Carl Levin

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. I thank everybody and I thank the Chair.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I will be very brief for obvious reasons. But this is a golden moment for us. The proud tradition of the Senate Armed Services Committee has been maintained every year since 1961 and continues with the Senate's passage of the 50th consecutive national defense authorization bill. It always takes a huge amount of work to get a bill of this magnitude done. It could not happen without the support of all the Senators on the committee. I will not thank each and every one--the subcommittee chairs, the ranking members, our staff, the floor staff here, who do extraordinary work. But the bipartisanship of this committee dominates again, and we hope that flavor will continue to dominate forever in the committee and hope it will permeate this Senate. We always have to work long and hard to pass this bill and no two of these bills are alike. But it's worth every bit of effort we put into it because it is for our security, for our troops, and for their families. I thank all Senators for their roles in keeping our tradition going. Our committee's bipartisanship also makes this moment possible. I am proud to serve with Senator McCain and grateful for his partnership and friendship. I also want to thank our very dedicated and capable Senate floor staff on both sides of the aisle--Gary Myrick, Trish Engle, Tim Mitchell, and Meredith Mellody on the Democratic side and David Schiappa, Laura Dove, Ashley Messick, and Patrick Kilcur on the Republican side. They have all helped us get this bill across the finish line and we are very grateful to them and all others here on the floor and in both cloakrooms. Finally, I thank all our committee staff members for their extraordinary drive and many personal sacrifices to get this bill done. Led by Rick DeBobes, our committee's staff director; Peter Levine, our general counsel; and Dave Morriss, our minority staff director, our staff really has given their all to get this bill passed. So to all of you and to all your families, thank you for your hard work. Take a few minutes to celebrate this moment and then put all your talents to work in conference with the House so we can bring a conference report back to the Senate before the holidays. Mr. President, they all deserve recognition and, as a tribute to their professionalism and as a further expression of our gratitude, I ask unanimous consent that all staff members' names be printed in the Record.

Mr. LEVIN. To end my thanks--I do not see Senator McCain here. I think he had to leave for a few minutes. He is here. Let me personally thank him. I thought Senator McCain had to leave. I put in some thank-yous here on behalf of the committee, and I just want to tell the Senator how tremendous it is to work with him and how this tradition of bipartisanship in our committee has been maintained. The Senator is a very major part of the reason for that happening, and I thank him.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of the pending Feinstein amendment No. 1125; that there be 30 minutes of debate equally divided and controlled in the usual form; that upon the use or yielding back of time, the Senate proceed to vote in relation to the Feinstein amendment, with no amendments in order prior to the vote.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, just as a building needs a foundation, every community needs pillars--people who provide strength, inspiration, guidance, and leadership, people to rally around in tough times. Today, the city of Flint, MI, is missing one of its pillars. Bishop Odis Floyd of New Jerusalem Full Gospel Baptist Church died this week at the age of 71 after a long illness. For more than four decades, he was the spiritual leader of the church he helped his grandfather found. At an imposing 6-foot-6, with a powerful preaching and singing voice, he became known around the country for his stirring sermons and appeared on a number of gospel music albums. Whether in quiet conversation with a church member or in powerful preaching from the pulpit, he was a spiritual giant. His faith taught him to reach out beyond his church, not just with spiritual guidance but to lend a hand to those in need. The church's charitable and outreach efforts under his leadership have had an enormous impact. They include programs to provide a safe and welcoming place for children; educational efforts; assistance to those who need medical care, food, and clothing; counseling and social work services, and much more. Bishop Floyd also was a valued adviser to business and community leaders in Flint, in Michigan, and beyond. I was fortunate to visit with him on many occasions, and I valued those visits for his knowledge of the community and the quality of his counsel. His love and concern for Flint ran deep, and no matter the challenge, he was always at the forefront of those looking for solutions. His commitment to his community was profound and provided a shining example to others. Whether it was in preaching the gospel he felt so deeply or in reaching out to help others, one word sums up the gift Bishop Floyd brought to those around him: hope. ``People need hope,'' he once told an interviewer, ``and that's always what I want to give them.'' His loss has deprived the community he loved of a strong and steady pillar. It now falls to all those who care about Flint to take up where he left off and to continue his work to improve the city and lives of its citizens. Many will miss him, but none more than the family he loved: his wife and partner, Brenda; son Anthony; daughters, Nikki and Toyia, who served admirably as an intern in my office; and five grandchildren. Barbara and I send our condolences to them, to the members of New Jerusalem Full Gospel Baptist Church, and to the thousands who have, in ways great and small, been touched by Bishop Floyd's strength, generosity, and faith.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on December 1, 2011 at 10 a.m. in SD-106.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on December 1, 2011, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing entitled ``Spurring Job Growth Through Capital Formation While Protecting Investors.''

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on December 1, 2011, at 10 a.m., to held a hearing entitled, ``U.S. Strategic Objectives Towards Iran.''

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs' Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on December, 1, 2011, at 10:30 a.m. to conduct a hearing entitled, ``The financial and Societal Costs of Medicating America's Foster Children.''

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. I agree with the Senator that Justice O'Connor said what the Senator said she said. Would the Senator agree with me that Justice O'Connor said: There is no bar to this Nation's holding one of its own citizens as an enemy combatant. Would the Senator agree that she said that?

Mr. LEVIN. It does not.

Mr. LEVIN. Would the Senator agree she said that, however?

Mr. LEVIN. She did not say that. She said ``a citizen.'' I know what the facts of the case are. She did not limit it to the facts of the case.

Mr. LEVIN. She did not limit it to that. She described the facts of that case.

Mr. LEVIN. I am giving the Senator an exact quote. I know the facts of the case.

Mr. LEVIN. You already have. Given the facts of the case. I understand the facts of the case, that it was somebody captured in Afghanistan. My question is, of the Senator: Would he agree that Justice O'Connor said--she is talking about this case, of course----

Mr. LEVIN. ``There is no bar to this Nation holding one of its own citizens''?

Mr. LEVIN. According to a unanimous consent agreement which was entered into----

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

Mr. LEVIN. Madam President, just to reinforce something the Senator from Arizona said, these are amendments there is no objection to on the substance. We have worked very hard, working with all the Senators, to clear amendments. That process will continue after the cloture vote as well. But we now have this group we have worked very hard on. We know of no objection. If there were an objection, they would not be in a cleared package. So we know of no objection. None have been forthcoming. They have been here for a day or two now, and the Senate needs to work its will. This is the way we should be operating, if there is no objection to an amendment, if people have had a chance to look at it. They have been cleared on both sides. Any committee on jurisdiction that has an interest has been talked to, and that has been taken care of. This is, it seems to me, the right way to proceed. I commend Senator McCain for what he just said and join with him in that sentiment. The bill we have before us that we will be voting cloture on at about 11 o'clock would authorize $662 billion for national defense programs. This is $27 billion less than the President's budget request. It is $43 billion less than the amount appropriated for fiscal year 2011. We have been able to find savings without reducing our strong commitment to the men and women of our Armed Forces and their families, without undermining their ability to accomplish the mission we have assigned to them that they handle so remarkably bravely and consistently. So we have identified and scrubbed this budget to find those savings, and the bill we will be voting cloture on--and, hopefully, adopting cloture-- reflects those savings. Because of our action last night on the counterfeit parts amendment, the bill now contains important new provisions to help fight the tide of counterfeit electronic parts, primarily from China, that is flooding the defense supply chain. I went through the provisions last night, and I will not repeat them here other than to say we are taking strong action to make sure the parts that are provided to our weapons systems are new parts as required and are not counterfeit parts. There are a number of steps in this bill. They are effective and strong steps. We require, for instance, that parts that are being supplied come from the original manufacturer of those parts or an authorized distributor of those parts or, if that is not possible because the parts are no longer being manufactured or there is no authorized distributor, that whoever is supplying those parts be certified by the Department of Defense, the way they currently are, by one part of the Department of Defense, the Missile Defense Agency, as being a reliable supplier. We have had too many cases of missiles and airplanes that have defective parts, and the lives of our people in uniform depend upon these as being quality parts. We are not going to accept the status quo anymore in terms of counterfeiting, mainly from China, and we are taking this strong action in this bill now, following last night's action, to make sure this status quo is reversed. We have over 96,000 U.S. soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines on the ground in Afghanistan. We have 13,000, as we speak, remaining in Iraq. There are many issues upon which we disagree. But every one of us knows we must provide our troops with the support they need and deserve as long as they are in harm's way. Senate action on the Defense bill will improve the quality of life for our men and women in uniform. It will give them the tools they need to remain the most effective fighting force in the world, and it will also send a critically important message that we as a nation stand behind our troops and their families and we appreciate their service. So I hope we can adopt the cloture motion which is before us so we can proceed to the postcloture period, where we can then resolve the remaining amendments that can be resolved, and then pass this bill, hopefully, tomorrow. But we have a lot of work to do today and tomorrow. We have many dozens of amendments yet to be voted on, disposed of, and hopefully cleared in many cases. With that, I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. LEVIN. Madam President, the following amendments have been cleared by myself and the ranking member. We have cleared a number of amendments on both sides. We are working with many Members. There will be an additional package after this one. We are going to continue to try to clear amendments. We expect that we will. We know of no objection to any of the following amendments despite their being available for review. They are amendments numbered: 1056 on behalf of Senator Wicker, 1066 on behalf of Senator Ayotte, 1102 on behalf of Senator Inhofe, 1116 on behalf of Senator Wicker, 1122 on behalf of Senator Shaheen, 1129 on behalf of Senator Reid, 1130 on behalf of Senator Reid, 1132 on behalf of Senator McCain, 1134 on behalf of Senator Blunt, 1143 on behalf of Senators Hagan and Portman, 1149, as modified by changes at the desk, on behalf of Senator Begich, 1162 on behalf of Senator Warner, 1164 on behalf of Senator Warner, 1165 on behalf of Senator Warner, 1166, on behalf of Senator Warner, 1167, as modified by changes at the desk, on behalf of Senator Warner, 1178, as modified by changes at the desk, on behalf of Senator Murray, 1180, as modified by changes at the desk, on behalf of Senator Collins, 1183, as modified by changes at the desk, on behalf of Senator Sessions, 1207 on behalf of Senator Coburn, 1210 on behalf of Senator Nelson (FL), 1227 on behalf of Senators McCain and Portman, 1215, as modified by changes at the desk, on behalf of Senator Casey, 1228 on behalf of Senators McCain and Portman, 1237 on behalf of Senator Shaheen, 1240 on behalf of Senator Warner, 1245 on behalf of Senator McCain, 1250 on behalf of Senator McCain, 1266 on behalf of Senator Warner, 1276 on behalf of Senator Baucus, 1280 on behalf of Senator McCain, 1281, as modified, on behalf of Senator McCain, 1298 on behalf of Senators Webb and Graham, 1301 on behalf of Senator Levin, 1303 on behalf of Senators Levin and McCain, 1315 on behalf of Senator Hatch, 1317 on behalf of Senator Portman, 1324 on behalf of Senator Cochran, 1326 on behalf of Senator Risch, and 1332 on behalf of Senators Lieberman and Cornyn.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on November 30, 2011, at 2:30 p.m., in room 253 of the Russell Senate Office Building.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Veterans' Affairs be authorized to meet during the session on November 30, 2011. The Committee will meet in room 418 of the Russell Senate Office Building beginning at 10 a.m.