Kent Conrad

Mr. CONRAD

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, first of all, I feel I need to respond to the statement about the President's action. The President did not include unrelated items in a disaster bill. It is not his fault that we are in this circumstance. It is the fault of those who decided to put unrelated items into a disaster relief bill.

Mr. CONRAD

Mr. CONRAD. I thank the majority leader. Mr. President, is the majority leader aware that over the weekend on this question of the money in the pipeline that the Republican Congressman from Minnesota said this: ``Those who argue there is money in the pipeline are being disingenuous, at best. There is no money for housing, for livestock, sewerage systems, water supply, housing buyouts. There is no money in the pipeline for those things. They can't really rebuild without the funds that are tied up in the disaster relief bill.'' I would like to ask further, is the majority leader aware of what the Republican Governor of South Dakota said on this question? Janklow said, ``The delay in the legislation is blocking reconstruction of sewerage facilities, highways, and a state-owned rail line in South Dakota.'' He went on to say, ``I am not going to award contracts on the come. I'm not a fool.'' Janklow said, ``What happens if we award a contract and we don't have the money for it?'' Finally, I ask if the majority leader is aware that the mayor of Grand Forks has now written letters to the Senate and said the same thing and asked that the emergency provisions be stripped out--that is, the disaster provisions--and be passed so that in fact the aid can flow. Is the Senator aware of those developments over the weekend: the Republican Congressman from Minnesota saying the money is not flowing in those specific areas; the Republican Governor of South Dakota saying the same thing; and, finally, the mayor of Grand Forks asking that we move the disaster provisions as expeditiously as possible because they are not getting the aid they desperately need?

Mr. CONRAD. Can we do it today?

Mr. CONRAD. Will the Senator yield? Can we do it today?

Mr. CONRAD. Will the Senator yield for a further question?

Mr. CONRAD. Will the Senator yield?

Mr. CONRAD. Will the Senator yield?

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, will the Senator yield?

Mr. CONRAD. If I could ask the Senator, with this question of the money in the FEMA pipeline, is the Senator aware that there are other pipelines that deliver assistance that in fact don't have money in them? That is, housing doesn't have money in their pipeline, agriculture doesn't have money in their pipeline. So the reference to FEMA is very limited with respect to those parts of disaster relief that they address.

Mr. CONRAD

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

Mr. CONRAD

Mr. CONRAD. I am constrained to object.

Mr. CONRAD. Reserving the right to object, Mr. Leader, I say to you I would be forced to object if there is no assurance that the rights of this Senator and other Senators will be protected. Because, as the Senator has outlined, the Senator would be able to speak perhaps 10 or 15 minutes and that's it, under this formulation.

Mr. CONRAD. Reserving the right to object, what is the assurance that a Senator would not be precluded from giving a second speech? Because, as the majority has outlined this proposal, as I understand it, a Senator would be able to speak 10 minutes or 15 minutes, but then would be precluded from speaking again, unless the majority leader would alter his unanimous-consent request.

Mr. CONRAD

Mr. CONRAD. Madam President, the President of the United States has now vetoed the disaster relief bill. He has done so because there were unrelated provisions put in that legislation. Madam President, the time for political games is over. This is a headline from the largest newspaper in our State over the weekend. The headline is: ``You Are Playing with Our Lives.'' The woman quoted is a Renee Steffan. The article said, ``She has strong words for Members of Congress who think flood victims can wait while bickering continues in Washington over a disaster relief bill.'' She goes on to say, ``You are playing with our lives.'' She issued that warning from the sweltering travel trailer that she and her family now call home. She says, ``This isn't some game. You should come here and walk in my shoes for a day.'' Homeless for a month, out of work, and bounced from one temporary shelter to another, the wife of two is fed up with lawmakers who think Grand Forks residents are getting along just fine. Madam President, Grand Forks residents are not getting along just fine. Not only are Grand Forks residents not getting along just fine, nor are the residents of East Grand Forks. In these two communities, 50,000 in Grand Forks, 9,000 in East Grand Forks, nearly every single soul was evacuated 6 weeks ago. Thousands of them are still homeless. Their homes are destroyed. Their jobs are destroyed. And their lives are on hold waiting for us to act. The President vetoed this bill. He said clearly these unrelated provisions ought not to be in a disaster relief bill. That is the plea and the request of the people from Grand Forks and East Grand Forks. Send a clean bill to the President, one he can sign so that the relief can start to flow. Now, the Washington Post this morning, in the Novak column, he reported, and I quote: At a contentious meeting of Republican leaders after adjournment Thursday, Lott argued that this time, unlike 2 years ago, the GOP would win `the PR battle.' He claimed Americans did not care much about the supplemental appropriations bill providing help for victims of Red River flooding in the Dakotas and Minnesota. I do not know if that is really the position of the majority leader. I hope it is not. But if it is, let me just say that he is wrong. People do care. The outpouring from across the United States has been unprecedented. People of the United States care a lot about helping people hit by a disaster. They have proven it time after time after time. The fact is, if the majority leader really believes that the American people do not care, he is wrong. The American people are better than that. And for those who do not think it makes any difference, let me just quote from the Republican Governor from South Dakota. The Republican Governor says, ``If you've got a disaster bill, you ought to deal with the disaster.'' For those who say that delay does not matter, Janklow-- Again, the Republican Governor of South Dakota-- said the delay in the legislation is blocking reconstruction of sewage facilities, highways and a State-owned rail line in South Dakota. It is not just the Republican Governor of South Dakota who understands that delay matters, but there is a Republican Congressman from Minnesota, Jim Ramstad, a former North Dakotan, by the way, a member of the Ways and Means Committee, who said over the weekend: ``Those who argue that there is money in the pipeline are being disingenuous at best.'' This is a Republican Congressman from Minnesota. He said, ``There's no money for housing, no money for livestock, no money for sewage systems, no money for water supply, no money for housing buyouts. There is no money in the pipeline for those things. They can't really rebuild without the funds that are tied up in the disaster relief bill.'' And he concluded by saying, ``Let's end the Washington games.'' Madam President, the people of North Dakota and Minnesota and South Dakota and the 30 other States that are affected by this disaster make one request. Send a disaster relief bill that is clean, that does not have these unrelated provisions, send it quickly so the relief can begin to flow. The people in our areas need it. As that woman said from a sweltering trailer, the time for these political games is over. People have been hurt and they need help. Now is the time to respond. I thank the Chair and yield the floor. Mr. COVERDELL addressed the Chair.

Mr. CONRAD

Mr. CONRAD. All right, then I will withdraw my request.

Mr. CONRAD. I was asking for 15 minutes.

Mr. CONRAD. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent for 15 minutes.

Mr. CONRAD

Mr. CONRAD. I thank the Chair. Mr. President, this bill is critically important because it responds to the disasters in many States. Obviously, of greatest concern and interest to this Senator are the disasters that have occurred in North Dakota. Perhaps I could give a brief review for my colleagues and people who might be watching on the need for this disaster legislation. Before I do that, I want to thank those who helped write this legislation. I specifically want to thank the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Stevens. I also want to thank his staff because they listened to our plea for help and they responded. We deeply appreciate that. There were some heated moments as we discussed this legislation, but much of what is here is very good and critically important to our recovery. As I say that, I must also register disappointment for the unrelated matters that have been included in this legislation, which the President has indicated will compel him to veto the legislation. We asked for and pleaded for a clean disaster bill, one that did not contain extraneous matters. But that did not happen. Mr. President, I want to go now to a review of the disasters that occurred and led to the necessity for this kind of legislation. North Dakota has been hit with the most extraordinary set of disasters in our State's history. First, we had, as this chart shows, ``Snow Foolin', Fargo-Moorhead Sets Record.'' Mr. President, that is not an athletic record, it is a record for snowfall. At the time they wrote this article, we had received almost 95 inches of snow. Before we were done, we reached over 10 feet of snow that fell in North Dakota during the winter season. Next, we were faced with an extraordinary ice and blizzard storm, which was the most powerful winter storm in the last 50 years in North Dakota. That occurred in the first week of April. This picture shows downed power lines. It just snapped power lines all across the northeastern part of the State, and 80,000 people were without power. Many were without power for over a week. Not only were power lines affected by this incredible storm, but, as this picture shows, we had thousands of cattle that were killed by this extraordinary blizzard. This shows a mother who is licking one of her calves. This calf, by the way, did not survive. You can see another dead animal, another dead cow. We lost over 150,000 head in this incredible blizzard in early April. This is a circumstance in which some cows froze to death and many died by suffocation because in the blizzard the winds were so powerful that it blew snow up into their nostrils, and it compacted. And then the cows actually suffocated, an especially gruesome death for these animals. It didn't end there, unfortunately, because not only did we have record snowfall followed by the most powerful winter storm in 50 years but then we had on top of it a 500-year flood; a flood that in Grand Forks was 26 feet above flood stage. And the dikes could not hold. As this headline says, ``Broken Dikes, Shattered Hopes,'' and a picture of just one part of Grand Forks. Grand Forks is a city of 50,000 people. Ninety-five percent of the people were evacuated. Eighty percent of the homes were badly damaged. Tens of thousands of structures were just devastated. In fact, if you go to Grand Forks now--this is 6 weeks after the flood devastation--on every corner, on every boulevard are stacked the personal belongings and the personal effects of the people of the city of Grand Forks. It is like a giant junkyard because everything has been destroyed. This water was contaminated. All of these things are ruined. The carpets, the drapes, all of the furniture, all of their clothing and personal effects destroyed; all of it. It is amazing to go through town. You can see what everybody's refrigerator looked like; everybody's washer and dryer--because they are out on the curb. They are out on the boulevard waiting to be picked up because they are all destroyed. It is really an incredible experience. This picture shows the extraordinary extent of the flooding that occurred once those dikes broke. I went on a helicopter and flew north of Grand Forks. This shows from horizon to horizon water. In fact, the water was 40 miles wide. Remember. This river is normally 75 to 100 yards wide. But after the dikes burst, the water spread and was 40 miles wide. You will remember--I think the President has North Dakota roots--you may recall, Mr. President, that we used to have a lake thousands of years ago, Lake Agassiz, that covered much of eastern North Dakota. A lot of us said it looks like Lake Agassiz is reforming because to be up in a helicopter and as far as the eye can see was water; really a stunning sight. The disaster didn't end there because in the middle of the 500 year flood we had an incredible fire break out. The headline in the paper was, ``Red Overruns Heart of Forks.'' Of course, they are referring to Grand Forks. The picture shows amidst the flooded streets this fire that broke out. This fire devastated much of three blocks of downtown Grand Forks. Many buildings were destroyed. This picture shows the headline, which says it well, ``A City Scarred.'' This shows the National Guard with the firemen fighting that incredible inferno. I mean it was an inferno. This fire was so intense and so powerful that giant support beams for office buildings actually went up and were forced by the convection, by the power of these air currents, they blew up into the air and went across the street to the next block. That is how this fire spread, block to block, and destroyed much of three city blocks. You can see. This is one of the major commercial buildings in the city of Grand Forks. It looks like it went through the raids of Dresden. It is just a shell. It was block after block that looked just like this. Over 150 business structures were destroyed in the combined flood and fire; 156 business structures in Grand Forks alone, housing about two businesses per structure on average. So about 300 businesses had their property wiped out. This headline came in the Grand Forks Herald, which says it all: ``Come Hell and High Water''. It shows the little street sign with the water right up to the top; 6 feet of water standing right in the middle of town. Here is again the burned-out shell of a three-block area where the people have been absolutely devastated. Mr. President, we have another headline that comes from the Grand Forks Herald: ``4 Days Since Congress Let Us Down.'' This was after Congress failed to act after the Memorial Day recess, and they gave 11 reasons to pass the disaster bill now. We have heard a lot of talk that, ``There is money in the pipeline. Don't worry about anything. Nothing is being held up because there is money in the pipeline.'' We just had the mayors of the affected communities in town yesterday. The business leaders of Grand Forks were here. One of them said, ``You know. I hear all of this talk about money in the pipeline. All I can say is there must be cement in the pipeline because the money is not getting through.'' The fact is there is no money in the Housing Department's pipeline for the buyout and relocation of the thousands of homes that have been destroyed. There is no money in that pipeline. We met yesterday with Secretary Cuomo. We asked him. ``Do you have any money anywhere that could be diverted to go to work immediately so these homes can be bought out and relocated so we can start to rebuild this community?'' His answer was, ``No, I don't.'' We met yesterday with Secretary Daley, the Secretary of Commerce. We asked him. ``Do you have EDA funds that are in the pipeline that could be used to help rebuild the business community that has been devastated?'' He said, ``No, I do not.'' There is no money in the pipeline to reimburse the school districts who took the kids from the disaster areas. Those school districts stepped forward and said, ``Yes. We will take your children. We will put them in our schools. We will transport them. We will feed them. We will give them books. We will provide teaching''--because the schools in Grand Forks are devastated. There is no money in the pipeline to reimburse the school districts that stepped forward. There is no money in the pipeline for the Department of Agriculture to help the ranchers who lost hundreds of thousands of heads of cattle in this remarkable winter that we have just been through. So when people say there is money in the pipeline, that no project is being delayed, that is just not accurate. That is just not accurate. We had the direct testimony of the mayors of the affected cities, of the business leaders of these cities, and they are saying to us: ``We are stopped cold until and unless this disaster bill passes.'' So, Mr. President, I am here today with two messages. No. 1, a message of thanks to those who have supported a disaster package that is meaningful and critically important for recovery. But I am also here today to say that I am also disappointed that we don't have before us a clean disaster bill--one that does not have unrelated provisions so that the President can sign this legislation and we can move forward with the recovery and rebuilding. That is unfortunate, and one that I hope is not repeated any time in the future. I have been in the U.S. Senate for 10 years. And when others had disasters, we never offered amendments that were controversial, that would hold up the legislation, or that would cause a Presidential veto. We never did that. We never even thought of doing such a thing. I wish others would have extended the same courtesy to us that we have extended to them. Some said, ``Well, you offered amendments.'' Yes. That is true. I have offered amendments to disaster legislation before-- noncontroversial amendments that were supported on both sides of the aisle, that were supported by the administration, that didn't hold up anything. I certainly have done that. But I would never have even thought of offering an amendment that would compel a Presidential veto. I mean I really do not understand why that would be done. I do not want to lose sight of the important provisions that are in this legislation--provisions that will help rebuild the homes and businesses that have been destroyed; provisions that will help farmers and ranchers in many cases who have lost their foundation herds; provisions that will help them recover; provisions that will allow the Corps of Engineers to rebuild and repair and reconstruct levies and dikes so that we don't go through this again next year. Believe me. We are acutely aware that in North Dakota we could face another disaster next year if we do not act and act quickly. Again, remember, we have a very short construction season. We need to go to work now to get these projects completed. The money that is here for the Federal Highway Administration to rebuild roads, highways and bridges--many of the bridges up and down the Red River have been destroyed by this series of disasters--the funds for the school districts that have been impacted, and the funding for Devil's Lake because we have another disaster that is occurring in North Dakota: Devil's Lake. This lake is raising inexorably. It has tripled in volume and doubled in size in the last 3 years. It is like a cancer eating more and more of the countryside, eating up homes, eating buildings, eating up roads and bridges. And we are grateful to the committee for having included $5 million for the work that needs to be done this year on an outlet from that Devil's Lake; and, for the money to rebuild the rural sewer system; the money to provide floodplain easements for those whose land is flooded and who have now been denied any ability to earn an income necessary for their families. Mr. President, I want to end on this note, as I started, by saying: No. 1, we are deeply grateful for the response of so many in this Chamber who came to help out. The occupant of the Chair wrote me a very gracious note reminding me of his North Dakota roots and offering to help out with this disaster. We appreciate that. We appreciate again especially the assistance of the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. We appreciate the help of his staff. We appreciate the ranking member of the Appropriations Committee and his staff for the great assistance they have provided in getting this legislation in shape. Finally, Mr. President, we also have a disappointment. The disappointment is that we have these unrelated measures that are in this legislation. Hopefully, this will all be resolved as quickly as possible so that the relief can start to flow to those communities that have been so badly hurt. I thank the Chair. I yield the floor. Mr. WELLSTONE addressed the Chair.

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I yield myself some of the time assigned to the minority side.

Mr. CONRAD

Mr. CONRAD. I would pose a question, a point of order to the Chair.

Mr. CONRAD. The Senator from North Dakota is posing a question to the Senator from Minnesota.

Mr. CONRAD. Yes. Understanding that I don't have the floor, I am simply asking the Senator from Minnesota some questions--without his yielding his right to the floor. Mr. ASHCROFT addressed the Chair.

Mr. CONRAD. The Senator from Minnesota has been here speaking about what we confront in North Dakota and Minnesota and South Dakota and the other disaster States. I would just ask him if he was aware of the recent editorial that appeared in the Grand Forks Herald on May 27? The bold headline in that editorial was, ``4 Days Since Congress Let Us Down.'' And they posed the question, ``How Long Will It Be Before Congress Gets to Work and Passes the Disaster Relief Bill?'' This is an editorial in the Grand Forks Herald. Grand Forks is the town that has been devastated by this remarkable series of disasters-- first of all the most severe winter in our history, 10 feet of snow, followed by an incredible ice and snowstorm in early April that knocked down the electrical grid for 80,000 people, which was then followed by the 500-year flood and, in the midst of that, a fire that burned down nearly three city blocks in the city of Grand Forks that led, this combination of events, to the evacuation of virtually the entire city of 50,000 people. Mr. President, 50,000 people evacuated. We have not had that happen in America. That has not happened in American history where a town that large is virtually totally evacuated. And the neighboring town of East Grand Forks, that is in Senator Wellstone's home State, a city of 9,000, similarly evacuated--completely evacuated. In this editorial, I am asking Senator Wellstone if he is aware of this editorial, this gives ``11 Reasons To Pass Federal Disaster Bill Now.'' We have heard a lot of talk from some, ``Well, it doesn't matter that there has been this debate, it doesn't matter that they have had 12 days of delay; there is money in the pipeline.'' There is not money in the pipeline for the Housing Department for buyouts and relocations. There is no money in that pipeline. There is no money in the Agriculture Department pipeline to give some relief to the ranchers across the State of North Dakota and across the State of South Dakota that have lost over 200,000 head of cattle. There is no money in that pipeline. And there is no money in the pipeline to allow the school districts that have taken the kids from the disaster areas to get reimbursed. There is no money in that pipeline. That is what is happening out in the State of North Dakota and the State of Minnesota and the State of South Dakota. I ask the Senator from Minnesota if he is aware of the 11 reasons that were given in the Grand Forks editorial for the passage of the disaster bill now? The 11 points that they make in this editorial are: No. 1, the need is great; 80 percent of the homes in that town of 50,000 people were damaged and several thousand are unlivable. We have thousands of people who are homeless, don't have a place to stay. We have hundreds and hundreds of people who are still on cots 6 weeks after the disaster. No. 2, they point out that the disaster is different from others because it affected the entire community and there is no nearby community that can provide housing and other support for flood victims. The third point they make is that time is of the essence. Our construction season is short. In fact, the outdoor work pretty much has to be done by October 1 in our part of the country. The fourth point they make is that hundreds of businesses need loans and other forms of assistance to get reestablished, and that those businesses underpin the economy in Grand Forks and East Grand Forks. Fifth, they make the point that they need to make decisions about our homes and businesses. In order to do that, they need certainty about the resources available for disaster relief efforts. The sixth point they make is the property, in the way of flood control, will have to be bought out. The buyout money will make it possible for people in the way of flood control works to rebuild their lives elsewhere in the city.

Mr. CONRAD. Let me ask the Senator from Minnesota, very specifically, it has been reported in the press that this does not matter, this delay, that there is money in the pipeline. And in this editorial, they point out that it is true that FEMA is adequately funded, but that money is for immediate disaster relief, not for long-term rebuilding. Was the Senator aware of that point that is in this editorial?

Mr. CONRAD. The message, as I understand it, is that they want to send a clear and unmistakable signal to the Congress and to the country that the time to act is now.