Tom Daschle

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, one year ago today, America awoke to the terrible news that we had lost three extraordinary public servants: Governor Mel Carnahan, his son Roger, and their friend and aide Chris Sifford. Mel Carnahan was a remarkable man--the kind whose work proved that politics and public service can indeed be a noble profession. Like another man from Missouri, Harry Truman, Mel Carnahan was a man of plain speech and enormous political courage. Throughout his career, he worked to help people, to make government efficient, and to use the tools at his disposal to make a difference in people's lives. Whether it was improving public schools, expanding health insurance for children, protecting seniors through stricter safety standards for nursing homes, or making communities safer--Mel Carnahan never stopped working to make a difference. I have no doubt that he would have been a great Senator, just as he was a great Governor. Sadly, he never got the change to show us that-- at least, not directly. But his spirit does live on in this Senate. As Jean Carnahan has said so many times: Hopes and dreams don't die with people, they live on in all the people we touch. Today, Mel Carnahan's hopes and dreams live on through all those he touched. But they have their most powerful voice in his wife of 45 years, Jean Carnahan. It was one year ago that she pledged to keep the fire burning. And every day since--that is exactly what Senator Carnahan has done. In her tireless work to see that the economic victims of September 11 get health care, unemployment benefits, and job training--we feel Mel's sense of justice and compassion. In her work to improve our nation's schools--we see Mel's commitment to the children of Missouri, and America. And when Senator Carnahan comes to the Senate floor, and commands here colleagues' attention with her clear and thoughtful arguments--we hear the echoes of Mel's plainspoken sensibility. One year after that cruel October morning, Jean Carnahan has become the great Senator that Mel Carnahan would have been had he been given the chance. That is one blessing that makes his loss more bearable. The poet Longfellow wrote: When a great man dies, for years beyond our ken, the light he leaves behind him lies upon the paths of men. During his life, Mel Carnahan cast a bright and shining light on his state and our nation. His death did not extinguish that light. That light continues to shine in the remarkable work and the indomitable spirit of his partner and our colleague, Senator Jean Carnahan. Today, especially today we thank her for her courage and for our inspiration.

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I will use some of my leader time. I think this is an appropriate time to inform my colleagues about the events of the day, and I want to take just a couple of minutes to do so at this time. At about 10:15 this morning, a member of my staff opened an envelope. It became clear from the very beginning that the envelope contained a suspicious substance. My office notified the Capitol Police and the Capitol physician, who responded almost instantaneously. The tests were taken immediately. They call them field tests. Two field tests were taken on the scene. Both tests confirmed the substance was anthrax. I say ``confirmed'' advisedly because a far more sophisticated test is underway. We will not have that information available for approximately 24 hours. Based upon the preliminary tests, members of my staff most directly involved were tested and given an antibiotic. The office was quarantined, and all mail from our office was returned. I immediately contacted the other leaders to inform them of the incident. The President happened to be calling at that point, and I informed him as well. I say the antibiotic is so effective it is 100-percent successful in killing the bacteria once that bacteria has been released. So we are supremely confident of our ability to deal with circumstances such as this. I must compliment the Sergeant at Arms, the Capitol Police, and our Capitol physician for their extraordinary response, organizationally and medically. I am very grateful to all of those who have been involved so far. The office has been quarantined and will not be open for several days as the office cleanup takes place. We have asked that all offices return all mail, and that is being done this afternoon. We will have meetings in our caucuses tomorrow wherein we will hear from the Sergeant at Arms, the Capitol Police, the Capitol physician, and others who will brief us about the specific ramifications of incidents such as this. I will say, however--it is very important to me, and I have talked to Senator Lott and to many of my colleagues--this Senate and this institution will not stop. We will not cease our business. We will continue to work. I am confident we can put in place practices that will minimize the exposure to any danger our staff may have to endure. I am especially confident about our ability to respond as we have today. So our work will continue. We will be in session tomorrow. I hope all offices will conduct their business as we would expect them to conduct it, with the exception of my office, until the inspection and the investigation and the cleanup can take place. I also want to express my heartfelt sympathy to my staff for what they have had to endure. I have been in contact with many of the families of my staff throughout the day, and while this has been an extraordinary experience for each of them, I am proud of the way they have handled themselves. I am proud of the attitude they bring even now to their work and to their mission, and I am especially proud of the fact that under these circumstances they have been so responsive, courageous, and upbeat. I simply want to encourage all colleagues to continue to conduct their work with the knowledge that we are taking every step and we will take additional steps as we become more aware of what can be done in a preventive way to deal with these circumstances in the future. I yield the floor.

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding the passage of the amendment, the managers' amendment be considered subject to approval by both managers and both leaders.

Mr. DASCHLE. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Mr. DASCHLE. Madam President, I will just use a minute of my leader time to respond. I have already made my argument on the first amendment. I, in the interest of time, am not going to repeat it. As I said before, I am sympathetic to many of these ideas, but I am much more sympathetic to arriving at a product that will bring us to a point where we can pass something into law. The record reflects the compromises that have been put in place, the very delicate balance that we have achieved. It is too late to open up the amendment process in a way that might destroy that delicate balance. For that reason, I move to table this amendment. I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. DASCHLE. Madam President, I move to table the amendment.

Mr. DASCHLE. Madam President, let me just say, anybody who wishes to speak on this bill is certainly welcome to do so, but we will be here after the vote for anybody who wishes to accommodate any other Senator who would like to go home. The hour is late. We have one more amendment, and then we have final passage. It is my hope that we can complete our work on the bill and certainly leave open the opportunity for Senators to express themselves. We will stay just as long as that is required. I hope, though, we can accommodate other Senators who may not feel the need to participate in further debate. I yield the floor.

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I will repeat the request. There is a technical amendment having to do with some of the issues that have been worked out, that have no substantive consequence. I ask unanimous consent that this managers' amendment be approved, notwithstanding passage of the bill, subject to approval by the two managers and the two leaders.

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I move to table the amendment and ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, 4 days ago, our military began strikes against terrorist training camps and the Taliban's military installations in Afghanistan. They are intended to disrupt the network of terror that spreads across Afghanistan. But these strikes are one part of a much larger battle. The network that we seek to disrupt and ultimately destroy often operates without borders or boundaries. Its tools are not simply the weapons it chooses to employ. And its trails are more often electronic than physical. This is a new kind of battle. Winning it will require a new set of tools . . . And winning is the only acceptable outcome. Just as we are committed to giving our men and women in uniform the tools and training they need to do what is asked of them, we must now make that same commitment to our justice and law enforcement officials. After all, we are now asking them to do nothing less than protect the American people by finding, tracking, monitoring--and ultimately stopping--any terrorist elements that threaten our nation or our citizens. I believe that by passing this measure today, we are taking a swift and significant step toward doing just that. We are also demonstrating, once again, that the Senate can work both quickly and effectively when we work cooperatively. I want to thank Senator Lott, Chairmen Leahy, Graham and Sarbanes, as well as Senators Hatch, Shelby, and Gramm for their leadership on this bill. I especially appreciate Chairman Leahy's management and handling of this important and delicate process. I also want to thank the many other Democratic and Republican Senators whose insights and suggestions improved this legislation. For example, Senator Kennedy's input on provisions regarding immigration addressed concerns a number of us had about the detention of legal permanent residents with only few due process protections. And Senators Enzi, Leahy and Dorgan were able to improve a provision regarding unilateral food and medical sanctions in a way that avoids needlessly hurting American farmers. I'll be honest, this bill is not perfect, and I hope that we will be able to work with our House colleagues in the days ahead in order to improve it. Whenever we weigh civil liberties against national security, we need to do so with the utmost care. Among other things, I am concerned about the provisions within this bill that allow the sharing of information gathered in grand juries and through wiretaps without judicial check. And, as we give the administration new legitimate powers to wiretap under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, I believe we should do more to protect the rights of Americans who are not suspects or targets of investigations. These flaws are not insubstantial, but ultimately the need for this bill outweighs them. When it comes to an issue as central to our democracy as the protection of our people, we must act. This bill does several important things: First, it will enhance the ability of law enforcement and intelligence agencies to conduct electronic surveillance and execute searches in order to gather critical information to fight terrorism. Second, it will permit broader information sharing between traditional law enforcement and foreign intelligence officers. Third, it will increase the Attorney General's ability to deport and detain individuals who support terrorist activity. I should note, though, that the Senate bill requires the Attorney General either to bring criminal or immigration charges within seven days after taking custody of an alien or relinquish custody. Fourth, this bill also takes significant steps to increase law enforcement personnel on our northern border. For example, it would triple the number of Border Patrol, Customs Service, and INS inspectors at the northern border, who would work in concert with their Canadian counterparts in order to enhance security in this previously understaffed area. Fifth, thanks in large part to Senator Leahy's hard work, this bill makes major revisions to the Victims of Crime Act--by strengthening the Crime Victim Fund and expediting assistance to victims of domestic terrorism. Sixth and finally, the Banking Committee was able to agree on, and add to this bill, several significant counter money laundering measures. If we are to truly fight terrorism on all fronts, we must fight it on the financial front as well. As you can see, this is a complex piece of legislation. But its aim is simple: to give law enforcement the tools it needs to fight terrorism. It was a month ago on this day that we suffered the worst terrorist attack in our Nation's history. In the days since, we have honored the memories of the more than 6,000 innocent men and women who lost their lives on that terrible day. Hours ago, for example, we passed a resolution that designates September 11 as a national day of remembrance. But I believe that to truly honor those whose lives were lost, we must match our words with action, and do all that we can in order to prevent future attacks. This bill is a significant step towards keeping that commitment, and keeping Americans safe.

Mr. DASCHLE. It is my understanding that the managers intend now to yield back the remainder of the time on the bill and we will go straight to final passage. First, I thank all Senators for their cooperation tonight. This was a very good day. We got a lot of work done, and I appreciate the work of all Members. There will not be rollcall votes tomorrow. In fact, we will not be in session. We will come in on Monday, midafternoon. There will be a vote on the motion to proceed to the foreign operations bill and a vote on the conference report on the Interior appropriations bill at approximately 5:30 Monday afternoon. I thank all Senators. I yield the floor.

Mr. DASCHLE. Yes.

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. I, too, compliment the distinguished chair, the ranking member, the subcommittee chair, and the ranking member for their outstanding work in getting us to this point. A few days ago people would have been very skeptical about any prediction that this bill would have been passed 100-0, but it has been passed in large measure because of their leadership, and we are grateful. The next vote, as I think our colleagues are aware, is the resolution on the day of remembrance. I notify Senators there are three additional votes. There will be a vote on the National Day of Remembrance. There will be two additional rollcall votes on two judges. I ask unanimous consent that the third and fourth vote in this next sequence be limited to 10 minutes each.

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, it is my hope and expectation we will take up the counterterrorism legislation tonight following these votes. It is my hope we could finish the work tonight. If we cannot, of course, we will finish the work tomorrow morning. If there is the possibility we could finish it tonight, it would be my desire not to have any votes tomorrow. So we will leave that to Senators who wish to speak and wish to debate the bill, but we will go to counterterrorism immediately following the votes to which we have just referred. We have a lot of work yet to do tonight, and I urge Senators to stay close to the Chamber. I yield the floor.

Mr. DASCHLE. Will the Senator yield?

Mr. DASCHLE. If the Senator will yield, I will phrase it by saying it is my hope to finish it. We know what the time parameters are. We have already agreed to that. If we are compelled to go through all of the votes and it gets to be too late, we may have to move it into tomorrow. So I am not going to say definitively tonight at this moment we will finish our work on the counterterrorism bill, but that would be my hope.

Mr. DASCHLE. That is correct. We would not have votes tomorrow. We would have completed our work. I assume we could be in for morning business to accommodate Senators who may wish to speak, but it is my intention not to have any rollcall votes tomorrow.

Mr. DASCHLE. I say to the distinguished Chairman, I share his determination to complete our work on the appropriations bills. He and I have had many private conversations, and if I recall, even considerations on the floor. I informed him and our colleagues on Monday there will be a vote on an appropriations bill, either the Interior conference report or on cloture on the motion to proceed to foreign operations. I share his determination to continue to plow through these bills and to accomplish as much as we can in the next 2 weeks. As I understand it, the next continuing resolution will be for 1 week. If that is the case, we have 2 weeks within which to complete our work so as not to pass yet another continuing resolution. We have a lot to do. I appreciate very much his willingness to call attention again to that fact tonight.

Mr. DASCHLE

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

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I have come to the floor to speak to the Carnahan amendment. As everyone knows, the vote will be cast in a couple of hours. Today, it is 1 month since the terrorist attacks on America. In the days following September 11, we saw unbearable loss and unmatched heroism. Now, as we take on those who perpetrated these attacks abroad, we have the opportunity--we have the duty--to prevent the economic aftereffects from rippling farther outward here at home. For America's aviation workers and their families, the economic impact of the crisis is real, it is immediate, and it is devastating. Every day we see more reports of more layoffs. It is now estimated that 150,000 workers have lost their jobs in the airline industry alone. Many of these workers and their families have no income and no health insurance. What they face is not a recession; for them, it is a depression. I think we all agree it was right for Congress to act quickly to stabilize the airline industry. It is long past the time for us, however, to help those aviation workers who got no help from that bill we passed a couple of weeks ago. That is what the Carnahan amendment would do. It is a fair, balanced, and temporary package of assistance to aviation workers. There are those who say helping workers isn't relevant to this bill. Some are suggesting that we should again put off helping those working families. Let me ask you, how could you possibly say to 150,000 workers, who had good jobs one day and no jobs the next, that they are not relevant? How could you possibly tell 150,000 people, whose families have lost their source of income and, in many cases, their health care, that they should wait a little longer? This is not a vote about relevance or timing. Let's be very clear about what this vote is. A vote against cloture is a vote against 150,000 aviation workers who lost their jobs as a direct result of the September 11 attacks. It is a vote against giving workers unemployment insurance. It is a vote against helping those workers and their families maintain health insurance. It is a vote against giving workers who lost their jobs training so they can find new jobs that will allow them to support themselves and their families. A month ago today, America suffered the worst terrorist attack in all of history. All over the country, people are remembering the more than 6,000 innocent men and women who lost their lives on that terrible day. We need to remember that the people who died on September 11 were the terrorists' first victims. They were not their last. There are hundreds of thousands of other Americans who didn't lose their lives, but they did lose their livelihoods. They are the economic victims of the September 11 attack. Right now, they are looking to us for help. They don't expect this Congress to solve all their problems. All they want is a little help to make it through one of the worst times in their lives. Just days after September 11, when we passed that $15 billion airline bailout package, many of us wanted, even then, to include this help for displaced workers; but we were told: ``This is not the time. There will be another chance soon. We are going to consider an airline security bill. We can help the workers then.'' We reluctantly agreed to wait because we were told if we didn't get that airline bill done that Friday, the airlines would be grounded on Monday and we would see hundreds of thousands of additional workers out of work. So we passed that bill to keep our airlines flying, and keep those workers working. After a week of delay, we are finally debating that airline security bill. Now what are we hearing? ``This is not the time. There is another bill coming, an economic stimulus package. We can help workers then.'' It is always ``then.'' It is never ``now.'' Senator Carnahan and others have put together a good, fair, affordable, and extremely limited assistance package for these workers. They have been remarkably flexible. They have made concession after concession. They have compromised and they have compromised. They have cut the costs of the package by more than $1 billion. They have done everything anyone can do to build bipartisan support for this package. It is time for Congress to show its commitment not only to the airline industry, but also to its workers. The time has come to move this package. We must not put these workers on hold yet again. This issue is about values. We all espouse the importance of values. I have heard those speeches countless times here in the Senate Chamber how we hold our values so dear. Of all those values, I do not know of a value of greater import than the value of family, than the value of ensuring that we, as Americans, help one another. We built a country on those values--values of family, values of neighbor helping neighbor. This, too, is about values. This is about preserving the integrity and the economic viability of those families who are the economic victims of September 11. This is about the values of people helping people in this country in a time of need. The response since September 11th has been remarkable. Our country has responded in ways that make me proud to be an American. To watch those rescuers climb that rubble in the days following the attacks, as I did, to watch those Red Cross workers come to the site and work 20, 22-hour days as I did, to see people all over the country respond by putting up their flags, as they have, and, yes, to see Congress work together as closely as we have now for these last 4 weeks, makes me proud. How sad it would be if we say, yes, we will help New York; yes, we will help the airlines; yes, we will try to do as many things as possible to put this country right again, but we will say no to those aviation workers. Does that reflect our values? Is that in keeping with what we have done for these last 4 weeks? I do not think so. I mentioned the word ``hope.'' The one thing we need to do, above and beyond anything else in our capacity as leaders in this country, is to give people hope. They need a reason for hope. That is what we are talking about this morning. That is why it is important we allow this legislation to pass. That is why we have to vote for cloture. I hope every Member of this Senate, when they vote on cloture this afternoon, will imagine themselves sitting in the living room of one of those unemployed families. You are sitting in the armchair, and they are sitting on the sofa across the room, and they are asking you to vote. I would like you to look in their eyes and say no. No one could do that. We have to look in their eyes in that living room. We have to say: We understand all of your anxiety and all of your pain and all of the economic concern you have for your family. And then we must say, in the context of values, and in the belief that neighbor helps neighbor in this country, we are going to help you, just as we helped the airlines, just as we, indeed, needed to help the people of New York. We are going to give you hope. We are going to say yes to you, too. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Madam President, I come to the floor to express my grave disappointment at what the Senate has just done. This is the first time we have said no to any of the victims of disaster of 1 month ago. It is the first time we have said no to working families struggling to put their lives back together. I am troubled, disappointed, and disillusioned. I will say this: We will not give up. We will not quit. We will not allow those workers to in any way believe that this country is going to turn its back on them when they need it the most. We will help them. We will find a way to do this. We will keep the fight. We are committed, as people determined to help all of those who are hurting so badly, including those who have no job, including those who have no health insurance, including those who need training today--including all of those victims. We cannot say no to these people. We will be back. We will not give up. 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. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.