Harry Reid

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, this evening the Senate will proceed to executive session to consider a couple of would-be judges, Caproni and Broderick, both from the Southern District of New York, at 5:30 p.m., and then there will be two rollcall votes on the confirmation of those nominations. We may only have one rollcall vote and one voice vote, but we will get both of them done today. I just moved to proceed to the joint resolution reported last week by the Foreign Relations Committee to authorize the limited use of force against Syria. This matter demands the attention of the Senate and this country. It is this resolution the Senate will turn to. Regardless of where Senators stand on the merits of this issue, we should have this debate. I hope all Senators will support proceeding to this measure. That vote will occur sometime on Wednesday on the motion to proceed. Under a previous order, at 11 tomorrow morning, the Senate is to have a motion to proceed to the energy efficiency bill. It is obvious we are not going to be able to do that. I will work with the Republican leader to reach a consent agreement to defer consideration of that bill to a later time. On the Syria resolution, I intend that the Senate should have a full and open debate. I encourage Senators to come to the floor to begin that debate. Also this week, President Obama will come to the Capitol to address the Democratic caucus. He has also extended his invitation to the Republicans. I have not heard back from the Republicans as to whether they wish to hear from the President. President Obama will address the Nation tomorrow evening. Senior administration officials will brief all Senators in a classified session on Wednesday. There will be other meetings in the White House today with Democratic and Republican Senators. The Senate will give this matter the serious attention it deserves. Chemical Weapons Mr. President, the first large-scale military use of deadly military weapons occurred almost 100 years ago when the Germans deployed chlorine gas during World War I. During that war, World War I, there were 1,200,000 casualties from attacks with deadly toxins--chlorine gas, mustard gas, and other deathly and destructive chemical agents. Great Britain, Austria, Hungary, France, Germany, Italy, and the United States all suffered losses. ``This is a horrible weapon,'' wrote German Major Karl von Zinger, who reported a firsthand battlefield account of the carnage to his superior officers. One hundred thousand soldiers died, and most of the other casualties were debilitated for life by the exposure to these deadly toxins. The effects of these killers were horrific. Those who didn't die suffered blindness, burns, blisters, and labored breathing. For those dying, it was as terrible as anyone could imagine. The great World War I era poet Wilfred Owen from Great Britain wrote that gassed soldiers cried out like men on fire as they drowned in air thick with poison. The world was horrified by the gruesomeness of these new evil weapons of war, and so, as a global community, we agreed these weapons should be banished from the battlefield forever. Despite the success of global efforts to eliminate their use, today the Syrian Government is the second largest holder of chemical weapons in the world--only shortly behind North Korea. The well-documented use of these toxic and unsavory stockpiles by President Bashar al-Asad's regime is a certain violation of the overwhelming international consensus forged against these weapons nearly 10 decades ago. It is a clear violation of human decency. This is not the first time Asad has used chemical weapons against his own citizens. We all heard in our classified briefings that these weapons have been used a number of times, but this is the most gruesome and extensive. This morning I watched some film in my office. The film takes about 13 minutes. It was pictures that were taken following the dropping of those horrible weapons. I will never get that out of my mind. There were little baby boys and girls dressed in colorful play clothes. Some of the boys and girls looked like teenagers. They were retching and had spasms with their arms. Of course there were older people as well. These poisons kill the kids first. Their little bodies cannot take this as well as older folks. It kills the older people also but more slowly. The well-documented use of these unsavory stockpiles by Asad is a certain violation, I repeat, of the overwhelming international consensus forged against these weapons 10 decades past. I have talked about human decency. It is a clear violation of human decency. The August 21 attacks killed more than 1,000 civilians--including hundreds of these children. This week we will further examine the evidence that is growing which proves the viciousness of these attacks and discuss their brutal results. The innocent civilians who were killed by the Syrian Government during those attacks died terrible deaths. Their death was just as painful and shocking as those suffered on the battlefields of World War I. These deaths were just as terrible as those that convinced the global community to outlaw the use of such brutal tactics against soldiers, and, of course, against innocent civilians such as those Asad murdered last month. The evidence of the Asad regime, and their using outlawed nerve agents against its own citizens, is clear and very convincing. The Syrian Government has worked to hide the gruesome evidence. They have done it a number of different ways. After the bodies had been cleared away, they sent a barrage of weaponry in there--artillery and tanks-- and blasted the ground and destroyed the evidence. They couldn't destroy it; it is still there, but they did try. They worked very hard to hide these gruesome attacks by repeatedly bombing the site of these grisly and unforgettable occurrences. Without question, this brutality demands a response. The satellite imagery and amateur video shot by eyewitnesses--and I talked about that--paint a clear picture of the brutality of this awful regime. President Obama sought approval 2 weeks ago for targeted military action--action that will hold President Asad accountable for these heinous acts. Congress has done its due diligence. Since President Obama announced he would seek congressional approval for the limited military action against Syria, the Senate has held many committee hearings and briefings as well as five classified all-Members briefings. There are more briefings and much debate to come this week-- including open debate here in the Senate. On a bipartisan basis the Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed a resolution that restricts the use of military force to 60 days, with a single 30-day extension. The resolution reflects President Obama's proposal for limited military action--including strikes of limited duration and limited scope. The resolution plainly states there may be no U.S. military boots on the ground. America's intention, as specified in the resolution, is not to engage in an open-ended conflict or invasion. Nor is it the Commander in Chief's intention to commit ground troops to this conflict or to effect regime change. Rather, the Senate will be voting to uphold the century-long international consensus that chemical weapons have no place on the battlefield and certainly no place in attacking innocent civilians. This standard demands any government--a dictator or any other government--that has used chemical weapons to be held accountable. Some may disagree with my conclusions. I don't expect everyone to agree with the statement I am giving here today, as is anyone's right, but this is my firm conviction. Today, many Americans say that these atrocities are none of our business, that they are not our concern. I disagree. Anytime the powerful turn such weapons of terror and destruction against the powerless it is our business. The weapons in question are categorically different. Chemical weapons, we know, can kill not just dozens or hundreds of people but tens of thousands of innocents in a single attack--tens of thousands. These weapons don't just pose a threat to the Syrian people or to our allies in the region; they pose a threat to every one of us, every American, and, in particular, every member of the U.S. Armed Forces. If we allow Asad's use of chemical weapons to go unchecked and unanswered, hostile forces around the world will also assume that these terrible tactics of demons such as Asad are permissible, that they are OK. That America cannot allow. That is why the massacres in Syria are our business and our concern, both as humans and as Americans. America's willingness to stand for what is right should not end at its borders. Our intervention on behalf of those in danger hasn't always been popular. Look back at history. There has always been part of our society that prefers isolation. Look prior to World War I. Look prior to World War II. Some prefer isolation. That is the easy thing to do. But sitting on the sidelines isn't what made the United States of America the greatest Nation in the world in years past and, yes, today, and sitting on the sidelines won't make us a better Nation tomorrow. As America faces yet another crisis of conscience, another opportunity to intervene on behalf of humanity, my mind returns to that turning point in the world's history when the United States of America faced down an evil regime that murdered millions of innocent citizens. Millions of civilians and prisoners of war were murdered by gas in Nazi death camps--Belsen, Treblinka, Auschwitz. Never again, swore the world. Never again would we permit the use of these poisonous weapons of war. Fourteen blocks from here, down Constitution Avenue, is the Holocaust Museum. We walk in there and see a quote on the wall from Dante's famous ``Inferno.'' Here is what it says: ``The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality.'' I repeat: ``The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality.'' I have thought about those words very often--and very often lately--as I have considered whether America should take action to avert further atrocities in Syria. In Europe, in World War II, far too many were neutral. Far too many around the world were neutral. Far too many in America were neutral, and in Europe, in World War II. Six million Jews and tens of thousands of gypsies, disabled people, gay people, and political dissidents were murdered. Never again. Now we are faced with that choice again. Some say it is not our fight. Some say Syria is too far away. Some say it is not in our security interest. Russia, China, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and the United States--we should all remember our history. There were 1.2 million casualties in World War I from these poisons. We should remember our history. Rabbi Hillel, a respected and famous scholar, said more than 2,000 years ago: ``If I care only for myself, what am I? If not now, when?'' I, Harry Reid, say: If not now, when? I believe America must set the example for the rest of the world. If America must once again lead--as we have before and we will again--to set an example for the world, so be it. This is America. It is who we are as a country. That is what we do as a country. That is where we stand as a country. That is the American tradition of which I am proud and a tradition which I have faith will continue. We are the United States of America. Order of Procedure

Mr. REID. Mr. President, there is an order outstanding. I ask unanimous consent that the order until 5 o'clock today be modified on the motion to proceed, with the other aspects of the order remaining in place.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that we proceed to a period of morning business with Senators allowed to speak for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, tomorrow the President is going to brief the Democratic caucus and the Republican caucus separately. He is going to address the Nation tomorrow night. As we all know, there are international discussions relevant to the matter in Syria. Normally what I would do in a situation such as this is file cloture today, but I don't think that is to our benefit. I don't think we need to see how fast we can do this; we have to see how well we can do this, so I will not file cloture this evening on the Syria resolution. I have spoken to the Republican leader. I have talked to virtually all of my Democratic Senators. We have enough votes to get cloture, but I don't think we should be counting numbers tonight. I think what we need to do is to make sure the President has the opportunity to speak to all 100 Senators and all 300 million American people before we do this. As I have said before, when we get on this, we are going to deal with this in a manner that is dignified and move forward in a way that is expeditious, yet thorough. I have discussed this with the President and other people in the administration. I repeat: I wish to make sure the President has a full opportunity to make his case to the Senate and the American people before we vote on this matter. As always, I will continue to discuss this with Senator McConnell, and we will see if we can reach some kind of agreement to move forward without cloture. If that doesn't work out, I will file cloture when it is appropriate.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, first of all, I appreciate very much the presiding officer's willingness to come in today. I was all prepared this coming Monday to tell everybody ``welcome back''. But I do that a few days early. So welcome back everyone. I hope you had a good break. I hope it was as productive as mine. I am grateful for everyone's cooperation in getting us to this point. I ask unanimous consent that a letter of notification relating to section 2 of S. Con. Res. 22 be printed in the Record.

Mr. REID. Mr. President, we convened the Senate today in order to enable the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to put a joint resolution in the Record which authorizes the use of military force, limited in nature against Syria, in response to the Syrian regimes and their use of chemical weapons. As we know, many, many people have been killed, including almost 500 children. The reported resolution was signed by committee leaders Senators Menendez and Corker. They have set a tremendous model of bipartisanship and cooperation for the Senate. I admire both of these good men for the work that they have done, the leadership that they have showed in allowing us to be at the point where we are now in this difficult situation.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate adjourn until 2 p.m. Monday, September 9, 2013.

Mr. REID

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

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

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, following leader remarks the Senate will be in morning business until 11 o'clock this morning. The time until then will be equally divided and controlled between the majority leader and the Republican leader. At 11 the Senate will proceed to executive session to consider the Chen nomination to be a U.S. circuit judge for the Federal circuit. Also, at 11 there will be a filing deadline for all second-degree amendments to the Transportation bill. At noon there will be two rollcall votes on confirmation of Chen and cloture on the THUD bill. Following those votes, the Senate will recess until 2 p.m. for a bipartisan caucus meeting. This afternoon there will be a rollcall vote on the confirmation of the Power nomination to be Ambassador to the United Nations.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. I object. (Laughter.) I will withdraw my objection.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Would the Chair announce the business of the day.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, in addition to David leaving, Rohit Kumar is also leaving. I don't know what he did for Senator McConnell, but most of the time I didn't like it. But I learned in our conversations, most of them in the back room, what a fine man he is and how smart he is. He is incredibly intelligent, he is good at his job and, as I have just indicated, a little too good sometimes. Even though we at times knew what was happening was happening because he was behind it, I am really sorry to see him leave the Senate. He is a good person. I admire him and have such great respect for him. I wish him success and happiness in his next endeavor. He has a beautiful young daughter that he boasts about all the time, and rightly so. He and his wife Hillary, I am confident, will have a very pleasant life outside the Senate, even though we will all miss him.

Mr. REID

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

Mr. REID. Mr. President, we know what is ahead of us the next hour or so. I ask unanimous consent that we change that. In between the vote on Chen, the judge, and the next vote, I ask that there be 10 minutes, and 2 minutes of that would be 1 minute on each side, and 8 minutes would be given to the comanager of that bill, Susan Collins. That would be for debate only.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Madam President, have Senators sit down and shut up. OK. It is unfair. Senator Murray has something to say. Senator Collins has something to say. It is just not polite.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I move to proceed to Calendar No. 154, S. 1392.

Mr. REID. I note the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, for this session, this work period, we have done a lot of work, and it has turned out quite well. None of us got what we wanted, but we all got something. I appreciate the cooperation of Democrats and Republicans this afternoon. It is always during the last few hours before a recess that problems come up, and this is an adjournment, so it is even more difficult. So I am grateful to everyone for their participation and their cooperation. As for Senator Grassley, he has left the floor, but I wish to express my appreciation to him. He had an issue that took us a while to work through, and it all worked out for the better for not only he and Senator Leahy but, most importantly, for our staff.

Mr. REID. Madam President, very briefly, reserving the right to object.

Mr. REID. It comes as no surprise that the Republicans are once again trying to repeal the health care act. By one count, the House and Senate Republicans have tried to fight the same fight more than 70 times. Albert Einstein was not insane. He was very smart. But he described insanity pretty clearly as doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. That is where we are here. This is insane. It is clear Republicans liked it better when insurance companies could deny coverage when you had a preexisting condition; when insurance companies could cut off your health insurance when you got sick; when insurance companies could raise insurance rates without any review. They would say--I guess when they say what they are saying now, that they want to prevent enforcement of the health care reform, what they are really saying is they want to repeal free mammograms and preventive care, repeal the law that lets kids stay on their parents' health care until they are 26. Let's not fight the same fight over and over. It is time to stop fighting. It is time to work together. I object.

Mr. REID. I object.

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

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I now ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to S. Con. Res. 22.