her way up to her present position. Along the way, she met another Senate staffer, Marty Paone. The two of them starting dating, and then they were married in 1983. The Washington Post reported at the time: Senator Robert Byrd paused in the debate to inform his colleagues that Ruby Grey Smith, who has worked in the Senate Reception Room for the last eight years, had married Marty Patrick Paone, a member of the floor staff of the Democratic Policy Committee. Byrd observed that with all the burdens of the Senate, the marriage shows that `every cloud does have a silver lining.' Quick to agree with the minority leader, Majority Leader Howard Baker rose to add his congratulations, remembering that on the wedding day the press of Senate business almost interfered with the wedding hour. Sen. Howard Metzenbaum rushed out to get Mrs. Paone to hear the words of congratulation and she was there to see the chamber burst into applause. It may have been the best thing done in that Chamber all year. As Senator Reid noted yesterday, Ruby has been here for seven different Presidential administrations, 10 consecutive inaugurations, 16 different Sergeants-at-Arms, and 383 different Senators. Ruby's husband, Marty, who currently serves as deputy assistant to the President for legislative affairs, served as the Democratic secretary longer than anyone else in the history of the Senate. He worked in the Senate for 32 years overall, so he and Ruby have devoted nearly three- quarters of a century to this institution. Is there any other family so committed to service in the U.S. Senate? I doubt it. But the family's service is not ending with Ruby's retirement, fortunately. Ruby and Marty's daughter, Stephanie, works in the Democratic cloakroom and their son, Tommy, works at the Senate appointments desk. They proudly and ably carry on the Paone family tradition of outstanding Senate service. I believe the U.S. Senate--Senators and staff--is a big family. Like any family, we certainly have our disagreements. But I am sure we can all agree that Ruby Paone has been a cherished member of the Senate family for over four decades, and we will miss her here. But we take solace in knowing that she is leaving so she can spend more time with her most important family--her husband, Marty, and their children Alexander, Stephanie, and Tommie. We have been so fortunate to have Ruby in the Senate family for the past 41-plus years. The American people are so fortunate to have talented and dedicated public servants like Ruby and Marty and Stephanie and Tommy Paone. I know the entire Senate joins me in thanking Ruby for her service and wishing her and her family the very best.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, Americans live free, secure, and stable lives thanks to generations of men and women in uniform who were willing to sacrifice their own lives. We must never forget the tremendous debt we owe those brave Americans. It is in large part because of them that America serves as a beacon of hope, freedom, and equality to all the world. This Monday, we will celebrate Memorial Day, a national day of solemn remembrance and gratitude as we honor the men and women who have died defending our Nation. We honor each and every American who has made the ultimate sacrifice on battlefields from Lexington, Concord, and Bunker Hill to Fort McHenry; from Shiloh, Antietam, and Gettysburg to Belleau Wood and the Somme; from Pearl Harbor, Bastogne, and Iwo Jima to Inchon, Bloody Ridge, and the Chosin Reservoir; from Ia Drang, Khe Sanh, and Hamburger Hill to Umm Qasr, Nasiriyah, Fallujah, and Kabul. We salute the centuries-old legacy of selflessness and sacrifice that defines our Nation. We are forever indebted to our warfighters and their families. On Memorial Day, we pause to reflect, to remember, to pay respect, to give thanks. And we say a prayer for all the men and women currently serving in harm's way and look forward to the day when they may return home safely to be with their families and friends. Memorial Day is not only a day for looking backward. It is also a day for looking forward. Those men and women who lie buried gave their lives so that we could live in peace. Their dream and the dream of every American serving in the field of battle is that someday no more Americans will be called upon to give their lives for their country, that someday war will end and the world will be truly free. What better way, then, to honor their memory than to do everything we can to seek peace? On this day of remembrance, I hope that all Americans remember the dream of those who committed the greatest sacrifice and pursue peace in all our endeavors. As President Lincoln put it so eloquently nearly 153 years ago, let us dedicate ourselves ``to the great task remaining before us--that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion--that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain-- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom--and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.''

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, on June 3, 1976, U.S. President Gerald Ford signed into law a bill establishing the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, more commonly known as the U.S. Helsinki Commission. I bring this 40th anniversary next week to my colleagues' attention today because the commission has played a particularly significant role in U.S. foreign policy. First, the commission provided the U.S. Congress with a direct role in the policymaking process. Members and staff of the commission have been integrated into official U.S. delegations to meetings and conferences of what is historically known as the Helsinki Process. The Helsinki Process started as an ongoing multilateral conference on security and cooperation in Europe that is manifested today in the 57- country, Vienna-based Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, or OSCE. As elected officials, our ideas reflecting the interests of concerned American citizens are better represented in U.S. diplomacy as a result of the commission. There is no other country that has a comparable body, reflecting the singular role of our legislature as a separate branch of government in the conduct of foreign policy. The commission's long-term commitment to this effort has resulted in a valuable institutional memory and expertise in European policy possessed by few others in the U.S. foreign affairs community. Second, the commission was part of a larger effort since the late 1970s to enhance consideration of human rights as an element in U.S. foreign policy decisionmaking. Representatives Millicent Fenwick of New Jersey and Dante Fascell of Florida created the commission as a vehicle to ensure that human rights violations raised by dissident groups in the Soviet Union and the Communist countries of Eastern Europe were no longer ignored in U.S. policy. In keeping with the Helsinki Final Act's comprehensive definition of security--which includes respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms as a principle guiding relations between states--we have reviewed the records of all participating countries, including our own and those of our friends and allies. From its Cold War origins, the Helsinki Commission adapted well to changing circumstances, new challenges, and new opportunities. It has done much to ensure U.S. support for democratic development in East- Central Europe and continues to push for greater respect for human rights in Russia and the countries of the Caucasus and Central Asia. The Commission has participated in the debates of the 1990s on how the United States should respond to conflicts in the Balkans, particularly Bosnia and Kosovo and elsewhere, and it does the same today in regard to Russia's aggression towards Ukraine. It has pushed U.S. policy to take action to combat trafficking in persons, anti-Semitism and racism, and intolerance and corruption, as well as other problems which are not confined to one country's borders. The Helsinki Commission has succeeded in large part due to its leadership. From the House, the commission has been chaired by Representatives Dante Fascell of Florida, my good friend Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the current chairman, Christopher Smith of New Jersey, and Alcee Hastings of Florida. From this Chamber, we have had Senators Alfonse D'Amato of New York, Dennis DeConcini of Arizona, Ben Nighthorse Campbell of Colorado, Sam Brownback of Kansas and today's cochairman, Roger Wicker of Mississippi. I had the honor, myself, to chair the Helsinki Commission from 2007 to 2015. That time, and all my service on the commission, from 1993 to the present, has been enormously rewarding. I think it is important to mention that the hard work we do on the Helsinki Commission is not a job requirement for a Member of Congress. Rather than being a responsibility, it is something many of us choose to do because it is rewarding to secure the release of a longtime political prisoner, to reunify a family, to observe elections in a country eager to learn the meaning of democracy for the first time, to enable individuals to worship in accordance with their faiths, to know that policies we advocated have meant increased freedom for millions of individuals in numerous countries, and to present the United States as a force for positive change in this world. Several of us have gone beyond our responsibilities on the commission to participate in the leadership of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. Representative Hastings served for 2 years as assembly president, while Representative Hoyer, Representative Robert Aderholt of Alabama, and I have served as vice presidents. Senator Wicker currently serves as chairman of the assembly's security committee. Representative Hilda Solis of California had served as a committee chair and special representative on the critical issue of migration. Today, Representative Smith serves as a special representative on similarly critical issue of human trafficking, while I serve as special representative on anti-Semitism, racism, and intolerance. Our engagement in this activity as elected Members of Congress reflects the deep, genuine commitment of our country to security and cooperation in Europe, and this rebounds to the enormous benefit of our country. Our friends and allies appreciate our engagement, and those with whom we have a more adversarial relationship are kept in check by our engagement. I hope my colleagues would consider this point today, especially during a time when foreign travel is not strongly encouraged and sometimes actively discouraged. Finally, let me say a few words about the Helsinki Commission staff, both past and present. The staff represents an enormous pool of talent. They have a combination of diplomatic skills, regional expertise, and foreign language capacity that has allowed the Members of Congress serving on the commission to be so successful. Many of them deserve mention here, but I must mention Spencer Oliver, the first chief of staff, who set the commission's precedents from the very start. Spencer went on to create almost an equivalent of the commission at the international level with the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. One of his early hires and an eventual successor was Sam Wise, whom I would consider to be one of the diplomatic heroes of the Cold War period for his contributions and leadership in the Helsinki Process. In closing, I again want to express my hope that my colleagues will consider the value of the Helsinki Commission's work over the years, enhancing the congressional role in U.S. foreign policy and advocating for human rights as part of that policy. Indeed, the commission, like the Helsinki Process, has been considered a model that could be duplicated to handle challenges in other regions of the world. I also hope to see my colleagues increase their participation on Helsinki Commission delegations to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, as well as at Helsinki Commission hearings. For as much as the commission has accomplished in its four decades, there continues to be work to be done in its fifth, and the challenges ahead are no less than those of the past.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize and celebrate the month of May as Jewish American Heritage Month. Since the founding of our Nation, Jewish Americans have indelibly shaped American society. As a proud Jewish American, I am honored to have the opportunity to acknowledge the outstanding contributions of our vibrant community in the past, present, and future. In the 109th Congress, Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz and then-Senator Arlen Spector authored a concurrent resolution calling for a proclamation each year to observe American Jewish History Month. On April 20, 2006, President George W. Bush proclaimed that May 2006 would be Jewish American Heritage Month. Jewish Americans have fought tirelessly to realize the American Dream and to enrich our society. Jewish Americans have been instrumental in eliminating disease such as the polio epidemic, and they have split the atom. These achievements and others too numerous to count are watershed moments in history, and they make up only a small fraction of the various accomplishments Jewish Americans have made. Such achievements, however, do not come without concomitant struggles. Jewish Americans have been dedicated to promoting tolerance and understanding because Jewish people have been challenged and persecuted throughout history whenever they have professed their faith. Jewish Americans participated in the abolitionist movement in the 19th century and joined the ranks of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee during the civil rights movement in the 1960s. There is no question that the Jewish tradition of diversity and inclusion has helped to make the United States the force for equal rights, democracy, and opportunity that it is today. Though we face challenges to that ideal every day, we must not forget that this country was and remains a beacon for those suffering under the weight of oppression around the world. We cannot understate the role that Israel plays in Jewish American society and in the lives of Jewish people around the world. Our homeland is the focal point of our religion and our culture. Further, our two nations are built on a common set of core democratic principles and representative government, but we have more than political philosophies in common; we share a strong belief in the promotion of equality, freedom, and tolerance. The United States will always stand by Israel, and we will always support the safety of the Israeli people. As a U.S. Senator, I have been proud to take part in efforts to strengthen the relationship between our two nations. Without our homeland, Jewish Americans may never have been able to make the myriad contributions they have made to our Nation. These Jewish Americans' accomplishments embody the positive values that form the foundation of our shared culture and history. Our diversity makes the United States of America strong, and Jewish Americans have played an integral role in shaping and nurturing that diversity.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, today I wish to congratulate the Montgomery Youth Hockey Association's, MYHA, Squirt AA Blue team for winning the 2016 International Silver Stick championship in Sarnia, Ontario. I am proud that this year--for the 3rd year in a row--the name of the Montgomery Blue Devils from Rockville, MD, will be on a plaque placed alongside the Silver Stick trophy in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Canada. The International Silver Stick tournament has attracted teams from all over the United States and Canada since 1958. The laudable purpose of the tournament is to develop and promote ``Citizenship and International Goodwill through hockey.'' The Montgomery Blue Devils team of 9- and 10-year-olds--a squad of 15 boys and 1 girl--exemplified this philosophy both on and off the ice. Led by tournament ``most valuable player'' Reid Pehrkon, the Squirt AA Blue team outscored its opponents by a margin of 30 goals to 17. The team defeated the North York Knights in Toronto, Canada, in four overtimes, 5-4, to win the championship for a 3rd consecutive year. Compiling 145 victories in the process, the Blue Devils can legitimately lay claim to being the best AA team in North America. In addition to winning the International Silver Stick tournament, the team won its regular season title, the league playoff championship, and the International Silver Stick regional championship. Throughout the season, the AA Blue team lived up to its simple rallying cry of ``work,'' and never wavered from the main goals established by Coach Rob Keegan and assistants Dave Cohen, Stu Margel, and Lee Rosebush, which were ``to be the hardest working team around and to always believe that the team is more important than the individual.'' I ask my colleagues to join me today in congratulating the MYHA Blue Devils Squirt AA Blue Team for its dedication to the values of teamwork and perseverance while winning a third consecutive International Silver Stick Championship. Team members include Ethan Birndorf, Caden Blazer, Will Cohen, Andrew Fou, Nick Garner, Cody Keegan, Alexander MacMillan, Dylan Margel, John McNelis, Jack Oliver, Reid Pehrkon, Dakota Rosebush, Brady Silverman, Jack Slater, Lucy Thiessen, and Maddox Tulacro. We should also express our appreciation to the coaches mentioned above and to the parents, other family members, and friends who have tirelessly supported and mentored this superb group of youngsters.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I rise today to join in the recognition and celebration of the month of May as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. This month, we celebrate the many contributions Asian American and Pacific Islanders, AAPI, have made to the United States and their cultures, traditions, and history. In 1978, Congress passed a joint congressional resolution to commemorate Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week during the first week of May in 1979, and in 1992, Congress passed legislation that annually designated May as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Congress chose May because two important anniversaries occurred during this month. On May 7, 1843, the first Japanese immigrants arrived in America. May 10 is the anniversary of the transcontinental railroad's completion in 1869. Many of the workers who laid the tracks for this railroad were Chinese immigrants. These two dates only begin to describe the innumerable contributions that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have made to this country. The AAPI community of over 18 million draws from a variety of distinct cultures, each of which has enriched American society and challenged our Nation to aspire to be better. This community comprises 45 distinct ethnicities and more than 100 different languages. Through hard work and a steadfast commitment to American ideals, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders have strengthened this country as leaders, laborers, activists, artists, and trailblazers. I remember our beloved former colleague, Senator Daniel K. Inouye, who lost an arm defending America during World War II as part of the ``Go for Broke'' 442nd Regiment, which was composed almost entirely of American soldiers of Japanese ancestry and became the most decorated unit for its size and length of service in the history of American warfare. In Maryland, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have made significant contributions and serve our Nation with distinction. The Honorable Theodore D. Chuang of Bethesda, for example, is a U.S. District Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland and is the first Asian American judge in history to sit on the Federal bench in Maryland or the Fourth Circuit, which includes Maryland and four other States. As the former chairman and current ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific, I have been closely engaged on issues affecting the Asia-Pacific American community and their families abroad. I will continue to work on behalf of this community, especially on issues such as human rights, security, and peace. I have, therefore, cosponsored two resolutions related to Asian Pacific Heritage Month. One resolution--the one the Senate is currently considering--recognizes the accomplishments of Asian American and Pacific Islanders and May 2016 as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. The other resolution notes the historical significance of Japanese internment and its end. I support this resolution, too, because as we honor Asian Americans, we must remember and acknowledge that dark stain on our history as we redouble our efforts to ensure that the United States of America remains a beacon of tolerance and inclusion. Discrimination based on the actual or perceived race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, or sexual orientation of people is anathema to the values we cherish as Americans. Once again, I would like to thank Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islander Americans in Maryland and all around the country for their tremendous contributions to and sacrifices for our Nation.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I rise today to ask my Senate colleagues to join me in recognizing--belatedly--April as National Minority Health Month. For over 30 years, this commemorative event has provided us the opportunity to celebrate the progress we have made in addressing minority health disparities and related issues in our Nation, and to renew our commitment to continue this critically important effort. The theme of this year's National Minority Health Month observance, ``Accelerating Health Equity for the Nation,'' reflects both a sense of urgency and determination in moving the country forward toward health equity. Minorities now make up more than 35 percent of the American population and that number is expected to rise in the future. Studies have shown, however, that disparities persist for minority populations and are evident in higher rates of diabetes, heart disease, hepatitis B, HIV/AIDS and infant mortality, among other conditions. For instance, over 29 million Americans suffer from diabetes. But African Americans are twice as likely to be diagnosed with, and to die from, diabetes compared to non-Hispanic Whites. In addition, nearly one-half of all African Americans and Latinos experience the highest rates of adult obesity. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Department of Health & Human Services Office of Minority Health, which leads the Nation in raising awareness about minority health disparities, their causes, and the impact they have on minority communities and the Nation as a whole. To commemorate this occasion, a renewed effort is underway with public and private stakeholders to accelerate achieving health equity for all Americans through the development of research, community programs, and legislation. We owe it to our constituents to advance this national movement. For these reasons, I am proud my colleagues, Senators Hirono, Blumenthal, Brown, Menendez, and Schatz have joined me in introducing a resolution recognizing April as National Minority Health Month. In our country, we are incredibly fortunate to have the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which works tirelessly to improve the health of all Americans. Within the NIH, the National Institute for Minority Health & Health Disparities (NIMHD) has the specific mission of addressing minority health issues and eliminating health disparities. I am proud of my role in the establishment of the NIMHD, which supports groundbreaking research at universities and medical institutions across our country. This critically important work ranges from enhancing our understanding of the basic biological processes associated with health disparities to applied, clinical, and translational research and interventions that seek to address those disparities. Today, because of the steadfast work of committed leaders and individuals we have made significant strides to achieving health equity for all. Thanks to innovative reforms such as the Affordable Care Act (ACA), we have made health coverage more accessible and affordable than it has been in decades. By reducing the number of uninsured Americans across the country, the ACA is helping to address health inequalities. In Maryland, due to increased funding as a result of the ACA, over 300,000 Marylanders--a majority of which come from minority communities--now have access to community health clinics and life-saving health care. Every community across this great Nation deserves optimal health. One's ethnic or racial background should never determine the length or quality of life. As we belatedly recognize April as National Minority Health Month, let us renew our commitment to ensuring all Americans' access to affordable, high-quality health care and renew our pledge to do everything possible to eliminate health disparities and ultimately achieve health equity for all.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning business.

Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, on Monday I hosted a roundtable discussion at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore to review, with experts from my community, the strategy we need to employ with regard to the Zika virus. I pointed out at the beginning of that roundtable discussion that the World Health Organization has labeled the Zika virus as a public health urgency of international concern. The World Health Organization has estimated that as many as 4 million will be affected in the Americas. We know the current numbers of reported cases in the United States. As of last week, we had over 1,300 cases in the United States and our territories. Almost all of those that we have in the United States, in the Continental United States, are travel related. We have 17 confirmed cases in Maryland. Those cases are going to go up dramatically. We know that. As the summer months and the warm, wet weather occurs, with the mosquito population occurring, we know the number of people affected by the Zika virus is going to go up dramatically. This is the challenge. We know it is transmitted primarily through mosquito bites, through mosquitoes. For example, we know that in Puerto Rico, it is going to be very active. We also know in the United States the mosquito population could very well act as a major transmitter of the Zika virus, but the Zika virus is also transmitted through sexual intercourse. Therefore, people who have the Zika virus and who may not know they have the Zika virus--because many individuals who are infected don't know they have the virus--this could become a major problem in the United States. What is at stake? We do know the Zika virus is directly linked to the birth defect microcephaly. That is a tragic circumstance affecting fetuses that could present a lifetime challenge for the child who is born with microcephaly. We know it from the small skull. What I learned at this roundtable discussion is that the complications from microcephaly include lifetime disabilities. The brain is much smaller. It is not capable. In many cases, it leads to blindness and death. It is not unusual to have not only the human cost involved in this birth defect, but the actual lifetime cost is estimated as high as $10 million for each child born with microcephaly. This is a huge challenge to our country with the spread of the Zika virus. There are also other conditions that have been associated with the Zika virus, including Guillain-Barre syndrome. That is a nervous condition, a nerve damage condition that can lead to death. What is the answer? In this roundtable discussion, we had the public health officers from Baltimore City, Anne Arundel County, Howard Country, and Frederick County. We had experts dealing with mosquito control. We had experts who were dealing with the development of vaccines and treatments. We had a robust discussion as to what can be done. First and foremost, there was strong understanding that public awareness is going to be critically important to dealing with the Zika virus. The public needs to know. If you are pregnant or intend to start a family, you need to know the risk factors. It would be nice if you could have a test done to know whether you have the Zika virus, but the problem is the current state of development for the tests has produced two tests that the FDA has made available upon an emergency basis. One looks at the person's immune system that shows certain signs that person has the Zika virus. As I said before, it is not clear whether you will have any symptoms, even though you may have the virus. This one test looks at your immune system and is not 100 percent reliable by any stretch of the imagination, but it at least gives some indication. In many cases, you have to take the test more than once. There is another test that can be given that if you actually have the virus in your system, it will show that, but there is a problem. The virus does not stay long in your system, but you still have the impact of the virus. So that could come back negative, but you still have the effects of the Zika virus. Also, we are not sure as to how long the Zika virus can be transmitted through sexual contact. That issue is still being studied. So it is very possible that a person may have been infected by the Zika virus, does not realize they have been infected, and several months later, through sexual intercourse, transmits the Zika virus to his or her partner. So these are all areas we want the public to know more about, and we are developing more and more scientific information on tests that can help us identify those who have the Zika virus, and hopefully we will develop some way of dealing with those who are infected. Obviously, we want people who want to start a family to recognize they should try to avoid areas where there is a large vulnerability to the Zika virus. That will be particularly important this summer. Lastly, we want to develop a vaccine. I must tell you that I was very encouraged by the individuals involved in actual vaccine development who were at the roundtable discussion I had--I was encouraged about the fact that later this summer they will start clinical trials on vaccines that they hope will produce a way to immunize a population from being subject to the Zika virus. That is very exciting, but before we get too excited, I was sobered by the discussion in which I was told that the first rounds of these vaccines are going to be rather difficult, that you may have to take it several times, that it may be of a very short duration, and that it will take more time before we can develop the types of vaccines that are efficient and where it will be perhaps once in a lifetime that you would need to take them to protect you from the Zika virus indefinitely. And this is also the challenge: The experts who were there on Monday said this is not just a one-time-only situation; we can expect that the Zika virus will be with us in the future. So let me give you some of the takeaways from this discussion that took place at Johns Hopkins Hospital, and Dr. Wen, who is the health commissioner for Baltimore City, made this point when we were talking about the money. I went through the $1.9 billion the administration has requested. I went through the different agencies, both domestic and international, that would benefit from that $1.9 billion. I then compared it to the $1.1 billion which has been acted on by the Senate and showed the differences. For example, if my math is correct, NIH would receive $77 million less under the $1.1 billion than the $1.9 billion. We had people from NIH at that roundtable talking about the research being done right now to develop medicines and treatments that we hope will minimize the risk of a birth defect for those who have been affected. No, we don't know how to cure it. We don't have a treatment that can cure the Zika virus, but we are hopeful that we will be able to develop the medical protocols to minimize for those who are infected the risk of having a child with a birth defect or developing the neurological damage. We certainly don't want to slow that down, and so what I take away from that discussion is that we want to make sure they have all the tools they need in order to deal with this crisis. Dr. Wen pointed out that if you take a look at some of the action in the House of Representatives where they are taking additional monies away from the funds that go to our local health departments, that is counterproductive. Dr. Wen pointed out that the money she receives from the public health emergency preparedness funding has been cut--cut--in order to pay for the Zika funds. Well, it is the emergency preparedness funds that are used by our local health departments to reach out and deal with the vulnerable populations, to make sure they understand the risk factors and do what they can to prevent the risk factors. I must also tell you that I was talking to our representative from Maryland at the Department of Agriculture, which does mosquito control. Several people talked to me about mosquito control. One of the things you want to do is have a comprehensive plan to eradicate mosquitoes during the season. That is very effective. The problem is that these budgets are capped. They do not have the resources to do what they need to do. And they were telling me that we were better prepared a couple of years ago than we are today in dealing with mosquito control. So we need to coordinate that effort and do a better job on mosquito control. We can't take money away from these programs. Mr. President, they made this point very clearly: The crisis is now. It is here. It is here in America today, and it is going to get worse every month. We know that. We need to act now on the funding in an emergency supplemental appropriations bill that can get to the President's desk today, not in an appropriations bill that has to go through the process, and that usually takes until the fall before we can make those funds available. I want to just go over a point that was made to me by one of the individuals who was at this roundtable and who is an expert on cost issues. He was explaining the mathematics to me. Dr. Bruce Lee, a Johns Hopkins University associate professor of international health, modeled the cost issues. He used the most conservative estimates and said that our delay in dealing with the Zika virus will add an additional $2 billion in cost. As I said, for every child born with a birth defect, we estimate the cost to be about $10 million. If we can avoid 100 of these children born with a birth defect, that is $1 billion. The first issue, of course, is the human cost of the Zika virus and the impact it has on families and on those who are directly affected. This, as Dr. Lee said, is an investment. The money we are making available is an investment. What do we need to do? We need to make sure money is available for mosquito control. That is one way we can stop the spread of the Zika virus. We have to make sure money is available for our local health departments because they are reaching out to pregnant women. Dr. Wen made a very important point to me: In many cases, we are dealing with low-income families. They do not have air-conditioners. In some cases, they do not even have screens. And they are going to be more susceptible to the Zika virus because of mosquitoes. So they have to reach out and do the things local health departments can do. And the Baltimore City Health Department has a leader on all of this, but they need their resources. So we need to make certain we fund our local health departments. We certainly can't cut the funds being made available. We are also proud of the work done at NIH and the Centers for Disease Control. We have to make sure they have the funds they need so they can develop the ways we can test to make sure we know who has the Zika virus and hopefully develop protocols for people who have the virus and develop a vaccine as quickly as possible that is efficient and can be widely used to prevent the Zika virus from moving forward. All that is possible. I left the discussion in Baltimore with hope. There is a way of dealing with it, but we have to express the urgency this crisis demands. And, yes, we need to be an international leader. Part of this is U.S. leadership globally. This is not the last crisis we are going to have. U.S. leadership helped avoid a worse international crisis than we saw with Ebola. As a result, we have now developed health capacities in many countries around the world to deal with the next pandemic. We know there will be another episode in the future. We need to prepare today for this. There is no more fundamental responsibility of the government than to keep our people safe. We have the opportunity to respond in the right way to the Zika virus, but it requires Congress to provide the tools so that the experts in this area can do their work and develop the medical protocols that deal with this, get the information out to the public so they can protect themselves in the best way possible using pesticides, using insect repellants, using common sense, and not traveling to areas that are high-risk areas, particularly if they are pregnant or intending to start a family. They can take the right precautions, and we can develop a vaccine that will protect people not only in this country but globally from this health care crisis. I am convinced we can get it done. Let's start today by passing the funding necessary so our agencies can do the work. With that, Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, today I wish to join Americans across the country in recognizing the immeasurable sacrifices made every day by the men and women of law enforcement. Federal, State, and local law enforcement officers put their lives on the line to help uphold the rule of law in America. Their professionalism and commitment to justice underpin so much of what has allowed this country to thrive for generations. In May 1962, President John F. Kennedy designated May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week containing May 15 as National Police Week. In that proclamation, President Kennedy stated, ``. . . from the beginning of this Nation, law enforcement officers have played an important role in safeguarding the rights and freedoms which are guaranteed by the Constitution and in protecting the lives and property of our citizens. . . .'' It is that twofold role of protecting both the constitutional and physical well-being of all Americans that earns law enforcement officers such a revered place in American society. In the 53 years since President Kennedy established this national celebration of law enforcement, much has changed in regards to the tactics and procedure for protecting essential rights and freedoms, as well as the nature of threats against personal property and the citizenry. What has not changed in the unwavering commitment to addressing these challenges by law enforcement agencies nationwide. My home State of Maryland is home to a close-knit, well-trained, and dedicated network of law enforcement agencies. Maryland is often called America in Miniature, and as such, Federal, State, and local law enforcement officers across Maryland are expected to be able to respond to an incredibly diverse set of situations. Being on the front lines of upholding the rule of law and protecting Americans from harm is not easy work. There is hardly a law enforcement officer in the United States who will not face the threat of bodily harm during their career. Unfortunately, due to the dangerous nature of police work, law enforcement officers across the country are killed on the job every year. Thus far in 2016, 35 law enforcement officers have been killed in the line of duty. Every one of those men and women left a family and grieving law enforcement agency. California, Colorado, and Maryland share the painful distinction of leading the Nation in law enforcement deaths in the line of duty. Three officers from each one of the aforementioned States were killed in the line of duty; in Maryland, all three were killed by gunfire. Senior Deputies Patrick Dailey and Mark Logsdon of the Harford County Sheriff's office and Officer Jacai Colson of the Prince George's County Police Department were all model officers who were tragically killed while protecting colleagues and civilians. All three of these men served communities in Maryland with distinction and contributed greatly to not only public safety but also to helping build strong and lasting relationships among law enforcement and the people they protect. Senior Deputies Dailey and Logsdon were both fathers and military veterans. Both served honorably with the Harford County Sheriff's Office. On Christmas Eve 2002, Deputy Dailey saved the life of a teenager traveling in an SUV that collided head-on with a cement mixing truck. Deputy Dailey, a number of fellow sheriffs, and two civilians emptied six fire extinguishers in an attempt to quell a fire that threatened to engulf the vehicle and the unresponsive driver. Using only their bare hands and batons, the group managed to free the driver seconds before the fire consumed the passenger compartment. The teen was able to thank his rescuers 3 months later at the Harford County Sheriff's Office Awards Banquet. Exactly 11 years before his death, Deputy Logsdon confronted a suicidal man who was armed with a loaded shotgun. In a display of great bravery and at great risk to himself, Deputy Logsdon managed to talk the man into surrendering his weapon. After the man was disarmed, Deputy Logsdon continued to help the man by transporting him to the hospital, where he received medical care. Officer Colson was an undercover narcotics agent. He had a dangerous job with zero margin for error. Officer Colson did not make errors. He was a 4-year veteran of the Prince George's Police Department. The commander of the Prince George's County Police Department's Narcotic Enforcement Division said of Colson, ``Not only is he good at his job, he's that guy that you wanted on your team.'' The President of the Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 89 described Officer Colson as ``. . . always the first person here in the morning, ready to work and put in a full day's work.'' All three of these men could have done anything with their lives, and they chose to uphold the law. I am thankful that, for the many people they interacted with on a daily basis, these men embodied justice. I join Marylanders in mourning their loss. It is my hope that this National Police Week serves as a catalyst to communities and governments across the country to evaluate ways to better serve those who are sworn to protect and serve.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I join Senator Mikulski, as the two Senators from Maryland, in strongly recommending the favorable consideration of Paula Xinis for the district court judgeship of Maryland. I first want to acknowledge the leadership of our senior Senator from Maryland in developing a process in which we screen the very most talented people for opportunities to serve on our Federal bench. This is a professional process that we have gone forward with under Senator Mikulski's leadership in order to try to get the very best on our courts. It is not a partisan issue at all. It is strictly looking for those who have the judicial temperament and experience to be able to be an outstanding member of the bench. We have done that on previous nominations that have been considered on this floor, and Paula Xinis follows in that tradition. I thank Senator Mikulski for the process that we went forward on in making this recommendation to President Obama. I might tell you, President Obama then forwarded the nomination to the Senate in March of last year--in March of 2015. It took 6 months for the Judiciary Committee to make its recommendations to the full floor in September of 2015. It was not a controversial nomination in the committee. The committee reviewed all of Ms. Xinis's background, record, everything that she has done, and on a very strong voice vote brought her forward to the full floor. So this is not a controversial nomination. Because of the delay, originally to fill the vacancy of Deborah Chasanow, who took senior status, it is now a judicial emergency. People of Maryland are in a desperate situation to have an adequate number of judges to handle the workload in our district. It is critical we move forward in the confirmation of this nominee. Senator Mikulski has pointed out how qualified this person is. I can tell you, over the last several months, I have been stopped on numerous occasions by attorneys and nonattorneys in Maryland saying: Why isn't Paula Xinis confirmed by now? She is a wonderful person. We have had experience with her. I have heard glowing comments about her dedication to our community, her professional competency, and her qualifications to serve on the U.S. district court. It is for that reason the ABA gave her the highest ratings in their review of her qualifications. She has been in the private practice of law at Murphy, Falcon & Murphy. After just 2 years, she was made a partner in that firm. She has been an assistant Federal public defender, showing her compassion to represent some of the most difficult cases in our criminal justice system. She was a law clerk for Judge Motz on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. She has devoted her life to understanding our legal system but also to carrying out its major charge to make sure we have equal access to justice under the law. She got her JD from Yale Law School, her BA from the University of Virginia. What I really appreciated, in getting to know Paula Xinis better during this confirmation process, was getting to know her family background; that is, to represent the American story. Her father was an immigrant from Greece, came over with very little resources. They were able to take advantage of the opportunities in this country as an immigrant family. Now Paula Xinis has been nominated by President Obama to serve on the district court for Maryland. Quite a success story, but Paula Xinis has never forgotten her background. She has always been giving back to our community. She is known for her pro bono work for her church members in the church she belongs to, but as Senator Mikulski pointed out, in working with the House of Ruth in a mentoring program, she has taken on some of the most difficult challenges to affect the lives of people who are less fortunate. She has an 11-year-old who is like her second son whom she has mentored and given a real opportunity in our community. She has the whole package. She will make a great district judge. Senator Mikulski mentioned the comments that were made on the floor in regard to her support for law enforcement for police officers. I hope, if anyone has any questions about that, read the letters Senator Mikulski put into the Record. I know of some of these cases. I know of the case of Timothy John Longo, who served with the Baltimore City Police Department and is now the chief of police for Charlottesville, VA. He said: I have absolutely no doubt that Paula will bring the competency and objectivity that is necessary to discharge the duty of such an important position. She has my confidence, respect and unfettered support. Then there is Thomas Schmidt, who Ms. Xinis represented when he was accused of wrongdoing as a police officer. She represented him in the most difficult challenge. Mr. Schmidt said: Throughout the entire ordeal, I spent countless hours with Paula and her team. They worked diligently seeking the evidence needed to exonerate me. Although it was an extremely dark time for me, she always made me feel confident that she had my back, and that she was dedicated to seeing that I was vindicated. Thankfully, as a result of her tireless efforts on my behalf, all the charges brought against me were dismissed earlier this year. She has been in the forefront of defending those who were defending us as first responders. There are other letters that have been written by police officers indicating that Paula Xinis contains exactly what they want to see in a judge: someone who is fair and impartial and who will carry out the rule of law in an objective manner. So for all of those reasons, we bring you a nominee who is eminently qualified and deserves the support of this body. We would urge our colleagues to support this nomination. I yield the floor.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that floor privileges be granted to Michael Wolfe, who is a fellow on my staff, during consideration of H.R. 2028, the Fiscal Year 2017 Energy and Water Appropriations Act.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I rise to discuss the Zika virus and the urgent need for Congress to provide the $1.9 billion President Obama has requested to combat this health crisis. The Zika virus was first identified in Uganda in 1947. The virus is transmitted by the same mosquito species that transmits dengue, yellow fever, and chikungunya. Prior to 2007, the Zika virus had no known outbreaks and only 14 documented human cases. However, in the spring of 2007, scientists documented 185 suspected cases of Zika on Yap Island, Micronesia, followed by more than 30,000 suspected cases in French Polynesia and other Pacific islands between 2013 and 2014, and in May 2015 the first case of Zika was reported in Brazil. On February 1, 2016, the World Health Organization declared the ongoing Zika outbreak to be ``a public health emergency of international concern.'' According to the World Health Organization's International Health Regulations, a public health emergency of international concern is a situation where the disease outbreak ``constitutes a public health risk to other States through the international spread of disease, and potentially requires a coordinated international response.'' The World Health Organization predicts that 3 to 4 million people--3 to 4 million people--in the Americas will contract Zika within 1 year. There is a common refrain among scientists and experts studying Zika: There is much they still do not know about Zika, and what they do know is worrisome. Until recently, the Zika virus has been viewed as a relatively minor virus. The majority of individuals infected with the virus are asymptomatic, and those who do experience symptoms often complain of fever, rash, joint pain or conjunctivitis. However, newer research has shown the Zika virus can cause a number of previously undetected medical conditions, especially in regard to pregnant women. Last month the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the link between Zika infection during pregnancy and severe fetal brain defects like microcephaly. The World Health Organization recently concluded that Zika can cause Guillain-Barre, a rare condition that attacks the body's nervous system, causing muscle weakness and even paralysis. Scientists have also recently confirmed the virus can be transmitted sexually--a first for this type of virus. As of April 2016, the World Health Organization documented Zika virus transmission in 62 countries and territories around the world, including 33 in the Americas. Brazil has been hardest hit by the virus, recording more than 91,000 cases of the virus and nearly 5,000 suspected cases of Zika-related microcephaly. Across the U.S. territories, nearly 600 people have contracted Zika, including more than 400 in Puerto Rico. Here in the Continental United States, there have been over 420 related Zika cases, including 12 in my home State of Maryland. As we continue moving toward the summer months and the height of the mosquito season, the number of locally acquired and travel-associated Zika infections in the United States and its territories will undoubtedly climb. Just last month, CDC Director Tom Frieden indicated that clusters of locally acquired Zika were possible in the southern United States by the summer. Last month, the administration officially announced they would transfer $510 million from the remaining Ebola funds to jump-start the Zika response while waiting for congressional action. While $510 million is a good start, it is just a fraction of what is needed to mount a full response to Zika. Congress does need to act because the $510 million Ebola fund isn't just found money. Those dollars were sustaining efforts to detect and prevent another Ebola outbreak in West Africa while also helping developing countries better respond to outbreaks on their own. It is unacceptable that we would force our public health professionals to choose between addressing Ebola or addressing Zika. There is no question the United States must take the threat of Zika seriously and mount an urgent, aggressive, and sustained response to the virus. As we speak, a Federal interagency task force, led by the Department of Health and Human Services, is working around the clock to mitigate the impact of Zika. Within the task force, the CDC is working closely with laboratories in affected countries, in the United States, and its territories to enhance laboratory and surveillance capacity and improve diagnostics. The CDC is also engaging in public health studies and is providing guidance to health professionals and educating the general public about prevention. The agency is also working with local authorities in the United States to improve mosquito control efforts. In Maryland, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health is supporting preclinical and clinical development of vaccines for the mosquito virus and other mosquito-borne diseases. The Institute is also collaborating with stakeholders to conduct vital research that will allow us to better understand the origins and pathology of Zika and bring us closer to developing a vaccine. The Food and Drug Administration is working to improve and refine diagnostics for the Zika virus. Most notably, the FDA recently issued two Emergency Use Authorizations for two newly developed Zika diagnostic tests. To date, more than 25 States and the District of Columbia have verified their ability to test for Zika using these methods, which will enhance our ability to monitor this growing epidemic. The FDA is also working closely with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority to advance vaccine research and development. I am also pleased the U.S. Agency for International Development, USAID, is working with UNICEF to develop and implement communication campaigns and community mobilization for behavioral change related to personal protection against mosquitos, as well as community-based mosquito mitigation and elimination efforts--commonly referred to as vector control--in areas hardest hit by the virus. The agency is also partnering with the World Health Organization and its South American arm, the Pan American Health Organization, to implement and monitor vector control programs. In addition to providing personal protection commodities, USAID is also working closely with the international health partners to develop and adopt guidelines for addressing Zika in at-risk populations, particularly pregnant women. This is just a fraction of what a Zika response looks like. I would be here much longer if I were to go through every detail of what our agencies are doing to respond to the threat. Suffice it to say, this is an all-hands-on-deck emergency, and we cannot implement and sustain an adequate response without fully funding the President's request. More than 2 months have passed since the President sent his request to Congress. The Zika virus is not some nebulous foreign threat. It is already on our shores. Congress needs to act. I call on my fellow Senators to come to an agreement on a robust and comprehensive Zika supplemental that enables us to better prevent, treat, and respond to the virus both at home and abroad, while also replenishing the critical Ebola funds. When it comes to global health pandemics, which know no borders, the Congress of the United States can and must act to protect American citizens and people around the world. With that, Mr. President, I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning business.

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I wish to take this time to speak on an amendment I have authored, amendment No. 3871, which will be voted on shortly--at 4:30 p.m. this afternoon. I was listening to my friend Senator Alexander. I know he was not talking about my amendment--he was talking about a different subject-- but I always listen to Senator Alexander because he always makes such important points. I couldn't agree with him more that laws are not worth the paper they are printed on unless they are implemented properly. That was a comment he made. That is the reason I filed amendment No. 3871. I wish to point out that Congress passed the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act in 1958. It was that act which requires all Federal agencies to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Department of the Interior and the head of the applicable State fish and game departments on water projects. The concern we have today is that we have many water projects that are being initiated--it could be a dam project, a levy project being done by the Army Corps--and they are required to work with the recommendations of Fish and Wildlife as it relates to the impacts these projects have on fish and wildlife. In fact, they are not doing it. That is the reason I authored this amendment, to carry out congressional intent--not congressional intent--what we wrote into the law so that it is very clear that as part of the consultation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife and the States are to determine the potential impact to wildlife resources, describe the damages that will be caused by the project, and develop mitigating measures to prevent those damages and improve wildlife resources. That is the current rule. The problem is that the Federal agencies are not required to adopt the recommendations. I understand that, but they must give the recommendations full consideration, and they are not doing that today. At least they are not doing it as much as we think they should be. That is the purpose for this amendment, to make it clear that we meant what we said when we passed the law--similar to what my good friend said in regard to the education bill we passed last year. The Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act review is a longstanding and critically important component of water resources planning. Utilization of expert recommendations in these reviews makes sense. Let me underscore what we are talking about. Water projects are very important. I know that. I serve on the Environment and Public Works Committee, which is the authorizing committee on many of these issues, to get these water projects moving. I understand the challenges. But one of the purposes is to make sure we preserve fish and wildlife. Every year, hunting and fishing contribute $200 billion to our total economic activity, to our Nation's economy. It is a huge part of the reason we require that type of consultation and working together--in order that when these projects move forward, the recommendations that are made by Fish and Wildlife and our local government entities are totally consistent with our local communities, that they are heeded and taken into consideration so that we not only get the needed water projects but we also preserve our fish and wildlife habitats so that we don't endanger the species as part of the project. I wish to emphasize that not only is this an environmental issue, this is about State involvement. Not only does the Army Corps need to ensure that projects meet Federal environmental requirements, it needs to respect each State's unique situation. If State fish and wildlife experts express concern about a project, my amendment reiterates what the law already is. The Army Corps must listen. That is what it says. It is as simple as that. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. It has the strong support of many of our wildlife federations. The National Wildlife Federation supports it. Izaak Walton League of America, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Trout Unlimited, and wildlife federations from many of our States support it. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the letter in support of my amendment.

Mr. CARDIN. I encourage my colleagues to read the language of this amendment. It carries out current law. That is simply what it does. Current law requires this consideration by Fish and Wildlife on these projects. This amendment makes it clear that we want the Federal agencies to comply with the law. That is why we wrote it that way. And this amendment would make sure the intent of Congress in implementing the statute is, in fact, carried out. Mr. President, with that, I suggest the absence of a quorum. The PRESIDING Officer. The clerk will call the roll.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I thank my colleague from Pennsylvania, Senator Casey, for bringing to the attention of this body the fact that we have not met our constitutional responsibility in the advice and consent of appointments made by the President to the courts. I think we all understand the challenge on the Supreme Court of the United States, where the failure to hold a hearing on Judge Garland, basically saying the President's term is no longer 4 years but 3 years in an election year, makes no sense at all. We have all been talking about that, but as Senator Casey pointed out, this is now becoming a matter for our district courts. Let me share with my colleagues. This past week, I went by the U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, MD, and had a chance to talk with some of the judges who were there. They were telling me there is a serious urgency to fill the vacancies on the Maryland District Court. We have two vacancies on the Maryland District Court. One was appointed by the President in March of last year, Paula Xinis, to fill the vacancy. We have a judicial emergency in Maryland. The President did his job in making the nomination in March of 2015. For reasons I don't quite understand, it took 6 months before the Judiciary Committee reported out that nomination, but they did. They reported it out in September 2015, 6 months later. This is not a controversial appointment. It passed by voice vote out of the Judiciary Committee. Paula Xinis is well qualified. She has clerked for judges. She has a distinguished record in public service, public interest law as well as in private law. I could go through her full record. I have done it before, but Paula Xinis has now been waiting over a year for consideration. So I am sort of puzzled. Is the Republican leadership now telling us that the term of a President is no longer 4 years but 2 years for the appointment of district court judges? This is a noncontroversial appointment that should have been confirmed well before now and is still on the calendar. As my friend from Pennsylvania pointed out, when we look at the number of actions this Congress has taken on President Obama's appointments--17 confirmations by the Senate--compared to a comparable number in 2008, when the Democrats controlled the Senate and it was in the last 2 years of President Bush's term, 68 nominations were filled in that year. Currently, we have 20 nominations on the Executive Calendar waiting for action that have been approved by noncontroversial votes of the Judiciary Committee. The number of vacancies has increased in these 2 years from 43 to 79. I know the distinguished leader is on the floor. I am hopeful we will find a way forward so we can act on some of these nominations. Mr. President, I yield the floor to my colleague from Pennsylvania.

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, as I pointed out to my colleagues, the number of vacancies has increased during this term from 43 to 79. We have judicial emergencies in our State and many States around the Nation. So I am going to try a smaller number and see whether we can get agreement on that. I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session to consider the following nominations: Calendar No. 307, Xinis; Calendar No. 357, Martinotti; Calendar No. 358, Rossiter; Calendar No. 359, Stanton; that the Senate proceed to vote without intervening action or debate on the nominations in the order listed; that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate; that no further motions be in order to the nominations; that any related statements be printed in the Record; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action, and the Senate then resume legislative session.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, in many places around the world, April is a month where we celebrate rebirth and renewal. But April has too often been, in T. S. Eliot's words, ``the cruelest month,'' a month where some of the world's darkest moments have cast shadows over our humanity. It was in April 1915 when the Ottoman government began rounding up and murdering leading Armenian politicians, businessmen, and intellectuals, a step that led to the extermination of more than 1 million Armenians. It was April 1933 that the Nazis issued a decree paving a way for the ``final solution,'' the annihilation of 6 million Jews of Europe. It was April 1975 that the Khmer Rouge entered Cambodia's capital city, launching a 4-year wave of violence, killing 2 million people. In April 1992, the siege of Sarajevo began in Bosnia, the longest siege in modern history, where more than 10,000 people perished, including 1,500 children. It was in April 1994 that the plane carrying the President of Rwanda crashed, triggering the beginning of a genocide that killed more than 800,000 people in 100 days. When we talk about what happened in Rwanda, it is easy to begin to think of genocide as a single, undifferentiated act of barbarism. In reality, it was made of many individual atrocities that took place over 100 days. In April 2003, innocent civilians in Sudan's Darfur region were attacked, killing more than 400,000 and displacing 2.5 million in a conflict that continues to this day. This past month, the State Department announced that the United States has determined that ISIS's action against the Yazidis, Shiite Muslims, and Christians in Iraq and Syria constitutes genocide. Specifically, Secretary Kerry noted that in 2014, ISIS trapped Yazidis, killed them, enslaved thousands of Yazidi women and girls, ``selling them at auction, raping them at will and destroying the communities for which they lived for countless generations.'' I rise here today, in April, not only to commemorate International Genocide Awareness and Prevention Month and pay respect to the innocents who were slaughtered but also to speak about what the United States can and must do to prevent atrocities and genocide. The commitment to prevent acts of genocide and mass atrocities has been a centerpiece of policy by consecutive administrations of the U.S. Government. The United States was the first country in the world to sign the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, signed in Paris on December 9, 1948, and President Ronald Reagan signed implementing legislation, allowing the United States to become a party to the convention on November 25, 1988. In the 2006 ``National Security Strategy,'' President George W. Bush highlighted the ``moral imperative that states take against to prevent and punish genocide.'' I firmly believe that U.S. leadership can make a difference in preventing future genocides and mass atrocities. U.S. leadership can save lives by bringing the power and resources of the United States to bear on atrocity prevention, accountability, and justice. On April 10, 2014, I introduced the Syrian War Crimes Accountability Act in this Chamber. Three days earlier, the world had marked the 20th anniversary of the genocide of Rwanda, one of the most horrific events in modern history, which unfolded as the world stood back and watched. At that time, I noted: Unfortunately, we have not learned the lessons of the past. We must do better to not only see that sort of atrocities never again occur under our watch. That statement was not only a reflection of my beliefs but a promise to keep the issue of atrocity prevention in front of the Senate and the American people. So today, under the heavy cloud of atrocities occurring in Syria, South Sudan, and elsewhere, I come to address this body again. I am here today not to look backward about actions not taken. I am here today to stress that our job, our responsibility, is to make sure the United States has the tools--diplomatic, political, economic, and legal--to take effective action before atrocities occur. Essential to this is authorizing the Atrocities Prevention Board and ensuring that the U.S. Government has structures in place and the mechanisms at hand to better prevent and respond to potential atrocities. President Obama, when he established the Atrocities Prevention Board in 2012, said that ``preventing genocide [is] an `achievable goal' but one that require[s] a degree of governmental organization that matches the kind of methodical organization that accomplish mass killings.'' Earlier this year, I introduced the Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act of 2016 to ensure that we do just that. I am joined in this effort by Senators Tillis, Murphy, Menendez, Shaheen, Brown, Gillibrand, Blumenthal, Coons, Mikulski, Markey, Merkley, Boxer, Casey, Warren, Whitehouse, Murkowski, Burr, and Bennet. This bill authorizes the Board, which is a transparent, accountable, high-level, interagency board that includes representatives at the assistant secretary level or higher from departments and agencies across U.S. Government. The board will meet monthly to oversee the development and implementation of atrocity prevention and response policy, and, additionally, address over the horizon potential atrocities through the use of a wide variety of tools so that we can take effective action to prevent atrocities from occurring. This bill gives our Foreign Service officers the training they need to recognize patterns of escalation and early warning signs of potential atrocities and conflict. With this training, we will, over time, build atrocity prevention into the core skill set of our people on the ground. They will be equipped to see the warning signs, analyze the events, and engage early. The bill also codifies the Complex Crises Fund, which has been a critical tool in our ability to quickly respond to an emerging crises overseas, including potential mass atrocities and conflict. We used the Complex Crises Fund in Tunisia during the Arab Spring and in Sri Lanka after its civil war. We have used it to respond quickly in Kenya and in other countries, where we helped save lives. Importantly, this bill builds greater transparency and accountability into the structure of the Atrocities Prevention Board. Civil society will have a say, and Congress will have a greater oversight role to make sure we are getting this done right. This is a good bill. It does good things and places the United States on a solid moral ground. But the moral argument alone is not enough. We must also remember that America's security and that of our allies is affected when civilians are slaughtered. Our security is impacted when desperate refugees stream across borders. Our security is affected when perpetrators of extraordinary violence wreak havoc on regional stability, destroying communities, families, and livelihoods. We have seen groups such as ISIS systematically targeting communities on the basis of their ethnicity or religious beliefs and practices. After 60 years, we still do not have a comprehensive framework to prevent and respond to mass atrocities in genocide. Let this bill act as a framework and also as our call to action so that when we use the phrase ``never again,'' we know that we are taking meaningful action to make that a reality.

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for an additional 10 minutes.