Barbara Mikulski

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, how much time is left?

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I know the Senator from New Mexico wishes to speak. We have guaranteed him this time. I say to the Senator from Texas, she has been a longstanding advocate of the space program. I have traveled with her to Texas to see the first-class, world-class research that is going on there. I, too, look forward to working with the new Administrator of NASA. We should also recognize the current one because I think he has tried his best. But we have to have a NASA for the 21st century. I look forward to working with her to be able to do that.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I thank the Senator from Louisiana for being so gracious.

Ms. MIKULSKI. Thank you very much. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent I be allowed to speak for 5 minutes as in morning business.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Madam President, I want to bring the full attention of the Senate to a national security issue about which I am deeply alarmed. Plans are well underway to reactivate and expand a liquefied natural gas, LNG, terminal at Cove Point in Maryland. What would this mean? It would mean that foreign ships, transporting flammable liquid natural gas, would come up the Chesapeake Bay and dock 3\1/2\ miles down from the nuclear powerplant at Calvert Cliffs. Can you believe that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has given preliminary approval to reopen the Cove Point LNG facility and will let this type of tanker steam up the bay and park next to a nuclear powerplant? And guess when they did it? They did it on October 11, the 1-month anniversary of the terrorist attack on America. The President of the United States was warning us against more attacks. The Attorney General had us on high alert. And FERC is signing little pieces of paper saying ``you all come from Algeria.'' I cannot believe it. Calvert Cliffs, 3\1/2\ miles away, needs to be protected. The International Atomic Energy Agency and U.S. officials have warned that nuclear powerplants are at risk. The Homeland Security Director, Tom Ridge, has called for increased security at nuclear powerplants. We cannot fly over nuclear powerplants. Why should we be able to dock next to them with an LNG tanker? From where do these LNG tankers come? One of the main sources is Algeria. Algeria is on every terrorist watch list. It is the home of the Armed Islamic Group, or IGA, a terrorist group with international reach. Islamic radicals from Algeria are key players in bin Laden's terrorist network. But that is OK; an Algerian tanker can just come up and park in Maryland next to a nuclear powerplant. I am concerned that these terrorists could attack ships carrying fuels, posing a real risk. The mayor of Boston is also worried about it. That is why he tried to keep an LNG tanker out of Boston Harbor. If LNG tankers are allowed in the Chesapeake Bay near Calvert Cliffs, a nightmare scenario could become a reality. As America leads the war on terrorism, we cannot do business as usual and issue permits without analysis through a national security prism. I acknowledge we do need more natural gas in our country. I acknowledge we need to look at energy policy. But while we are looking at the long-range solutions, we should not make short-range decisions that put us further at risk. So what am I doing about it? I am demanding that the Chairman of FERC review their permitting process and review their Commission's decision on Cove Point in the interest of national security and national safety. I don't know what they were thinking about on October 11, but they are going do have to rethink this whole process. I am bringing this matter to the attention of Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge and FBI Director Robert Mueller, urging them to fully consider potential risks from terrorism and to get a hold on the permitting processes that are going on in this country. I am turning to U.S. Coast Guard Admiral Loy to ensure that the Coast Guard rigorously reviews the Cove Point proposal, working with the Office on Homeland Security and the FBI to fully consider potential risks from terrorism. The Coast Guard has authority over foreign LNG tankers that would come into the Chesapeake Bay. I have already discussed this with our local commander, Captain Peoples, who is now taking a look at this issue. I am asking the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to look into the potential threat to the safety of Calvert Cliffs by this proposed reopening. Finally, I am asking the Governor of Maryland, Parris Glendening, to use his local regulatory authority to review this proposal. You can be sure that I will follow up with all these officials. I am very serious about the threat of terrorism. And I am sure some of my colleagues will share my concern. I want to make sure that LNG shipments into Cove Point and other American terminals are thoroughly considered as a national security issue, not just an energy issue, and that they are part of our threat assessment. I am not confident that those who gave preliminary approval to reopen Cove Point gave this matter the rigorous review it deserves. I want every single agency with authority over LNG plants and shipping to take a look at the risk of terrorist attacks. Madam President, let me conclude by saying this. We are all warriors in the war on terrorism. Whether we are a bureaucrat or a technocrat or whether we are a soldier in Afghanistan, we all need to stand sentry. Thousands of people died at the two World Trade Center Towers because of sloppiness and incompetence at our airports. We cannot let the same sloppiness go on at our seaports. I will stand sentry, working for the United States of America and protecting the Chesapeake Bay. I wanted to bring this to my colleagues' attention. I say to my colleagues, where they are giving permits, you want to make sure that it is not quite as permissible as people might think. I yield the floor.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Madam President, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Senator Allen for his generosity and his collegiality. As one of the displaced Hart people, he very graciously offered facilities in his own office to welcome my staff. It was a bridge across the Potomac, hopefully a little bit less expensive than the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. Now we are working together on the capital region security plan. I express in this time this is what bipartisan collegiality is all about.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. We would not make this request unless we were truly convinced of the need and the terrific work that Food and Friends does. Food and Friends serves individuals from diverse economic backgrounds, but 64 percent of their clients live on incomes of less than $550 per month. With the cost of medication and treatments for critically ill individuals estimated at between $500 and $1,000 per month, the services provided by Food and Friends are critical. This funding would allow the organization to serve more than 2,000 clients daily. The organization has already raised $1.6 million for this initiative and expects to raise an additional $2 million, but needs Federal support to complete the project. For me this is a hand-up to Food and Friends, not a hand-out.

Ms. MIKULSKI. As an appropriator, I appreciate the efforts of the chairman, and also look forward to working with her.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President I rise to be a proud original cosponsor with Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison in introducing the Afghan Women and Children Relief Act. This act will provide education and assistance and health care to the women and children of Afghanistan. I have stood with the Senator from Texas on other issues related to the employment of women. We worked on economic security, pension security, health care opportunity, and educational opportunity for women and children as we worked on other issues related to the economic issues of our own States. Today I join with her, speaking on behalf of all of the women of the Senate--and I know all of the men of the Senate who will join with us--to see this crisis in Afghanistan is an opportunity to lift up the women and children from what has happened under the Taliban regime. The Taliban regime represents repression of all people and particularly is most brutal to women and children. Taliban restrictions on women's participation in society make it nearly impossible for women to exercise their basic human rights. Restrictions on Afghan freedom of expression, association, and movement deny women full participation in their society. They don't even have access to the basic ability to work, go to school, and have health care. The facts speak for themselves. Afghanistan has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world. Only 5 percent of the rural people have access to safe drinking water. It is estimated hat 42 percent of all deaths in Afghanistan, up until this terrible situation was because of contaminated food and water. Over one-third of the Afghan children under 5 suffer from malnutrition. I could go on with the data from the World Health Organization and others. This is not about statistics, this is about the people of Afghanistan, particularly the women. Because their human rights have been denied, we need to work with our own Government and the NGOs to make sure, as we work to create a new world order in Afghanistan, that women and children will have access to education and health care. Often people have said the women face these repressions under the guise of traditional customs. Let me say this: I don't believe that. In an article in the New York Times by scholars Jane Goodwin and Jessica Neuwirth entitled ``The Rifle and the Veil,'' they point out that the very visible repression against women is not about religion, ``it is a political tool for achieving and consolidating power.'' I ask unanimous consent that that op-ed be printed in the Record at the end of my statement.

Mr. MIKULSKI

Mr. MIKULSKI. They point out that under the guise of religion, using a distorted view of the Koran, women are forced into subjugation. Women in Afghanistan can't work in their own professions. Women and girls can't go to school. Women who are capable of teaching in school are forbidden to do so. Widows, who are deprived of their ability to earn a living, have been beaten when they have resorted to begging to feed themselves and their children. Afghan women and children have fled to escape this repression, but their plight as refugees is not much better. At the camps, either in Pakistan or other countries or in no-man's land, they depend on international assistance for survival, but their future is bleak. Secretary Albright went to those Afghan camps. I spoke to her about it. She talked about those dire circumstances. And she led the effort to help the Afghan people. We now have an opportunity to create a new world order. This is what this legislation is all about. America will demonstrate our solidarity and our support to these women and children. As America leads the international coalition against al-Qaida and the Taliban regime, let's use this as the opportunity to help the women and children there. Let me conclude by saying this. As our Govenment--and I salute President Bush on what he is doing--works to create a new government in Afghanistan, if we are having a new government, let us insist that there not be the old rules, the old repression. We respect religion, we respect the traditions of the Muslim Community, but I do not believe that includes denying health care and education to the women. If we are going to have a new world order, let's start with making sure we help the women and children. I thank Senator Hutchison for taking the lead on this legislation. On a personal note, I particularly want to thank Senator Hutchison at this time, when I have been displaced from my own office, for the wonderful courtesy she has extended to my staff to be able to work in some of her rooms at the Russell Building. I say to you, Senator Hutchison, not only has the space meant a lot to us, but so did your graciousness in making it available. See, Mr. President, this is what the terrorists don't understand. They can't stop us. We are the red, white, and blue party. If you look at Hutchison, Mikulski, and the other 11 women of the Senate, the Taliban can't stop us from helping the women of the world. I yield the floor. Exhibit 1 [From the New York Times, Oct. 19, 2001] The Rifle and the Veil (By Jan Goodwin and Jessica Neuwirth) Anyone who has paid attention to the situation of women in Afghanistan should not have been surprised to learn that the Taliban are complicit in terrorism. When radical Muslim movements are on the rise, women are the canaries in the mines. The very visible repression of forced veiling and loss of hard-won freedoms coexists naturally with a general disrespect for human rights. This repression of women is not about religion; it is a political tool for achieving and consolidating power. Sher Abbas Stanakzai, then the Taliban regime's deputy foreign minister, admitted as much in a 1997 interview. ``Our current restrictions of women are necessary in order to bring the Afghan people under control,'' he said. ``We need these restrictions until people learn to obey the Taliban.'' In the same way that many Islamic extremist crusades use the oppression of women to help them gain control over wider populations, the Taliban and Osama bin Laden are now employing the tactics of terrorism to gain control. The Taliban did not start the oppression of Afghan women, nor have they been its only practitioners. In 1989, Arab militants working with the Afghan resistance to the Soviet Union based in Peshawar, Pakistan--and helping to finance the resistance fighters--issued a fatwa, or religious ruling stating that Afghan women would be killed if they worked for humanitarian organizations. At that time, a third of the Afghan population of 15 million were displaced from their homes, and many were heavily dependent on humanitarian groups for food and other necessities. Among the 3.5 million of these refugees who were then living in Pakistan, many were war widows supporting their families by working for the aid groups. After the fatwa, Afghan women going to work were shot at and several were murdered. Some international aid groups promptly stopped employing Afghan women, and though many women were infuriated, most complied after being intimidated by the violent attacks. Soon afterward, another edict in Peshawar forbade Afghan women to ``walk with pride'' or walk in the middle of the street and said they must wear the hijab, the Arab black head and body covering and half-face veil. Again, most women felt they had no choice but to comply. In 1990, a fatwa from Afghan leaders in Peshawar decreed that women should not attend schools or become educated, and that if they did, the Islamic movement would meet with failure. The document measured 2 feet by 3 feet to accommodate the signatures of about 200 mullahs and political leaders representing the majority of the seven main mujahedeen parties of Afghanistan. The leading school for Afghan girls in Peshawar, where many Afghan refugees still lived, was sprayed with Kalashnikov gunfire. It closed for months, and its principal was forced into hiding. When an alliance of mujahedeen groups took over in Kabul in 1992, it forced women out of news broadcasting and government ministry jobs and required them to wear veils. But it was the Taliban who institutionalized the total oppression of women after Kabul fell to them four years later, and who required the total coverage of the now familiar burqa. Now, as Afghans, Pakistanis and Americans look to the future of Afghanistan, most plans call for a broad based new government giving representation to all of Afghanistan's ethnic groups and major political parties, including the Taliban. No one, however, has called for the participation of women, even though women, after many years of war, now almost certainly make up the majority in the adult Afghan population. Afghan women gradually gained rights in the first decades of 20th century. Women helped write their country's Constitution in 1964. They served in parliament and the cabinet and were diplomats, academics, professionals, judges and even army generals. All of this happened well before the Soviets arrived in 1979, with their much-touted claim of liberating Afghan women. Many of the forces now opposing the Taliban include signatories of the later fatwas that deprived Afghan women of their rights. History is repeating itself. Any political process that moves forward without the representation and participation of women will undermine any chances that the principles of democracy and human rights will take hold in Afghanistan. It will be the first clue that little has changed.

Mr. MIKULSKI

Mr. MIKULSKI. They point out that under the guise of religion, using a distorted view of the Koran, women are forced into subjugation. Women in Afghanistan can't work in their own professions. Women and girls can't go to school. Women who are capable of teaching in school are forbidden to do so. Widows, who are deprived of their ability to earn a living, have been beaten when they have resorted to begging to feed themselves and their children. Afghan women and children have fled to escape this repression, but their plight as refugees is not much better. At the camps, either in Pakistan or other countries or in no-man's land, they depend on international assistance for survival, but their future is bleak. Secretary Albright went to those Afghan camps. I spoke to her about it. She talked about those dire circumstances. And she led the effort to help the Afghan people. We now have an opportunity to create a new world order. This is what this legislation is all about. America will demonstrate our solidarity and our support to these women and children. As America leads the international coalition against al-Qaida and the Taliban regime, let's use this as the opportunity to help the women and children there. Let me conclude by saying this. As our Govenment--and I salute President Bush on what he is doing--works to create a new government in Afghanistan, if we are having a new government, let us insist that there not be the old rules, the old repression. We respect religion, we respect the traditions of the Muslim Community, but I do not believe that includes denying health care and education to the women. If we are going to have a new world order, let's start with making sure we help the women and children. I thank Senator Hutchison for taking the lead on this legislation. On a personal note, I particularly want to thank Senator Hutchison at this time, when I have been displaced from my own office, for the wonderful courtesy she has extended to my staff to be able to work in some of her rooms at the Russell Building. I say to you, Senator Hutchison, not only has the space meant a lot to us, but so did your graciousness in making it available. See, Mr. President, this is what the terrorists don't understand. They can't stop us. We are the red, white, and blue party. If you look at Hutchison, Mikulski, and the other 11 women of the Senate, the Taliban can't stop us from helping the women of the world. I yield the floor. Exhibit 1 [From the New York Times, Oct. 19, 2001] The Rifle and the Veil (By Jan Goodwin and Jessica Neuwirth) Anyone who has paid attention to the situation of women in Afghanistan should not have been surprised to learn that the Taliban are complicit in terrorism. When radical Muslim movements are on the rise, women are the canaries in the mines. The very visible repression of forced veiling and loss of hard-won freedoms coexists naturally with a general disrespect for human rights. This repression of women is not about religion; it is a political tool for achieving and consolidating power. Sher Abbas Stanakzai, then the Taliban regime's deputy foreign minister, admitted as much in a 1997 interview. ``Our current restrictions of women are necessary in order to bring the Afghan people under control,'' he said. ``We need these restrictions until people learn to obey the Taliban.'' In the same way that many Islamic extremist crusades use the oppression of women to help them gain control over wider populations, the Taliban and Osama bin Laden are now employing the tactics of terrorism to gain control. The Taliban did not start the oppression of Afghan women, nor have they been its only practitioners. In 1989, Arab militants working with the Afghan resistance to the Soviet Union based in Peshawar, Pakistan--and helping to finance the resistance fighters--issued a fatwa, or religious ruling stating that Afghan women would be killed if they worked for humanitarian organizations. At that time, a third of the Afghan population of 15 million were displaced from their homes, and many were heavily dependent on humanitarian groups for food and other necessities. Among the 3.5 million of these refugees who were then living in Pakistan, many were war widows supporting their families by working for the aid groups. After the fatwa, Afghan women going to work were shot at and several were murdered. Some international aid groups promptly stopped employing Afghan women, and though many women were infuriated, most complied after being intimidated by the violent attacks. Soon afterward, another edict in Peshawar forbade Afghan women to ``walk with pride'' or walk in the middle of the street and said they must wear the hijab, the Arab black head and body covering and half-face veil. Again, most women felt they had no choice but to comply. In 1990, a fatwa from Afghan leaders in Peshawar decreed that women should not attend schools or become educated, and that if they did, the Islamic movement would meet with failure. The document measured 2 feet by 3 feet to accommodate the signatures of about 200 mullahs and political leaders representing the majority of the seven main mujahedeen parties of Afghanistan. The leading school for Afghan girls in Peshawar, where many Afghan refugees still lived, was sprayed with Kalashnikov gunfire. It closed for months, and its principal was forced into hiding. When an alliance of mujahedeen groups took over in Kabul in 1992, it forced women out of news broadcasting and government ministry jobs and required them to wear veils. But it was the Taliban who institutionalized the total oppression of women after Kabul fell to them four years later, and who required the total coverage of the now familiar burqa. Now, as Afghans, Pakistanis and Americans look to the future of Afghanistan, most plans call for a broad based new government giving representation to all of Afghanistan's ethnic groups and major political parties, including the Taliban. No one, however, has called for the participation of women, even though women, after many years of war, now almost certainly make up the majority in the adult Afghan population. Afghan women gradually gained rights in the first decades of 20th century. Women helped write their country's Constitution in 1964. They served in parliament and the cabinet and were diplomats, academics, professionals, judges and even army generals. All of this happened well before the Soviets arrived in 1979, with their much-touted claim of liberating Afghan women. Many of the forces now opposing the Taliban include signatories of the later fatwas that deprived Afghan women of their rights. History is repeating itself. Any political process that moves forward without the representation and participation of women will undermine any chances that the principles of democracy and human rights will take hold in Afghanistan. It will be the first clue that little has changed.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President I rise to be a proud original cosponsor with Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison in introducing the Afghan Women and Children Relief Act. This act will provide education and assistance and health care to the women and children of Afghanistan. I have stood with the Senator from Texas on other issues related to the employment of women. We worked on economic security, pension security, health care opportunity, and educational opportunity for women and children as we worked on other issues related to the economic issues of our own States. Today I join with her, speaking on behalf of all of the women of the Senate--and I know all of the men of the Senate who will join with us--to see this crisis in Afghanistan is an opportunity to lift up the women and children from what has happened under the Taliban regime. The Taliban regime represents repression of all people and particularly is most brutal to women and children. Taliban restrictions on women's participation in society make it nearly impossible for women to exercise their basic human rights. Restrictions on Afghan freedom of expression, association, and movement deny women full participation in their society. They don't even have access to the basic ability to work, go to school, and have health care. The facts speak for themselves. Afghanistan has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world. Only 5 percent of the rural people have access to safe drinking water. It is estimated hat 42 percent of all deaths in Afghanistan, up until this terrible situation was because of contaminated food and water. Over one-third of the Afghan children under 5 suffer from malnutrition. I could go on with the data from the World Health Organization and others. This is not about statistics, this is about the people of Afghanistan, particularly the women. Because their human rights have been denied, we need to work with our own Government and the NGOs to make sure, as we work to create a new world order in Afghanistan, that women and children will have access to education and health care. Often people have said the women face these repressions under the guise of traditional customs. Let me say this: I don't believe that. In an article in the New York Times by scholars Jane Goodwin and Jessica Neuwirth entitled ``The Rifle and the Veil,'' they point out that the very visible repression against women is not about religion, ``it is a political tool for achieving and consolidating power.'' I ask unanimous consent that that op-ed be printed in the Record at the end of my statement.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. I thank the Senator from Arizona, the national leader on this topic. Madam President, we just came from the Pentagon memorial for all of those who died at the Pentagon on the fateful day, 9/11, one month ago. We have been going to several memorials. They have been heartfelt. Whether it was at Emmitsburg for the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial, today at the Pentagon, joining with Senators Lott and Daschle, having the resolution on a national day of remembrance, all of these are very special to me because on that fateful day, I lost 60 Maryland constituents: 54 at the Pentagon, those who were working at the Pentagon and who were on that fateful flight. Six others, who we currently know of, lost their lives at other sites. I know the Chair knows we feel a great debt of gratitude to the gallant people on Flight 93 who probably saved our lives. I support the memorials. I was honored to be there. I am pleased to join in a resolution for a national day of remembrance. I think we need a permanent way of remembering those people who died on that very fateful, grim, horrific day. The way we honor their memory is to make sure it never, ever can happen again. This is why I am so passionate about our moving our aviation security bill, why I am very firm in terms of trying to make our railroads safe and also ensuring that those people who work in the field of transportation and in airports and airlines are not doubly victimized, first by the terrorists and then by an economic compensation system that leaves them without jobs, without incomes, without future training, and a bleak future. We should not doubly punish them by leaving them without an economic security safety net. I plead to my colleagues today: Let us put aside our ideologies on how we think Government should be this size or Government should be that size. We need to think about what is the right thing to do for the American people. I want to get America moving again. I want them to be on the rails. I want them to be in planes. I want them to feel free to travel. This is why I am so passionate about the need to have an aviation security bill that also federalizes our security operations. It ensures that we have the best to guard us. We have the best to guard us at the military; God bless them. We have the best to help rescue us in our fire and police departments; God bless them. Let's have the very best and the best trained at our airports. While we are making our airports safe, let us look at other areas of vulnerability, and then that goes to our railroads. We need, again, passenger screening. We need baggage screening. We need to assure the safety of our tunnels, of which we have many in the Northeast corridor. I know the Chair is from a railroad corridor State. Last but not at all least, I am concerned about those 528,000 people who filed for unemployment last week. That is just a little bit less than the size of my great city of Baltimore. A half million people are on unemployment, not because they were laggards, not because they don't want to work, not because they don't want to show up for duty, but because of circumstances outside of their control. We have it within our control to make an economic safety net for them. I say to my colleagues, we have clotured this; we have bargained that; we have negotiated that. Let us get back to the spirit we had a few weeks ago when we were not a Republican Party or a Democratic Party. We were the red, white, and blue party. Let's do right for airline security. Let's do right for railroad security. Let's do right for the people who have lost their jobs because of terrorist attacks. That will be the best permanent memorial we could make to those who have fallen because of this horrific deed. Madam President, four civilian airliners from three of our Nation's airports were used as weapons of war on September 11. As we're debating this legislation, our military is taking action against those who were responsible. One way to support our troops is to improve safety for all Americans. That's the goal of this legislation. This bill enables us to take three concrete actions to improve the safety of our skies. Security is a high skill job. Yet airport screeners in this country are low paid--$6.00 an hour or less. Fast food restaurant employees are paid better. They are poorly trained. The FAA requires 12 hours of classroom training. Other countries do a better job. France requires 60 hours of training. Belgium requires at least 40 hours. Often, those who perform the training have had only a few hours of training themselves. They are inexperienced. Turnover rates are alarming: 126 percent from May 1998 through April 1999 at our nation's 19 largest airports; as high as 416 percent in some instances. They have low morale which leads to poor performance. FAA inspection reports reveal significant weaknesses in the performance of our airport screeners. Security inspectors showed that BWI ranked fifth among major airports in the number of bombs, grenades or other weapons that went undetected in federal inspections. This is not a new problem. The GAO reports that in 1987 airport screeners missed 20 percent of the potentially dangerous objects used in tests and it's been getting worse over the past few years. Part of the solution is to federalize our airport security workforce. We have Federal officials protecting our borders and protecting our President. We also need Federal officials protecting our flying public. Why federal workers? They can be fully trained and monitored. Their primary goal would be safety, not the economic bottom line. The Hollings bill does this by Federalizing airport security operations, by requiring extensive training--40 hours of classroom training, 60 hours of on-the-job instruction--by deploying law enforcement personnel at each airport, including armed personnel at airport security screening locations. The safety of our pilots is critical to ensuring the safety of the passengers. The tragedies of September 11 showed that we need to strengthen the cockpit door and locks to prevent entry by non-flight deck crewmembers. In a hijacking situation, we've always focused on deterrence, that pilots and copilots should negotiate with hijackers until the aircraft is safely on the ground. September 11 shattered that idea. This bill prohibits access to the flight deck cockpit by any person other than a flight deck crew member. It requires the strengthening of the cockpit door and locks to prevent entry by non-flight deck crew members and requires commuter aircraft that do not have doors to get doors. On September 11, some heroic Americans on United Airlines flight 93 lost their lives as they confronted the terrorists. They prevented the plane from flying into the Capitol or the White House. These brave citizens lost their lives, yet they saved many others--perhaps even those of us in this chamber. Yet we can't ask American citizens to risk or lose their lives. We need Federal air marshals on our airplanes to protect our citizens. The Sky Marshal Program dates back to the Kennedy Administration when the concern of hijackings to Cuba was prevalent. In 1970, the program was greatly expanded to include 1,500 U.S. Customs officers, 800 military personnel. Two years later, the U.S. Customs Sky Marshal Program was phased out. Then, in 1985, a 727 TWA flight from Athens was diverted to Beirut where terrorists murdered Robert Dean Stetham of Maryland. The highjackings of 1985 prompted Congress to reinstate the Air Marshal program, but it is spartan and skimpy. This legislation would require a marshal on every flight. That's about 25,000 flights a day, pre-September 11, on all domestic flights and on all international flights originating in the U.S. The events of September 11 were an attack against America and against humanity. We are a nation that is grief stricken, but we are not paralyzed in our determination to rid the world of terrorism. In the mean time, we must act to make transportation safer in the United States. We must have a sense of urgency and pass this legislation immediately.

Ms. MIKULSKI. I know there is an amendment. I want to make some general comments about the bill. What would be the appropriate way?

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, A also rise as a cosponsor of the Carnahan amendment to help those who are most hurt by the economic impact of the terrorist attacks of September: the unemployed airline and airplane manufacture workers. Thousands of American workers have lost their jobs during this economic downturn. These workers need our help. That's why we need to act quickly on a robust stimulus package targeted at workers. No workers have been hit as hard as those in the airline and aviation industry; 140,000 thousand of these workers have been laid off since the terrorist attacks of September 11. Unemployment is steadily rising. Last week the largest number of people in 9 years filed for unemployment, over 528,000 people. That's nearly the population of Baltimore City; 650,000 people live in Baltimore. These are the pilots, the flight attendants, the baggage handlers, the concessionaires, and the aircraft builders. These workers have: lost their paychecks, lost their health care and could lose their homes. They need help immediately, just as we've helped their former employers with a $15 billion stabilization package of grants and loan guarantees. I am confident that the airline industry and the U.S. economy will recover; But help is needed today. How would the Carnahan amendment help the airline workers? Senator Carnahan's amendment would provide financial assistance, training, and health care coverage to employees of the airline industry who lose their jobs as a result of the attacks on September 11, 2001. The Carnahan amendment would provide income support by extending the number of weeks eligible individuals can receive unemployment insurance from 26 weeks to 79 weeks. That's a year and a half. These cash payments would not create a strain on state budgets because they would be funded entirely by the Federal Government. For many workers do not meet their States' requirements for unemployment insurance would not be left out. They would receive 26 weeks of federally financed unemployment insurance. Some workers may not return to their jobs within the airline industry. These people would be eligible for retraining benefits. Others may find alternative jobs within the airline industry. These workers would be eligible for training to upgrade their skills. The amendment would enable laid off workers to keep their health care by expanding the COBRA program which helps people who've lost their jobs to keep their health insurance. The amendment enables the Federal Government to fully reimburse for COBRA premiums. Yet about half of those who lose their jobs are not eligible for COBRA, so the amendment would make these families eligible for Medicaid for up to 18 months, with the Federal Government covering 100 percent of the premiums. I strongly support the Carnahan amendment. It's a thoughtful and comprehensive airline workers relief package. It's a good starting point to address the needs of working families. It also provides a good model for a broader economic stimulus package that Congress should consider soon.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I rise in support of the Aviation Security Act. On September 11, four civilian airliners from three of our nation's airports were used as weapons of war. As were debating this legislation, our military is taking action against those who are responsible. One way to support our troops is to improve safety for all Americans. That is the goal of this legislation. This bill enables us to take three concrete actions to improve safety in our skies. First, it federalizes airport security operations. Security is a high skill job, yet airport screeners in this country are low paid, poorly trained, and inexperienced. Many of our airport screeners make $6.00 to $7.00 an hour. That is a lower wage than many of our fast food workers receive. Our airport screeners receive minimal training. The FAA currently requires 12 hours of classroom training for our airport screeners, while France requires at least 60 hours of training. Turnover rates are also abysmal. From May 1998 through April 1999, turnover rates for workers at our nation's nineteen largest airports averaged 126 percent, and as high as 416 percent in some instances. When morale and incentive are low, poor performance follows. FAA inspection reports reveal significant weaknesses in the performance of our airport screeners. Security inspections showed that B.W.I. ranked fifth among major airports in the number of bombs, grenades or other weapons that went undetected in federal inspections. This is not a new problem, however. The GAO reports that in 1987 airport screeners missed 20 percent of the potentially dangerous used in tests, and it's been getting worse over the past decade. That is why this legislation is so important. We have Federal officials protecting our borders and protecting our President. We also need federal officials protecting our flying public. Federal workers can be fully trained and monitored. Their primary goal would be safety, not the economic bottom line. The Hollings bill does this by federalizing airport security operations, requiring extensive training and deploying law enforcement personnel at airport security screening locations. The second item this bill addresses is the safety of our pilots. We all know that the safety of our pilots is critical to ensuring the safety of our passengers. The tragedies of September 11 showed that we need to strengthen the cockpit doors and locks to prevent entry by non- flight deck crew members. This bill prohibits access to the flight deck cockpit by any person other than a flight deck crew member and requires the strengthening of the cockpit door and locks to prevent entry by non-flight deck crew members. The third critical item this bill addresses is the expansion of the Federal Air Marshal program. On September 11, some heroic Americans on United Airlines flight 93 lost their lives as they confronted the terrorists. They prevented the plane from possibly flying into the Capitol or the White House. These brave citizens lost their lives, yet they saved many others. Perhaps they saved the lives of those of us in this chamber. We can't ask American citizens to risk or lose their lives on airplanes. We need federal air marshals on our airplanes to protect our flying public. The Sky Marshal Program dates back to the Kennedy Administration when the concern of highjackings to Cuba was prevalent. In 1970 the program was greatly expanded to include U.S. Customs and military personnel. Two years later the program was phased out. Then, in 1985 a 727 flight from Athens was diverted to Beirut, where terrorists murdered Robert Dean Stetham of Maryland. The highjackings of 1985 prompted Congress to reinstate the Federal Air Marshal program, but it's skimpy and spartan. This bill would allow a federal air marshal on every domestic flight and every international flight originating in the United States. The events of September 11 were an attack against America and an attack against humanity. We are a nation that is grief stricken, but we are not paralyzed in our determination to rid the world of terrorism. In the mean time we must act to make transportation safer in the United States. We must exhibit a sense of urgency and pass this legislation immediately. Airline security is a crucial part of transportation security, but we can't stop there. We must also improve the safety of our railroads and our ports. We must ensure the safety of all components of our rail system, including: tunnel security, terminal safety, bridge safety and protection of our track switchboards. Over 22 million people a year ride our railroads and forty percent of all freight is transported on our rails. A terrorist attack on our rails could result in catastrophic loss of life and paralyze our economy. Amtrak is ready and willing to improve passenger rail safety in this country, but it also must address its critical infrastructure needs. For example, the tunnels that run through Washington, Baltimore, and New York accommodates trains that carry roughly 350,000 people a day. These tunnels don't meet minimum safety standards, they don't have proper ventilation, and there is not adequate lighting. Rail safety requires federal help, but annual appropriations for Amtrak is frozen at $521 million, about half of its $955 million authorization in TEA-21. The Amtrak emergency package would improve safety and security on our trains by: hiring more police officers to patrol trains, stations and railroads; provide anti- terrorism training for employees; install cameras to monitor facilities; improve the safety of tunnels, especially in the aging tunnels that run through Maryland, Washington, and New York. The Amtrak emergency package would also provide additional rail capacity to accommodates increased ridership. In the days following the September 11th tragedy, Amtrak employees worked around the clock to provide a safe, viable option to our traveling public. Daily ridership from September 12 to September 17 jumped 17 percent, and that doesn't include all of the airline tickets that Amtrak honored to keep America on the move. On the Northeast Corridor, Amtrak added roughly 30 percent more seating capacity, or 2,000 more seats per day on unreserved trains. Amtrak responded to our national crisis in many ways: they helped carry our mail, they delivered thousand of emergency relief kits to New York, and they provided transportation to firefighters, police and medical personnel. Some may argue that now is not the time to discuss Amtrak. I would argue there's never been a better time. Now is the time to give Amtrak the support it needs to keep America moving quickly and safely. The simple truth is that we have a National Passenger Railroad System in this country that needs our immediate help with security and capacity upgrades. It is our duty to respond. I would also like to take this opportunity to rise as a cosponsor of the Carnahan amendment. This important amendment would help those who are most hurt by the economic impact of the terrorist attacks of September 11. Thousands of American workers have lost their jobs during this economic downturn. These workers need our help. We need to act quickly on a economic stimulus package that targets the American worker. Airline and aviation employees have been especially hard hit. 140,000 thousand of these workers have been laid off since the terrorist attacks. Unemployment is steadily rising in the industry. Last week, 528,000 people filed for unemployment. That is the nearly the population of Baltimore City, and a figure we haven't seen in nine years. These people are our pilots, our flight attendants, baggage handlers, concessionaires and aircraft builders. These workers have lost their paychecks, lost their health care and could lose their homes. They need our immediate help, just as we helped their former employers with a $15 billion stabilization package of grant and loan guarantees. I am confident that the airline industry and the U.S. economy will recover, but help is needed today. Senator Carnahan's amendment would provide financial assistance, training and health care coverage to employees of the airline industry who lose their jobs as a result of the attacks on September 11. The Carnahan amendment would provide income support by extending the number of weeks eligible individuals can receive unemployment insurance, from 26 weeks to 79 weeks. These cash payments would not create a strain on state budgets, because they would be funded entirely by the Federal Government. Workers who don't meet their states' requirements for unemployment insurance would not be left out. They would receive 26 weeks of federally financed unemployment insurance. This amendment also addresses job training. Workers who may not return to their jobs within the airline industry would be eligible for retraining benefits. Other workers would be eligible for training to upgrade their skills. This amendment would enable laid off workers to keep their health care by expanding the COBRA program. This would enable people who have lost their jobs to retain their health insurance. Madame President, I strongly support the Carnahan amendment. It is a thoughtful and comprehensive airline workers relief package. It's also a good starting point to address the needs of working families in America, and provides a good model for a broader economic stimulus package.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to the life and legacy of Mrs. Bea Gaddy--a great lady whose mission was to improve the lives of our poorest citizens. Bea Gaddy was a legend in Baltimore. Her life was one of service to the poor. She worked tirelessly to provide food, housing, opportunity-- and hope--to Baltimore's neediest citizens. She transformed her home in East Baltimore into the Patterson Park Emergency Food Center. She worked tirelessly to provide housing to the homeless. She worked to improve education and housing. She even made sure children had presents at Christmas. Thousands of people reached out to her for help. She helped them all--and she did it with compassion and respect. Mrs. Gaddy's Thanksgiving dinners are legendary--providing dinner to as many as 20,000 people. She showed us all that the best way to show thankfulness for the blessings of life was to share these blessings with others. She knew what is was like to be hungry, and to not have enough money to pay for heat. Because she knew what it felt like to be poor--she knew how to help people to help themselves. I can't imagine Baltimore without her. Yet my hope is that she has taught so many people what it means to care--that her work will continue. Mrs. Gaddy received a lot of honors--including the ``Marylander of the Year,'' and one of former President Bush's ``Thousand Points of Light.'' Mrs. Gaddy certainly deserved these honors--but what mattered more to her was that these honors helped her to help even more people. Mrs. Gaddy's passing is a great loss--but her life was a triumph. My thoughts and prayers are with her many friends and family--and with the many people whose lives she touched.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I rise today to celebrate the life and career of Cal Ripken. He has given us 21 glorious years--and I know that we have seen nothing yet. The resolution that I am introducing with Senator Sarbanes seeks to commemorate one of the great careers in baseball--and one of the great role models of our time. Most Marylanders will confess to some sadness about what will happen this weekend. We will see the Iron Man take the field for the last time at Camden Yards. But I promise my colleagues--this is not the last you will hear of Cal Ripken. He will go on to other careers and other challenges. He will continue his extraordinary service to his community. He will continue to be someone we can all look up to and respect. We all know the amazing statistics he compiled in his career. In 1982, he won Rookie of the Year--and after that, the records kept breaking. He set a record for most home runs by a shortstop. He received the most Silver Slugger Awards of any shortstop and set eleven different fielding records. He was MVP twice during the regular season twice, and twice during the All-Star Games. He also amassed over three thousand hits and four hundred home runs. He is best known for setting the record for most consecutive games played. It is unlikely that his record of 2,632 games will ever be broken. Cal did not do this just for the sake of breaking a record; he broke that record because that is how he lives. He gives 100 percent every day. Ask any of the hundreds of Baltimore Orioles who played with him over the last twenty-one years. Ask Cal's coaches who have seen him rededicate himself every day. Ask any of the thousands and thousands and even millions of Orioles fans for whom he stayed at the ballpark late at night, willing to sign autographs. Ask the community and charitable organizations who he volunteered for. Ask the thousands of children who he helps through his foundations. Athletes of Cal's caliber often move from town to town and team to team. Yet Cal spent his entire career here in Baltimore. He did it for his family--his father Cal, Sr.--the great former manager of the Orioles. He did it for his children--to enable them to grow up as he did--in a community that values faith, family, community and patriotism. Cal always puts these values into action. He has a passion for teaching baseball to children and for his charitable organizations. He created ``Reading, Runs and Ripken'' program, the Cal Ripken Little League Division, the Kelly and Cal Ripken, Jr., Foundation, and the Cal Ripken, Jr./Lou Gehrig ALS Research Fund. These service organizations will continue--serving children into the future. Cal Ripken is the Iron Man, not because of his streak but because of his values, the Oriole way--showing up every day, working hard, playing by the rules, putting the team first. Cal will have lots of adulation over the next few days--and he absolutely deserves it. But Cal would want us to honor him not only with resolutions and parades and cheers from the grandstand. He would want us to practice the Oriole way: show up, work hard, play by the rules--and put your family and team first.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I rise to share a special poem with my colleagues. Ethel A. Smith is a friend and poet from the city of Baltimore. She is a former activist, who wrote poems for various Baltimore newsletters. She is now 93 years old and continues to write poems. She wrote the following poem to express how moved she was by the tragic events of September 11, 2001. Like so many Americans, she is drawing on her strong faith, family, and community to help at this difficult time. I ask that the poem be printed in the Record. The poem follows: Turn Back to God (By Ethel Smith) Turn back Turn back To God Dear friends He will not turn you away. Come back Come back To God Everyone We have wandered to far away. Then fall on your knees and pray. Come back Come back To the church of your choice Then ask that Faith take sway. Oh! Come back Come back Come back Dear friends Let not your prayers e'er cease. Come back Come back To God Everyone To pray for our country and peace. Then while you are praying for God's blessings On our land that we love so true Let us pray and ask God For his blessings On other lands Caught in this war too. We also pray Dear Father For the thousands that have lost their life and lie beneath all the rubble While their families await in strife. Have mercy on each and every one of us Dear Father As the suffering continues from the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. Amen.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, this Tuesday, September 11, 2001, the United States of America suffered devastating attacks. What happened Tuesday was not only an attack against America. It was a crime against democracy, and decency. It was a crime against humanity. Our hearts and prayers go out to the many who lost their lives. To the thousands who are injured and suffering. To the families of all the victims. And to the rescue workers and medical personnel who continue to work around the clock to try to save lives. At the Pentagon yesterday, I saw the horrendous devastation. I saw the courage and determination of the Montgomery County Urban Search and Rescue Team and many others working to shore up the structure and search the rent and burnt symbol of America's military power. I was deeply moved by the two Chaplains who bless the remains as each victim is found and removed. The physical impact of these attacks hit New York City, at the Pentagon, and in Pennsylvania. But the real impact is on all of America, on all of the free world. The direct victims were passengers on domestic flights, civilians and members of our Armed Forces working at the Pentagon, people working at or visiting the World Trade Center, and rescue workers. But all Americans share the pain of those who lost loved ones. We feel this as an attack on each and every one of us, and on our way of life. I am so proud of the way Americans are responding to this national tragedy. We are united. We are helping each other. We are steadfast. We are strong. Today, the Senate is taking action. We are doing our part as representatives of the American people. I am proud to join in the unanimous support for emergency supplemental appropriations and a resolution authorizing the use of force. I have pledged to provide President Bush the resources for rescue, response and recovery, to investigate these attacks, and to improve security. Today, we are appropriating $40 billion to do that. We are making resources available immediately to support Federal, State and local search, recovery and rebuilding efforts. To investigate, and prosecute domestic and international terrorism. To increase transportation security. To repair public buildings. And to support national security readiness. The President has tremendous flexibility, consulting appropriately with Congress, to use these funds. We can and will prevail over terrorism. But we must also take strong action against those who attacked our Nation. Today, we are also adopting a resolution authorizing the President to use ``all necessary and appropriate force.'' The resolution specifically targets ``those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations. . . .'' Moreover, the resolution only authorizes action ``in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States. . . .'' The requirements of the War Powers Resolution remain in force. Congress may decide to give the President further authorization once we have discovered with greater certainty who is responsible for these barbaric acts. America's law enforcement and intelligence agencies are vigorously pursuing their investigations to find all those responsible. Whoever they are, they must now know that America is committed to rooting them out and exacting a severe price for their barbarity. And America's friends and allies are rightly ready to join us. Much work remains for the Senate, for the Congress, for our government, for our Nation, to respond and recover and rebuild. Today we are taking critical steps to sustain the recovery efforts and take appropriate action against terrorism. We will not sacrifice our ideals in pursuit of the monsters who carried out these attacks. We will not compromise the principles for which so many Americans have fought and died. But we will root out those who committed these atrocities. We will have justice. And we will move forward, a stronger nation than before. At our prayer service in the Rotunda on Wednesday evening, I asked God to give us the courage and wisdom to respond rightly to these attacks on America. I believe we are doing so today.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I rise to add my voice in our united support for the Joint Resolution we are adopting today. American citizens, American aircraft, American buildings have been brought down by barbaric terrorist attacks. Yet the American people, we as their elected representatives, and our free and open society stand unbowed and united. America's spirit and resolve remain strong. Today, we express condolences to those who suffered unspeakable loss. The victims and their families are in our thoughts and prayers. We commend the rescuers, working even now to save lives, the brave firemen and police, doctors and nurses and generous volunteers helping others and giving blood. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which my Appropriations subcommittee funds and oversees, is coordinating Federal assistance. Director Albaugh and FEMA have mobilized urban search and rescue teams. A top-notch team from Montgomery County and 7 others from around the country are hard at work at the Pentagon and in New York. All 20 other teams are ready to go. FEMA has also mobilized Army medical support, the Army Corps of Engineers to help debris removal, and Army mortuary teams. We are cooperating to confront this tragedy with President Bush and the Administration, within Congress, and with allies around the world. We condemn these barbaric attacks. We are committed to tracking down the terrorists, punishing them and those who harbor them, and preventing future attacks. America is being tested by terrorism and America is rising to the challenge. I am proud of the American people, who are responding not only with shock and grief, but with unity, resolve, and generosity.

Ms. MIKULSKI

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

Mr. MIKULSKI

Mr. MIKULSKI. I thank the distinguished Senator from Texas, and I share her concern for the brave men and women who risk their lives to achieve the national goals that we have established for space travel. I agree that the health effects of these travels must be better understood, and that we should not endanger our astronauts who engage in long-term space travel without fully understanding the effects such travel has on the human body. I thank the Senator from Texas for raising this important issue, and I offer my commitment to work with her to provide the NSBRI with the resources to achieve the goals we both share. philadelphia's neighborhood transformation initiative

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, we have to clarify one of the amendments that we thought was cleared. We ask our colleagues to please stay because we think we will be able to clear it. While we are doing this clarification with our colleague from Alabama, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Ms. MIKULSKI. I appreciate the views of the chairman and ranking Member of the authorizing committee. As they have indicated, NESCAUM has received support from the subcommittee from the past and I will ensure that it receives every appropriate consideration as we move forward.