Bill Frist

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, responding to the Senator from California, both of these issues--port security, as well as the methamphetamine-- are very important issues that I believe this body unanimously will support. And after consultation with the Democratic leader, we will address those very early when we come back in January or February. They are both very important bills.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, real quickly, this means that we will have 30 minutes of total debate followed by the concurrent resolution, followed immediately by Defense appropriations, followed by the authorization by voice. That is my understanding.

Mr. FRIST. I yield back the time on our side.

Mr. FRIST

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. In the 20th century, three influenza pandemics. The worst of the three, the 1918 Spanish flu, killed over half-a-million Americans and more than 40 million worldwide. Secretary Leavitt warns that if past is prologue, the world is overdue for another flu pandemic. The avian flu spreading from East Asia to Romania and Turkey looks and acts more like the virus of 1918 than of any of its more moderate cousins. If it achieves the final step of human-to-human transmission, the consequences could be catastrophic both in loss of human life and economic meltdown. Recently, the Congressional Budget Office released a study which I had specifically requested on the economic impact of a flu pandemic. The CBO predicts that the American economy could suffer a $675 billion setback, a 5-percent loss in GDP, in the year a pandemic might hit. The clock is ticking, and we need to act now. We need to put the wheels in motion so that when and if the avian flu hits, America is prepared. If we don't, and an avian flu epidemic comes to our shores, we will rightly be blamed for failing to do our best to protect the American people. The finger will be pointing straight at the Congress. What we need in order to be prepared is a six-pronged approach. We need communication, surveillance, antivirals, vaccines, research, and stockpiling and surge capacity. This may sound like a lot of moving parts, but between our researchers, entrepreneurs, and public health experts, we have the intellect, the ingenuity, and the knowledge to get the job done. My duty as an elected official and as a doctor is to see this through to make sure that we are adequately prepared and we can look our constituents in the eye and tell them we have done everything we can to be prepared. Our economy, our country, and our lives are depending on it. The President has laid out a comprehensive plan. It is our job, now, to set aside sufficient resources to tackle this looming threat. I urge my colleagues to set aside their partisan differences and pull together to protect the American people. The flu virus won't know who is Republican and who is Democrat, but the people who suffer will know who didn't get the job done. We don't need to panic, but we do need to be prepared. We need to act, and that is what we intend to do.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. On Monday, Afghanistan's first democratically elected Parliament in more than 30 years convened before the eyes of the world. It was an emotional moment and one of great pride for the Afghan people. As President Karzai told his audience of 351 new parliament members, with Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife Lynne listening in the front row, ``This dear Afghanistan has risen again from the ashes.'' Here in the United States, we are full of hope for the Afghan people and we share in their joy. They have suffered a long and difficult journey. Twenty years of civil war. Nearly another decade of total repression. But they have finally reached the shores of freedom, and the future spread out before them is one of hope, progress, and limitless possibility. We are proud to count Afghanistan as a free country, a fellow democracy, and a friend of the United States of America. This past year has been one of extraordinary events in the Middle East. We have seen amazing images of people celebrating their newfound liberty--cheering, dancing and singing in the streets that they, too, are now free. From the cedar revolution in Lebanon to the historic elections in Iraq, the winds of democratic change are blowing across Arab lands. A new report by the highly respected human rights group Freedom House finds genuine stirrings of democratic progress: local elections in Saudi Arabia; women's new voting rights in Kuwait; improved elections in Egypt and the Palestinian territories. The organization's director of research notes that, ``Many people predicted that American policy in Iraq and elsewhere would set back the cause of freedom. This year's results suggest that hasn't been the case.'' Indeed, I would go further to say that President Bush, our brave men and women in uniform, our coalition partners, and courageous citizens across the Middle East deserve tremendous credit for advancing the cause of freedom. That freedom is bringing hope and optimism to millions of people long oppressed. Last week's ABC News poll found that Iraqis believe their lives are going well, and nearly two-thirds expect things to improve in the year ahead. Average Iraqi household incomes have skyrocketed by 60 percent in the last 20 months. Iraqis are quickly joining the swift current of modern life with cell phones and the Internet, cars, washing machines, and satellite dishes. Another new poll in Pakistan found that in that Muslim country, public opinion toward the United States has dramatically improved. Favorable opinion toward the United States has more than doubled since May to nearly half of those polled, while support for al-Qaida has plunged to its lowest level since 9/11. Times are changing, and they are changing for the better. It is true, we still face a terrorist enemy who targets innocent civilians with bombings and beheadings, who dreams of inflicting massive violence on the American people. These same enemies sent suicide bombers to murder innocent Jordanians only a few weeks ago. They despise freedom, and they are bending every effort to derail the democratic process. But they will not succeed. I am confident that America and her allies will prevail. I am confident that we will defeat the terrorist enemy and bury its twisted aims. And all the while, we will continue to stand behind Iraq, Afghanistan and all champions of freedom as they work to secure the blessings of liberty.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. For 75 years, the Magen David Adom has served as Israel's emergency relief service.. Founded in 1930 by seven Israeli doctors and a one-room emergency medical service, the MDA has grown to play a major role working alongside the Israeli Army Medical Corps in times of war and peace. Twelve hundred employees and more than 10,000 volunteers have helped countless disaster, accident, and terrorism victims within Israel's borders. And on battlefields and disaster areas around the world, the relief service has distinguished itself with consummate caring, professionalism and bravery. Even the United States has been a beneficiary of the MDA's humanitarian efforts. Most recently, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina MDA Israel launched an emergency mission named ``United Brotherhood'' to collect donations, funds, clothing and other equipment for the New Orleans survivors who were left homeless. Despite their indisputably noble work, for nearly 60 years the organization has been excluded from the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The reason? The Israeli agency has been excluded for 60 years because of its decision to retain its own protective symbol rather than adopt the Red Cross or the Red Crescent. Finally, this month, the impasse was broken. An overwhelming majority of the state-parties to the Geneva Conventions approved a new protective symbol--a ``Red Crystal''--to allow the relief agency to operate as a member of the global humanitarian movement. Within Israel's territory, the agency will still use the Red Star of David. Around the world, it will use the Red Crystal Protective Symbol, with the option of also displaying its traditional logo if the host country permits. Aside from a few remaining formalities, the Israeli emergency service will, finally, at long last, take its place as a full member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. I would have liked to have seen straightforward international recognition of the traditional symbol. But the new Red Crystal is a worthy and fair compromise. I commend the International Committee of the Red Cross and the American Red Cross for their efforts to bring this vital and life saving organization into the fold. And I applaud the Magen David Adom for their compassionate and honorable work inspired by faith and carried out everyday with extraordinary courage.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I thank the Senators from Hawaii for their review of our actions and intent in securing the Senate's action on S. 147. In addition to our two Senators from Hawaii, the Governor of Hawaii has consistently sought our action on this bill, and I am fully committed to assuring that the measure is brought before the Senate early in the next session of the Congress. Mr. President, because a few of our colleagues are apparently not inclined to allow the bill to be considered under unanimous consent, it may be necessary to once again file a cloture petition to enable the measure to be given the Senate's full consideration. I want to assure my colleagues from Hawaii that the commitment I made in December of last year remains firm, and that I will work with them to take the appropriate steps to assure Senate action on S. 147 early in the second session of the 109th Congress.

Mr. FRIST

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

Mr. FRIST

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

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, we have a lot to do in wrapup tonight. As we get those papers ready and bring the year to a close, I want to look back over what we have been able to accomplish and then look ahead at what we can expect. In a letter to John Adams in September 1817, Thomas Jefferson, our third President, wrote: A morsel of genuine history is a thing so rare as to be always valuable. This past year has presented far more than a morsel. We have been witness to an abundance of extraordinary historic milestones, from the Iraqi elections and Lebanon's cedar revolution, the selection of a new Pope in Rome, and a new Chief Justice to lead the Supreme Court to the outpouring of generosity for the American people, first for the tsunami survivors, and then to their fellow citizens on the gulf coast. Mr. President, 2005 has been a year of outsize events. I commend to my colleagues an article that appeared in Sunday's Washington Post. It was on the continuing success of the Army in reenlisting our GIs. It appeared on A-27 entitled ``GIs in Iraq Choosing to Re-up.'' Across Iraq, U.S. soldiers on the front lines are reenlisting by the thousands. Since 2001, the Army has surpassed its retention targets by wider and wider margins each year. Conjuring up vivid scenes of daring and service, the Post reports that: On palace rooftops and pockmarked streets, GIs are reenlisting in rituals that range from dramatic to harrowing. Soldiers have taken the oath in gaudy former residences of Saddam Hussein and in the spider hole near Tikrit where the gray-bearded fugitive was captured in December of 2003 . . . Despite the risks and long months away from home, many soldiers . . . say serving in Iraq gives them a powerful sense of purpose. So during this holiday season, I ask every American to offer their prayers, to offer their thanks to these brave young men and women who are risking their lives in far away lands to protect us and to provide us security. I am gratified by the passage of the Defense appropriations bill tonight. This important legislation helps ensure that our armed services will receive the resources and authorities they need to protect America. From delivering advanced technologies to improving personnel protection, this bill delivers crucial support for our courageous men and women in uniform. While our troops are protecting us abroad, the PATRIOT Act is protecting us here at home. Tonight we passed a 6-month extension to this critical legislation. By unanimously and in a bipartisan way agreeing to a 6-month extension, the Senate reaffirmed that the PATRIOT Act is one of our most important tools in the war on terror both now and into the future. Yes, we need to improve that act and, yes, no longer can we tolerate obstruction to that improvement of the act, but in a bipartisan way we came together tonight to say that despite a lot of passions and statements that we could rise above it, put forth a 6-month extension, and then hopefully be able to address and improve the PATRIOT Act. It has been an intense and productive year for the Senate. We were able to meet many of our goals to deliver meaningful solutions to the needs, wants, and desires of the American people. Strength and security throughout were our guiding principles. We rolled up our shirt sleeves and tackled a number of fundamental structural issues that were driving up gas prices, that were inhibiting and constricting innovation, and that were threatening America's security. To strengthen America's economic security, we passed a sweeping deficit reduction bill today that for the first time in 8 years cuts the growth of mandatory spending. This was a huge victory for the American people. It was a huge victory for fiscal responsibility. It was a victory for the American taxpayer. It shows that we are serious as a body about fiscal restraint, about cutting out wasteful Washington spending. Because of these critical reforms, America will be in a stronger position to meet our obligations, especially to the baby boomers who, as we all know, are just beginning to retire, especially to that doubling of the seniors in our population today, especially to the workforce who will be supporting those seniors in the years to come. This year, we also passed a tax cut extension. We also passed an energy bill, a major highway bill. We addressed free trade through the Central American Free Trade Act. We addressed pensions. Just today, we passed SMART grants, which actually give up to $8,000 over 2 years to disadvantaged or low-income students, to Pell-income students, to encourage them to major in math, science, and engineering, those fields which we know are important to job creation in the future. By facing these issues head on, by responding to them, by legislating, we are making America less dependent on foreign oil, more prepared to compete with India and China in that global marketplace. We helped rebuild that infrastructure to support and promote our economic growth. We also addressed a problem that has been hanging over the small business community and the courts for years--the litigation lottery lawsuit abuse. We all know that frivolous litigation has been driving up health care costs. It has been driving up consumer prices for everything from toothpaste to blue jeans. It has been clogging our courts. It has been making our health care more expensive, and that drives people to the ranks of the uninsured. It generally wastes our taxpayer dollars, taxpayer dollars that can be spent more productively. For years, Republicans have fought for reform, have talked reform, but in this Congress we have delivered on litigation reform, on lawsuit abuse reform. We passed class action reform. We passed bankruptcy reform. We passed gun manufacturing liability reform. That is three reforms in terms of liability. Tonight, just a few hours ago, we passed very targeted vaccine manufacturing protections in emergency situations to make America safer, to help rebuild that manufacturing capacity which has been decimated over the past 20 years. This brings fairness to our system. This brings rationality to the system. This slows down the litigation lottery that injects inequities into our system. As a result, appropriate compensation will go to the people who really need it. Those resources which are wasted and which are taken out of the system are directed to those people who do deserve appropriately to be compensated. These are the economic issues. At the same time we were addressing those economic issues, we also continued to focus on securing our homeland, focusing on our homeland security, strengthening our national security. Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to travel in part as a Senator but in larger part probably as a physician to Sri Lanka, where I had the chance to witness the devastation that occurred as a result of that natural tsunami disaster. In the wake of that particular disaster, in this body we passed a generous relief package that helped the victims recover and rebuild. This critical help paid immediate dividends in lives saved and--we cannot dismiss this--it helped improve the way others around the world look at us. They recognize America's good will. They recognize America's compassion. I say this because I think it particularly is important among Muslims in Southeast Asia. Likewise, our outpouring of aid and assistance to Pakistan following their earthquake disaster has significantly improved our standing in that country. Disaster, as we all know, unfortunately, was a dominant thing throughout 2005, and here at home we were hit through Katrina and Rita by the worst natural disaster in the history of this country. Hundreds of thousands of residents across Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi were flooded from their homes. Katrina devastated 90,000 square miles. That is an area larger than the United Kingdom. A few hours ago, on the Senate floor, Senator Stevens was recounting his experiences having spent several days along that gulf coast. About 3 to 4 days after the levees broke in New Orleans, I, too, had the opportunity to be in the airport as patients were being brought in and people were being evacuated out of New Orleans. I had the opportunity to talk to people on stretchers who 3 days before had homes that they had been in for 30, 40, 50 years. Those homes were totally washed away and destroyed with all of their belongings. Whole towns were washed away. We traveled also on the first trip, as well as the second trip, to Alabama and to Mississippi, along that entire gulf coast. One can see the utter catastrophe of that coast, inland for miles. The Senate immediately set to work providing aid, relief, and support, and that continued tonight. We passed numerous measures to help people get up off the ground and to get their boots back on the ground and be able to reestablish some element of normalcy and also to support the rebuilding efforts that have begun, that will result in renewal we all know will continue long into the future. Tonight, as part of the Defense appropriations bill, we passed $29 billion in Hurricanes Katrina and Rita relief. We will continue to work hard to help the citizens of the gulf coast rebuild, renew, and restore their communities in the days ahead, in the weeks and months ahead, and, indeed, in the years ahead. The American people stand firmly behind their neighbors in the gulf region. We also took action tonight to prepare for another potential disaster that is waiting to happen, and that is the threat of avian flu. We do not know if avian flu is going to become transmissible from one person to another person to another, but what we do know is that it is a novel virus. It is a new virus. It is very similar to that virus of 1918 which we know killed about 50,000 people--actually killed about 30 million to 40 million people worldwide and half a million people in this country. We know that novel virus we do not have any immunity to. We don't have any natural immunity to it. We know with that novel virus today, that people who have been infected have a 50-percent mortality rate. One out of every two people we know were infected with that virus died. We know that virus has jumped to other species. It jumped from avian or birds that it starts in, to cats, and from cats we know that it has jumped to humans. We know that 5 million--20 million birds died, and 100 million, now 200 million birds died, and it started in southeast Asia and is now moving across to eastern Europe. We do not know if it is going to become a pandemic, but what we do know is we are unprepared. We know it is fast moving. The Congressional Budget Office study the other day said if that virus does become transmissible, and if it has the same fatality rate and prevalence rate as that virus in 1918, the so-called Spanish flu, the economic impact on this country could be as high as $675 billion. The good news is we know if we become prepared, we can reduce that markedly, and we can save lives. But we are unprepared today. How do we respond? Again, about 2 hours ago we put in money, additional resources, and we put in appropriate targeted liability protections to help build our manufacturing base, and we added an element of compensation in the event that somebody was inadvertently hurt in some way by a vaccine or a countermeasure that was necessary in emergency situations, they could seek and receive compensation. We are going to be better prepared as a product of this. Whether it is in the next 5 weeks, 5 months, or 5 years, we will be able to look our constituents in the eye and tell them that we did the right thing on December 21, 2005, and that help, indeed, is on the way. Our Nation is a large nation. It is a diverse and a vibrant nation. To meet all of these challenges before us, we need a sound government, a strong government, an efficient government that meets its basic obligations. Here, too, we have acted this year. We made progress. We need a government that is smart, that is efficient, that is effective; a government that works for the people and respects the taxpayers' hard-earned dollar. To that end, this year we passed a budget resolution. What is remarkable--but I am sure doesn't sound remarkable to people across America who are viewing tonight--is the fact that we passed all 12 appropriations bills, our spending bills, one by one, individually, across the floor of the Senate. It is almost embarrassing that we have to say that is a great achievement, but indeed in this body it is a tremendous achievement that has not been achieved in years. We passed the Health and Human Services bill a couple of hours ago, the 12th of those bills. These are the bills that ensure that Government is carrying out its most basic function: to protect and serve the American people and to do so in a fiscally responsible way. This year we were also able to overcome partisan obstruction, which was very frustrating, which continued for about 2\1/2\, almost 3 years. We were able to overcome the judicial obstruction, this partisan obstruction, and indeed successfully confirm eight Federal judges who had previously been obstructed, who had previously been filibustered. These judges now are serving America proudly. They allow our courts to be able to function at full capacity and thus provide the justice that had been lacking because of not being able to fill those seats. Of course, this fall we had the privilege of confirming a new Chief Justice to the Supreme Court; a man all of us have gotten to know, the eminently qualified and highly respected Justice John Roberts. All of this is just a partial accounting of the work that we were able to do this year to strengthen America, to move us forward, to strengthen our economic security, to strengthen our national security. In the new year, we are going to have a lot of challenges. We have a lot to accomplish over the next year. But I am absolutely confident that by keeping our eye on the ball, by staying focused, by working together in a bipartisan way we will be able to continue to cut bureaucratic redtape, to have more efficient Government, to demonstrate more fiscal restraint, to lower Government spending, to support our troops in the field, and to promote policies that will make America safer and more prosperous and healthier and stronger. I extend my warm wishes to my colleagues for a joyous holiday season. The holidays also are an opportunity to gather with loved ones, to cherish achievements, and to recommit ourselves to the challenges that lay ahead. May we all find strength and renewal in this season, and may we all allow the good will which warms our homes during the holidays to be shared with others--our families, our friends, our neighbors-- throughout the year to come. To our colleagues, to our staff, to the pages who are here tonight, the colleagues who hopefully are at home and in bed now, to the press corps who has been so actively covering us up until about 15 or 20 minutes ago and are probably writing their stories right now, I wish you all happy holidays, and to all a very Merry Fristmas. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Senate immediately proceed to executive session to consider the following nominations on today's Executive Calendar, Calendar Nos. 149, 219, 464, 483, 486, 487, 488, 489, and all nominations on the Secretary's desk; provided further the Commerce Committee be discharged further from consideration of the following nominations, and they be considered en bloc: PN1147 and PN1146; I further ask unanimous consent the nominations be confirmed en bloc, the motions to reconsider be laid on the table, the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action, and the Senate then return to legislative session.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, as in executive session, I ask unanimous consent that all nominations received by the Senate during the first session of the 109th Congress remain in status quo following the sine die adjournment of the first session under the provisions of rule XXXI, paragraph 6, of the Standing Rules of the Senate, with the following exceptions: Calendar No. 436, Brett Cavanaugh, PN203, and a list of nominations from the Armed Services that is at the desk.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 344 which was submitted earlier today.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, there are several nominations that had been cleared for some length of time on our side of the aisle, and I was disappointed we were not able to clear them on the other side. The Intelligence Committee reported the General Counsel of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence on July 26, and that is being held up. We have the Assistant Secretary of Defense and an Under Secretary of Defense that we have been unable to reach consent on. I hope my colleagues on the other side of the aisle would allow these important defense and intelligence positions to go forward, and we will try again when we return.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. I ask unanimous consent the Senate now proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 342, which was submitted earlier today.

Mr. FRIST. I ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and any statements be printed in the Record.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 346 which was submitted earlier today.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to the consideration of S. Con. Res. 75 which was submitted earlier today.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 345 which was submitted earlier today.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements relating thereto be printed in the Record, without intervening action or debate.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of the conference report to accompany S. 1281, the NASA authorization bill.