Jeanne Shaheen

Ms. SHAHEEN

Ms. SHAHEEN. 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 February 6, 2014, at 9:30 a.m., in room SD-366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Ms. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Environment and Public Works be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on February 6, 2014, at 10:30 a.m., in room SD-406 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Ms. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on February 6, 2014, at 10 a.m.

Ms. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on February 6, 2014.

Ms. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on February 6, 2014, at 2:30 p.m.,

Ms. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on February 6, 2014, at 10 a.m., in SD-226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct an executive business meeting.

Mrs. SHAHEEN

Mrs. SHAHEEN. Madam President, today I wish to recognize the great accomplishments of the many New Hampshire athletes who will be representing the United States this month in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. These athletes have all exhibited incredible dedication to their respective sports and have proven their remarkable abilities in competitions among their peers. A selection to the U.S. Olympic team is a tremendous honor and a fitting reward for their many years of hard work. In New Hampshire, growing up on the snow is a way of life. With access to the unparalleled beauty and terrain of the White Mountains, thousands of miles of trails, and nearly 1,000 lakes, Granite Staters are at home on the snow, on the ice, and in the air. New Hampshire is proud to acknowledge our State's Olympians and is excited to show the world their talents during the Sochi games. Nick Alexander of Lebanon, NH, will be competing in ski jumping. As the 2013 U.S. National Champion on the K90 ski jump, we are excited to see Nick build on his impressive showings at the Continental Cup and National Large Hill Championships as he competes for Team USA. Sean Doherty of Center Conway, NH, will be competing in the biathlon. We hope to see Sean, a first-time Olympian, continue his accomplishments from the International Biathalon Union Junior World Championships last year and excel at this year's Olympics. Nick Fairall of Andover, NH, will be competing in ski jumping. As a first-time representative of Team USA, we have been impressed with Nick's performances in World Cup events and his victory at the National Large Hill Championships. We are looking forward to watching him compete on the Olympic stage Julia Ford, of Holderness, NH will be competing in alpine skiing. A first-time member of Team USA, we hope to see Julia perform as she did in the U.S. Championships and North American Cup races. As the 2011 NorAM downhill Super G and super combined champion and 2012 NorAm overall and downhill champion, we are eager to cheer Julia on in Sochi. Kris Freeman of Thornton, NH, will be competing in cross-country skiing. As a well-decorated Nordic skier and representative of Team USA for the fourth time, I hope that Kris will be able to build upon his past experiences and excel at this year's Winter Olympics. We are proud to have Kris representing New Hampshire once again. Chas Guldemond of Laconia, NH, will be competing in snowboarding. A first-time member of Team USA, Chas has built an impressive resume in slopestyle competitions, and we hope that his success will continue in his Olympic debut. Julia Krass of Hanover, NH, will be competing in freeskiing. A first- time participant in the Olympics, we are excited to watch 16-year-old Julia compete in the inaugural ski slopestyle event. Bode Miller of Franconia, NH, will be competing in alpine skiing. As the most decorated US male skier in World Cup history and five-time representative of Team USA, Granite Staters are excited to see Bode compete again and hope to see him repeat his impressive, three-medal performance from the 2010, Vancouver Olympics. Leanne Smith of North Conway, NH, will be competing in alpine skiing. As a representative of Team USA for the second time, we hope that the combination of her previous Olympic experience and her success in recent World Cup events translates into victory this year. DJ Montigny of Dover, NH, will be coaching three women on the freeskiing team. A first time coach at the Olympics, DJ was named Freeskiing International Coach of the Year in 2013. We look forward to DJ helping lead Team USA athletes to victory in Sochi. Many additional Olympians have been educated, coached, trained, or even competed in New Hampshire. These athletes with Granite State ties include Kacey Bellamy, Team USA, ice hockey; Sophie Caldwell, Team USA, cross-country skiing; David Chodounsky, Team USA, alpine skiing; Hannah Dreissigacker, Team USA, biathlon; Susan Dunklee, Team USA, biathlon; Nolan Kasper, Team USA, alpine skiing; Hannah Kearney, Team USA, freestyle skiing; James Van Riemsdyk, Team USA, ice hockey; Ida Sargent, Team USA, cross-country skiing; Mikaela Shiffrin, Team USA, alpine skiing; Katey Stone, Team USA, Head Coach, ice hockey; Sara Studebaker, Team USA, biathlon; and Andrew Weibrecht, Team USA, alpine skiing. It is my honor to congratulate these New Hampshire athletes. I wish each of them and all of Team USA the best of luck as they seek to bring home the gold at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.

Mrs. SHAHEEN

Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, while this is far from a perfect bill, I am pleased that the Senate will pass the Agriculture Act of 2014. This legislation--a result of more than 2 years of deliberation--reaches a compromise that protects small farmers, fights hunger, and saves taxpayers more than $16 billion. I thank Chairwoman Stabenow and Ranking Member Cochran, along with leaders in the House of Representatives, for their hard work in reaching this agreement. This year's farm bill makes targeted investments in our Nation's agricultural and nutrition sectors while eliminating some of the wasteful subsidies that cost taxpayers billions of dollars. The bill supports our rural economies and helps protect our farmland and forests for generations to come. And it makes historic investments in fruit and vegetable farming and in organic agriculture. During negotiations on this bill, I worked with Chairwoman Stabenow and Senator Leahy to ensure that new dairy programs will adequately protect New Hampshire's small farms, which are struggling to deal with high feed costs and volatility in milk prices. I am hopeful that the new dairy program will provide stability for New Hampshire's dairies and create an environment in which these family-owned businesses that are so important to our State's economy can grow and thrive. I am particularly pleased that the conference report includes language nearly identical to my bipartisan legislation, the Oilheat Efficiency, Renewable Fuel Research and Jobs Training Act. This important provision will reauthorize the widely supported National Oilheat Research Alliance, NORA, the oilheat industry's national program for research and development, consumer education and technical training. It will allow the industry to continue funding vital national oilheat efforts for 5 years--at no cost to local, State or Federal governments. Consumers will benefit from the development of improved and efficient equipment, increased safety through technical training, and the availability of up-to-date information regarding safety practices and fuel conservation. Importantly, these objectives will be achieved without raising consumer costs. NORA provides a direct path for responsible, domestically produced and efficient energy consumption without raising consumer costs. Its inclusion in the farm bill is good for consumers, American businesses, and the environment and will provide tangible value for the country for many years to come. I also thank Chairwoman Stabenow and Senator Wyden for working with me to preserve the Environmental Protection Agency's treatment of regulating forest roads as nonpoint sources through State-adopted best- management practices. This approach will allow for the continued sustainable development of working forests in New Hampshire. In New Hampshire, more than 100,000 people rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program each month to keep from going hungry. The farm bill reauthorizes SNAP and other critical programs that help millions of American families put food on the table. The bill also contains important reforms that will provide food for our Nation's food banks and improve low-income Americans' access to fruits and vegetables and other healthy foods. The legislation also improves consumer access to local foods with increased funding for farmers' markets. In recent years, interest in supporting local agriculture has grown significantly. New Hampshire currently has more than 70 farmers markets across the State, with nearly 30 open through the winter. Americans want to know where their food comes from, and farmers want to be able to sell their products in their communities. The farm bill significantly increases funding for programs that support small and beginning farmers, including greater support for grant programs that enable small farmers to invest in improving the value of their products. One dairy farmer from Landaff, NH, accessed these programs to help her grow her cheese-making business. Because of the grant, she was able to hire two full-time employees and several part-time employees, and her second-generation farm now sells award- winning cheeses in stores and restaurants around the country. These are the kind of job-creating investments we need to be making in rural America. However, while the legislation implements some reforms to subsidy programs that will save taxpayer dollars, it does not go far enough in cutting wasteful spending. Senator McCain and I worked to repeal a duplicative catfish inspection program at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which has already cost taxpayers $20 million over the past 5 years and has yet to inspect a single fish. Unfortunately, this bill does nothing to end this unnecessary and wasteful program. I am also disappointed that this bill continues the Federal Sugar Program with no changes. Taxpayers were forced to pay nearly $300 million last year to bail out the sugar industry, in addition to the $14 billion this wasteful program has cost consumers and businesses over the past 5 years. The high price supports and strict trade restrictions continued with no reform in this bill will ensure that sugar remains the most tightly controlled commodity in America. This bill also continues the wasteful practice of providing subsidies to large and wealthy farm businesses with no meaningful payment limits. Some programs in the bill will allow huge farming operations to receive unlimited subsidies, and the new crop insurance program includes no individual caps or means testing requirements. The Senate-passed bill would have reduced subsidy payments for the wealthiest farmers, but this provision was removed from the final conference report. And there was no consideration of implementing a provision I offered with Senator Toomey to place a reasonable cap on crop insurance subsidies that would have saved taxpayers $3.4 billion over the next 10 years. As we confront our Federal debt and deficit and as millions of families across the country are tightening their belts, we cannot justify unlimited subsidies for wealthy farmers and giant agribusinesses. While I will continue working to end wasteful farm bill programs and protect taxpayers, I support this legislation because it supports New Hampshire farmers and our State's rural communities, reduces the deficit, invests in healthy foods, and helps prevent low-income Americans from going hungry.

Mrs. SHAHEEN

Mrs. SHAHEEN. I thank the chairwoman very much.

Mrs. SHAHEEN. Madam President, I thank the esteemed chair of the Appropriations Committee for her kind words, and especially for all of the work she has done to get us to this point where we have an appropriations bill before us. I know she has worked very hard with Ranking Member Shelby, the House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers and Ranking Member Lowey. It was Senator Mikulski's leadership on this bill that got us to an agreement to fund the government for the rest of 2014, and to do it in a way that will support job creation, economic growth, and our national security. So I thank the chairman. I am a new member of the Appropriations Committee. I am currently the chair of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee, and so I also want to thank Senator Hoeven, the ranking member of our subcommittee. It has been a real pleasure to work with him to draft the subcommittee work for the Legislative Branch Subcommittee. For New Hampshire, this bill includes funding for the continued development for the new KC-46A aerial refueling tanker, of which we are very proud. The first round of those tankers will be based at Pease Air National Guard Base in New Hampshire. It also makes investments in the new military construction project at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. We are very proud in New Hampshire of both Pease and the shipyard because they play a very important role in our national defense. These strategic investments will create jobs, boost the State's economy, and support our men and women in uniform. I am also very pleased that this omnibus bill funds the Beyond Yellow Ribbon Program. This is a program that connects service men and women and their families with community support, training, and other services. As we look at the men and women coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan, the Beyond Yellow Ribbon Program has been a very important program to help reconnect those returning servicemembers to their community. It has also been very important in New Hampshire. The Beyond Yellow Ribbon Program has been critical in States such as New Hampshire with many members of our National Guard and Reserve returning from duty overseas. The legislation before us also funds the complete activation of the Berlin prison, just as it funds the Bureau of Prisons. In New Hampshire that funding is going to allow us to get to a full complement of about 340 local jobs in northern New Hampshire, which is very critical to the northern part of our State. It is going to provide a $40 million annual boost to the economy in northern New Hampshire. I am especially appreciative to the chairwoman of the committee and to all of the members for the effort to help the fishing men and women in New Hampshire who have just been devastated by declining fish populations. The bill authorizes $75 million in disaster relief for those members of our fishing community, so many of whom have had their whole livelihoods taken away from them. This disaster relief money is going to help them during these difficult times. It will help them to recover and rebuild what I believe is one of the most critical economic sectors still in New England. It is certainly one of the oldest. I am also pleased that this bill reverses some of the reckless cuts from sequestration and instead makes important investments in the future of this country--in our education, infrastructure, and in science and innovation. Yet it also makes strategic cuts. For example, one of my favorites in the bill is that it prohibits taxpayer-funded expenditures on oil paintings for public officials. This is an idea that Senator Coburn and I have been working on over the last year, and I think it is exactly the kind of government spending we need to get rid of. It sends a message--a signal. Even though it is not a lot of money, it is symbolic for the public to know we are trying to address anything we can, and this is one piece we can agree on, and hopefully it will lead to others. The bill also requires all Federal agencies to become better stewards of taxpayer dollars because it invests in inspectors general in agencies across the Federal Government. Inspectors general help those agencies better identify waste and cut spending. While making smart cuts, the bill also invests in priorities, such as science and innovation. It provides more funding for medical and energy research and development. Very important efforts are under way at the National Institutes of Health. They are finally going to see some relief in this bill. It supports education, including funding programs such as Head Start, which have been cut under sequestration. Head Start has been cut in New Hampshire. It is particularly important because the more we learn about the importance of how children learn, the more we understand how critical early childhood education--programs such as Head Start--are to their future development. The bill also makes infrastructure investments, something on which we have been too far behind in this country. It is going to help us as we look at rebuilding our Nation's deficient roads and bridges and creating jobs. As we all know--and I know the chairwoman would readily admit--this bill is not a perfect bill, but the legislation before us is a product of the kind of bipartisan compromise that we have to have more of in Washington these days. While I am very pleased that the bill addresses military retirement cuts for some retirees--survivor widows, survivor benefits, and for the disabled--we still need to keep working until those cuts are repealed entirely for all military retirees. It is something that I have introduced legislation on, and I will continue to work on it. I know there is a commitment from so many of us here in the Chamber to address that. I will also continue to work to provide full funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, LIHEAP, which helps seniors and low-income New Hampshire families pay their heating bills, especially during the cold winter months. This bill makes a small increase in that program, but unfortunately, it is not enough to address the challenges so many families in New Hampshire and in the cold parts of this country are facing as we continue through this very cold winter. Small businesses in New Hampshire have not forgotten that during the shutdown they faced uncertainty and declining revenues. Federal employees in New Hampshire struggled to make ends meet while being furloughed, and that shutdown--a completely manufactured and unnecessary crisis--cost this economy $24 billion. I think--in talking to business people around New Hampshire and around the country--one of the most important things that this bill does is it takes the prospect of another manufactured crisis off the table. It puts in place a responsible plan to grow this economy, create jobs, and it takes away the uncertainty that has so plagued families and businesses across this country. I had the opportunity this week to meet with the head of the business roundtable. One of the things he pointed out to me is that right now we are seeing the lowest percentage of private investment in our economy that we have seen in a very long time--in decades. It is most important that we in Washington provide the business community some certainty so they will make those investments because that is how we create jobs. We need to put people back to work, and I think this legislation goes a long way to create that certainty and say to the business community and to those people who are unemployed: We are going to keep working on your behalf. We are going to try to make those investments and make sure we create the jobs to put you back to work, to keep this economy strong and growing, and to keep this country competitive. In closing, I just want to say to my colleagues that now is the time for us to build on this bipartisan success we have seen and that the chairwoman has been able to accomplish with all of her other negotiators. We have this opportunity to build on that and to further promote job creation and economic growth. Our country needs us to work together on behalf of small businesses, on behalf of the middle class, and on behalf of families. We need to pass this bill. We need to keep working together and address the challenges this country faces. I urge all of my colleagues in the Senate to support this bill. I yield the floor, and again I thank the chairwoman for her efforts.

Mrs. SHAHEEN

Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, today I wish to join the New Hampshire chapter of the Military Officers Association of America, MOAA, in recognizing the work of Christmas Can Cure, a New Hampshire organization committed to helping disabled veterans and their families, especially around the holidays. On January 25, 2014, Christmas Can Cure will receive the Granite State Warriors Award, given by the MOAA to New Hampshire organizations making the most significant contributions to the Armed Forces of the United States. Founded in 2008 by the Carrier family in their Jackson, NH, home, Christmas Can Cure was born from the simple desire to invite returning warriors and their families to experience a white Christmas in New Hampshire. As they further developed their idea, the Carrier family realized that they could give back to wounded warriors and their families by relieving the financial and emotional stress of planning a family vacation for the holidays. The mission of Christmas Can Cure is not only to arrange a fun and memorable vacation, but also to provide servicemembers and their families the opportunity to relax and reconnect. The organization has enjoyed great success, and has joined with the Wounded Warrior Project to reach veterans around the country. The Carrier family has also recently partnered with the Lee family, owners of Eureka Resort, affording Christmas Can Cure an additional holiday destination in Park City, UT. It is clear that this already well- established organization is continuing to gain momentum and broaden its impact on the lives of veterans and their families across the Nation. On behalf of the people of New Hampshire, I thank the Carrier family and others who have donated their time and efforts to Christmas Can Cure. The selflessness and patriotism of their mission is a true example of what makes ours such a great State, and I look forward to hearing more stories of lives that have been touched by the great work of this Granite State organization.

Mrs. SHAHEEN

Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I rise today to join the New Hampshire chapter of the Military Officers Association of America, MOAA, in recognizing the critical work of Veterans Count, a New Hampshire organization that has proven a critical ally in ongoing efforts to support servicemembers, veterans, and their families. On January 25, 2014, Veterans Count will receive the Granite State Warriors Award, given by the MOAA to New Hampshire organizations making the most significant contributions to the Armed Forces of the United States. A program of Easter Seals, Veterans Count helps servicemembers and their families throughout the deployment cycle and beyond. The hallmark of Veterans Count's approach to providing support is their partnership with the Deployment Cycle Support Program, DCSP, which has assisted thousands of servicemembers and their families since its inception in 2007. The program was built on the understanding that the strains of a military deployment are shared and can both precede and outlast the deployment itself. Thanks to the work and collaboration of New Hampshire groups like Veterans Count, the DCSP has provided extraordinary support to veterans and their families. Veterans Count also deserves recognition for their work addressing mental health and suicide awareness. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan wounded our warriors in ways that were not previously well understood and although mental health and suicide prevention efforts are ongoing, we must do more to help those soldiers and veterans in need. Veterans Count is at the forefront of these efforts and, in 2012 alone, the group intervened successfully in 29 suicide risk situations. Moreover, since the program's inception, none of its participants have committed suicide. Veterans Count's success in suicide prevention is due in large part to their work helping veterans secure permanent employment and easy access to mental health care. I look forward to hearing more success stories as a result of Veterans Count's determined efforts, and I am pleased to congratulate them on a well-deserved award from the Military Officers Association of America.

Mrs. SHAHEEN

Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I have come to the floor today, like so many of our colleagues, to talk about the urgent need to pass legislation to extend unemployment insurance. I was encouraged, as I know many of us were, that the Senate voted on Monday to move to this legislation. I really hope that we are able to build on that progress and to pass this critical assistance this week. Emergency unemployment insurance has always had bipartisan support. Congress has acted eight times since 1958, under congressional leadership and Presidents from both parties, to establish extended benefit programs when the unemployment rate is too high. In fact, as I think a number of my colleagues have said, the program we are currently looking to extend was actually passed when George W. Bush was President, with strong bipartisan support. It is important that we do not turn our backs on Americans who are struggling to find work right now. We cannot afford the economic consequences of inaction. Failing to renew unemployment benefits will cost us jobs, it will hurt economic growth, it will eliminate a critical lifeline for families who are struggling to make ends meet. While New Hampshire's unemployment rate is below the national average, if you are out of work, your household is 100 percent unemployed. There are too many families in New Hampshire who have already been hurt by the expiration of these benefits. According to New Hampshire's Governor Maggie Hassan and our State's Employment Security Commissioner George Copadis, the lapse in this critical program has abruptly cut off vital support for about 1,350 individuals in New Hampshire. For each week that extended benefits are not available, an additional 500 to 600 New Hampshire citizens will exhaust regular unemployment insurance coverage. In total, more than 8,500 citizens of New Hampshire could be hurt over the course of the next year. That would result in a potential loss to our economy of as much as $14 million, according to the State of New Hampshire, and it is a particular issue in certain pockets in the State. There are counties where the unemployment rate is higher, where we have more long-term unemployed who are going to find particular concern about trying to find a job if they do not have any help while they are looking. I would ask unanimous consent that the letters from New Hampshire's Governor Hassan and from our Commissioner of Employment Security be printed in the Record.

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

Mrs. SHAHEEN. As these letters show, the impact of a failure to extend unemployment benefits is very real for thousands of working families in New Hampshire. Of course, that is true, we know, across the country. Failing to pass this legislation will hurt our economic recovery in New Hampshire. It will hurt the Nation's economic recovery. The Economic Policy Institute estimates that the expiration of unemployment insurance will cost the economy 310,000 jobs, which is roughly the equivalent of a single month of job growth. We know from economists from the Congressional Budget Office that each dollar we spend on extending unemployment insurance generates about $1.50 in economic growth. It is one of the best places we can spend public dollars to try to stimulate this economy, to create jobs that can ultimately put people who are unemployed back to work. Although the unemployment rate has gone down and our economy has shown signs of recovery, we still have a lot more to do. We have to get more people back to work. There is so much on the line, for jobs, for hard-working Americans, and for our economy as a whole. We should pass this legislation on behalf of workers and families in New Hampshire and across this country. I also want to point out that I have filed an amendment to this unemployment insurance bill. I hope we will have a chance to vote on this amendment. It is identical to a bill I have authored that has 19 cosponsors, including the Presiding Officer, the Military Retirement Restoration Act. This legislation would replace the military retiree and benefit cuts that have been included in the recent budget agreement. It would do that by closing a tax loophole that some corporations use to avoid paying their share of taxes. This provision is designed to address corporations that set up shell entities in tax havens to avoid being considered an American company and paying at the tax rate in the United States. They do that even though these companies are controlled and operated on American soil. It would ensure that those companies pay American tax rates. I think most people would agree that this kind of tax avoidance is unfair, that we should close this tax loophole, and we should do that rather than reducing military retiree benefits. In addition to the 20 cosponsors of the legislation in the Senate, there is a similar bill in the House that has 46 cosponsors. My idea of how to pay for the military retirement benefit is just one idea. I know there are other bills that have been introduced. I am open to those other solutions. But I hope we can work in a bipartisanship way to replace these cuts before they go into effect in 2 years. It is important that we address this issue for the men and women who have served this country so well, who have put their lives on the line for us. I hope we can do that as part of this legislation when we vote on it. If we are not able to do that, I certainly hope we are going to be able to address this in the near future. I yield the floor.

Mrs. SHAHEEN

Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, today I wish to honor the life and service of U.S. Marine Sgt. Daniel Vasselian, who was killed in the line of duty on December 23, 2013 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. Sergeant Vasselian was assigned to 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejune, N.C., and was serving his third tour of duty when he was killed at the young age of 27. ``Danny'', as he was known by family and friends, was a proud son of the small Massachusetts town of Abington, where he was known as a kind, courageous and fun-loving young man. Danny graduated from Abington High School in 2004, and was fortunate to have already met the love of his life, Erin, whom he went on to marry. Erin and Danny celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary in December. A tribute to his standing in Abington, thousands of people lined the town's streets to escort Sergeant Vasselian's casket to the funeral service. In 2006, Sergeant Vasselian enlisted with the Marines and was assigned to 2/3 Echo Company Infantry, eventually deploying to tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. The heroism and professionalism of Sergeant Vasselian and his Marine Corps units merited numerous awards, including a Purple Heart Award, a Combat Action Ribbon, a Presidential Unit Citation and a Navy Unit Commendation. Sergeant Vasselian's love for his Marine brothers was infallible, and ultimately led him to volunteer for the mission that cost him his life. Sergeant Vasselian's outsized personality and good heartedness will not soon be forgotten by those who were lucky enough to have known him. It is my hope that during this extremely difficult time, his family and friends will find comfort in knowing that Americans everywhere appreciate deeply his vow to defend our country so that the rest of us may continue to live in peace and freedom. Along with his parents Mark and Karen, as well as his step-mother Alice, Danny is survived by his wife Erin (Doyle) Vasselian; his siblings Jeannine, Julianne and Joseph; his grandmother Jeanne Vasselian; his grandfather Thomas P. Connor; his mother and father-in- law David and Patricia Doyle; his nephew and niece Cayleb and Shaelyn Barrio; also aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. This patriot will be missed by all. I ask my colleagues and all Americans to join me in honoring the life and service of this brave young American, Daniel Vasselian.

Mrs. SHAHEEN

Mrs. SHAHEEN. Madam President, today I wish to recognize the women of the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps. Approximately 125,000 American women served as Corps members during World War II, providing comfort and care at hospitals across the country, including in New Hampshire. Most of the former Corps members are now in their eighties, and it is incumbent upon us to ensure that the lessons of their service are remembered for the benefit of future generations. In March of 1943, Congresswoman Frances P. Bolton of Ohio, a strong believer in the power of nurses in the healing process, introduced legislation to ensure that the supply of nurses in the United States would be large enough to meet the increasing demands of the war effort, especially as large numbers of experienced nurses left the country to serve overseas. The Bolton Act promised a free nursing education in exchange for a commitment to serve in the Cadet Nurse Corps for the duration of the war. Driven by the immediate need for more nurses, Corps members worked overtime to finish their studies within a compressed study schedule and began to perform nursing duties even before they had formally graduated. This on-the-job training ensured that civilians and recovering servicemembers continued to receive necessary medical care even as much of the medical community was focused on the war front. Members of the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps took an oath to dedicate themselves to the triumph of life over death at a time when this perpetual struggle took on previously unseen dimensions. Like many of the American soldiers fighting overseas, these women were predominantly young, recent high school graduates who, when confronted with the call to serve their country, answered unhesitatingly and in large numbers. I ask my colleagues in the Senate to join me in thanking all former Cadet Nurse Corps members for their service to the country and for their the selfless commitment to the nursing profession.

Mrs. SHAHEEN

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

Mrs. SHAHEEN. Unfortunately, I was not here to vote for Janet Yellen, the head of the Federal Reserve. Had I been here to vote, I would have voted to support her in that position. My flight was delayed, and so I did not get back in time for the vote. I want to make sure that the Record shows that I support her as the new chairman of the Fed. I yield the floor.

Mrs. SHAHEEN

Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I am really pleased to be here on the floor today with, as the Senator from Ohio put it so well, my partner Senator Portman in developing this energy efficiency legislation--the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act, also known as Shaheen-Portman. It is a long name, but as the Senator from Ohio pointed out, it really goes a long way to address some of the energy challenges we face in this country. It is a win-win-win. We heard a discussion earlier today about the importance of renewable energy as a way to create jobs. This is one of the most important things about our legislation. It does promote job creation. As the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy said, 136,000 new jobs will be created by 2025 if we pass this legislation. By 2030, it would net an annual savings of almost $14 billion--$13.7 billion for consumers--and it would lower CO2 emissions and other air pollutants by the equivalent of taking 22 million cars off the road. So as Senator Portman said so well, this is a win for job creation, it is a win for the environment, it is a win for national security, and it is a win for saving costs. Senator Portman talked about the importance of continuing bipartisan efforts as we saw this week with passing a budget. As did Senator Portman, I supported that budget as well, despite some of the misgivings I had about it, but I think it was important to work together to move forward on addressing the issues we face in this country. That is exactly what the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act would do. It is a bill that will create jobs, lower pollution, and save taxpayer money. We had a great opportunity to pass this legislation back in September. Unfortunately, we saw some people come to the floor and object because of nonrelevant amendments. But we have an opportunity to come back to it in the new year to try to pass it again. I am hoping we can do that. One reason we are on the floor today is to talk about that second opportunity we are going to have. Senator Portman and I have been working on some of the bipartisan amendments offered for the bill, and we are hopeful some of our colleagues who support those bipartisan amendments, who have authored them, will come on board with this legislation and help us get this passed in the new year. As Senator Portman said, to date, this legislation has more than 260 endorsements from groups that include business, the environment, think tanks, and trade associations. Supporters include everybody from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades. I think any time we can get the Sierra Club and the American Chemistry Council supporting a piece of legislation, we know we have a good bill that can attract a lot of support. That is where we are in this legislation. As we know, passage of the bill was delayed by a small group of Senators back in September. But I think there still remains a real interest in debating energy efficiency policy on the floor of the Senate. We have also heard from the House that both Representatives Fred Upton, chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Ed Whitfield, chair of the relevant subcommittee with jurisdiction over energy efficiency, have expressed interest in Shaheen-Portman and have said they will move energy efficiency legislation if the Senate passes a bill. Since the bill was taken off the floor, Senator Portman and I have continued to work with Chairman Wyden. He was here a few minutes ago and plans to come back, hopefully, to speak to the legislation. We have been working with Ranking Member Murkowski to incorporate some of those relevant bipartisan amendments that have been cleared by the committee, which I talked about a few minutes ago. If we can do that--if we can include those amendments--it would make the legislation even better, and it would secure additional support necessary to ensure passage. It would allow us, I hope, assuming the leadership agrees, to bring this bill back to the floor. I am confident we can pass this legislation if we can get it back to the floor. It has bipartisan, bicameral support. It is exactly the kind of smart, affordable energy and jobs bill Congress needs to pass and the President needs to sign in order to spur private sector growth, in order to save on costs of energy, and in order to address some of the environmental issues we are facing. So I thank Senator Portman, as well as Chairman Wyden and Ranking Member Murkowski, for all of their help in working with us to promote this legislation and advance the bill. I really look forward to working with those 260 groups, which also include the Alliance to Save Energy-- and it is important to recognize them for their support--to be able to bring this bill back, to get it through, and for the first time since 2007 to get some energy policy done in the Senate. So I thank the Chair. Thanks to my colleague, Senator Portman, we will be back after January. I yield the floor.

Mrs. SHAHEEN

Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I rise with a heavy heart to memorialize the promising life and service of U.S. Army SPC Daniel Eckstein, who died on December 10 at the young age of 22. Specialist Eckstein was a member of the 3rd Special Forces Group, serving as an unmanned aerial vehicle mechanic at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. Daniel was born in Lowell, MA on January 5, 1991, to Hans and Sharon (Green) Eckstein, and spent the first 6 years of his life there. In 1997, Daniel moved to Nashua, NH, where he remained for his formative years until his graduation from Nashua High School North as a member of the class of 2009. During high school, Daniel eagerly competed as a member of the Nashua North Titans baseball team. He was also a passionate New England Patriots and Boston sports fan. Daniel enlisted in the Army in 2011, and following basic training he went on to successfully complete both Army Airborne School and the Warrior Leader Course. A testament to Daniel's drive for excellence as a soldier, he was awarded the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal and the National Defense Service Medal. Daniel loved his family, and was a proud father to his young son Brayden. It is my hope that during this extremely difficult time, Daniel's family and friends will find comfort in knowing that Americans everywhere appreciate deeply his vow to sacrifice his life in the defense of our country so that the rest of us may continue to live in peace and freedom. Along with his parents Hans and Sharon, Daniel is survived by his wife, Kristina Eckstein, whom he married on January 9, 2011; his son, Brayden Daniel Eckstein; his sister, Amy Eckstein of North Carolina; his stepfather, Edward McLaughlin of Lowell, MA; his maternal grandmother, Barbara Green of Nashua; his grandparents, Peter and Elaine Beaton of Nashua; his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Michael and Darlene Burton and their daughter Summyr of Nashua; also aunts, uncles and cousins. This patriot will be missed by all. I ask my colleagues and all Americans to join me in honoring the life and service of this brave young American, Daniel Eckstein.

Mrs. SHAHEEN

Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I thank the Senator from Oklahoma and I look forward to working with him to improve DoD's management practices in this area.

Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, the Department of Defense is the largest single consumer of facilities energy in the Nation and spends more than $4 billion a year to power military installations. Energy management is very important to DoD's mission, both as a matter of conservation and the proper stewardship of funds provided by Congress. In recent years, the Department of Defense has made significant progress in reducing energy use on military installations. In fiscal year 2012, the Department achieved a 17.7 percent reduction in energy use from the fiscal year 2003 baseline established by law in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. In addition to direct investment, the Department's use of energy savings performance contracting and utility energy savings contracting has historically played an important role in the achievement of the Department's facility energy management objectives. Energy Savings Performance Contracts, commonly known as ESPCs, provide private sector financing for energy improvements at government facilities, with that investment paid back over time from the agency's utility bill savings. As part of a broad administration effort established in 2011 to improve Federal energy efficiency, the Department has committed to award $1.2 billion in performance-based contracts by the end of 2013. I would pose a question to my colleague, the ranking member of the full committee and a manager of the bill, Senator Inhofe, who has long been a supporter of performance contracting, about this matter and whether he believes the Department can do more.

Mrs. SHAHEEN

Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, this afternoon we will vote to pass a budget for the next 2 years. That sounds really good when we think about actually getting a budget for the next 2 years. I support this budget because I think it provides the certainty our businesses and our economy need and that our families need. It replaces some of the reckless across-the-board cuts known as sequestration, and ensures-- perhaps most importantly--that we won't have another government shutdown. The alternative--allowing this budget to fail and setting up another government shutdown--is simply unacceptable. We saw the impact the government shutdown had on our economy, on the people who depend on vital services, as well as on our national defense and our military readiness. So while this budget is not perfect--it is not something I would have written; I am sure it is not something Senator Murray would have written. But the budget deal struck by Senator Murray, the chairman of the Budget Committee in the Senate, and Congressman Paul Ryan, the chairman of the Budget Committee in the House, is a product of bipartisan compromise--something we need a whole lot more of in Washington these days. It represents a small but important step forward for our government and for our economy. While the budget we are going to vote on today is not perfect, I do believe it is a step forward. It doesn't close a single corporate loophole. It doesn't extend unemployment insurance, which I would like to have seen for people who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own. That is probably going to cost our economy about 200,000 jobs. And there are provisions included in the bill that I think are misguided and need to be fixed. But the fact is, this is a step forward also in addressing sequestration in a way I think is absolutely critical to anybody who does business with the Federal Government or with companies and families who are dependent on services and on contracts with the Federal Government. I was at BAE Systems in Nashua, NH, on Monday. I heard from the employees there through their leadership how important it was to have a budget for 2 years to provide some certainty for the company so that they knew what programs they were working on--they do defense contracting--and they could count on, that would provide certainty for them, which is very important. Because one of the comments we have heard on the defense side of the budget is that the cuts from sequestration were having a very detrimental impact on the readiness of our military, on our men and women who are serving, and on the men and women who work for the Department of Defense. We have seen it in New Hampshire at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard where we saw furloughs of people at the shipyard. We saw the impact the uncertainty as a result of sequestration was having and has been having on the ability to know what they are going to be working on, and to be assured the work will be there in the future. We have seen it with our National Guard in New Hampshire, where the training they need to have to keep people current is being affected, where people were furloughed as a result of those sequestration cuts. This is legislation which will address that in a way that is critical to our national security and critical to the men and women who serve in our military. There are provisions in the bill I think need to be fixed. I am very concerned, as so many other people in this body are, with the impact of the bill on military retirees. I am disappointed that Congressman Ryan was so committed to including this provision in the compromise bill. But one of the things I want to speak to this afternoon is an effort I am working on with a number of my colleagues here in the Senate to try and fix that provision--to try and address the negative impacts the bill might have on military retirees' benefits, because what the bill does is include an unnecessary reduction in benefits for military retirees under the age of 62. I think there are lots of other ways we can find budgetary savings rather than cutting those retirement benefits for the men and women who have served our Nation in uniform. The good news is that this provision does not go into effect for another 2 years, so we have time to fix this. We have already heard from the chairman of the Armed Services Committee that he is interested in trying to address this provision as we take up the Defense authorization bill in the coming year, but I am ready to get to work right now to address the provision. Yesterday I introduced legislation, the Military Retirement Restoration Act, with 15 of my colleagues which would replace the military retiree benefit cuts by closing a tax loophole some corporations are using to avoid paying their fair share of taxes. These corporations set up shell companies in tax havens to avoid being considered an American company even though they are controlled and operated on American soil. I think most Americans would agree this kind of tax avoidance is unfair and that we should close this tax loophole rather than reducing military retiree benefits. This is just one idea. I am certainly open to other solutions. I hope we can continue the bipartisan work that began with Senator Murray and Congressman Ryan and that we saw again in the vote to end the filibuster on this bill--that we can continue to work in a bipartisan way to replace the cuts for military retirees' benefits and we can do it in a way that is smart, but that we can move forward to end the uncertainty, to get a budget in place for 2 years, and to make sure we address the devastating sequestration impacts we have seen since March, the automatic cuts and the impact they are having on the domestic side of the budget and on the defense side. I see Senator McCain on the floor. I know earlier on the floor he talked about hearing from every single uniformed service leader of the four armed services, including the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, about the impact and further effects that sequestration would have on our national security. That is testimony itself of the need to move forward to get this budget deal done, and to come back and revisit the concerns we have about other provisions. Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mrs. SHAHEEN

Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I would like to associate myself with the comments of the senior Senator from Washington and am pleased to know it is her intent that not-for-profit servicers, like the New Hampshire Higher Education Loan Corporation and the NHHEAF Network, will be able to continue their important work and that they will be able to compete in the future for additional accounts. For over 50 years, the New Hampshire Higher Education Loan Corporation and the NHHEAF Network have provided critical college access, financial education, and default-prevention programs to students in New Hampshire and across the country. The New Hampshire Higher Education Loan Corporation's dedicated staff services a national portfolio over 250,000 borrowers, helping them to manage repayment of almost $5 billion in student loans. These professionals play a uniquely important role in helping students to succeed in postsecondary education, and I am pleased that it is the Senator from Washington's intent to allow them to continue their work.