Bob Casey

Mr. CASEY

Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, on July 20, 2010, at 10 a.m., in SH-216 of the Hart Senate Office Building, to conduct an executive business meeting.

Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on July 20, 2010, at 9:30 a.m.

Mr. CASEY

Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, today I honor Colonel Michael P. Crall for the exceptional service he has provided as commander of the Pittsburgh district, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during the period from July 13, 2007, to July 16, 2010. My colleague from Pennsylvania, Senator Specter, has joined me to honor Colonel Crall. On Friday, July 16, 2010 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District military Change of Command ceremony will honor the services of the outgoing commander, Colonel Michael P. Crall, and welcome the incoming commander, Colonel William H. Graham. Colonel Crall will leave a legacy of excellence. His leadership focused the district's capabilities on demonstrating the value of the Army Corps to the Pittsburgh region. His superb leadership and strong personal engagement strengthened relationships within local, State and Federal partnerships. During his tenure as district commander, Colonel Crall superbly managed an annual operating budget in excess of $200 million which funded the planning, engineering, construction, operation, and maintenance of the Pittsburgh district's 23 locks and dams, and 16 reservoirs covering 26,000 square miles in a five-State area. Colonel Crall's implementation of funding provided to the district through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act shows that he is an effective steward of taxpayer dollars. The act provided over $140 million for the Pittsburgh district, almost doubling the district's annual budget. Under Colonel Crall's leadership, the district awarded contracts for projects to help reinvigorate the region's economy. These contracts have also assisted in improving the reliability of the some of the oldest facilities in the Corps. Early in his tenure, he was faced with the challenge of a severe flash flooding event where he quickly directed available Corps authorities to provide emergency relief and offer immediate assistance. Colonel Crall's actions strengthened the Corps' partnership with local communities and reiterated the Corps value in the region. This event set the foundation for a tenure that focused on ensuring the safety of citizens of the region and a commitment to protecting their property. In addition, Colonel Crall's true compassion for the constituents impacted by this unfortunate event set the tone for his continued engagement in local flood reduction needs throughout the Pittsburgh district. Throughout his time at the helm of the Pittsburgh district, Colonel Crall continued to stress the Army Corp's concern for maintaining and improving water quality. For instance, Colonel Crall recognized the effect of natural gas drilling on the Monongahela River and immediately took action to reduce any negative impact on public health and safety associated with this activity. As a decorated military officer, Colonel Crall exemplified his devotion to our soldiers and country through his active role with the flight 93 Memorial. With a singular focus on overcoming unnecessary delays, he directed his team to work with the National Park Service to ensure that the Corps involvement in the memorial was timely and done with great care. Colonel Crall's efforts are helping to move the project in a positive direction. Simply stated, his personal involvement will help ensure that the sacrifices of the patriots aboard flight 93 will be appropriately memorialized. Colonel Crall's excellent communication skills and collaborative approach greatly improved the district's image and reputation among the general public, stakeholders, and the workforce. Throughout his entire tour of duty, Colonel Crall's superb leadership and strong personal engagement was instrumental in demonstrating the value of the Pittsburgh district throughout the Upper Ohio Valley. Colonel Crall's performance of duty reflects great credit upon himself, the Corps of Engineers, and the U.S. Army. We honor his service and wish him well in his future endeavors.

Mr. CASEY

Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, I rise tonight to talk about the war in Afghanistan, and, unfortunately tonight, as I begin my remarks, I have to report on yet another death of a soldier killed in action in Afghanistan. Yesterday, in Pennsylvania, we lost another marine. This time the marine was from West View, PA, Allegheny County, the county in which most people know the city of Pittsburgh is. SGT Joseph Caskey, 24 years old, was on his second tour and was killed in action. If the counting is right in terms of the number killed in action from Pennsylvania, he is likely the fiftieth killed in action from Pennsylvania. We have about 260 who have been wounded. That number may be higher, but that is the most recent number I have seen. Sergeant Caskey gave us, as Abraham Lincoln said so eloquently so many years ago, the last full measure of devotion to his country. And like so many others--hundreds and hundreds who have died in the conflict in Afghanistan, and those who died in Iraq and so many other conflicts--we mourn his loss and we commend his service, but I think we also, at the same time, must recommit ourselves to making sure we are putting this conflict on the floor of the Senate; that we debate it more; that we talk about it more, so that we get the policy right. I am going to speak a little while tonight about that. In terms of the lethality or the focus we have on those who have lost their lives, June is the deadliest month on record for coalition forces. I wish we didn't have to report on that. I wish those of us who come to the floor periodically to talk about the war and to talk about individuals from our States who have perished--who have either been killed or who are suffering from grievous injuries--could come and talk about some other milestone in the life of that person--a soldier such as 24-year-old Sergeant Caskey. I wish I could come and report about some other milestone in his life instead of the news about his death. But we have to talk more about this war. We have to make sure we are debating it more. One of the things that we know has just transpired is a change in command. Today, the Senate Armed Services Committee--and the Presiding Officer is a member of that committee--voted in favor, thank goodness, of General Petraeus's nomination to be the Commander of the ISAF forces in Afghanistan. I think to say this is bipartisan is an understatement. We know that President Obama has chosen a man worthy of this job, and we are fortunate that he has once again accepted the call to action and accepted this new responsibility. I spoke today by telephone with General Petraeus and covered a number of issues dealing with a whole range of foreign policy and security issues, including some of those pertinent to the conflict in Afghanistan. I have full confidence, as I know so many others in this Chamber and across the country do, in his leadership. I have full confidence that he will be able to implement a strategy that contributes to the overall security of Afghanistan and also a strategy that will train the Afghan security forces and create the kind of political space the Afghan Government needs to provide security and services to its people. This new command by General Petraeus, upon confirmation--it has not been voted on in the Senate, but I will be voting for him, and I know he will receive a great vote--will bring a new opportunity to assess where we are in the fight, and it is good that we do that. The news, unfortunately, is not all that encouraging lately. We continue to face a host of challenges in Afghanistan. A Washington Post newspaper report this week cited allegations of blatant and rampant corruption within the senior ranks of the Afghan Government. The report detailed examples where government officials blocked corruption investigations and ordered investigators to remove names from case files. That is just one problem. Secondly, there were allegations of individuals preventing the arrest of senior officials and not acknowledging evidence against businessmen accused of helping Afghan elites to move millions of dollars out of the country. This was a published report. These are allegations, and we hope they are not true, but if they are, we have much deeper problems than we thought maybe even a couple of days ago. These are serious allegations that require a serious and thorough investigation and scrutiny. Those who are accused of these crimes should be prosecuted upon the review of the evidence. As I have said in the past about this conflict, our success will be determined by a belief among Afghans that justice can be delivered by its government. The people of Afghanistan have a right to expect honest government officials working on behalf of the public good, working on behalf of the people, not to enrich themselves, not to provide advantages for the elite in Afghanistan, not just to provide advantages for the wealthy but to make sure that the people are the beneficiaries of a clean, honest government and the kind of effective services that the people should have a right to expect. The people also have a right to expect a police force capable of protecting the population against criminals. They do have that right. They also have a right to a fair and efficient system of justice in Afghanistan, capable of delivering verdicts based upon the rule of law and not according to the barbaric code embraced by the Taliban. Unfortunately, today, we don't yet see a government in Afghanistan that is fully capable of providing this kind of justice. So we have to monitor what is happening there. We have to make sure we see results and not just rhetoric. We have to see the reality of progress on security, on justice, on the delivery of services--not just the aspiration but the delivery of results. As we consider the nomination of General Petraeus--and as I mentioned before, a nomination I fully support--I hope this nomination will be one of the reasons we will have a more substantial discussion or debate about the policy here in the Senate. That is where that debate should take place, as it takes place in the House and outside of the Capitol and across America. We should have in the Senate a debate or a reengagement of the debate about this policy. We owe it to our fighting men and women to do nothing less than that, to be committed to examining every aspect of the conflict in the weeks and months ahead. We must continue to ask and get answers to the tough questions on security, on governance, and on the delivery of services, to mention three broad areas of review, analysis, and, of course, inquiry. As allegations of Afghan Government corruption emerge, oversight is essential when we hear these allegations. If the Afghan national police and army are not hitting their recruitment and training targets, for example, we need to know why. The American people and the Afghan people have a right to expect that we and the Afghanistan leadership, starting with President Karzai, get answers to those tough questions about the security, and especially about the army and the police. I spoke yesterday of my commitment, and the commitment of so many others in this Chamber, to helping stem the flow of ammonium nitrate into Afghanistan from its neighbors, particularly Pakistan and the countries of central Asia. This deadly ingredient is used in most of the IEDs found in Afghanistan--bombs which have grown more powerful in recent months. We are now getting reports of the destructive power of IEDs not only to kill and to maim our troops who happen to walk near one of these explosive devices but to literally lift up an MRAP--this great vehicle we have been able to produce that lessens the chances that an explosion under the vehicle will kill someone. The explosions are now so great that they have been lifting up the MRAP and flipping it on its head and killing or gravely injuring troops not because the bottom technology and the engineering wonder that has saved so many lives is giving out, but because the vehicle itself is being lifted up and then smashed down in a way we couldn't even imagine maybe even a year ago or months ago. As I mention the impact of ammonium nitrate as the destructive ingredient in the IEDs, it so happens that Sergeant Caskey, the marine I spoke of earlier from Pennsylvania, who we believe is the fiftieth soldier killed in action in Afghanistan, was killed by an IED, as so many others--hundreds and hundreds--have been killed in that manner. This concern about ammonium nitrate is just one of a series of regional concerns that we have with respect to the conflict in Afghanistan. Pakistan has recognized the severity of the threat posed by the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban. The Pakistani forces have suffered heavy losses within their own borders, and I respect the commitment they have shown as the struggle continues. While the battle has been tough and difficult, we will need more help from the Pakistani people and their security forces in the weeks and months and years ahead. We have no better military leader to take on this challenge at this time than General Petraeus. As we confront this enormous challenge, our country has called upon him again and he has answered affirmatively to that call. I believe General Petraeus has the experience, the knowledge, the insight, and of course the respect of not only leaders in the military but also leaders in the region and, of course, he has the respect and support of the American people. So we should be happy and affirmative about that part of the story even as we confront allegations of corruption, even as we confront more and more troops wounded and killed in action, even as we confront the challenge of this policy. The minimum we must do in the Senate is to make sure that the oversight we provide, the debates we engage in, and all of the work that we do in the Senate that relates to this policy, at a minimum attempts to justify and to be equal to the commitment of our troops. Their job is so much more difficult than our job. We don't have to put our lives on the line. We debate and we learn and we try to move the policy forward, but the least we should do is to have a debate that matches or at least attempts to be equivalent to the sacrifice that they display every day. When we think of our troops, we mourn, of course, those who have been killed in action, and we also remember and salute and celebrate the contributions of those who have served and who come home with an injury, sometimes grievously wounded. Of course, we remember and salute those who serve and, fortunately, with the blessing of God, are not killed or not wounded and they can come home and be reunited with their families, with their communities. We remember all those, as Abraham Lincoln said a long time ago: ``Him who has borne the battle.'' Of course in 2010 we are talking about him and her, those who have borne this battle. We have a long way to go as it relates to this policy but, as we are thinking tonight of the hope we have in General Petraeus's leadership, the confidence we have in his ability and his commitment--he is a patriot like few others--even as we are hopeful about that we remember those who lost their lives, such as Sergeant Caskey, of West View, PA, and so many others who have served, and their families, who have loved and lost. I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. CASEY

Mr. CASEY. Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. CASEY. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 571, submitted earlier today.

Mr. CASEY. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and any statements be printed in the Record.

Mr. CASEY

Mr. CASEY. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 570, submitted earlier today.

Mr. CASEY. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and any statements related to the resolution be printed in the Record.

Mr. CASEY

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

Mr. CASEY

Mr. CASEY. Madam President, I rise tonight to speak about the war in Afghanistan, but on a particular subject. In particular, I wish to speak about the terribly destructive force of improvised explosive devices. These improvised explosive devices, known by the acronym IEDs, represent the single greatest threat to the United States and coalition forces in Afghanistan. The impact of this deadly tool of war has been felt in my home State of Pennsylvania, and I know so many of our colleagues have had not only loved ones in some cases but constituents who have lost their lives because of IEDs. In Pennsylvania, we have lost marines, soldiers, and National Guard troops to this insidious threat. In the first 4 months of 2010, incidents of IEDs in Afghanistan increased 94 percent over a comparable period in the previous year according to the United Nations. In 2009, more than 6,000 IEDs were discovered, the vast majority of which used ammonium nitrate as their main explosive ingredient. This is the No. 1 killer of United States and coalition forces. In 2009 alone, 275 American troops were killed by IEDs. In addition to the lethality of IEDs, they have a tremendously demoralizing effect on our troops. Just the threat of IEDs forces troops to move at a slower pace and take away their focus from the mission at hand. Ammonium nitrate bombs, often crude wood and graphite pressure-plate devices buried in dirt lanes or heaps of trash, are very difficult to detect. Americans remember, unfortunately, the deadly power of ammonium nitrate from its use by Timothy McVeigh in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing which killed 168 Americans. It can be used, as we know, as a fertilizer as well as an explosive in the mining and construction industry. Its use in the United States is tightly restricted. President Karzai of Afghanistan has rightly recognized the threat and has banned its use as a fertilizer. Afghan troops and police, supported by ISAF forces, have begun a concerted effort to crack down on its proliferation, distribution, and sale. On Wednesday, ISAF reported that 11 tons of ammonium nitrate were seized by Afghan forces supported by NATO troops. These 11 tons would have been enough to build more than 500 IEDs--IEDs that could have been used to kill NATO forces, Afghan troops, and civilians. The Afghan Government appears committed to this fight and has enacted the appropriate legal measures and enforcement efforts. But ammonium nitrate is still ubiquitous in Afghanistan due to smuggling along supply routes from its neighbors, particularly along Pakistan's tribal belt where smuggling is a way of life. The Los Angeles Times newspaper reported last month that as much as 85 tons of ammonium nitrate is smuggled into Afghanistan from Pakistan in a single night, a shipment that could yield more than 2,500 bombs. Even as we heard recently that 11 tons were intercepted, this published report says that 85 tons can be smuggled in a single night. Along with seven of my colleagues--Senators Levin, Reed, Snowe, Webb, Kyl, McCaskill, and Kaufman--I have submitted a resolution calling for continued support for and increased efforts and focus by the Governments of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the central Asian countries in that region to effectively monitor and regulate the manufacture, sale, transport, and use of ammonium nitrate fertilizer in order to prevent criminal groups, insurgents, and terrorist organizations from transporting ammonium nitrate into Afghanistan where it is used in these improvised explosive devices. I am committed to highlighting this threat and supporting United States and international efforts to crack down on the proliferation of precursor chemicals such as ammonium nitrate. The Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization--JIEDDO--which includes coalition partners from the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, has led an impressive effort to combat IEDs at every step in the process. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency will soon commence Project Global Shield, which is an unprecedented multilateral law enforcement operation aimed at countering the illicit diversion and trafficking of precursor chemicals, such as ammonium nitrate. Pakistan has made efforts to contend with ammonium nitrate in large part because the threat has begun to impact the security of its country as well. Recent coordination between Pakistani civilian and military entities on the IED issue has been positive. The Government of Pakistan has formed an interagency national coalition IED forum. We are also beginning to see efforts at the local level, such as small-scale bans and regulations in the community of Malakand. I hope Pakistan expeditiously approves its draft legislation to better control explosive materials in the country and make a concerted effort at enforcement. We must exercise extraordinary vigilance in stemming the unregulated flow of ammonium nitrate in this region because of its importance to U.S. national security interests, as well as, of course, to the lives of our troops. The United States, together with our allies, must do everything we can to make it more difficult for our enemies to make IEDs. I am committed to this task for the long term. I also understand terrorists will resort to different strategies and different ingredients after we are better able to restrict the flow of ammonium nitrate. Implementing more robust and interdiction measures is important, but we also must do more to disrupt and dismantle terrorist and criminal organizations in making IEDs. This will involve multilateral engagement, regulatory measures, training, and technological efforts, building border control capacity, and other means as well. There are a host of other ingredients terrorists can and probably will utilize in IEDs. But ammonium nitrate is what they are using today to kill scores of U.S. troops. We must do all that is in our power to ensure the job of making these bombs is made more difficult. When they shift tactics and use other ingredients, we will go after those too. Restricting the flow of ammonium nitrate is, in fact, a very difficult challenge. But we must do all we can to protect our troops on the ground across the world, but especially our troops in Afghanistan. There is no more important task at hand.

Mr. CASEY

Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, I wish to offer a few words in remembrance of Senator Byrd. I will offer a longer statement for the Record, but I wish to give a few thoughts now. We do mourn his passing. We see at his desk today a reminder of his passing. To say that Robert Byrd was a towering figure in the history of the Senate does not begin to describe his impact, his influence and, indeed, the memory he leaves behind, the legacy he leaves behind for those of us in the Senate, for his home State of West Virginia, and I know for millions of Americans. He was a strong advocate for not just his point of view but, more importantly, for the people of West Virginia. He arrived in the Senate in 1958--before I was born. I was pleased to have the opportunity and honor, the chance to serve with him a couple of years. He was a strong advocate. He was also a remarkable orator. Even in the last couple years of his life when some thought he might have been slowing down a little, when he got the microphone, he could deliver a speech like no other. He was a tremendous orator who believed in what he was saying, believed in the traditions of the Senate but mostly, and most importantly, believed in fighting for the working men and women and the families of West Virginia. We also knew him as a scholar--a scholar of not just this institution, maybe the leading scholar of all time when it comes to the institution of the Senate, but also as well as a constitutional scholar. His was a life of commitment, of real fidelity, first and foremost I believe to his family. He spoke often of his wife Erma. In the portrait that is just outside the door, there are three items in his area of control in the picture. He has his hand on the Bible, the Scriptures, he has a copy of the Constitution, and a picture of his beloved wife Erma, about whom he spoke so often. He was committed and had a life of commitment to his family and his faith. But he was also committed to the people of West Virginia for so many years, so many battles on their behalf and especially the families of West Virginia. Of course, he also led a life of commitment and fidelity to the Constitution and knew it better than anyone I have ever met and certainly better than some of our more renowned constitutional scholars. Of course, we know of his commitment to this institution, to the Senate. He loved this institution and wrote volume after volume about the Senate. We know that the multivolume work he did, the one volume in and of itself--hundreds of pages on the history of the Senate--is a compilation of speeches he gave on the floor of the Senate, some of them written out, but some of them he could give by memory. We know of his capacity to extemporaneously talk about so many topics, whether it was history or poetry or Scripture or the history of the Senate. We will miss his scholarship, we will miss his service, and we will miss his fidelity to his country and to his home State. I, along with others here, am honored to have served with him in this body. For me it was 3\1/2\ years. To be in his presence, to listen to him, to learn from him is a great gift. We mourn his passing. I do not think any of us will believe there will ever be a Senator quite like him in the 50 years he served in this body, in addition to serving the people of West Virginia in the House of Representatives, as well as in the legislature in West Virginia. We say farewell and God bless and Godspeed to Robert Byrd and his memory. We are praying for and thinking this day and I know many future days about his legacy and his family. Madam President, I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. CASEY

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

Mr. CASEY

Mr. CASEY. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to Calendar No. 440, S. 3249.

Mr. CASEY. I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported amendment be agreed to; the bill, as amended, be read a third time and passed, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table without intervening action or debate, and that any statements related to the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. CASEY

Mr. CASEY. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Judiciary Committee be discharged from further consideration of H. Con. Res. 286 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. CASEY. I ask unanimous consent that a Leahy-Levin amendment to the resolution, which is at the desk, be agreed to; the concurrent resolution, as amended, be agreed to; that a Leahy-Levin amendment to the preamble, which is at the desk, be agreed to; the preamble, as amended, be agreed to; the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate; and any statements related to the concurrent resolution be printed in the Record.

Mr. CASEY

Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session and that the Environment and Public Works Committee be discharged of the following nomination: PN1573, Rafael Moure-Eraso, to be a member of the Chemical Safety and Hazardous Investigation Board, and that the nomination then be placed on the Executive Calendar.

Mr. CASEY

Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, first of all, I commend Senator Stabenow for her words tonight to put in perspective what this debate is all about. It really is a question of jobs--not only creating jobs, as we have been able to do, and still have a long way to go to get out of the ditch, but also preserving jobs. Also, I commend the Senator for her stamina tonight. She has spent a lot of time on the Senate floor. I want to make two points. One is about unemployment insurance and one is about COBRA premium assistance for health care. First, with regard to unemployment insurance--the debate we are having on the bill this week and last week, for a number of days now-- one of the real points of contention is what we do about those who are out of work through no fault of their own. I can just tell you what it means for Pennsylvania. Here is the reality in Pennsylvania--and I will ask consent that the following document be made a part of the Record: Estimated Exhaustions of All Available Unemployment Compensation Benefits, calendar year 2010. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that document be printed in the Record.

Mr. CASEY

Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 23; that following the prayer and the pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed to have expired, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and that following any leader remarks, the Senate proceed to a period of morning business for 1 hour, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each, with the Republicans controlling the first 30 minutes and the majority controlling the final 30 minutes.

Mr. CASEY

Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, tomorrow, we expect to resume consideration of the House message on H.R. 4213, the tax extenders legislation. Rollcall votes are expected to occur throughout the day.

Mr. CASEY

Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it adjourn under the previous order.

Mr. CASEY

Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed en bloc to Calendar Nos. 945, 946, 947, 949, 950, and 951; that the nominations be confirmed en bloc, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table en bloc, any statements relating to the nominations be printed in the Record, as if read, the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action, and the Senate then resume legislative session.