David Vitter

Mr. VITTER

Mr. VITTER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be dispensed with.

Mr. VITTER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mr. VITTER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the pending business be temporarily set aside and that we call up amendment No. 3728 for consideration, which has been ruled germane.

Mr. VITTER. Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. VITTER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the amendment be modified according to the technical modifications which I have presented to the desk. These modifications do not change the scope of the amendment.

Mr. VITTER. If I could respond to the suggestions of the distinguished chairman through the Chair, I have no objection to scheduling this vote later in the day. I have been in a lot of contact with the authorizing committee, its leadership and its staff. I will continue to be in contact with them about issues contained in this amendment. I have no objection to proceeding to a vote later in the day. I do wish to restate my call for a rollcall vote. I would be perfectly amenable to any unanimous consent order to schedule the vote later in the day as long as that vote is assured.

Mr. VITTER. Mr. President, I spoke to this amendment yesterday. I will not speak to it again. I will simply underscore several things. First of all, Senator Landrieu joins me in presenting this amendment which goes to the essential levee and hurricane protection needs of the greater New Orleans area. Second, the entire amendment is offset. So this amendment does not increase the spending in the bill by any amount--not one single penny. Third, we believe this amendment is very important to make sure that there are adequate funds for the essential levee hurricane protection work which is at the heart of this bill. We have many debates about what is at the periphery, but this type of work is at the heart of this bill, and, of course, the President and his leadership have made that clear. Again, I went into the details of this amendment yesterday. I won't go into them again. But I certainly hope in light of the fact that this amendment does not increase the cost of the bill, the Senate can come together and support Senator Landrieu and myself in passing this very important amendment to ensure that the vital work going on right now building up to the next hurricane season which starts in June can be done, and that all necessary moneys are there for all those important categories of work. I believe my colleague from Louisiana would like to say a few words in support. I yield the floor.

Mr. VITTER

Mr. VITTER. Precisely.

Mr. VITTER. Mr. President, I rise to ask unanimous consent amendment No. 3627 be called up. Also, I request unanimous consent it be modified according to the modification I am sending to the desk.

Mr. VITTER. Mr. President, this amendment is a very important hub zone small business amendment. It has been cleared on both sides of the aisle and with all the relevant committee chairs and ranking members. I ask unanimous consent the amendment be agreed to.

Mr. VITTER. I yield the floor. Amendment No. 3704

Mr. VITTER. Mr. President, I renew my request that amendment No. 3626, as modified, by Senator Landrieu and myself, be called up and passed by unanimous consent.

Mr. VITTER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to call up and pass amendment 3626, as modified. This amendment is noncontroversial but very much needed and has been cleared by both the majority and minority side and all leaders of the relevant committees.

Mr. VITTER

Mr. VITTER. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, I would like to just make the suggestion through the Chair that the Senator from New Mexico go second and I proceed third.

Mr. VITTER

Mr. VITTER. I thank the Chair. And I appreciate all of those words by my colleague from Louisiana and certainly join her in all of those comments. Now, if I could briefly outline amendment 3728, which has not been called up, but I will outline what it does. Again, the Domenici amendment is crucially necessary for levy and hurricane protection work in south Louisiana. Amendment 3728 would simply supplement that in relatively small ways in terms of dollar amounts but in very important ways. At the outset, before I explain what it covers, let me explain three crucial overall points about the amendment. No. 1, all of the moneys or funds or expenditures in this amendment 3728 are completely offset so it does not increase the size or the cost of the bill whatsoever. No. 2, everything covered in the amendment was actually included in the underlying bill at the committee stage of the process. It has been removed as it comes to the floor, but it was included in committee and the chairman of the subcommittee, the Senator from New Mexico, has no objection to the inclusion of these important items. In addition, the statement of administration policy on the bill, while it highlights a number of items the administration actually opposes in the bill, does not highlight any of the items in this amendment. The administration has not expressed opposition to these items. And No. 3, all of the operation and maintenance required for these items in my amendment is funded 100 percent by the locals, by the local sponsors of these projects. Basically, it covers five crucial things. No. 1, addressing further damaged, destroyed or inferior protection levees in south Louisiana. While the Domenici amendment addresses many of those needs, all of these areas where there is a blue rectangle giving the new heights of the levee protection system, after the work in the Domenici amendment is completed, there are, unfortunately, a few gaps in this area of Lafourche, Terrebonne, and also the east bank of Plaquemines Parish. And this amendment would help fill those gaps. No. 2, fulfilling shortfalls in funding for full pumping capacity needs in Jefferson and Orleans Parishes with the closing of outfall canals. No. 3, meeting shortfalls to ensure equal levels of hurricane protection on the east and west banks of the Mississippi River in lower Plaquemines Parish, again, one of the slight gaps I pointed to on the map. No. 4, providing a plan to protect lower Plaquemines parish for the long-term and vital resources in that Parish--energy and seafood and maritime. And No. 5, the amendment would direct the national academies to perform a study to determine that portion of the levy system that lost height due to construction, design, subsidence, and settlement. In closing, Madam President, again, let me emphasize that everything in this amendment No. 3728 is offset, that everything in it was included by the committee during committee deliberations and is not opposed in the statement of administration policy and that everything in it, operation and maintenance related to these works, would be funded 100 percent by the local sponsors of these important works. I urge all of my colleagues, Republican and Democrat, to support my amendment. It does not increase the size of the bill, it merely perfects, if you will, the very important work being done by the Domenici amendment. With that, Madam President, I yield back my time.

Mr. VITTER. I have no objection, if it doesn't come out of my time and everyone is agreeable to do that.

Mr. VITTER. I rise in strong support of the amendment of the Senator from New Mexico, who chairs the crucial subcommittee under which all of these vital corps projects fall. I thank the Senator from New Mexico for his leadership on this crucial issue. This is an absolutely essential amendment, and in supporting it, I wish to stress a few items. First of all, everything the Senator has outlined, everything in his amendment was specifically requested by the President of the United States and was given by the President the top priority possible. Secondly, we are debating a number of issues on the floor as to this hurricane relief bill, and some are being cut out and others are being added, those at the margin. This amendment is not at the margin in any way, shape or form. This is at the heart of this hurricane relief bill because it goes to essential hurricane flood protection for the citizens of south Louisiana. So I thank the Senator from New Mexico for his leadership and certainly strongly support the amendment. Now, Madam President, I would like to call up a separate but related amendment which I have filed at the desk, amendment No. 3728.

Mr. VITTER. It is my understanding that the amendment has been filed; is that not the case? Madam President, if I could suggest that I move on and speak about the amendment, and then perhaps we can formally call it up when it arrives at the desk, if that would be appropriate.

Mr. VITTER. Madam President, I ask that the Chair advise me when I have 45 seconds of my time remaining.

Mr. VITTER

Mr. VITTER. Mr. President, I rise in support of S. Res. 457, expressing the Senate's disappointment with the government of Germany concerning their release of convicted terrorist and murderer Mohammad Ali Hammadi. The German government in December of 2005 released Mohammad Ali Hammadi, a Hezbollah leader who killed U.S. Navy diver Robert Dean Stethem in the June 1985 Hezbollah hijacking of TWA Flight 847. Coincidentally, a few days later Susanne Osthoff, a German hostage was released. Mr. Stethem was savagely beaten and then executed for refusing the demands of his hijackers. Hammadi and his fellow terrorists escaped, but Hammadi was eventually arrested in Germany in 1987 for traveling with liquid explosives and sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Mr. Stethem. Hammadi's other accomplices are still part of the FBI's most wanted list and have a 15 million dollar bounty on their heads. The German government released Hammadi despite a U.S. request for his extradition to face numerous charges of terrorism. He was sentenced to life yet only served 18 years. Furthermore, despite our longstanding agreement to honor each others' extradition requests the German government flew Hammadi to Lebanon to reunite with his brothers who are senior Hezbollah leaders. The Germans did this despite knowing the United States does not have an extradition treaty with the government of Lebanon. Sadly, the family of United States Navy diver Robert Dean Stethem was not notified in advance of Mr. Hammadi's release. Mr. Stethem is an American hero who was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. He also has a United States Navy ship named in his honor called the USS Stethem. We should continue to call on Lebanon to hand over Hammadi and other wanted terrorists to face trial in the United States, and we urge Lebanon to comply with such requests in order to help foster better relations between the United States and Lebanon. While the United States should continue to assist Lebanon in democratic reform initiatives, we must see results in denying refuge to some of the world's most wanted terrorists. The people of Lebanon have made great strides in recent times but the government of Lebanon must understand that continuing to harbor terrorists will only further isolate them from the international community and put future financial aid in doubt. The murderers of Robert Stethem must be brought to justice, and a clear message must be sent that the brutal murder of American service members or civilians will neither be tolerated nor forgotten.

Mr. VITTER

Mr. VITTER. Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. VITTER. Mr. President, this amendment does not cost any money. It does not increase the size or expense of the bill whatsoever. It does, however, add significant language regarding an issue that is very important to coastal Louisiana with regard to coastal flooding, and that has to do with the now infamous Mississippi River Gulf Outlet, also known as MRGO. MRGO is considered by virtually everyone to be a real problem, a conduit of hurricane storm surge and a conduit of saltwater intrusion which has eaten away at our coastal marshland in southeast Louisiana and has produced increased vulnerability to coastal storm surge. Many eyewitnesses and computer models confirm that MRGO contributed to enormous destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina. Hundreds of thousands of acres of coastal lands have also been lost because of the saltwater intrusion invited by MRGO. My amendment, again, would not increase the funding in the bill. It would not increase the cost of the bill. It would simply allow for a portion of the funds already appropriated in the last emergency supplemental for hurricane recovery for the restoration of the banks of MRGO to also be used to begin implementation of a water control structure to block hurricane storm surge from rolling up through MRGO to populated areas. Again, there is broad consensus that this needs to be done to battle against this vulnerability. In closing, I would simply underscore my amendment does not score, does not appropriate any new money. With that, Mr. President, I yield back my time.

Mr. VITTER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mr. VITTER. Mr. President, I also call up and briefly wish to speak on a new amendment, which I will also send to the minority side, amendment No. 3668.

Mr. VITTER. That would be fine. This is an amendment that has already been presented to the minority side. This is a language revision of that amendment.