John Sununu

Mr. SUNUNU

Mr. SUNUNU. That is my understanding.

Mr. SUNUNU. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate receives from the House the conference report to accompany H.R. 1559, the emergency war supplemental, and with the concurrence of the two leaders, the conference report be agreed to and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table.

Mr. SUNUNU

Mr. SUNUNU. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and any statements relating to this matter appear in the Record as if read.

Mr. SUNUNU. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 121, which was submitted earlier today by Senator McConnell.

Mr. SUNUNU

Mr. SUNUNU. Madam President, I ask consent that the concurrent resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and any statements relating to this measure be printed in the Record at the appropriate place, with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. SUNUNU. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to consideration of S. Con. Res. 37 which was introduced earlier today by Senators Kennedy and Kerry.

Mr. SUNUNU

Mr. SUNUNU. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read a third time and passed, that the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table and that any statements pertaining to this matter be printed in the Record.

Mr. SUNUNU. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Banking Committee be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 258 and that the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. SUNUNU

Mr. SUNUNU. Madam President, as in executive session, I ask unanimous consent that the HELP Committee be discharged from further consideration of the following nominations and that the Senate then proceed to their consideration: Thomas Meites, PN 479; Herbert Garten, PN 478; Florentino Subia, PN 75; Frank Strickland, PN 76; Robert Dieter, PN 79; and Michael McKay, PN 77. I ask unanimous consent that the nominations be confirmed en bloc, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, the President be notified of the Senate's action, and that the Senate then resume legislative session.

Mr. SUNUNU

Mr. SUNUNU. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate consider the following nominations on today's executive calendar: Calendar Nos. 131, 133, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 148, 149, 150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155 and 156. I ask unanimous consent that the nominations be confirmed en bloc, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action and the Senate then return to legislative session.

Mr. SUNUNU

Mr. SUNUNU. Mr. President, last week, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed S. Res. 102, a resolution I introduced that pays tribute to the 129 officers, sailors and civilians who tragically lost their lives aboard the nuclear submarine, U.S.S. Thresher. Today, on the 40th anniversary of the loss of the Thresher, I once again join with Senators Gregg, Snowe and Collins to introduce legislation which calls on the Secretary of the Army to erect a memorial at Arlington National Cemetery to honor the crew who were lost on the Thresher as well as other nuclear submariners lost at sea. Companion legislation is being introduced in the House of Representatives by Congressman Jeb Bradley. As I stated last week, the U.S.S. Thresher was built at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and commissioned in August of 1961 as the lead vessel in a new class of nuclear-powered attack submarines. After putting to sea, she was subjected to more than a year of tests along the eastern coast of the United States. In late 1962, the Thresher returned to New England for an overhaul where she remained until the spring of 1963. On April 9, 1963, the Thresher departed the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard to conduct deep-diving exercises some 200 miles off the coast of New England. In the morning hours of April 10, 1963, after reaching her assigned depth, the U.S.S. Thresher, signaled her companion surface ship, the U.S.S. Skylark, that it was experiencing difficulties. Shortly thereafter, the crew of the Skylark realized that something had gone wrong as they heard the sound of the Thresher breaking apart. The inquiry following the loss of the Thresher identified the probable cause of the accident as a failure in the piping which led to a subsequent loss of power and ultimately an inability to blow the ballast tanks which would have allowed the Thresher to rise. As a result of the inquiry, the Navy initiated key changes aimed at ensuring the safety of future submarines, and by extension, their crews. The safety of today's modern submarine fleet is a direct result of the lessons learned following the loss of the Thresher. Those who have served aboard America's submarine fleet over the years have genuine appreciation and gratitude for the sacrifice made by the crew of the Thresher. While modern submariners admire and respect these heroes, their sacrifice is largely unknown to many Americans. That is why I believe a memorial on the hallowed ground of Arlington National Cemetery to the crew of the U.S.S. Thresher will allow the memory of these 129 brave individuals to be given the honor and respect they are due. In addition to paying tribute to the Thresher, the memorial would honor all nuclear submariners who have lost their lives at sea. Mr. President, I am aware that there are space constraints at Arlington. However, the memorial we are calling for would encompass a limited area--approximately the size of two burial plots. This would allow for enough space to pay proper respect to these American heroes. The legislation we are introducing today urges the Army to locate and allocate such space. I encourage my colleagues to join Senators Gregg, Snowe, Collins and me in honoring these individuals by supporting this measure, and I ask for its speedy consideration by the Senate. Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that an editorial from the April 6th edition of Dover, New Hampshire's Foster's Sunday Citizen titled ``Build a Memorial to the Thresher'' be included in the Record at the conclusion of my remarks. Build a Memorial To Honor Thresher As the most powerful military force ever to navigate the seas, the invincibility of today's United States Navy is the sum of myriad successes and tragic failures throughout its history. The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard has played as big a part--if not bigger--in the Navy's evolution as any other entity. The yard and the residents of our region can be proud of contributions made here over more than two centuries to the evolution of our national defense at sea. That is why it is important for us to preserve the memory of the USS Thresher and her crew, all of whom perished on April 10, 1963, in the deep ocean. The preservation of that memory was the reason why people gathered at the shipyard on Saturday. They wanted to remember the boat and her crew--96 sailors, 16 officers and 17 employees of the shipyard. Besides the New Hampshire and Maine congressional delegations, many in attendance were relatives of those who perished and whose sacrifice resulted in monumental changes to the way submarines after 1963 were constructed for the U.S. Navy. As a result, it is entirely appropriate for the delegation to call for the construction of a memorial to the USS Thresher and her crew at Arlington National Cemetery. Given the magnitude of the Thresher's contributions to submarine safety during the past 40 years, it is difficult not to support such a project. As a result of their sacrifice, the SubSafe program was created. Regulations on hull integrity and pressure-related components for submarines were strengthened. The sinking of the Thresher has resulted in the lives of countless submariners being saved because of safety improvement to the vessels they worked on. Since the Thresher, not one submarine has been lost under similar circumstances. The USS Thresher was the harbinger of the awesome attack submarines we have today to protect our shores and interests abroad. The debt we owe to the crew and civilians who accepted--on our nation's behalf--the hazards of living and working under water cannot be repaid. Building a memorial to preserve their memory and contributions is the best we are able to do.

Mr. SUNUNU

Mr. SUNUNU. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that at the 3:30 p.m. today, the Foreign Relations Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. Con. Res. 31 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration, provided that there be 1 hour of debate on the resolution equally divided between the majority leader and the minority leader or their designees, with no amendments or motions in order to the resolution, that the only amendment in order be a Lieberman amendment to the preamble which is at the desk, and that upon the use or yielding back of the time, the Senate proceed to a vote on the resolution. I further ask unanimous consent that following the adoption of the resolution, the amendment to the preamble be agreed to, the preamble, as amended, be agreed to, and all of the above mentioned occur without any intervening action or debate.

Mr. SUNUNU

Mr. SUNUNU. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that there now be a period of morning business until 2:30 p.m. today, with Senators to speak for up to 10 minutes each and the time equally divided in the usual form. Further, I ask unanimous consent that at 2:30 the Senate stand in recess until 3:30 today.

Mr. SUNUNU. That is correct.

Mr. SUNUNU. I am sorry; I didn't hear the question.

Mr. SUNUNU. I am, indeed.

Mr. SUNUNU

Mr. SUNUNU. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support of the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, April 9, 2003, at 2:30 p.m., in open session to receive testimony on the readiness of the military services to conduct current operations and execute contingency plans in review of the defense authorization request for fiscal year 2004.

Mr. SUNUNU. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities of the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, April 9, 2003, at 9:30 a.m., in open session and possibly closed session, to receive testimony on the U.S. Special Operations Command in review of the defense authorization request for fiscal year 2004.

Mr. SUNUNU. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet on Wednesday, April 9, 2003, at 10 a.m. on transportation and border security.

Mr. SUNUNU. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, April 9, 2003 at 4:30 p.m. to hold a hearing on Europe Nominations.

Mr. SUNUNU. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Governmental Affairs be authorized to meet on Wednesday, April 9, 2003 at 9:30 a.m. for a hearing entitled ``Investing in Homeland Security, Challenges on the Front Line.''

Mr. SUNUNU. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, on Wednesday, April 9 at 10 a.m. to consider Comprehensive Energy Legislation.

Mr. SUNUNU. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Environment and Public Works be authorized to meet on Wednesday, April 9 at 9:30 a.m. to conduct a business meeting to mark up legislative bills, nominations, and a resolution. The meeting will be held in SD 406.

Mr. SUNUNU. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session on Wednesday, April 9, 2003, at 10 a.m., to hear testimony on the 2003 Annual Report of the Board of Trustees of the Federal Old Age and Survivors Insurance and Disability Insurance Trust Funds.

Mr. SUNUNU. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate for a roundtable entitled ``SBA Re-Authorization: Non-Credit Programs'' and other matters on Wednesday, April 9, 2003, beginning at 9 a.m. in room 428A of the Russell Senate Office Building.