Ted Stevens

Mr. STEVENS

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, there are times when one reads a speech that has been given by another Senator and reaches a conclusion and says: I could have given that speech. Today I was given a copy of the statement made by my Senate brother from Hawaii, Senator Inouye, at the David Sarnoff Award Banquet last night. I came to the floor to commend that speech to Members of the Senate. I do think if Senators read it, some of them at least might change their position on some of the issues that are going to come before us next week. This is a very thoughtful speech that Senator Inouye made. This David Sarnoff Award, as we all know, is named after the founder of the Association of Communications, Electronics, Intelligence and Information Systems Professionals, a group of people who have devoted their lives to improving the technology for our people who are engaged in the intelligence-gathering system of the United States. This is an award that has been given to many distinguished people in the past--former Secretary Bill Perry, Secretary of State Colin Powell, former Senator and Vice President Al Gore, our current Vice President, Dick Cheney. It is an award anyone would be proud to receive, but as a practical matter, I bet those people did not expect the speech of the type they heard. It is one that I think, as I said at the beginning, demonstrates what we say from time to time: That the two of us think alike and speak alike. I commend this speech to Members of the Senate and hope Members will read it and understand it. I ask unanimous consent that Senator Inouye's speech be printed in the Record.

Mr. STEVENS. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, the Open World Program has grown from a pilot program in 1999 to a robust program, not only in Russia but in countries in both the former Soviet Union and the Baltics. I am grateful to Dr. James Billington's continued leadership of Open World, as well as to my Senate colleagues who serve with me on the board of the center and who take the time to meet with Open World delegations in the United States. Open World has brought over 8,000 participants to 1,254 communities in all 50 States. I am pleased that my home State of Alaska has welcomed many delegations and strengthened ties between Alaskans and Russian in the Far East. I want to note that the GAO reviewed Open World from top to bottom this year and noted both the broad participation it has achieved in Russia. The GAO team traveled to Russia and interviewed a number of participants to determine its impact. GAO reported that ``Most delegates viewed their program experience very favorably and . . . have taken concrete steps to adapt what they learned from their U.S. visits to the Russian environment.'' Last year we asked Open World to expand its operations to new counties, including strategic allies for the U.S. defense interests, such as Uzbekistan. I would like to ask my colleagues, Senator Campbell and Senator Durbin, if they would like to comment on Open World's expansion.

Mr. STEVENS. I thank my colleagues for their interest and support. In addition to the groundbreaking work that you have described in Belarus and the Baltics, I would like to point out that the Russian Federation has many areas with predominantly Muslim populations--Chechnya, Tatarstan, Baskortostan, Ingushetia--areas where Stalin deported more than a million people from the North Caucasus to Siberia and Central Asia. I suggested to my fellow board members on Open World that we focus, in particular, on these regions for 2004. We also launched a pilot in Uzbekistan at the same time. In a matter of months, Open World had found U.S. hosts and selected young leaders from these key regions; 500 leaders traveled from the Russian Muslim republics and 100 from Uzbekistan. The strength of Open world and its future lies with its ability to take a simple, cost-effective model rooted in our American communities, values, and hospitality and adapt to new countries of the greatest strategic interest to the United States. In 2003 Congress authorized expansion of Open World to 14 new countries. a number of these--Armenia, Georgia, Belarus, Moldova, Kazakhstan--warrant their own program. I hope that we can work with our House colleagues to maintain sufficient funding for Open World to continue its success, while not diminishing terribly the important work it must continue to do in Russia--as important now as when I first helped establish the program in 1999. With my colleagues support, I would like to ask Dr. Billington and the staff of Open World to explore the possibility of expansion of the program to Afghanistan and Pakistan. These countries are crucial to U.S. interests. Recognizing that these nations lay outside the present scope of Open World, I am offering legislative language that would allow the Board of Trustees and staff to explore the feasibility of expanding the program and reporting back to the Senate and House appropriations Committees within 90 days. Dr. Billington is the Librarian of Congress, in addition to his role as chairman of the Open World board. The Library's expertise in CRS and through its overseas offices will be of great assistance to Open World in responding to this request. I want to thank Dr. Billington for his continued leadership. I also thank my colleagues, Senator Campbell and Senator Durbin, for their interest in Open world and appreciation for the important work it has accomplished.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, today our Appropriations Committee held a hearing and listened to distinguished individuals as to their views on the recommendations for intelligence reform. At that time, we were provided a statement which is entitled ``Guiding Principles for Intelligence Reform'' dated September 21, 2004. It is signed by the following persons: former Senator David Boren, former Senator Bill Bradley, former Secretary of Defense Frank Carlucci, former Secretary of Defense William Cohen, former CIA Director Robert Gates, former Deputy Secretary of Defense John Hamre, former Senator and Presidential candidate Gary Hart, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, former Senator Sam Nunn, former Senator Warren Rudman, and former Secretary of State George Shultz. I do call it to the attention of all Senators in connection with this current review of the 9/11 Commission recommendations on intelligence reform. I ask unanimous consent that the ``Guiding Principles for Intelligence Reform'' be printed in the Record.

Mr. STEVENS

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

Mr. STEVENS. I thank the Chair. (The remarks of Mr. Stevens pertaining to the submission of the resolution are located in today's Record under ``Submission of Concurrent and Senate Resolutions.'')

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I have come to the Senate to submit a resolution honoring the great philanthropist John Kluge whose 90th birthday is tomorrow. He is a personal friend. John Kluge is a self-made man. He came to this country as a young boy from Germany with virtually nothing but a china Dresden horse--which he still has. From these humble origins and through hard work he received a scholarship to Columbia University. After distinguished service as an army intelligence officer during WW II--and I say parenthetically he served in Alaska during that period-- he went on in the business world to create a vast media empire which he converted into a great engine of philanthropy, supporting many educational programs, aimed in particular toward helping minorities. John Kluge's quiet commitment to public service and generosity of spirit will live on for generations. For years to come, individuals will be able to attend college on a Kluge scholarship who might otherwise be unable to afford it. Countless future national leaders will benefit from the intellectual stimulation he has made possible through his work at the Library of Congress. Mr. Kluge is the founding chairman of the James Madison Council, the Library of Congress's private sector philanthropic organization, where he has inspired many others to join in support of the library and its programs. Through his generosity, John Kluge helped the Library of Congress bridge the gap into the digital world by enabling it to invest heavily in technologies that bring the vast collections of the Library of Congress to people all over the world. As chairman of the Joint Committee on the Library, I was pleased to announce at a ceremony in the Capitol in 2000 with the Librarian of Congress, Jim Billington, Mr. Kluge's generous gift of $60 million to establish the John W. Kluge center in the Library of Congress. Thanks to this endowment, the Kluge Center brings some of the world's best minds--the Kluge Scholars--into residence to use the rich resources of the library and interact with national policy makers. John Kluge has also generously supported the creation of advanced training for a new generation of library leaders through the leadership development program at the Library of Congress. John Kluge is a man who has made a difference. He has touched countless lives and truly deserves the recognition of this body. I ask unanimous consent to submit this resolution and ask that it be held at the desk so others might join in cosponsoring this resolution. It is my intention to ask the leadership to try to clear it for adoption this afternoon.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. We will provide the needed disaster relief for Florida agriculture as soon as possible. This relief will come in the form of appropriations for the U.S. Department of Agriculture disaster relief programs. These funds will be used to help Florida citrus farmers as well as other Florida farmers. If the funds are not provided before we address Hurricane Ivan, we will address this issue when we do address Ivan in the conference on this bill, the Homeland Security bill.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, yes, that is my commitment to the Senator from Florida. We fully intend to take up the Hurricane Ivan funds as an amendment to this bill in conference when the supplemental request is received.

Mr. STEVENS. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I call to the attention of the members of the Appropriations Committee that there will be a markup in our committee of three bills at 10:30. We will also consider appropriations bills on the floor tomorrow morning.

Mr. STEVENS

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

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, although I will be speaking on intelligence matters and other matters relating to the CR, I ask unanimous consent that my statement not be considered a violation of the Pastore rule and I be able to speak on general matters.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, a lot of people are talking about a continuing resolution for appropriations this year. This is not a normal year. This is the end of Congress. This Congress goes out of being. We will come back next year and have to deal with new bills. I want to talk a little bit about the problem of a continuing resolution for a series of bills. For instance, my State had over 5 million acres of timberland burned this year. Forest fires were just enormous. We have provided in the Interior bill moneys for hazardous fuels reduction to try to reduce the fires, really, on some of the wildlands of the United States. If we had that money we could probably prevent what we call follow-on fires. Where lightning fires strike, the next year they strike almost in the same place. The next year they strike almost in the same place. But as they do in years following a fire, they are hitting timber that has been dried out, burned, dried out, and it is just like kindling. It just causes the whole area to burn more and then more and then more. The way to stop that is to do the hazardous fire reduction program, go into the area that burned and take that timber out--try to plant new trees, but at least do something to prevent a follow-on fire the following year. If the Interior bill doesn't pass, there will not be that money available. We have additional money for the Indian Health Service this year. We have had substantial problems in health areas in the Indian community. That money wouldn't be available under a CR. Many people don't know what a CR is. It is a continuing resolution which continues the moneys that were appropriated in 2003 to be spent in 2004; now that same amount of money is going to be spent in 2005. Judgments of 2003 of what should be happening in 2004 are not valid in 2005. We need each of these bills this year more than we ever have before. Take, for instance, the hurricanes that just happened. We have in the budget request what is called the beach renourishment policy. It is a one-time funded program to try to replace some of these beaches that have been lost in the hurricane season. There are approximately 43 projects already outlined that have to be funded this year in order to undertake this new concept. It is sort of like the fires concept. If we move in and repair these beaches now, a subsequent follow-on hurricane will not aggravate the damage and leave even further destruction in the area. Again, unless we get the Energy and Water bill, it will not be done. There will be no dredging of the low-use waterway and harbors that have had extensive damage. These hurricanes change the bottom of the sea in the areas adjacent to the shore of where the hurricanes come ashore. We need new money to deal with that. The only way to get it is to get an Energy and Water appropriations bill passed. If you look at the Department of Energy, we have a whole series of items requested by the President and approved by the Appropriations Committee on energy and water. The budget this year requests $1.16 billion more than was enacted for this fiscal year of 2004. A continuing resolution will carry the figures for 2004 forward as long as the continuing resolution continues until Congress passes a bill next year. But meanwhile, the money that is needed for security and the safeguard problems of our national weapons labs, the President asked for $706 million to make those laboratories more safe and more secure. He asked for $6.9 billion in energy environmental management activities. That is an increase over 2004. This is expected to have a specific effect on the environmental cleanup activities in Tennessee, Washington, Idaho, and South Carolina. In terms of energy supply, we have money this year for energy research, including renewable resources such as hydrogen, solar, wind, and biomass. The President's request this year is $835 million, a 13- percent increase over 2004. I will come back later. I don't want to monopolize the time. I keep reminding the Senate that we cannot operate under a CR for 2005. It is not possible. Take the Department of Agriculture: The 2005 bill is not passed and the medical device user fee authority expires at the end of this fiscal year because we did not provide the required level of funding authority. This bill takes care of that. If the bill does not pass, there won't be funding to maintain the participation rates for the WIC Program. The budget request is underestimated by over $300 million. That would be required to continue the program in 2005. That would not be available under 2004 money. This Homeland Security bill is an example. If it does not pass, the counterterrorism food safety money for FDA will not be available. There are a whole series of things. I am sure the chairman, my distinguished friend from Mississippi, has described that in more detail. But the real problem with our thinking about a continuing resolution is money would not be available to other Departments to meet emergency situations--some caused by natural events such as hurricanes and fires and others caused by changes in the security requirements of the departments of the Government which have security requirements. They are conducting their business differently now after the Department of Homeland Security examined how they handled buildings and security of employees. Each one of them now has a mandate to change the way they do business. We have provided the money for those new directions in the 2005 bills. That money for the security of the Federal buildings will not be available under the 2004 program without substantial reprogramming, which couldn't be done until well into next year. I am trying to make the case for the Members of the Senate to think about getting all of these bills done this year. Don't think about a continuing resolution. A continuing resolution will not work for the appropriations process this year. I yield the floor.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I commend the managers of the bill for the way this bill is proceeding. But I want to make a plea to the Senate. We have been informed that the FBI, the Customs Service, the Immigration Service, and other portions of the Homeland Security Department are running short of money, as so many agencies are concerned with the problems of homeland security now. I consider this bill to be the second most important bill before our Appropriations Committee. We finished the Department of Defense bill which is the first bill. It was the bill to fund those who are serving in uniform abroad when we have forces involved in wartime circumstances. We did act on the Defense bill before the last recess. We are going to be in a period next week which is a very confusing period. It is a period justifiably recognizing a Jewish holiday that is coming up, but it is a situation I think that requires us to consider the time factor on this bill. I am rising tonight to tell the Senate that it is my hope we will finish this bill by next Tuesday. If we get this bill passed by the Senate next Tuesday night, we can get it to the House and we can get conferees appointed and the various conference staff who are not involved with the holiday we are going to observe will be able to work on the bill. I hope we can get this bill to the President before the end of this month. September 30 is the end of this fiscal year. These agencies need this money. The agencies of the Homeland Security Department need this money by October 1. I plead with the Senate to recognize the time factor and cooperate with the managers of the bill. It is entirely possible for us to finish this bill by next Tuesday as far as I can see. I again congratulate particularly my good friend, the chairman of the subcommittee, for the way this bill is being handled. But please consider the effect of not getting this bill passed in time for the money being available on October 1. A continuing resolution will have to be before us sometime next week, but it will continue the Department of Homeland Security at the existing level. This bill represents an increase in money for various agencies in the Department of Homeland Security, and that money is necessary by October 1. It is a security matter now. It is not a matter of adopting a resolution for departments that can operate for at least a month or so on the continuing resolution. This committee cannot and should not operate on a continuing resolution. I urge the Senate to help us get this bill passed by next Tuesday night. I thank the Senator for yielding the time.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, one of the pleasures of being in this body is to be around men younger than I. One in particular I have traveled with considerably and for whom I have great fondness--he must have just walked off the Senate floor; I hope someone brings him back. I wish to call the attention of the Senate to the fact that my brother from Hawaii is 80 years old today. (Applause.)

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, our Appropriations Committee is pleased to present to the Senate the Defense Appropriations Conference Report for the Fiscal Year 2005. I believe passage of this measure today represents the earliest date the Defense bill has ever been sent to the President for signing. This conference report symbolizes a balanced approach to fulfilling the financial needs for the Department for the fiscal year 2005. It provides $416.2 billion in new discretionary spending authority for the Department of Defense. This amount includes $25 million in emergency spending requested by the President for the fiscal year 2005 costs associated with the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. That provision becomes effective immediately upon the signing of this bill by the President. The conference report fully funds key readiness programs critical to the global war on terrorism such as land forces training, helicopter flying hours, ship steaming days, and spare parts. It fully funds the 3.5 percent military pay raise proposed in the President's budget, and increases levels for basic allowance for housing, eliminating service members' average out-of-pocket housing from 3.5 percent to zero in 2005. It provides $1.5 billion above the President's budget request for Army and Marine Corps recapitalization of combat and tactical vehicles, helicopters, and ammunition, and provides a total of $18.2 billion for the Defense Health Program, an increase of $2.5 billion over the fiscal year 2004 enacted level. I urge all Members to support the men and women in uniform who risk their lives for our country each day by voting for this measure. I would like to thank Larry Lanzillota, the Acting Department of Defense Comptroller, for his hard work, dedication, and diligence throughout the past year. He has done a superb job and we wish him success in his future endeavors. I also thank my cochairman, Senator Inouye, for his support and valuable counsel, and recognize him for any statement he wishes to make. I wish to put in the Record the names of the diligent staff members who have worked on this bill night and day to be able to present it to the Senate at this time, as follows: Charlie Houy, Betsy Schmid, Nicole DiResta, Sid Ashworth, Jennifer Chartrand, Kraig Siracuse, Tom Hawkins, Kate Kaufer, Lesley Kalan, Alycia Farrell, Brian Potts, Brian Wilson, Janelle Treon, and Mazie Mattson. I yield to my friend from Hawaii, if he wishes to make an opening statement.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, on behalf of my colleague from Hawaii, I reserve the remainder of our time. Senator Byrd has his time, Senator McCain will have his time, and we will withhold our time. Our time is reserved?

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

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

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the time during this quorum call be charged against the time of the Senator from Hawaii and my time.

Mr. STEVENS. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. STEVENS

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