Daniel Inouye

Mr. INOUYE

Mr. INOUYE. Please proceed.

Mr. INOUYE. Madam President, I rise in support of the conference agreement on H.R. 2346, the supplemental appropriations bill. The compromise agreement, which has been worked out in a full and open conference between the two Houses, represents the hard work of our conferees. As has long been the tradition of the Appropriations Committee the compromise package before the Senate reflects the deliberations of our twelve subcommittees. Each subcommittee has items in this measure and I am pleased to note that all of our subcommittees were able to reach agreement with their House counterparts. As such, the bill before us represents a balanced compromise between the issues and funding recommended by the House and by the Senate. As in any compromise neither body, nor individual Member, received everything he or she sought. The House has agreed to support funding for the International Monetary Fund and the Senate has agreed to compromise language on how we deal with the detainees at Guantanamo. But, it is a fair compromise which I believe all Members should support. At $105.9 billion, the conference agreement is $14.6 billion above the amount recommended by the Senate. However, it is important to point out to my Senate colleagues that nearly half of this increase represents additional funding for swine flu. This funding was included in response to a budget amendment submitted by the administration following Senate passage of this bill. The managers of our Labor HHS subcommittees have responded to the potential need for additional swine flu resources by providing more than $7 billion in funding, of which nearly $6 billion is contingent upon the administration submitting additional requests for funds. We have been advised that funding may be required this summer to prepare for an outbreak next fall in the United States if the virus mutates over the next few months. If that occurs, the American public can be assured that we will be ready. I can also promise my colleagues that our Labor-HHS subcommittee will be monitoring the flu virus and closely watching the administration's efforts to respond to this potential crisis. Regarding the remaining increase above the Senate bill, the conference agreement funding levels are between the amounts recommended by the two bodies. The bill includes the funding level sought by the House for the Department of State and ``splits the difference'' in the amount recommended by both bodies for defense and military construction. One provision of note that was deleted from the measure relates to the public release of photographs of detainees. The Senate agreed to drop this provision only after the President sent a letter to Chairman Obey and myself assuring us that he would not release the photographs in question. While many of us support the intent of this amendment, it was clear that including the amendment would jeopardize passage of the bill in the House. That result would not have been an acceptable outcome. Mr. President, this is a fair compromise and one which is worthy of the support of every Member of the Senate. I understand that there may be one or two items that not all Members agree with, but I would remind my colleagues that this is a must pass bill. The funding in this bill is critical to the Defense Department in continuing to support our servicemen and women fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. I would point out that if we cannot pass this bill, we will shortly run out of funds to pay our service members and to ensure funds are available to support the readiness of all our forces, not just those serving in Southwest Asia. I want to thank my vice chairman for his counsel and support as we have worked through several difficult issues. We have forged this agreement together. I would note that there were 30 Senate conferees on this measure and 27 signed the conference agreement. Finally, I wish to thank all of our subcommittee chairmen and ranking members and their staffs for their hard work. This conference agreement would not have been possible without their efforts. I yield the floor.

Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, I find it very difficult to be on the opposing side of my dear friend from New Hampshire. There has been a lot of discussion on the premise that conferees did not pay for the cash for clunkers bill. Technically, that is correct. But I believe my colleague should be advised that under the Congressional Budget Office scoring, the conferees are scored with a savings of $1.47 billion in discretionary spending in this bill. In title 14 of the bill, the conferees included a provision which mandates that more than $1 billion in discretionary spending in rescissions shall be allocated as savings in the bill not used as an offset. While the conferees were required to designate the Cash for Clunkers title as an emergency for technical reasons, it is also true that we included a $1 billion offset in discretionary spending which for all practical purposes offsets the spending for Cash for Clunkers. So while much of the debate about this matter has involved the fact that the conferees didn't pay for this provision, that is not completely accurate. I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the last page from the scorekeeping document of the appropriations committee on the supplemental which shows $1 billion $47 million in savings.

Mr. INOUYE. I wish to associate myself with the remarks of the senior Senator from Michigan. I suggest the absence of a quorum, and I ask that the time be charged equally.

Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, I submit pursuant to Senate rules a report, and I ask unanimous consent that it be printed in the Record.

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

Mr. INOUYE. No, go ahead.

Mr. INOUYE. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the time during the quorum call be equally divided between the two parties.

Mr. INOUYE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now resume consideration of the conference report to accompany H.R. 2346.

Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. INOUYE

Mr. INOUYE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that with respect to the conference report to accompany H.R. 2346, a motion to waive all applicable rule XLIV points of order be considered as having been made by the majority leader.

Mr. INOUYE

Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, today I would like to recognize the 50th anniversary of the sister city relationship between the city and county of Honolulu and the city of Hiroshima. Mr. President, 1959 was an eventful and significant year in history. Not only was Hawaii admitted into the Union as the 50th State, but on May 19, 1959, the city and county of Honolulu Council passed a resolution inviting the city of Hiroshima into a sister city agreement. Established by former U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower, the ``People to People'' program was to promote peace and mutual understanding between citizens of different countries. Many of Hawaii's residents were of Japanese ancestry or were originally from Hiroshima. With this in mind, the Honolulu Council thought a relationship between Honolulu and Hiroshima would be a fitting one, brought together through similarities and a resonance of cultural familiarity. This ``sister city'' agreement holds special significance for me and my family, as I was born in Honolulu and my maternal grandparents were from the Hiroshima Prefecture. Fifty years later, this relationship, as well as the overall United States--Japan relationship, has formed into an enduring partnership of nations. This valued alliance has matured through the years, and it is my privilege to serve as honorary chairman of the 50th anniversary committee for the sister city relationship. I ask my colleagues to join me in recognition of this momentous occasion.

Mr. INOUYE

Mr. INOUYE. Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. INOUYE. Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. INOUYE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the pending amendment be set aside, and to call up amendment No. 1162.

Mr. INOUYE. I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. INOUYE. I appreciate that comment from my good friend and colleague, the senior Senator from Vermont. The MRAP-all-terrain- vehicle is very important to protecting our forces in Afghanistan. Since 2005, the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee has allocated well over $25 billion to purchase MRAP vehicles, which have a V-shaped bottom and several unique features that deflect energy from roadside bomb blasts, prevent fragments from penetrating, and, in turn, save people from attack. The original versions of the MRAP have saved thousands of lives in Iraq; however, they are very large, and this array of vehicles does not fully suit the more rugged environment our deployed forces faces in Afghanistan. There, we see very few paved roads. Many are simple dirt roads, slit through the sides of mountains at higher altitudes. Our forces need a vehicle that possesses a lower center of gravity and that can go off-road, but possesses the same level of protection as the original version of the MRAP.

Mr. INOUYE. I thank the gentleman from Oregon for his request. I appreciate his concerns and look forward to working with him on this matter. MRAP-All Trerrain Vehicle

Mr. INOUYE. We have seen a rise in roadside bomb attacks in Afghanistan this year, and it was very clear that, as we went through the request, we had to accelerate this critical force protection program. The administration's request in the fiscal year 2009 supplemental includes $1.5 billion for approximately 1000 vehicles. The fiscal year 2010 overseas contingency operations budget request included roughly $1.5 billion for about the same number of vehicles. The Defense Subcommittee added $1.55 billion for the MRAP ATV to accelerate the procurement of these critical vehicles.

Mr. INOUYE. Madam President, I withdraw my earlier request.

Mr. INOUYE. I shall be honored and privileged to join the Senator in his mission. It is a valid one and I hope one this full Senate can approve at some later date. I will be most pleased to join him in any sort of letter he will be writing to the authorities. I can assure my colleague that the full impact of my office will be at his disposal.

Mr. INOUYE

Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and Border Security, be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, to conduct a hearing entitled ``Securing the Borders and America's Points of Entry, What Remains to Be Done'' on Wednesday, May 20, 2009, at 10 a.m., in room SD-226 of the Dirksen Senate office building.

Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Special Committee on Aging be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, May 20, 2009, from 2 p.m.-4 p.m. in Russell 432 for the purpose of conducting a hearing.