John Thune

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I thank the Senator from California for her question. I think we can all talk about what has come before, what has happened in the past. Frankly, there are lots of reasons why we are in the situation we are in. But I would remind my colleague from California that the President of the United States does not appropriate a single penny; that is done by the Congress. That is done by the Congress. We in the Congress have created this problem. Now, arguably it has happened under Republican Congresses, it has happened under Democratic Congresses. But the point is, we are here talking about spending an additional trillion dollars on the top of a historic amount of debt that we have in the country and deficits that this year are going to be $1.2 trillion. That is without adding in the stimulus. That is without talking about the financial stabilization request that is going to come later. That is without the omnibus spending bill, which is for the first time, I might add, going to be over $1 trillion, and that is without the supplemental bill that will be coming our way later this year. This Congress is talking about going on a spending spree that is unprecedented in American history. Yes, we can all point to the mistakes that were made in the past, but I am here to talk about today my concern for the future and what we are doing in the future, to future generations and our children and grandchildren, when we impose this kind of burden on them.

Mr. THUNE. I would say I am not sure I know the answer, but I am sure I am going to hear it.

Mr. THUNE. The point I am making is, you have to sometimes illustrate this in a sometimes very graphic way to help us understand what we are talking about. So I would make my point simply again: Hundred-dollar bills stacked back to back to back, if you stacked them on top of each other, would equal 689 miles. Now, another way of looking at this is, if you took hundred-dollar bills and wrapped them around the Earth at the Equator, in other words, you took hundred-dollar bills, not stack them on top of each other but wrap them side by side all the way around the Earth, if you can believe this, it would go around the Earth almost 39 times. That is 969,000 miles of hundred-dollar bills that would go around the Earth if you took a trillion dollars and broke it down that way. That very simply puts into perspective what it is we are talking about. Someone else has described it this way: If you started spending a million dollars a day on the day Christ was born, and you spent a million dollars every single day up until today, you still would not have spent a trillion. That is the dimension of what we are talking about. I remember when I was in business school, we had our little business analyst calculators that we used to do financial calculations. You could not even get to this. You could not even get to a trillion dollars on calculators back at that time. I hope, today, for purposes of doing economic calculations, because of the scale we are talking about, these calculators go that far. But my point is, this is an enormous amount of money, an enormous amount of money. We are talking about $1.26 trillion of our children's and grandchildren's money over the next 10 years. I think there is a basic principle that all Members of the Senate should consider when we are spending our fellow citizens' hard-earned dollars. That principle is this: We should not spend money we do not have on things we do not need. Let me say that again. We should not spend money we do not have on things we do not need. Families and business owners understand this principle. Unfortunately, it is a principle that has been lost and escaped our colleagues on the other side who have drafted this 700-page, trillion- dollar spending bill, which is filled with lots of Government spending that I think most Americans would characterize as wasteful. I am not saying all Government spending is bad. Government spending, if it is properly focused and highly scrutinized, may have some countercyclical impact. One example of that would be infrastructure spending that we use to improve our roads and bridges and provide access to clean drinking water, that can provide jobs in the short term, and can create economic opportunity in the long term. The problem we have is this bill is laden with unfocused, unnecessary, and wasteful spending. Now, the stated goal of a stimulus proposal, as stated by, I think, Larry Summers earlier this year, was it should be timely, temporary, and targeted. I may not be saying these in the right order but basically timely, temporary, and targeted, basically three criteria, three metrics by which we would measure a stimulus proposal and whether it is effective and whether it works. I would argue this particular bill is none of the above. It is slow, it is unfocused, and it is unending. It makes commitments way beyond the 1-year, 2-year window that we are talking about if we want to have an impact and create jobs with stimulus. So even with a price tag that is greater than any previous stimulus package in the history of our country, the majority of the spending in this bill is not focused on job creation and fails to meet the job creation goals our President called for and I think the American public expects. With record deficits in the near term, this bill, as drafted, is a mistake that I do not believe we can afford to make. According to the Congressional Budget Office, we have a $1.2 trillion deficit in fiscal year 2009, before any financial stabilization or stimulus measures are passed by this Congress. Now, again, we are going to spend $1 trillion. I would point out what $1 trillion means. If you took hundred-dollar bills, you put them side by side, 969,000 miles, and that is the amount we are talking about spending. It is also the amount of the deficit in this particular fiscal year, fiscal year 2009. That is before, as I said before, any financial stabilization or stimulus measures are passed by this Congress. Frankly, we expect other requests to come forward in the area of financial stabilization. To put the $1.2 trillion deficit into perspective, that is roughly triple the previous record of $455 billion that the deficit came to in fiscal year 2008. So it is important to note that already this deficit in fiscal year 2009 will exceed by almost three times the deficit in the year 2008. It is going to be over $1 trillion before we do any of these other things. It is also important to note that the Congress, not the executive branch, has the constitutional authority to raise and to spend revenue; that is, the power of the purse, by our Constitution, falls to Congress. So if we are looking for a scapegoat in this whole fiscal imbalance, we need to look no further than the Halls of Congress. In fact, in the last couple years--the Democrats regained the Congress back in 2007, the Federal deficit has ballooned from $160 billion or 1.2 percent of our gross domestic product in 2007 to over $1 trillion or 8.3 percent of our gross domestic product this year, in fiscal year 2009. Now, if we include just the additional spending for this proposal before us, the 2009 projected deficit, I am talking about now stimulus and the deficit as I mentioned earlier that is already projected for 2009, it would increase to $1.43 trillion, almost $1.5 trillion, in deficits or, put another way, about 10 percent of our gross domestic product. I have to remind my colleagues that we are still very early in the year. We have almost 9 months left in this fiscal year to spend even more of our children's and grandchildren's tax dollars. The Congress is soon going to consider an omnibus spending bill for the remainder of 2009. We also will have to consider a war supplemental bill and the potential of additional bailouts for the financial sector and we are told that request may be coming as early as next week. Without a question, we are going to end 2009 in perhaps the worst financial condition the Nation has ever seen. In fact, the last time we had a single-year deficit that the GDP ratio was over 8 percent was the year 1945, during the height of World War II. Now, for comparative purposes, the European Union, the Federal deficit there that we have this year of 10 percent, if you add the stimulus in, would not even be good enough to get into the European Union. According to European Union rules, member nations have to have a budget deficit of 3 percent or less. Our Federal deficit this year will be three times higher than the maximum threshold to get into the European Union. Of course, European countries are also dealing with the same contractionary forces that we are dealing with in this country, which are driving up their collective deficit to GDP ratios to record highs. But even with those factors and influences in those economies, the Euro zone's collected deficits will only reach 4.7 percent in 2009. That is 4.7 percent of their gross domestic product, which will be less than half the U.S. total. When you talk about being faced with such unsustainable deficits, Congress, I would argue, has to carefully analyze any and all deficit spending. Any additional Government programs that are financed with more deficit spending need to meet the highest standards of job creation and return on taxpayer investment. Unfortunately, the spending bill we have before us contains a long list of Government programs that fail to meet that standard. I can start to go down the list--I will not go through the entire list because it would take too long--$1 billion for the Census; $20 billion for the removal of small- to medium-sized fish passage barriers; $400 million for STD prevention; $25 million to rehabilitate ATV or recreational vehicle trails; $34 million to remodel the Department of Commerce headquarters in Washington, DC; $70 million to support supercomputer activities for climate research; $208 million for disconnected youth; $1.2 billion for summer employment; $246 million in tax breaks for Hollywood filmmakers; $6 billion so bureaucrats in Washington can enjoy the benefits of green technology. I happen to be one who supports green technology. I think we ought to be moving in that direction. But we also have many opportunities, energy bills we have made on a regular basis around here, in order to engage in how we invest to be moving our country in a green direction. These programs do not create jobs. They hardly justify a $1.2 trillion debt on the shoulders of our children and grandchildren. So I would encourage my colleagues, as we go through the debate this week to scrutinize every line item in this 700-page bill and ask themselves if these provisions will create jobs and justify making record deficits even worse. We should not spend money we do not have on things we do not need. Over the next few days, several amendments are going to be offered to strike or replace wasteful spending items in this bill. I would call on my colleagues to consider these amendments with an open mind and a clear understanding of the dangerous consequences of a trillion-dollar mistake. A trillion dollars is a terrible thing to waste. What we are talking about, as I mentioned in terms of the dimensions of this, if you look at hundred-dollar bills side by side, 38.9 times it goes around the Earth at the Equator. That is what I am talking about.

Mr. THUNE. I would say to the Senator, through the Chair, the Senator from California just had an opportunity. I would like to finish my remarks. Then I would be happy to yield.

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, this is a very important debate for the American people. We have an economy that is struggling, we have a lot of people who are hurting, and I think in the context of that debate, it is very important that we remember these dollars we are spending are the American people's dollars. Yes, we want to be able to respond to the economic crisis the country is experiencing in a way that allows people to spend more money, that gets more money back into the hands of the American people, that will help grow the economy and create jobs, and provide the necessary incentives for small businesses to invest, but I think it is important at the outset of the debate that we give serious consideration and thought to what we are doing here and what we are talking about in terms of the dimensions and the scale of what we are talking about. When we throw around numbers here in Washington, DC, when we talk in millions and we talk in billions, and in this case a trillion dollars, we treat it as if it is something abstract. I think it is sometimes important to boil it down so that we put in perspective the dimension, the scale, the scope, and the size of what is being talked about this week on the floor of the Senate. I want to put up a chart that illustrates that very point. Imagine thinking about a trillion dollars, and putting it back to back or if you put a bunch of hundred dollar bills back to back on top of each other and asking people around the country how high that stack would go. I am sure you would get a lot of varying answers. You would probably have some people say it might go 300 yards into the air. Some people might say: Well, it might go 5 miles into the air. But the reality is, if you took hundred-dollar bills and stacked them on top of each other, you would have a stack that goes 689 miles high, back to back to back. That is hundred-dollar bills. We are not talking about dollar bills, we are talking about hundred-dollar bills.

Mr. THUNE. I was hoping I would have an opportunity to make some remarks before the vote. The vote is going to occur at 12:20. Very good.

Mr. THUNE. Reserving the right to object, can I clarify exactly then what the UC is? The Senator from Hawaii would have an opportunity to respond and offer a unanimous consent request, and then the Senator from California would have how much time?

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I wish to recognize the University of Sioux Falls Cougars men's football team for winning the 2008 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, NAIA, National Championship and for finishing at the top of the NAIA Coaches' Top 25 Postseason Poll. This was USFs third consecutive trip to the National Championship and second championship victory in that time. The University of Sioux Falls men's football team has a long history of success, including 3 National Championships from 1996 to 2008 and 16 Great Plains Athletic Conference titles. This season proved to be yet another outstanding performance by the Cougars, as they finished with a perfect record of 14 to 0 and defeated Carroll College, 23 to 7, in the NAIA National Championship game. Their excellent performance throughout the season was awarded by receiving all 18 possible first place votes in the NAIA Coaches' Top 25 Postseason Poll. The 2008 Cougars were led to the championship thanks to the combination of a powerful offense and a dominating defense. The Cougars averaged nearly 37 points per game while giving up only 6. The defense ranked first in the Nation in numerous statistical categories, including scoring defense and total defense. The team effort displayed each week by this group of men is a tribute to the countless hours of training and preparation that preceded this great accomplishment. Certainly this season would not have been possible without the coaches and players themselves. The coaching staff, in alphabetical order, is as follows: Ross Cimpl, Al Christensen, Kalen DeBoer, Jeff Fitzgerald, Ryan Grubb, Al Hansen, Eric Inama, Dan Moe, and Kurtiss Riggs. The team, in alphabetical order, is as follows: Blake Andersen, Brandon Andersen, Alex Anderson, Drew Anderson, Eric Anderson, Anthony Baldassari, Jeremy Barnes, Bret Beachner, Travis Beaver, Nick Benedetto, Tony Benedetto, Dustin Bergmeier, Quintin Biermann, Brandon Boe, Lorenzo Brown, Tyson Brown, Doug Carlson, Jordan Carlson, Cody Cavender, Erik Cimpl, Jacob Crowl, Kyle Cummings, Drew DeGroot, Josh Dorr, Dane Driscoll, Trevor Engelson, Nathan Everett, Eric Fjeldheim, Shawn Flanagan, Dylan Fritz, Stanley Green, Jake Hahne, Adam Halseth, Mike Hartley, Brad Hartzler, Michael Hill, Trevor Holleman, Lavell Jackson, Eric James, Maxon Keating, Taylor Klein, Brandon Koolstra, Kyle Lancaster, Jade Larson, Scott LeBrun, Landon Leveranz, Matt Lindgren, Marlon Lobban, Adam Lopez, Ryan Lowmiller, Mitch Lupkes, Brad Maag, Justin Meidinger, Joe Moen, Tyler Mousel, Tyler Newman, Eric Page, Mike Patterson, Tony Pedri, Casey Peters, Kristian Porter, Nick Ramstad, Jim Rawhouser, Jared Redding, T.J. Ross, Jon Ryan, Spencer Sailors, Sean Santiago, Mark Sayler, Mark Schaffer, Dan Schmeichel, Shawn Schnabel, Andrew Schoenfelder, Ryan Schuler, Ismael Small, Eric Smith, Kyle Staudt, Dominic Studzinski, Rene Velasquez, Jared Vlotho, Tim Voegeli, Demetrius Washington, Kyle Wasson, and T.J. Wendt. While the Cougars' success was truly a team effort, I would like to recognize the team's head coach Kalen DeBoer for being honored as the 2008 American Football Coaches Association NAIA Coach of the Year. This is the second time that he has received this honor since taking the helm for the Cougars in 2005. In only 4 years of Cougar leadership, Coach DeBoer has amassed a daunting record of 52 to 3. He has led the Cougars to the NAIA Championship game three times. The Cougars' continued success is a testament to Coach DeBoer's ability to motivate his players to perform and succeed at a high level of competition. The coaching staff and student-athletes of the University of Sioux Falls men's football team should be very proud of all of their accomplishments this season. On behalf of the Sioux Falls community and the State of South Dakota, I am pleased to say congratulations to the Cougars on another remarkable season. You have made us all very proud.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Thank you. That is the subject on which I wish to speak. I would start by saying our country is going through some very hard economic times. When you are going through hard economic times, you need several things to get through. You need the resolve and the resilience of the American people. You need the skill, the talents, and the creativity of America's best and brightest thinkers when it comes to solutions. You need wisdom from your political leaders. You also need one other thing from your political leaders: you need the presence of character. You need leaders who will lead by example. Unfortunately, the hard times in which we find ourselves were borne of excess. We spent too much, we borrowed too much, and we saved too little. Corporate CEOs saw fit to pay themselves huge bonuses while running their companies into the ground. Some very clever people found ways to create new financial instruments, such as credit default swaps, making enormous amounts of money for themselves on every transaction while exposing their companies and their shareholders to trillions of dollars in liabilities. At the same time, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were running amok, making risky home loans that helped cause this economic crisis in which we now find ourselves. It is because of the excesses of the few that all of the American people are left holding the bag and are being called upon to clean up the mess. Today we vote on whether to confirm a very smart, able, and skilled business leader to help lead America out of the mess we are in. No one questions Tim Geithner's intellect, his knowledge of financial markets, or his skill in managing complex business problems. He has, as many have said, the type of experience that is necessary to navigate the turbulent waters that lie ahead. I believe he is smart. I believe he is talented. I believe he is experienced. But, as I said earlier, that is not enough. There are lots of smart, talented, and experienced people who got us into this economic mess. It will take more than smarts, talent, and experience to get us out. It will take leaders who have the trust of the American people because they are willing to lead by example. I don't know Mr. Geithner's state of mind when he made the mistake of not paying his payroll taxes between 2001 and 2004. He said it was ``careless mistakes, avoidable mistakes.'' Perhaps so. But the one thing I do know is he should have known better, not just because he is a highly educated businessman who had prior service as a top-ranking official at the Treasury Department but because he was notified several times of his tax liability by his employer at the time and even signed documents acknowledging that he owed the taxes. Again, he should have known better. I don't judge Mr. Geithner as a person. None of us is perfect; we all make mistakes. We all need redemption. But as a Senator, I have a responsibility to vote. I have to vote on whether I believe Tim Geithner should serve as our next Treasury Secretary. As a Senator, I am concerned about the message Mr. Geithner's confirmation will send to the people. As Treasury Secretary, he will oversee the IRS and, therefore, be tasked with enforcing our Nation's tax laws. Yet for 4 years he failed to pay his lawful taxes after being informed of his obligation to do so. If I were to support this nomination, I don't know how I would explain such a vote to my fellow South Dakotans who work hard and pay their taxes every year, on time and in full. As many of my colleagues have pointed out, these are extraordinary times, and they call for extraordinary leadership. I couldn't agree more. But leadership is about more than smarts; it is about more than skill. By all accounts, Mr. Geithner is a good man. I respect his willingness to serve. I expect he will be confirmed. And when he is, he faces a daunting challenge in stabilizing our financial markets and strengthening our economy. Once he is confirmed, I look forward to working with him to meet this challenge. I hope he is successful and we as a country are successful. But for the reasons I have stated, I cannot add my support to his nomination.

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

Mr. THUNE. I thank my colleague from Oklahoma for yielding. What is the present business before the Senate?

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. I ask unanimous consent that the following be the speakers on the Republican side--that no Republican Senator be recognized for more than 10 minutes, and that any remaining time be allocated to Senator Vitter: Senators DeMint, Sessions, Corker, Enzi for up to 5 minutes, Brownback, Inhofe, Gregg, Kyl, Shelby, Bond for up to 5 minutes, and Hutchison for up to 2 minutes.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, today I recognize Don Meyer, men's basketball coach at Northern State University, in Aberdeen, SD, for his 903rd career coaching victory. The historic win occurred January 10, 2009, as his NSU Wolves defeated the University of Mary by a score of 82-62. That victory placed Coach Meyer atop the NCAA men's all-time wins list, one victory ahead of legendary coach Bob Knight. Since their arrival in 1999, Coach Meyer and his wife Carmen have been incredible assets to the Aberdeen community and Northern State University. The Meyers participate in countless civic events, displaying great community pride. As his players, assistants, coaching colleagues, participants, and fans can attest, Coach Meyer is a world- class basketball instructor. More importantly, however, he is a world- class teacher and mentor on the fundamentals of everyday life. He is able to not only mold his athletes into great basketball players, but also into outstanding young adults equipped to have positive impacts on the world around them. Coach Meyer's courageous journey is made even more remarkable due to the fact he was involved in a near fatal automobile accident in September of 2008 on the way to an annual team retreat. Coach Meyer credits his team with saving his life, as players and assistant coaches rushed to his aid while waiting for help to arrive. Throughout his hospitalization, Coach Meyer maintained his selfless nature and admirable character by always looking for the positive and keeping his faith steadily intact. His strong spirit, optimistic attitude, and unprecedented determination remained constant even amidst the amputation of his lower left leg and the pronouncement of an unexpected cancer diagnosis. This amazing man was at his team's 5 a.m. practice immediately following his hospital dismissal, ready to use his life experiences as a tool to enrich the lives of others. Those who know him appreciate his wealth of knowledge, distinctive outlook on life and his unique sense of humor. Coach Meyer began his college basketball career as a standout player at the University of Northern Colorado, earning NCAA All-American status. Upon graduation, he served as an assistant coach at Western State College of Colorado and the University of Utah. He landed his first head coaching position at Hamline University in St. Paul, MN, in 1972. After 3 years with Hamline, which included a 1975 trip to the NCAA Division III Elite Eight, Coach Meyer traveled to Nashville, TN, to become the head coach for Lipscomb University. During his tenure at Lipscomb, Coach Meyer amassed 665 wins. His teams qualified for 13 national tournaments and won the 1986 NAIA National Championship. He was named NAIA Coach of Year in both 1989 and 1990. He coached 22 All-Americans and 3 National Players of the Year while in Nashville. In 1993, Coach Meyer was elected to the NAIA Hall of Fame. After 24 successful seasons, he left Lipscomb to become head coach for Northern State University in Aberdeen, SD. Under Coach Meyer's tutelage, Northern State has reached the NCAA postseason-play four of the past five seasons. Included in this postseason run are two appearances in the North Central Region Championship game in 2006 and 2008. His NSU teams have surpassed the 20-win mark in seven consecutive seasons and captured four Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference regular season and conference tournament championships. Currently, his Wolves squad holds a 12-2 record and is ranked 11th in the Nation in NCAA Division II. It is my great privilege to congratulate one of the most amazing, admirable, well-respected coaches of all time, Coach Don Meyer. He is a humble man of great integrity--a true inspiration and moral icon. It has been a true pleasure to have the opportunity to know him personally and an honor to call him my friend. On behalf of the city of Aberdeen, the State of South Dakota, and our great Nation, I am pleased to say congratulations, Coach Meyer. You have made us all incredibly proud. Your legacy will flourish throughout the lives that you have so profoundly touched. Congratulations and best wishes, Coach, and may God bless you. lilly ledbetter fair pay act

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

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Alexander), the Senator from Missouri (Mr. Bond), the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. Bunning), the Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Burr), the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Chambliss), the Senator from Texas (Mr. Cornyn), the Senator from Nevada (Mr. Ensign), the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Graham), the Senator from New Hampshire (Mr. Gregg), the Senator from Texas (Mrs. Hutchison), the Senator from Arizona (Mr. Kyl), the Senator from Florida (Mr. Martinez), the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. McConnell), the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Roberts), the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Specter), the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. Vitter), and the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Voinovich). Further, if present and voting, the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Alexander), the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Graham), the Senator from Texas (Mr. Cornyn), and the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. Bunning) would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, today I rise in tribute to the senior Senator from Virginia, the honorable John Warner. Senator Warner is without a doubt one of the finest Senators this chamber has ever had, and the Senate will be a lesser place without him. Senator Warner is truly a great American--a patriot who has devoted 45 years of his life in service to his country. One of America's Greatest Generation, he served his country honorably during World War Two, enlisting before he was 18 years old. When war in Korea broke out, he again answered his country's call to arms. After earning his law degree, he served as the Under Secretary and later the Secretary of the Navy, again serving with great distinction and integrity. In 1979, Senator Warner came to the Senate to begin his 30 year Senate career. As in every one of his endeavors before, he immediately made an impact, eventually serving with distinction as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. It is in this capacity that I have had the great privilege of working with him and getting to know him over the last 4 years. Senator Warner's leadership on the Armed Services Committee has been invaluable. There is no doubt that when he speaks, all are wise to listen. He provides unwavering, courageous leadership that all lean upon. There is never any doubt to his motives. His only motive is to look out for our men and women in uniform and ensure our Nation's defense. His first priority is his country. Senator Warner has never failed to lead courageously. At times, some of the positions he has taken have been politically unpopular, but his latest reelection--with over 82 percent of the vote--attests that his constituents know he is only dedicated to doing one thing--the right thing. In times of crisis, there is no doubt that Senator Warner becomes a rock that we all lean upon when we face the most challenging issues of our time. He was one of the leaders that worked on the Military Commissions Act and the incredibly difficult and contentious issue of detainees. Once again, just this year, he led again, this time by becoming one of the Gang of 20, trying to provide bipartisan solutions to American's energy issues. And, of course, it took his leadership to bring about passage of the Defense authorization bill this year, a bill that by tradition is passed each year, but which was looking extremely doubtful of passage for the first time in decades. I have only one regret regarding my service with Senator Warner, and that is I did not have the opportunity to serve with him longer. One of the finest statesmen of his time, I am proud to call him my friend. I aspire to his example and his name belongs in the pantheon of the Senate's greatest figures. Last, I would like to tell him thank you. Thank you for your great service to our great Republic. Thank you for the untold sacrifices you and your family have made along the way in your 45 years of public service. Thank you for your integrity, patriotism, leadership, and honor. As I noted before, the Senate will be a lesser place when he leaves, but I wish Senator Warner a fond farewell and Godspeed.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, today, out of a sense of pride and gratitude, I wish to recognize the remarkable yet unheralded work of a group of women who quite literally saved innumerable lives and made a notable contribution to the Allied victory during World War II. One might wonder what has taken us so long to honor a group of women whose efforts date back over 65 years. The reason is that the nature of their work was so secret, the women were warned that they could be shot for treason if they ever revealed their activities. And so they didn't. As a result, they never received the recognition they deserved. I am speaking of the WAVES (Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service), who played an instrumental role in cracking the complex codes that the Germans used to radio instructions from German headquarters to the submarines that were sinking Allied ships. And when I said I was speaking out of a sense of pride, it is because Alvina Elizabeth Schwab Pettigrew from my home State of South Dakota was among this determined group of heroes. Alvina was born in 1919 on a farm near Mina, SD. She completed grades 1-8 in a one-room schoolhouse and graduated from Mina High School. She received a scholarship to Grand Island Business College in Nebraska in 1936. But in 1942, this everyday American embarked on a journey that would call her to do extraordinary things in the service of our Nation. Alvina enlisted in the WAVES in October 1942 and was sent to Stillwater, OK, for 3 months of training. Following graduation, orders arrived for her to report to the Naval Communications Annex in Washington, DC. In nondescript buildings now housing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, more than 600 WAVES labored secretly in support of the war effort. German U-boats had been sinking Allied ships at alarming rates. Between January and March 1942, the Germans sank 216 ships off the east coast alone. But the Americans, improving on cryptological breakthroughs by the Poles and the British, finally cracked the German codes. The WAVES were the ones who actually operated the machines that deciphered the codes. They had the German U-boat fleet fighting for its life. The WAVES ran the machines around the clock. The noise was head-splitting, the summer heat sweltering. But they forged ahead, knowing that American lives were at stake. Although one could argue that the honor does not begin to match the magnitude of the achievement, Alvina and the other WAVES are being recognized through a public arts project in the Cathedral Heights neighborhood of Washington, DC. A turn-of-the-century ``call box'' that once housed fire emergency equipment will contain a portrait of Alvina Schwab Pettigrew and a description of what the WAVES did in the Navy Annex just 200 yards away. It is a lasting tribute to the women who turned the tide on the Germans and helped the Allied forces win the war. I am proud that a South Dakotan is being honored in this way and that I am able to convey to Alvina and the WAVES a belated thank-you from a most grateful Nation.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, we are at a place, in terms of the legislative calendar, where there are lots of things piled up and not much time to get them done. I am reminded of something someone once said: In the legislative process, you can't allow the perfect to become the enemy of the good, in a place where you are lucky if the adequate even survives. That is where we find ourselves right now with regard to the issue of the tax extender legislation. We have a bill that impacts a broad range of Americans; 24 million Americans will be subject to the alternative minimum tax if Congress does not act. We have energy tax extenders that put in jeopardy lots of investment in renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. We have students who are affected because of a student loan provision, teachers who are affected by a teacher deduction that is allowed for expenses. We have the rural schools' fix included. All these things will be impacted if Congress fails to act. Where we are with regard to that is, the Senate has passed a bill with 93 votes that we have sent to the House. The House is now trying to send that back, broken up in different ways and with different sorts of offsets. The point is, we have to get it done. We have to look at what the traffic will bear. We have done everything we can in the Senate. When I was a Member of the House, I used to gripe about the Senate and its rules. Why can't we send things over there and get them done in a timely way? The reality is, to get anything comprehensive done and anything consequential, it takes 60 votes. Already it is clear we will not be able to get 60 votes. We voted on this issue numerous times in the Senate. We voted on it repeatedly, the very provisions the House is trying to get us to adopt, without success. In fact, last week we voted. We only got 53 votes in the Senate out of the 60 that are necessary. So it seems, to me at least, we are at a point where we flat have to get this done. It is no substitute for a comprehensive energy bill, but it is the least we can do. If the least we can do is the best we can do, we ought to do at least the best we can do, which is to pass these energy tax extenders and get some of this investment in energy technologies that would help us toward our goal of energy independence and reducing carbon emissions. I urge our colleagues on the House side to accept this bill. It is a signable bill. It is very clear we have done everything we can in the Senate with repeated votes. The proposal the House has put forward is not going to move in the Senate, and we have a very short clock to work with here in order to get something done. It should not be a question of the political winners and losers. It ought to be about the American economy and the American people. We need to do something that is a winner for them, and that ought to be moving this piece of legislation in the House. It has 93 votes in the Senate. It is there. It is awaiting action. It is absolutely clear the proposal they have sent here cannot secure the necessary votes to move. That bill that is over there will be signed by the President. It moves us in a direction of energy independence and puts some energy policy in place that is important to the future of this country, as well as all the other tax provisions I mentioned, including preventing 24 million American families from being hit by the alternative minimum tax at the end of the year. So I hope, again, this legislation will pass. I urge my colleagues on the House side to take it up and pass the Senate bill. Mr. President, I yield back the remainder of my time.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Madam President, today I recognize the accomplishments of Junior Achievement of South Dakota. In particular, I would like to congratulate the organization's President, Kristie Fiegen, for winning JA Worldwide's 2008 Charles R. Hook Award. This award is bestowed on one Junior Achievement executive annually, and is the top honor for JA Presidents who demonstrate superior results in promoting the growth and development of Junior Achievement in their area. Junior Achievement is the world's largest organization dedicated to teaching students in Kindergarten through 12th grade about the importance of economics, entrepreneurism, and financial literacy. The organization reaches over 9 million students around the world each year, with over 130 local offices in the United States and operations in over 110 countries worldwide. One of the things that makes JA so unique is its use of adult volunteers to bring business to life for students. In the U.S. alone, young people in more than 188,000 classrooms benefit annually from these positive role models. Kristie is clearly deserving of receiving this year's Hook Award. She has served as President of Junior Achievement of South Dakota since 1994. During this period, she has increased the organization's reach from 2 percent to more than 28 percent of all South Dakota students. The organization now reaches over 37,000 South Dakota students, impacting over 1,700 classrooms. The organization's programs are provided at no cost to schools and are funded entirely through the private sector. Especially in the current economic climate, teaching students the importance of economics and financial literacy is of the utmost importance, and I congratulate Kristie Fiegen and Junior Achievement of South Dakota for their efforts in South Dakota.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Madam President, today I honor the Canyon Lake All- Star Little League team on becoming the first team from South Dakota to qualify and play in the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA. The Canyon Lake All-Star Little League team's journey to the World Series was one filled with great excitement and execution. After a turbulent first three innings in the qualifying game, Canyon Lake scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth capturing the lead. They continued their rally into the fifth inning where they scored another four runs defeating the Coon Rapids Little League team with a final score of 7-1. Canyon Lake was led by manager Doug Simons and assistant managers Jeff Minnick and Steve Nolan. Of course, this historic season would be impossible without the players themselves. The athletes of the 2007- 2008 Canyon Lake All-Star Little League team, in alphabetical order, are as follows: Logan Anderson, Cale Fierro, Tanner Hagen, Jonah Hanson, Bill Hendricks, Matt Minnick, TJ Nolan, Mark Petereit, Jesse Riddle, Tanner Simons, Carter Wevik, Matt Wilson, and Alec Winter. As a father of two student athletes, I know firsthand how much time and effort is needed from parents and families in order for our children to succeed. It is because of their support that these young people were able to reach this outstanding accomplishment. All of these families should be commended for the dedication they put forth to support their children. All of these players should be commended for their efforts. These athletes should be very proud of all their remarkable achievements. On behalf of the State of South Dakota, I am please to say congratulations Canyon Lake All-Stars on this impressive accomplishment and keep up the good work.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Madam President, today I rise to recognize Jessie Milstead, an intern in my Washington, DC office, for all of the hard work she has done for me, my staff, and the State of South Dakota over the past several months. Jessie is a graduate of West Central High School in Hartford, SD, and in the spring, she will attend Northwestern College in Minnesota. She is a hard worker who has been dedicated to getting the most out of her internship experience. I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Jessie for all of the fine work she has done and wish her continued success in the years to come.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Madam President, today I rise to recognize Ashley Brost, an intern in my Washington, DC, office, for all of the hard work she has done for me, my staff, and the State of South Dakota over the past several months. Ashley is a graduate of Lincoln High School in Sioux Falls, SD, and of Augustana College, where she majored in sociology. Currently, she is attending the University of South Dakota. She is a hard worker who has been dedicated to getting the most out of her internship experience. I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Ashley for all of the fine work she has done and wish her continued success in the years to come.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Madam President, today I rise to recognize Jennifer Fierro, an intern in my Washington, DC, office, for all of the hard work she has done for me, my staff, and the State of South Dakota over the past several months. Jennifer was home schooled in Santa Ana, CA, and graduated from the University of South Dakota, where she majored in Spanish. She is a hard worker who has been dedicated to getting the most out of her internship experience. I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Jennifer for all of the fine work she has done and wish her continued success in the years to come.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Madam President, today I honor Ross A. Murphey, a great patriot and first Sergeant in the South Dakota National Guard. Ross was the longest serving enlisted personnel in the history of the South Dakota National Guard. Ross Murphey began his outstanding service in the South Dakota National Guard on March 13, 1966. As a senior in high school, Ross served in Headquarters and Headquarters Company in the 109th Battalion. Ross remained with the 109th until January 4, 1968, when the 842nd Engineer Company was formed in Northern Black Hills Region. He spent the next 37 years with the 842nd and eventually was transferred to Camp Rapid in Rapid City, SD. He served with Camp Rapid from September 14, 2005, until his retirement on August 13, 2008. Ross' leadership and commitment to the National Guard have been recognized numerous times, including meritorious service medals, state awards and the Bronze DeFleury award. With hard work and dedication, Ross obtained a senior grade rank of First Sergeant. He served multiple times with the 842nd, including time served in Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom at Baghdad International Airport. Ross' devoted service to country and longevity are an inspiration to us all. Ross Murphey served the South Dakota National Guard with commitment and honor. I commend him for his 42 years of service to South Dakota and to our country.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Madam President, today I rise to pay tribute to COL Gregg Blanchard, U.S. Army, on the occasion of his retirement after over 21 years of dedicated service. He is a true patriot and exceptional military leader--a living example of what is good about America. Colonel Blanchard and his wife, Barb, both hail from Rapid City, SD. ``Doc,'' as he is known to his friends, is a proud graduate of Rapid City Central High School and the University of South Dakota. Barb graduated from Rapid City Stevens High School, and from National College in Rapid City. Colonel Blanchard served successfully in every echelon of the Army, from the platoon to the theater army. He commanded troops at the company and battalion level and served a combat tour in Iraq as the Deputy G4, V Corps. As a logistics officer, Colonel Blanchard's entire career has been devoted to the care and support of his fellow soldiers and their families. Over 9 of his 21 years were served overseas, where he tirelessly focused on supporting our warriors and their families. He commanded the 701st Main Support Battalion of the famous 1st Infantry Division--the Big Red One. In this assignment, he supervised the training and welfare of over 1,100 soldiers and their families. His superb leadership and organizational ability were critical to the smooth redeployment of the division from Germany to the United States during the drawdown of forces in Europe. Colonel Blanchard's superb leadership and positive attitude were contagious and inspired everyone around him to give their best effort. As the Deputy G4, V Corps and Deputy C-4, Multi-National Corps--Iraq, Colonel Blanchard supervised logistical support to all forces operating in the Iraq Theater of Operations. His superior skills as a leader, planner and communicator led to several notable assignments in the Pentagon with tours on the Army Staff, the Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense. The Army recognized the unique abilities of Colonel Blanchard and selected him as one of four Active Army officers to serve as a Congressional Fellow in 2003. In that capacity he served this body for a year in the office of Senator Mark Dayton from Minnesota. This assignment led to other legislative liaison assignments in the Army and the Joint Staff. When the first U.S. congressional delegation to Libya in 35 years occurred, then-Lieutenant Colonel Blanchard was selected to escort and coordinate the logistical challenges and country schedules for the trip. He was also instrumental in improving the Army's process for congressional notification of our fallen soldiers, and for improving the Army's responsiveness to the tens of thousands of inquiries it receives annually from Members of Congress. In his current assignment as the Deputy Legislative Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Colonel Blanchard provides critical assistance to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. His advice and counsel is regularly sought by senior defense leaders in the Army, the Joint Community and by Members of Congress and their staffs. For over 21 years, Colonel Blanchard served this great country from locations all across the world. Whether mentoring and training young troops as a commander, providing for soldiers in combat, developing and affecting policy in the Pentagon, or working with Congress, he served with honor and distinction. He will indeed be remembered as an exceptional officer, a true patriot, a courageous warrior and a dedicated leader with the highest integrity and compassion for all who had the distinct honor of serving with him. Barb and their children, Brittany and Alex, have demonstrated unwavering support throughout Colonel Blanchard's distinguished career. This Nation is also grateful for their sacrifices that enabled Colonel Blanchard to serve with such distinction. Wherever he served, COL Gregg Blanchard set the highest standards of service, professionalism and leadership.