Kay Hutchison

Mrs. HUTCHISON

Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, over the Thanksgiving weekend, I received a letter from a State Department employee from Dallas, Keith Kidd, who left his previous job to serve in Afghanistan in 2003 and then in Iraq early this year. As a representative from the U.S. Embassy to Iraq, he worked with military and civilian leaders from the Western Al Anbar Province. I want to share his Thanksgiving message to his friends and family because he represents the best of America and his letter reflects the positive spirit that is so representative of our country. He has volunteered for the mission to stabilize Iraq and help the Iraqi people have the freedom and democracy that every human being deserves. I hope this letter makes every American proud of the thousands of U.S. men and women, both military and civilian, serving bravely overseas during the holidays. His letter reads as follows: Greetings from Ramadi. As Thanksgiving draws near, I found it fitting to tally my blessings. As it turns out, I have oodles of them. I'm thankful that I'm alive. All of the attempts on my life have failed. I realize I'm wrecking some poor terrorist's batting average, but that's just tough. I'm thankful for the guys on my Personal Security Detail who help ensure those attempts keep failing. I'm thankful for my health. The dust storms are bad for my eyes, nose, throat and lungs so I cry, sneeze and cough but it could be much worse. Much worse. I'm thankful for the Dining Facility. The grub is not all that good but it sure beats MREs. The food is usually warm. Sometimes it's even hot. We often go weeks without fresh vegetables, but we enjoy them when we have them. I'm thankful for Coke. I'm not a coffee consumer so that crimson-colored can of carbonated cola contains the caffeine I crave when I work to the wee hours all week. I'm thankful for the military postal system. It eventually delivers the dusty, bashed, mangled boxes that contain the vital vittles, the essential sundries and the other simple pleasures of home that folks have sent my way. I'm thankful for fall. It has been over a month since the mercury was measured in triple digits. I'm thankful for cool evenings. I'm thankful for full moons, bright stars and desert sunsets. I'm thankful that I get to see that big orange orb drop below the horizon every day. The only thing worse than having a bad day is not making it to the end. I'm thankful for the shipping container that acts as my desert abode. It's modest but it's higher class than the plywood box I called home in Afghanistan. I'm thankful for showers. Standing under a gentle cascade of water with a bar of soap in hand is far superior to baby-wipe style bathing. I'm thankful for electricity. It powers the window unit air conditioner that keeps me from melting and the computer that makes it possible for me to communicate with you. Sometimes we don't have any of these things but it's nice when we do. I'm thankful for armored cars. They have saved my life more than once. I'm thankful for ballistic vests. They protect me from flying projectiles when I'm in town. I'm thankful for sandbags. They protect me from flying projectiles when I'm at home. I'm thankful for Mylar. It's a plastic coating on my windows that prevents the glass from shattering into thousands of pieces when flying projectiles break through it. I'm thankful for dumb luck. I suspect it has saved my life more times than I will ever know. I'm thankful I was not in my tin home when the rocket exploded over it and blew a 3" x 5" hole in the roof right over my desk and chair where I would ordinarily have been sitting. (No sandbags or Mylar on the roof--a deficiency we have oft noted.) I'm thankful for Mother Nature's sense of humor. I had not seen rain in six months but it rained that night. I'm thankful for the soldiers and marines who fight our enemies on the ground and I'm thankful for the airmen and the sailors who fight them from the sky and sea. I'm thankful there are people who would give their lives so that others can live in freedom. I'm thankful for you. It is wonderful to have friends and family back home who care for me and pray for me. I'm thankful for God above. I am here by His design and I will only come home by his grace. All in all, not bad. Not bad at all.

Mrs. HUTCHISON

Mrs. HUTCHISON. Madam President, I rise to say goodbye to several of my colleagues, dear friends and colleagues with whom I have had the pleasure to work in the Senate. Don Nickles I start with Senator Don Nickles. We say goodbye to Don Nickles of Oklahoma who leaves after spending 24 years in the Senate, but not spending much else. As chairman of the Budget Committee, his philosophy of smaller government and fiscal prudence often reminded this Chamber of our duty to be good stewards of the taxpayer dollars. Don did not back down but always held his ground, demonstrating his perseverance and conviction. He was first chosen by his colleagues for a leadership position in 1988 as the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. He was next elected to the first of three terms as chairman of the Republican Policy Committee, and in 1996, 1998, and 2000, he was elected unanimously to be assistant Republican leader. He was the principal sponsor of the 2003 economic growth package which cut the tax on dividends, reduced the capital gains rate, raised the child tax credit to $1,000 per child, and reduced the marriage penalty. My friend also led efforts to reform the Internal Revenue Service. He helped enact the Nation's first balanced budget in three decades and passed laws to make Members of Congress accountable to the same laws as everyone else. On a personal note, he worked with me on the marriage penalty. I could not have passed my bill to reduce the marriage penalty on married couples in our country without Don Nickles' strong backing and leadership. I will never forget the first time I met Don. It was at the Republican National Convention in Dallas, TX. Don was a young man and he had just been elected to the Senate, and everyone was referring to him as Senator. I assumed, because he was so young, that he must be a State senator. As I left, I said to him, you must have a long and great career ahead of you. I am sure you will run for higher office some day, thinking he was a State senator. But, in fact, he was a U.S. Senator already and was the youngest Member at the time. He is the gold standard for principled conservatives who stand tall for their beliefs and work hard for their constituents. As a Texan I may say there are times I am not fond of certain Oklahoma college football teams, I have always been proud of Oklahoma's Don Nickles and honored to call him a neighbor. Ben Nighthorse Campbell Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell is one of the best friends I have in the Senate. I am particularly going to miss him. He commands more attention than a Harley Davidson with straight pipes. He brought a wealth of experience and perspective to the Senate that enriched all of our deliberations. Let me list, in no particular order, some of these experiences. He was a fruit picker, a deputy sheriff, the captain of the U.S. judo team in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. He is a horse trainer, a rancher, a fabulous jewelry artist, and chief of the Northern Cheyenne tribe. He also has served the people of Colorado as their Senator, both as a Democrat and a Republican. He is a renaissance man in every sense of the word. He can ride a Harley Davidson like a genuine biker because he is the real thing. On his motorcycle or on the Senate floor in his pony tail and sunglasses or in his business suit, he has unabashedly defended the values and interests of Americans of all incomes and backgrounds. This stems from his pride in our great country. I remember when he decided it was time for the Capitol Police to buy American and trade in their Japanese-made motorcycles for Harleys. He said in his typical upfront style that the Japanese bikes made the police look like ``pizza delivery boys'' and they are not fast enough to catch crooks. Needless to say, the Capitol Hill motorcycle police are now equipped with Harleys. One of Ben's most prominent contributions is now visible on our mall, the National Museum of the American Indian. He initiated the legislation to found this museum within the Smithsonian, and the beautiful building housing priceless collections of American Indian artifacts and art work is a tremendous legacy of Ben Nighthorse Campbell: my friend, my colleague, and biker buddy. Peter Fitzgerald It is often an uphill battle for a freshman Senator to make an impact, but Senator Peter Fitzgerald, a former commercial banking attorney, has chaired or led investigations of corporate accounting fraud, mutual fund industry abuses, chronic underfunding of employee pensions and waste, fraud and mismanagement in Federal agencies. In 2004, he proposed comprehensive, bipartisan mutual fund reform legislation to protect the household, college, and retirement savings of 95 million Americans. This bill, endorsed by consumer groups and reform-minded industry leaders, points the way for future legislation on this subject. The Senator also focused on consumer safety issues. In 2000 he led a successful drive to modernize outdated Federal testing and safety standards for child car seats. In 2002, he drafted and President Bush signed into law a followup measure known as Anton's Law, to upgrade Federal testing and standards for child booster seats and to require automakers to improve car safety features. I wish him well in his future endeavors. Tom Daschle I wish Senator Tom Daschle well as he moves on to new challenges. As his party's leader in the Senate he was smart and determined. Tom is an exemplar of the American story. He grew up as the eldest of four brothers and became the first in his family to graduate from college, with a political science degree from South Dakota State University. He then served 3 years as an intelligence officer for the U.S. Air Force Strategic Air Command. He secured a job as an aide to South Dakota Senator James Abourezk. From there, he rose to the highest job in the Senate, Senate majority leader. Tom Daschle married Linda Hall and they are the parents of three children. He is proof that hard-working Americans can make a difference. Fritz Hollings From the day I first arrived in the Senate, until today, Senator Hollings has been a force in the Senate. His institutional memory, his command of the issues, and his speaking style are recognized from both sides of the aisle. He has been a tireless advocate of his State and his political beliefs, earning him a role as one of the Senate's elder statesmen. Senator Hollings fought in World War II, won his first election at age 26, served as the youngest Governor of his State, and was elected to seven terms in the Senate. Incredibly, Fritz Hollings was in public service since 1948 and somehow managed to be his State's junior Senator until 2 years ago. It must be something in the water in South Carolina. During his career, Senator Hollings has had an impact on a wide range of legislation, including measures to protect the environment, balance the budget, and update telecommunications law. I am very appreciative of his initiation of a nationwide effort to combat breast and cervical cancer by utilizing his seat on the Appropriations Committee to secure funding for a pilot screening program. This will be one of the many lasting legacies of Fritz Hollings. Bob Graham Senator Bob Graham, a former two-term Governor of the sunshine State, has compiled a record of achievement in the Senate which included portions of the PATRIOT Act. When it comes to environmental, tax, energy, and education issues, he has been a strong voice in Congress. One of the greatest legacies of Senator Graham is the Florida Everglades. The rich flora and fauna of the Everglades were threatened by development, but then-Governor Graham pushed through legislation to protect it. Future generations of Americans who visit the Everglades should remember his contribution to saving this national heritage. John Breaux Madam President, Senator John Breaux is a voice of moderation and bipartisanship. He helped pass landmark welfare reform under a previous administration, and has consistently been able to work with Members of the other side of the aisle whether his party has been in the majority or minority. His commonsense approach to energy legislation and many other issues will certainly be missed. He helped defeat the Btu tax which was so injurious to the energy industry in both my State of Texas and his State of Louisiana. Senator Breaux was the youngest Member of the House of Representatives when he was elected, at age 28, in 1972. He served in the House for 14 years before being elected to fill the legendary Senator Russell Long seat in 1986. You would think Washington would change someone after all that time, but John is still a Cajun through and through and sees the world with a sense of humor that keeps everything in perspective. I will miss John Breaux. He was often an ally on transportation, energy, and telecommunications issues. Even when we were on opposite sides in a debate, he brought wisdom, experience, and a willingness to work in a bipartisan fashion to the Senate. And no, John, Louisiana cannot annex Texas. John Edwards Madam President, we must also say farewell to a freshman Senator who is now a household name in the United States. No one who has met John Edwards can fail to like him and respect him. Senator Edwards rose from humble beginnings to come close to being elected Vice President of the United States. The first member of his family to gain a college education, he went on to earn a law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He built a hugely successful law practice before he entered public service. Senator Edwards was a chief sponsor of the bipartisan Patient Protection Act, strong and far-reaching patient protection legislation that passed the Senate in 2001. He has a long career ahead of him and will do well on whatever path he takes. Finally, I want to let Senator Edwards know that he and his wife Elizabeth are in my prayers every day. Zell Miller Madam President, it is hard to say how much I appreciate Zell Miller, a proud Democrat and a great American. Senator Miller's early life was not easy. He grew up in the hills of Georgia where people may not have had much but they worked hard and had strong families and solid values. He pulled a stint in the U.S. Marines, which he said put him on the right path in life. His colorful career in Georgia politics included two terms as Governor. When U.S. Senator Paul Coverdell, my great friend, died unexpectedly, Zell Miller was appointed until a special election could be held, which he won handily. After he arrived in Washington, Senator Miller was one of the few who not only talked the talk of bipartisanship but walked the walk. During the war on terror, he advised bipartisan action on the Homeland Security bill. He called for bipartisan support for traditional American values, a lower tax burden, and a strong American defense. I think the verdict on Senator Miller's stand for old-time Democratic values has been vindicated, first in the 2002 elections and lastly in the 2004 elections. Someone who is being friendly tells you things you want to hear, but a true friend is one who tells you things he thinks you should hear. Zell Miller is that kind of friend to both Democrats and Republicans. He will be missed in this August body, as one of those who told it like it is, straight from the heart. Madam President, I will miss all of my colleagues. As we take the opportunity to go forward in a new Congress, we will make new friends, but we will never forget the old ones. I yield the floor.

Mrs. HUTCHISON

Mrs. HUTCHISON. Madam President, I wanted to ask if we could put an order in place, that Senator Allard speak first, then myself, and Senator Allen. I would like to protect our places, if that would be possible. I ask unanimous consent that Senator Allard be recognized, after which I would be recognized, after which Senator Bond would be recognized, then Senator Allen and Senator Stevens.

Mrs. HUTCHISON

Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I rise today to take this opportunity to honor Wayne Berry from Dallas, TX, as he celebrates his 50th anniversary working for Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control and its predecessor companies on November 3, 2004. In 1954, at the age of 24, Mr. Berry began his career with Lockheed Martin as a machinist from Temco Electronics and Missiles. After graduating from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1968, he joined the Environmental Test Lab as an Environmental Test Technician. Over the next 38 years, Mr. Berry contributed significantly to the growth of the Environmental Test Lab and, for the past 10 years, he has been assigned responsibilities as Quality Engineering Project Manager. Over his tenure, Mr. Berry has set a high standard with his dedication to his job and has acquired knowledge and experience which has been valuable to his company and its work for the United States government. Fifty years with an organization is a remarkable testament of this tireless Texan. I know my colleagues will join me in honoring Mr. Berry on his accomplishments and wishing him continued success with Lockheed Martin.

Mrs. HUTCHISON

Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, if I could just say thank you. I am very humbled by the remarks of the Senator from California and appreciate very much her recognition. Her leadership also got a commitment and will be in a colloquy regarding the highway funds that will also be attached to this report. The Senator from California and myself and other States took a back seat to the Florida highway needs after the hurricane, but we got assurances from the Speaker, the majority leader of the Senate, and the chairman of the Appropriations Committee on the House side that we would address this issue and get the funds for previous emergencies from the highway fund back into the 39 States that gave them up for Florida to receive help right now. federal highway administration emergency relief

Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senator from California, Senator Feinstein, and I have 5 minutes to speak on the military construction bill.

Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, the Military Construction bill is a very important bill this year. Senator Feinstein, the ranking member, and myself as chairman of the committee wanted to talk about its importance. This is a bill that focuses on the quality of life for our military personnel and also makes sure they have the family housing and training facilities they need. In addition to our Military Construction bill, this is the disaster supplemental. This is the bill that was chosen to provide help for hurricane victims in Florida and drought relief for our farmers. Also, the Alaska pipeline that is so important to the economy of our country as well as to the economy of Alaska is in this bill. I am very pleased we were able to produce a bill that encompassed all of these very important items at the close of this very important session. There is in the military construction conference report $4.5 billion for active components construction and $9.45 million for Guard and Reserve construction. It is important that we increase the quality of the training facilities for our Guard and Reserve. Senator Feinstein and I made a point of doing that during this conference because we felt the Guard and Reserve is way behind in keeping up with the training facilities they need and for the job we are asking them to do. They certainly deserve it. We increased funding for military housing and worked with the defense authorization committee to make sure that the privatization cap was lifted--a very important step for the quality of housing for our military personnel. I am very proud of this bill. I am proud that we are meeting the military construction needs. I am proud we were able to provide for the needs of Florida in their disaster recovery efforts and also the drought that has actually been funded for not only the present drought in certain parts of our country but droughts in the past in Texas and other places where the money has run out. I am proud of this bill. I thank my ranking member, Senator Feinstein, for her help and valuable assistance in making this happen.

Mrs. HUTCHISON

Mrs. HUTCHISON. Thank you, Mr. President. I thank the Senator from Iowa, the distinguished chairman of the committee. I also thank the chairman and ranking member of the Finance Committee for working with the House to produce an excellent bill which will reduce taxes on more people in our country and, therefore, help this economy to continue the recovery. I am very pleased. I have heard the debate on the tax credit for employers for Guard and Reserve units. I know all of us will be working to try to assure that this is done. Our Guard and Reserve units have stepped up to the plate. I have been to Iraq. I have been to Afghanistan. I have visited with Guard troops who are on their second and third call who didn't expect this kind of activity when they signed up. But they are there doing their job, and doing a great job. On the other hand, the people at home are, too. The employers are, too. The families are, too. They are sacrificing as well. I think help for families, help for the men and women on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan and other places, and help for the employers is certainly something we should do in the right way. I am very pleased we are going to continue to work on this issue. We need to do everything we can to support our young men and women in the field and the people who are supporting them at home. I will never forget when I was visiting a base in Saudi Arabia and asked one of the young guardsmen what was their biggest problem, thinking he was going to say something about his tour of duty, or something on the ground there. He said, My biggest problem is my wife can't get a pediatrician for our child at home who is having heart problems. I said we can't let this happen. We have to make sure we are giving them all the support they need. This is a good bill. It is a bill that is going to help our manufacturers in this country compete on a level playing field. A ruling by the World Trade Organization found our existing extra- territorial income tax regime was prohibited under an international treaty. Therefore, the European Union imposed retaliatory sanctions on a variety of United States products in March of this year. These tariffs have increased every month we have not acted. They are now at 12 percent. A tariff like that can be the difference between whether an American product can be purchased overseas, whether it gets in and can compete on a level playing field. We will restructure our Tax Code for businesses in order to replace the ETI and end the confiscatory tariffs that are hurting manufacturers in this country. At a time when our country is losing manufacturing jobs, we talk about outsourcing every day. We have to act to give our manufacturers every possible advantage we can to be competitive with Europe. That is what the heart of this bill is. It is very important for jobs in our country. It is very important for the manufacturers who are trying to keep jobs in our country to be able to have that level playing field. I am very pleased about that. In addition, there is a broad range of manufacturers who are helped, including certain oil and gas producers. We know with the prices of oil and gas so high right now that we need to encourage our producers to be out there cutting costs wherever possible, and hopefully this will allow them to be able to produce more in our country and create those manufacturing jobs. Lastly, there is a sales tax deduction that is very important to my State and six other States in our country. Some States in America do not have a State income tax. That doesn't mean our State taxpayers aren't paying taxes. We pay very high, substantial sales taxes and we pay high property taxes. Some of those are going up. For us not to have a deduction for our State sales taxes on our Federal income taxes like those who pay an income tax do is unfair. That inequity is eliminated in this bill for the next 2 years. We will be able now to have equity in our Tax Code. We will now be able to give those in a non-income tax State the ability to deduct sales taxes just as those who pay income taxes are able to do. In fact, it allows people in an income-tax State to choose to deduct sales taxes instead of income taxes if they want to. It is for everyone. But in reality, the States that have been shortchanged are the ones that choose to tax with sales tax and rather than income tax. That inequity is going to go away in this bill. It will mean $300 on average for every family in Texas. That is going to be welcome news for people who have had to live with this inequity since 1986. Thank you. I urge adoption of this very important bill.

Mrs. HUTCHISON

Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, my amendment simply keeps what the Senate has said it wants, and that is an intelligence subcommittee on Appropriations, and it keeps the 13 subcommittees of Appropriations. It says the Appropriations Committee will organize into 13 subcommittees with the intelligence subcommittee as soon as possible after the convening of the 109th Congress. All my amendment does is keep the Appropriations subcommittees at the same number, making sure there is one intelligence subcommittee, but it does not require the merging of Defense and Military Construction. It may be that when the Appropriations Committee looks at all of the options for the making of 13 subcommittees, that that will happen, but I think the Appropriations Committee should be the one that makes the recommendations to the Senate. We do not have to rush to make this decision for the Appropriations Committee. According to the CRS, eliminating a subcommittee through a measure on the Senate floor is unprecedented. In more than 200 years, the CRS says, the Senate has never eliminated a subcommittee through floor action without the committee bringing it to the floor. The Senate has created subcommittees, as with the Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Investigations in 1952, but not eliminated subcommittees. Merging subcommittees to create room for the new one may be the right thing to do, but the floor is the wrong place to do it. What is proposed today will set a precedent that could impact every committee by pulling the ability of the committee to organize itself and having that agreed to by the Senate. This is a precedent that should concern every committee. It should concern the majority and the minority. There is no reason to make this decision now. Also, these changes must be made in conjunction with the House. The House Appropriations subcommittees and the Senate Appropriations subcommittees should match so that when we conference, we will have a finite subcommittee that deals with the same issues; otherwise, there could be many problems with the appropriations process that would complicate an already complicated process. The House has not made any decisions about reorganizing itself on the Appropriations Committee. The wise thing for the Senate to do would be to create the new intelligence subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee, determine that there will be 13 subcommittees but require the Appropriations Committee to do the reorganization, after which the Senate would be asked to agree. That is all my amendment does. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays on the amendment.

Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the second-degree amendment be agreed to.

Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent for adoption of the second-degree amendment.

Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 4015.

Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I call up a second-degree amendment No. 4042.

Mrs. HUTCHISON

Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, my amendment keeps the intent of the Senate. It creates an intelligence subcommittee on Appropriations. It keeps 13 subcommittees on Appropriations, but it allows the Appropriations Committee to do the reorganization within those parameters. According to the Congressional Research Service, there has never been a subcommittee eliminated by the Senate without coming from a committee itself. This would set a precedent that could affect committees for years to come. It is not right, and there is no reason to have to do it on the Senate floor today. We must consult with the House so that our Appropriations Committees match. Appropriations are complicated enough. Having Appropriations Committees that are different in the House from the Senate is not a wise decision, and we don't have to do it today. I urge my colleagues to adopt my amendment which keeps the intelligence subcommittee, it keeps 13 subcommittees in Appropriations, and allows the Appropriations Committee to do its job in reorganizing around those parameters.

Mrs. HUTCHISON. I am happy to vitiate the yeas and nays.

Mrs. HUTCHISON

Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. president, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mrs. HUTCHISON

Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. president, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mrs. HUTCHISON

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

Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, it is my understanding that there has been use of the Senate floor in the last few minutes to discuss the Presidential race and to make statements about the situation in Iraq and our President's handling of that and our President's own war service, his service in the guard, which was honorable. I don't know everything that was said, but let me say that it is very important we take every opportunity to look at what is happening in the war on terrorism and the place that Iraq holds in the war on terrorism. Let's don't forget Afghanistan, either. Our country was hit on 9/11, 2001. Everybody in the world knows that. It hasn't been easy to deal with a different kind of enemy, but that is what we have, a different kind of enemy. Our President has been resolute and firm in fighting this enemy every step of the way. Americans can hardly imagine that human beings would actually be able to shoot children in the back as they are running away, as happened in Russia a few weeks ago, terrorists taking over a school and children running away to go to safety and being shot in the back. Three hundred people died in that event. People can't imagine an enemy that would cut someone's head off before a video camera and spread it out across the world. But that has happened with the kind of enemy we are now facing. Does anyone think that kind of enemy can be dealt with with kid gloves, with good manners, as we would have in a debating society? The President doesn't. The Vice President doesn't. They are standing up for our country. They are standing up for our country against an unimaginable enemy, and they are doing a great job. They are doing a great job because they feel from their hearts that we must be firm and resolute against this enemy, and we must not let anything stand in the way of protecting America and protecting our homeland. That is why I am so proud of our President and our Vice President. They are not asking anyone else if America can defend itself. And we are at war with terrorists who would shoot children in the back and cut innocent people's heads off for absolutely no reason whatsoever. So if we are going to use the Senate floor to be part of the campaign, I think we need to make sure the people of our country hear both sides. There are real differences. There are real differences in how we would handle the war on terrorism, what we do in Iraq. Iraq is not an easy situation. We all know that. We know the enemy has infiltrated Iraq. They have come in through the porous borders from all over the world to try to disrupt the stability and the stabilization of Iraq. Americans have boots on the ground in Iraq. Our young men and women are fighting for our freedom in the deserts of Afghanistan and in Iraq so that we will be able to debate on the Senate floor, hold our own elections, and live in the freedom that we have come to know. I think our young men and women deserve the respect that we have a united country in this war and in this effort. This is every bit as much a fight for freedom as any war in which America has been engaged. Our President and our Vice President put one thing, and one thing only, first: the security of the American people. They want every child in our country to grow up with the same kind of freedom and opportunity every one of us in the Senate has had growing up. If we let terrorists curtail the way we live, we will have lost. We will have said that we are not going to answer the call of our generation to maintain the freedom and opportunity of our country, which we have been able to enjoy. That is unthinkable. Our President and our Vice President are standing firm for the protection of the American people. They are standing firm for our economy. One of the other hits we took on 9/11/01 was the hit to our economy. The tourism industry went down, the airline industry was in trouble, and it had a ripple effect throughout our economy. But our President has remained firm in the way we would try to stabilize the stock market and get jobs back and get people back to work. He is doing it with tax cuts, so that people will have more of their own money to spend and they will put it into the economy. Guess what. That has made the difference. The turnaround in our economy started right after the tax cuts were signed by the President. The stock market is up and jobs are coming back; 1.7 million jobs have been put on this year alone. We are almost back to where we were before 9/11. So, Mr. President, if we are going to use the Senate floor to talk about the election that is going to happen in the next 6 weeks in this country, I think we better look at the record. The record is good. We have taken the steps that are necessary after being hit by terrorists in a way that we could never have imagined being hit on 9/11. Our homeland is more secure. Is it everything it needs to be? No. The President will tell you that. Anyone will tell you that. But it is a whole lot safer than it was on September 10, 2001. We are taking the steps right now on the Senate floor to reform our intelligence-gathering capabilities. We are going to have the best intelligence operation in the entire world. We are already making great strides. We have made great improvements. There is much more sharing and, in fact, the increased and better intelligence has caused us to know that there is a heightened alert right now. But we are taking the steps to codify that and put it into statutory form. We are doing exactly what we ought to be doing to assure that our country is prepared to go forward, to stay the course in this war, and to win the war on terrorism. We are going to do it one step at a time, with a President who is absolutely focused on our national security. Mr. President, I am proud of our President. I am proud of our Vice President. They are staying focused. A lot of people think this campaign has gotten pretty rough. Campaigns in America are rough. None of us like it, but no one is going to unilaterally disarm. Therefore, we are going to make sure that the truth comes out so that people can see the differences between the two candidates. There doesn't have to be any mud slung in this campaign because the differences are very great. Our President is resolute that he is going to win the war on terrorism and protect the American people, and he hopes we can fight the war on terrorism on the turf where they are rather than allowing them on our turf. That is his strategy, and it is the right one. We have a President who is firmly committed to a domestic agenda that includes an education for every child in our country; quality health care for every person in our country, to bring more people who are insured into our health care system; to have malpractice reform so that we will be able to assure quality health care at a reasonable cost. Our President is committed to Social Security reform so that it will be there for our seniors, not just for the next 20 years, but for the next 100 years. It is going to take leadership. It is going to take leadership and vision for the next President of the United States. Our President is doing exactly the right thing in focusing on our security, on education for children, on quality health care for all of the people in our country. Our President is doing a great job. I am proud of him. I think the people of America--the more they focus on not only the accomplishments of the last 4 years, but the vision for the future--our President is talking about his vision for the next 4 years and what we will be able to do for our country that will build on the rising economy, the better national security that he has already put in place. Mr. President, I am going to yield the floor, and I hope that we can keep this debate on the differences on the issues. I hope we will not have extraneous charges and the use of the Senate floor for extraneous charges that do not have a place in the civilized debate that I hope we will have on the floor of the Senate in the future. I yield the floor.

Mrs. HUTCHISON

Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I am pleased to introduce legislation today to restore Medicare reimbursement to hospitals. I introduce the American Hospital Preservation Act with my colleague, Senator Bayh, to restore reimbursement for indirect medical education (IME) payments to teaching hospitals. IME payments give teaching hospitals an additional Medicare reimbursement due to their higher costs of inpatient care. The Medicare Modernization Act restored the reimbursement rate to 6 percent for fiscal year 2004. However this payment update expires today. Over the next 3 years, reimbursements to teaching hospitals will decrease, making it more difficult to care for our sick and to train our future health care providers. The American Hospital Preservation Act would fix the reimbursement rate at 6.0 and will ensure our hospitals are compensated for the invaluable care they provide to our patients. Hospital admissions have risen from 31 million patients in 1990 to 33 million in 2000, and the number of days in the hospital is rising as well. Increased admissions, rising liability premiums, and the cost of advanced technology have forced hospitals to cut back on services. The cost of a pint of blood increased 31 percent in 2001, an additional $920 million burden to hospitals. Such costs are continuing to rise, yet Medicare reimbursements to hospitals are not keeping pace with inflation and their margins are slowly shrinking. Fifty-eight percent of hospitals are losing money on the Medicare patients they treat. Teaching hospitals have higher costs due to their critical role in educating tomorrow's physicians. They run more tests, utilize newer technology and require more staff because they are training our future health professionals. Preserving this reimbursement rate is vital to continuing this training. Although only 23 percent of all hospitals are teaching hospitals, they deliver over two-thirds of charity care. Many patients rely on these hospitals for their health, which make-up 78 percent of all trauma centers and 80 percent of all burn beds. Further, a disproportionate percentage of the most seriously ill and injured patients are treated and convalesce in teaching hospitals. Emergency rooms are increasingly used as a primary care clinic because patients cannot find a physician who accepts Medicare, and they treat more individuals who are uninsured. In 2000, hospitals provided $21.6 billion in uncompensated care. Lower reimbursement rates coupled with bioterrorism risks and a workforce shortage make our hospitals a time bomb waiting to go off. It is our responsibility to ensure they have adequate resources. I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass the American Hospital Preservation Act.

Mrs. HUTCHISON

Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I am pleased to introduce legislation today to restore Medicare reimbursement to hospitals. I introduce the American Hospital Preservation Act with my colleague, Senator Bayh, to restore reimbursement for indirect medical education (IME) payments to teaching hospitals. IME payments give teaching hospitals an additional Medicare reimbursement due to their higher costs of inpatient care. The Medicare Modernization Act restored the reimbursement rate to 6 percent for fiscal year 2004. However this payment update expires today. Over the next 3 years, reimbursements to teaching hospitals will decrease, making it more difficult to care for our sick and to train our future health care providers. The American Hospital Preservation Act would fix the reimbursement rate at 6.0 and will ensure our hospitals are compensated for the invaluable care they provide to our patients. Hospital admissions have risen from 31 million patients in 1990 to 33 million in 2000, and the number of days in the hospital is rising as well. Increased admissions, rising liability premiums, and the cost of advanced technology have forced hospitals to cut back on services. The cost of a pint of blood increased 31 percent in 2001, an additional $920 million burden to hospitals. Such costs are continuing to rise, yet Medicare reimbursements to hospitals are not keeping pace with inflation and their margins are slowly shrinking. Fifty-eight percent of hospitals are losing money on the Medicare patients they treat. Teaching hospitals have higher costs due to their critical role in educating tomorrow's physicians. They run more tests, utilize newer technology and require more staff because they are training our future health professionals. Preserving this reimbursement rate is vital to continuing this training. Although only 23 percent of all hospitals are teaching hospitals, they deliver over two-thirds of charity care. Many patients rely on these hospitals for their health, which make-up 78 percent of all trauma centers and 80 percent of all burn beds. Further, a disproportionate percentage of the most seriously ill and injured patients are treated and convalesce in teaching hospitals. Emergency rooms are increasingly used as a primary care clinic because patients cannot find a physician who accepts Medicare, and they treat more individuals who are uninsured. In 2000, hospitals provided $21.6 billion in uncompensated care. Lower reimbursement rates coupled with bioterrorism risks and a workforce shortage make our hospitals a time bomb waiting to go off. It is our responsibility to ensure they have adequate resources. I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass the American Hospital Preservation Act.

Mrs. HUTCHISON

Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I thank Senator Rockefeller for working with me on this amendment. We had very similar amendments that both of us filed independently and our staffs got together with the distinguished chairman of the Governmental Affairs Committee, Senator Collins, and the ranking member, Senator Lieberman, and I think we have come up with a comprehensive approach to competitive analysis. It is something the majority of people who have served on the Intelligence Committee know is desperately needed. Particularly as we are consolidating agencies and trying to make our agencies mesh better together. It is very important that we keep the competition of ideas, challenge assumptions, and ensure a forum is provided for alternative ideas and recommendations. The end result is an office which will perform what many refer to as ``red teaming'' that is so important to an effective intelligence network. When Dr. Henry Kissinger testified before the Appropriations Committee, of which I am a member, he said, particularly with the consolidation of intelligence oversight, you have to make sure that you have some way of finding out if there were different conclusions reached with the same or even other extraneous material. We had the challenge of making sure that the competition of ideas was not lost. I believe the Rockefeller-Hutchison amendment does exactly that. I thank the Senator from West Virginia, Mr. Rockefeller. I appreciate Senator Roberts also working with us on this, and Senator Mikulski. Senator Kyl was interested in this as well. Everyone came together, and I think the result will be an office which is able to quickly adapt to terrorist threats. It will be an office of alternative intelligence analysis that will be able to challenge the assumptions and make sure that our highest policymakers, including the President of the United States, have access to this alternative analysis so that he will be able to make the very best decisions. I thank the distinguished chairman and ranking member of the committee. I thank Senator Rockefeller. I think we have a wonderful approach, a wonderful amendment that will add greatly to the bill and the goal we are all trying to reach of a quality intelligence product with which our President and our Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense can make decisions. I yield the floor and urge adoption of the amendment.

Mrs. HUTCHISON

Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Senator Snowe be added as a cosponsor of the amendment.