Jeff Merkley

Mr. MERKLEY

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. MERKLEY

Mr. MERKLEY. I ask unanimous consent that a Kohl-Lee substitute amendment which is at the desk be agreed to; the bill, as amended, be read a third time and passed; the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate; and that any statements related to the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. MERKLEY. I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 493, H.R. 6029.

Mr. MERKLEY

Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Judiciary Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 618 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and any statements be placed in the Record.

Mr. MERKLEY

Mr. MERKLEY. I ask unanimous consent the Murray substitute amendment at the desk be agreed to, the bill, as amended, be read three times and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and any statements be printed in the Record.

Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Veterans' Affairs Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. 3202, and the Senate proceed to its consideration.

Mr. MERKLEY

Mr. MERKLEY. I ask unanimous consent the bill be read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and any statements relating to the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. MERKLEY

Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, I ask for the regular order with respect to my amendment, No. 3367.

Mr. MERKLEY. I have a modification at the desk. I ask that my amendment be so modified.

Mr. MERKLEY. I also ask unanimous consent to add Senator Franken, Senator Tim Johnson, and Senator Tom Udall as cosponsors to the amendment.

Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. MERKLEY

Mr. MERKLEY. I ask unanimous consent that the Murray substitute amendment which is at the desk be agreed to; the bill, as amended, be read three times and passed; the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate; and that any related statements be printed in the Record.

Mr. MERKLEY

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

Mr. MERKLEY

Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, I rise for a few moments to share a few thoughts about our friend and colleague who passed away yesterday, Senator Dan Inouye. It was a shock to me here on the floor yesterday when his passing was announced and it is still a shock today to see that it is indeed real--the beautiful bowl of white roses on his desk. I want to share a remembrance or two. When I was 19 I was struggling with what direction to take in life and thought public policy might be something worth pursuing. I asked my father. My father read the newspaper every day and watched the evening news and would run a commentary on the world. I asked him, if I were to try to get a summer internship in Washington, DC, to see how government really works, who should I apply to. Of course he noted I should apply to my home State Senators, Senator Packwood and Senator Hatfield. I asked him if there were any national Senators who stood out. He said there are four I think you should try to talk to: Senator Kennedy, Senator Humphrey, Senator Church, and Senator Inouye. I proceeded to write letters to see if I could get an internship with any of my home State Senators or any of those four. I did not succeed outside my State. I did get an internship with Senator Hatfield, which changed the course of my life. But when I was elected to the Senate, Senator Hatfield asked me to bring greetings to his old colleagues, those who served with him, particularly Senator Inouye, because Senator Hatfield had chaired Appropriations and Senator Inouye was chairing Appropriations. That was a tremendous introduction because it led to one of my first conversations with Senator Dan Inouye when I came to the Senate. He showed me his spectacular view down The Mall, looking toward the Washington Monument, and said anytime you want to come and use the balcony you should come and use it. It is one of the best places in Washington. We shared the joy he took in just the beauty of that space. We shared stories about the old days, the days when Senator Hatfield and Senator Inouye worked together on appropriations. We also had a chance to talk about some of the challenges that have occurred in the committee. In recent times, we discussed how much harder it is to get appropriations bills to the floor and have them considered in a bipartisan nature. I indicated to Senator Inouye at that time how interested I was in serving on the Appropriations Committee and how important it would be to Oregon. This began a series of dialog over the last 4 years. It was a tremendous honor to have a chance to share these last 4 years with Senator Dan Inouye. I think all who have spoken about him have recognized he did an extraordinary job of commanding folks. He took on the difficult tasks in World War II and received the highest recognition for doing so. He did so in a context that was extraordinary. Japanese Americans had been relegated to a second-tier status during the war, and he chose a path that led to first-tier recognition for the leadership and bravery he exemplified. He did no less of a spectacular job in the U.S. Senate, just days away from completing 50 years of being on the floor of the Senate, advocating for working people, advocating for his home State, and working for a vision of America where all families can prosper. His life was extraordinarily well lived. It has been an honor to know him, and we will miss him. This Senate will not be the same without Senator Dan Inouye. I yield the floor and note the absence of a quorum.

Mr. MERKLEY

Mr. MERKLEY. Madam President, I want to be very brief in respect for my colleagues who wish to speak. This amendment addresses an important disaster that occurred in many places across our country this year; that is, extensive drought and extensive fires. I have come to this floor a number of times to describe those extensive fires and the damage they did to farmers and ranchers in my home State of Oregon, and I know many others have come to the floor to share their stories. As we address this extraordinarily important bill to respond to the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, it is only right and well that we also address the disasters that occurred elsewhere in the country earlier in the year. There are five provisions of this program that I am going to leave in the hands of our distinguished chair of Agriculture to address, but I will come back at a further point and speak to them at greater length. Just suffice it to say, our farmers and ranchers have waited patiently while we have attempted to complete the farm bill. The Senate did extraordinary bipartisan work on the farm bill, but the House has not taken it up. We have not gotten these emergency provisions reauthorized. Now, in the context of the bill before us, it is appropriate that we take action. I yield for my colleague from Michigan.

Mr. MERKLEY. I ask unanimous consent the Senate set aside the pending amendment and call up my amendment No. 3367.

Mr. MERKLEY

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

Mr. MERKLEY

Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Chair grant privileges of the floor to my intern, Mark Suzuki, for the remainder of the day.

Mr. MERKLEY

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

Mr. MERKLEY. Absolutely.

Mr. MERKLEY

Mr. MERKLEY. Madam President, I rise today to address a critical issue for Oregon's farmers and ranchers. If we turn the clock back from the most recent national disaster; that is, this terrible Hurricane Sandy that impacted New York and New Jersey and other areas, last summer we had another significant disaster, the worst wildfires to hit the State of Oregon since the 1800s and the worst wildfires in over a century. These wildfires devastated land and livestock. Yet our communities have been left stranded, without the protections they normally have, because of the inaction of the House and the Senate. The Long Draw Fire in Malheur County burned 557,000 acres. Let's translate that. That is 900 square miles of land. The Miller Homestead Fire burned 160,000 acres or 250 square miles. We have had many folks coming to the floor to discuss the terrible consequences of natural disasters. It was not long ago that I was on this floor, before Hurricane Sandy, calling for urgent, immediate action. But the challenge is that these emergency programs designed to respond to the ranchers and farmers who have lost so much land, so much forage in Oregon, those measures are in the farm bill. Never before has the farm bill been unfinished, unaddressed, while Congress took their month-long break in August. Yet there it is. We came back and here we are and we still have no action from the House. We can't have a conference committee because the House hasn't acted. We can't address the changes in the House bill because the House hasn't acted. And who is paying the price? Farmers and ranchers, devastated by the worst wildfires in over 100 years. Now, let me be clear. I would prefer that we pass the farm bill. But we have not. And we cannot control what the other Chamber is doing. If we do not get these key disaster relief programs, ranchers and farmers who have lost livestock or grazing land in these wildfires will be left with few options. That is wrong. A rancher in southeast Oregon who has already been devastated by the wildfire should not pay the price because the U.S. House of Representatives will not bring the farm bill to the floor. There are farmers all across the country who have been hit hard by drought. They, too, are held hostage. They need disaster assistance. Well, very soon we are going to be talking about a very substantial disaster bill, and it is appropriate that we will be doing so. I will be supporting it because the devastation that has been wrought in States such as New Jersey and New York is exceptional, and we as a nation need to hold hands with the citizens of these States. We need to help them restore their lives and rebuild. But we need to hold hands in partnership with the ranchers and farmers in Oregon who have been devastated by these wildfires as well. So if the House has not acted on the farm bill when we come to this floor to address relief for those impacted by Hurricane Sandy, then I am going to ask all my colleagues to work with me in the same partnership in which we supported folks in the South after Katrina, the same partnership we will have in supporting the folks in the Northeast due to the consequences of Hurricane Sandy, to support the ranchers and farmers of Oregon who have been so devastated by these worst ever fires. I yield the floor. Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. MERKLEY

Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, today I wish to celebrate the life of John Gray, a son of the great State of Oregon, and a true pioneering spirit whose legacy will live on through his contributions to communities throughout our State. John Gray, born in the small town of Monroe, OR, to a family of modest means, achieved personal success most can only dream of. It was once written about John Gray that one ``might expect a man such as Gray, who has made it so big so quickly, to behave like the tycoon he is. Instead, he has the manner of a bashful lepidopterist making his first trip to the big city.'' At the time of that profile, Salishan was a new community, Sunriver had yet to open, and Skamania was but a twinkle in John Gray's eye. More than 4 decades later, the man who has forever changed the landscape of Oregon remains humble. John Gray's longstanding commitment to preserving and protecting Oregon's natural beauty is evident in the communities he's developed, such as Sunriver, which complement their surroundings with signature elegance. That commitment was matched by his passion for strengthening urban communities. Over the last several years, John Gray gave $2 million to Habitat for Humanity in Oregon. His cornerstone contribution of $1 million to Habitat's ``Block by Block'' initiative laid the foundation for a $10 million land-bank fund, which allowed Habitat to purchase large groups of home lots on Portland's east side. On these lots, Habitat will build entire blocks of new homes for low-income families, most of whom will be first-time homeowners. Mr. Gray's generosity was expansive, extending beyond homeownership to a range of efforts to make Portland a better place. Twenty years ago, he established a fund at Reed College to make sure the school's students are able to enjoy ``cultural, social, and recreational programs of excellent quality'' outside the classroom. In 2011, he gave nearly half a million dollars to a private Portland-area school serving students from homeless and very low-income families to build a new classroom for its expanding roster of students. That same year, he pledged $5 million to the Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon Health & Science University to create an endowed professorship and to fund research and clinical care. Mr. Gray's professional and civic accomplishments are widely known. As a developer, he created several of Oregon's signature communities. As a businessman, he led Omark Industries and was a director of Tektronix, Precision Castparts and First Interstate Bank. As a philanthropist, he has given millions of dollars to make Portland a place that offers opportunity for all. But, not many people know that he is also a decorated veteran. He served with the Army's 82nd Airborne Division during World War II, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and receiving the prestigious Bronze Star for his service. This Friday, December 14, we will be opening an affordable housing development that will house dozens of homeless veterans. It is a fitting tribute that the development will bear John Gray's name.

Mr. MERKLEY

Mr. MERKLEY. I yield the floor.

Mr. MERKLEY

Mr. MERKLEY. Madam President, we are about to take a momentous step forward in promoting human rights abroad thanks to my good friend from Maryland. Here is a bill that promotes a robust trade relationship while at the same time using this relationship to advance a very just cause: punishing past human rights abusers and inhibiting would-be human rights abusers.