Jeanne Shaheen

Mrs. SHAHEEN

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mrs. SHAHEEN. I am here to speak in favor of the entire appropriations legislation that is before us, but particularly the Commerce, Justice, and Science appropriations bill. I thank Senator Mikulski for her leadership, and all of the members of that subcommittee who have worked on this portion of the appropriations legislation before us. Given the current financial constraints we are facing, I know this has been an especially difficult time to be trying to address the needs in the critical areas of our Federal budget, particularly with respect to Commerce, Science, and Justice, but I am here to speak to the section of the bill that deals with the Federal Bureau of Prisons. I am here on behalf of New Hampshire, because we have a particular interest in this section of the legislation because it directs the Bureau of Prisons to activate three Federal prisons which are currently built but are not yet opened. One of those prisons is in Berlin, NH, in the northernmost part of our State. I came to the floor last spring when we were debating the 2011 continuing resolution to talk about this issue of opening the Berlin prison because it was completed and not yet opened. The prison is a medium-security prison. It was completed last November at a cost of $276 million. Since November, when the project was completed, it has been costing us $4 million to maintain security at the prison to make sure that damage is not done to this new facility. We have had a warden on board since about that time, but she has not been able to hire any of the staff she needs to activate this prison. Since that time, when I last came to the floor, our Federal prison system has gotten even more overcrowded. Last spring, I talked about the fact that our prison system was 35 percent overcrowded, and that for medium-security facilities it was 39 percent overcrowded. Since that time, we have had a net increase of 7,541 Federal prisoners in our system, so now our entire prison system is 39 percent overcrowded and medium-security prisons are 51 percent over capacity. If we are going to ensure safety, we need to begin to open some of these new facilities, and I am very pleased that we have language in the Commerce, Justice, and Science bill that would address opening these new facilities, including the Berlin prison. This is a project that has bipartisan support. The new prison in Berlin was started under President Bush. It was continued under President Obama. The congressional delegation in New Hampshire supports the facility. It will create about 340 jobs in a region of the State that is very much in need of new jobs because it has lost a lot of its manufacturing base because the paper industry has moved offshore. It would have an impact of about $40 million to the region of the State where it is located which is, again, very important for a region that economically is in need of jobs and economic activity. The community of Berlin has already spent $3 million for water and sewer upgrades. Since 2008, the residents of Berlin, local businesses, and State workforce development officers have been preparing for the prison to open. The community and local government officials have partnered with the business community to coordinate their resources. They have been waiting for these jobs. When the New Hampshire Department of Employment Security first began reaching out to people in the North Country about the opportunities in the prison, the workshops were full of job seekers. We have been talking a lot about job creation here in this Congress, and now we have an opportunity to act on this bill to get people back to work in northern New Hampshire. Families in New Hampshire and across the country are struggling. We need the jobs this legislation is going to create. At a time when we should be focused on reining in wasteful spending, we can't continue to spend millions of taxpayer dollars to maintain an empty building. So this funding is good economic policy, it is good fiscal policy, and I certainly intend to support this piece of the appropriations legislation before us, and I hope all of my colleagues will do the same.

Mrs. SHAHEEN

Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, today I honor educator and principal John Rist for his outstanding service to the Manchester School District for the last 29 years. Throughout his years with the Manchester School of Technology and Central High School, John has always been committed to improving the lives of our young people. As he retires as principal of Central High School, I thank him for his service to the people of Manchester and the State of New Hampshire. John first came to Central High School in 1999 as interim principal. With his strong personality and generous nature, he successfully led Central through challenging times. He was named principal of the school in 2002 and during his tenure John helped Central gain full accreditation, established the Central Pride Foundation to support school activities, and oversaw major renovations. Under John's leadership, Central's standardized test scores increased and the dropout rate decreased. John's commitment to our young people extended well beyond the principal's office. He was a constant presence in the band room, cafeteria, and at Central's many sporting events. He will truly be missed. I am pleased that even as John retires from Central High School, he will continue to serve on the New Hampshire State Board of Education. I thank John, a model educator, mentor, and public servant, for his service. He truly embodies what it means to have Central pride.

Mrs. SHAHEEN

Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, today I honor Families in Transition President and Founder Maureen Beauregard for her outstanding service to New Hampshire families over the last two decades. Twenty years ago, Maureen Beauregard made a commitment to help homeless and at-risk families find safe, affordable housing. Thanks to Ms. Beauregard's leadership and vision, Families in Transition has grown from serving just a handful of families to supporting over 300 adults and children every night. Today Families in Transition provides essential services including substance abuse treatment, mental health counseling, childcare services, and is spread out over ten housing units, two retail outlets, and 53 employees. A leader and role model to others in the non-profit field, it is no surprise that earlier this year Maureen Beauregard was honored for her hard work and dedication by New Hampshire Business Review as an Outstanding Woman in Business. Her accomplishments over the years have truly been remarkable, and she will continue to have a positive impact on countless at-risk families in New Hampshire. As we mark the 20th anniversary of Families in Transition, I would like to recognize Maureen Beauregard and thank her for all that she has done to make New Hampshire a better place to live and raise a family.

Mrs. SHAHEEN

Mrs. SHAHEEN. I thank my colleague. I agree with both of my colleagues, who have spoken, that we live in a globalized economy, and it is important for us to make sure we have the benefits of that globalized economy in America. It has offered us incredible new opportunities. But there are opportunities that have not been shared equally across our economy and our workforce. I believe that when given a level playing field, the American workforce has shown it can outcompete and outinnovate any economy in the world. That is the way we will get our economy moving again, by unleashing the power of American entrepreneurship. I have spoken before about ending the false debate between so-called free trade and fair trade. I think we need competitive trade, a policy that focuses on growing U.S. exports, opening new markets for U.S. companies, job training for our workforce, and tough enforcement of trade rules. We can help our workforce compete by giving them access to foreign markets. Fully 95 percent of the world's consumers live outside of the United States, but only 1 percent of U.S. small businesses is doing business outside of the United States, or exporting their products. Increasing our exports is vital to the long-term health of our economy. At the same time, we have to acknowledge that trade creates new challenges for many American companies and American workers. We have to understand no graph showing GDP growth is a comfort to a mother who suddenly cannot feed her family because her factory has shut down; and no statistic about market efficiency is going to pay a young man's rent when his company moves its engineering operations overseas. When Congress promotes international trade, it enters into a compact with all American workers that they will not be left behind. Competitive trade means making sure all of us can compete. For nearly 50 years, the Trade Adjustment Assistance Program has been lending a hand to workers faced with the negative consequences of international trade. It has been supported by liberals and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans. Its premise is simple: If you lose your job to foreign trade, we will help you prepare for a new career and help keep you afloat while you train. Over the last 2 years, almost a half million Americans have begun a new chapter in their lives with the help of trade adjustment assistance. In 2009, Congress enacted some commonsense reforms to the TAA Program. For years, Americans who lost their jobs to India or China were denied access to this program because the United States doesn't have a specific trade agreement with either country. Given the growing economic power of those two nations, that left an unacceptable number of Americans facing trade effects on their own. In 2009, we changed the program so that TAA supported all Americans whose jobs were sent overseas. But those reforms have, unfortunately, expired. This week, we have the opportunity to restore them, and we should. The 2009 reforms also updated the TAA Program to protect workers in service industries, in addition to those in manufacturing. Fifty years ago, when the program was created, no one could have imagined the advances in technology that would allow foreign service workers and engineers to compete with our own domestic workers in those fields. This week, we have an opportunity to restore the 21st century perspective to the TAA Program. I want to share a couple of stories about New Hampshire workers who have benefited from trade adjustment assistance. The first is a story about Joanne Sanschagrin of Gilmanton, who worked at Aavid Thermalloy for 22 years. She was a buyer for the company, but the company was threatened by competition from several nations, including China. She knew she needed to get a new job before she was laid off. Under the old TAA terms, the ones we are operating under now, she would not qualify for help under TAA. Under the 2009 reforms, Joanne sought and received training as a licensed nursing assistant. She completed training in June, and last month she began a job in her new career, and she loves it. TAA has supported her through this process and paid for her training, so instead of being unemployed, she is now a dynamic part of our economy, working in one of its fastest growing fields. Another New Hampshire worker, Robert Arsenault, who is a veteran, had worked for 21 years making paper at the mills in Gorham and Berlin. The paper industry has been devastated by offshore competition. As the Chair knows, we have lost so many of our mills throughout northern New England. When those mills in Berlin and Gorham closed, Robert used trade adjustment assistance to get a commercial driver's license at the White Mountains Community College. He recently started a new full-time job with a paving and contracting company. TAA doesn't just help out individual workers; it also helps small businesses that are being hurt by international trade. New England Forest Products is a hardwood manufacturing company that has been operating in Greenfield, NH, since 1993. But during the recent recession, they found themselves losing business to cheap Chinese lumber. In search of answers, they applied to the local trade adjustment assistance center for help. They worked with TAA to develop a marketing strategy and advertising materials that now help the small business sell their hardwood flooring and other products directly to consumers. In part because of this important program, New England Forest Products saw sales increase 28 percent in the following year. This isn't just one encouraging story. Of the 18 businesses in New Hampshire that have received TAA in the last 4 years, all 18 are still operating, and many are adding employees. These are the kinds of stories the Trade Adjustment Assistance Program makes possible, but only if we sustain these critical reforms and strengthen TAA's role as both a critical safety net and a driver of the American economy for decades to come. I urge my colleagues to support the trade adjustment assistance amendment when it comes to the floor for a vote later today.

Mrs. SHAHEEN

Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to the life of PFClass Arick Michael Dobson Tarr, who died at the young age of 20 on July 30, 2011, at Fort Lewis, in Tacoma, WA, where he was stationed. Private First Class Tarr was assigned to the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry at Fort Lewis and served his country with honor and distinction on a tour of duty in Afghanistan. He was preparing to leave in January to return to New Hampshire. Americans across the country gathered recently to commemorate the tenth anniversary of September 11, 2001, and to reflect on how the tragic events of that day changed our Nation and all Americans on a personal level. Although Arick was only 10 years old at the time, his life was forever changed by 9/11. That day sparked within him a desire to join the Army and defend the freedoms we hold dear. Arick defended the American people with courage and distinction, receiving many awards for his service, including the National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Bronze Service Star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, NATO Medal, Combat Infantry Badge, Marksmanship Qualification Badge, and Overseas Service Bar. Arick is remembered by family and friends as having a larger than life personality and a contagious smile. He understood the importance of family and was a role model for his two brothers and six cousins. Although Arick spent much of his life in South Portland, ME, he was very excited to return to New Hampshire after his service, to attend college and begin a new chapter of his life with his fiancee. Our Nation can never adequately thank this young hero for his willingness to heed the call to defend the American people and our way of life. I hope that, even in these dark days, Arick's family can find comfort in knowing that all Americans share a deep appreciation for his brave service and sacrifice. Arick is survived by his fiance, Stefani Greco; his parents, Richard and Jennifer; and his two brothers, Tanner and Wyatt, all of Litchfield, NH. He also leaves behind a caring extended family. This young hero will be missed by all. I ask my colleagues and all Americans to please join me in honoring the bright life and brave service of PFC Arick Tarr.

Mrs. SHAHEEN

Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I join my colleague, Senator Lautenberg, and the others who have come to the Senate floor this afternoon to talk about the importance of getting help for people who have been hit by disasters. A little more than 2 weeks ago, Tropical Storm Irene came barreling through New Hampshire just as she came barreling through Vermont and New York and New Jersey and North Carolina and so many other States along the east coast. The storm dumped as much as 8 inches of rain in parts of New Hampshire, and the damage to property and infrastructure, especially in the northern part of our State, was significant. The surging waters and high winds destroyed roads and bridges, damaged thousands of homes, left nearly 200,000 without power, devastated businesses, and ruined crops. While the devastation was terrible, I wish to begin by commending those dedicated first responders and emergency personnel who kept our residents safe and well-informed throughout the storm. I am also grateful for the tireless work of road crews, utility workers, and volunteers from across New Hampshire who began helping families and communities rebuild just as soon as the storm passed. Their hard work and community spirit are deeply appreciated. For many of the towns hit by Irene, this is the third major flooding event of the year. It is the 7th in the last 2 years. These have been devastating floods. I have a picture of the town of Plymouth, a beautiful community in northern New Hampshire where Plymouth State University is. What we can barely see in this section of the picture is the new ice hockey arena for Plymouth State that was just completed about a year ago. It is a beautiful, state-of-the-art arena that, unfortunately, was flooded by these floodwaters. Of course, we can see other damage to the town. Many of the homeowners in the community of Conway, on the other side of the State, are people who suffered some of the worst damage and are elderly and disabled. They are people who are living on fixed incomes, who are least able to recover from this kind of disaster. Others affected by the disaster are families who are already struggling to cope with difficult economic circumstances. New Hampshire emergency response officials toured Conway today, and they talked to our office and told us about the plight of one young family of three. Sadly, the father was laid off from his job just 3 days before the storm hit, and his wife, who stays at home and takes care of their 3- year-old, doesn't have a job outside the home. So with his layoff, they have lost their entire income, and now their home is so damaged they are worried about being homeless. They have no money to rebuild. Without FEMA assistance, this family could indeed wind up homeless. Hundreds in the West Lebanon area in the western part of the State across the river from Vermont may be out of work for months. Peg Howard, who owns a boutique gift store in the area, told the Upper Valley News, which is the newspaper that serves Lebanon, that she fears damage from Irene will put her out of business. As a small business owner, she has no parent corporation to help her recover, so assistance from FEMA and other Federal programs may be her only option as she tries to rebuild her business. Peg and the hundreds of others in New Hampshire and the thousands across the country who have been devastated are taxpayers, and this is their government. They help pay for it. Their tax dollars help fund our government, including FEMA. They have the right to expect that FEMA will be there when they need help. It is not only sad but it is an outrage that some Members of Congress would deny those people who have been so hard hit by Irene and so many other disasters this year--that Members of Congress would deny them help in their time of need, and for no good reason. The reason is pure partisan politics. It is plain and simple. Even in the best of circumstances, the costs of Irene would be a significant burden for New Hampshire to shoulder alone. Thankfully, President Obama quickly granted Governor Lynch's request for a major disaster declaration. A number of Federal agencies, including FEMA, are now on the ground providing essential assistance as we begin to restore our State's homes, businesses, roads, and utilities. But New Hampshire is hardly alone in the need for assistance after Hurricane Irene. Other parts of the country are still rebuilding from disasters earlier this year, such as the devastating tornado in Joplin, MO. Soon FEMA's disaster relief fund, as we have already heard this afternoon, which was already running low prior to the storm, will no longer have the resources needed to continue meeting recovery needs. In the last 2 weeks, FEMA has spent $300 million providing relief to States hit by Hurricane Irene. Less than $500 million remains, which may not be enough to see us through the end of the month. New Hampshire, and the other States still recovering from disasters would be on their own if that happens. We cannot let that happen. We must act quickly to provide FEMA with the resources it needs to help our citizens and our towns recover. In northern New England, we have a limited window to rebuild before the onset of winter brings our construction season to a stop. What is more, in New Hampshire, fall is a critical season for our tourism industry, as thousands of visitors come to take in the beautiful fall foliage. We need to immediately rebuild the bridges Irene destroyed, such as this one in Hart's Location, pictured here. As you can see from this picture, in another couple of weeks, this beautiful mountain, as shown in the background, with all of the green foliage will be turning all sorts of colors because of the fall foliage. If we cannot fix this road and bridges in a number of other places in New Hampshire, we will not be able to have a tourist season that can bring people to the State that can help those people whose jobs depend on that tourism industry. Any delay in FEMA assistance over the next few weeks could have a serious effect on recovery efforts and the hundreds of businesses and their employees who depend on the tourism industry. Mr. President, I know you agree with me and with the other Senators who have come to the floor this afternoon who believe that natural disasters should be beyond politics and beyond partisanship. The people hurting all across this country are not Democrats or Republicans or Independents. They are citizens. They are taxpayers. Getting them the help they need demands bipartisan cooperation. In the past, we have always been able to come together and get people the help they need. This time should be no different. I urge all of my colleagues in the Senate to work together to address this emergency and provide FEMA the resources it needs to carry out its mission. This has an immediate, real impact on so many Americans and we cannot delay. Mr. President, I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for up to 10 minutes.

Mrs. SHAHEEN

Mrs. SHAHEEN. Madam President, as you know so well as the Senator from New York, across the country this weekend Americans everywhere will gather to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the tragic events that took place on September 11, 2001. Families from every town, from every city and State will mark this day in their own solemn way and take a moment to remember and honor the nearly 3,000 victims of those senseless attacks. More than any episode in recent American history, the events of 9/11 were experienced on a very personal level all across this country. No one was untouched by the tragedy of that day. All of us can remember exactly where we were when we heard the news. We remember those frantic hours as we tried to call loved ones. We remember the silence in our skies as our Nation's entire air system shut down. We remember mourning the loss of family, friends, and neighbors; and we remember the fear and uncertainty as we wondered if more attacks were coming. We remember the sight we all watched on television, again and again-- the sickening sight of the falling towers of the Trade Center. It is a vision that has been forever seared into every American's mind. As Governor of New Hampshire at the time, I was actually in Washington for a National Governors Association event on early childhood education. I will never forget looking out of my hotel and seeing the smoke rising from the Pentagon. The attacks of 9/11 forever changed us as a nation. Our entire notion of security was turned upside down. Our government changed, our policies changed, and our view of the world changed. For our children and grandchildren especially, this became one of the defining events of their generation and has left an indelible mark on their world view. As we gather this weekend, all of us in our own way will take a moment to recall those feelings of sadness and anger and to honor the memories of those we lost. But that loss is not the end of the story, and grief is not the true legacy of 9/11. We are not defined by what happens to us but by how we respond when we are faced with adversity. September 11 did not cripple us as a nation. Instead, it brought out the best in all of us. Our story is really how we responded in the face of this attack--with courage, resolve, and unity. In the aftermath of September 11, we showed the world the true meaning of the American spirit. The story of America's response to 9/11 starts on that very day with accounts of heroism that we could never have imagined. We remember the firefighters and the other first responders climbing up the stairwells of the burning World Trade Center while others fled down, and how they made the ultimate sacrifice for their selflessness. We remember the courageous passengers on American Airlines Flight 93 who took away the terrorists' greatest weapon, fear, by fighting back even though it meant their lives. And who knows how many lives they saved, whether they stopped that attack. In the days that followed, all Americans stepped forward in any way they could. Red Cross centers were overwhelmed with volunteer blood donors. Millions of us donated money and offered up prayers. In New Hampshire in the days following the attack I remember joining a crowd of hundreds for a prayer service at St. Paul's Church in Concord. We came together to honor the victims and to comfort each other. The response was incredible. The crowd spilled out into the streets with many waving American flags, holding candles, and singing ``God Bless America.'' In New Hampshire, our State government and our employees refused to buckle under the terrorist threat. We kept the State working on September 11. I will not forget the more than 100 fire departments across New Hampshire that called our State fire marshal's office to offer their services for assistance in New York or the countless physicians, rescue workers, and volunteers who made themselves available to help at a moment's notice. Of course, we cannot tell America's story without telling the story of the men and women in our military who have spent the last decade trying to make sure an attack like this never happens again. Since September 11, more than 5 million men and women have voluntarily joined the Armed Forces to protect America and defend her freedom abroad. More than 6,200 Americans, including 37 troops from New Hampshire, have given the ultimate sacrifice in our Nation's defense. Over 45,000 more have been wounded or injured and returned home with lasting scars. Millions of troops and their families have sustained the toughest, most debilitating tempo of deployments in our Nation's history, often being deployed into war five or six times, enduring constant mental and physical strains in service to our country. The resolve our troops have demonstrated since 9/11 has yielded a string of successes on an extremely complex battlefield. Our men and women in uniform have done everything that has been asked of them. Osama bin Laden has been brought to justice. Countless other high-level terrorist operatives, including the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, have been killed or captured, and the organization's bases in Afghanistan and Pakistan remain under constant pressure. Al-Qaida and its extremist affiliates' deadly ideology is being questioned around the globe, and the remnants of al-Qaida's diminishing leadership are disorganized and struggling to reestablish themselves in the face of an aggressive U.S. offensive. As our current Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta, has remarked, we are ``within reach of strategically defeating al-Qaida.'' Although we can't be complacent and we must remain steadfast in our pursuit, our military should be honored for the gains our Nation has made against the terrorists who attacked us on September 11. In New Hampshire our Air National Guard deployed almost immediately after the attacks, and every day since September 11, 2011, they have been providing persistent air refueling coverage for homeland defense and for our command issues in Iraq and Afghanistan. I will forever remember walking through the New Hampshire airport with the New Hampshire National Guard when flights resumed after 9/11. As we walked through, people everywhere stopped what they were doing to applaud the National Guard for their efforts to keep the people of New Hampshire safe. In the decade since the attacks, Americans have found new appreciation for the service these citizen soldiers provide, and Americans outside the military have learned they have a role to play too. With the heroes of United Flight 93 as their inspiration, everyday Americans have stopped a number of terrorist plots from succeeding. Passengers and flight personnel stopped the December 2001 bomber, the attempt by shoe bomber Richard Reid, and they stopped the Christmas Day 2009 attempt onboard the Northwest Airlines flight. The attempted Times Square bombing last year, as you remember, was in part averted by an alert New York City street vendor. Perhaps most importantly, as we remember America's 9/11 story this weekend, we should all reflect often the unity we demonstrated in the face of this terrible attack. On September 11 we were not Republicans or Democrats, Black or White, rich or poor. We were all Americans. The attack focused our attention on our common bonds and on the American ideals we all hold dear. We were determined to prove, despite our differences, that the United States of America would persevere and endure. While we have not always maintained that sense of unity in the years since, our memory of it has inspired us and continually reminded us of what is possible when we reach for the best within ourselves. When the history books are written and America's 9/11 story is told to the generations to follow, I hope it will tell of how we came together to remind the entire world of what this country stands for and who we are as a people; how after our darkest day we rose up with new determination; how instead of turning inward, we chose to confront the evil that had visited our shores and to fight on; and how we continued to be the beacon of hope, liberty, and opportunity that we have always been to the world. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mrs. SHAHEEN

Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I appreciate the Senator from Minnesota being willing to stay in the chair for a few more minutes before I have to preside so I can take this time to express my concern about what has happened with the failure to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration. The authorization for that administration has expired, and it has led to a partial shutdown of that agency and to 4,000 workers being placed on unpaid furlough. A number of those workers are from New Hampshire. While I know all of us here are glad we were able to come together to reach a bipartisan agreement on raising the debt ceiling and avoiding a financial crisis, I am deeply disappointed that bipartisanship has failed us when it comes to reauthorizing the FAA. I understand the House may head home for recess today and for the rest of August, stranding 4,000 FAA workers and as many as 70,000--that is right, 70,000--airport construction workers around the country who are out of work until we can get an agreement. So let me review for a minute how we got here. Since the FAA's authorization expired in 2007, Congress has passed 20 short-term extensions of the FAA. All of those bills, every single one of them, were clean bills intended to keep the FAA running while Congress decided how to deal with the complicated policy issues of a long-term reauthorization. Unfortunately, the 21st time around--that is the time that we are in--the House decided it was no longer important to keep the FAA operating, and 4,000 people are out of work while the House of Representatives may head home for recess. I appreciate that there are some significant differences between the two long-term FAA authorization bills passed by the House and the Senate, the most controversial of which centered around the ruling by the National Mediation Board on unionization rules. But that is why Chairman Rockefeller and Ranking Member Hutchison appointed Members to a conference committee where the House and Senate could work out our policy differences. So far, the House has refused to appoint conferees. Instead, they have decided to stop negotiating and, unfortunately, to play politics with 4,000 FAA workers and their families. Right now the FAA has been shut down for 11 days and as long as that shutdown continues, the government will continue to lose $200 million a week, about $30 million a day, that would pay for airport maintenance and safety and for the replacement of our country's outdated air traffic control system. If the shutdown continues through the August recess, we are going to lose over $1 billion in revenue that could be used to upgrade our air transportation system. That is waste of the worst kind, and it makes our deficit problems worse at a time when everybody says they are so focused on the deficits. Every day the shutdown continues has a very real, very painful impact on people all around the country who have been furloughed. I hope the House, in leaving for recess, has left open the opportunity to continue to address this dispute and resolve it in a way that will bring everybody back to work. The FAA has issued stop-work orders for 241 airport construction projects worth nearly $11 billion that support 70,000 jobs. Again, these are real people who are being forced to make real sacrifices. In my State of New Hampshire, a $16 million project to rebuild the runway of Boire Field in Nashua will be delayed if we don't pass an extension. Boire Field is the busiest general aviation airport in New England, and breaking ground this fall on the runway reconstruction project would have created 50 jobs. Instead, because of this delay, construction likely won't begin until spring and those 50 people are going to have to wait, something that shouldn't have to happen. The tragedy is they won't have jobs, not because they don't have the skills or that the project isn't needed but because the House is playing politics with the FAA. Forty-two employees at the FAA's air traffic control center in Nashua have been furloughed and this shutdown is taking a terrible toll on them. I want to tell you about one, Steve Finnerty from Bedford. I talked to Steve earlier today. He is a civil engineer and he has worked for the FAA for the last 15 years. He is the sole breadwinner for his family of five. He has a young daughter and a pair of 1-year- old twins who are struggling with medical issues. He has already lost nearly 2 weeks of pay, and he is not sure that he is going to get that pay back even when he does go back to work. He is concerned, understandably, about how he is going to pay his mortgage and his doctor bills and the grocery bills and all the other needs his family has. Now he is facing the possibility of an entire month without pay. There are thousands of people all across the country who are stuck in the same circumstance who want to get back to work, who we need to get back to work. We need them to get back to work so they can pay their mortgages and their children's college tuitions and their medical bills. We need them to get back to work so they can continue to build a GPS-based air traffic control system like every other industrialized country has. We need to get this economy moving again. That means we need to be serious about our responsibilities here in Washington. Let's pass a clean extension of the FAA. Let's get these people back to work, and let's go about the business of rebuilding a modern air traffic control system like we should have in the United States. I yield the floor, and I would suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mrs. SHAHEEN

Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the period for morning business be extended until 6:00 p.m., with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each.

Mrs. SHAHEEN

Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, today I wish to honor John Crosier for his outstanding service to the State of New Hampshire's residents and business community. John retired as president of our State's largest business organization, the Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire, in 2004 after 16 years. He has served the residents of my State as a trustee of the University System of New Hampshire, a position which I am proud to have first appointed him to, as a member of the board of governors for the New Hampshire Forum on Higher Education, as a member of the executive committee of the Whittemore School of Business and Economics, and as a member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Committee representing State chambers of commerce. Before he came to New Hampshire, he worked in Massachusetts as the head of the Massachusetts Business Roundtable and as Commissioner of Employment Security for our neighboring State. He was appointed by a Republican Governor and reappointed by a Democratic Governor. John has been a board leader at numerous nonprofits in my State, lending his energy, intellect and voice to some of New Hampshire's most influential and important organizations: the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, Junior Achievement, Leadership New Hampshire and the American Cancer Society. Throughout his years as the head of the Business and Industry Association, and through his nonprofit board leadership, John's guiding principle has been what's best for New Hampshire. When I was Governor of New Hampshire, John Crosier was one of my most trusted advisors. A gentleman always, his courage of conviction and pragmatic optimism for our State's future always trumped ideology. He has been, and continues to be, a role model for civility in public discourse. John's commitment to New Hampshire was evident in his visionary work on the State's most extensive research project, which resulted in a statewide economic strategy in 1996--An Agenda for Continued Economic Opportunity in New Hampshire. That plan set forth by John has been credited with my State's recent strong economic recovery in relation to neighboring States. Pieces of it are still being used today as a framework for New Hampshire, and it served as the foundation for a similar report by my administration during my second term as Governor. His belief that the health of the business sector is closely tied to issues of education, environment, and the nonprofit sector has contributed to the leadership of our State and will continue to guide our State in the future. I thank John Crosier for his service to New Hampshire as he prepares for his well-deserved retirement. I am grateful for his friendship, leadership and advice throughout the years.

Mrs. SHAHEEN

Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Research and Development Center's Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, CRREL. For half of a century, the men and women at CRREL have provided outstanding service to our military, our Nation, and our friends and allies around the world by advancing science and engineering and applying these disciplines to complex environments, materials, and processes in all seasons and climates. CRREL's mission dates back to 1867, when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers first began exploration and development of the newly acquired Alaskan territory. Formally established in 1961 under Army General Order No. 3, CRREL merged the Snow, Ice and Permafrost Research Establishment with the Arctic Construction and Frost Effects Laboratories, and continues to serve as one of seven laboratories under the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers' Engineer Research and Development Center, ERDC. To complement its dedicated staff, CRREL operates some of the most advanced and unique research facilities in the world. At its headquarters in Hanover, NH, my home State, CRREL operates the 73,000 square foot Ice Engineering Facility, the 27,000 square foot Frost Effects Research Facility, as well as 24 separate low-temperature research cold rooms, capable of reaching temperatures down to -35 deg.C. Other CRREL facilities include the Corps of Engineers' Remote Sensing/Geographic Information Systems Center of Expertise, the Cold Regions Science and Technology Information Analysis Center, as well as a permafrost research tunnel and 133 acre permafrost research center, both located in Alaska. As part of the ERDC, CRREL's distinguished service record includes being recognized as the Army's top research and development laboratory 5 of the last 8 years and the last 3 consecutive years, a feat unmatched by any other Army laboratory. CRREL's scientists, engineers and staff continue the critical research that ensures that the men and women of our Armed Forces are the most capable and well prepared in the world. I along with the entire State of New Hampshire would like to congratulate and honor the scientists, engineers and staff of CRREL for their honorable service to the Army, our Nation and our State. I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating CRREL's 50 years of success and wishing them well as they work toward another 50 years of innovation and service.

Mrs. SHAHEEN

Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for up to 10 minutes.

Mrs. SHAHEEN. I appreciate the consideration of my colleague from Georgia. Mr. President, I come to the floor because I wish to share with people what I am hearing from my constituents in New Hampshire about the situation we are in in Washington. I have heard from small business owners, from retirees, from working people all across the State, and one of the things that struck me about the majority of people whom I have heard from is they are willing to make sacrifices to help this country address our debt and our deficits. But they want to see us in Congress act and they want to see us compromise. Let me just take a few minutes and share some of the comments I have received from the people of New Hampshire. First is from Diane, who is from Manchester, our largest city. Diane says: Please get off the party line and work together. My welfare and the welfare of my small business is at risk. I only employ 5 people, but it's 5 people that don't need to collect unemployment or take another job. Don't take away what's left of my retirement by crashing the market. Work as a ``we,'' not as an ``I,'' and get it done. This is not the first time the debt cap needs to be raised and it won't be the last. Please do what will have to be done anyway so we can continue to bring this country back. I don't want to lose my business. Who is going to win the next election is not what any of you should be thinking about. I believe if you don't act, all of you will lose. David from Meredith says: At the age of 25, I am already the owner of a small software company in the lakes region. We currently have five employees with plans to grow. We are expecting our profits for next year to exceed $1 million. As an employer, small business owner, and at my age, I feel as though I will be greatly affected by budget decisions we make during the next week and into the future. I want to make sure that America stays as one of the best Nations in the world. I have never written a letter to any Member of Congress before tonight. Then we have Janine from Auburn who says: Settle the budget now. The dysfunction in Congress is embarrassing this country. As a small business owner, I can't afford the uncertainty of a political fiasco. If interest rates rise, I can't keep my business afloat. I would rather pay increased taxes. Eric from Hollis says: As a small business owner, I am unable to plan and hire employees due to the uncertainty the current standstill in Washington has created. Please get the USA back to work and making progress and stop the bickering. Then Brenda from Enfield says: My 77-year-old husband retired last year. I am planning on retiring this year collecting Social Security at full retirement age of 65. We have been good citizens, running our own small business for 40-plus years, and we have been diligent in taking responsibility for our own retirement savings. As you know, over the past 2 years, due to economic pressures, we have faced substantial reductions of our retirement portfolio and, again, now face irreparable damage just as we retire. My husband and I urge you to do whatever it takes to build a cooperative bridge in Congress to protect the economy from further trauma. Cynthia from Exeter says: I am receiving Social Security due to a disability, but I would gladly give up $5 a month if everyone shared in the idea of balancing our Nation's budget issues and deficit. I would like to see revenue raised at the same time I would be willing to sacrifice some of my Social Security. Finally, Sue from Campton says: My husband and I would be willing to pay higher income taxes--and we would be in that higher tax bracket--to come up with a compromise to save this great Nation. I hope that when you read this message you will understand that there is a majority of Americans who are willing to sacrifice for our country. Please find compromise. Our great State of New Hampshire and our country depends on it. I want to tell Diane and David and Sue and all the others who have called and e-mailed and written to me that I agree with them. We must act and we must compromise. That is what I am trying to do. That is why I have supported a comprehensive approach to dealing with this country's debt and deficits. It is an approach that has been bipartisan, offered by the so-called Gang of 6. It addresses all aspects of our budget: domestic discretionary spending, defense spending, mandatory programs, and revenues. But I understand we are not going to be able to get that done between now and Tuesday, so that is why I am willing to support an approach that only makes cuts to the budget, because I know we have to compromise. But compromise means that everyone, all sides--the House and the Senate, Republicans and Democrats--all sides have to give up something. I believe we have good people in the Senate on both sides of the aisle, the majority of whom want to see a resolution to this impasse. The time is now for all of us to compromise and to do what is in the best interests of this country. I yield the floor.

Mrs. SHAHEEN

Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on July 28, 2011, at 10 a.m. in room 253 of the Russell Senate Office Building to conduct a hearing entitled, ``Aviation Fuels: Needs, Challenges, and Alternatives.''

Mrs. 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 July 28, 2011, at 10 a.m. in room 366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Indian Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on July 28, 2011, at 2:15 p.m. in room 628 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on National Parks be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on July 28, 2011, at 2:30 p.m., in room 366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on July 28, 2011, at 2:30 p.m.

Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on July 28, 2011, at 10 a.m. in room 215 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be authorized to meet, during the session of the Senate, to conduct a hearing entitled ``FDA User Fees: Advancing Public Health'' on July 28, 2011, at 9:45 a.m., in room 430 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Mrs. 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 July 28, 2011, at 2:30 p.m.

Mrs. SHAHEEN

Mrs. SHAHEEN. Madam President, let me begin by applauding Senator Harkin, my colleague from Iowa, for his comments relative to the FAA and the need to put the people who are out of work back to work and to get the FAA reauthorization done. It has been way too long. We have a number of people who staff the tower that deals with air traffic coming into the United States north of Boston. That tower is in New Hampshire. We have people out of work. We need to get them back to work and we need to see this legislation done and moving forward.

Mrs. SHAHEEN

Mrs. SHAHEEN. Madam President, I came to the floor this afternoon because the United States Government is now less than 1 week away from defaulting on its obligations for the first time in our history. As we have heard from economists and business leaders across the country, a default could result in hundreds of thousands of lost jobs and in higher interest rates for every American, yet we are still debating whether we should avoid default. It is a very dangerous game, and we are risking permanent harm to the American economy. I want to examine one consequence of default for a minute. All three credit rating agencies--S&P, Moody's, and Fitch--have said a default would automatically result in a lower credit rating for the U.S. Government. I think we all understand the principle of credit rating. It is like the credit scores on record for most of us in our personal lives. The better we have been about paying our debts in the past, the better our credit score. When we go to buy a house or a car, when we ask for a loan, the bank looks at that credit score and decides how much interest to charge us. The worse we have been at paying our debts in the past, the lower our score and the more money we pay in interest. The credit rating agencies are keeping a credit score on the U.S. Government. So far, it has been perfect. The United States has never failed to pay its debts. That is why we have the lowest interest rates in the world, and loaning money to the U.S. Government is considered the world's safest investment. With a default, that would all change. And here is the key: It would change in just minutes, and that change would last for generations. If we default, the credit rating agencies will lower our credit rating immediately. I recently had a conversation with Martin Regalia, the chief economist of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. In that conversation he said the market reaction to default would take ``nanoseconds.'' Once we have defaulted, we can never unring that bell. Our special status as the world's safest investment may never return. We will have increased our interest rates for decades to come and maybe even longer. JPMorgan Chase said this week that a lower credit rating could cost our government $100 billion a year in interest. This is the worst kind of wasteful spending because that money wouldn't be going to investments in our economy or to secure a better future for our children. It would go to nothing. It would do nothing. It would be money down the drain. We have a path forward. It is the plan that has recently been proposed by Senator Reid. There are a lot of things about this plan I don't like. I am concerned because I don't think it takes a balanced approach toward deficit reduction that I have long called for, and I am disappointed that it lacks the $4 trillion in deficit reduction we need. But I am ready to support it. And because all the cuts in this bill are cuts that Republicans have already supported, they should be prepared to support this plan too. The Reid plan would cut at least $2.2 trillion of our debt while allowing us to avoid default through the end of next year. These two elements are crucial to avoiding the lower credit rating we have been hearing raised as a concern. We need to provide the markets with some long-term certainty that will avoid default, and some proof we can deal seriously with our long-term deficits and debt. A short-term, 6-month increase, as proposed in the House, would kick the can down the road. It won't prevent a lower credit rating. We need to end this constant threat of default which is paralyzing our government and our economy. The Reid plan achieves this through a combination of cuts to our domestic spending, reduced spending on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and through targeted cuts to mandatory spending. It doesn't raise taxes, and it doesn't touch Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security. Again, this is not a perfect plan. I have been on the floor many times in favor of a balanced package that includes cuts to spending-- domestic, defense, and mandatory--but also includes increased revenues. The Reid plan doesn't achieve those goals, but I do have hope that we will get there eventually. This is not a proposal I would have written, but I am 1 of 100 Members of the Senate and 1 of 535 Members of Congress, so I don't get everything I want. None of us here in Congress get everything we want. That is the nature of compromise. That is the nature of democracy. That is why the Framers of the Constitution created checks and balances in government. That is why they created two Chambers in Congress and three branches of government. When you are a leader in government, you don't have the luxury of drawing a line in the sand and walking away. You have to be prepared to stay at the table and to give up something. I have just laid out what I and I believe many of my colleagues are willing to give up in this proposal--our demand for a comprehensive balanced plan to reduce the deficit. In exchange, I am willing to accept a plan that includes more cuts than any other plan on the table. These are cuts that 40 of our colleagues on the other side of the aisle have already supported. This is a plan that I think neither side is going to love but both sides should be able to accept. It is a plan that gets the job done. We here in the Senate and in Congress have to get the job done, so I urge that we come to the table, we adopt a compromise, and we put this debt ceiling vote behind us. Madam President, I yield the floor.