Benjamin Cardin

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, am I correct we are in postcloture time now?

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on December 17, 2013, at 10:30 a.m., to conduct a hearing entitled ``The Navy Yard Tragedy: Examining Physical Security for Federal Facilities.''

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, today I wish to salute Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr., a renowned cardiac surgeon who will retire at year's end from Johns Hopkins Medicine. During his 4-decade-long career, Dr. Watkins has had a profound impact on American health care--through the countless patients he has treated, the students he has recruited and mentored, and the cultural diversity he has advanced. Levi Watkins, Jr. grew up in Montgomery, AL, the third of Dr. and Mrs. Levi Watkins, Sr.'s six children. At the Alabama State Laboratory High School, Watkins excelled in academics and athletics: he graduated valedictorian and was selected for the Montgomery All-Star basketball team. It was in Alabama that he witnessed the early days of the civil rights movement. As a member of the First Baptist Church of Montgomery, Watkins developed a close friendship with his pastor, the Reverend Dr. Ralph David Abernathy, and later he attended Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, where he was introduced to the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the King family. Watkins majored in biology as an undergraduate at Tennessee State University, where he was elected president of the student body and joined Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Alpha Kappa Mu honor society, Beta Kappa Chi honor society, and many other notable organizations. Watkins also led many student movements on campus and graduated with highest honors. Dr. Watkins' medical career has been one of monumental firsts. In 1966, he integrated the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine as the first African-American student ever admitted. He was later selected to become a member of Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society. Watkins arrived at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1970 as a general surgery intern and became the first African-American chief resident in cardiac surgery in the institution's history. There, in 1980, he performed the world's first implantation of an automatic heart defibrillator in a human--a procedure that is now performed worldwide and has since saved tens of thousands of lives. In 1991, Dr. Watkins became the first African- American at Johns Hopkins promoted to full professor of cardiac surgery. He was named the first African-American associate dean in the School of Medicine and established the nation's first postdoctoral association, helping to revolutionize the culture of postdoctoral education in the United States. Today, there are more than 50 such associations across the nation. Dr. Watkins has been a fierce advocate for fairness and diversity. He joined the Hopkins School of Medicine's admissions committee in 1979, and began recruiting minority applicants and sponsoring an annual welcoming and networking reception for new students. In 1982, he founded the Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration at Hopkins, an annual event that has brought an illustrious array of speakers to Baltimore, including Coretta Scott King, Rosa Parks, Maya Angelou, Stevie Wonder, and Taylor Branch. In October 2002, Vanderbilt University established a Professorship and Associate Deanship in his name; in October 2005, Dr. Watkins' portrait was unveiled at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine honoring his life's work; and, in 2008, Vanderbilt bestowed upon Dr. Watkins its ``Most Distinguished Alumnus Award.'' Since 2006, when he stopped performing surgery, Dr. Watkins has remained a powerful presence and an important influence on Johns Hopkins and the city of Baltimore. In December 2008, he was honored by the National Black Caucus of State Legislators with the Nation Builders Award, along with President-Elect Barack Obama, and James H. Meredith. In January of 2012, he was appointed co-chair of Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's transition team for health and human services. I ask my colleagues to join me in wishing Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr. well as he embarks upon the next phase of his lifelong journey to improve the health and well-being of others.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, earlier this year I chaired a Helsinki Commission hearing on the situation in Hungary. Today, I would like to revisit some of the issues addressed by our witnesses. Since the April 2010 elections, Hungary has undertaken the most dramatic legal transformation that Europe has seen in decades. A new Constitution was passed with votes of the ruling party alone, and even that has already been amended five times. More than 700 new laws have been passed, including laws on the media, religion, and civic associations. There is a new civil code and a new criminal code. There is an entirely new electoral framework. The magnitude and scope of these changes have understandably put Hungary under a microscope. At the Helsinki Commission's hearing in March, I examined concerns that these changes have undermined Hungary's system of democratic checks and balances, independence of the judiciary, and freedoms of the media and religion. I also received testimony about rising revisionism and extremism. I heard from Jozsef Szajer, a Member of the European Parliament who represented the Hungarian Government at the hearing. Princeton constitutional law expert Kim Lane Scheppelle, Dr. Paul Shapiro from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, and Sylvana Habdank- Kolaczkowska from Freedom House presented compelling testimony. Unfortunately, developments in Hungary remain troubling. Even though Hungary's religion law was tweaked after the Constitutional Court struck down parts of it, it retains a discriminatory two-tier system. Moreover, the Parliament is empowered with the extraordinary and, for all practical purposes, unreviewable power to decide what is and what is not a religion. This month, the government announced it is launching an investigation into the Methodist Evangelical Church, a church persecuted during communist times. Today, the Methodist Evangelical Church is known for its outreach to Roma, work with the homeless and is one of the largest charitable organizations in Hungary. As I noted at the Helsinki Commission hearing in March, it is also one of the hundreds of religious groups stripped of official recognition after the passage of Hungary's new religion law. The church has now complied with submitting the necessary number of supporters required by the law and, as a reply, the government has announced an unidentified ``expert'' will conduct an investigation into the church's beliefs and tenets. This step only reinforces fears that parliamentary denial of recognition as a so-called ``Accepted Church'' opens the door for further repressive measures. Veneration of Hungary's wartime regent, Miklos Horthy, along with other anti-Semitic figures such as writer Jozsef Nyiro, continues. In November, a statue of Hungarian Jewish poet Miklos Radnoti, who was killed by Hungarian Nazis at the end of 1944, was rammed with a car and broken in half. At roughly the same time, extremists staged a book burning of his works along with other materials they called ``Zionist publications.'' At the beginning of December, two menorahs were vandalized in Budapest. Reflecting the climate of extremism, more than 160 Hungarian nationals have been found by Canada this year to have a well-founded fear of persecution. Almost all are Romani, but the refugees include an 80-year-old award winning Hungarian Jewish writer who received death threats after writing about anti-Semitism in Hungary, and was stripped of his honorary citizenship of Budapest on an initiative from the far- right Jobbik party, supported by the votes of the ruling Fidesz party. While there are many who suggest the real problem comes from the extremist opposition party Jobbik, and not the ruling government, it seems that some members of Fidesz have contributed to a rise in intolerance. I am particularly troubled that the government-created Media Council, consisting entirely of Fidesz delegated members, has threatened ATV--an independent television station--with punitive fines if it again characterizes Jobbik as extremist. If you can't even talk about what is extremist or anti-Semitic in Hungary without facing legal sanctions, how can you combat extremism and anti-Semitism? Moreover, this decision serves to protect Jobbik from critical debate in the advance of next year's elections. Why? Other new measures further stifle free speech. Unfortunately, and somewhat shockingly, last month Hungary amended its defamation law to allow for the imposition of prison terms up to 3 years. The imposition of jail time for speech offenses was a hallmark of the communist era. During the post-communist transition, the Helsinki Commission consistently urged OSCE countries to repeal criminal defamation and insult laws entirely. In 2004, for example, the Helsinki Commission wrote to Minister of Justice Peter Barandy regarding the criminal convictions of Andras Bencsik and Laszlo Attila Bertok. This new law, raced through under an expedited procedure in the wake of a bi-election controversy in which allegations of voter manipulation were traded, was quickly criticized by the OSCE representative on Freedom of the Media. I share her concerns that these changes to the criminal code may lead to the silencing of critical or differing views in society and are inconsistent with OSCE commitments. Hungary was once held up as a model of peaceful democratic transition and is situated in a region of Europe where the beacon of freedom is still sought by many today. I hope Hungary will return to a leadership role in the protection of human rights and the promotion of democracy.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I rise today in recognition of International Human Rights Day. Sixty-five years ago, on December 10, 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which serves as a foundation for human rights initiatives internationally, and is an enduring guide for human rights advocates around the globe. On this annual celebration of International Human Rights Day we all mourn with heavy hearts the loss of Nelson Mandela, a man who devoted his life to promoting human rights, freedom, and harmony. Humanity has lost one of its greatest leaders with the passing of Madiba, or ``father,'' as he was lovingly called. My prayers go out to his family and all the people of South Africa. He was a personal hero of mine, and of those who work to uphold human rights around the world. He led his nation not only in overcoming the divisions of racism, but in reconciling and healing. Throughout his life Nelson Mandela never stopped fighting for the oppressed, speaking out for the voiceless, and given hope to the hopeless. One of the greatest leaders may have left this world but the lessons he taught us about human dignity, sacrifice, perseverance, and perhaps the most powerful lesson of all-- forgiveness--will live on forever. In 1964, Nelson Mandela was convicted of treason and sentenced to life in prison for his part in the fight for racial equality in apartheid South Africa. At his trial Mandela said: I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die. Thankfully Mandela did not die during his years of imprisonment, and instead after enduring the unthinkable with grace and dignity, he emerged to lead a country to self determination, reconciliation, and forgiveness. In 1990, when Nelson Mandela was finally released after 10,000 days of imprisonment, his spirit was stronger than ever. Ten thousand days in prison were not enough to break his spirit and his devotion to the freedom of all people. In his autobiography, Mandela wrote ``. . . to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.'' And that he did. His democratic ideals were unwavering. He led by example, living a relatively modest life, refusing to reside in the presidential mansion, and serving only one term as South Africa's first black President. Mandela's influence on the continent, and indeed around the world, does not end with his passing. His story and moral courage has changed countless lives forever. As he once said, ``the true test of our devotion to freedom is just beginning.'' State and Federal lawmakers across the United States looked to Mandela as an inspiration when crafting laws that mandated divestment from South Africa's cruel Apartheid regime. I had the privilege of serving as speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates when we passed such legislation. Years later, our Nation is still striving to follow in Mandela's footsteps and fully realize his dream of peace and equality for all of mankind. As President Obama said, Mandela ``took history in his hands, and bent the arc of the moral universe toward justice.'' And so on this International Human Rights Day, we pay tribute to the great Madiba, the father of a free and peaceful South Africa, a legendary African, and a shining example for future generations of change-makers who have inherited a better world because of his great deeds.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, first, let me thank Senator Gillibrand for her leadership on this issue of sexual assault in our military. I support her amendment. I believe we need to look at a new way to deal with this issue so there is not only confidence within the military but within our country that sexual assault will not be tolerated in our military and that we have an effective way to deal with it. I thank Senator Gillibrand. It is quite clear, as Senator Reed said, without her leadership we would not be having these discussions on the floor of the Senate today. I applaud her for that. Tribute to Major Nate Somers

Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, we are now dealing with the NDAA bill, the National Defense Authorization Act, and it is our opportunity as a Senate to weigh in on one of the primary roles of government and that is the security of our country, how we can support our men and women in our military service to make sure they have the best equipment and the best support and live up to our commitments to our veterans when they return to civilian life. It is an awesome responsibility. I know each of us in our own capacities need to rely on outside help in order to be able to carry out this responsibility. We have staff. In my case I have been blessed to have a detailee from the Department of Defense from the Air Force. That person is Maj. Nate Somers. I mention that because he will be leaving my assignment very shortly, within the next week or so. I wanted to take this time to let my colleagues know, but also to let all the people know, that these detailees who are assigned to our office play a critical role. He has helped me in developing provisions that are in the National Defense Authorization Act and amendments that we are offering that deal with military health issues, that deal with regional security concerns, that deal with the impact of sequestration and how we can deal with the impact of sequestration and that deal with human rights issues with U.S. leadership globally as well as within the military. To say the least, I could not have done this as effectively as I needed to on behalf of the people of Maryland if it were not for Maj. Nate Somers. He comes to this assignment with an incredible background. His military record is unbelievable. Major Nate Somers has dedicated his life to serving our Nation. Nate started his career with the U.S. Air Force in 2001 when he graduated and received his commission through the Officer Training Program at Mississippi State University. He also, I might add, has two master's degrees. Nate then went on to serve in Arkansas, Florida, and Virginia, and was deployed in support of both Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Prior to joining my office, Major Somers served as liaison between the Air Combat Command and the Air Force Legislative Liaison Director on issues ranging from constituent inquiries to weapons systems. Over the course of his incredible career, Major Somers has earned 17 different major awards and decorations, including the Meritorious Service Medal and the Air Force Commendation Medal. His receiving these awards comes as no surprise to those who know him. Nate demonstrates his extraordinary service to our Nation and to our Armed Forces each and every day. There is hardly a day that goes by that I am not better informed because of his assignment to my Senate office. To say that Major Somers will be missed is an understatement. Nate has truly been a integral part of my staff. Whether ensuring our Maryland veterans get the services they need or advising me on complex defense issues, there was no task Nate would not do or could not do in order to help our office. The Air Force should be proud of the extraordinary talent they have in Maj. Nate Somers. I thank him for his service to this Nation. I also want to take this opportunity to thank Nate's wife and sons for sharing Nate with the Senate and for his service to the country. I yield the floor.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, 150 years ago today, President Abraham Lincoln gave one of the greatest speeches not just in U.S. history but in human history. In under 3 minutes and using just 10 sentences, President Lincoln spanned the past, present, and future of the American experiment and spoke to the aspirations, rights, and responsibilities not just of Americans but of humankind. It is astounding for us to realize that President Lincoln was invited to the dedication of the Nation's first national military cemetery almost as an afterthought. The event was organized around the schedule of former Harvard president Edward Everett, who was thought to be one of the Nation's greatest orators of the time. Everett was the featured speaker and, in the custom of that era, addressed the crowd for over 2 hours. President Lincoln, who had been invited to say ``a few appropriate words,'' followed Everett. President Lincoln wrote for the ear; he recited words and phrases as he committed them to paper. When he gave speeches, he spoke deliberately. His great speeches, including the Gettysburg Address, were as much theological in nature as they were political arguments. Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. President Lincoln borrowed a method of referring to time from the Psalms of the King James Bible, Psalm 90:10. It seems idiosyncratic to our ears today, but his listeners would have immediately grasped that he was going back not to 1789, when the first Congress convened in New York City and George Washington was inaugurated as our Nation's first President. He was not going back to 1788 when the Constitution was ratified or back to 1787 when the Constitutional Convention met. He was going back 87 years, to 1776 and the Declaration of Independence, citing the proclamation of our Founding Fathers who were from the North and South alike--of the universal truth ``that all men are created equal.'' In the very next sentence, President Lincoln pivoted to the present and proceeded to explain the purpose of the Civil War: to determine whether the United States of America or any other nation ``conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal'' could succeed and last: Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. And then President Lincoln, with characteristic humility, paid homage to those who had fought and died at Gettysburg before pivoting again, to the future and to laying out the responsibilities of his and future generations of Americans: But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated 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. As historian Ronald C. White, Jr., has written, ``Lincoln was finished. He had not spoken the word `I' even once. It was as if Lincoln disappeared so Americans could focus unhindered upon his transcendent truths.'' Those ``transcendent truths'' are apparent to us today but things weren't so clear 150 years ago, in the midst of the horrific brutality and death of the Civil War. On November 20, 1863, the New York Times reported that President Lincoln's address was interrupted by applause five times and followed by sustained applause, but historian Shelby Foote said that the reaction to the speech was delayed and ``barely polite.'' On November 23, 1863, the Chicago Times--an anti-Lincoln paper--editorialized that President Lincoln's address ``was an offensive exhibition of boorishness and vulgarity'' and ``a perversion of history so flagrant that the most extended charity cannot regard it as otherwise than willful.'' Initially, President Lincoln believed that the Civil War was being fought simply to preserve the Union. But his thinking evolved to the point where the war was about the abolition of slavery. It became the testing ground of whether the United States of America--or any other nation dedicated to human liberty and equality--could endure. There is a popular legend that President Lincoln jotted down a few notes on his way to Gettysburg or that he spoke extemporaneously. That isn't true. He prepared the speech beforehand and there was one improvisation only: He added the words ``under God.'' As White noted, `` `Under God' pointed backward and forward: back to `this nation,' which drew its breath from both political and religious sources, but also forward to a `new birth.' Lincoln had come to see the Civil War as a ritual of purification. The old Union had to die . . . Death became a transition to a new Union and a new humanity.'' And so President Lincoln--in theological as well as constitutional language--laid out for his listeners, for us, and for our grandchildren ``the unfinished work'' and ``the great task remaining'': namely, to promote ``a new birth of freedom.'' As the American poet Archibald MacLeish wrote, ``There are those who will say that the liberation of humanity, the freedom of man and mind, is nothing but a dream. They are right. It is the American dream.'' We Americans are singularly fortunate and privileged to hail from the first Nation in history ``conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.'' It is our solemn responsibility not only to protect and expand freedom here but to promote and nurture it abroad so that ``government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.''

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, this year we commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Holodomor, the genocidal Ukrainian Famine of 1932- 1933. Eighty years ago, an engineered famine in Soviet-dominated Ukraine and bordering ethnically-Ukrainian territory resulted in the horrific deaths of millions of innocent men, women, and children. I visited the Holodomor monument in central Kyiv, a poignant reminder of the suffering perpetrated by Soviet dictator Stalin's deliberate and inhumane policy to suppress the Ukrainian people and destroy their human, cultural, and political rights. Requisition brigades, acting on Stalin's orders to fulfill impossibly high grain quotas, took away the last scraps of food from starving families and children. Eyewitness accounts describing the despair of the starving are almost unfathomable. Millions of rural Ukrainians slowly starved--an excruciatingly painful form of death--amid some of the world's most fertile farmland, while stockpiles of expropriated grain rotted by the ton, often nearby. Meanwhile, Ukraine's borders were sealed to prevent the starving from leaving to less-affected areas. International offers of help were rejected, with Stalin's henchmen denying a famine was taking place. At the same time, Soviet grain was being exported to the West. The final report of the congressionally created Commission on the Ukraine Famine concluded in 1988 that ``Joseph Stalin and those around him committed genocide against Ukrainians in 1932-33.'' No less than Rafael Lemkin, the Polish-Jewish-American lawyer who coined the term ``genocide'' and was instrumental in the adoption of the 1948 U.N. Genocide Convention, described the ``destruction of the Ukrainian nation'' as the ``classic example of Soviet genocide.'' We must never forget the victims of the Holodomor or those of other republics in the Soviet Union, notably Kazakhstan, that witnessed cruel, mass starvation as a result of Stalin's barbarism, and we must redouble our efforts to protect human rights and democracy, ensuring that 20th-century genocides such as the Holocaust, Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, Ukraine, Bosnia, Cambodia, and Rwanda become impossible to imagine in the future.

Mr. CARDIN

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

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, as Veterans Day 2013 approaches next Monday, I ask that in honoring the brave men and women who have served our Nation, we in Congress honor them in ways that are meaningful and help them return to civilian life after they have served. A mere thank- you is little comfort to a veteran who cannot find meaningful employment, who is striving to provide for his or her family, or who is dealing with post-traumatic stress. President Woodrow Wilson established this holiday--originally known as Armistice Day--on November 11, 1919, when he proclaimed that it would be used to honor the brave Americans who fought and died in World War I. The holiday was officially recognized by the U.S. Congress on June 4, 1946. After the end of World War II, Armistice Day was expanded to honor all veterans of our military services, and the holiday's name was changed to Veterans Day. We should honor our veterans every day, but I believe that this annual holiday is especially important as it allows us to reflect on the true aspect of the sacrifices that our servicemembers have made. Their sacrifices are often made in stressful, frustrating, and dangerous conditions. Yet these brave men and women do not shy from committing themselves to serving our country. It is because of those who have served selflessly, with honor and dignity, that we can continue celebrating our history and our way of life. While I am proud of all of our veterans, I am especially proud of the veterans in my State. Maryland has a long and proud military tradition. Maryland is known as the Old Line State. Some people think that comes from the Mason Dixon Line, but it actually dates back to 1776, less than 2 months after the Declaration of Independence, when George Washington's army was nearing annihilation in an indefensible position at Brooklyn Heights. They were faced with overwhelming odds, and the British Army--the most powerful military force in the world at the time--was closing in around them. But on this historic day 400 Marylanders who made up the Maryland Line stepped up against those overwhelming odds and ran into the breach in defense of our Nation. Today, there is a plaque over the mass graves of those citizen soldiers that reads simply this: ``In honor of the Maryland 400, who on this battlefield on August 27, 1776, saved the American Army.'' Every year I make it a priority on Veterans Day to take an opportunity to thank the millions of brave men and women who served our Nation in uniform and honor them for their courage, dedication, and sacrifice. In my first year as a Senator of Maryland I went to Garrison Forest Veterans Cemetery in Owings Mills for a Veterans Day observance, as well as attended a Veterans Day Salute and groundbreaking of a new facility for Baltimore Station, which provides innovative therapeutic residential treatment program supporting veterans who are transitioning through the cycle of poverty, addiction, and homelessness to self- sufficiency. I have also spent Veterans Day at the Leonardtown Cemetery and Crownsville Veterans Cemetery Remembrance Ceremony, where I placed wreaths honoring those who have paid the ultimate price in serving our country. Two years ago, I had the privilege of joining Maryland Veterans Affairs Secretary Edward Chow, Jr., to observe Veterans Day at Cheltenham Veterans Cemetery. Through our efforts, we were able to announce that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has awarded the cemetery a grant of $1.7 million to make improvements. Just last year, I had the opportunity to thank the millions of brave men and women who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces and risk their lives for our Nation when I provided remarks at the Crownsville Veterans Day Ceremony. Additionally, I was invited by the Armed Forces Foundation to speak to students at Manor View Elementary School-- located on Fort Meade--as part of their Operation Caring Classroom Program. During my visit, I talked to students about Veterans Day and the importance of honoring the service of men and women in the military, as well as the sacrifices of their families. We far too often forget to thank the families of our veterans for all they have sacrificed. We want our veterans and their families to know we are grateful for their service to our Nation and are here today to honor them as well. This year I will have a chance to say thank you to veterans across Maryland as I participate in the Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 451 Veterans Day Celebration and Baltimore City's Veterans Day Celebration sponsored by the Baltimore City Veterans Commission. This Veterans Day, I am reminded that Maryland is home to over 470,000 veterans to whom we made solemn promises. I am committed to making sure they receive the services and benefits they earned and the support they were promised. The United States is the strongest Nation in the world, and I am proud to honor Maryland's veterans with my gratitude and respect. For more than 237 years, Marylanders in every branch of service have been at the forefront of providing distinguished service for our national defense. Let me mention a few examples. Marylanders are justifiably proud of amazing soldiers like PFC Kevin Jaye, an Army hero born and raised in Smithsburg who saw his life change when he stepped on an improvised explosive device, IED, while serving in Afghanistan. Kevin lost his right leg below the knee, but despite the many surgeries and the long recovery process, he is determined to overcome these challenges. Since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began, more than 1,500 U.S. troops have become amputees and Kevin is one of them. We are justifiably proud of naval heroes like Navy Hospital Corpsman Michael Couch, who received a Purple Heart earlier this year as a result of the injuries he sustained while serving in Afghanistan. Michael was traveling in a convoy when his vehicle rolled over an IED which detonated. He was knocked unconscious, and his eardrum was ruptured. After 3 weeks of rehabilitation he rejoined his unit. Michael is now stationed at the Naval Academy, where he is an optometry technician who prescreens the vision of midshipmen before they meet with an optometrist. We are justifiably proud of marines from Maryland like HM3 Vanzorro Gross, Jr., who was awarded the Purple Heart in May by Naval Health Clinic Patuxent River. Corpsman Gross received the Purple Heart for wounds received in action during a raid while deployed in Afghanistan with the Marines. During the firefight, eight service personnel were injured and two were killed. Corpsman Gross was 30 days into a 6-month deployment at the time of the attack and was sent home with damage to the bones in his foot. He had a 3-inch hole in his foot from the shrapnel damage and has undergone four orthopedic surgeries so far to reconstruct it. Despite these injuries, when visited in Walter Reid National Military Medical Center by a commanding officer, Corpsman Gross' first question was, ``When can I go back?'' We are justifiably proud of Air Force Airman Captain Barry F. Crawford, Jr., a member of the Maryland Air National Guard, who was recently awarded the Air Force Cross--second only to the Medal of Honor--and Purple Heart for his extraordinary heroism in military operations against an armed enemy of the United States as special tactics officer near Lagham Province, Afghanistan. Captain Crawford is credited for taking decisive action to save the lives of three wounded Afghan soldiers and evacuating two Afghan soldiers killed in action. Captain Crawford is only the fifth recipient, since 9/11, to receive the Air Force Cross. We are justifiably proud of Security Forces airmen stationed at Warfield Air National Guard Base, who were awarded the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious achievement while assigned to the Air Force Office of Special Investigations Tactical Security Element at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. MSG John Duly and MSG Olen D. Smith III led a 15-man tactical security element that provided security wherever the Office of Special Investigations detachment needed to go. On a routine mission, an Army platoon came under attack from Taliban fighters, and Sergeants Duly and Smith moved their unit to provide support. For the next 48 hours their unit provided security and overwatch, responded to a vehicle rollover, initiated and received direct fire, coordinated with helicopter and fixed wing assets, and responded to a vehicle hit by an IED. We are justifiably proud of the A-10 pilots from the 104th Fighter Squadron with the Maryland Air National Guard assigned to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, who recently flew as part of a harrowing mission to support ambushed coalition forces fighting during dangerous weather conditions. A dozen pilots protected more than 90 coalition servicemembers during a major battle in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan. All across the services, our military members and veterans from Maryland are the best in the Department of Defense. But Congress simply has not done enough to provide enough support to our veterans. For example, unemployment is also an issue for the veterans community. Veterans, particularly young veterans from our most recent conflicts, are having trouble getting jobs. In this September's jobs report, the Bureau of Labor reported that while the unemployment rate for nonveterans was 7.2 percent and the unemployment rate for all veterans was at 6.5 percent, the unemployment rate for post-9/11 veterans was at an astonishing 10.1 percent. I find this troubling, as the experience that these veterans acquired during their recent military service should make them invaluable to prospective employers. We must do better in providing employment opportunities for our veterans. Ultimately, Veterans Day is an opportunity for all of us to thank our veterans for their service and to renew our commitment to serving and honoring them each and every day of the year. A true marker of our Nation's worth is our willingness to serve those who have served us. As we continue to wind down our commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan after a decade of war, we need to gear up our commitment to our veterans. Our veterans deserve every possible tool we can provide to help ease their transition to civilian life. I am committed to making sure that our veterans receive the services and benefits they earned and the support they were promised and deserve. The United States is the strongest Nation in the world because of our veterans, and we owe them and their families our gratitude and our respect.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to a wonderful man, Ivey Lee Armstrong, Sr., who died last month. He was just 62. He worked for nearly 30 years cooking and preparing delicious food in the Senate Carryout. The entire Senate community will miss him dearly. Many of our constituents may not appreciate that the Senate truly is a community. Our partisan or regional differences of opinion are made public on C-SPAN2, in the newspapers, and on the campaign trail. But here, where we work day in and day out, we are surrounded by thousands of hardworking and dedicated people who mostly toil in anonymity. They are the fabric of the community here. They are the ones who keep the Senate functioning. We have our own staff, and the committees have staff, and leadership has staff, and there are the floor and cloakroom staffs and the Parliamentarian and Senate legislative counsel and the Bill Clerk and the Senate reporters, and so on. But we also have Capitol Police, who protect all of us and the thousands of people who visit the Capitol campus daily. We have plumbers and electricians and carpenters and painters. We have people who man the elevators and the subways and help guide the public through the buildings and up into the Galleries. And we have people who work in the cafeterias, including the Senate Carryout in the basement of this building. I eat lunch at the Senate Carryout frequently because it is convenient and because the food is excellent. It is really home cooking. And I always enjoyed catching up with ``Mr. Ivey,'' as everyone knew him. But it wasn't just his culinary skills that we will miss. Mr. Ivey was a fine gentleman. He was unfailingly cheerful and polite and he made everyone feel at home. Meredith Shiner and Niels Lesniewski wrote a nice article about Mr. Ivey in Roll Call, noting that he was often the first person at work in the morning and the last one to leave when the Senate Carryout finally closed for the night. They also noted that he was an Army and Army National Guard veteran who earned the National Defense Service Medal, a Good Conduct Medal, and M16 Sharpshooter awards. I am proud to say he was a constituent and there will be a memorial service for him tomorrow at From the Heart Church of Ministries in Suitland. Mr. Ivey wasn't just devoted to his country, to the Senate, and to his job, he was devoted to his family and to his faith. According to the Roll Call article, Mr. Ivey re-enlisted so that he could get the health care coverage needed for a sick daughter. It is a big family--8 siblings, 4 children, 10 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren, among others. I want to send my deepest condolences to his family and friends and coworkers. The Senate community has lost one of its finest and kindest members. We will miss his cooking but, more important, we will miss his good cheer, his demeanor, and his friendship.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, I rise today to remember those who perished and suffered during Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass, 75 years ago on November 9 and 10 in Germany, German-occupied Austria, and German-occupied Czechoslovakia. Earlier that year, in March 1938, Germany absorbed Austria--the so- called Anschluss. Then, at the September 1938 Munich conference, France, Britain, and Italy allowed Germany to annex the western rim of Czechoslovakia and to claim its 3 million Sudeten Germans as its own. In both acts, the concept of loyalty to the state was equated with ethnic identity. Then, in October 1938, Germany expelled 17,000 Jews with Polish citizenship from Germany into Poland. These families were arrested at night, transported by train to the Polish border, and effectively left in limbo, as Poland initially refused to accept them. The son of two of these expellees, a Polish Jew in France, took revenge: He assassinated a German diplomat in Paris. Propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels subsequently asserted that ``World Jewry'' was responsible for the assassination and gave the signal for the start of the first large open pogrom in Germany: ``The Fuhrer,'' he stated, ``has decided that . . . demonstrations should not be prepared or organized by the Party, but insofar as they erupt spontaneously, they are not to be hampered.'' As described by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum: The rioters destroyed 267 synagogues throughout Germany, Austria, and the Sudetenland. Many synagogues burned throughout the night, in full view of the public and of local firefighters, who had received orders to intervene only to prevent flames from spreading to nearby buildings. SA and Hitler Youth members across the country shattered the shop windows of an estimated 7,500 Jewish-owned commercial establishments, and looted their wares. Jewish cemeteries became a particular object of desecration in many regions. The pogrom proved especially destructive in Berlin and Vienna, home to the two largest Jewish communities in the German Reich. Mobs of SA men roamed the streets, attacking Jews in their houses and forcing Jews they encountered to perform acts of public humiliation. Although murder did not figure in the central directives, Kristallnacht claimed the lives of at least 91 Jews between the 9th and 10th of November. Police records of the period document a high number of rapes and of suicides in the aftermath of the violence. Kristallnacht was thus a crucial turning point in the Holocaust-- moving from a policy of removing Jews from Germany and German occupied lands, to murdering them. It also stands as an enduring example of the danger of associating citizenship with ethnicity, of tying loyalty to the state with blood identity. Kristallnacht is but one example of how hate can proliferate and erode our societies and why I have worked tirelessly to advance global efforts to ensure atrocities such as this never happen again. In my capacity as a chair of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe and decades-long work as a Member of Congress, I have advanced efforts to combat anti-Semitism and other forms of intolerance and discrimination in North America and Europe. This work has ranged from commission hearings to raise awareness of the continuing scourge of anti-Semitism to leading interparliamentary efforts to create personal representatives or high-level officials within the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to combat Anti-Semitism and other forms of intolerance. Sadly, the election of anti-Semitic political parties in Europe coupled with efforts to adopt circumcision, ritual slaughter, and other laws in Europe that would alter Jewish life and continuing incidents of anti- Semitic violence let us know that the work to eradicate anti-Semitism is not yet complete. As we honor the 75th anniversary of Kristallnacht, I ask that you join me in honoring the victims and families of that horrible tragedy and join me in fighting hate and bias in all its forms.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, the legislation that is currently pending before this body, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, S. 815, provides a historic opportunity for us to advance civil rights in this country and end employment discrimination against lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgenders, the LGBT community. The United States has shown international leadership against discrimination, promoting better understanding and tolerance around the globe. That has made the security of countries better. It has provided opportunities for minority communities. The United States has been in the forefront of those efforts. We have shown leadership internationally and we have done that because we have taken action in our own country to protect against discrimination. Action at home helps us provide that credibility for our international leadership. Passage of S. 815, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, would demonstrate that action, that we have taken the right action at home and, therefore, we have the standing to promote better understanding globally. The U.S. leadership has been shown in many different ways. I am very proud that one of the primary organizations the United States has participated in that has advanced human rights is the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. Our local arm in participating is the Helsinki Commission. I have the honor of chairing the Helsinki Commission, which includes Members of both the House and the Senate, along with members of the administration. We have used that role in the Helsinki Commission to promote an international agenda to deal with best practices to end discrimination on ethnic communities, religious communities, and racial discrimination. As a result of U.S. leadership, we have made a difference. We made a difference in Europe, we made a difference in North America, and we made a difference around the world. Today there are special representatives under the OSCE to promote tolerance in regard to minority communities on race, the Muslim community, and Jewish communities. We have made a difference in the Roma population in Europe, which has been badly discriminated against. We have had conferences to deal with anti-Semitism to help the Jewish communities of Europe, and we have helped religious minorities around the region. U.S. leadership is needed to help the LGBT community. We have seen countries in Europe take discriminatory actions to marginalize lesbians, gays, and those who, because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, have been discriminated against. In order to do that, we need to pass the legislation before us to give us the moral ground and to promote the core values of our country. America's core values are based upon equal rights for all citizens, and that is what we need to promote by the passage of this legislation. I must tell you it also is important for economic advancements. If we are going to be able to adequately compete globally, we need to empower all of the people of this country. We can't leave anyone behind. I am proud of what has happened in my own State of Maryland. Maryland has had a proud history of advancing civil rights for all of its citizens. Two weekends ago I had the opportunity to join in the 25th anniversary of Equality Maryland. In 25 years, they have changed the landscape in regard to the LGBT community in my State of Maryland. We passed many laws that have advanced protection for all of our citizens in our State. The State of Maryland has passed laws. We have had local governments pass law. Baltimore City has passed a law, Baltimore County, Montgomery County, Howard County, and the list goes on. In Maryland, not only did our legislature pass marriage equality, it was a petition to referendum and the voters of Maryland approved marriage equality. We have taken steps in our State to advance the rights of all of our citizens, including the LGBT community. It has been nearly half a century since we passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prevents discrimination in employment based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. That has been our law for almost half a century. ENDA, the legislation before us, would expand that to sexual orientation and gender identity. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 has worked. It has worked. It has provided enforcement mechanisms for those who have been discriminated against in their employment because of their race or because of their religion or because of their national origin or because of their sex. It has worked. ENDA would expand that protection for sexual orientation and gender identity. It is time we do this. Twenty-one States have already acted, including my State of Maryland. We have passed laws. Seventeen States include gender identity. Federalism has worked. What do I mean by that? We have seen that there is a national law. The law is the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It set up the framework so that everyone understands we won't tolerate discrimination in the workplace. It has had a workable way where those who are victimized can get remedy, but the real remedy we want is equal employment opportunity for all the citizens of this country. It has worked. Our States have said we can go farther, we can protect the LGBT community. They have and it has worked. Those who have said: Look, we are going to have problems because of religious organizations or we are going to have problems because of this group--that has not been the case. Federalism has demonstrated it is now time to pass a national law to protect against those who discriminate in employment on a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. We need a national law. I can give you many specific examples that have been shared with us. We could talk the numbers. We know the numbers. I want to speak about specific cases and to mention two people. Kimya has a master's degree in social work and nearly two decades of experience in the field. She was the manager of a unit of a long-term care facility for those suffering from Alzheimer's and dementia. She enjoyed her job and was good at it but suffered through nearly a year of threatening messages, vandalism to her car, and slurs uttered in the halls. In 2003, she was fired, her supervisors telling her: ``This would not be happening if you were not a lesbian.'' Next is the case of Linda. Linda is an attorney who relocated to this region when her partner accepted a faculty position with a local university. Linda was invited for a second interview with a local law firm. During the interview, Linda was asked why she was moving to this region, and she replied that her spouse had taken a position at a local university. The law firm asked Linda to come back for a final interview, which would include a dinner with all the partners and their spouses ``to make sure we all got along.'' At that point, Linda told one of the partners at the law firm that her spouse was a woman. Soon after, Linda was told that the firm would not hire a lesbian and she should not bother coming in for the third interview. In Kimya's and Linda's cases, they live in States that do not have protection for the LGBT community, and therefore there was no way to address this wrong. The legislation before us has been endorsed by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights that represents over 200 civil rights, religious, labor, and women's rights organizations. It has broad support. It is supported by the American people. It is the right thing to do. It represents our core values. Our former colleague Senator Ted Kennedy said civil rights was the great unfinished business of America. We are on that path. The passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act would be a major step forward to making us a more perfect union. I urge my colleagues to support the legislation. I yield the floor.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, today I rise to introduce bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Veterans' Advisory Committee on Education, a panel that provides much needed assistance to our Nation's veterans by advising the Secretary of Veterans Affairs on existing VA education benefit programs, new education initiatives, and long-range education planning and development. This legislation is entitled the Veterans Advisory Committee on Education Improvement Act, and I wish to thank my colleague, Senator Inhofe, for joining me in this effort. I am proud to introduce this companion bill to House-passed legislation which was introduced by Representatives John Delaney and Jim Renacci and 12 other Members. This bill will reauthorize the Veterans' Advisory Committee on Education through December 31, 2015, and it expands the make-up of the Committee to include post 9/11 veterans. Absent Congressional action, the Advisory Committee's authority will sunset on December 31, 2013. In addition to preserving its traditional role, our bill will require the Advisory Committee to expand its reach to include veterans who served after September 11, 2001. Currently, the Committee only provides assistance for veterans who served through the Persian Gulf War. The Committee is particularly interested in ensuring that educational opportunities are available to eligible veterans and enabling them to readjust to civilian life and become members of a highly educated and productive work force. The Committee focuses on improving the benefits provided by the GI Bill. I believe that a true marker of our Nation's worth is our willingness to serve those who have served us. As we continue to wind down our commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan after a decade of war, we need to gear up our commitment to our veterans. This legislation will ensure that the brave men and women who serve our country in the armed services receive the most effective education and training opportunities available. I am proud of the support that organizations have provided in this effort. The Military Officers Association of America, MOAA, Students Veterans Association, SVA, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, IAVA, and Veterans of Foreign Wars, VFW, have provided invaluable insight in crafting this I am committed to making sure that our veterans receive the services and benefits they earned, and the support they were promised and deserve. The United States is the strongest nation in the world and we owe veterans our gratitude and our respect. This legislation is just a small token of how Congress can help veterans have all the tools they need, including education and job training, to ensure an easier transition to civilian life. By making sure that post 9/11 veterans have a voice at the VA this legislation encourages more effective and efficient government. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, today I rise to introduce bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Veterans' Advisory Committee on Education, a panel that provides much needed assistance to our Nation's veterans by advising the Secretary of Veterans Affairs on existing VA education benefit programs, new education initiatives, and long-range education planning and development. This legislation is entitled the Veterans Advisory Committee on Education Improvement Act, and I wish to thank my colleague, Senator Inhofe, for joining me in this effort. I am proud to introduce this companion bill to House-passed legislation which was introduced by Representatives John Delaney and Jim Renacci and 12 other Members. This bill will reauthorize the Veterans' Advisory Committee on Education through December 31, 2015, and it expands the make-up of the Committee to include post 9/11 veterans. Absent Congressional action, the Advisory Committee's authority will sunset on December 31, 2013. In addition to preserving its traditional role, our bill will require the Advisory Committee to expand its reach to include veterans who served after September 11, 2001. Currently, the Committee only provides assistance for veterans who served through the Persian Gulf War. The Committee is particularly interested in ensuring that educational opportunities are available to eligible veterans and enabling them to readjust to civilian life and become members of a highly educated and productive work force. The Committee focuses on improving the benefits provided by the GI Bill. I believe that a true marker of our Nation's worth is our willingness to serve those who have served us. As we continue to wind down our commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan after a decade of war, we need to gear up our commitment to our veterans. This legislation will ensure that the brave men and women who serve our country in the armed services receive the most effective education and training opportunities available. I am proud of the support that organizations have provided in this effort. The Military Officers Association of America, MOAA, Students Veterans Association, SVA, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, IAVA, and Veterans of Foreign Wars, VFW, have provided invaluable insight in crafting this I am committed to making sure that our veterans receive the services and benefits they earned, and the support they were promised and deserve. The United States is the strongest nation in the world and we owe veterans our gratitude and our respect. This legislation is just a small token of how Congress can help veterans have all the tools they need, including education and job training, to ensure an easier transition to civilian life. By making sure that post 9/11 veterans have a voice at the VA this legislation encourages more effective and efficient government. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, this afternoon I joined with Senator Warner and Senator Klobuchar and Senator Casey to point out just how much harm is caused to this country because we are governing from one manufactured crisis to another. The cost of the government shutdown, the cost of coming so close to defaulting on our obligations, the fact that we are governing through automatic across-the-board cuts known as sequestration, is hurting our economy. This has been particularly difficult for the people in the State of Maryland, the State I represent. In our region we have so many Federal workers, so many Federal facilities--10 percent of our workforce works for the Federal Government--that we saw many small businesses in our communities that depend upon the Federal workforce literally having nobody in their restaurants and in their shops. Consumer confidence was at an alltime low. There have been estimates as to the amount of harm caused by the government shutdown. Standard & Poor's said $24 billion was taken out of our economy as a result of the government shutdown. Add that to the extra cost because we came so close to defaulting on the debt. Add that to the fact that since 2011 we have been living under sequestration. The estimate is we have lost about 900,000 jobs from this self- inflicted crisis management. I could give many examples, but I will give a few. I am very proud that the National Institutes of Health is based in the State of Maryland. Their impact is all over this country, including in the State of Massachusetts. As a result of sequestration and then the government shutdown, hundreds of grants could not be awarded. I think it was 700 by sequestration alone. What does that mean? That means young researchers don't get a grant. They may stay with research, they may go to a different field, they may go to a different country. It means that maybe the cure for Alzheimer's will be put back a little bit or the influenza vaccine will be put back a little bit. Literally, lives are at risk. But also, our economy is at risk because the research supports so many private sector jobs. I could give the same example at FDA, NIST, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, or Fort Meade. We have many examples of how our country has been harmed. We cannot govern from one manufactured crisis to another. My message is I hope we will get a budget agreement--I know the budget conferees met this week--which will give some predictability to our economy, eliminate sequestration, a progrowth budget so we can invest in education, research, and modern roads, bridges, and transit systems. I am very optimistic about America's ability to globally compete if we stop these self-inflicted crises. I have been doing a ``made in Maryland'' tour throughout the State where I have visited many businesses. I give credit to my colleague in the House, Congressman Hoyer, whose saying, ``Make it in America'' has really caught on. So I took my friend Congressman Hoyer's suggestion, and I went around Maryland to meet with different companies. Maryland businesses are the best in the world. I know I am a little biased about Maryland, but they are the best in the world on innovation and creativity. I will give a few examples which may not be self-evident. The Paul Reed Smith Guitar Factory is located on the eastern shore of Maryland in a small community called Stevensville. Over 200 people work there, and they produce the best guitars in the world and are sold all over the world. Santana's guitar was produced there. It is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, it is such an incredible instrument--not only in beauty, but in sound--and was made right here in Maryland, USA. Another company I visited during my ``Made in Maryland'' tour was the Volvo Mack truck plant located in Hagerstown, MD, one of the largest employers in western Maryland, with good-paying jobs. They make the most efficient truck engine in the world and it is produced right in Maryland, in the United States of America, the most innovative and creative ways to deal with the problem of efficiency in trucks. I visited Ernest Maier, which makes brick pavers with concrete. It is very close to the Nation's capital. We can do manufacturing in America and we can compete in manufacturing. They are developing the technology for pervious concrete. It is critically important to our environment. I take great pride in the Chesapeake Bay and the work we are doing to clean up the Chesapeake Bay. One of the major sources of pollution comes every time we have a storm and all of the runoff goes into the tributaries that lead into the Chesapeake Bay, causing a lot of pollutants to come into the bay, creating dead zones. If we have pervious concrete, allowing the water to seep rather than to flow, it cuts down dramatically the amount of pollution. The Ernest Maier Company is doing something about cleaning up our environment as well as selling a product that is well received around the country. We have Marlin Steel located in Baltimore. It is a small specialty steel company. Their jobs are growing. One hundred percent of the ingredients come from the United States, and their product--steel, manufactured in Maryland--is exported around the world because it is a quality product. Atlas Container is another Maryland manufacturer with a national market. I visited them. They are doing great. Their sales are up, their employment is up. An area which I think is particularly important to the Presiding Officer is the craft beer industry. I have been up to Massachusetts and enjoyed some of their craft beers. There are over 100,000 jobs in the craft beer industry in this country, and it is growing. Times have been tough--but not in the craft beer industry. It is growing. I visited Flying Dog in Frederick and Heavy Seas in Baltimore. They are coming out with new and seasonal beers, which is keeping a market growing, using creativity, besides having a very fine product. It is not just in the craft beer industry, it is also in the wine industry. We have about 64 wineries in our State. I visited one in Montgomery County, MD. I don't know if most people know that Montgomery County, MD, produces one of the best wines in this country and can compete internationally. We are very proud of what is done at Sugarloaf Mountain Winery in Montgomery County, MD. I wish to talk about some of the high-tech jobs done here. Brain Scope has developed a portable device available in the battlefield which can tell the severity of a head wound, as to whether the warrior needs immediate attention in order to save his life because of a brain injury or whether they can take a little more time before treatment. It is inexpensive in its operations and gives the data necessary to determine brain waves and the severity of the head injury. I think the total cost was about $10 million to develop. The military is very appreciative of this discovery. Think about the lives it will save, and think about the application of this technology to our community life. I think we are always nervous when we see our children and grandchildren on the playing field at sporting events, knowing how common head injuries are. This technology can be used on the playing field to determine the severity--whether a person who suffers a head injury needs to seek immediate medical attention because it is life threatening or whether they just need to sit out for a while. This is the type of innovation and creativity taking place in Maryland. I can name dozens more small innovative companies working in biosciences, life sciences, and cyber security areas. At Brain Scope they started with two employees. They now have over 20. This is a common story. These are good-paying jobs created here in Maryland, in the United States of America. Lions Brothers in Owings Mills, MD. If you have ever seen a uniform with emblems on it, it was most likely done at Lions Brothers. They have figured out a way in which they can produce this product--which is used not only for sports gear, but the U.S. Government for uniforms, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts. What is common in each of these companies? They are innovators. They find creative ways to create and expand markets. They are creating more jobs, and they are creating good-paying jobs. We could name every State in this country where we have seen this creativity. We have duplicated this throughout our country. But the message is clear: Our country can take off, but we have to give predictability to our businesses. That is why the work being done in the conference committee on the budget is so important. We can't go through another manufactured crisis, another shutdown, another threatened default on our debt, the continuation of sequestration. It needs to end. We need to have a budget which allows for the type of government partnership for that type of economic growth--the basic research, the educated workforce, the modern roads and infrastructure and energy systems. That is what we need to have so the companies I mentioned can continue to lead the world in innovation, creativity, and creating the jobs we need--the good-paying jobs in America. If we act, I am confident America will compete and win the global competition. ``Made in Maryland'' has been a huge success and has been duplicated all over our country. Let us act and get our work done so we truly can make it in America. Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, I wish to pay tribute to an extraordinary individual, Bernard ``Bernie'' Wynder, who passed away at the much too young age of 58 this past June while serving as the president of the Allegany County chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, NAACP. Bernie overcame the challenges of a childhood on the streets of East Baltimore and made it his life's work to mentor young Black men and help them to succeed as students, professionals, husbands, and fathers. Bernie generously gave his time and inimitable leadership to numerous community organizations, including Maryland Salem Children's Trust, Western Maryland Food Bank, Potomac Council Boy Scouts of America, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Allegany County Multicultural Committee, American Red Cross, and the City of Cumberland Mediation Advisory Council. He also served on the Allegany County Human Relations Commission and as chair of the Friends of the NAACP. Most recently, Bernie's loving attention help reignite the local NAACP branch as a powerful voice for social justice in Mountain Maryland. I was privileged to spend time with Bernie on my visits to Allegany County and get to know his love for his community and to be inspired by his passion for social justice. Bernie was born in Baltimore on January 4, 1955. He graduated in 1974 from Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High School, where he served as president of the Student Senate for the Baltimore City School System. He is a 1978 graduate of Frostburg State University and received his master of education from FSU in 1984. Bernie started his professional career in January 1979, accepting the position of admissions counselor & minority recruiter at FSU. He became coordinator of minority recruitment at Slippery Rock University and then returned to FSU in 1982 as associate director of admissions. He served in this role until 1986, when he was promoted to be the director of the Office of Student Human Relations & Minority Affairs. In this capacity, he developed an academic monitoring program which is still in use today. In 1996, Bernie took over the management duties of both the Admissions and Financial Aid Offices at FSU. In 2001, he moved to the Athletic Department, where he served as the assistant director of athletics and worked with coaches and the Office of Enrollment Services to develop recruitment activities for athletes and to increase their retention and graduation rates. Later, Bernie served as assistant vice president of student services. Bernie Wynder's lifetime of service has been recognized and appreciated by others. In 1986, Bernie received the Trio Achiever's Award for the State of Maryland. He was inducted into Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High School's Hall of Fame in 1993. He received FSU's Alumni Achievement Award in 1997 and received the College Admissions Representative of the Year Award given by the College Bound Foundation for service to Baltimore City high school students in 2002. In 2005, Bernie received the NAACP Image Award. In 2010, Bernie was one of three Marylanders honored as a ``Living Legend'' by the Associated Black Charities for his ``profound achievement in higher education.'' He is also an alumnus of Leadership Allegany. Mr. President, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., said, ``Everybody can be great . . . because anybody can serve . . . You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.'' Dr. King could have been describing Bernie Wynder, who devoted his life to service to others. The NAACP and FSU students, faculty, staff, and alumni mourn his death, as do his brothers in Omega Psi Phi to whom he was a mentor and a source of inspiration. His love and concern transformed the lives of so many generations of Frostburg students. I send my deepest condolences to his wife of 32 years, Robin Vowels Wynder; their son, Bernard ``Bear'' Wynder Jr.; their daughter, Brandie McIntyre; and the rest of his family. Bernie Wynder was a man of uncommon integrity, wisdom, compassion, and commitment. We will miss his courage and vision and voice.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I rise to recognize the 25th anniversary of the National Center for Biotechnology Information--NCBI--part of the National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health, America's world-renowned research institution in Bethesda, MD. The late Senator Claude Pepper, for whom a major building on the NIH campus is named, authored six separate laws creating individual institutes at NIH. In 1987, while a Member of the House of Representatives and chairman of the Select Committee on Aging's Subcommittee on Health and Long-Term Care, Pepper introduced H.R. 393, the National Biotechnology Information Act, which established the NCBI. At a March 1987 hearing on H.R. 393, Pepper explained that ``we are dealing with nothing less than the mystery of human life and the unfolding scroll of knowledge, seeking to penetrate that mystery, which is life itself.'' He noted that his bill was intended ``to facilitate the development of advanced computer and communication systems that will make it possible for the vast expanding knowledge of the gene to be assimilated into a computer system and made available for distribution to researchers and to people generally all over the World.'' Soon thereafter, Congress embraced the importance of the biotechnology field, recognized the pressing need to harness the large volume of data emanating from the genetic revolution in science, and endorsed the establishment of NCBI to manage this valuable resource for the benefit of human health. With strong bipartisan support in Congress, Pepper's bill was enacted as part of Senator Ted Kennedy's comprehensive measure, the Health Omnibus Extension Programs of 1988, on November 4, 1988. Today, biomedical research encompassing genomic and genetic knowledge is a major driver of medical progress. The foresight of Congress in establishing the NCBI, combined with the innovative leadership of Director Dr. David Lipman and the expertise of the agency's dedicated staff, has led to the emergence of an impressive national resource for molecular biology information. In June of this year, Dr. Lipman was honored by the White House with the ``Open Science'' Champions of Change Award for his work at NCBI. By organizing and integrating genomic data for developing diagnostic and clinical applications, the Center serves as a bridge from research to the medical community. Each day, more than 3 million users access NCBI's 40 interlinked genomic and bibliographic databases and download more than 30 terabytes of data. I am proud that Congress has continued to support funding for the NCBI over the past 25 years. Recently, by requiring that the results of NIH-funded research be made public through the Center's PubMed Central Database, Congress has opened to everyone the full text of published journal articles that are essential to advancing scientific research and public health. The biomedical research funded by the NIH provides knowledge essential to combat debilitating diseases, and continuing this research is dependent on the resources and tools that NCBI has developed so successfully for the benefit of the biomedical community. As NIH Director Francis Collins has noted, we are entering an era of precision medicine in which a patient's genetic makeup may determine the exact treatment that is provided. Surely, the NCBI databases and tools will be needed on the front lines of this new effort. On the occasion of this 25th anniversary, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Dr. Lipman and the outstanding staff of NCBI, who through their skill and vision have built this unique biomedical resource.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. I thank my friend from Virginia for yielding. Through the Chair, I thank Senator Warner for his help in making sure we do what is right for our Federal workforce. They suffered through furloughs because of sequestration, furloughs because of a government shutdown, freezes in their pay, attacks on their retirement, attacks on their health benefits, and they are asked to do more with fewer people because of freezes in hiring. Yes, we will try to hold them harmless as far as this furlough is concerned, but we have to make sure we attract the very best in public service because of the critical work they do. I thank the Senator very much for his help.

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

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, we are obviously pleased that our Senate leaders, Senators McConnell and Reid, have negotiated a bipartisan way to end this crisis. This agreement will open government, will allow us to honor our bills, and it sets up a mechanism, using the regular order of the Senate, to resolve the budget impasse and to hopefully negotiate a budget for this country. The good news is that in passing this compromise agreement we will end this self-inflicted harm on our country that has been caused by the government shutdown and the threatened failure for us to honor the obligations of this country. Make no mistake about it. We have harmed our country. The shutdown, which started on October 1, has hurt America's economy. The threatened default on our obligations has hurt America's creditworthiness reputation. Consumer confidence has been damaged. Consumer confidence is important. That is where people are willing to go out and buy or travel or go to restaurants. As a result of the uncertainty caused by this self-inflicted crisis, consumer confidence has fallen dramatically. That has an impact on so many businesses in our communities--so many businesses. Many small businesses have been hurt very badly. This morning I joined Senator Boxer in bringing some small business owners here to demonstrate the harm that was done. We heard from the operator of Blackwater Paddle and Pedal Adventures, located on the eastern shore of Maryland near the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. That refuge, as you know, is closed. This company has two locations, one in the very historic part of our State where Harriet Tubman conducted her Underground Railroad, which is right next to the Blackwater Wildlife Refuge. So this is a place people want to go, but they also want to go into the refuge for many reasons. Some get permits to hunt, some fish, some bird watch, some ride bikes, some like to look at the eagles, of which we have an incredible display there. But the fact Blackwater was closed meant this small business owner lost a lot of revenue. She related exactly how much money it was. She said: On Saturdays, I was doing about $1,500, and that went down to about $150. That is life and death for this small business owner. That is what this shutdown has meant. We can multiply that by hundreds of thousands of small businesses across this country that have been harmed dramatically as a result of the shutdown. All that added together means our economy has been dragged down. We had a hearing yesterday of the Small Business Committee on which I serve. Senator Landrieu conducted the hearing. We had a roundtable with about 8 or 10 people. Some were small business owners, giving very similar stories as to what we heard about Blackwater Paddle and Pedal Adventures. Some represented financial groups that did SBA loans, and they gave specific examples of how the SBA loans could not be processed. What does that mean? They gave an example of a company located right near me in Owings Mills, MD. They had a loan that was ready to be closed but was not closed. That person is in the process of buying equipment that might have to be foreclosed if they do not get the SBA loan, and they will lose their deposit. The one near my house was opening a new motel-hotel. That could be delayed or jeopardized as a result of this. We had all types of examples given, putting real faces on those who have been harmed as a result of this shutdown. Our economy has suffered dramatically. The private contractors who rely upon Federal payments in order to pay their workers laid off thousands of private contract employees in my State and throughout our country. Businesses had to lay off additional people, major damage to our economy. I take this floor many times to talk about our Federal workforce. I am honored to represent a large number of Federal employees, consisting of about 10 percent of the workforce in the State of Maryland. Over 100,000 of these workers were put on furlough. They had to go through the anxiety of not knowing whether they could pay their bills. We hurt American families and we hurt our economy. So what do we need to do? How do we move forward? First and foremost, we have to get this agreement to the President and signed as quickly as possible. Every day hurts our economy. I hope we can figure out a way to get it done today and to the President today and signed today and get our economy back on track. Next we have to deal with the economic problems we have. This agreement gives us a little breathing space. It sets up a way we pay our bills, we keep government open, and we negotiate. But we are going to have to negotiate an agreement. What this country needs more than anything is predictability. We can't keep leapfrogging from crisis to crisis. That is not governing. We have to govern. The American people expect us to govern. They expect us to work out our problems. They do not want to hear the House is under one party and the Senate is under another party and it is tough for us to work these things out. They expect us to get the job done. They expect us to govern, and governing means we need to negotiate a budget that covers more than just a couple of months, but that takes us through the end of the next fiscal year. That is what we need to do. That will put us on a glidepath for economic growth. Shutting down the Federal Government and teetering on the edge of default killed middle-class jobs, cost our Nation billions of dollars, harmed our economic competitiveness, and severely damaged consumer confidence. We can't go through that again. It worries me that in 1990 we said we wouldn't go through this again--and we did. So we need to establish the right legacy, and that means starting now, with Democrats and Republicans working together on a budget that makes sense for our country. We need to seize this opportunity to bring long-term stability and predictability to our economy. The world needs to know America is open for business. One of the most damaging editorials I saw during this shutdown appeared in the state newspaper in China on October 13. It read: It is perhaps a good time for the befuddled world to start considering building a deAmericanized world. We need to let the world know that America is open for business and that we have got our house in order and we are not going to continue to govern from crisis to crisis. We need to get that done. What we need to do is negotiate a budget that makes sense for this country. Get this agreement done, get government open, pay our bills, but then negotiate a budget that allows for economic growth. The very first thing we need to negotiate? Getting rid of sequestration. Sequestration is mindless across-the-board cuts. It says every priority in government is equally important. That is not true. If you have a problem with your family budget, you don't cut every spending item exactly the same percentage. You will make sure you have shelter for your family, make sure you have food on the table, maybe you will postpone a vacation or something, but everything is not the same priority. Sequestration says everything is the same priority. We need to get rid of sequestration and we need to do that in the context of this budget negotiation. Yes, we want to make sure we have long-term financial stability and that we pay our bills. I was proud to be part of a Congress that actually balanced the budget when President Clinton was President. I know there are tough decisions. But we know how to do it. We need to make sure we invest in job growth. We need more jobs in America. So, yes, we need to invest in transportation and roads and transit systems. We need water infrastructure to modernize our water systems in this country to allow for economic growth. We need to invest in education. We need to invest in research----

Mr. CARDIN. I ask unanimous consent to speak for an additional 3 minutes.

Mr. CARDIN. I thank my colleague from Virginia for that extra time. We need to end sequestration, we need to invest in job growth, and we need to have a balance between revenue and spending so we have a way in which America can continue to grow. We need to deal with our Federal workforce. Shutting down the Federal Government was a punch in the gut to Federal workers and contractors. Make no mistake about it. This agreement intends to hold our Federal workers harmless as far as pay, and more particularly it brings them back to work to do the essential work of these agencies. I have talked before about the important work done by many of these Federal agencies--the Environmental Protection Agency, protecting our public health, protecting our environment; the Small Business Administration, processing loans for small businesses; the National Institutes of Health, doing ground-breaking research to make the next great discovery for America; NIST, working to give us technology so that we are competitive; the FDA's food safety programs; and the list goes on and on and on. The bottom line is we need to work together. We not only need to open the government and pay our bills, but we need an agreement for a responsible budget that will give us predictability, job growth, and economic competitiveness to meet the world's global economy. I hope we will take advantage of the time this agreement gives us to put our country first and do what is right with America's future. I yield the floor.

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, may I ask my colleague to yield?