Ken Salazar

Mr. SALAZAR

Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I rise in strong support of the transportation reauthorization bill. This bill is long overdue and will provide Colorado and our Nation with investments to improve our transportation infrastructure. I regret that this bill could not do more to correct the fundamental injustice that States like Colorado--a donor State--suffer under our highway funding system. Nonetheless, Colorado does get much needed relief in this bill. It will receive a 46.7 percent increase over the last time this bill was reauthorized. That's the largest percentage increase under this bill and more than any other State. That is $156 million more over the life of the bill than we received under the previous transportation bill, TEA-21. This increase in transportation funding to Colorado will help ensure that the highest level of our transportation infrastructure is maintained. Having a first-class transportation system is critical to Colorado. Transportation infrastructure is critical to the health and vitality of our State, from the Eastern Plains to the West Slope, and from Weld County to Conejos County, Coloradans depend on safe and wel1- funded highways. Recognizing our State's varied needs, I worked hard with the Colorado Department of Transportation and with counties and municipalities across the state to ensure these precious tax dollars will be well spent. I am especially happy with our efforts to secure authorizations for the following highway projects: I-70/Havana/Yosemite; Wadsworth and U.S. 36 Broomfield interchange; Wadsworth Bypass, Grandview Grade Separation; U.S. 287 Ports to Plains Corridor; I-70 and SH58 interchange; improvements to Powers Blvd. and Woodman Rd. interchange; improvements to I-25S, Douglas, Arapaho County line to EI Paso; improvements to U.S. 36; improvements to U.S. 24--Tennessee Pass; improvements to Bromley Lane and U.S. 85 Interchange; improvements to 104th and U.S. 85 Interchange; improvements to I-25 North, Denver to Ft. Collins; improvements to I-70 East multimodal corridor; improvements to Parker and Arapaho Rd. Interchange; improvements to I- 225, Parker Road to I-70; improvements to I-70 West Mountain Corridor, Denver to Garfield; improvements to I-76--Northeast Gateway; improvements to C470 and U.S. 85 Interchange; improvements to Wadsworth and Bowles intersection; improvements to U.S. 160, Wolf Creek Pass; Fort Carson I-25 and Highway 16 interchange; U.S. 50 East Pueblo to Kansas border; Heartland Expressway improvements; I-25 Denver to Ft. Collins improvements; Pueblo Dillon Drive at I-25 overpass and ramp; Denver Union Station improvements; improvements to 56th and Quebec Street; U.S. 550 New Mexico State Line to Durango; SH 121 Bowles Ave. intersection and Ridgeway; improvements, Jefferson County, CO; construction of McCaslin Blvd., U.S. 36 interchange in Superior; I-70 East Multimodal Corridor to Denver; SH 83--SH 88 interchange reconstruction, Arapaho County; improve to SH44 from CO Boulevard; improvements to SH550 btw Grand Avenue, N/S of city; improvements on U.S. 36 corridor from I-25 to Boulder. Earlier this month I met with community leaders in Colorado Springs to discuss their efforts to prepare for the influx of troops and their families associated with BRAC changes and the redeployment of the Army's 4th Infantry Division to Fort Carson. Community leaders were united in their desire to see improvements and upgrades of the interchange of I-25 and Highway 16 at Fort Carson. The upgrade of this interchange is of vital importance to ensure that traffic flows freely into Fort Carson and along I-25. I am pleased that we were able to secure $5 million for that project, and that my Colorado colleague Senator Allard was able to secure an additional $3 million for that project. Unfortunately, the final report of the transportation bill being passed today did not include the correct highway number for this project. The report wrongly lists Highway 12, rather than rightly listing highway 16. I will seek a correction of this in the technical corrections bill later this year. This is an important bill, and I am happy to support it.

Mr. SALAZAR

Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I rise today in support of the Energy bill. I start first by congratulating my colleagues, the two Senators from New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment, Mr. Domenici and Mr. Bingaman, for their leadership in helping us get together what has been a true bipartisan effort. I commend them both for the process as well as for the end result of this legislation. As I look at this legislation, it seems to me what we are embracing today is a vision for energy independence. I think Democrats and Republicans all agree what we need to do is to get to a point where this country gets rid of its overdependence on foreign oil. We need to do that for national security reasons, we need to do that for economic reasons for our country, and we also need to do it for environmental reasons. From my point of view, this legislation is based on four cornerstones. One of those cornerstones is conservation and efficiency. There are more important measures in this bill that deal with conservation and efficiency. It is a new ethic for the 21st century. Secondly, embracing renewable energies from the ethanol provisions to dealing with the development of cellulosic ethanol, this bill gets us on the right direction where America can grow its way toward energy independence. Third, technology, research and development, we have lots of resources in America we can use to make sure we are having the energy we need for our country. The new technology that includes coal gasification and other kinds of technologies will help us move in that direction. And finally, balanced development, we need to continue to develop our natural resources in this country. So from my point of view, this bill is a good bill and is moving us in the right direction. It is not a perfect bill and there are aspects of this bill some of us advocated for that we hoped would have been a part of this bill, but they are issues we can continue to work on. We can use this as a foundation from which to build. There is the issue of the renewable portfolio standard which was adopted by this Senate and we need to move forward continuing to try to address that issue in the way it has been addressed in my State. Finally, the issue of global warming and how we deal with that issue in the future is very important. With that, again I commend the Senators from New Mexico, Mr. Domenici and Mr. Bingaman.

Mr. SALAZAR

Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I rise to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the Head Start Program. In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson launched an 8-week summer program he called Project Head Start. Initially, funding was modest, but the charge was significant and admirable. In order to break the cycle of poverty, Project Head Start would provide comprehensive services to low-income children and their families to help these children prepare for school. Project Head Start would ensure that low-income children were given the same opportunity to succeed in school that every child in America deserves. Since then, this project has evolved into a well-established national program that serves more than 1 million children across the Nation. Head Start is a wise investment in our future with lasting, real effects. Research has shown that Head Start helps to reduce crime as former Head Start students are less likely to engage in criminal activity than their siblings who do not participate in the program. In addition, students enrolled in Head Start have better self-esteem and motivation, and are less likely to be held back a grade than similar children not in the program. Most importantly, the recently released ``Head Start Impact Study'' found that Head Start nearly cut in half the achievement gap between low-income Head Start children and more affluent, non-Head Start children. Today in Colorado, close to 10,000 children attend the 62 Head Start and Early Head Start programs. Each of Colorado's programs is unique and tailored to meet the needs of the communities they serve. However, all Head Start programs, whether located in the rural San Luis Valley or downtown Denver, work to incorporate parents into their children's educational development. It is this critical component parental involvement that distinguishes Head Start from other early education and care programs. In every region of Colorado, Head Start and Early Head Start programs work to provide comprehensives services from dental and medical care for students to educational and work training courses for their parents. Teachers and administrators create a stimulating educational environment. They make certain parents feel a part of their children's education by asking them to serve as teacher's aides or as members of Head Start policy committees. All of this is accomplished as the Federal government continually requires that Head Start improve the quality of their services. As Head Start embarks on its fifth decade of service to America, I wish the program continued success. Because the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee recently passed bi-partisan reauthorization legislation, I expect the Senate to consider this important bill in the coming months. I look forward to strengthening the Head Start program by passing strong reauthorization language. In addition, I hope to work with the Colorado Head Start community in the future to find mechanisms to improve our commitment to giving all children an opportunity to achieve the American dream.

Mr. SALAZAR

Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I rose earlier to discuss my general thoughts regarding the Energy bill conference report. I now want to take an additional moment to provide my thoughts regarding a specific provision in this conference report. I am pleased the conference report includes provisions that will help some of our most vulnerable citizens, low-income energy consumers. While we need to protect against energy price volatility to protect our economy, industries and households, nobody is harder hit by high-energy prices than low-income energy consumers. The conference report increases the authorization for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, LIHEAP, from $2.0 billion to $5.1 billion to reflect the increased demand for energy assistance due to high energy prices. At current funding levels, LIHEAP serves less than 15 percent of the eligible population. The increased funding authorization is much needed. I hope we can also increase appropriations to meet this increased demand for energy assistance. The conference report also contains a provision originating in the House bill that authorizes the Secretary of Interior to begin a new program to assist low-income energy consumers. Section 342 of the report authorizes the Secretary to grant a ``preference'' to low-income energy consumers when disposing of royalty in kind gas. This provision originated from a constituent of mine, John Harpole, who is the president of a natural gas production company and also an advocate for low-income energy consumers. Pursuant to this authorization the Secretary of Interior may begin a demonstration program that would provide royalty in kind natural gas to low-income energy consumers at below market cost. In order to do so, the Secretary could enter into agreements with natural gas distribution companies to provide them natural gas at below market value as long as they guarantee such gas will be delivered to low-income energy consumers. In practice, the transfer would occur through accounting mechanisms, not the actual exchange of natural gas molecules. The specific details of the demonstration project will be worked out through a public and transparent process that will include the public and all interested parties. The benefits provided under this section are intended to supplement and not supplant funds otherwise provided under the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. Finally, the Secretary would be required to issue a report to Congress on the effectiveness of the program, with specific recommendations for modification. I look forward to working with you and the Department of Interior to implement this program. Mr. President, America has an energy problem. We waste tremendous amounts of energy, and that keeps prices high. We continue to consume more energy than we produce, and that means our oil imports keep going up. And the more we are held hostage to foreign oil, the more our national security is impacted. I recognize that the energy conference report represents a compromise between competing House and Senate approaches to addressing our Nation's energy needs. As with all compromises, the report is not perfect. Much remains to be done to promote energy independence and increase our national security. But even so, this Energy bill is an important first step forward, and I support its final passage. I am very pleased with many aspects of the Energy bill. The bill retained incentives for new, cleaner coal technologies, and incentives for energy efficiency and conservation. It improves electric reliability standards and provides much needed regulatory reform. It contains incentives for the production of wind and other renewable energy, and it contains a strong renewable fuels standard to promote the production and use of American-grown renewable energy sources such as ethanol and biodiesel. By beginning to address our Nation's need to develop additional sources of energy and to reduce our consumption of fossil fuels, the Senate's bipartisan work on the Energy bill was more comprehensive and more forward-thinking than the final version agreed to in conference. I am disappointed, for example, that the House and Senate conferees did not retain the Senate's national renewable energy standard, and that other strategies for reducing our dependence on foreign oil are not included in the final bill. Conferees also decided to take a more aggressive stance on oil shale development than I and my Senate colleagues had advocated, and they rolled back certain environmental protections. These changes could significantly impact Colorado's Western Slope, and I will monitor the implementation of both provisions closely. Because there is so much more that we must do in this country to ensure greater independence from foreign oil, I am going right back to work. I believe strongly that we must reduce America's dependence on foreign sources of energy, particularly our dependence on foreign oil, and that we must do more to protect the environment. Greater energy independence is vital to protect our national security. Energy independence is also good for Colorado's economy--we are home to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, NREL, and to countless companies and entrepreneurs working on developing alternative fuels, including wind, biofuels, solar, and many, many other clean energy technologies. In the Senate, I will continue to work hard to establish a viable national renewable energy standard, to promote oil savings, to adopt a responsible climate change policy, and for increased production of renewable fuels. I will also continue to work on cost-effective measures that will help us achieve greater energy efficiency and conservation. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate on these and other priorities for Colorado.

Mr. SALAZAR

Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I today observe two momentous occasions: the Space Shuttle's Return to Flight and the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Air Force Academy. Yesterday, at 10:39 a.m. eastern daylight time, the Space Shuttle Discovery safely lifted off from its launch pad at Cape Canaveral, FL. It blasted into orbit carrying seven of our Nation's finest, on a mission to resupply the International Space Station, test the Shuttle, and resume America's manned exploration of the cosmos. I want to thank NASA's Administrator, Michael Griffin, and the thousands of men and women who have worked tirelessly in the wake of the Columbia tragedy to upgrade the safety of our space mission. Their commitment and courage have helped turn our Nation's dreams to the heavens and stars once again. Also this month, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the entrance of the first class of cadets to the Air Force Academy. It is fitting that NASA's return to flight occurs at a moment when we are reflecting on the Air Force Academy's first half century of service, because the Academy and NASA are two institutions that attract the best men and women in our country. Due to their shared focus on flight, the two institutions are forever linked. In fact, two of the astronauts guiding the Discovery in orbit overhead right now come from the Air Force Academy. LTC Eileen Collins, a former professor in the Air Force Academy's Mathematics Department, is currently soaring 122 miles above us as the commander of the Shuttle's return to flight. Raised in public housing in upstate New York, Eileen Collins broke through every barrier laid before her to become the first woman to pilot a Shuttle. When she came to the Air Force Academy in 1986 she helped usher in a new era at the Academy, an era where women were allowed to compete and succeed on an equal playing field. We in Colorado are very proud that Lieutenant Colonel Collins' journey to space brought her to the Air Force Academy. Sitting next to Lieutenant Colonel Collins today in the Space Shuttle is Discovery's pilot, James Kelly, Air Force Academy class of 1986. James Kelly grew up in the small town of Burlington, IA, where the sounds of passing airplanes inspired dreams of spaceflight. The Air Force Academy gave James Kelly the tools, training, and opportunity to take to the skies. It gave him, and the thousands of other young men and women who have passed through its gates, a mission to serve our country and the greater good. Astronauts Collins and Kelly represent the best of the Academy they represent the best of its students and the best of its faculty. They remind us that the Academy's proud mission continues to be of immeasurable value to our nation. Yesterday's successful Space Shuttle launch reminds us that despite the challenges that still face the Academy, the institution has, for half a century, produced some of our finest leaders. The 360 civilians who took the oath on July 12, 1955, to become the first Air Force Academy cadets built a legacy of leadership that is at the foundation of the institution's mission. Three generations of young people have passed through the Academy and have learned to lead our nation in times of war and peace. They live by the Academy's core values, ``integrity first, service beyond self, and excellence in all we do.'' They inspire us all. They inspire us because they are American pioneers like Eileen Collins, first in her field. They inspire us because they are represented by the cadet who told me he chose the Academy because, quote, ``the country needs me--our freedoms need my protection.'' And the Academy's cadets inspire us because they are leading our Return to Flight, lifting our thoughts from tragedy to the triumphant possibilities of space exploration. I congratulate the Air Force Academy, its cadets, staff, and graduates for 50 years of excellence. And along with millions of Americans, I also wish our astronauts a safe voyage and a speedy return. Our prayers are with you.

Mr. SALAZAR

Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I thank my friend from Arizona, also my friend from Virginia, and my friend from Rhode Island for agreeing to let me speak for a couple of minutes on this amendment. The amendment both Senator Allard and I are proposing, amendment No. 1506, is very important as we move forward with the Department of Energy complex. We have created a great model for the rest of our country as to how we clean up the remnants of the Cold War. How we do this in an appropriate fashion to bring the cleanup of Rocky Flats to completion is a very important part of our Nation's efforts to clean up these facilities. Amendment No. 1506 is a great step in the right direction because it will help us bring to conclusion, in a final form, the cleanup at Rocky Flats. I commend my colleague from Colorado, Senator Allard, for his leadership on this effort over the years. I also commend him and both of our staffs for having worked out the issues with the Department of Energy and Department of Interior over the weekend. I also want to inform my colleagues that I have had a hold on four nominees who had been passed out of the committee, out of the Energy Committee. I am lifting the holds on Jill Sigal, David Hill, James Rispoli, and Thomas Weimer so that they can move forward and hopefully be confirmed by the Senate before we get into the August recess. I yield the remainder of my time.

Mr. SALAZAR

Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, before discussing these amendments, I underscore the great importance of this legislation. This legislation sends an important message to our troops and to their families, to the important work it funds, and the important signal it sends to the world from the United States of America. Today, more than 15,000 people from my State are serving overseas in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Many of these soldiers, air men and women, reservists, and National Guard men and women are preparing for their second tour of duty away from their families. The 4,000 soldiers of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment are in Iraq for their second tour of duty, and 1,800 soldiers from the 43rd Area Support Group and 130 from the 571st Medical Company are also overseas, while the 947th Engineering Company and the second of the 135th Aviation Battalion are preparing to leave for Iraq in the fall. I give a sincere welcome home to all 3,762 soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry, who are returning to their families in Colorado Springs as I stand in the Senate today. The most moving thing I have done since coming to the Senate some 6 months ago was a bipartisan trip which I took to Iraq led by Senator Harry Reid from Nevada. On that trip I saw many moving things, though nothing more impressive than our troops and their dedication to the mission and to their units. Shortly after returning to the United States from Iraq, I dropped a line to Lieutenant Colonel ``Mac'' from Colorado whom I had met on the trip. I inquired how he was doing, and in responding he wrote: Our troops' spirits remain high. Some more than others, as I've worked and received permission to allow about 40 of our troops to redeploy early, as the pace of our support has decreased and will remain steady but not too hectic over the next six months of our deployment. Having worked the plan from start to final approval, I am personally happy knowing that they will be able to spend more quality time with their loved ones. I know my place is here, and will remain until we all leave in early Autumn. That one response from one lieutenant colonel underscored our troops' dedication to the cause we are engaged in. This young man with his own family back in Colorado Springs was celebrating that members of his unit--not he--were returning home to their families. Thousands of troops are making that same selfless sacrifice every day. We owe each of them the best possible equipment and training. They and their families also should expect that we will ensure their quality of life. The $441 billion bill in the amendments we have adopted in the last day will begin to do just that. That bill authorizes a total of $109 billion in appropriations to the Department of Defense for military personnel, and $236 million of that amount is more than the President's budget requested. In my State of Colorado, where more than 9,000 troops are currently deployed overseas, I am especially mindful of the important quality-of- life investments that have been included in this bill. The bill would provide a 3.1-percent across-the-board pay raise for military personnel. That is important to honor our men and women in uniform. It authorizes the payment of imminent danger pay to servicemembers hospitalized as a result of wounds they have incurred as a result of hostile action for the duration of their hospitalization. That is a move in the right direction. It would permanently increase the fallen hero compensation for servicemembers killed in combat or combat-related activities from $12,000 to $100,000. With the inclusion of Senator Levin's important amendment, it will ensure that the family of any active-duty soldier who was killed will qualify for this important assistance. The legislation also permanently increases the maximum amount of coverage for group life insurance from $250,000 to $400,000. That is the right start. I am hopeful with the inclusion of Senator Nelson's amendment we will eliminate the survivor benefit plan dependency indemnity compensation offset and fix serious inequities in how the military treats the survivors of military retirees. The bill also extends several bonuses relating to recruiting and retention, including the selected reserve reenlistment bonus, the ready reserve enlistment and reenlistment bonuses, the prior service enlistment bonus, the enlistment and reenlistment bonuses for active- duty members, and the retention bonus for servicemembers with critical military skills. I will cosponsor an amendment with my friends Senators Lieberman, Clinton, and Nelson, to increase the size of our Active-Duty Army by 80,000 troops. Increasing the size of our military will reduce the strain placed on individual soldiers, improving the quality of their lives and their families' lives. It will allow our fighting men and women to spend more time at home with their families between deployments. It will address what is today an overstretched American Army. Most importantly, adding 80,000 troops will help to defend our Nation at home and abroad with the strongest military in the world. Our health care for our troops and their families also is addressed. This bill would extend health care coverage under TRICARE Prime for the children of active-duty servicemembers who died while on active duty and who have been on active duty for a period of more than 30 days, so the dependent child would be able to receive TRICARE until age 21. After the inclusion on Thursday of the excellent bipartisan amendment offered by Senators Graham and Clinton, it will ensure access to TRICARE for Guard and Reserve and that care will continue. This bill also requires the Secretary of Defense to report to Congress about the adverse health effects that may be associated with the use of antimalaria drugs. This is a good bill. The bill is vitally important for the work it also funds. It funds $78.2 billion for procurement. It authorizes $127 billion for operations and maintenance. It does a lot to support our investment in creating a strong defense for our Nation. I am particularly pleased the committee included $6.4 million to construct a Space Warning Squadron Support Facility at the Greeley Air National Guard Station. Our air guard provides a vital service at that station, but the current facility is substandard by anyone's measure. When personnel leave that facility, they drape plastic over their computers today so they are not destroyed by the water that leaks through the roof. I am also pleased with the inclusion of the amendment offered by my colleagues from Kentucky, Senators McConnell and Bunning, and my good friend from Colorado, Senator Allard, that we are prepared to take another positive step forward in meeting our responsibility to destroy the chemical weapons at the Pueblo Chemical Army Depot. I am also hopeful with the efforts of my good friend Senator Allard and efforts I have undertaken with him, we will be able to wrap up the cleanup of Rocky Flats in a successful manner. This bill is important because it sends a message to the world. There is no more comprehensive statement of our dedication to defend this country and to maintain our position in the world. Our enemies should never take comfort in any sense that America is disengaging from the world. This bill sends a very clear message on two vitally important threats. On Wednesday, a group of leading defense and foreign policy experts, led by former Defense Secretary Perry, concluded: . . . the gravest threat facing America today is a terrorist detonating a nuclear bomb in one of our cities. The National Security Advisory Group judges that the Bush Administration is taking insufficient actions to counter this threat. We must do better. Knowing that such a horrendous act is even possible, we must take every step possible now to ensure it does not come about. This bill authorizes $415 million for DOD's Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, taking an important first step in locking down, perhaps, the most ready source of nuclear materials for terrorists. With the inclusion of the Lugar amendment, of which I was proud to be a cosponsor, I hope we will begin to cut through the red tape that has hindered our efforts at locking down this threat for far too long. I commend my colleague from Indiana for his leadership over the decades on this effort. Authorizing a total of $50 billion in supplemental appropriations for this next fiscal year for ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the global war on terror, the bill also tells the world we are not deterred by the hateful attacks on buses and trains in London or on cars in Baghdad. We are prepared, once again, to fulfill our obligations to fund the effort in Iraq. I repeat my plea to the President that he frankly discuss his plan for success in Iraq with the American people while he candidly informs Americans about how we will pay for it. I am also hopeful that as this bill moves forward to its final form, the amendments I have called up for consideration will also be included. Amendment No. 1421 would simply change the name of the ``death gratuity'' to ``fallen hero compensation.'' This amendment was approved by the Senate in the supplemental appropriations bill but was dropped in conference. ``Death gratuity'' is the name for the assistance that taxpayers make available to military survivors. The term ``gratuity'' means gift. Not one of the widows, widowers, or children left behind think of that money as a gift. This is a simple change. There should be no opposition from Members of this body to include that name change. It more properly reflects the sacrifices military survivors have made and more properly expresses the gratitude and dignity we as a nation owe these families. Amendment No. 1423, the Paralympic amendment, would allow the Pentagon's Office of Special Events to provide support to national and international Paralympic competitions hosted in the United States with a million-dollar limit on support in any one year. The Office of Special Events today supports the regular Olympics and other international sporting events. All this amendment does is to say we will treat our disabled athletes with the same support and respect. The amendment would also allow support of a new USOC program that has been developed to assist with the rehabilitation of disabled veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. It is a simple amendment that addresses a very important issue, especially to the disabled veterans who are returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Amendment No. 1422 is another amendment that improves upon this bill. It will restore badly needed educational impact aid funding to the El Paso School District, which educates the children of more than 60 percent of the military personnel serving our Nation at the Fort Carson military base in Colorado. For the 2004-2005 fiscal year, the El Paso School District submitted its application for impact aid to the Department of Education on time, but due to inadvertence and, perhaps, bureaucratic misdirection and mistake, it was deemed to be untimely because they failed to submit the application in electronic format. As a result, the school district that serves mostly military families was assessed a 10-percent penalty. This amendment will deem the school district's application as timely. The money is already in the Department of Education's budget. Thus, this amendment does not take money away from another source or another State. One may ask, What connection does this have to our service personnel? And why is it so critical to the support of our military personnel? First of all, 60 percent of the 5,500 El Paso School District students belong to military families stationed at Fort Carson, and they will be impacted by the cut in the amount of money available for their education. Many of the loved ones of the students and staff of the El Paso School District have been deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In fact, over 11,000 soldiers from Fort Carson are currently deployed in Iraq today. That is over one-half of the fort's total forces. Many units from Fort Carson are now starting their second and third tours of duty in Iraq. Sadly, over 50 service personnel from Fort Carson have died in active duty in Iraq over the last several years. Without the funds we are requesting, the school district will be forced to lay off teachers and cut educational programs that educate the families of service personnel. Our military personnel sacrifice a great deal for our freedom. We owe it to them to restore the educational funding for their children. In closing, I am reminded once again of the thousands of Macs--just like the valiant lieutenant colonel I met in Kuwait--who are standing guard each and every day to protect our Nation. I am mindful of their families--in my own State, in Colorado Springs, in Denver, in Grand Junction; in small, rural communities, and in every State and community throughout our Nation--awaiting their return or dreading their departure. We owe them, as the Senate, our best work. This bill is very good work. As I started my comments today, I commended the leadership of my friends from Michigan and Virginia and their staffs for their great work. I hope our Democrats and Republicans will join together, as we move forward, to bring this legislation to successful conclusion because it is important for a strong defense for our country. I yield the floor.

Mr. SALAZAR. Madam President, I rise in strong support of amendment No. 1419 offered by Senator Allard, my good friend from Colorado. I fully support it. I think it demonstrates the bipartisan nature of this particular amendment. Let me make two points with respect to Rocky Flats. First and foremost, I think this Nation should be very grateful to the workers of Rocky Flats for having done what they did during almost five decades to make sure we did everything within our power to bring about an end to the Cold War. The men and women who worked at Rocky Flats were principally responsible for creating the nuclear arsenal we had in our Nation that allowed us to be strong during the Cold War, that allowed us to then bring the Cold War to an end. At the same time, it is important for us to recognize that within the Department of Energy complex today, there are numerous sites that are undergoing very difficult, very complex, and very expensive cleanups. The men and women of Rocky Flats, who have been working there for decades, have been the ones who have taught the United States of America, including the Department of Energy, what it is we have to do to make sure we can move forward with an efficient, effective cleanup that will cost less money. Indeed, the contract for the cleanup of Rocky Flats had called for that contract to be completed at the end of this year, 2005. But because of the good work of the men and women at Rocky Flats, that schedule has been expedited. Indeed, when one looks back at the history of Rocky Flats over the last several years, there was a time when it was thought Rocky Flats would not be cleaned up and ready for closure until 2010. Later it was 2007, and moved back to 2006. Yet employees working with CH2M HILL at Rocky Flats have brought the conclusion of Rocky Flats to probably October of this year, which is only a few months away. For the employees who worked at Rocky Flats during this timeframe, they had an expectation that the contract would be in place through the end of December 31, 2005. The amendment which has been authored by Senator Allard and by myself and offered to our colleagues to consider simply recognizes the contribution of these employees so they are, in fact, made whole. With all due respect to my friend from Alabama, I have to say these employees were Federal employees and were brought in to continue the work that had to be done there at Rocky Flats with respect to the cleanup. The amount of money we are asking for in this amendment is a small amount relative to the billions and billions of dollars that have been spent in the Department of Energy complex and cleanups that have not been as successful as the one at Rocky Flats. I join my colleague Senator Allard in urging bipartisan support for this amendment because it recognizes, first, the men and women who helped us bring about the end of the Cold War and, second, the men and women who helped us demonstrate to this country how it is you take a facility contaminated with plutonium and how it is you clean it up in record time, and which will serve as a model for America as we move forward in the cleanup of DOE facilities. I yield the floor.

Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, approximately 15 minutes.

Mr. SALAZAR. It is, indeed, fortunate to be a Senator from the State of Colorado. I start my comments by giving my appreciation to the Senator from Virginia, Senator Warner, and to the Senator from Michigan, Senator Levin, for their great leadership in putting together what is a very good bill. I also thank their staffs because at the end of the day I know how much of the work goes into these major pieces of legislation put together by our great staffs. Judy Ainslee and Rick DeBobes have done a fantastic job on behalf of the United States, on behalf of the Senate. I thank them for their efforts. Amendments Nos. 1421, 1422, and 1423, en bloc I ask that the pending amendment be set aside.

Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I have a series of amendments at the desk, Nos. 1421, 1422, and 1423. I ask they be called up en bloc.

Mr. SALAZAR. I ask unanimous consent the reading of the amendments be dispensed with.

Mr. SALAZAR

Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I rise today to speak with respect to amendment No. 1326. to the Defense authorization bill, which was adopted by the Senate today, that directly affects the citizens of Pueblo, CO, and the cleanup of those chemical weapons stockpiled at the Pueblo Chemical Depot. I thank my colleagues, Senator Warner and Senator Levin, and their staffs, for their help on this measure. I thank, too, Senators McConnell and Bunning and my colleague from the great State of Colorado, Senator Allard. We have maintained an important alliance on this issue, and I appreciate their efforts. This bipartisan Pueblo amendment, which I am proud to cosponsor, moves $51 million from the Department of Defense's Research, Development, Test and Evaluation budget to the Military Construction budget for the Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives program. This program, known as ACWA, is the authority for chemical weapons destruction at both the Pueblo Chemical Depot and the Bluegrass, KY, site. More than three-quarters of a million chemical weapons--mustard agent rounds--are stockpiled in the Pueblo Chemical Depot. These weapons are a threat to the security of the surrounding community. The United States has sworn to safely destroy these weapons before the 2012 deadline established by the Chemical Weapons Convention. Progress has been slow in the past but has recently been moving forward. Unfortunately, under the President's budget request, there was no money allotted for Military Construction at the Pueblo Chemical Depot facility for fiscal year 2006. The program was on hold at the time the budget was released. But now that the dedication and hard work of the citizens of Pueblo, along with a strong bipartisan effort here in DC, has resulted in forward progress, money needs to be designated specifically for MilCon so the Department of Defense can spend money for ACWA construction projects. Without money being designated for MilCon, the progress at Pueblo Chemical Depot could be halted once again. The amendment adopted today was cosponsored by the Senators from Colorado and Kentucky. It ensures that money will be available to be spent in fiscal year 2006 for construction, planning, and design work at both the Pueblo Chemical Depot in Colorado and at the Bluegrass, KY, site. This amendment is an essential step forward for the destruction of the tons of chemical weapons still stored at the Pueblo Chemical Depot. I hope this is another indication that the Pentagon recognizes the urgency this situation demands--an urgency the people of Pueblo and all of Colorado are right to expect. I am proud to be part of such a strong coalition of concerned citizens and Senators from the communities impacted by these terrible weapons. But even though I am cautiously optimistic that today's amendment signals positive action in the future, there is still much work to do. I hope that this upcoming work will go forward in a similar manner: with good communications, with utmost concern for the safety of the citizens of Pueblo and Bluegrass, and with our eye always fixed on the goal of the safe destruction of these chemical weapons by 2012.

Mr. SALAZAR

Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the pending amendment be set aside.

Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I rise today to address an issue that is perhaps the most important challenge of our National Government, and that is protecting the security of our people in this Nation, securing our borders, and making sure we have a homeland security that addresses the concerns of the post-9/11 world in which we live. For 6 years, I had the honor of serving with 14,000 men and women who are peace officers in the State of Colorado. I worked with them to ensure that we had public safety on our streets and to help in the development of the best strategies we could develop in creating a homeland security that addressed the war on terror and the threats from terrorism within the State of Colorado. The legislation we are currently considering is legislation that is specifically intended to address that issue on a national level. While there can be no doubt we have spent billions of dollars on the issue of homeland security since 9/11, the recent events in London remind us all that we can never be too far from having this issue at the forefront of our radar screens. It is with that approach that I would like to speak about these amendments, as well as the amendment I cosponsored with Senators Lieberman and Collins yesterday. I commend Senator Collins and Senator Lieberman on their efforts to dramatically improve our Nation's homeland security grant process. I also would like to discuss my three simple and straightforward amendments to the Homeland Security appropriations bill. Before I arrived in the Senate, I was Colorado's attorney general. I worked hard to establish greater coordination between law enforcement agencies at the local, regional, and State level. This is a complicated task because often what happens with law enforcement agencies is they work within the stovepipes of their own jurisdictions. So bringing law enforcement agencies together to make sure they are coordinating and providing the greatest degree of public safety has been one of the monumental challenges of the last several years. Unfortunately, at a national level, there is often very little consultation with local officials. Too often, lawmakers in Washington develop Federal policy without taking advantage of the expertise of the people who are on the ground. Too many local emergency officials in my State feel that the Department of Homeland Security policies are dictated to them from above. One of the first things I did when I came to Washington was to survey Colorado's emergency response officials to ask them what they thought about a variety of issues. Those responses were alarming. Those chiefs of police and sheriffs told me that 66 percent of Colorado's first responders faced significant problems using radio equipment to communicate with other agencies. Fifty-nine percent said that Federal grants are not going to the right priorities. Fifty-nine percent said that the Federal grants were not going to the right priorities. And by a 4-to-1 margin, Colorado officials feel unprepared to handle a weapon of mass destruction. That is 4 to 1 of people on the ground in my State feel they are unprepared to handle a weapon-of-mass-destruction attack within my State. By a 3-to-1 margin, responders feel that antiterrorism information they receive from the Federal Government is insufficient or not actionable. That is a 3-to-1 margin. So my survey at the bottom line says that we must do better in preparing our homeland to be more secure. Senator Collins and Senator Lieberman have sponsored, and we in this Senate last night adopted, a thoughtful and comprehensive piece of legislation that will make Americans safer. It will significantly increase the amount of Federal money targeted to high-risk States and cities while assuring that first responders in all States receive the necessary equipment and training to prevent and to be prepared for potential terrorist acts. That is an important balance. We obviously have to focus money where there has historically been a greater threat. New York and Washington in the past have been targets, and there are other areas of the Nation that have been impacted. Likewise, in California, an attack on the ports of Los Angeles could cost the Nation's economy billions of dollars. We clearly need to step up security efforts in America's largest cities and in the port cities of our Nation. However, in the past, we also have seen that the terrorists are constantly looking for targets of opportunity no matter where they lie. Whether it was the bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen or the Oklahoma City bombing or the hostage takeover in the Russian schoolhouse in Beslan or the bombing of hotels in Bali, the terrorists struck, and they will strike where they can. We cannot, therefore, make any assumptions about where the enemy will strike. If we can make New York a fortress, the terrorists may hit Philadelphia or Seattle or Denver or any of the rural communities which span the countryside of America. Our national security is only as strong as our weakest link. This amendment, which I was proud to cosponsor, succeeds in maintaining that critical balance between assuring that our Nation's top cities are protected and that the entire Nation has the resources and infrastructure to keep us safe. The amendment also takes huge steps toward reducing waste in Federal homeland security spending and giving State and local officials guidance and resources needed to improve long-term planning and grant administration. Its focus on essential capabilities and coordination of homeland security grants across the Federal agencies will help make sure we get the most bang for our homeland security bucks. I was proud to work with Senator Collins and Senator Lieberman to improve their already good amendment. My proposals included in this amendment would ensure that State and local officials have a seat at the table when Federal officials review the Homeland Security Grant Program. We task the Department of Homeland Security to make grant applications as user-friendly as possible, especially for the smaller police and fire departments of our Nation. My changes would also stiffen requirements on States that they do proper long-term planning and administration. Together these changes will make it much easier for State and local officials to work with the Department of Homeland Security. They should ease the burdens on local first responders and help make America safer. My amendments to the underlying appropriations bill build on the spirit of Collins-Lieberman and on the knowledge I have gained from Colorado's first responders. My first amendment would improve the Department of Homeland Security's long-term planning. Every 4 years, the Department of Defense conducts a Quadrennial Defense Review. This invaluable document paints a detailed picture of the threats our country faces and a comprehensive plan for how to confront those threats in the future. My amendment would simply require the Department of Homeland Security to do the same. The Homeland Security Secretary would work with the Director of National Intelligence to identify the greatest threats to our homeland security. The Secretary also would consult with the Department of Defense and other Federal agencies on how best to work together. This is not just another reporting requirement. It is a move toward rational, strategic, long-term planning that will empower the Department of Homeland Security and Congress to make better decisions to protect the American people. My second amendment would build on the knowledge I gained from the recent survey in Colorado. It would require the Department of Homeland Security to conduct a nationwide survey of police, fire, medical, and emergency management officials about the problems they are experiencing with Federal grants, intelligence sharing, infrastructure protection, and regional coordination. The Department of Homeland Security would have to report the results to Congress and come up with a plan on how to address the problems the locals have identified. This survey would help ensure that our significant investments in homeland security are going to the right priorities and that local officials are getting better direction to guide their efforts. This sounds like a simple task, and it is, but I promise you that when we get this survey back, we will all learn something new that will help us improve America's security. My last amendment is a sense of the Senate in support of research on tunnel rail safety. We have known for some time that subway and rail tunnels are particularly tempting terrorist targets. For the cost of a subway fare, a would-be bomber has access to thousands of people crammed into a very small space. A relatively small amount of explosives can cause many deaths and bring an entire city to a halt, as we have recently seen in London. That carnage in London last week showed that a handful of terrorists can strike subway tunnels and cause grave havoc for a city. Our prayers go out to the more than 50 people who perished during that cowardly attack. America has known the terrible pain of terrorism, and last week, Americans were all Londoners. In America, there are more than 898 miles of rail tunnels and transit systems across the country. Many of our rail tunnels have structural deficiencies, ventilation problems, lack of communications equipment, and insufficient emergency access and exits. Detection systems, dispersal control, and decontamination techniques can greatly mitigate the effects of an attack, as can adequate training for emergency responders. The Department of Transportation has long recognized the need to improve rail safety and has invested millions of dollars in researching new technologies and training first responders. The Department of Transportation's Transportation Technology Center in Pueblo, CO, is one of the largest and most advanced safety centers in the world. The Transportation Technology Center offers full-scale testing, dynamic modeling, performance monitoring, technical analyses, feasibility and economic studies, as well as training classes to prepare first responders and test new safety technologies. The center features 48 miles of test track and a variety of freight, passenger, and hazardous material cars, as well as other test vehicles. What the center does not yet have is the capability to simulate rail tunnel accidents. That is why the Transportation Technology Center's backers are now hoping to build a facility for underground rail security testing. This proposed complex of 1.5 miles of aboveground tunnels would simulate every major rail tunnel system in the country. My amendment would not single out this or any particular facility. It simply encourages investment in research to promote tunnel rail safety as well as training to ensure first responders are prepared to respond to rail tunnel emergencies. It would put the Senate on record for taking a small step forward in protecting the millions of Americans who depend on subways and passenger trains all across the country. I urge my colleagues to support these three amendments, and I urge my colleagues to move forward in working on what is our most important agenda, and that is making sure we are doing everything we can to protect America's homeland from the kinds of attacks we saw on 9/11 or the attacks we saw last week in London. I thank the Chair, and I yield the floor.

Mr. SALAZAR. I ask unanimous consent amendments Nos. 1209 and 1210 be modified with the changes I now send to the desk.

Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that further reading of the amendments be dispensed with.

Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I send to the desk three amendments en bloc, Nos. 1207, 1209, and 1210.

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

Mr. SALAZAR

Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I rise today to commemorate an outstanding Coloradan who made the ultimate sacrifice for all of us: Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Danny Philip Dietz, Jr. Petty Officer Dietz was a native of Littleton, CO, and was a member of the Navy's elite fighting force, the SEALs. He was killed in Afghanistan after an unsuccessful rescue attempt. He was just 25 years old about to embark on his fifth year of service to our Nation. Petty Officer Dietz, D.J. to his friends and family, joined the Navy in 1999 after graduating Heritage High School where he played football. Serving his country as a Navy SEAL was Petty Officer Dietz's dream. He spent his spare time in high school swimming and building his strength to make him a better candidate for this elite program. He spent years in training to become part of a specialized SEAL reconnaissance team. In doing so, Danny Dietz took his first step toward becoming a hero for America. When Petty Officer Dietz left for his most recent deployment in April out of Virginia Beach, just a few hours from where we are tonight, he told his wife that he was going to do something special for his Nation. He did for all of us, including one of his fellow soldiers who was rescued from those Afghan mountains, where Petty Officer Dietz was lost to us. Matthew 5:9 teaches us, ``Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.'' Petty Officer Dietz brave actions overseas are the kind of heroism of which you should be extraordinarily proud and to which all aspire. Petty Officer Dietz's service to the people of the United States is a gift for which we are all profoundly grateful and will never forget. Petty Officer 2nd Class Danny Philip Dietz, Jr. served this Nation with extraordinary courage, honor and distinction in fighting for our freedom and liberties. To his wife Maria and his entire family, I can only offer my deepest condolences at your loss. The thoughts and prayers of an entire Nation are with you.

Mr. SALAZAR

Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I will be very short. I want to first congratulate my good friend from Colorado, Senator Allard, for the sponsorship of these amendments which are important for Rocky Flats and for the cleanup of our DOE facilities. I think we have a great facility and a model in the State of Colorado that is applicable to other Department of Energy sites and in the end we are going to be able to provide some cost savings to our whole DOE cleanup challenge in this country. The legislation in front of us in the form of the modified amendments would do two things: One, it would help all of the employees who have been laid off at Rocky Flats because of the closure of that plant and the surplus funds would therefore go for a very good purpose to help with the retirement of the employees who have worked at Rocky Flats for a very long time. The second amendment deals with the mineral rights, which is all part of completing the stewardship process at the DOE facility, which will be one of the first ones cleaned up in the Nation. So I applaud my friend from Colorado for helping in this effort and for having worked on it for such a long time. I also want to state my appreciation to the minority leader, Senator Reid, for his work on this effort as well as to the chairman, Senator Pete Domenici, and Senator Warner for his great assistance in this effort as well. I yield the floor.

Mr. SALAZAR

Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I rise today to speak on the Dominican Republic-Central America-Free Trade Agreement. At the outset, let me say I appreciate the efforts of Commerce Secretary Gutierrez and his heartfelt advocacy for this agreement. I look forward to working with him to create jobs in Colorado and on trade and commerce issues, including future revisions to this trade agreement. I have spent the last several months learning more about the CAFTA agreement, listening to individual farmers and ranchers throughout Colorado on their concerns about being left behind. Based on extensive deliberation, I regret that I must oppose this agreement because it continues a policy in Washington that forgets huge parts of our country. Let me summarize my opposition to this agreement. First, there are huge parts of our country, including the eastern plains of Colorado, which have been forgotten by administration after administration, and they continue to wither on the vine. Those rural communities that continue to decline in population are going to be impacted in a very negative way by the implementation of the CAFTA agreement. Secondly, I am troubled by the fact that we have not had a policy to deal with the real geopolitical challenges that we face with Central and South America. When one thinks back to the days of John Fitzgerald Kennedy and his announcement of an Alliance for Progress for the Americas, he had a strategy with respect to how we are going to make friends both to the north and to the south, that we are going to help to rebuild the democracies of Central and South America. We have not seen that kind of a comprehensive policy from this administration. Instead, what we have seen is an episodic approach to dealing with the issues of Latin America. It is for those reasons that I have decided to oppose this agreement. In my State of Colorado, I have seen firsthand the forgotten America. Surveys done by the Colorado Department of Agriculture have cited steady declines in the number of cattle across my State. The inventory of cattle is reported the lowest in Colorado since 1962. Furthermore, in 2002, 60 percent of farms and ranches in Colorado had annual sales of less than $10,000. Specifically, the eastern plains of Colorado, which would be the place most impacted by the CAFTA agreement, is truly the place where you see the forgotten America in its most difficult of times. It is home to farmers and ranchers and small communities that are vanishing, left behind by a Washington, DC, that has lost touch with what is important to the people and to the communities of the heartland. The eastern plains of Colorado is also home to the sugar beet farmers of my State who, in 2002, in order to save their farms, banded together with over 1,000 other sugar beet growers in Nebraska, Montana, and Wyoming to form the Western Sugar Cooperative, a sugar processing facility which continues to successfully operate today across Colorado and the other States. In order for them to do that, they mortgaged their homes, their farms, their ranches, their tractors in order to be able to build this facility for the good of the rural communities and the operations they represent. The sugar beet growers believe that DR-CAFTA will set a precedent. It is a precedent that will send a message to our trade representatives that Congress will continue to allow haphazard negotiations of free- trade agreements like CAFTA that will chip away at important industries and programs here in the United States. I will do all I can not to let these families and these communities continue to wither on the vine. At the same time, the International Trade Commission has stated that the U.S. trade deficit with CAFTA countries is projected to grow by more than $100 million. As my good friend from North Dakota said, speaking about the trade imbalance we are facing, this agreement will add to the trade imbalance of our country. Therefore, other Colorado organizations and many farmers and ranchers from throughout my State have joined together in opposition to CAFTA. It is uncommon in my State, frankly, to find the Colorado Farm Bureau and the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union coming together and speaking with one voice, saying this agreement is bad for agriculture. Yet it has happened with respect to this agreement. They both say this agreement is bad for agriculture. I also recognize that trade agreements are fundamentally geopolitical documents with important impacts on our foreign policy. It pains me personally to have to vote against this agreement. I do so because I recognize that many of our friends in these six countries see it as an important symbol of America's commitment to them. It pains me that I am not able to vote for this agreement. I do so, looking back at the history of our relationship between the United States and the Central American countries. During the 1980s, this country spent $5 billion on Central America in an effort to ensure that democracy and freedom markets triumphed in that part of our troubled world. Because of the courage and strength of our Central American friends, like Archbishop Oscar Romero, we see a region today that is defined by democracy and freedom, a region about which we could only have dreamed a short 20 years ago. It is in that context that I have come to conclude that this agreement is a missed opportunity. Twenty years ago, you could not pick up a newspaper anywhere in the United States without a headline on the front page talking about some event or some episode in Central America. Today those countries barely merit a mention in an occasional newspaper. Presidents in the last 100 years have pursued the good policy, the Alliance for Progress, and the Summit of the Americas, and so forth. These policies have been pursued through administrations in differing parties, Democrats and Republicans, but they all shared a sense of commitment and focus on Latin America. I am sad to conclude that the last several years have seen a policy that has been, at best, disinterested in the issues of South America and Central America. Consider this: The President's flagship foreign assistance program, the Millennium Challenge, has yet to distribute a single dime to Central America. Next, in the President's budget request for this year, Government investments in each of the countries subject to this agreement were cut, not increased. And finally, Latin America rarely appears in the administration's public remarks, despite the challenges of extreme poverty in Central America and democratic instability throughout the Andean region of South America. Supporters of this agreement are now telling us that to vote against CAFTA is to vote against Latin America. That could only be true if you believe that our policy toward this important region should be based only on a single trade agreement. It is not. It should not be. I have personally urged the President to work with members of both parties to reinvigorate our policy toward this important region of our world. Such a policy would do a number of things. For example, it would consolidate the democratic gains the region has made throughout the last two decades by investing in democratic parties. Instead of deepening democracy, the United States seems paralyzed as we watch democracy take hits in countries such as Venezuela and Bolivia. Next, we must battle underdevelopment in the region by investing in its people and microenterprise, health care, and education. Instead, Latin America is the only region that has not seen increases in U.S. Government investment in the last several years. Finally, we should fight corruption and deepen law enforcement cooperation to fight the scourge of illegal narcotics that passes through Central America on its way to our streets, affecting our kids and increasing criminality within our own communities. Such a policy should be, and must be, based on a vision larger than a single agreement. I regret that the tremendous energy the administration is now expending on this agreement has not laid out a vision and plan for the larger challenges, such as illegal immigration, drug trafficking, poverty, and the other issues that affect this important region of our hemisphere. That is why, in my view, this agreement represents a lost opportunity of action for our Nation. Lastly, let me say that I support trade for the Americas. I support trade for our Nation. I recognize that increased trade is good for our economy, for our businesses, farmers, workers, and families. But again, I wish we were here today talking about how we are opening new markets for our producers. Even under the most optimistic scenario, when this agreement is fully implemented, U.S. world exports are expected to increase by only a minuscule amount, if at all, to this small region. We simply need to do better at opening new markets, not just spend our time fighting to keep those we already have. If we spend all of our time fighting yesterday's battles on market access, we will miss the opportunity to leverage the major market opportunities that we have. That is why I have spent much of my first 6 months in the Senate working with the Department of Commerce and State to promote new markets, particularly for Colorado's agricultural products. That is why I asked Secretary Gutierrez to come to Denver last weekend to speak with Colorado's business, labor, and agricultural leaders. I am grateful for the Secretary having made this trip. I appreciated his candid discussion with my constituents in Colorado. That is why I have met with the Ambassador of China to urge him to send a trade delegation to Colorado on trade opportunities. And that is why I met with the director of the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office to urge Taiwan to send a delegation to Colorado for the same reason. At the end of the day, I am hopeful there will be a CAFTA I can support. But just as importantly, I hope even more that we, as a Federal Government, will redouble our efforts to promote American exports into new markets around the world, including our own backyard. As I have deliberated on how to vote on this important agreement, I have thought a lot about Archbishop Romero, a courageous voice for dignity, change, and opportunity in Central America, and the lessons that we learned from his martyrdom in El Salvador. Shortly before he was assassinated, he said in Spanish: El Reino esta ya misteriosamente presente en nuestra tierra; cuando venga el Senor, se consumara Esta es la esperanza que nos alienta a los cristianos. Sabemos que todo esfuerzo por majorar una sociedad, sobre todo cuando esta tan metida esa injusticia y el pecado, es un esfuerzo que Dios bendice, que Dios quiere, que Dios nos exige. (English translation of the above statement is as follows:) God's reign is already present on our Earth in mystery. When the Lord comes, it will be brought to perfection. That is the hope that inspires Christians. We hope that every effort to better society, especially when injustice and sin are so ingrained, is an effort that God blesses, that God wants, that God demands of us. This agreement is not our best work as a nation. As we try to improve our society and the societies of Central America and the Dominican Republic, we can do better. I hope we get the chance to do better. I look forward to working with the administration to craft a better agreement with CAFTA. I thank the Chair and yield the floor.

Mr. SALAZAR

Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I rise today to take a moment to remember one of Colorado's fallen heroes: Army SFC Christopher W. Phelps. Sergeant Phelps was killed last week in Baghdad, Iraq, while serving this Nation. He was 39. Sergeant Phelps was a native of Louisville, KY. He graduated Male High School in 1984 where he was a standout athlete, helping to lead the Bulldogs to the State football playoffs. Sergeant Phelps went on to Kentucky State and a junior college in Mississippi before he enlisted in the Army. In the Army, Sergeant Phelps served in the first Gulf war, where he drove a tank. This past spring, he was deployed to Iraq as a member of the Third Armored Cavalry Regiment based out of Fort Carson in Colorado. He enjoyed serving in the Army and was proud to be serving his country so honorably. He was a natural leader, a trait reflected by the nickname the members of his platoon gave him: ``Dad.'' While serving in Iraq, Sergeant Phelps was deeply moved by what he saw. He wrote home of the terrible poverty he witnessed and how much work was left to be done in Iraq. But Sergeant Phelps knew, as so all of our men and women in uniform, that our efforts were making Iraq a better place. In his high school yearbook, an 18-year-old Christopher Phelps selected as a quote: ``Do all you can while you can before it is too late.'' Sergeant Phelps embodied this sentiment in everything he did, from his days as a high school athlete to his exemplary service to our Nation and to the cause of freedom. SFC Christopher Phelps served this country with honor and distinction and we are all humbled by his sacrifice. To his wife, Bobbi, and his daughters and son, my prayers are with you, as are those of an entire nation. Christopher's service to and sacrifice on behalf of this Nation will never be forgotten.

Mr. SALAZAR

Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, let me at the outset say that the problem we are trying to deal with in the Senate is a matter of great importance to our veterans. Let me also say I believe the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee has jumped on this problem to try to figure out a way that we can move forward. I think the most important response to this kind of crisis, where we are leaving so many veterans out of the fold in America, given the kind of shortfall we are seeing in health care, is that we acknowledge a problem, first of all; and, second of all, once having acknowledged the problem, that we move to fix the problem; and then, third, that we make sure that the problem does not happen again. What we are doing with today's amendment sponsored by Senator Murray and Senator Byrd is fixing the problem for this year so we are able to provide the health care services to which our veterans are entitled. It is not good enough for us to support our troops in Iraq, as we all should. It is also necessary--mandatory--for us to make sure that when our troops return from Iraq or Afghanistan, we take care of them here at home. The Veterans' Administration and the budgets that they have proposed have failed to do that because of the chronic underfunding that they have put on the table. If you analyze the underfunding we are looking at today, we potentially could be looking at a cut to veterans health services of somewhere between 10 percent and 15 percent. This is a problem which we need to address as a Congress for the years ahead as well. This amendment that Senator Murray and Senator Byrd have put forward is a step in the right direction because it will help us fix a problem for this year. I am a proud cosponsor of that amendment. I believe both Senator Byrd and Senator Murray have done the right thing. I applaud Senator Murray's leadership in the committee to raise this issue to the attention of Senator Craig and the rest of the members of that committee. But it is also very important that the Veterans' Administration, through Veterans Health, helps us figure out a way of avoiding this problem in the future. We should not let our soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan down, and the only way we can do that is if we fix the funding formulas and fix the assumptions that are currently made. I yield the floor.

Mr. SALAZAR

Mr. SALAZAR. I thank the Presiding Officer and yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.