Benjamin Cardin

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I thank Senator Stabenow for her work on this resolution and for her actions on behalf of her constituent who is being held in Iran. She has been extremely helpful in bringing this resolution forward. I see Senator Risch on the floor. I want to state one last time that because of Senator Risch, we are on the floor tonight with a vote in the full Senate. I thank him for his tenacity and persistence on bringing this resolution forward so we can focus this on the four Americans being held by Iran and our desire to get them home as soon as possible and use every tool we have at our disposal on behalf of those Americans. Mr. President, I thank Senator Risch for his leadership.

Mr. CARDIN. I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I first want to thank Senator Risch for his tireless dedication to the plight of the three American citizens unjustifiably detained in Iran, as well as his efforts to call upon the Iranian Government to cooperate in locating Robert Livingston, a missing fourth American, and also returning him to his family. I also want to thank my colleagues from the States these Americans are from--Senators Feinstein and Boxer from California, Senators Stabenow and Peters from Michigan, Senators Nelson and Rubio from Florida, and Senators Crapo and Risch from Idaho--for their efforts in working with the families of these American citizens who have been held too long in Iran. I call upon the government of Iran to do the right thing--do the right thing and immediately release these citizens and send them home to their families and communities as soon as possible. The resolution has a statement of policy that is absolutely unobjectionable in any way. Let me point out one last thing, if I might. As the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I want to reassure the families of these Americans that I will continue to urge the U.S. Government to use every tool at its disposal to secure the release of these Americans, and I will continue to call upon the Iranian Government to immediately and unconditionally release these men and send them home to their families. I am very pleased we will soon be voting on this resolution, which unequivocally says that America should use all the tools at its disposal for the return of these Americans. 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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.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 that during the quorum call, the time be equally divided between the majority and the minority.

Mr. CARDIN. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, today, I rise to speak in celebration of International Migratory Bird Day. Every spring, waterfowl such as canvasback ducks, northern pintails and goldeneyes, raptors such as sharp shinned hawks, broad winged hawks and kestrels, warblers, buntings, and of course orioles like Maryland's State bird, the Baltimore oriole, return north for the summer to breed, raise hatchlings, and brighten the United States' wildlife spectrum during the months of spring and summer. It is an exciting time of year for birders and naturalists who enjoy witnessing the annual return of these species from the tropics and who contribute billions of dollars to the outdoor recreation economy on travel and gear to support their passion and interests in the very special bird species who return to the United States every year. In support of conserving these important migratory bird species, in March I reintroduced legislation to reauthorize the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act. This bill promotes international cooperation for long-term conservation, education, research, monitoring, and habitat protection for more than 350 species of neotropical migratory birds, such as the Baltimore oriole. Through its successful competitive, matching grant program, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service supports public-private partnerships in countries mostly in Latin America and the Caribbean. Up to one-quarter of the funds may be awarded for domestic projects. More than half of the bird species found in the U.S. migrate across our borders, and many of these spend winter in Central and South America. This legislation aims to sustain healthy populations of migratory birds that are not only aesthetically beautiful but also help our farmers through consumption of billions of harmful insects and rodent pests each year, providing pollination services, and dispersing seeds. Migratory birds face threats from pesticide pollution, deforestation, sprawl, and invasive species that degrade their habitats in addition to the natural risks of their extended flights. As birds are excellent indicators of an ecosystem's health, it is troubling that--according to the National Audubon Society--half of all coastal migrating shorebirds, like the common tern and piping plover, are experiencing dramatic population declines. The Baltimore oriole is a neotropical migratory bird whose song and bright orange and black plumage brightens all of the Northeastern and Midwestern United States each spring and summer. Sadly, Baltimore oriole populations have steadily declined despite legal protections under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 and the State of Maryland's Nongame and Endangered Species Conservation Act. Likewise, the iconic red knot, whose legendary 9,000-mile migration centers on a stopover in the Mid-Atlantic States, is decreasing in population quickly. Threats to these beloved Maryland birds are mainly due to habitat destruction and deforestation, particularly in Central and South America, where the birds winter. In addition, international use of toxic pesticides ingested by insects, which are then eaten by the birds, is significantly contributing to their decline. Conservation efforts in our country is essential, but investment in programs throughout the migratory route of these and hundreds of other migratory bird species is critical. The goal of International Migratory Bird Day is to raise awareness about the plight of these birds during this special time of year when these birds are returning to the United States, and my legislation is critical to the conservation of these species. The Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act has a proven track record of reversing habitat loss and advancing conservation strategies for the broad range of neotropical birds that populate the United States and the rest of the Western hemisphere. Since 2002, more than $50.1 million in grants have been awarded, supporting 451 projects in 36 countries. Partners have contributed an additional $190.6 million, and more than 3.7 million acres of habitat have been affected. In 2014, the grants totaled $3.6 million, with $12 million in matching funds across 20 countries. On International Migratory Bird Day 2015, I am working with the sponsors of the bipartisan sportsmen's package, S. 659, and the leadership of the Environment and Public Works Committee to incorporate the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act into this legislation as it moves through committee. While sportsmen do not hunt songbirds, the financial assistance this program provides for habitat conservation provides cobenefits for games domestic species like wild turkey, deer, pheasant, elk, and quail, and the international investments benefit the conservation of sandhill cranes and migratory waterfowl that are popular game species. The resources of this program also help conserve critical wetland habitat which is incredibly important coastal and freshwater fish species like bass, perch, and sturgeon, as well as both migratory and resident duck and geese species. Incorporation of the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act into the bipartisan sportsmen's package would add a new element of game species conservation that will help ensure the presence of important game and fish species for generations of hunters and anglers and outdoor enthusiasts alike. I urge my colleagues to support this simple reauthorization of this cost-effective, budget-friendly program that has been highly successful.

Mr. CARDIN

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

Mr. CARDIN

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, yesterday, I took the floor to talk about the events in Baltimore over the last 10 days, 2 weeks, and I spoke about how Baltimore is coming together and recognized that in order to move forward, there are two pillars we need to work on, and one of those is public safety and justice. I talked about some initiatives we are looking at, including legislation that I filed that will eliminate profiling by police and how we need to deal with the restoration of voting rights and other issues that deal with accountability of police. I also talked about rebuilding and dealing with the core issues of our urban centers. I just want to supplement those remarks with a conversation we had with CVS Health. I mention that because it was the CVS pharmacy that was destroyed a week ago Monday night in Baltimore. I think that was seen not only in this country but around the world. It was one of the major assets in a community that for too long a period of time did not have access to a pharmacy. It was tragic to see that it was destroyed during the events in Baltimore. I wish to bring to my colleagues' attention that CVS has spoken about that episode, and they have made a commitment to restore the two pharmacy locations, which will be rebuilt in the same communities in which they were destroyed. They are committed to return to the community as quickly as possible with those services which are critically important to those communities. I just want to point that out that they have gone further than that. Previously, I said we need the Federal Government's help in rebuilding and dealing with the core problems, we need State and local governments, and we need the private sector to step up and help us. CVS has listened to that. First, one of the things they are doing is providing a $100,000 donation to the United Way of Central Maryland's Maryland Unites Fund and the Baltimore Community Foundation. These are funds that will be used to help rebuild Baltimore. This is a quote from the CVS release: These funds will help provide immediate and longer-term support to people in hard-hit areas and give those communities much-needed resources. I also wish to point out what CVS did, and I think this is very important. This is also a quote. To help minimize the financial impact of the store closing for its Baltimore employees, CVS/pharmacy paid them their regularly scheduled hours the week of the protests, whether or not they were able to work. All displaced employees who want to work in other CVS/pharmacy locations will able to do so. To me, that is part of rebuilding and dealing with the problems in our community; that those employees, through no fault of their own, could have been at a tremendous disadvantage and will get their full paychecks. They have a job to return to, and we are going to have those pharmacies relocated in the communities which desperately need that. That is the private sector helping us in rebuilding and dealing with the problems in our city. I just wanted my colleagues to know about the work of CVS Health. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I hate to object. There is only 10 minutes remaining and all the time on the Republican side has been used up. Would my colleague limit his remarks perhaps to 3 minutes so I could have a little bit of time on our side?

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, after 2 weeks on the floor, in a few moments we will have a chance to advance the Iran bill to passage and then vote on passage. I urge my colleagues to support the cloture motion and to support final passage. First, I thank Senator Corker. Senator Corker has been an incredible partner, and the two of us have worked in the best interests not only of the Senate but in the best interests of our country. We recognize this Nation is stronger when in foreign policy we are united and speak with one voice. That is exactly what we were able to do in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee by a vote of 19 to 0. This is an extremely controversial area. We understand that. But we reached a position where we could get a 19-to-0 vote in the committee. We were able to bring that forward and were able to get the administration to work with us on this. So the bill will be signed by the President of the United States. I just want to thank Senator Corker for his incredible leadership through these very difficult times so that we could reach this point. It gives us the best chance to accomplish our goal. Our goal is to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear weapons state--pure and simple. We will be in a stronger position to achieve that objective with the passage of this legislation. We understand what that means. We understand that it has to be an agreement that prevents Iran from a breakout capacity to have a nuclear weapon in a period of time where we would be compromised, because we know we have to be able to inspect, we have to be able to see what they are doing, and we have to be able to react if they cheat. This bill allows us to have that type of an oversight over such an agreement. It spells out the proper role for Congress. It was in the 1990s that Congress started to impose sanctions against Iran for its nuclear weapons program. Only Congress can remove those sanctions or permanently change them. So it is in our interests to be able to have an orderly way to review an agreement. And it is an orderly review because it requires the President to submit the agreement to us so we have opportunities for open hearings and for closed hearings, to do what we need to in order to make our judgment as to how to proceed. There is no required action, but we could take the appropriate action, and we have the time to take the appropriate action. Congress would then have oversight of the agreement. The administration would be required to report to us on a quarterly basis that Iran is in compliance with the agreement. If there is a material breach, there are expedited procedures for us to be able to take action to reimpose and strengthen the sanctions regime that is in place. So it really gives us the opportunity not only to have oversight on a potential agreement if one is reached but then to monitor to make sure that the agreement is complied with. But we go beyond that. I have heard a lot of my colleagues talk about Iran and what it is doing on its sponsoring of terrorism, what it is doing on human rights violations, their ballistic missile programs. We understand that. We require reports from the administration as to their activities in each of these areas. It is very clear, as the President made in his summary of the April 2 framework, that nothing in this agreement affects the other sanctions that are imposed against Iran because of ballistic missiles, because of terrorism or because of human rights issues. So I think we have found the right balance. Lastly, let me say we have also made it very clear in this agreement that the security of Israel is critically important, and we have spelled that out in our legislation. So for all those reasons, I think the fact that we were able to reach this type of an agreement--we had a couple votes. The votes were pretty decisive as to how they came out on the floor. I thank all our colleagues for the way they cooperated with us on being able to reach this moment. Mr. President, I yield the remainder of the time to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Mr. CARDIN

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

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, yesterday, along with Senator Mikulski and Congressmen Cummings and Ruppersberger and Sarbanes, I was in Baltimore with Attorney General Lynch meeting with our faith-based leaders. Attorney General Lynch also met with the mayor of Baltimore as well as the family of Freddie Gray. She also met with our Baltimore City Police Department. I wish to thank the Attorney General for her personal presence in Baltimore. For those of us who live in Baltimore, the events over these last couple of weeks have been heartbreaking. The city we love has gone through a very difficult time. I wish to thank my colleagues who have contacted Senator Mikulski and me for offering their help, for offering their understanding, and for their willingness to work together so we can deal with the issues that have been raised in Baltimore--and other cities, quite frankly--in other places around the country. It is our responsibility to move forward, and the people of Baltimore understand that. We understand the national spotlight will be leaving and we are going to need to deal with the issues that are left behind. To me, there are two pillars for the rebuilding of Baltimore and restoring confidence; one deals with public safety and justice and the other deals with rebuilding as a result of the damages that were caused and dealing with the core problems that led up to the violence in Baltimore. I believe that we in Baltimore can serve as a model for the country as to how we can make our community and our Nation stronger. On the public safety and justice pillar, let me make some suggestions to my colleagues. I have spoken to several of my colleagues about areas where I hope we can work together in order to restore public safety and justice in our community. One of those issues is a bill I filed that would end racial profiling in America. We should have passed this bill a long time ago. Racial profiling--profiling because of the race of a community or the ethnic background or a religion--is just wrong. It is against the values we believe in in this country. It turns communities against law enforcement. We saw that in Baltimore and we have seen it in other communities around the country where the local community just does not have confidence that the police department is working on their behalf. We heard examples of that yesterday in the roundtable discussion we had with the faith-based leaders. We have to restore that confidence. One way to do it is to make it clear that our national policy is against profiling by police. Now, let me make it clear that if a person has some specific information about a particular crime and identifies who is responsible, that is not profiling. That is not what we are talking about. We are talking about communities in Baltimore and around the country where a person is African American and they have a much better chance of being stopped by police just because of the color of their skin. That is wrong, and it has to end in America. We need to take action in this body, the U.S. Senate, to make it clear that we will not permit racial profiling. It is not only wrong and counterproductive to neighborhoods working with police; it is costly. We have limited resources to spend in law enforcement. It is not productive in keeping communities safe, and as we have seen around the country, it can be deadly. We need to do more in this area. I have spoken to some of my colleagues about some of the sentencing guidelines we have in this country. They are certainly discriminatory against certain communities in America. We need to take a look at our criminal justice system and at the sentencing guidelines to recognize that if a person is of a certain race or a certain religion or ethnic background, that person is much more likely to end up in prison today, even though the incidents of the violations of the law are no different in their community than in other communities in this country. We have to deal with it. This country has to deal with that. Lastly, I have introduced legislation that would restore voting privileges for those who have completed their prison sentences, and we need to pass it. I know I have support on both sides of the aisle. We had a vote on that not too long ago, where we had almost a majority willing to move forward. I hope we can come to an agreement. I remember the opposition said it is the wrong bill. Well, let's get a bill that is the right bill to restore voting privileges to those who complete their sentences. They can then again become a part of the community. They know we believe they have a future. They should be able to serve on our juries. There is not a person who is serving in the U.S. Senate who didn't have a second chance sometime in their life. All of us need a second chance. We can't give up on people. I think the experiences we have seen in Baltimore and around the rest of the country indicate that we all have a stake in rebuilding and giving opportunities to every person in our community. I talked about rebuilding and dealing with the core issues that led up to the violence in Baltimore. There was a letter written to the Baltimore Sun this week that said we need a Marshall Plan for America's cities. That sort of struck me because I thought back to World War II, when Europe was burning and the United States came to the rescue of Europe and put out the fire. But we didn't stop there. We then planted the seeds for the rebuilding of Europe. We were not alone. Other countries helped us, the private community helped us, businesses helped us, and Europe was rebuilt. So it is not enough just to restore public order on the streets of Baltimore. We have to rebuild in a way that we give opportunities for jobs for all the people in the community. We talked about what is going to happen this summer. Will there be summer jobs for our young people? Will we have permanent jobs for them? We have to work on that. We have to work on rebuilding. We can do this. We have come together in the past. We are the strongest country in the world. The United States has been there to help people around the world. We said we would pursue efforts about ending HIV/AIDS under President Reagan, and the PEPFAR Program has changed the dynamics around the world on the spread of HIV/AIDS. It is time we used that energy here in America to help the people of this country. So I hope we will all come together and look at the core problems and help rebuild America. It is appropriate that we talk about it the day after we passed our budget. I hope, as we get to the individual appropriations bills, that we understand the Federal Government, in partnership with the private sector, in partnership with State and local governments, can do a better job. Today, Secretary Perez, the Secretary of Labor, is going to be in Baltimore meeting with local officials to figure out how the Federal Government can partner with us to provide resources to energize the private sector, to energize the rebirth of Baltimore. I heard a request from groups I met with about the new markets tax credit. We need to extend those types of credits that can make a difference in our urban centers. I visited with Pastor Hickman whose church was torched-- the senior housing project next door to his church was on fire last Monday night. He is rebuilding that senior housing project, but he clearly knows he needs partners from the Federal Government. We can do a better job. I urge my colleagues to understand we can do this. We must do this. We must rebuild our cities and our communities for a better Baltimore and for the betterment of America's future. With that, I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, reserving the right to object.

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, first I thank my friend from Texas. He and I share the same goal, and that is to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear weapon State. There are three basic problems with my friend's amendment, if it were to be adopted. One, it would either defeat the bill--which is very possible, because it changes the fundamentals of this bill. We are looking at reviewing an agreement that does not require consent, because Congress may, in fact, decide it does not want to take up this issue. That is one of the options. Second, if it were adopted, it could very well affect our ability to negotiate with Iran. They may say: Gee, we have to negotiate with the President, and then we have to negotiate with the Congress. And our negotiating partners, who don't have those circumstances, might very well say: That is the end of negotiations. Then the United States is blamed, and we are isolated as the country that prevented a diplomatic solution to this very difficult problem. Or, third, it puts our negotiators in a tough position because they don't have a united position. Therefore, we won't negotiate, and we won't have the strength to negotiate the strongest possible deal. And for my friend who says it is just simple for Congress to pass a bill in order to implement this, we have been on this bill for 2 weeks. It came out of the committee 19 to 0, and I don't yet see an end in sight. So at the same time, this bill prevents the President from exercising his waiver authority under the sanctions regime while Congress is reviewing it. So, in effect, delay tactics could be used by a minority to prevent the agreement from being considered on the floor of the Senate. So for all those reasons the well-intended amendment would have, I think it could have the reverse effect. But, from a procedural point of view, as I have explained earlier, we have been working to try to get amendments up. For all those reasons, I do object.

Mr. CARDIN. I appreciate the friendliness of my friend from Texas, but I must tell him we have this bill balanced. There is an expedited process in regard to Congress taking action if there is a violation of the agreement by Iran. We do have an expedited process in the bill currently before us so that we can snap back sanctions quickly, and Congress receives not only certification but notices from the administration as to whether there are material breaches. So we already have that process in the bill to deal with any violation of any agreement. The balance here is that Congress does not know what process it uses: We impose the sanctions. We might want to take up modifications to the sanctions. We may want to take up an approval resolution. We may want to take up a disapproval resolution. We might want to take up something totally different with Iran. Those are our options. So it would be difficult now to predict an expedited process when we don't know what the action of the Congress is going to be in regard to the agreement being submitted by the President of the United States. So even though it is a very friendly suggestion, I can't take the Senator up on it.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Reserving the right to object.

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, as Senator Vitter has pointed out, right now we are on the motion to proceed to the trade bill. We are not on the Iran sanctions bill. There are continuing discussions taking place on the Iran sanctions bill between Senator Corker and me in an effort to try to get as many of the amendments that we have been working on cleared as possible. Senator Vitter's request could very well at this point interfere with the maximum number of amendments being considered, and for that reason I object.

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, let me point out that but for the fact that Senator Cotton filed an amendment--he had every right to do so, and I am not saying he did not--without Senator Corker or the leadership or my knowing that he was going to go through that process, Senator Vitter could have modified his amendment. He is being blocked and needs consent because of actions taken by a Republican Senator. Prior to that action being taken, Senator Corker and I, working with--I think there were somewhere around 60 amendments filed by Republicans and none by Democrats. This is a bill which passed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee 19 to 0, one which incorporated many amendments of the members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, including the Presiding Officer, who is working with us on this. We worked those out. We are in the process of presenting an additional four amendments for floor action. When that action was taken by a Senator--who had every right to do it because he was trying to get his amendment considered on the floor--in effect, it blocked other amendments from being considered on the floor. When you have one party filing all of the amendments, it is necessary to have an orderly process for these considerations. We were in the process of doing that, and that was blocked. Senator Corker and I regret that we did not have a chance to bring more amendments in an orderly way for consideration on the floor. But the request made by Senator Vitter is to try to get his amendment in a different position than other amendments, and for that reason, I object.

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I will point out in response to Senator Vitter that we had two record votes on the floor on this bill, and both were amendments that were overwhelmingly rejected. They were not amendments I wanted on the bill. I opposed both of those amendments and Senator Corker opposed both of those amendments. When the amendment was offered by Senator Cotton, we were in the process of scheduling another vote on the floor of an amendment that I equally opposed. I have indicated that I will oppose several of the other amendments Members have tried to make pending, but I did not object to votes on those amendments. I just want to respond to Senator Vitter. Senator Corker and I did not attempt to block votes on amendments that we don't agree with. We were seeking an orderly way to proceed because, quite frankly, this bill is critically important to our country. Let's not lose sight of what we are trying to achieve, and that is to block Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. The best way for us to do that is for this body and the House and the President to speak with a united voice, to give us the strongest possible position in negotiations, and for Congress to carry out its responsibility to review this agreement because it was Congress that imposed the sanctions that brought Iran to the negotiating table. We have a responsibility--in an orderly way--to review that agreement. The legislation we brought forward--and the Presiding Officer was very helpful in bringing it forward--allows us, in an orderly way, to consider that agreement, if one is reached, so that we can have open hearings in a deliberative way to determine how Congress should act, and that is what this bill does. I regret that my friend from Louisiana--and he is my friend--feels that any amendment he wants to offer--and there are 60-some other amendments to be offered--that he should be able to bring them up at any time he wants. Quite frankly, this bill is too important for us to use anything but an orderly way to consider amendments. That is what this bill does for the consideration of a potential agreement. I thank Senator Corker for his leadership, and the two of us will work together to make sure we complete this bill in an orderly way. With that, I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I wish to recognize Flight Officer William August Colbert, Jr., for his honorable service to the United States as a member of the famed Tuskegee Airmen. Mr. Colbert is a lifelong Marylander who was born in Annapolis and attended Anne Arundel County public schools, graduating from Wiley H. Bates High School. Upon his graduation, he joined the Civilian Conservation Corps and was stationed in Allegany County, MD where he met and married his wife, the late Vivian Lee Colbert. He ultimately made Cumberland his home. After spending time working in the Baltimore shipyards, Mr. Colbert enlisted in the Army Air Force in 1943 and achieved the rank of flight officer at the Tuskegee Army Air Field. He was alerted for overseas duty on two occasions, but the war ended prior to his deployment. While Mr. Colbert never saw combat, he learned to fly with the best, and became a Red Tail. Mr. Colbert has always considered his contribution to the Tuskegee Airmen as what he was called to do as a U.S. citizen. He did so without expectation of fame or fanfare. When Mr. Colbert returned to Cumberland after his military service, he worked as a tire builder for the Kelly- Springfield Tire Company for 33 years until his retirement. He became a member of Fulton Myers American Legion Post. He and his wife had two children but lost one due to complications of childbirth. They raised their son William Augustus Colbert, III, who went to Bowie State University, where he met and married his wife Anna Hudson Colbert. Mr. Colbert has been blessed with four grandchildren and six great- grandchildren. Last July, Mr. Colbert became a great-great-grandfather. He is an admired family man who has opened his home, heart, and talents--including hunting, fishing, photography, and jazz--to family and friends alike. Mr. Colbert has enjoyed gardening and carpentry, and he personally ensured that the U.S. flag was raised and lowered each day on the former Pine Avenue playground, which was located directly across the street from his house. The contributions of Mr. Colbert and his fellow Tuskegee Airmen--the first African American combat unit in the Army Air Corps--played a crucial role in integrating the U.S. armed services. They helped to shatter stereotypes through their distinguished service at home and abroad. In the 109th Congress, I was honored to cosponsor legislation awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to the Tuskegee Airmen in recognition long overdue of their unique military record, which inspired revolutionary reform in the Armed Forces, and to join the President of the United States and my colleagues in Congress in presenting the medal to 300 members of the Tuskegee Airmen in a ceremony in the U.S. Capitol. The medal features three Tuskegee Airmen in profile--an officer, a mechanic and a pilot. The eagle symbolizes flight, nobility, and the highest ideals of our Nation. The years 1941- 1949 indicate the years during which these airmen were assigned to segregated units. The reverse side depicts three types of airplanes flown by the Tuskegee Airmen in World War II: the P-40, P-51 and B-25. The original gold medal remains on display at the Smithsonian Institution. Mr. Colbert was in failing health at the time, so he was unable to attend that ceremony and be presented with a copy of the medal. I am pleased to announce that on Friday, May 15, 2015, Mr. Colbert will finally receive the recognition he has earned during a presentation of the Congressional Gold Medal along with presentations by State and local elected officials, veterans service organizations, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, NAACP, in his hometown of Cumberland, MD. I ask my colleagues to join me in expressing sincere appreciation and congratulations to Mr. Colbert for his outstanding service to our country in uniform and in his community.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Reserving the right to object, Mr. President, we have been proceeding now for about a week. We have had a good debate on issues. Many Members are working with Senator Corker and me to clear their amendments so they are consistent with the overall objective that was supported by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee by a 19-to-0 vote, and we are going to continue to work on that process in the orderly consideration of amendments. For that reason, I must object.

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, has there been a unanimous consent request?