Tom Daschle

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, for the interest of all Senators, we are attempting to propound a unanimous consent request having to do with the schedule for next week. We have not been able to get complete agreement on either side at this point, but it should not be too much longer. It would be my desire, once we get that unanimous consent, to go out for the day. Just as soon as that occurs, we will then be prepared to take final action for the day. Until that time, I have a couple of remarks in regard to the important legislation that passed this morning.

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Senators be permitted to speak for up to 5 minutes as in morning business until the hour of 12 o'clock noon.

Mr. DASCHLE. With an understanding we may be shorthanded with Presiding Officers, my intention was for those who were unable to attend the memorial service, we would stay in session until noon for Senators to speak for up to 5 minutes. We will resume then, following the memorial service, for Senators who may wish to come back and express themselves on the two matters on which we will have voted this morning--or other issues. And we will be in later in the day for purposes of confirming a number of nominees that are prepared for consideration as well. We will come back after the memorial service.

Mr. DASCHLE. I ask unanimous consent it be in order that I ask for the yeas and nays on on both the supplemental appropriations bill and the Joint Resolution.

Mr. DASCHLE. I did not. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent Senators be limited to 5 minutes as in morning business, following the vote, up until noon today.

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

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, again, I ask Senators to vote from their desks on this very momentous vote we are about to take. For the information of all Senators, we want to get on the buses just as quickly as possible after this vote. For those who are going to be attending the memorial service, they will be right down in front of the steps. So we can accommodate all Senators by quickly going, as soon as the vote has been completed, to the buses for transportation to the National Cathedral.

Mr. DASCHLE. I thank the Chair and thank all Senators. Mr. President, I also announce that this will be the last vote of the day and we will not have any votes Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday of next week.

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, as I think certainly everyone on the floor knows, but for those who may be viewing our proceedings and should know, our caucuses have been meeting for the last hour to review the work which has been done by colleagues on both sides of the aisle in concert with the administration and with the House of Representatives. This work has been ongoing now for several days. The Appropriations Committee, through the leadership of Senator Byrd and Senator Stevens, on the use of force resolution, through the leadership of many of our colleagues on both sides, again in concert with the White House, have given their reports to the caucuses. I am about to propound a unanimous consent request that would allow us to vote on both the use of force resolution and the appropriations supplemental. We would hold open the Record for purposes of additional comment. I will read the unanimous consent request. Let me say, before I do read the request, how much I appreciate, once again, the leadership of our Republican leader. As he has throughout the week, he has been remarkable. We could not be where we are today, this country or this institution, without the strong partnership and leadership he has shown. I commend him, and I thank all of our colleagues for their remarkable participation during this difficult week.

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. This morning.

Mr. DASCHLE. I respond to the Senator from Minnesota, there probably will be some time, but we will be in morning business at least for another 15 minutes.

Mr. DASCHLE. I yield the floor.

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I understand that the following bills are at the desk, having been read the first time: H.R. 2291 and H.R. 2833. I ask unanimous consent that it be in order, en bloc, for these two bills to receive a second reading, and I would then object to any further consideration.

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, we are now learning that the terrorists who attacked our Nation this week may have been planning their hideous crimes for years. In their evil and painstaking calculations, the terrorists clearly tried to anticipate every possible obstacle they might encounter. But there is one obstacle they overlooked; that is, the courage of the American people, and our fierce determination to defend the people and values we cherish. It was that courage and determination that appears to have given the passengers aboard the plane that crashed near Pittsburgh the strength to resist their murderers and prevent an even greater tragedy. It is that same courage and determination that is at the heart of this resolution we pass today. Tuesday, from the window of my office in the Capitol, I watched thick black smoke rise from the Pentagon and fill the sky over Arlington Cemetery. The graves in that hallowed ground remind us that Americans have faced great evil before and defeated it. By passing this resolution, we are saying we are prepared to confront evil again and to defeat it again. We are saying that the Congress of the United States--Democrats and Republicans stand with the President as our Commander in Chief. We are authorizing the President to use force against the terrorists who attacked America on September 11, and any nation, organization, or person that aids or harbors them. As a result of our actions today, we know that our men and women in uniform may be forced to confront a new kind of enemy--an enemy whose actions are constrained neither by conscience, nor the rules of war. We also know that whatever they are called to do, they will do it well and with honor. And we know this: They will prevail. This is the gravest responsibility we can undertake as elected leaders. That is why our Constitution calls on the President and the Congress to act together on decisions to employ our armed forces to defend our Nation. By passing this resolution, we reaffirm our belief in our Constitution as the foundation and strength of our democracy. By providing specific statutory authorization and by requiring continuing consultation between the President and the Congress, we also underscore the importance of the War Powers Resolution. Only by standing together, can we stand strong and defeat this threat. As I have said before, what happened on Tuesday was not simply an attack against America. It was a crime against democracy, and decency. It was a crime against civilization itself. Americans have been deeply touched this week by the support we have received from friends throughout the world. From the gates of Buckingham Palace, to the halls of the United Nations and NATO, to the streets of Moscow and beyond, the grief displayed by our friends has helped to make our own grief more bearable. We thank the family of nations for standing with us in these early days of this battle against terrorism. Even more, we thank them for their commitment to stand with us in the days ahead. I am confident we will continue to stand together, and defeat this most insidious of threats, wherever and whenever it arises. We will be fierce in the defense of our ideals. We will make whatever material or physical sacrifice that is required of us to punish those who attacked our nation, and to prevent future attacks. But we will not sacrifice the ideals that built this nation and have sustained us for more than two centuries. Just as we are united against the terrorists and their co- conspirators who carried out the attacks on our nation, we must also be united against acts of hate against innocent Arab-Americans and Muslims. The madmen who carried out these crimes despise our values of liberty and justice for all. By maintaining our commitment to those ideals now, we send a powerful message to those who committed this evil that they have not won, and they will not win this war. They have broken our hearts, but not our will. The terrorists hoped to bring us to our knees. Let us defy them by standing together on our feet as one nation, indivisible. Yes, we saw evil this week. But we have also seen great strength. We have seen it in the heroic men and women working day and night in the wreckage of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. We have seen it in the countless Americans in cities across the country who waited hours to donate blood. And we have seen it in the men and women who may have prevented even greater destruction through their bravery aboard that doomed flight. That is the strength of America--the one obstacle the terrorists did not anticipate, and the one that will be their undoing. I yield the floor, and I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to consideration of S. 1426, the supplemental appropriations bill; that upon its reporting, it be laid aside and the Senate proceed to the consideration of S.J. Res. 23, the use of force legislation; that the Senate vote on final passage of the appropriations bill, to occur immediately; that the vote on final passage of the use of force resolution occur immediately upon the disposition of the appropriations bill; that no amendments or motions be in order to either bill; that the preamble to the joint resolution be agreed to; and that when the Senate receives from the House its supplemental appropriations bill, it be read a third time and agreed to, provided that it is identical to the bill which the Senate has passed.

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I ask that Senators, again, vote from their desks.

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the joint resolution be printed in the Record.

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I want to thank Chairman Hollings and Senator Gregg for working with other senators and me to accept an amendment that will ensure that eligible beneficiaries may receive compensation under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA). Over a year ago, Senator Hatch and I worked together to update RECA to ensure it took into account the latest scientific evidence and to extend benefits to new groups of workers, including uranium mill workers and ore transporters. In addition, we extended eligibility for compensation beyond the group of five States identified in the original law, to additional States where uranium mining occurred, including South Dakota. Due to the concerns about the amount of funding available for this program, language was included in both the fiscal year 2001 and fiscal year 2002 Commerce, Justice and State Appropriations bill limiting the payment of compensation to the original RECA beneficiaries. While I share concerns about the limited amount of funding available, I cannot support this approach to the problem. Those added to RECA in 2000 are now legally entitled to compensation and should have their claims paid along with original beneficiaries. We simply must do a better job of funding RECA in the future. Last year, many beneficiaries received IOUs from the Federal Government because inadequate funding was available to pay their claims. To ensure adequate funding over the long term, I already have cosponsored legislation to make funding for RECA mandatory. I am committed to working with my colleagues to secure the passage of this legislation in the near future. I appreciate the willingness of the chairman and ranking member to accept my amendment. I also want to thank Senators Bingaman, Domenici, Hatch, and Reid for their support of this amendment.

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, for the interest of all Senators, we are about to have final passage on this bill. I congratulate our two managers. This has been quite an ordeal. I congratulate them on their successful completion of the bill. We have a number of nominees I want to be able to consider and, if necessary, have votes on the nominations. During this vote, we are going to be consulting with certain Senators about whatever requirements there may be on a couple of these nominations. If necessary, I would like to have these votes tonight if they are going to be required, but we will be able to make that announcement shortly after the vote, or perhaps during the vote, for those who are interested. The other outstanding piece of business I would like to be able to complete before the end of the week is, of course, the supplemental appropriations bill. If the House acts, we will then be in a position to act on this side. I do not know yet the status of that particular piece of legislation. That may require a vote tomorrow morning. As I said in our joint caucus this afternoon, my hope is that we can avoid having votes after the memorial service tomorrow afternoon. That is not only my hope, my expectation, with the caveat, of course, we have been able to resolve these matters successfully. I urge colleagues not to leave after this vote until we are absolutely certain that no rollcall votes are going to be required on the nominees that I would like to consider yet tonight. I yield the floor.

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the joint resolution be printed in the Record.

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the joint resolution be printed in the Record.

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I am advised that the assistant Republican leader would prefer to speak later in the day. I ask unanimous consent all remarks be limited to no longer than 10 minutes in order to accommodate as many Senators as possible. I earlier asked if we could alternate between the two caucuses. I also request of the Republican leader that we alternate now among the four Senators from the two States that are most affected by the horrendous tragedy yesterday, beginning, of course, with Senator Schumer and Senator Warner.

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, it is with pain, sorrow, anger, and resolve that I stand before this Senate, a symbol for 212 years of the strength of our democracy, and say that America will emerge from this tragedy, as we have emerged from all adversity, united and strong. The America in which we awoke today is far different from the one in which we awoke yesterday. This morning, as our rescue workers and medical personnel continue their heroic work, we begin to truly understand the enormity of what happened. My heart aches for the people of New York, our men and women serving at the Pentagon, the passengers and crew of the four hijacked aircraft, and for their families and friends. These attacks were an assault on our people and on our freedom. They aimed at the heart of the American community and the symbols and structures of our economic and military strength. As an American, as an elected representative, I am outraged. As a husband and a father, I am pained beyond words. Last night we sent the message to the world that, even in the face of such cowardly and heinous acts, the doors of democracy will not close. This joint resolution we laid down today condemns yesterday's attacks, expresses our sympathy for the victims, and our support for the President as our Commander in Chief. The world should know that the Members of both parties in both Houses stand united. The full resources of our Government will be brought to bear in aiding the search and rescue and in hunting down those responsible and those who may have aided or harbored them. Nothing--nothing--can replace the losses that have been suffered. I know there is only the smallest measure of inspiration that can be taken from this devastation. But there is a passage in the Bible from Isaiah that I think speaks to all of us at times such as this: The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with dressed stone; the fig trees have been felled, but we will replace them with cedars. That is what we will do. We will rebuild and we will recover. The people of America will stand strong together because the people of America have always stood together. And those of us privileged to serve this great Nation will stand with you. God bless the people of America. I yield the floor.

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Madam President, I ask that all Senators take their desks and that we vote from our desks on this resolution. I appreciate the cooperation from both sides. I yield the floor.