Patty Murray

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, again, we are on the floor of the Senate today considering the transportation-housing appropriations bill. This is a major appropriations bill with funding for States across the country. I have been talking with a number of Senators who have amendments they would like to offer. Again, this is now the fourth day we have been on the Senate floor. We started on Thursday, we were here Friday, and we were here yesterday. We are here again today. The majority leader would like us to finish this bill tomorrow. We have other appropriations bills that need to be done and conferences to be concluded in order to meet important deadlines for this fiscal year. Again, I want all Members to know we need them to offer their amendments, if they intend to, so we can wrap up this bill by tomorrow. I expect a few Senators will be here shortly to offer amendments. If other Senators are going to offer amendments, if they could please let us know so we could get them up in order and get votes scheduled so we could move to conclusion on this important bill. I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, I thank the Senator from Missouri for explaining very clearly why this amendment should be defeated by this body. Senator McCain has come out and offered an amendment that would take away funding from every earmark in the bill and put it into the Federal Aviation Administration's NextGen program. That is our effort to modernize the air traffic control system--a very important effort. I will speak to that in a minute. Let me speak to the earmarks. This is not a new debate. I have stood on this floor many times, as well as other Senators, to defend the right of every Senator here to identify priorities for their home States and to advocate for them. This bill includes earmarks because the Members of the Senate have gone home and identified needs in their communities and brought them to our committee, which we have put into consideration. It is important to note that there was abuse in the earmark system. We have now reduced earmark spending in this bill to 50 percent of what we had in 2006. In fact, the earmark spending in the bill is less than 1 percent of the total funding. But that funding is as a result of Senators who have gone home, worked with their constituents, identified projects, brought them to the committee, and we scrutinized them. Very few made it into the final bill because of the high caps we have. But they were brought to us by Senators with legitimate needs in their home States. My concern over this amendment isn't just limited to the investments Senators have asked us to make in their States. I am greatly concerned, as the Senator from Missouri pointed out, about what this amendment would actually do to the FAA's NextGen program, and I am a strong supporter of that. There is a need to modernize our air traffic control system. For that very reason, this bill now before us provides $865 million for programs that are essential to the NextGen effort. But in order for NextGen to succeed, the FAA has to do more than just put money into it. It needs, as my colleague from Missouri said, strong oversight. If we hand that agency a blank check now for well over a billion dollars, which this amendment asks for, that is not the right way for this body to do oversight or ensure the responsible use of the Federal dollars over which we have oversight. The FAA has had a long history of budget overruns and schedule increases in its capital programs. Our subcommittee has held numerous hearings on the FAA's need to manage its capital programs more responsibly. We have heard testimony from the Inspector General of the Department of Transportation on this very issue, and until only recently, the Government Accountability Office has identified this NextGen program as a high-risk management area. I encourage our colleagues to oppose this amendment. It is not the responsible way to fund the FAA or the Department of Transportation. Madam President, I yield the floor.

Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent at 12:24 today the Senate proceed to vote in relation to the McCain amendment No. 2375, with 2 minutes prior to the vote divided and controlled in the usual form, and that no amendments be in order prior to the vote.

Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, the bill before us contains 50 percent fewer earmarks than in 2006. Importantly, these are priorities of Senators who have brought them to us. They are less than 1 percent of the bill. Even more important, what the amendment before us does, and I am a strong supporter of NextGen, is it puts money to the FAA that they cannot spend. This is a program that does need strong oversight. We have been told that in our committee time and time again by the IG and others before us. We want to move forward on the NextGen and we want to do it in a responsible way. This amendment will give them money that they will not be able to spend. I urge our colleagues to vote against this amendment. I yield all of our time, move to table the amendment and ask for the yeas and nays.

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on September 15, 2009 at 9:30 a.m.

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate to conduct a hearing on September 15, at 2:30 p.m., in room SD-366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law, be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, on September 15, 2009, at 10 a.m. in room SD-226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct a hearing entitled ``Human Rights at Home: Mental Illness in U.S. Prisons and Jails.''

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on September 15, 2009, at 2:30 p.m. in room 253 of the Russell Senate Office Building.

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs' Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on September 15, 2009, at 2:30 p.m. to conduct a hearing entitled ``Security Clearance Reform: Moving Forward on Modernization.''

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on September 14, 2009, at 10 a.m. to conduct a hearing entitled ``Cyber Attacks: Protecting Industry Against Growing Threats.''

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, with that, there will be a vote at 5:30 this afternoon, and if any other Senators wish to come to the floor to speak to their amendments, we are here ready and waiting for them to do that. With that, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, I move to reconsider the vote, and I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Vote Explanation

Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, my counterpart, Senator Bond, and I have been on the Senate floor Thursday afternoon, Thursday evening, Friday, and this afternoon and into the evening today. We are waiting for Members to bring their amendments to the floor. For the information of all Senators, there will not be votes after 3 o'clock tomorrow, as everybody knows. We intend to finish this bill by Wednesday. So there is not a lot of floor time tomorrow. If anyone has an amendment, offer it tonight. We will set up the vote for tomorrow or Wednesday. Again, we intend to finish this bill by Wednesday. So do not expect that your amendments will have time after that. Again, I ask Members who have amendments to bring them to the floor and offer them so we can get them considered and up for a vote. Again, it is going to be a short week. We need to get the bill done by Wednesday. We ask everybody to please consider that and come and offer their amendments so we can get this bill moving.

Mrs. MURRAY. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, we are again here on Monday afternoon talking about a very important bill that came to the floor last Thursday. That is the investment in infrastructure, transportation, and housing across the country. We have many issues important to many Members who want to get this bill passed and to the President as quickly as possible so we can move forward. My colleague from Missouri and I have worked very hard to put the bill together. We are here this afternoon ready and waiting for our colleagues to offer amendments so we can get to final passage. I know the majority leader wishes us to finish this fairly quickly. We have a number of appropriations bills we want to complete before the end of September deadline. So we ask our colleagues to get their amendments up, and we will move through them as quickly as we can.

Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that at 5:30 p.m. today, the Senate proceed to vote in relation to the Johanns amendment No. 2355, as modified; that no amendment be in order to the amendment prior to the vote; and that there be 2 minutes of debate prior to a vote in relation to the amendment, with the time equally divided and controlled in the usual form.

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to a period for the transaction of morning business, with Senators allowed to speak for up to 10 minutes each.

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, like all Americans, I will never forget where I was on September 11, 2001, and I will never forget the way our country responded. In the face of great tragedy, Americans came together with courage and unity. Eight years later, we continue to face great challenges. As a government--and as a nation--we are working to improve our safety and tackle the many difficulties facing us today. The safety of all Americans remains priority No. 1 for everyone in government. We still have troops working hard to protect and defend our Nation. At the same time, we continue to recognize that our diversity is also America's greatest strength. Despite our many differences, in times of need we are always one nation united. This year, for the first time, 9/11 has been designated a National Day of Service and Remembrance. It is with a heavy heart that I stand on the floor of the Senate today marking this day with a cloak and white roses on the desk of our departed colleague, Senator Ted Kennedy. Ted worked to designate this day as one of service, and in April the President signed the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act making that goal a reality. Ted would be proud of each and every American who took up that call. The mission of this new designation is: [T]o honor the victims of 9/11 and those who rose to service in response to the attacks by encouraging all Americans and others throughout the world to pledge to voluntarily perform at least one good deed, or another service activity on 9/11 each year. In this way we hope to create a lasting and forward-looking legacy--annually rekindling the spirit of service, tolerance, and compassion that unified America and the world in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. I cannot think of a better way to honor the memory of those who were lost than by taking a moment today to remember, and then performing a good deed or act of service. September 11 is not just a day of national loss but of personal loss. My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone who lost a friend or loved one. Your loss is our loss, and you are forever in our hearts.

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

Mrs. MURRAY

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

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to a period for the transaction of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each.