Paul Sarbanes

Mr. SARBANES

Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, I yield the Senator 1\1/2\ minutes of the time allocated to me.

Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, I commend the very able Senator from New Jersey for his very powerful statement and for putting everything in context. First of all, I appreciate his taking the April 15 filing deadline, which most of us have just confronted in terms of filing our tax returns, and pointing out that corporations are paying hardly anything in income taxes. As I understand it, 60 percent of corporations filing show no tax liability. As I understand it, 95 percent were paying 5 percent or less. Secondly, the Senator has pointed out this huge discrepancy in the tax benefit from the Bush tax cuts. His chart shows middle-income people were getting about $600, as I recall the figure. And for the top 1 percent, what was the figure?

Mr. SARBANES. That is the millionaires.

Mr. SARBANES. Exactly.

Mr. SARBANES

Mr. SARBANES. It is pretty brutal treatment, it seems to me, to people who have suffered real harm. But for people to have worked their way through the system with all of the stress and strain involved in doing that, and to have either come up to the point of judgment or, as I understand it, perhaps even achieved judgment, then to be required to go back and begin all over it seems to me is just a completely unacceptable procedure. I am very concerned to hear that. I thank the leader.

Mr. SARBANES. Will the distinguished leader yield?

Mr. SARBANES

Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, I recognize the American Public Health Association's 14th annual National Public Health Week. I specifically want to acknowledge and commend the Association on its theme this year: ``Eliminating Health Disparities: Communities Moving from Statistics to Solutions.'' Our public health practitioners affect all areas of life as they fulfill their mission of promoting health and preventing disease at the broader ``population'' level. The American Public Health Association is the oldest and largest organization of public health professionals and has had an enormous influence on public health priorities and policies for over 100 years. As we begin National Public Health Week, it is clear how the Association's selection of a particular theme can make a significant difference in how we develop our health agenda as a nation. I think this year's choice will be no exception and that it will be an impetus for frank and thoughtful discussion about what should be one of the Nation's most critical priorities, the need to address health disparities. The first NIH Working Group on Health Disparities defined health and health care disparities as ``differences in the incidence, prevalence, mortality, and burden of diseases and other adverse health conditions that exist among specific population groups in the United States.'' I take a moment to highlight just a few of these differences. Statistics from the Department of Health and Human Services Report entitled ``National Health Care Disparities'' bear out that minorities are less likely to be given appropriate cardiac medications or to undergo bypass surgery, and are less likely to receive kidney dialysis or transplants. The same study has shown that minorities are less likely to receive the most sophisticated treatments for HIV infection, which could forestall the onset of AIDS. Our minority communities are instead more likely to receive less desirable, non state-of-the-art procedures, such as lower limb amputations for diabetes and other conditions. These disparities also put our children at significant risk. In my own State of Maryland, the Infant Mortality rate for African Americans is two times higher than for Caucasian Americans. And these disparities do not only occur along racial lines. Healthy People 2010 and the National Health Care Disparities Report show that those who live in our more rural communities face similar inequitable treatment. Rural community residents have less contact and fewer visits with physicians, even though these residents tend to have a heightened need for health care. Indeed, injury rates in rural communities are 40 percent higher than in urban areas. Women are 20 times more likely than men to die from a heart attack. Statistics from the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality reflect that women receive less aggressive treatment for heart related ailments than men, and are less likely to receive life saving drugs such as lidocaine, beta-blockers and aspirin for heart attacks. Persons with disabilities face significant disparities in the care they are afforded as do the indigent; the list goes on and on. These are just a few examples of how this inequity affects our population. The State of Maryland has engaged in a number of statewide and local initiatives to address health care disparities in our communities. At the Federal level, I have cosponsored S. 1833, the Healthcare Equality and Accountability Act, which seeks to eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities in health care. I hope we can use the momentum created by this week and redouble our efforts to ensure comprehensive quality health care for all of America's citizen's regardless of their race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, education level, geographic location, disability or sexual orientation. Again, I commend the American Public Health Association for focusing the Nation's attention on this important issue and for serving to increase the dialogue to rid the country of these inequities. I hope my colleagues offer their support to this important effort as well.

Mr. SARBANES

Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, earlier in the day, a number of my colleagues took the floor to pay tribute and respect to my dear friend and colleague, Senator Byrd. I was unable to be here because I was involved in a markup of legislation. I want to take a few moments now, as we bring the day's business to a close, to pay tribute to my very good friend on the occasion of his 17,000th vote in the Senate, an all- time record. The distinguished Senator from West Virginia has given this Nation and his beloved State of West Virginia the very best in public service. The civility, the intelligence, the commitment, and dedication that Senator Byrd brings to this body commands the respect and admiration of every Member of the Senate. That has been expressed from time to time by many of us in this Chamber. The vote today is but one of many milestones for Senator Byrd, but it does offer all of us the opportunity to reflect upon his very special place in the Senate. Senator Byrd often refers to the Senate as a ``pillar of the Constitution.'' I think it is fair to refer to Senator Byrd as a ``pillar of the Senate.'' The Senator's dedication to this body and its history--he has written, after all, the definitive history of the U.S. Senate--its customs and its procedures are unequaled by any other Member I have known. And his dedication to the Senate ranks with his dedication to the country, to the State of West Virginia, and to the Constitution. As this body's indisputable expert on parliamentary procedure, it is only fitting that Senator Byrd's first vote, the first of the 17,000 votes that we celebrate today, was cast on January 8, 1959, and was procedural in nature. That vote began, of course, a legacy of extraordinary leadership and service in this body. The able Senator from West Virginia has not only employed his mastery of how the Senate functions effectively in floor debates, but he has used it to pass on and protect and perfect the spirit of this body which he has called ``the cornerstone of our constitutional system.'' Given this incredible record of service and experience, Senator Byrd now, I think fairly, stands as both the intellect and the conscience of this Chamber. He constantly reminds us of the fundamentals of our democracy and the role the Framers of our Constitution envisioned for the legislative branch. No Member of the U.S. Congress has a deeper understanding of the Constitution and of the Legislature's vital function as a guardian of our fundamental national document. It is because of this institutional knowledge, his devotion to the Senate's distinguishing characteristics, and his devotion to the civility that has customarily underpinned the interaction of the Members of this body that in times of severe national crisis, and on occasion constitutional crisis when the Senate is faced with the most difficult of choices, Members from both sides of the aisle have sought the leadership of Senator Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia. I consider it a singular honor to serve with him in the Senate. I congratulate him on casting his 17,000th vote, and I look forward to seeing him cast many more. I yield the floor.

Mr. SARBANES

Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, 5 years ago Salisbury University, which is located in the town of Salisbury on Maryland's Eastern Shore, established PACE, the Institute for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement. PACE has a dual mission: to serve the communities of the Eastern Shore, using campus resources, faculty-student research teams and off-campus opportunities like internships and a voter registration drive to promote responsible citizenship and good government; and to promote the active engagement of students in civic affairs. For Salisbury Professors Harry Basehart, of the political science department, and Francis Kane, of the philosophy department, who together founded PACE and serve as its co-directors, this is a personal mission as well. Among PACE's many programs is an annual lecture series that brings to the campus distinguished guests to speak on issues of public life, especially issues that most concern Salisbury's students. The speaker this year, on March 29, was Congressman John R. Lewis, who represents Georgia's 5th Congressional District and is serving his ninth term. It is fair to say that in all his life from his childhood in rural Troy, AL, through his years as a student leader in the civil rights movement, to his dedicated service in the Congress Congressman Lewis has never known a day of lassitude, apathy or indifference. He spoke to Salisbury's students from the perspective of his own student years, and I have rarely seen an audience listen with such focused intensity. As it happens, I was born and raised in Salisbury. I was deeply honored to have the opportunity to introduce Congressman Lewis to the Salisbury community, and I ask unanimous consent to print my introductory remarks in the Congressional Record.

Mr. SARBANES

Mr. SARBANES. Million?

Mr. SARBANES. Will the Senator yield on that point?

Mr. SARBANES. It is the highest it has ever been.

Mr. SARBANES. I say to the Senator, I think it is an extremely important point. Even if you reduce the deficit--and the President is making these enormously favorable assumptions about how much he can reduce the deficit. Every analysis has, in effect, undercut the administration's statement and said the deficit, year to year, will be larger. But any deficit you run becomes an addition to the debt, so the debt continues to grow. As the chart of the Senator shows, it grows in alarming proportions. That is a burden that then is saddled on the next generation which they have to pay off almost indefinitely into the future. I say to the Senator, I think he is making an extremely important point, to underscore the fact that the debt continues to explode even under favorable assumptions by the administration.

Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, will the Senator yield on that point?

Mr. SARBANES. Will the Senator yield?

Mr. SARBANES. On the previous chart, am I to understand that in dollar terms the deficit now is at a record level?

Mr. SARBANES. Is the highest it has ever been?

Mr. SARBANES. Those are huge sums we are borrowing from these various nations in order to cover our deficit. This is debt they hold which the United States has to pay back. The fact is, if you connect everything, what is happening in effect is, in order to give tax cuts to the elite, to the very wealthy, we are borrowing money, and we end up borrowing money from all of these countries in order to finance the deficit that results from the tax cuts, and then saddling the next generation with the responsibility of paying on this debt out into the future. It is incredible when you stop and think about it; that in order to finance tax cuts here we are borrowing money from over there in order to do that.

Mr. SARBANES. I also understand when they try to put it in percentage terms as a share of the economy, that it is almost at the highest level it has been since the end of World War II. Of course, we had to fight World War II. We had a significant deficit and ran up the debt. But it is almost at the highest it has ever been, and it is projected, as I understand it, to go higher; is that correct?

Mr. SARBANES. If the Senator will yield, do those projected deficits rise into double figures as a percent of the GDP? Am I correct in reading that chart? It is well up over 10 percent of GDP would be in deficit? Is that correct?

Mr. SARBANES

Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, I rise in support of the Boxer-Kennedy amendment to raise the minimum wage. A fair increase is long overdue and the Congress must act to set a minimum wage that accurately reflects current economic conditions. The majority has decried this amendment as non-germane and accused the minority of holding up the underlying legislation. While the amendment may not be germane in a procedural sense, it is certainly relevant, it is certainly appropriate, and it deserves an up or down vote. Indeed, as my able colleague Senator Kennedy mentioned earlier on the floor, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, as recently as March of 2002, has acknowledged that moving people to jobs that pay at least the minimum wage is the centerpiece of TANF. Minimum wage jobs are the centerpiece of TANF. But in order for people to move off these rolls and still support their families, such jobs must provide a livable wage. Mr. President, if the true goal of this legislation--as has been stated--is to reduce the number of individuals enrolled in our Nation's welfare system, this amendment would directly serve to accomplish that goal. To achieve self-sufficiency, a working family needs more. By working 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, an employee will earn $10,700 at the current minimum wage. For a family of three, that represents an income that falls $5,000 below the poverty line. And this is a pervasive trend. The U.S. Census Bureau reported that in 2002 the number of working poor in the United States stood at 8,954,000. This is unacceptable. If Americans are willing and able to work full time jobs, they should be able to provide for their family. At the current minimum wage, this situation is not likely to improve any time soon. According to the Congressional Research Service, the minimum wage today is at its lowest level in terms of purchasing power since the 1940s. And each day we fail to act, inflation continues to erode this purchasing power. As this happens, workers earning the minimum wage will only become more and more dependent on the government assistance to make ends meet. If enacted, at its full implementation, the Kennedy amendment would increase this wage to $7 an hour. This would provide an increase in the incomes of minimum wage earners by $3,800 a year, which represents a positive step toward purchasing power that comports with modern day needs and prices. The other side will argue that increasing the minimum wage will hurt business and stunt job growth. They argue that we need to give more tax cuts to the wealthiest among us, run large and growing Federal deficits, and hope that things improve. Mr. President, this has been our policy for over three years since this Administration took office. In that time, we have seen the largest job loss in our Nation's history. We have seen Federal surpluses erased in favor of record deficits. And we have been told time and time again by the Administration that things will turn around soon. However, today's release of state-level job growth data by the Bureau of Labor Statistics flies in the face of the Administration's assertions in this regard. These statistics indicate that 49 states failed to meet the Bush Administration's projections for job creation in the month of February 2004. As of February 2004, 35 states have failed to get back to their pre-recession employment levels. Furthermore, 49 states have not created enough jobs to keep up with the natural growth in the number of potential workers, as job growth has lagged the growth in working-age population since March 2001. As for the unemployed, 43 states have higher unemployment rates than when the recession began. As a Nation, the cumulative job growth shortfall is over two million jobs since July 2003, when the first of this Administration's tax cuts went into effect. Raising the minimum wage will not only benefit low-income wage earners, it will provide economic stimulus by putting additional dollars in the hands of those who must spend them to make ends meet. When the Congress last increased the minimum wage, the economy experienced its strongest growth in over three decades. Nearly 11 million new jobs were added. This is quite a different result from the economic policies we have pursued under the current Administration. Mr. President, increasing the minimum wage is the fair thing to do and it is sound economic policy. I urge my colleagues to support the Boxer-Kennedy amendment.

Mr. SARBANES

Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, I would like to take a moment to extend my congratulations to the American Lung Association as it celebrates its 100th anniversary. One of our Nation's foremost health advocacy groups, the American Lung Association was established in 1904 as the National Association for the Study and Prevention of Tuberculosis, a cause to which it remains very much devoted. From its early years during which it focused on promoting basic sanitation measures, the ALA has grown into a leader in the fields of health education and biomedical research, contributing over $11 million in 2003 alone to the study of lung disease. The American Lung Association has long been at the forefront of efforts to warn the American public of the dangers of smoking. In fact, the ALA predated the Surgeon General by 4 years in establishing a link between tobacco use and chronic lung disease, issuing a public health statement on the risks of tobacco use as early as 1960. Subsequent public information campaigns, especially those targeting America's youth, have helped cut smoking rates drastically over the past two decades. In the hope of addressing a root cause of lung disease, the American Lung Association has worked tirelessly to improve the quality of the air we breathe. This organization played a crucial role in the development and implementation of the 1970 Clean Air Act, and since then has provided a strong voice for improving emissions standards and reducing children's exposure to poor air quality in schools. Over the years, the American Lung Association has risen time after time to the task of combating new health challenges. Recognizing the growing problem of asthma, the ALA has initiated a number of programs to help local officials, parents, and their children combat and manage this disease. And in 1996, the ALA established their Asthma Clinical Research Center network, a program with an annual budget of $3.5 million, consisting of 19 university and hospital centers and a coordinating center at the Johns Hopkins University. I commend the ALA for its outstanding achievements over the past century, and I offer my best wishes for a successful future.

Mr. SARBANES

Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, March 25 has very special meaning in Greek history. On this date 183 years ago, a small but resolute band of Greek patriots began the struggle to end the foreign domination that for nearly four centuries had oppressed and impoverished Greek lands. For 8 difficult years, resolute and courageous Greek patriots fought against tremendous odds to secure the liberty of their homeland. On this same date 30 years ago the military junta, which had seized power in 1967 and for 7 long years suppressed democratic institutions and civil rights, was brought down, and democracy was restored to the land of its invention. These two events, distant in time and nature as they are from one another, both mark milestones on the road to the vigorous and prosperous democracy that is Greece today. Nearly 200 years ago, the United States and Greece were two young republics for whom the future was still uncertain. Inspired by democratic ideas in a world that was largely uncomprehending and hostile, both took on the formidable challenge of building viable democratic institutions. That shared commitment has endured. The United States and Greece have stood together in every major struggle for freedom and democracy: through two devastating World Wars, and through the long decades of the Cold War. The Hellenic Republic was established in 1974. Since that time, Greece has built itself into a strong democracy, a vibrant economy, a regional leader and an ever more solid partner of the United States. Greece has reclaimed its leading role in the region, joining the European Community in 1981. In April 2003, the European Union, under the Greek presidency, signed the Accession Treaty to accept 10 new members in the ancient agora marketplace of Athens, that city serving once again as a cradle for democratic expansion. Greece's democracy has flourished and prospered over the past 30 years. Recent elections have again demonstrated the stability and openness of the nation's political institutions. With the transfer of power from one party to another, a new generation of Greek leaders is emerging, a generation that promises to build on the strength of the existing relationship with the United States to develop new avenues of cooperation. Today Greece is preparing for the 2004 Olympics. It is a matter of profound satisfaction for those of us of Greek ancestry that the Games this year are returning to their birthplace, and that Greece will play host to more than two million athletes and visitors from every corner of the world. In connection with the Olympic Games, Greece has undertaken structural improvements that are transforming Athens into a thoroughly cosmopolitan and modern city, and building facilities and infrastructure throughout the country. The investment Greece has made in connection with the Olympics holds out the prospect of a new era, for the people of Greece and visitors to Greece alike. The Games offer a splendid opportunity to present Greek achievements to the international community not only in sports but also in cultural, economic and political terms. The founders of the American republic were ardent students of the classics, and they looked to the wisdom and experience of ancient Greece as they shaped our nascent political order. In turn, Greek patriots struggling to win independence in 1821 turned to the principles of the new American democracy as they sought to build their own new order. In today's turbulent world, the strong and enduring ties between the two countries are momentous achievements. They give us cause for reflection and celebration on this independence day.

Mr. SARBANES

Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, today I pay tribute to Dr. Norman M. Rich, M.D., Professor and Chairman, Department of Surgery, F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences--USUHS. This week, on March 26, 2004, Dr. Rich will mark the end of his 44-year career in Federal service. Dr. Rich's Federal career began in the U.S. Army where he served for 20 years as a career officer and physician from 1960 through 1980. As a military surgeon with academic interests in the management of injured patients and vascular surgery, he earned international recognition; his military awards include the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Award and Vietnam Medals. Dr. Rich was appointed as the Founding Chairman of the USUHS School of Medicine's Department of Surgery in August of 1977 and held that position until October of 2002. For the past 16 months, he has continued to serve as an advisor and mentor to the Acting Department Chairman. As Founding Chairman, Dr. Rich was faced with the difficult task of establishing a Department of Surgery at a university where the campus had not yet been constructed. From the outset, Dr. Rich and his considerable reputation gave credibility to the newly established Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and enabled the recruitment of a competent faculty for its new Department of Surgery. He utilized his collaborative relationships, both nationally and internationally, to strengthen his department's curricula and lectures and thereby provided a military and academically unique environment for the over 3,400 USUHS medical school graduates and thousands more future uniformed medical students. Dr. Rich can take pride in having developed an academically sound curriculum, recruiting competent faculty with military unique expertise, meeting the initial and on-going accreditation requirements for the School of Medicine, and creating a sound national and global reputation for the university. His efforts have aided the School of Medicine in attaining full accreditation and he has helped shape USUHS graduates into what the Secretary of Defense has dubbed ``the backbone of the Military Health System.'' Indeed, his efforts are reflected in the continued success of USUHS and its graduates and in the continued health of the millions of uniformed personnel and their families who have benefited from his extraordinary expertise. During the course of his career, Dr. Rich has published over 300 manuscripts and authored or co-authored five books. Among these is the internationally recognized ``Vascular Trauma.'' He has served on 10 editorial boards, including the major peer-reviewed journals focusing upon his specialty. His recent awards include: the 2003 National Safety Council Surgeons' Award for Distinguished Service in Safety presented by the American College of Surgeons, the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma, and the National Safety Council; recognition as a Citizen & Apothecary of London in 2001; and, the J.E. Wallace Sterling Lifetime Alumni Achievement Award from the Stanford Medical Alumni Association. Our Nation can be proud of Dr. Rich's long and distinguished career of service and I am pleased to join with his family, friends and colleagues in expressing appreciation for the significant contributions he has made to the health of the uniformed services and that of all citizens. I certainly wish him continued success and happiness in the years to come.

Mr. SARBANES

Mr. SARBANES. Will the Senator yield on that point? The President was in Ohio a day or two ago. Of course, Ohio has been badly hit. They have lost manufacturing jobs and they are being hard hit by, in effect, the flow of jobs overseas. This morning's paper says we ran a record trade deficit last month of $43 billion. That monthly rate translates into well over a $500 billion annual trade deficit--a $\1/2\ trillion trade deficit. Of course, people say we are exporting goods and that is true. But we are importing far more than we are exporting, so much so, that we have set a record monthly trade deficit figure. That only again reflects the flow of jobs out of this country, overseas, exactly the point the Senator is making. In particular, it is the flow of some very good- paying jobs. The manufacturing sector has been very hard hit. The Administration set up this post of an Assistant Secretary for Manufacturing. They waited 6 months, they didn't nominate anyone, and now it looks as if the person they are nominating they are not going to go through with because it turns out he was establishing a factory over in China and cutting back on jobs in this country. Can you imagine that? I thank the Senator from California for her amendment. She is right on target. This is an extremely important amendment. The package she has put together is a very sensible package to try to address this problem.