Mark Dayton

Mr. DAYTON

Mr. DAYTON. Mr. President, I thank the distinguished Senator from North Dakota for granting me this time, and also for his outstanding leadership on this issue on behalf of our Democratic caucus. I rise to say that I intend to vote against this budget today because I believe it allocates too much to the richest Americans and too little to our schoolchildren, senior citizens, veterans, and most of our other citizens. It also wrongly provides a blank check for additional military spending without congressional review or approval. This budget purports to be a bipartisan creation. In fact, I am told that the Democratic Senators on the Senate-House conference committee were completely excluded from the deliberations and decisions about this budget agreement. As a result, a bipartisan Senate amendment to increase funding for elementary and secondary education was eliminated. The amendment of my colleague, Senator Wellstone, which increased funding for veterans' programs, was eliminated. Funds for farm aid, prescription drug coverage, Head Start, health care, child care, transportation, and other important government services were reduced. Except for military spending, all other federal government discretionary services were cut by 2 percent below their inflation- adjusted baselines. Why? Why, despite huge projected budget surpluses, must the funds for these essential public services be denied? For a tax cut which favors the rich, rather than working, middle-income Americans. There is enough surplus projected to provide immediate tax cuts and rate reductions for all American taxpayers, so long as they are targeted to the first tax brackets. Unfortunately, this budget places greed ahead of need. People who already have the most get even more, while people who have the least receive even less. There is no compassion in this budget. There is no bipartisanship in this budget. There is no new education funding to ``leave no child behind'' in this budget. Its pretenses are a sham. Its promises are a scam. Furthermore, this budget expressly does not protect either the Social Security or the Medicare Trust Funds from being raided for other spending programs. Instead, it sets up an all-purpose contingency fund, which pretends to cover every imagined funding need. First, however, it must fund a literal blank check for whatever additional military spending the Secretary of Defense shall recommend to the chairmen of the Senate and House Budget Committees. In an unprecedented procedure, with no further congressional review or approval, these two men alone can add whatever amounts of additional spending are proposed by the Secretary of Defense. Thus, this budget provides blank checks for the military, big checks for the rich, and bounced checks due to ``insufficient funds'' for all other Americans. I support, and will vote for, a large tax cut benefiting all Minnesota taxpayers. I also support, and will fight for, additional federal funds for special education, for student aid, for prescription drug coverage, for farm price supports, for veterans' health care, for flood victims, and for other important government services. I believe in a balanced budget. I believe we have enough resources available to us to improve the quality of life for our citizens and to reduce taxes. I believe this budget squanders that opportunity. That is why I am voting against it. I yield the floor.

Mr. DAYTON

Mr. DAYTON. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize that May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, and I want to acknowledge the many accomplishments and contributions that people of Asian and Pacific Island descent have made to Minnesota and to our country. Their many different talents, cultures, and histories have played important roles in building and strengthening our country, and they have exemplified the important traditions of hard work, respect for family and elders, and the value of a quality education. Since their arrival in this country, they have believed strongly in the American Dream and in better opportunities for those who seek them. These qualities have enabled them to overcome adversity and discrimination, and allowed them to achieve enormous successes in virtually every field. The complexion of my home state of Minnesota is changing dramatically. We have seen a sharp increase in the number of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who reside in our state, and we welcome the opportunity to continue to work with them to create a better Minnesota. In one of my first meetings as a new Senator, I had the opportunity to visit with the Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans, and I learned of the many important contributions which this community makes to my home state. They shared with me not only their successes, but also their continuing struggles to ensure that Minnesotans of Asian and Pacific Island descent have the best education, housing, health care, and job opportunities possible. I would like to acknowledge just a few of the Minnesotans of Asian or Pacific Island descent whose efforts have made Minnesota a better place to live and work. In the political arena, the Honorable Satveer Chaudhary became the first Asian American to be elected to the Minnesota state legislature and now serves as the highest-ranking elected official of Indian descent in the nation. Ms. Zarina Baber helped establish the volunteer based clinic in Fridley known as Al'Shifa, which provides culturally specific health care free of charge to needy or uninsured patients. Ms. Baber volunteers as the director of this clinic and has developed partnerships with area hospitals and clinics. Mr. Lee Pao Xiong recently became the first non-African American President of Minneapolis' Urban Coalition. He has served on President Clinton's Commission on Asian and Pacific Islanders, and has been a leader in helping the Hmong community to make the transition to mainstream America while preserving the integrity of their own culture. Wai Lee, a devoted mother of four, as well as an active member of the Faribault community, has skillfully combined motherhood with activism. She has volunteered in the Faribault community for many years, taught English as a Second Language, and developed a mentor program to involve children and help them with their English skills. Venture Crew 6, a community organization made up of Asian youth leaders, is working to make Minnesota a better place to live and train young people to be future leaders. The group's mission is to help Minnesota youth grow, develop, and foster leadership skills while serving their communities. The members, made up of traditional and ``at risk'' youth, lend a hand to the state's elderly, and provide a variety of other volunteer services in several Minnesota communities. There are many other women and men who belong on this ``Honor Role'' of outstanding Minnesotans. During this month, we should all take time to remind ourselves of the important contributions made to our society by those of Asian American and Pacific Island descent, who bring with them rich cultures, desire for growth and opportunity, and the chance to achieve the American dream.

Mr. DAYTON

Mr. DAYTON. Mr. President, today I am introducing a resolution which expresses the sense of the Senate that the Senate will consider legislation providing prescription drug coverage for senior citizens by June 20, 2001. The resolution does not specify what form of coverage will be considered; rather, it simply commits us to scheduling consideration of this important legislation, and hopefully its passage, in the near future. Many of us have promised the senior citizens of our states that Congress would enact this kind of program. As you know, last year the 106th Senate was unable to reach agreement on whether to provide prescription drug coverage directly through Medicare, through subsidized insurance policies, or another mechanism. While these disagreements stymied any one measure's passage, it appeared that an overwhelming majority of Senators then supported some form of coverage. I believe it is imperative that we get a program of financial assistance for hard-pressed senior citizens quickly enacted. While I have my own preference for direct, voluntary coverage under Medicare, I am most concerned that some form of financial assistance be provided to desperate senior citizens in Minnesota and across the country, whose lives are being traumatized by the unaffordable costs of their prescription medicines. Their economic security, their emotional well-being, and their physical health are being threatened, even ruined, by ever-increasing costs over which they have no control. I respectfully request your support for this resolution when it comes to the floor for a vote.

Mr. DAYTON

Mr. DAYTON. Mr. President, I spent the past three days with a number of my colleagues on a fact-finding trip to the Artic National Wildlife Refuge. I took this trip to help prepare myself for one of the most important environmental and energy issues before us: whether or not to permit drilling for oil in the 1002 Area of ANWR. I wish to thank my distinguished colleague, Senator Murkowski, for arranging and hosting our tour. This trip was reportedly scheduled several weeks ago in consultation with the Majority Leader, who at that time did not expect the trip to conflict with votes in the Senate. Unfortunately, two votes did occur last Friday on amendments to S. 27, the campaign finance bill, and I was not present for them. Last Thursday evening, after reviewing the nature of these two amendments, I was advised by Democratic leaders to keep my commitment to undertake the trip. Had I not been necessarily absent last Friday, I would have cast my vote in support of the Reed Amendment Number 164, as modified, because it would improve the ability of the Federal Election Commission to enforce the law. I would also have voted in favor of the McCain Amendment Number 165, because it would make more workable the bill's restrictions on the coordination of independent expenditures. Both of these amendments would have strengthened the underlying bill, which I strongly support.

Mr. DAYTON

Mr. DAYTON. Mr. President, this week, as our Nation celebrates National Agriculture Week, I can think of no better time for Congress to begin the important work of addressing the urgent needs of our Nation's family farmers, ranchers, and rural communities. Through the hard work and innovation of our farmers and ranchers, we have long been the most bountiful Nation in the world. The average American farmer produces enough every year to feed and clothe 129 other people. Nowhere else do so few feed so many. Although only about 2 percent of our people work on the farm, agriculture remains a pillar of our economy. Twenty-one million Americans are employed transporting, processing, and distributing agricultural commodities. In Minnesota, agriculture represents 17 percent of the State's economy and employs roughly 22 percent of the State's workers. Our family farmers and ranchers contribute as much to our national character as to our economy. The hard work and determination of our farmers has been the foundation and source of strength for our Nation since its earliest days. As they have done for generations, American farmers continue to meet adversity with the faith, fortitude, and ingenuity. But as we enter the 21st century, America's family farmers and ranchers face a number of challenges such as continuing low commodity prices, the increasing consolidation and concentration in the agricultural economy and Congress' failure to establish a strong safety net to help when good times go bad. I believe we, as a nation, should focus on ways to support and strengthen family farms and rural communities while ensuring a vibrant, competitive agricultural marketplace. I urge Congress to take immediate action to reverse farm and trade policies that have led to several years of low prices and driven thousands of producers in Minnesota and across the country out of business. What better way to honor the hard-working family farmers and ranchers who allow our Nation to enjoy the safest, most diverse, and most affordable food supply in the world.

Mr. DAYTON

Mr. DAYTON. Mr. President and my colleagues, the Senior Senator from Minnesota, Senator Wellstone and Senator Baucus from Montana, I appreciate Senator Baucus' candor in recognizing that taconite workers have been inconsistently treated in the Department of Labor's definition of workers, eligible for Trade Adjustment Assistance. The efforts of taconite workers, from the Iron Range of Minnesota, to obtain relief from reduced production of semi-finished steel slab and steel plant closings, have been frustrated by how the Department of Labor considers the taconite industry. This is the reason Senator Wellstone and I introduced the Taconite Workers Relief Act. This bill underscores what I believe is certain: that taconite production is an essential part of an integrated steel-making process. Steel, no matter where it is made, is produced by a process initiated by iron ore or taconite pellets. Taconite pellets are melted in blast furnaces and then blown with oxygen to make steel. Every ton of imported semifinished steel displaces 1.3 tons of iron ore in basic domestic steel production. In Minnesota, in the mid-1990's, seven operating taconite mines and 6,000 workers produced 45 million tons of taconite, which is 70 percent of the nation's supply. Today, the painful reality is that production cutbacks have ravaged the United States' iron ore industry. Northshore Mining Company announced that it would cut 700,000 tons of production; U.S. Steel's Minntac plant is cutting 450,000 tons; and the Hibbing Taconite Company is cutting 1.3 million tons of production. On December 29, 2000 LTV, the third largest steel producer in the United States, filed for bankruptcy, bringing the number of steel producing companies under Chapter 11 protection to nine. The closing of LTV permanently eliminates 8 million tons of production and 1,400 jobs in Minnesota. I am sure that the pain of unemployed steelworkers in Minnesota, and the fear of those who face an uncertain future, is mirrored among steelworkers in northern Michigan. This is the reason why Senators Levin and Stabenow are also cosponsors of the Taconite Workers Relief Act. The men and women of the Iron Range, who have worked for generations in the iron ore mines of northeastern Minnesota, are members of long standing in the union of the United Steelworkers of America. These are hard working people who believe that America's steel industry is a basic industry, essential to the economic and national security of our country. These are people, with an unwavering work ethic, who understand that the steel industry is highly integrated, and who believe they are part of that industry. This is the reason I want to work to ensure the Department of Labor clearly recognizes the eligibility of taconite workers for TAA, and I also believe that eligibility should be retroactive to include workers permanently laid off in the past year. I commend the leadership of Senator Baucus in offering to support the expansion of TAA to cover taconite workers. I stand firmly on the principle that taconite workers must be treated equally at the trade table, and in the definition of eligibility for trade adjustment assistance. The opportunity the Senator has offered within the context of reauthorizing TAA is a wise strategy. I will join the Senator in working hard to eliminate any question there may be about the importance of taconite as part of an integrated steel industry.

Mr. DAYTON

Mr. DAYTON. Mr. President, today I cosponsor this legislation, introduced by the distinguished Senator from Utah and the distinguished Senator from Georgia, which would empower Congress to prohibit the burning or other desecration of the American Flag. I do so out of my conviction that the American Flag should be placed, preeminent and transcendent, as the inviolable representation of our great country, our greatest principles, and our highest ideals. Our democratically elected leaders and our representative government do not always live up to these principles and ideals. However, they have sustained and inspired our governance for over 200 years. They are the principles and ideals for which, throughout our history, so many brave men and women have given their lives. They are the principles and ideals, embodied in the American Flag, which have been consecrated with their blood. I came to this realization several years ago, when I visited the American Cemetery just off Normandy Beach in France. There stand almost 10,000 simple, white crosses in long, silent rows. Each one marks the grave of an American soldier, who gave his or her life on behalf of our country, on behalf of our principles and ideals, and on behalf of their preservation throughout the world. These brave and mostly young soldiers did not necessarily agree with every decision made by their government and its leaders at the time. Nor did the brave men and women who gave their lives in wars before or afterward. Yet they made their supreme sacrifices on each of our, and all of our, behalfs. They gave up the rest of their lives, their families, their hopes, and their dreams, so that we might live under the American Flag and enjoy all of its freedoms, privileges, and opportunities. Surely, that supreme sacrifice should be sanctified, honored, respected and forever made inviolate. Many of my friends and trusted advisers have told me I am wrong to cosponsor this Constitutional Amendment. They say it violates the very first principle for which these courageous Americans gave their lives. They say that such an amendment will weaken our First Amendment rights for future protests, disagreements, and expressions of personal and political conscience. I fully agree with their goals; yet, in this single instance, I disagree with their conclusions. No one supporting this amendment wants to compromise the essential freedoms of our First Amendment. In fact, by our seeking a Constitutional Amendment to protect the American Flag, its sponsors and supporters are acknowledging the sanctity of the United States Supreme Court's decision, which includes the burning or desecration of the American Flag as a Constitutionally protected form of ``Free Speech.'' In other words, virtually all expressions of political protest, disagreement, disrespect, and discontent are permitted. They should be. And after this Amendment is adopted, they will be. That protection of our essential freedoms, first granted and forever guaranteed by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, remain inviolable. By this Amendment, we acknowledge them, respect them, and would place above them only the one ultimate symbol of our country, our freedoms, and our great democracy: the American Flag. Mr. President, I respect all of my colleagues and fellow citizens who disagree with our purpose through this legislation. However, I hope that they will not misunderstand our intent. Contrary to what some contend, this Constitutional amendment will not weaken either the First Amendment or the United States of America. In fact, it will strengthen both. It will remind all of us that there is something greater than ourselves, something greater than our individual opinions, something greater than our individual prerogatives. That something is greater than all of us, because it is all of us; it is the Flag of the United States of America.

Mr. DAYTON

Mr. DAYTON. Mr. President, today I cosponsor this legislation, introduced by the distinguished Senator from Utah and the distinguished Senator from Georgia, which would empower Congress to prohibit the burning or other desecration of the American Flag. I do so out of my conviction that the American Flag should be placed, preeminent and transcendent, as the inviolable representation of our great country, our greatest principles, and our highest ideals. Our democratically elected leaders and our representative government do not always live up to these principles and ideals. However, they have sustained and inspired our governance for over 200 years. They are the principles and ideals for which, throughout our history, so many brave men and women have given their lives. They are the principles and ideals, embodied in the American Flag, which have been consecrated with their blood. I came to this realization several years ago, when I visited the American Cemetery just off Normandy Beach in France. There stand almost 10,000 simple, white crosses in long, silent rows. Each one marks the grave of an American soldier, who gave his or her life on behalf of our country, on behalf of our principles and ideals, and on behalf of their preservation throughout the world. These brave and mostly young soldiers did not necessarily agree with every decision made by their government and its leaders at the time. Nor did the brave men and women who gave their lives in wars before or afterward. Yet they made their supreme sacrifices on each of our, and all of our, behalfs. They gave up the rest of their lives, their families, their hopes, and their dreams, so that we might live under the American Flag and enjoy all of its freedoms, privileges, and opportunities. Surely, that supreme sacrifice should be sanctified, honored, respected and forever made inviolate. Many of my friends and trusted advisers have told me I am wrong to cosponsor this Constitutional Amendment. They say it violates the very first principle for which these courageous Americans gave their lives. They say that such an amendment will weaken our First Amendment rights for future protests, disagreements, and expressions of personal and political conscience. I fully agree with their goals; yet, in this single instance, I disagree with their conclusions. No one supporting this amendment wants to compromise the essential freedoms of our First Amendment. In fact, by our seeking a Constitutional Amendment to protect the American Flag, its sponsors and supporters are acknowledging the sanctity of the United States Supreme Court's decision, which includes the burning or desecration of the American Flag as a Constitutionally protected form of ``Free Speech.'' In other words, virtually all expressions of political protest, disagreement, disrespect, and discontent are permitted. They should be. And after this Amendment is adopted, they will be. That protection of our essential freedoms, first granted and forever guaranteed by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, remain inviolable. By this Amendment, we acknowledge them, respect them, and would place above them only the one ultimate symbol of our country, our freedoms, and our great democracy: the American Flag. Mr. President, I respect all of my colleagues and fellow citizens who disagree with our purpose through this legislation. However, I hope that they will not misunderstand our intent. Contrary to what some contend, this Constitutional amendment will not weaken either the First Amendment or the United States of America. In fact, it will strengthen both. It will remind all of us that there is something greater than ourselves, something greater than our individual opinions, something greater than our individual prerogatives. That something is greater than all of us, because it is all of us; it is the Flag of the United States of America.

Mr. DAYTON

Mr. DAYTON. Mr. President, I am proud to rise today to join with my very distinguished colleague and long-time friend, the senior Senator from Minnesota, Mr. Wellstone, to introduce with him the Taconite Workers Relief Act of 2001. That this legislation is even needed is a great American tragedy because this hard and dangerous work of iron ore mining and taconite production has bred a very special type of person. In Minnesota, we call them Iron Rangers. They are men and women who for generations have been hard-working, community-building, and patriotic Americans. The bitter irony in the title of this legislation is that these men and women do not want relief; they want work. Unfortunately, over the last 20 years, the trade policies of successive administrations have thrown thousands of them out of work, and they now threaten to extinguish the iron ore mining and taconite-producing industries in Minnesota entirely, as well as the basic steel-making industry throughout this country. Twenty years ago, this industry employed over 15,000 Minnesotans. Today, it is less than 5,000. Over 2,000 workers have been laid off in the last 2 years, and 1,400 of them come from one company, LTV, which has announced it is closing permanently. It is bad enough that U.S. trade policies have allowed, and even encouraged, this economic and social devastation which has caused immeasurable and unspeakable human devastation in northeastern Minnesota--broken lives, broken homes and families, severe depressions, even suicides. Yet adding the grievous offense to these terrible tragedies, the U.S. Government has also refused to allow these displaced workers the benefits, the job training, and other supports which Congress clearly intended when it passed the Trade Adjustment Assistance Act. In fact, the U.S. Department of Labor has consistently ruled that taconite pellets were not in direct competition with imports of semifinished steel or slab steel. That view is so ill-informed and absurd that it would be laughable if it were not for the further damage it has caused these already seriously harmed men and women. That makes such rulings inexcusable and trade adjustment assistance denials inhumane and even immoral. This legislation would make such denials illegal. It would establish the obvious: that the imports of semifinished steel, in addition to the continuous import of foreign steel and iron ore, are directly causing these job losses. It establishes that the illegal dumping of these products are within the province of the International Trade Commission which, I might add, is proven to be an ineffective protector of Minnesota industries and American jobs. This legislation, while needed to provide the assistance these workers need and deserve, is by no means a solution to the much larger problem of protecting this basic industry for the sake of our national economy, for the sake of our national security, and certainly for the sake of these dedicated men and women in Minnesota and elsewhere in the country who want to go to work, who want to earn a living, who want to contribute to the economic strength of this country and who, through misguided policies, are now being denied the opportunity to do so. I yield the floor to my colleague from Minnesota.

Mr. DAYTON. Mr. President, I agree with Senator Wellstone. He points to a couple of other failures of our society. As he said, there is a lack of health coverage for families when someone loses their job through no choice or fault of their own. That is one of the great travesties of this situation. It takes what is an already awful situation and makes it even more destructive to an individual. It is bad enough when people can't afford Christmas presents, but then they cannot afford to take their child to a doctor and cannot afford to have their own health problems diagnosed on a timely basis. When they cannot afford to get surgery, then it becomes a problem this country and society should not allow. I underscore the Senator's point that he made a short while ago. There was a janitor's position that opened up to take care of all sorts of restrooms and everything else in one of the county buildings and, that paid less than $7 an hour. There were over 300 applicants for that one position. It underscores again how hard it is for people who want to work and are willing to work at anything rather than take a handout and relief. It is basic humanity to offer assistance. Again, I hope to work with the Senator so that we can pass this legislation. The administration must acknowledge their failure to provide assistance to the men and women of the Iron Range who want to contribute to the economic strength of this country.

Mr. DAYTON. I agree with you, Senator Wellstone. People up there are suffering enormously because of these tragedies. To look in their faces, to see the pain and suffering, to see fathers and mothers who cannot support their families, who are losing not only their homes but their jobs and way of life--as you know, Senator, thousands of people from across the Iron Range have had to leave the area where they were born, where their families have lived for generations, because they cannot find work there. We are losing especially the youngest. In fact, part of a whole generation of Minnesotans have had to leave the Iron Range because of the lack of job opportunities. The average age of a citizen now in northeastern Minnesota is over the age of 55. Over half the citizens who reside there are senior citizens. This kind of devastation is really unspeakable, unfair, and, as I say, it is a consequence of over 20 years of what I believe are misguided trade policies. I agree with my distinguished colleague, the senior Senator from Minnesota, that we should be looking forward to working with the new Secretary of Labor, the new ambassador, and the international trade ambassador. They are not the architects of these policies. Hopefully, with a new administration, we can work together because at least the trade adjustment assistance benefits, the program itself--this is clearly, precisely what was intended by Congress when it was passed. It is just unconscionable that it has not been provided administratively already. I agree with you that should be an option. But in the broader context of these policies, before these industries are wiped out in the United States, I hope the administration will take a serious look at them. I yield back to my colleague.

Mr. DAYTON

Mr. DAYTON. Mr. President, I am proud to rise today to join with my very distinguished colleague and long-time friend, the senior Senator from Minnesota, Mr. Wellstone, to introduce with him the Taconite Workers Relief Act of 2001. That this legislation is even needed is a great American tragedy because this hard and dangerous work of iron ore mining and taconite production has bred a very special type of person. In Minnesota, we call them Iron Rangers. They are men and women who for generations have been hard-working, community-building, and patriotic Americans. The bitter irony in the title of this legislation is that these men and women do not want relief; they want work. Unfortunately, over the last 20 years, the trade policies of successive administrations have thrown thousands of them out of work, and they now threaten to extinguish the iron ore mining and taconite-producing industries in Minnesota entirely, as well as the basic steel-making industry throughout this country. Twenty years ago, this industry employed over 15,000 Minnesotans. Today, it is less than 5,000. Over 2,000 workers have been laid off in the last 2 years, and 1,400 of them come from one company, LTV, which has announced it is closing permanently. It is bad enough that U.S. trade policies have allowed, and even encouraged, this economic and social devastation which has caused immeasurable and unspeakable human devastation in northeastern Minnesota--broken lives, broken homes and families, severe depressions, even suicides. Yet adding the grievous offense to these terrible tragedies, the U.S. Government has also refused to allow these displaced workers the benefits, the job training, and other supports which Congress clearly intended when it passed the Trade Adjustment Assistance Act. In fact, the U.S. Department of Labor has consistently ruled that taconite pellets were not in direct competition with imports of semifinished steel or slab steel. That view is so ill-informed and absurd that it would be laughable if it were not for the further damage it has caused these already seriously harmed men and women. That makes such rulings inexcusable and trade adjustment assistance denials inhumane and even immoral. This legislation would make such denials illegal. It would establish the obvious: that the imports of semifinished steel, in addition to the continuous import of foreign steel and iron ore, are directly causing these job losses. It establishes that the illegal dumping of these products are within the province of the International Trade Commission which, I might add, is proven to be an ineffective protector of Minnesota industries and American jobs. This legislation, while needed to provide the assistance these workers need and deserve, is by no means a solution to the much larger problem of protecting this basic industry for the sake of our national economy, for the sake of our national security, and certainly for the sake of these dedicated men and women in Minnesota and elsewhere in the country who want to go to work, who want to earn a living, who want to contribute to the economic strength of this country and who, through misguided policies, are now being denied the opportunity to do so. I yield the floor to my colleague from Minnesota.

Mr. DAYTON. I agree with you, Senator Wellstone. People up there are suffering enormously because of these tragedies. To look in their faces, to see the pain and suffering, to see fathers and mothers who cannot support their families, who are losing not only their homes but their jobs and way of life--as you know, Senator, thousands of people from across the Iron Range have had to leave the area where they were born, where their families have lived for generations, because they cannot find work there. We are losing especially the youngest. In fact, part of a whole generation of Minnesotans have had to leave the Iron Range because of the lack of job opportunities. The average age of a citizen now in northeastern Minnesota is over the age of 55. Over half the citizens who reside there are senior citizens. This kind of devastation is really unspeakable, unfair, and, as I say, it is a consequence of over 20 years of what I believe are misguided trade policies. I agree with my distinguished colleague, the senior Senator from Minnesota, that we should be looking forward to working with the new Secretary of Labor, the new ambassador, and the international trade ambassador. They are not the architects of these policies. Hopefully, with a new administration, we can work together because at least the trade adjustment assistance benefits, the program itself--this is clearly, precisely what was intended by Congress when it was passed. It is just unconscionable that it has not been provided administratively already. I agree with you that should be an option. But in the broader context of these policies, before these industries are wiped out in the United States, I hope the administration will take a serious look at them. I yield back to my colleague.

Mr. DAYTON. Mr. President, I agree with Senator Wellstone. He points to a couple of other failures of our society. As he said, there is a lack of health coverage for families when someone loses their job through no choice or fault of their own. That is one of the great travesties of this situation. It takes what is an already awful situation and makes it even more destructive to an individual. It is bad enough when people can't afford Christmas presents, but then they cannot afford to take their child to a doctor and cannot afford to have their own health problems diagnosed on a timely basis. When they cannot afford to get surgery, then it becomes a problem this country and society should not allow. I underscore the Senator's point that he made a short while ago. There was a janitor's position that opened up to take care of all sorts of restrooms and everything else in one of the county buildings and, that paid less than $7 an hour. There were over 300 applicants for that one position. It underscores again how hard it is for people who want to work and are willing to work at anything rather than take a handout and relief. It is basic humanity to offer assistance. Again, I hope to work with the Senator so that we can pass this legislation. The administration must acknowledge their failure to provide assistance to the men and women of the Iron Range who want to contribute to the economic strength of this country.

Mr. DAYTON

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

Mr. DAYTON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I now be recognized to speak for up to 10 minutes as in morning business.

Mr. DAYTON

Mr. DAYTON. Mr. President, I rise today to give my first speech on the Senate floor, mindful of what a great privilege it is to stand here and also what a tremendous opportunity it is to be of service to others. I am also mindful that I was elected last fall for special reasons. I made some very important promises to Minnesotans, promises that I intend to keep. Foremost among them was my promise to Minnesota senior citizens to help design and pass prescription drug coverage that would be available to everyone who is presently receiving Medicare. Far too many times last year, I saw the suffering and the fear which our elderly were experiencing. I saw it in their weary faces, in their eyes filled with tears, and in their trembling hands. For them, the promises of Social Security and Medicare were unraveling, promises of retirement years with reliable economic security, free at least from the financial uncertainties and emergencies. But in their lives, higher and higher prescription drug prices destroyed their financial health and ravaged their emotional well-being. So last spring I began my ``Rx Express'' bus trips to Canada. Borrowing this idea from others, I took busloads of Minnesota senior citizens to Canada where they could buy the same prescription medicines at far lower prices--often for half the cost in the United States, or less, for the same medicine, produced by exactly the same manufacturer. I rode the first bus myself, leaving St. Cloud, MN, at 7 a.m. with 42 senior citizens and returning almost 18 hours later. This was no pleasure cruise. In fact, we spent the entire time crowded together on a compact bus, stopping only for customs, a Canadian doctor's office, a pharmacist, and for dinner. As we traveled those long hours, I was struck by the awful absurdity of our trip, because we in Minnesota pride ourselves on having world-class medical care facilities. In fact, people come from all over the world to Minnesota for the best possible health care --places such as the Mayo Clinic, the University of Minnesota Hospital, and Children's Hospital. Yet here we were, enduring a miserable travel marathon so that our senior citizens--the most elderly, frail, and vulnerable among us--could save precious dollars on the costs of their life-saving medicines. Believe me, their cost savings were very substantial. We took a dozen of these bus trips to Canada last year, and the average savings per senior was $350. One gentlemen saved over $1,400 on the cost of his U.S. drugs for the 6 months. Another woman said to me that her life had been saved twice--once when her medicine became available, and the second time when she could actually afford them. I will continue the Rx Express buses by donating my Senate paychecks to the Minnesota Senior Federation or some other organization that will use my contributions to continue them. However, the solution to prescription drug affordability is not to bus every Minnesotan to Canada. Rather, it is to provide prescription drug coverage to every senior citizen across America. When I was home last week, many elderly Minnesotans asked me, when will this kind of program become a reality? For them, the need is immediate and acute. So their need for us to act is immediate and acute. Unfortunately, today Congress shows little sign of reacting with urgency to this emergency. Last year, Members deadlocked over the form this coverage should take. Some favored adding prescription drug coverage as a direct benefit under Medicare. Others wanted to assist seniors in purchasing private insurance policies to provide such coverage. Other proposals were introduced, but none gained enough support to pass into law. So here we are again, and here again are the elderly in Minnesota and in 49 other States waiting for us to do what almost all of us say we want to do. As the President said last night, no senior in America should have to choose between buying food and buying prescriptions. The President is absolutely right. Yet today, across our country, retired Americans are being forced to make that same terrible choice: Don't eat, turn off the heat, or stop taking life-enhancing or even life- preserving medicines. The President also said last night that Medicare must be modernized and we must make sure every senior on Medicare can choose a health care plan that offers prescription drugs. Again, the President is right. His words offer hope to millions of seniors who do not have and cannot afford such coverage. But as my mother used to say to me when I was growing up, actions speak louder than words. She usually said that when my actions or inactions were contradicting my words. For this Congress, that test begins today. Were all the commitments I made just words? Were all the promises I made and heard others make just words? Were the President's assurances last night just words? I know I meant what I said, and I truly believe President Bush meant what he said last night. But now we must act. Now we must act. The same proposals that were made last year can be considered again. I strongly prefer providing direct coverage under Medicare. I believe it best meets the essential requirements for any good plan--that the program would provide an immediate benefit; the plan would have universal coverage, the benefit being available to all eligible beneficiaries; the plan would negotiate discounts, allowing both seniors and the Government to get the lowest prices, negotiating price reductions just as every large business with self-insurers or every large HMO regularly does on behalf of its clients; the plan would provide catastrophic coverage for beneficiaries who have the highest drug costs. However, I also know that these are some of the very reasons the pharmaceutical industry and others will fiercely oppose this particular program. I don't want to participate in another deadlock that prevented Congress from acting last year, nor do I want to participate in creating new excuses for why Congress has not passed universal drug coverage which the President can sign this year. I prefer it to be this month, but certainly no less than this year. That timetable surely means designing and enacting a prescription drug program that is separate from and passes before so-called comprehensive Medicare reform. If that lengthy review and reform points to modifications or improvements in our previously enacted prescription drug coverage, then so be it. If we can design a better, less costly, more efficient program, then terrific, but as Franklin Delano Roosevelt said to his Cabinet when he took office in 1933: Try something. If it doesn't work, try something else, but for God's sake, try something. We can adopt one of the programs that has already been proposed or, in the President's spirit of bipartisanship, we can merge two of last year's competing proposals providing, for example, direct Medicare coverage for seniors earning up to 175 percent of the poverty level and for seniors earning over that amount, private insurance policies. Then we can see which one works better. What is important is to get something working now. President Dwight Eisenhower once said: I think the people want peace so much that one of these days governments better get out of their way and let them have it. In the same way, I believe America's senior citizens want prescription drug coverage so much that our Government had better let them have it. The sooner the better. I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. DAYTON

Mr. DAYTON. Mr. President, This month in Minnesota and across the country we celebrate ``Black History Month''--a time when our nation rightfully recognizes the many and varied achievements of African Americans and the positive contributions they have made to American society and to our way of life. In 1926, Carter Woodson--considered by many to be the ``Father of Black History''--created Negro History Week, which became Black History Week in the early 1970s. In 1976, February was chosen to be Black History Month, because it included the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, both of whom made heroic contributions to the lives of African Americans in this country. Today, Americans of all races recognize Black History Month as an important way to celebrate the achievements of African-Americans in Minnesota and the United States. However, today, and throughout our history as we honor this commemoration, we must also remember that we have a long way to go to ensure full and equal rights, opportunities, and benefits for all Americans. We must be bolder in our efforts to ensure that all Americans--of every race--have the opportunity to share in--and contribute to--our economic prosperity. That means a quality education, adequate housing and health care for all Americans. And it means that our tax and budget policies must spread their benefits across all social and economic lines. We must renew our commitments to ensure that all American--of every race--can fully share in--and contribute to--our economic prosperity. That means quality education, housing, and health care for all Americans. It means a good job with living wages, so that everyone can earn the American dream. And it means our tax and budget policies must spread their benefits across all social and economic lines. We must increase our efforts to ensure that our justice system is color blind when it comes to enacting and enforcing our laws. Racial profiling, hate crimes, prejudice, and discrimination must be eliminated now and forever. Ever since a Minneapolis Mayor named Hubert Humphrey challenged the consensus of the Democratic Party on civil rights in 1948, the women and men who have lead and shaped my party have made tremendous contributions to achieving these national goals. But this work is yet unfinished, and it is now, during Black History Month, that all members of this new Congress and our new President must rededicate ourselves to these causes. I voted against confirmation of our new Attorney General, John Ashcroft, because I did not think he was adequately committed to upholding our nation's long and hard-fought tradition--forged by Democrats and Republicans alike--on civil rights. Now that he has been confirmed, however, I hope he will demonstrate through his actions that he truly is interested in justice for all Americans, regardless of race. I intend to hold him to the promises he made during his confirmation process that he will not repeat his past actions that demonstrated a racial insensitivity which not only divided many communities, but also the work of this Senate. The Bush Administration's recent announcement that it will appoint an African American as Attorney General Ashcroft's top deputy is a good start to healing some of these rifts, but we must see action. Minnesota takes great pride in the African Americans who have made our state and our country a better place to live, work, and recreate. Their contributions to the arts, business, politics and culture are numerous. Starting back in the Civil War, Black Minnesotans were involved in important undertakings that contributed to the good of the nation. In 1860, although there were only 259 residents of African descent in the state, 104 Black men served in the Union army. Despite being paid less and suffering from racial prejudice, they fought courageously along with their white brethren. Minnesotans also played important roles in more recent civil rights advances. The U.S. Postal Service recently honored St. Paul native Roy Wilkins as the 24th American honored in the Black Heritage Commemorative Stamp Series. As a leader of the NAACP when this country made significant civil rights advances, his legacy is felt today across this country. Alan Page was first known to most of us as an all-pro Hall of Fame lineman for the Minnesota Vikings. However, Alan has often said he takes more pride in his subsequent career as a Special Assistant Attorney General and an Associate Justice on the Minnesota Supreme Court. Nellie Stone Johnson has had a long and distinguished record of public service in support of the advancement of minority concerns, the rights of workers, and equal opportunities for all people. Her life is chronicled with a series of ``firsts.'' As a leader of organized labor in the 1930s and 1940s, she was the first woman vice president of the Minnesota Culinary Council and the first woman vice president of Local 665 of the Hotel and Restaurant Employees Union. She was also the first African American elected to citywide office in Minneapolis when she won a seat on the Library Board in 1945. Sharon Sayles-Belton, another of Minnesota's greatest mayors, has for almost eight years led initiatives to make our state's largest city a better place to live, work, do business and educate our children. And Billy McGee, a Public Defender who passed away last year, was a tireless champion of civil and human rights in the Twin Cities community. Everyone knew that they could call Billy at all hours and be assured of his help. Minnesota native Dave Winfield and World Series hero Kirby Puckett were both voted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame last year. Not only are they great athletes, they are greatly respected and enormously contributing civic leaders. And William Finney is the distinguished Chief of Police of our capitol city, St. Paul. He has successfully integrated that police force, combatted crime afflicting citizens of all races and nationalities, and helped lead the way for racial and social advances in his city. Those are just a few of the Minnesotans who have and continue to set examples for the rest of us. There are many more women and men who are giving their very best to improve our state. As we celebrate Black History Month, we can all do well to look to their examples of activism and excellence. And we can strive to follow their leadership in making this country all that it should be for all our citizens.

Mr. DAYTON

Mr. DAYTON. Mr. President, I had planned to deliver this morning my first formal Senate remarks about the urgent need to provide prescription drug coverage for America's senior citizens. It is a crisis affecting many Minnesota seniors, and I will return to the floor very soon to address its urgency. However, I have decided to defer my first address, to show my deep respect for the courageous soldiers killed in the recent crash of two Army Black Hawk helicopters. Two of the victims were native Minnesotans: Sergeant Thomas E. Barber and Major Robert L. Olson. I offer my deepest condolences to the families and friends of Major Olson, Sergeant Barber, and the four other soldiers who gave their lives in the service of our country. We join with you in mourning their deaths, and we pay tribute to them for their ultimate sacrifice on behalf of our national defense. My prayers also extend to the eleven (11) other soldiers, who were injured in the accident. May they be graced with swift and complete recoveries. As President Abraham Lincoln stated in his famous address at Gettysburg, ``The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us--that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion--that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.'' This tragedy should remind us that, even during times of peace, our freedom and our security are neither free nor secure. They must continually be earned and protected, in order to be assured. For these always awesome, often invisible, and usually thankless responsibilities, we rely upon our Armed Forces, and especially upon the men and women in uniform. They risk their lives, so that we can enjoy our lives. And sometimes, they are called upon even to give up their lives, in order to safeguard our lives. They make the ultimate sacrifice; they pay the ultimate price; they commit the ultimate acts of heroism, so that we might be safe, secure, and free. All of us Americans owe these two Minnesotans, Major Robert L. Olson and Sergeant Thomas E. Barber, and their fellow soldiers a debt which we can never repay. We owe their families and friends our lifelong gratitude, support, and assistance for the burdens they must now bear on all our behalf. And we can only stand in awe and admiration as we witness such courage, such heroism, and such devotion as the men and women who serve their great country with their abilities and who protect it with their lives.