ted," and just know that a lot of us will try to carry on and who feelly with some of the thgs that you taught us and helped us to understand we can do it better than we have in the past. madam president, i yid the floor. msmikulski: madam president? madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from maryland. ms. mikulski: madam president, good morning. i wish to speak aut senator ted kennedy. ordinarily i would have been proud to be on my feet to give such a testimonial. but as many of my colleagues know, i had a fall a few weeks ago coming out of church and ready to bet my duty statio but can quite stand to be 4 '11" and give theseemarks. but i do want to species and spee speak from my heart, speeblg from my memory, and

speak with my affection. ve known ted kennedy a very long time. he's been my friend, my pal, my comrade in arms. i've enjoyed everything from working with him on big policy issues to selling off of the coast -- to sailing off the coast of the hyannis. i have been with him in his hideaway while we strategized d how to me an agenda of empowerment and i've danlsed at his fous birthday parties. we've had a good time together, and i remember one of the first parties was a theme fm the 60's, and i came with a bigwig looking like -- hoping i'd look like jackie kennedy. ted, a chunky red butler, said, because he and vicky were coming as rett butler and scarlet o'ha, while we jitterbugged, i

said, do you thi i looked like jackie? he said, well, nice try. at the last party we went to it was a movie theme and i came with those big beau faints. it was to be a movie theme. i looked like something out of "hr spray." i won't tell you his comments but again he said, "your hair gets bigger every one. i can't wait until my 80'sth." well, unfortunately, that 80th won't be heemplet but we will always carry with es the joy of the friendship with ted kennedy. it is with a heavy heart that i stand here to give this salute to him. but know that i met him long -- and knew him as a young social worker. i testified before the committee as a young social worker to talk about a brand-new program called medicare, about what was working, what was lessons learned. once again from t ground, what

was happening in the streets and neighborhoods to help people get the medical and social services they needed. he listened. he was intent and asked me many questions. little did i know that i would join him in the united states senate to fight for medicare, to fight for health care, to fight for those senior citizens. like so many others in my generation, i was inspid by the kennedys for a life in public service. i chose the field of social work and then went into politics because i saw politics as social rk with power. as a congresswoman, i was on the energy and commerce committee that was counterpart to what ted was doing here in the senate. we we got to know each other at conferences working together. those were the great days of bipartisanship. as we would come in from the energy and commerce committee, there would be ted kennedy and

jake javits working to make sure we could pass good legislation. and i saw there that good legislation came from gd ideas that could be pursued with good humor and an atmosphere of civility. because we got to know each othe, i admired his verve, his tenacity and he admired me because i could really dish it out with the best of them as well. when he ran for president in 1980, he asked me to nominate him at the democratic conventi convention. i was tilled and honored to do so. now, remember the drama of that. jimmy carter was an incumbent esident. ted kennedy was an upstart. i backed kennedy. well, it didn't work out and ted called me and said, i'm withdrawing from the race. we're going to support president carter 100 -- 100%. but though you're not going to nominatee for president, i hope that you will still introduce me to the convention.

i said, absolutely, but one day i hope to be able to nominate you. that night, as i took the podi podium, it was the famous speech that everyone remembers that ted kennedy gave about the work going on, the cause enduring, the hope still living and the dream never dying. what was amazing about that speech was that -- was the way ted kennedy used not a moment in his life that some would have viewed as a defeat, but he used it as a time to redefine hself in public service and to claim the mantle of being one of the best senators that america has ever seen. and he used that speech not as a retreat but as a reaffirmation and a recommitment of what he would do. that night i did introduce himself, and while all of my colleagues were in boston -- and i watched the funeral from my

rehabilitation room -- mourning his death and feeling sad that i could not join with my colleagues there, i had that speech. and i read it then, and as i looked at it, i realized that i could give it again and again. because when i took the floor of the 1980 convention, i first said, i'm not here for barbara mikulski. i'm here for all those people who would like to say what they knew about teddy kennedy. and i'm going to say today some of those words then that i said -- words that i said then that would be appropriate for now. i said, i'm here in behalf of a lot of people who want to be here. the old woman desperately trying to use her social security check to pay for food and medicine and yet frightened of her energy bills. students whose tuition has gone up so much they're going to have to work two jobs just to stay in school. i spoke of small business people trying to just keep their doors open. was unemployed and that while

his bther was signing up for a tour of duty, he was standing in the unemployment line. i said that day after day, edward kennedy spoke of those people, that he had been talng about the economy, energy, and jobs long before many others. i talked about how edward kennedy said that wn black freedom writers were being attacked and beaten, he was the one who fought for racial justice and helped to get the voting rights act through. i said that as a young social worker working in the neighborhoods during the dark nixon years and wondering how old people wepe going to get the services they needed, ted kennedy introduced the first nutrition program for the elderly, a program that guaranteed senior citizens at least one hot meal a day. it was ted kennedy, i said, who won the psage of programs like neighborhood health centers, fought the war on cancer, led the fight to save nurses' scholarships, and save them, he

did. in his fight for legislation, he was always there. in my fight to help battered women, senator kennedyas one of the first to be a strong and active ally. he said he knew very early on that all american women work addition that too many work for unequal pay for their work. i said then and i say again, ted kennedy wanted to change social security to make it fairer for women and to extend the equal rights amendment so we would be included in the constitution. it was amazing the issues h fought for then and he fought for -- continued to fight for all of h life. in the time i knew him, at that time i knew him not just as a news clip. i found him to be truly gallant in public and private, caring about others and modest about himself, always about grace, courage, and valor. when i came to the senate, i was

the only democratic woman and he was there for me. but i saw how he was there for so many other people. in 2004, when we were in boston, ted kennedy and i had lunch in the north end. it was one of our favorit things to get together for a meal and for conversation. what i realized then, as we enjoyed ourselves with big bowls of pop -- big plates of antipast a, always vowing that we would eat more of the sahad and less of the pasta, i realized that as we got up and left and walked around the north end, that his best ideas came from the people. it was his passion for people. i knew that he represented those brainy peoe in cambridge who went to harvard and often came up with -- at t kennedy school with those great ideas. but as i walked arod the neigorhoods with him, i saw

that he actually lisned to people, trailed by a staff person or so actually taking notes. as we walked down the street, there was the man who came up to talked about his mother's problem with social security. ta it down, he said, let's see what we cod do. walk down a few feet more, "oh, my grandson wants to go to west point. how do i apply?" he said, he's going to love it and he's going to love my process. let's see how we can do that. a few feet on down, the small business guy said, keep on fighting, ted. you know, i -- you know can't buy this health insurance. can i call you? always call me, he said. and don't forget, by the way, call barbara, the legendary barbara saultus. and all of us know that ted kennedy had an outstanding staff, whether it was the staff in massachusetts who took care of casework and projects and y-to-ay needs and the people -- and the staff in

washington who helped ted kennedy take the ideas that came from the people, their day-to-day struggles and converted it into national policy. that's what it was: people, people, people. when i came to the senate, it was only nancy kassebaum and i. we were the only two women. he was a great friend, and along with senator sarbanes, were people i calledy gallahads. people who helped get on the right committee, showed me the inner workings of the senate. ted was determined that i would be on his committee on health and educationo get the ideas passed, but he also was termined i would get on appropriations to make sure we put those ideas into the federal checkboo he really was my advocate. one of the things that was clear that he was, a champion for women. heas a champion for this woman

woman, to help me get on those committees, and during those sometimes rough days getting stted, he would take me to la coline with senator dodd, and while he drank orange juice with a little vodka so no one would know he had a little vodka, he was giving me shooters of chardonnay to boost my spirits. and he and chris would give me a pep talk, and i felt like it was "rocky." they would say, get out there, fight, don't let it get you do down, pick yourself up. and i felt like i was going to spit in the bucket and get back on the floor. he lifted my spirits just like he lted the spirits of so many. but the story that i want to conclude with, because there's so many things we worked on together, was when i went to him and said this. ted, did you know that women are not included in the protocols at n.i.h.? he said, what do you mean? i said, all of the research that we do, women are not included in the protocols.

they just finished a famous study saying take an aspirin a day, keep a heart attack away, and it included 10,000 male medical studentsnd not one woma i said, i want to change that. and teaming up with nancy and pat schroeder and olympia snowe and connie morella, who were in the house, he helped me create the office of women's health at n.i.h. so that women would always be included in those protocols. then we spoke out and said, ted, the health care research for breast cancer is low. that's why they're racing for the cure. he helped us, working with tom harharkin, to boost the mean for research, to also get mammogram quality standards through so that you would get your mammograms and also for them to be safe. but one of the most profound things that we did, again, working on a bipartisan basis, dr. bernadine healy was head of

n.i.h. and she wanted to do a study on the consequences of hormone therapy. ted and i and tom did not believe that we should earmark n.i.h. and i believe that today, but we made sure we put money in and a legislative framework in place so that dr. healy could institute the famous hormone therapy study well, let me tell you the consuences of it. that study has changed medical practice. that study has resulted in breast cancer rates going down 15%. so when you say, what did teddy kennedy do to help women? what did teddy kennedy do to work with barbara mikulski? tell them we worked together and we worked to change the -- we saved the lives of women, 1 million at a time. this is my final salute to senator kennedy on the floor but i will always salute him ery

day in the united states senate to make sure we continue what they said about what -- how the dream will continue on. i ended my speech at the democratic conventinn in 1980 when i said this, and i end my remarks here today by saying this: "edward kennedy has kept his faith with the american people. he hasn't waited for a crisis to emerge or a constituency to develop. aays led. he always acted. he always inspires." god bless you ted, and god bless the united states of america. the presiding officer: the senator from alabama. mr. sessions: mr. president, would like to take aoment to join with my colleagues. i see quite a number here on the floor now to pay tribute to ted kennedy. he was a truly remarkable force in the united states senate.

a champion of liberalism, perhaps the nation's leading champion of liberalism. he believed that government could serve the people. and it ought to do more to serve people. on that we sometimes dagreed. but he belied it with a sincerity and he battled for it with consistency that is really remarkable. he constantly sought to utilize thebility of government to do good for american people. that's an admiral thing. he also was a champion of civil rights. he was a force during the civil rights movement. and his activities, his personal leadership tly made a differen in making this a better countryry. without his leadership things would have been much more difficult, for sure. i have a vivid memory of him,

mr. president, presiding ai did when i first came to the senate, a duty given to the yoger, newer members. in the night, ted kennedy, alone on the floor, roaring away for the values he believed in was something to behold in my view. i saw nothing like it from most maybe n other members. he served so man years in the senate. and i learned today fro our chairman on the judiciary committee, senator leahy, that he served on the senate judiciary committee more than any other senator in histo. but even as his years went by and many years in the senate he did not lose the drive, the will, the energy, the commitment to give himself for the values he believed in. as i told one reporter after his death, i would just hope to be

somewhat as effective in promoting the values i believe in as he has been in promoting those values. and if we disagreed as sometimes we certainly did people continued to admire him, i think, to a uque degree. there was no hard feelings. you would battle away and then afterwards it wmuld be a respectful relationship between senators. i think that's pretty unusual in something -- and something tt is worthy of commenting on. he talked to me about being a cosponsor and his prime cospsor on a bill. he said he watched to work with me on something important and it was a bill we commonly referred to as the prison rape bill. there was a lot of concern that in prisons people who are arrested were subjected to sexual abuse. that in my view is not

acceptable. i know the presiding officer, a prosecutor, knows people deserve to do their time in jail but they're -- they should never be subjected to those kind of abuses. so we passed a pretty comprehensive bill. i was proud of it and proud to be with him at the signing ceremony. i also talked to him and we met and talked at some length about a major piece of legislation to increase savings in america, savings for the average working american whose -- who had not been able to share in the goghth of wealth thato many have been blessed. savis add that time had fallen below zero, actually, 1% negative use of people's savings, and now we are at 5% or 6% savings rate after this

tuoil we have had economically. but i don't think that the idea should go away. maybe it lost a little steam in the fact that we have seen a resuence of savings today but i was very impressed with his commitment to it. the work of his fine staff and his personal knowledge of the issues. i see my other colleagues here and i'll just join with them in expressing my sincere sympathy to vicky and the entire family for the great loss. the senate has lost a great warrior and a gat champion of american values. i thank the chair. i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. mr. harkin: first, i ask unanimous consent the period of morning business extend until

2:30 with senators allowed to speak for up toen minutes east. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. harkin: and i ask that appear police sailor and alease camp be granted floor privileges of the session. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. harkin: mr. president, around this chamber i see men men of remarkable talents and abilities and i have a strong sense, well do, that there is a trendous void now in our midst. a very special senator, a very spial friend, a member who played a unique role within this body for nearly half a century is no lonr with us. we've her many glowing and richly earned contribe outs to senator ted kennedy the last couple of weeks. he was not only the most accomplished senator of the last 50 years but truly one of the towering figures in the entire history of the united states senate.

yet for all his accomplishments, for all the historic bills he authored and shepherded into law, for all t battles he fought, i will remember today first and foremost as just a good and decent human being. i remember his extraordinary generosity, his courage, his passion, his capacity for iendship and caring and, of course, that great sense of humor, i remember one time ias in my office and we had a phone conversation. itas about a disagreement we had. and it was right at st. patrick's day and so we were hang this discussion on the phone and tempers got a little heated. i think i was holding the phone

out about like this and he probably was, too. i think thursday voices god -- i think our voices got raised and we were yelling at each other and pretty soon we just hung up on each other. well, i felt very badlybout this and i know he did, too, so several hours later i came on the floor and i sad ted at his desk and went up to him and pulled up the chair next to him and he had kind of a pixie smile on his face, that twinkle in his eye and i said,ed, i sorry about that conversation we had, i shouldn't have lost my temper like i did and he saw, i sad my staff is a little concerned about our relationship. and he sort of got that great smile and chuckled and said, i just told my staff that's just the two irish men celebrate

st. patrick's day. that's just the way he was. he could disa disarm you immediy and you move on. he had a great, great, disarming sense of humaner. ted came from a remarkable family. so many tough breaks. so many triumphs. so many contributions to our nation. both in war and in peace. ted and his siblings were born to great wealth and they could have lived lives of luxury and leisure but chose instead to devote themselves to plic service. they devoted themselves to making the world a better @lace for others especially those in the shadows of life. and there are so m things i could focus on this morning in my brief remarks, but i want to focus on just one aspect of ted kennedy. that is all that he did to improve the lives of peopleith

disabilities in our country. i thought about this with the death of eunice kennedy shriver on august 11, and she founded the special olympics and the death of ted on august 25th people with disabilities in this country lost two great champions. their sister rosemary had a severe intellectual disability. the entire kennedy family is acquainted with the joys and struggles of those with disabilities. and those of us who are in the church in boston at the funeral and those who probably watching on television heard the eloquent speech by teddy jr. and his battle with cancer at a yoeng age and losing his leg and his confronting has disabilities and

how ted helped him get through t@at. in 1975, senator kennedy helped to pass the individuals with disabilities education act, i.d. in 1978 he passed the legislatio expanding the jurisdiction of the civil rights commission to protect people from discrimination on the basis of disability. in 1980 he introduced the civil rights for institutionalized persons act protecting the rights of people in government institutions including the elderly and those with mental disabilities. and 19 years ago he was one of my most important leaders and partners in patsing the americans with disa-in passing americans with disabilities act in 1990. after had been in the senate for two years, republicans were in charge. in 1986, the democrats came back and took charge and senator

kennedy wants me on his education and health committee. well, i sort of played hard to get. i said, well, maybe, but, i am really interested in disability sures and he knew about that and knew about the work i had done in the house before i came here especially on people with hearing problems. and i said, i would like to come on his committee but i said i would be interested in working on disability issues. and he got back to me said, i have the disability policy subcommittee and you can charity. i'm a freshman senator. i didn't have to -- he didn't have to do that for me. i was astounded at this. this greatenerosity. and so i've always appreciated that. he had already had this great extensive record on disability issues yet he let me take the lead and when the americans with disabilities act act came up, he

could have taken that. he was the chairman of the committee and he had this lost history championing the causes of people with disabilities and yet he knew how passionately i felt about it and he let me author the bill. he let me take it on the floor. he let me be the floor manager of it and put my name on it. he didn't have to do that. he was the chairman. he could have had his name on it. he could have floor managed it. he let me do it. in spite of the fact i was just a freshman senator. and he was just an indispensable leader if bnging disparate groups together to get the american with disabilities act passed. i will never forget that great act of generosity on his part in letting me take the lead on it.

ted always insisted our focus should not be on disability but ability that people with disabilities must be fully included in our american family. so americans with disabilities had no better friendship, no tougher fighter and no more relentless champion than ted kennedy. yesterday, i accepted the chairmanship of the senate "help" committee, the health, education, labor and pensions committee. it is a good honor and a great challenge. i must add, somhat daunting. carrying on the legacy of stick sterk. -- the legacy of stick sterk. he secured -- he wanted all citizens to have health care as a right, not a privilege. in the democratic cloakroom there is a page from the cape

cod times, a wonderful picture of ted. and a quote from him. here's the quote: "since i was a boy i have known the joy of sailing the waters of cape cod. for all my years in public life i have believedhat america must sail toward the shores of libertynd justice for all. the is no end to tha that journ, only the next great voyage." well, mr. p heard many eloquent tributes to senator kennedy but the tribute that would matter most to him would be for his colleagues to come together on a bipartisan basis to pass a strong comprehensive health care reform bill thisear. it i tim for us to sail ahead on this next great voyage to a better and more just and more caring america.

so as we sadly contemplate the empty desk draped in black, we say "farewell" to a beloved colleague. he's no longer with us. but his work continues. his spirit is here. and as he said, the cause endures. may ted kennedyest i peace. but may we not rest until we have completed the cause of his life, the cause he fought for until his last breath ensuring quality, affordable health care for every american. mr. president, i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from south carolina. mr. graham: it is my understanding that we are going back and forth now to let senator ltenberg know i will

not take long, if that's appropriate. but today is a day to remember a colleague, a friend, someone who it was a challenge to oppose and a joy to work with. and i wish we weren't here today talking about the passin passinf senator kennedy. we disagreed on most things but found common ground on big things. and everyone has got a story about senator kennedy. there's been a lot of discussion about his life, the legacy, his failings, his human failings, which we all have, his self-inflicted wounds, and his contribution to the country. but i want to talk about what we'll be missing in the senate. had a giant of a man who was very principled but understood the senate as well as anye i've ever met and understood the need to give-and-take, to move th country forward. and my experience with senator kennedy was that i used his

image in my campaign to get elected, like every other republican did. we don't want to sendnother person up to help ted kennedy. and he loved that. he got more airtime in republican commercials than the candidates themselves. he loved it. i remember him telling me a story about senator hollings, the tradition in the senate is that when you get reelected you have yr fellow senator from that state follow you down to the well, and he went over, senator hollings, to senor kennedy and said, i want you to come down and escort me. wh i'm not from south carolina? in my campaign you were. you were the other senator from south carolina. and ted got a lot of fun out of that. ihink he appreciated the role he played and republicans almost to person would use senator kennedy in their campaign. but when they got here, they understood that senator kennedy was somebody h you wanted to do business with. if you had a bill that you

thought would need some bipartisan support, senator kennedy is the first person led think of. and you had to understand t limitations on he could help you w he is not going to help you with certain things because it runs counter to what he believes in. but where you could find common ground on the big issues you had no better ally than senator kennedy. we met with the president's room every morning during the immigration debate. and at night he would call me up and say, lindsey, tomorrow in our meeting you need to yell at me because you need to get something -- i understand that -- and i will fight back, but you will get it. and the next day he would say, i need to yell at you. and sort of like allstar wrestling, to be honest with you. and that was fun because he understood how far i could g and he challenged me to go as far as i could. but he never asked me to go further than i was capable of going. and in retur he would walk the plank for you.

we had votes on the floor of the senate on emotional-driven amendments designed to break the bill apart from the right and the left, and i walked the plank on the right because i knew he would walk the plank on the left. he voted against amendments he probably agreed with,ut he understood that the deal would come unraveled and the only thini can tell youbout senator kennedy, without any hess station, is if he told you he would do something, that's all i needed to hear. a handshake from him was better than a video deposition from most people. and don't know how tsay it any more directly than that. opposing him was a lot of fun, because he understood that a democracy give-and-take to move the ball forward is part of democracy but stand your ground and plant your feet and telling thether side in arpful way to go to hell is also -- in a

respecul way to go to hell is also part of democracy. he could do it with the best of them. he could also take a punch as well as tak give one we are misg the spirit of ted kennedy when it comes standing up for what you believe and being able to work with somebody who you disagree with on. if he were alive tay, the health care debate would be different. that's not a slam on anybody involved, because this is hard. i don't know if he could deliver. but i think it would be different, and i think it would be more hopeful. the immigration bill failed, but he told me, i have been through this a lot. hard things are hard for a reason, and it will take a long time. he indicated to me that the immigration debate had all the emotion of the civil rights debate. and that was not something he said lightly. d we set in that room with senator kyl and salazar sand a group of senators that came and

went and administration officials, the homeland security secretary chertoff, and commerce secretary gutierrez, and we wrote it line by line with our staffs sitting on the wall. it was one of the highlights of my political life to be able to sit in that room with senator kennedy and other senators and literally try to write a bill that was difficult. we failed, for the moment, but we're going to reform our immigration system. in the guts of that bill, i think, the balance that we've achieved, will be the startingfoints for fopoint for . it is the ultimate give-and-take and it made a lot of sense. to his wife vicky, i got to know ted later in his life. through him i got to know you. i know you're hurting now. but i hope that all the things being said by his colleagues and

the people at large is reassuring to you and as we move forward as a senate, when you okality the history of this body, which is long and distinguished, there are all kinds of busts to people around here that have done great things during challenging times, i would bet everything on that senator kennedy, when the history of this body is written, is at the top echelon of senators who have ever served. the point is that you can be liberal us a want to be, you can be as conservative as you want to be, and you can be as effective as you want to be. if you want to be liberal and effective, you can be. you want to be liberal and noneffective, you can choose that route, too. same for bng conservive. you don't have to choose. that's what senator kennedy taught this body, and i think what he demonstrated to anybody who wants to come and be a senator. so if you're a left-of-center politician looking for a role

model, pick ted kennedy. you can be liberal, proudly so, but you also can be effective. what i'm going to try to do with my time up here is be a conservative who can be effective. that's the best tribute i can give to senator kennedy is being somebody onhe right who will meet the middle for the good of the country. ted will be missed, but he will t be forgotten. i yield back. mr. lautenberg: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from new jersey. mr. lautenberg: mr. president, this corner of the united states senate has become a lonely pla place. i sat next to ted kennedy here for a number of years. we miss him. we miss his camaraderie, his

humor, his candor, most of all his courage. and though he won't be here to join us in the future, the things that he did will last for decades because they were so powerful. he was a constant presence here, and it's hard to imagine the senate without ted kennedy's vibrant voice resounding throughout this floor or his roaring laughter spilling out of the cloakroom. without doubt, he was one of the finest legislators ever in this chamber's history. throughout his more than 46 years of service, ted introduced 2,500 bills and shepherded more than 5 of these into law. he was a man of many gifts, but

his greatest had to be his remarkable affinity with ordinary people. and i saw that gift firsthand in 1982 when i was making my fir run for the senate. a rally waseing held for me in newark, and it drew -- in newark, new jersey, and it drew a crowd of thousands, and i wanted to think that they were there for me, but it was obvious that they were there for ted kennedy. the warmth, the affection with which he was received in the city far from the borders of massachusetts, far from the halls of power in washington, was amazing to witness. it was fitting that ted came newark to help me campaign because he inspired me to devote myself to public service. he encouraged my entry into the united states senate. and as soon as i joined the senate, ted kennedy became a soce of knowledge and infoation, wisdom. he was a seatmate of mi, as i

mentioned, in the senate, and freely offered ideas on creating and moving legistion that i thought of or i sponsored. and even though he was born into privilege and was part of a powerful political family, his fight was always for the worker, for justice, and for those never often forgotten. he was never shoul shy to chasee do and demand four vgte or to call you on the phone & insist on your support. sometimes he would try to bring you to his side through reason. other times it was through righteous fury. because ted was just such a tenacious fighter for a cause that he would often put on the gloves, no matter who the opponent might be. but he never let disagreement turn into a personal vendetta, no matter how bitter the fight, when it was done, he cou walk across this chamber ready to shake hands with his opponents and was received with affection

and respect. and despite his reputation as a divisive figure, he was at the top of the list of popular senators beloved by both republicans and democrats. he carried a great sense of humor, liked t play pranks, o of which i saw upclose and personal. one trsday night aer a long series of votes, we chartered an airplane to take t kennedy, john kerry, senator claiborne pell and me north to join our vacationing families in the area. a week later we were here in the chamber and claiborne pell came over to me, hand shaking with a letter in his hand and he looked at the letter. it was my stationery, and on that stationery hadsked for claiborne pell, a frugala man, o pay a far greater share of the total than was originally agreed

to. i was embarrassed, mortified and i apologized profusely and then i went to ted to assure him that if he got a letter like that which claiborne pell had that the letter wasncorrect. ted turned belligerent. he remiewndzed me of the help that he provided in my first election and asked, how could i nickle-and-dime him after all of that hel and he turned on his heel, walked away head-faced and then i reazed it was part of -- it was a creation of 00 plot to embarrass me and the two of us broke into laughter so loud, so boycesterous that the presiding officer demanded that we leav the chamber. ted kennedy's life was always a lo of life. it was always obvious in the senate. and even though he could rise above partisan division, his

life's work was deeply personal. it was ted kennedy who inherited the family legacy when two brothers were slain by assassi assassins' bullets. met that challenge by battli the powerful special interests, to pass the gun control act of 1968 which made it illegal for criminals and the mentally ill to buy guns. together ted and i joined the fight to keep our streets safe from the scour of gun violence and for decades he was a force that shaped the national political landscape. he cfted life-changing legislation year after year and always fighting to shape public opinion toward his causes. he believed public service was a sacred mission and the role of a leader-to-was to make progress no matter how hard, no matter how long the journey, he

persisted. i had the privilege of working with him on many pieces of groundbreaking legislation. we workedloseically on fighting big tobac and their attempts to seduce children into a lifetime of addiction. we reached a high-water mark in that struggle earlier this year when law was passed that gives the.d.a. the power to regulate tobacco. it was something we worked on forth a long time. and we stood together on other struggles, from the creation of the children's health insurance program to the ryan white act, to the family and medical leave act. think about it: without ted kennedy, nearly 7 million children in this country would be not have health insurance. think about it. ted kennedy, without him, a half a million americans suffering with h.i.v. would not be receiving vital services to cope with their disease. think about it. without ted kennedy, more than

60 million workers would not have the right to take time off from their job to care for a baby or a loved one or even receive personal medical treatment. and he did more. he gave people assurance that the government was on their side. that in no small way made it more liklikely that barack obama woud become president of the united states. and we are grateful that the last kennedy brother had the chance to see america rise above racism, above -- above prudice. he had a chance, the last of the kennedy brothers in office, to see president obama take that oath. it was a proud moment for him and for all of us. and as his life came to an end, ted said he saw a new wave of

change all around us and promised us that if w kept our compass true, we could reach our destinatn. anin the days, the weeks and the months to come, the yea to come, decade to come, we'veot to keep ted kennedy's cause alive. it's the cause of breaking gridlock to get things done. it's the cause of expanding health care as a right and not a privilege. it's a cause of bringing hope and justice and proerity to all. mr. president, we'll likely never see the likes of a ted kennedy again, but i'm confident that we can rise to the challenge the people's senator set for us and carry on for those who remember him,or those, yes, who hiss hi miss hid for those who loved him and for those who would always need a

chamon like te kennedy. and finally, if there was a demonstration of his humanity, the funeral tribute was one of enormous love and respect. and it was annunciated particular, because i rode with other senators on the bus, it was annunciated particularly by the hordes of people standing by the curbside with signs of gratitude for his contribution to the life and well-being of america. we are thankful for that. i yielthe floor. oh, i ask unanimous consent, mr. president, that my ful statement be put in the record as if given. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. rd: mr. president? the presiding offir: the senatorrom west virginia. mr. byrd: mr. president, i thank the chair.

mr. byrd: mr. president, on august 25, a towering figuren our national political landscape left us forever. edward moore kennedy succumbed to a malignant brain tor after an 18-month battle for his life. as i look now at his desk,

draped with black cloth and covered with flowers, i still have difficulty believing that he is ge. my eboulant, irish-to-the-core friend has departed this life forever. how bleakly sombe, how eterly final, how totally unlike ted kenned in life.

ted kennedy in life was a force of nature, a cheerful, inquisitive, caring man who never accepted somberness for loclong or the finality -- or te finality of anything. his energic adherence to perseverance, his plain dogged determination, his ability to rise from the ashes of whatever ne horrific event accosted him, always with grace and usually

with a liberal dose of humor. were his trademarks. it was almost as if ted kennedy were at the top of his fm when coping with adversity. life itself inspired him. he believed that life was a contact sport but that it should never be played without joy in the game itself.

and that is how he s politics as well. ted kennedy and i were friends, yet we were the oddest of odd couples. he was the silen of a wealthy and storied family. i am a coal miner's son who had no bottom rungs in my ladder. in my early years, we, ted kennedy and i, were rivals -- rivals.

what ted kennedy and i discovered, however, was that somehow we had many things in common: a love of history, an affection for poetry, a fondness for dogs, a commitment to the less fortunate in our society. many will speak of ted's stunning career, his huge and lasting impact on our culture, his no, ma'am daition ohis domil

scene through so many decades. by all means, let us never forget ted kennedy's extraordinary contribution to this great and magnificent country. it is largely unmatched. t i shall especially cherish the personal side of this big ma, with his infectious laugh, his booming voice, his passion for the things and the people that he cared about.

i will remember the dog lover who brought sunny and splash to my office to visit. i'll never forget that. i will recall a considerate friend who sent dozens of rose to mark my wedding anniversary on a special birthday. i will again enjoy a very special recitation of the midnight ride of paul revere. by habit, i shall immediately

look for ted kennedy whenever i enter this chamber. in a thousand ways, large and small, he will simply be deeply, deeply missed. my heart goes out to his steadfast wife, vicki, and to his wonderful family. his spirit surely lives on in

all of you. not very long ago i picked up a book of poetry which teddy kennedy had given to me in july of 1996. it bore this inscription -- quote -- "to bob, the master of our legislative poetry who has already left so many extraordinary footprnts on the sands of time." afte that, ted had written,

"see page 371." i close with a few stanzas from "a psalm of life" on page 371 of ted kennedy's gift to me. "life is real, leaf i life is et and the grave is its gold, dust thou art to dust thousan thou t, not spoken of the soul, lives of great men all remind us we can

make our lives sublime and departg leave behind us footprints on the sands of time; footprints that perhaps another sailing ore life's solemn main, a forlorn and shipwrecked brother, seeing shall take heart again. let us, then, be up and doing, with a heart for any failure still achieving, still pursuing,

learn to labor and to wait." the presiding officer: the senator from georgia. mr. chambliss: mr. president, i have been fortunate during my life in public service to witness a lot of historical events but none parallels the tribute just paid by one icon of the united states senate to another member of the united states senate. mr. president, i rise to pay my respects to the late senator ted kennedy. it's, as one of my colleagues said earlier, it is a little bit ironic when you come to the

senate you find out those with whom you have significant political disagreements were folks that you get to know well andhat you have the opportunity to work with. i'm sure that during my political campaign for the united states senate todayed it raised me a lot of money by virtue of the fact that i would sight him in my fundraising mailouts. because coming from a very conservative part of the country it was popular to cite the liberal members of the senate and say you needed to be there to counteracthen but when i came to the senate and certainly senator kennedy and i do come from opposite ends of the political spectrum, i learned very quickly if senator kennedy what the senate is all about. i was here about, gee, it couldn't have been but a couple of days, something less than8

hours and i was notified that i was going to be on the judiciary committee and i would be the chairman of the immigration subcommittee on judiciary. an my ranking member would be ted kennedy. senator kennedy came to me on e floor within a few hours of me being notified of that and he said, he said, saxby you and i need to sit down and discuss some immigration issues that we want to accomplish during the next two years and i just want to talk with you about it, get your thoughts and give you my thoughts. i said, well, sure, ted, that would be great. i'd be happy to come to roar office and sit down with you. he said, no, that's not the way the senate works. you're the chairman and i will come to your office. so the next day a senator who had been in office for well offeover40 yrs came to the offia

member of the senate who had been here a little over 40 hours and sat down and had a conversation. that was a lesson about the way the united states senate works that i will never forget. as we begin working together on the immigration subcommittee we worked for about a year. it was in excess of a year, i guess, on an issue that we talked about that first day in my office and it involved the expansion of the l1h16789 visas. our economy was booming and voices across our country needed access to more employees who had a specialized expertise. we were successful in ultimately striking a compromise. it was difficult for ted because the left wing of his party was very much in opposition to what we were doing. it was somewhat, although a

little less difficult for me because the right wing of my party was in opposition to what we were doing. ted called me up one day after we had finished our negotiations and he was laughing and he said, saxby we have entered into an agreement on this and i'm going to do exactly what i told you i would do but, boy, am i ever getting beat up by the far left in my party. they are just killing to me. it is to the point where i am up for reelection and you may have toome to massachusetts and campaign for me is we laughed about that. well, two days later i had been besieged by phone calls from ultra conservative folks from my state and i called ted and i said, ted, you won't believe this i'm getting beat were by the same issues by ultra conservaves in my party b don't worry i don nd you to come to georgia to campaign for me. he laughed about that lik i've

never heard him laugh and the last conversation i had with him to any extents with when he w here for president obama's inaugurtion and he reminded me of that story and he never forgot that. i will have a very fond memory ted by virtue of the fact my grandchildre were eight and six years old when i first came to the senate. we have anti an ice cream social across from the park of our offices. his office was directly below my office. i am walking back from the ice cream social with my grandchildren who were here for that because it happens the same time as the white house picnic and ted's driving off in his car and he sees me coming across with my grandchildren, stops the car, gets out and he says, saxby

these must be your grandchildren and i said, they are, and i said i want my dogs to see them and have a chance to meet my dogs so he got out of the car and got the dogs out and my grandchildren just love plang with those dogs. every year after that i never called him, he called me because he knew when the white house picnic was going on tha my dprch wouhd be here. and he would insist on bringing the dog up when the grandchildren were here so he would have a chance, they would have a chance to play with them. that's just the kind of guy that ted was, much softer side than what we see, had seen so many times with ted with the passionate debate and what not. lastly, let me say that another story, i was going down to speak to a society in savannah tha has the secondest largest st. patrick's day parade in the united states.

it is a big deal and w have 1,00 folks at the dinner. you go in and you tell jokes. well, i needed a bunch of irish jokes. so i called up ted and told him what i was doing and i said i know you must have a become of irish jokes. he said, i d and i've going to send it to you and he said, i tell you something else, i know in savannah that's a very conservative part of the world. you are going to see in these jokes that you will have an opportunity to point out mebody to kind o poke fun at and when you have an opportunity in telling these jokes you use my name. well, i took him at his word and i did and boy did i ever get a rousing welcome from all those irish men in savannah, georgia so i have fond memories of this man who came from a difficulty t

part of the country, a different political background fro where i come and somebody who certainly had much more polical experience than i will ever have but the thing i appreciated in ted kennedy was and i have said this often, he was the best legislator in this body. when ted kennedy tol you something, you could take it to the bank. you never had to worry about it thereafter. while we disagreed on many things, we agreed on some things and were able to work together in a very unusual way and even when we disagreed we were able to walk out of this cmber and still be friends. to vicky and patrick and the children, ted was a great americ, a great g, and he is going to be missed in this body. he was a true inspiration to a lot of us and we're going to miss that compromising aspect of

ted kennedy that won't be here even though someone else will take up the mantle. with that, mr. president, i yield back. the presiding officer: the senator from california is recognized. mrs. feinstein: mr. president, as i sit here and listen to the remarks of my colleagues, and i look over at that black velvet-draped des with the pristine white roses and the poem by robert frost and i think of the past 17 yours i've been here and have looked up and, perhaps, late at night, perhaps it's in the morning, perhaps it's in the afternoon, and senator kennedy is at his desk

and he is talking about a bill that he cares a great deal about and as senator lautenberg said earlier, he passed 550 bills that were passed into law. now, around here you can introduce a bill and maybe it goes somewhere and maybe it doesn't and you can introduce a bill and maybe it's a small bill but introducing a big bill that goes somewhere, that passes the house and that's signed by the president of the united states, is not a small feat. i listened to senator byrd and in the past he has spoken about lions in the senate. and ted kennedy was a lion of the senate. during 47 years and thisorning in t judicry committee w learned he had been the longest

serving member, during 47 years, if you look at the big bills, the mental health systems act of 1980 which enabled people with mental illnesses to live in their communities with minimal hospital care. the children's health insurance program which has been spoken about which provided health insurance to uninsured children of low-income families. the commitment to health care reform that didn't diminish even as he suffered through terminal illness. his dedication to education. he was a leader in the landmark elementary and secondary education act which established the federal government's commitment to fund school for poor children in public schools. "no child left behind" widely hailed as the greatest example of bipartisan cooperation during the bush administration. the bill he did with orrin

hatch, the serve america act, the greatest expansion of national service since the new dea. and it goes on and on and on: big bills; bills tt changed people's lives. not just in a county or a city but all across this great country. in civil rights, as you look across at that deck, he had no peer, he would stand up and i would watch the lower jaw wou quiver slightly and he would begin and the thunderous tones either in the judiciary committee or here that would fill the room, filled with passion, filled with conviction, filled with determination. he played a major role in every civil rights battle in this congress for 40 years. who can say that? he fought for people of color. for women. for gays and lesbians.

for those seeking religious libert his amendments to the voting ght act in 1982 led to significant increases in minority representation in elective oice. he was a major sponsor of the americans with disacts act to ensure that millions of disabled americans can live productive lives. these are not small bills; these are big bills. and the civil rights act of 1991, which strengthened civil rights protections against discrimination and harassment in the workplace, again a big bill which became law. i was part of that small group of senators that met on immigration reform hour after hour in small, hot rooms, watched senator kennedy with his sleeves rolled back. when he would sit back and wait for just the right time to move or change the tenor of the

discussion. true, that was one that was not successful, but it wasn't because he did not try. 17 years ago joe biden asked me if i would be the first woman on the senate judiciary committee, and i had the honor of doing it. ted kennedy was number-two in seniority sitting on that committee. and we saw his commitment firsthand. it was very special. you see, i was a volunteer in the campaign for john fitzgerald kennedy. i was a full-time volunteer for bobby kennedy for his campaigns. i saw the nation ripped apart by these double assassinations. and i saw senator kennedy, in addition to being a lion in the senate, become a surrogate father to nieces and nephews, and i saw him accept this mantle

with great enthusiasm, with great love, and with a commitment that spanned the decades. that, mr. president, is very special. it is a very special human dimension of a great individual. i lost my husband bert through cancer, and i know well what the end is like. d i know the good time that grows less and less and the bad timehat becomes more and more. ted kennedy's life was enriched by a very special 0oman, and her name is vicki kennedy. for me she is really a mentor of what a wife should be. i've watched her sitting with him, writing speecs. i've watched mehr at weekend retreats. i've watched her fill his life with love, companionship, understanding, and i know a little bit about what the last

months of a cancer victim is like. and i can only sa to her that we will d everything we can to end cancer in our lifetime in this body. yes, ted kennedy leaves vy big shoes, shoes that probably will never be filled in qte a way. a family that will probably never be replicated, as the kennedy family has been. and i want to end my remarks with a passage in the prayer book of the high holy day sstleses for reformed judaism. it was written when i was a teenager by a young rabbi that i very much admired, and i'd like to share it at this time. "birth is a beginning and death a destination, and life is a jurnlgy from childhood to maturity, from youth to age,

fromence to awareness, and ignorance to knowing, from foolishness to discretion, and then perhaps to wisdom, from wene to strength or strength to weakness and often back again, from health to sickness and bac we pray, to health again; from offense to forgiveness, from loneliness to love, from joy to gratitude, from pain to compassion, and grief to understanding, from fear to faith, from defeat to defeat to defeat, until looking backward or ahead we see that victory lies not in some high place along the way but in having made the journey stage by stage a sacred pilgrimage. birth is a beginning and death destination and life is a

journey, a sacred pilgrimage to life everlasting. ted kennedy leaves a giant legacy in this body, and we should not forsake it. thank you very much, mr. president. i yield the floor. mr. baucus: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from montana is recognized. mr. baucus: mr. president, following the passing of president john f. kennedy, senator mike mansfield said, "he gave us of his love that we, too, in turn might give." these words ring true today as we remember the life o our late colleague, senator ted kennedy. so much of this country's history in the past half-century can be astribted to this one man -- attributed to this one man. but ted kennedy was also a

dest man. he would not have put it that way. speaking almost 30 years ago at the 1980 democratic national convention, he quoted ten i son. quote: "i am a part of all that i have met, though much is taken, much abides. that which we are, we are one equal temper of hearts, strong in will, to strive to see defined and not to yield." in the more than 46 years that senator kennedy served in this body, he did not not yield and in turn he affected each and every american. during his career in this senate, senator kennedy authored thousands of bills and hundreds of them became law. from championing civil right rio advocating equal opportunity and higer education, to fighting for example is to affordable health care for all americans -- to access to affordable health

care for all americans, senator kennedy's work has impred t quality of lives for millions of americans. over the past two weeks we have heard my speak of these accomplishments. mr. president, it didn't take long for me to reaze when i came to this body -- and more and more as each year passed -- that ted kennedy is probably the greatest legislator in mern american political history. the guy was amazing, absolutely amazing, an inspiration for me personally to try to be a very, very good legislator. now many people have also said that. i'm not the only one who's recognized his talents, that he was probably the best legislator in modern american political history. let me just say why that was true for me. first of all, i was the passion of his convictions.

his moral compass was set so true. for the average person, the little guy, the person who didn't have representation -- health care, the poor, civil rights. he jt believed so passionately, so steadfastly. his moral compass was just so firmly set. there's no question where ted kennedy was and what he believed in and it made him alive. it was his dream to fulfill the lives of people who he worked so hard for. all of us remember ted kendy working so hard to fulfill his dream. he'd -- his desk over here -- he'd stand up and he'd tnder, red-faced. he'd get so involved, so passionate, speaking so loudly, almost shouting what he believed in. you couldn't helput know that here's aguy who believes what he says and, my gosh, let's listen to him.

he also had terrific staff. ted kennedy's staff has had him so well-prepared, all these briefings books. i'll never forget the briefing books that ted brought. he studied them. he read them. he was so well, well-prepared. alonwith his passion was his preparation and his staff just helped him prepare. it is all one team. they worked so closely togetr for the causes they believed i. i also was impressed and found him to be such a great legislator because after the speeches which he believes so thoroughly and passionately, he'd sit down with you and start to negotiator, try to work out an agreement, try to work out some solution that made sense for him and made sense for you, if you happened to be on the other side. it was amazing to sit in a room and watch him work. a different demeanor, different

temperament. he'd sit there. he'dajole, talk, jokes, all in good spirit, you know, all in an attempt to try to get -- geto the solution where he wanted to be. on the one hand he'd be out here in the chamber thundering. on the one hand he'd be out here in the chamber thundering. in the conference room he ha this out. how do we get this done? it was amazing. it was such a lesson learned watching him legislate. i think he is also one of the best legislators in modern american political history was he was such a -- with such a light touch. he really cared individually for people, not just groups and masses. but individually. we've harder rerence to -- we've heard references to the book that he gave senator byrd, the poetory book and how senator kennedy would bring his dogs over to senator byrd's office and listening to senator

chambliss. senator kennedy made sure that he knew when senator chambliss's grandchildren were here so that the grandchildren could see his dogs. he loved his dogs,ut just that real, real light touch. i remember when he referred to senator byrd's, i think, 67th wedding anniversary. he is such a caring guy. he sent 67 roses t robert and irma byrd. and all the remembers he wrote. the handwritten letters he wrote. here is this wonderful guy who probably never use add blackberry. doesn't know what they are. he knows what they are. doesn't use them. writes notes and hundreds of notes, thousands of handwritten notes, 10,000 ofandwritten notes. he'd write note to anybody any time. just a light touch, a birthday, or call them up on their first day. just a thank you.

ll them up -- somebody is in the hovment he himself would just do thravment more than any other senator here that i can think of and i'll bet you to say that probably more than most senators combined here. he was just that way. let me just give you one smoa small example. my mother -- well, several yearq ago my hometown of hellen in a, montana, i was in a meeting, came back late at nieft after the meeting, my mother said, max, ted kennedy called. really? my motheraid, i told him you were how the. we had a nice chat. i said what did you tiewk about? "oh, the mile city bucket horse sale." that's an eve. a few days later i walked up to ted and said, ted, i understand you talked to my mother? , oh, he said, you know, how sometimes the telephone, you're talking to somebody, you can

tell who the perso is. your mother, she is such a wonderful person. she's so gracious and went on and on talking about my mothe the conversation that the two of them had and they never met each other before. my mother is a staunch republican and here's ted kennedy. he they just hit it off. i went back home a few days later and told my mother, mom, boy, ted was impressed with the telephone call you had. my mother said, oh, gee, that's great. my mom wrote ted a note thanking him for being so -- for praising her so much to me, her son. you know, just a few days earlier. the next thing i knew, my mother and ted were penpals. ted wrote a letter back to my mother. they're back and forth. i'd be in a committee hearing someplace and ted would say, hey, max, look. here's the letter i'm writing your mother. an basically they were just reminiscing about montana and about the mile city bucket horse

seacialtion which is another reason whyed is such a great die guy. he lived life so fusm he loved life. he embraced life in all the ways that he -- that life was available to a man. he was just wonderful that way. back in 1960 when his dad -- his brother was running for president, ted was assigned western states in the960 presidential campaign. ted was out in montana and he went to a democratic gathering. wasn'p anybody there. so he wnts to the mile city bucket horse sale. we in montana -- in le city, montana, have this bucking event, you take the horses o the prairie and buck them and put bids on the horses. the best bucking horses get the highest bid and go off -- the rodeo stock operatedders would use them. ted was there he went to the mile city bucking horse sale.

the announcer said, well, young man, if you want to speak, first you got to ride a horse. and ted said, why not? ted gotten to a bronc. there is a wonderful photo of ted at the mile city bucking horse sale in montana. somebody had a quick finger. there's ted on this bronc. he was the best bronc rider we ever saw. he sure had a great time on that horse. long and shofort it is, he is a great man for so many reaso and we just -- we love ted for all that he was. again, the greatest legislator i think in modern american potical history. and i just also a so touched with what a family man he was. as the years went by, his brothers tragically lost and all that happened in the kennedy family, ted was a rock to others in the family.

he just experienced so much. he'd been through so much, so much tragedy. obviously helped him so much character. and he is more than an icon who fought for causes. he is more than a voice for the commonwealth of massachetts. ages i mentioned, he was a -- as i mentioned, avenues loving son, brother, husband, father. working with him for the past years was one of the greatest honors i've had as a united states senator. and i would just say that, ted, we're going to -- as far as i'm concerned, we're going to take up your last great cause -- that's health care reform. we're all here in the snoot do all we can to ghat passed. i personally am going to pledge every ounce of eney at my commd to help get health reform passed for all american people and for ted kennedy. a wonderful man and just sorely missed. i might say, mr. president, i

don't think there's going to be another man or woman in the senate again who is such a giant ased kennedy. he was a great guy i yield the floor. mr. enzi: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from wyoming is recognized. mr. enzi: mr. president, i appreciate having this opportunity to join in the celebration of the life of ted kennedy. his loss was deeply personal to all of us because he was strong and a vital presence, not only in the day-to-day work of the senate but in our day-to-day lives as well. he was interested and concerned not only about his cleagues but about our staffs and all those with whom he worked on a long list of issues that will continue to have an impact on our nation for many generations to come.

that was just the kind of individual ted was, activend completely involved in all things that had to do with the work of the senate. for my par i've lost a senate colleague who was willing to work with me and with senator on both sides of the aisle. he was my committee chairman and my good friend. for those across the country who mourn this passing, they have lost a trusted and treasured voice in the senate, a champion who fought for them for almost 50 years. the political land scaich our country has -- landscape of our country has now been permanently changed. i think we all sensed what his loss would mean to the country as we heard the news of his passing. now we take this time to look back to the past and remember our favorite stories and instant replay memories of the the nator from massausetts. in the more than 12 years i've had the privilege of serving the people of wyoming in the senate, you had the good fortune to come to know ted on a number o levels. as a senator, he was a tremendous force to be dealt with on the floor. if you were on his side, you knew you had a warrior fighting alongside you who went t battle

without the slightest fear of failure or defeat. if you had to face him from the other side of the arena, you knew you had a tremendous battle on your hands because, when it came to the principles he believed in, no one said it better or with more passir moreepth of understanding of e issues that were involved. as a result, he was able to notch an impressive li of legislative victores. during his long and remarkable career, there were few initiatives that didn't attract his attention and his unique spirited touch that often turned them from faint hopes for change to dreams at long last come true. whether it was an increase in the minimum wage, equal rights for all americans, or the effort to reform our nion's health care system, which was his greatest dam, ted operated at one speed and one direcon, that was full speed ahead. and it always found him makg progress on the task at hand. over the years, i was fortunate to have an opportunity to work with him on a number of issues

that were of great importance to us both. he knew that we had to have a bill to get this side to agree on it and i was fortunate to have a sense of what it would take to get votes from my side. so together, we were able to craft several bills that were able to move through committee and make ht to the senate floor. when i served as the chairman of the senate committee on health, education, labor and pensions, the partnership had foreigned over the years andelped up -- forged over the years and helped to us compile a record of which we were both very proud. we passed 35 bills out of committee and 27 of them we signed into law by the president. most of them passed unanimously. i remember attending a bill signing with the president during which he remarked, "your committee is the only committee sending me anything." we checked and he was right, and that was due in large part to ted's willingness to work with us toet things done. in the years to come, i know i'll always remember two stories about ted. one was the time when we were working together on a mine safety law. nothing had been done in that area for almost 30 years.

e average bil around here takes about six years to pass. thanks to ted, we got that one done in six weeks. and it's made a difference. another had to do with my first legislative initiative after i arrived, a new sworn-in freshman senator. i knew that ted had quite a good rking relationship with my predecessor, al simpson, so as i began to work on an osha bill, a safety bill i, started scheduling my sessions with my colleagues on the bil committeeo discuss the bill and go through section by section. i knew ted's support would be instrumental in my efforts to pass the bill and would be necessary to be successful. so i arranged toeet with him. he opened t meeting by presenting me with some press clippings he had collected about my mother's award as mother of the year. that impressed me. and showed me how heept up on anything that was of importance to the people he worked with, both members and staff. then he spent a great deal of time going over the bill with me

section by section. he helped me to make it a winner, and although the bill as a whole did not pass, several sections of it made it into law. i found out later that it wasn't the way things were usually done around here and that in all the years ted had beenn the senate, no one had gonever a bill with him a section at a time probably didn't need to. that start a friendship between us and a good working relationip with him that we both cherished. i tried to be a good sounding board for him and he always did the same for me. our friendship can be best summed up in the d ted came to my office and presented me with a photo of the university of wyoming football helmet next to the harvard football helmet with the inscription, "the cowboys and the crimson make a great team." we did and i always remember his thoughtfulness and kindness in reaching out to me. ted was o of those remarkable individuals who made those he worked with more productive. he was a man of exceptional abilities and he was blessed to have a truly remarkable helpmate by his side. vicki is a woman of great

strength who brought a renewed focus and direction to ted's life. she was his most trusted coidant, his best friend and a wellspring of good advice and political couns. he would have never been all that he was without her and she'll forever be a special part of his life story. for the enzis will always remember how thoughtful he was when my grandchildren were born. he was always excited about it as i was. he presented me with a gift for each of them that will always be a cherished reminder that ted had a great appreciation for all of us and he treated both members and staff with the same kindness and concern. actually, we got irish mist training pants for each of them as they were -- as they were born. when ted was asked during an inrview what he wanted to be most remembed for, he said he wanted to make a difference for our country. he was abl to do that and so much more. he will be missed by us all and he will never be forgotten. all tse who knew and loved him will always carry a special memory with us of how he touched our lives as he tried to make

our nation and the world a better place. i'd ask that the balance of my speech be included in the record. the presiding officer: without objection,o ordered. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from wasngton is recognized. mrs. murra thank you, mr. president. you know, when i was young, ted kennedy was larger than le. i was just 12 years old when he was first elected to the senate as the youngest son of a political dynasty that seemed to dominate the television each night in my house and the newspapers every day. at first, he served in the shadow of his older brothers. but as i grew up, the youngest brother of the kennedy family did too in front of the entire nation. for me and so many others, ted kennedy became a similar bowl of perseverance over tragedy. from his walk down pennsylvania avenue at the side of jacquine nnedy to the heartbreaking speech that he delivered at his brother bobby's funeral, to his pledge to carry on the causes of those who had championed his bid

for the presidency, ted kennedy routinely appeared before the american people with great courage at the most trying times. and all the while he was also standing up this chamber each day with that same grit and determination to fight for the people of massachusetts and the nation. on issues from protecting the environment, to civil rights, to increasing the minimum wage, to health care, he was a passionate and unmatched advocate and leader. and so it was with a lifetime of watching senator kennedy with admiration from afar, i arrived here as a freshman senator in 1993. by the time i was elected, ted was already well on his way to becoming one of the most powerful and influential senators of all time. so i couldn't believe it when i first walked out on to this floor and he walked over personally to me.

for me, that would have been enough. the line of the senate -- the lion of the senate reaching tout rookie. but to ted kennedy, it wasn't. through calls to my office, discussions here on this floor, and by taking me under his wing on the senate "help" committee, he became a friend, a mentor, and sooner than i could ever imagined, a courageous partner on legislation that i cared deeply about. mr. president, as a state senator in washington, i had worked very hard before i got here to successfully change the state laws in washington on family and medical leave. it was an issue that was extremely personal to me. my father had been diagnosed wi multiple sclerosis when i was very young,nd since that time, my mother had always been his primary caregiver. but a few years before i ran and came a u.s. senator, my mother had a heart attack and had to undergo bypass surgery. suddenly, my six brothers and sisters and i were faced with

the question of who was going to take time off t care for the people we loved the most, the people who care for us for too long. a family leave policy wld have allowed any of us just a few weeks necessary to see them through their medical crisis. but at the time, none was available. so after running and winning and coming here to the united states senate, the family and medical leave act was bill i wanted to stand up and fht for. ands it turne out, it was the first bill we csidered. and senator kennedy was here managing that bill on the senate flr, and i found out he, too, had a personal connection to that bill. i well remember one day wn senator kennedy pulled me aside to tell me about how he had spen a lot of time with his own son in the hospital fighting cancer and how he' met so many ople at that time who couldn't afoafford to take time off to ce

for their loved one and how some were forced to quit their jobs to take care of somebody they loved because they were sick. he told me thatogether we were going to work hard and get this bill passed. and then he showed this rookie how you do it. week after week, he fought against bad amendments to get the votes we needed to pass it. he bleed just the right mix of patience and passion. he spoke out loudlyn speeches when he needed to, and he whispered into the ears of his colleagues when that was called for. and a few days after senator kennedy pledged to me we would get it done, we did. through that effort and more battles on this floor, i learned so much from him and so have all of us. because more than almost anyone, senator kennedy knew the senate. he knew how to mae personal friends even with those he didn't agree with politically. he knew how to reach out and find ways to work with people to get them to compromise for the

greater good. and he knew when not to give up. he knew when to change the pace or turn the page to get things done. henew when to go and sit down next to you or pick up the phone ancall you. he knew how to legislate. and because o that, he built an incredible legacy. and, mr. president, it's a legacy that will not only live on here in the senate chamber, where he was so wl loved and respected, it's a legacy that is going to live on in the classrooms across america where kids from head start to college have benefited from his commitment to opportunities and education. it's going to live on in manufacturing floors where @e fought for landmark worker safety protections. it's going to live on in our hospitals, where medical research that he championed is saving lives every day. it will le on in courtrooms, where the legacy of discrimination was dealt a blow

by his years of service on our judiciary committee. and it will live on in voting booths, we are fought for our most basic rights in a democracy to be protected and expanded for decades. and it will live on in so many other places that were touched by his service, his passion, and his giant heart and senator kennedy fought for and won so man good battles but for many of us he worked with, it may be the small moments that will be remembered. the percent senate touch he brought not only to legislating but to life. mr. president, as i mentioned a moment ago my mom had to take care of my dad for most of his life. his multiple scleros confined him t a cheel cir and sha one of the few and maybe the only tim she did leave my dad was when i was elected to the united states senate and she

flew all the way out here from washington state to washington, d.c. to see me be sworn in. to my mom, ted kennedynd his family were amazing individuals who she followed closely roughout their lives and through their triumphs and of course throughragedy. after i was sworn in here and my mother was in the gallery watching, we walked back over through the halls of congress and back to my office expo shortly after that we had a vestor: senator kennedy came over to my office and gave my mom a huge hug. i will never forget the look on her face, the tears in her eyes, the clear disbelief that she had met ted kennedy and it was overpowering. it was a moment i will never forget for my mom and it is certainly i will never forget that moment if with my friend ted kennedy. i will miss him.

our country will miss him. as he remindeds in the claim out speech he delivered last summer in denver, the torch has been passed to a new generation and the wk begins anew. so today as we honor all of his contributions to the senate and the nation we must also remember to heed that brave final call and continue his fight for all those who cannot fight for themselves. thank you,r. president. i yield the floor. mr. schumer: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from new york is recogniz. mr. schumer: i thank my friend and colleague, senator murray for his heartfelt words and all of my colleagues. the love we all felt and feel for ted kennedy is genuine. it's person to person because

that's how he was. there is so much to say. i know we are limited in time. we could speak forever. every one of us could speak forever about ted kennedy because he had so many interaions with each of us. it's amazing that every person has a long list of stories in this body and thousands of people in massachusetts and thousands more throughout america you would think there were 20 ted kennedys. he had so much time for the small gesture that mattered so much such as t hug going out of his way to go to a reception and hug patty murray's mom. it happened over and over and over again soe could each speak forever. our time is limited, we are going to shut off debate soon and others want to speak so i will put all of my remarks in the record and touch on a few things. but i could speak forever about ted kennedy.

i thought of him every day while he was alive and i think of him every day that he is gone and had a deem about him the other nighthere, typically, he was taking me around to various places in boston and just explaining a little bit about each one with a joke, with a smile, with a remembrance. there's also nothing that we can sayecause nothing is going to reple him. no words can come close to equaling the man. mr. president, you read about history and you read about the great people in the senate, the websters, the clays, the lafayettes, the wagners -- what a privilege it was for somebody like myself, a kid from brooklyn, father was an exterminator, never graduated from college, and i was in the

presence and was actually a friend to a great man. i think,ou know, you can't say i don't think i could say that really about anyone else. and it's amazing. what i want to tell t american people, you all read about it and there were the good times and the bad times and the brick bats that were thrown at him -- not so much recently but in the early days -- but when you are in the senate you know people peonally and within you are in our walk -- when you are in our walk of life you know people personally and you meet a lot of famous people. some are disappointing, the more you see them, the less you want to know them. with ted kennedy the more you saw him the closer you get, the better he looked. he had flaws but he was

flawless. and he was such a genuine person and such a caring person and such an honorable and decent man that i just wish that my children had gotten to know him, that my friends had gotten to know him that all of my 19 million constituents got do know him the way i did. what a guy. there are so many stories and so many memories. one day ted and i sat next to each other, i used to sit over there, and it was one of the vote-a-ramas, a long session. i said to ted, and we koiblly occasionally went to the hideaway to talk, and i said why don't we bring some of the freshman -- a couple of years ago and i regret you, mr. president, and the senator fr oregon and the class of

2008 did not have that experience -- and we want up to the hideaway and he would tell us stories and talk about the pictures on the wall and tell each person in really caring detail what he picture meant, what he replica meant. he would tell jokes and lgh. and his caring for each person in that room -- these were the new freshman -- was genera genu. he did it regularly. these were freshman members of the senate. d didn't really need them. he could get whatever he had to get done and they would support him. but he just cared about them. as if they were almost family. and then whenever we had a late night we would sort of gather and i would be the emissary and go to ted and say, can we go upstairs? of course. and amy klobuchar and sherrod

brown and bob casey, their faces would lloyd up and up we would go to hear more stories about the past, the senate, and the individuals, a memory ne of us will ever forget. and ted kennedy would size people up early on and care about them. he was very kind to me but he also knew that i was the kind of guy he had to pu in his place. i would get hazed by ted kennedy and jay rockefeller went through the same thing. he knew who i was but he deliberately would not mention my name. we would be standing together and he wouldcy, senator mikulski, will do this and accept harkin you will do this and senator conrad u will do that and i as the last one and he said the others will do this. it was fun, he did it with a twkle in his eyend we loved, he and i, the give-and-take, brooklyn-bosto the first year i was here, the

red sox were pleaing th were pls in playoffs game. ted and i made a bet. he said the loser will have to hold the pennant of the losing time offer his head and recite "casey at the bat," on capitol hill and we had the bet, the yankee won and heas faining fear, this man who had been through everything. we went out on the stops he was hiding behind me, i have a picture of it on my wall and we were joking and laughing and he did his duty. and i was just a freshman senator, sort of like patty or anybody else, he went out of his wayor a of u he wou tell me to remember the

birthdays and the individual happenings in each senator's life and go over and say something to them. it was his way of teaching me and done like a father. 12 an amazi -- he was an amazing person. the closer you got to him the better he looked as a legislator and as a giant in our history and all the history books recorded and people have referred to his accomplishments but i just want to share with people how it was in person, just on one-on-one, you could ba senator or two guys on the street corner and he was fun and he was caring and he was loving. he was a big man but his heart was much bigger than he was. he loved almost everybody. he saw the good in people and brought it out. he saw the faults in people and in a strong but gentle way tried

to correct them. he was great on the outside and he was even more great on the inside. i see my colleagues are waiting so i will part with this million i. ted and i became good friends and, you know, spent time together in many different ways. when he got sick i felt bad like we all did and would clim every so often. this was october of last ar he was ill but he was, you know, still in strong health. and i called him a couple of days before it was october and i said we have a dsc event in boston and i thought i would call and say hello and let him know i would be in his territory and he said, what are you doing before the event and he said why don't you come out to the

compound at hyannis. i did. he picked me up at the ain't. i flew -- at the airport. i flew in, on a little plan he was in his hat and happy as could be, full vim and vigor, and it is obvious why he wasn't afraid of death. you know urself and you know you have done everything he has done on both a personal basis and as a leader you are not afraid of dea. anyway, heasn't at all talking about that. weere suppod to go out sailing but it was too windy so we had lunch, he vicky and i, clam chowder and he lived in the big hse on the compound the one you see in the pictures. but he took me to the house by the side. that was the house where president kennedy lived because

when he was president, joseph p. kennedy, ted's father, lived in the little house. for about three hours he opened all these drawers and closets on the walls and in each one, in loving, teaching, detail talked to me about the history of the family and of boston and what happened from mayor honeyfitz through his father and ted growing up, laughing and reminiscing and about president kennedy as he was growing up and then, as president, in this little house and all the way through to ted. and he was sort of passing on

the memories and he did it again out of just subsequent rost gent and friendship. he was just a great man. and every one of us know his greatnessas not just the public eyes but in the private, one on one, a great man. the term is overused. there aren't many. he was one. i was privileged to get to know him, to get to be his friend, to stand in that large shadow, learn from it and just enjoy it and to love him. so ted, you'll always be with us. they may take those flowers off the desk and they may take the

black crepe off the desk but you will always be here for me, for all of us and for our coury. i yield the floor. mr. merkley: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from oregon is recognized. mr. merkley: phank you, mr. president. i rise today to remember and honor our colleague, senator edward kennedy. i dirst had the pleasure of hearing senator kennedy speak in 1976. i had wanted to come out to washinon, d.c., to see how our nation operates. i'd had the great privilege of serving as an intern for a senator from my home state, senator hatfield. my father had always tald about senator kennedy. senator kennedy, as someone who spoke for the disenfranchised, someone who spoke for the

disposed, someone who cared abou the workingman, so i was looking forward to possiy meeting him or at least hearing him. and lo and behold i foindz out that he was scheduled to speak as @art of a serie of lectures to the interns that summer, and so i made sure to get there early and what followed was exactly the type of address that you might anticipate: a roaring voice a passionate spirit, a principled esentation of the challenges we faced to make our society better. i walked out of that lecture and thought, thank goodness, thank goodness we have letters like senator kennedy -- leaders like senator kennedy fighting for the working people, the challenged, the dispossessed in our society. throughhat summer each time i heard that senator kennedy was

on the floor, i triedo slip over and go up to the staff section so i could sit in and see a little bit of the light in the senate in action -- of the lion in the senate in action. well, through that time i never anticipated that i'd have the chance to come back and serve here i the u.s. senate with senator kennedy, but 33 years later this last january when i was sworn in, that unanticipated miraculous event of serving with him occurd. i wanted to tk to him about the possibity of joining his health, education, and labor committee, a committee where so many battl for working americans, so many battles for disenfranchised americans are waged. and so wh some trepidation i approach him on the floor here

to speak with him and asked if he hought i might be able to serve on that committee, he might whit per in the ear of our esteemedajority leader in that regard, if he thought i might serve well. and it was with some pleasure that weeks later i had a message on my phone in which he went on at some length welcoming me to that committee. and it was the first committee to which i received an assignment here. and i couldn't have been more excited and more pleased. i didn't have a chance to have a lot o conversations with senator kennedy. i was very struck when 00 bit more than -- when a bit more than a month ago his staff contacted me and said that in conversation with senator

kennedy that they were wondering if i might like to carry on the torch on the employment nondiscrimination act, the civil rights measure that he cared a great deal about. they were asking me because this is aattle that i had waged in the oregon legislature. it had been a hard battle, fought over a number of years rs and a battle that we won. and i was more an excited, more th honoredo help carry the torch on such an important civil rights measure. and i hope'll be able to do that in a way that he would have been satisfied and pleased. the senator from new york, senator schumer, talked about the many conversations that to place in senator kenne les hideaway with freshmen senators and stories passed on. i didn't goat share much in those types of conversations,

but as we were wokin working onh care, senator kennedy invited a group of us to his hideaway to brainstorm and through the course of about two hours we went through many, many of t features and challenges antnd hw we might be able to go forward and binly realized that dream of affordable, accessible health care for every single american. when the meeting concluded, i d a chance to speak with senator knedy about the picture he had on his wall of hi beautiful yacht mya. now, senator kennedy and i both have a passion sailing. it connected u across the generation. it connected us from the west coast to the east coast. it connected us between the son

of a mill worker and the son of a u.s. senator. it was magic to see the twinkle in his eye as he started to talk about his love of sailing, some of the adventures that he'd had son -- that he'd had on various boats with friends and family. i asked him if he wereware of one of my favorite stories, not a bu biography writteny capital joshua slow couple. now, joshua slocum had been raised in a large family, in my rellection, a family of no great means. as a young boy he was a cabin boy or deck hand and learned to sail the tall ships. over time he advanced in the

ranks until eventually he was the captain of a merchant tall-masted ship. and he had amassed some considerable amount of investment and value and loaned share that ship and when the ship went down, he lost everything. of his possessions.he lost all and so he was up in new england wrestling with how to overcome this tragedy and what to do with his lif and captain slo croovmenlocum hadthe kernel of . he was offered a shirntion a modest boat between 2 and 30 feet long, single-masted. he later overhauled it and added an aftermast. but he thought, i could rebuild this ship. he said he rebuilt it -- captain slocum, he rebuilt it all but

the name. the name "the spray" stayed from beginning to the end. and he rebuilt it and went to seto fish. it wasn't to his likinguch. captain slocum had an idea, that he's going to perhaps sail around the world. why not just sail right out are across th the atlantic? and it was a revolutionary idea because no one had ever tried to sail around the world by themselves bay single person. but he -- by a single person. but he set off. i went to europe. i tell you this story at some length because senator kenne knew this story well. we eoyed sharing pieces of it back and forth p. he had gone forth in 1895 and taken three years to circumnavigate the globe and cme back to new angland three years later in 1898, well more than a century ago. and people around the world were astounded to see him sailing into a harbor all by hiself,

having crossed the broad expanses of ocean. well, in some ways the life of captain slocum reresents a version of the life of senator kennedy, someone who faced great adversity, who faced great tredy, looked at all of that and said, "i'm going to go forward. i'm going to go forward and do something bold, something important." and the for senator kennedy, it wasn't literally sailing around the world, but it was sailing through a host of major issues that affect virtually eve facet of our lives, certainly the issue of public service, the national service act, the issue of mental health and the issue

of health care and the issue of education and others who have served with him have spoken far in more detail and eloquently than i everould. but i just want to say to senator kennedy, thank y for your life of service. than you for overcoming adversity. senator, take a bold journey, a journey that has touched every one of our lives. thank you for reaching out to converse with this son of a mill worker from oregon who felt so privileged to be here on t floor and to have just a few months with him, this master of the senate, and to hopefully carry some of the passion and the principle tt he so embodied@ froord.

thank you, mr. president. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the junior nor from georgia is recognized. . isakson: thank you mr. president. i rise to te t distinct statements and ask unanimous consent thathey be -- that theyppear separately in the record. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. isakson: mr. president, the senate this week and the whole world -- or at least the united states of arica -- and iish thehole world -- were remembering back to what happened on 9/11/2001 in the united stas of america. yesterday most appropriately in this capitol just outside of the rotunda, the senate and house jointly commemorated the flight. 33 passengers who risked and lost their lives, what was the worst day in american history

noorks the first victory with the war with terror. on that plane were many ameriaans who at the last minute had changed their flights, weren't originally scheduled to take that plane but changed it because of various reasons. maybe it was fate. don't know what it was. but one of the individuals on that flight was jeorgine corrigan. she lived in honolulu, a really world renowned antiques dearly. she feels the sister of robert marriset who lives in woodstock, georgia juror. yesterday for the first time i had the owe case indication to meet him he's traveled to washington to see thenveiling of that remarkable marker now haing in the united states capitol. in the few moments i hado share th h, he shared with me his love for his sister but his profound pride f what the people on that plane had done that day. because many of us who are here today in this capitol may not

have been here in this capitol had they not been able to take the plane down and take it away from the terrorists had had hijacked it. so as we remember the tragedy of 9/11, as we recommit ourselv as americans to never, ever have again, it is important that we remember each and every individual who lost their life in the tragedies of 9/11, whether it was in new york city, whether it was the pentagon, or whether it was in shanksville, pennsylvania. it was a tragic day in our country, a day that opened wh great hope of blue skies and a warm oht t -- a crisputumn bree and heed in the most tragic day in american history. i am proud of the house and nate for the honor they bestowed on flight 93 yesterday and encourage all of us in this body to never, ever forget the tragedy of that day and to renew our commitment to see to it that it never happens again.

mr. president, there a second tribute i'd likto make, and it is a happy tribute to a young lady by the name of melanie oudin. she is 17 years old, born in my hometown of marietta, georgia. she has a pair of tennis shoes that have the word "believe" o it. she started competing in tennis years ago. she was thought to be pretty good. so her parents from the seventh ade on home is-schooled her so she'd have enough time every day to practice. well, were they ever correct. as i'm sure the president knows a few weeks ago at wimbledon, this amazing young lady, 17 years old, 5' 6" took on the worlof tennis and moved to the quarter finkals at wimbledon. along the way she beat the former world number one. she made all the newspapers, all the sports shows. but was she a flash in the pan? no. what happened this last couple of weeks in new york city at the

u.s. open proved this girl is the real deal, because she advanced again to the quarterfinals, again defeating numberne players and former number-one players like maria sharapova.she didose in the quarterfinals, but she will eventually get to the top because e believes, she's committed an she's dedicated and she has the support and love of a great family. she lives soon to play in quebec city. she will probably move from 70th in the world to 45th in the world. i'm confident that with her dedication an commitment, she will soon rise to number one. i pay tribute to the lady of my hometown, ms. melanie oudin. i yield back the balance of my time.

a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senior senator from north dakota is recognized. mr. conrad: mr. president, i than the chair. i want to rise today to thank our colleague, senator kennedy. there's a newspaper in the cloakroom that has ted's picture. and it has a quote from ted. and it reads this way -- "since was a boy, i had known the joy of sailing the waters off of cape cod. and for all of my years in public life, i have believed that america must sail toward the shores of liberty and justice for all." he wt on to say: "there is no en to that journey, only the next great soyage." -- voyage."

i would like to think that ted is on that next gat voyage now. i remember being sworn in in 1987. ield a reception at a little restrant close by with friends and family from north dakota. i'll never forget. it was packed. you couldn't move. so many people had come from north dakota to be with me, family mbers from all over the family mbers from all over the to -- cousin of mine coming up to me so excited and he said to me: senator kennedy's here. i hadn't known he was coming. that w so typical of ted, reaching out tohe most junior of us, because he would know what his presence would mean. my family had been longtime supporters of the kennedys and it meant so much to my family

for him to be there that day. and that was so typical of him. tang time to do things that he knew would mean a lot to others even when it was inconvenient for him. the thing i remember and will remember the most abo ted is his humanity. that smile, that twingle in his eye, that -- twingle in his eye, that mischievous grin that would come over his face when he would comment what was going on here late at night, sometimes this place, you know, defies that sense of description. he maintained that sense of humor, that joy in life. and he communicate he made all of us feel like we were part of something important, something big. and when somebody in this senate

family had a problem, had a challenge, had a medical issue, very often ted was the first to call. i had someone in my family who had health issues and somehow ted found out and kind of sid ce up to me on the floor and said, i know that you have someone with a serious health issue. i know yust haveoctors, you but if you need additional assiance or a second opinion and you want to find people w are experts in this area, i'd be glad to help. that was ted kennedy. over an over reaching out to -- afd over reaching out to others, trying to help, trying to provide eouragement, trying to provide a lift. that was ted. i remember so well about a decade ago when we were engaged legislation on tobacco.

and we had a ccumstance in which there was a -- an important court decision and there had to be laws passed to dealith it. and i was asked to lead a task force here in the senate to try to bring together different sides to deal with tha legislation. of course ted kennedy had been for a long time a leader on those issues as was senator frank lautenberg. and there were others as well. ted far outstpped me in seniority and, yet, i was asked to lead this taskforce, and he came to me and said, sig me up as a soldier in your effort. and w had dozen of meetings. and ted was always there. pitching in, helping to make a difference even when he wasn't

the person leading the effort. somebody much more junior -- of course, he had many other responsibilities. but over and over and over coming up, stepping up, helping out. there was nothing small about ted kennedy. he had big plans. big ambitions. big hopes and a bigpirit. and he was alws reaching out to evenhe most junior of us to help out, to connect, to be supportive, and to show how much he cared about what we were doing and to give us a sense of how we were fitting in to making history. because ted also had a big view -- a big view of the importance of the role of the united states

sdnate in making history. and a sense of how criti criticy important the decisions that were being made in this chamber. there was nothing small about ted kennedy. when he was engaged in negotiations, i'll never forget him saying to me: keep your eye on whats possible. keep your eye on what is possible. you kw, we might want to accomplish more, but take what you can get to advance the cause to make progress, to improve the human condition, to make this a better place. that's what ted kennedy had in mind. i want to just close. i see colleagues who are here wishing to speak as wel my favorite line from a speech

by ted kennedy were at the 1980 convention when he closed with these words. "for all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cau endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die." ted, the dream will never die. you're always in our thoughts. i yield the floor.

a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from michigan is recognized. ms. stabenow: thank you, mr. president. i appreciate the opportunity to be here wh colleagues, and i so appreciate the senator from north dakota's words and the senator from new york and all of our other colleagues that have been here talking about our friend and colleague, the great senator from massachusetts. i think for me, being in my second term, still a relative newcomer here, one of the greatest honors of my life has been the opportunity to work with and become friends with senator ted kennedy. i often hae been asked, you know, what was the most surprising or exciting thing about being in the senate, and i always referred to ted kennedy. and not only knowing him and the larger than life way he's been described, which is also true,

but fore the images are of sitting in a small room going over amendnts on the patients bill of rights when i was in my first term and having the reat ted kennedy, not his staff, but ted kennedy sitting in a room with advocates talking about how we needed to mobilize and get people involved and what we neaded to do to get -- needed to do to get votes or how to write something. doing the work behind-the-scen behind-the-scenes. ted kennedy, because of who he was, his family, his -- rtainly great leadership knowledge and extension -- his time here, his length of time here could have simply stood up on the floor and made eloquent speeches, which he always did, that booming voice in the back

that would get louder and louder and lder as he became more involved in what he was talking about. he could have just done that, and that would haveeen an incredible contribution to the senate. but that's not what he did. he was as involved behind-the-scenes in getting things done me so than in the public eye. he worked hard and showed all of us an example of someone who was dedicated to the details to the advoca as well as to what was happening on the floor of the united states senate. very, verymportant lesson for all of us. as chair of the steering an outreach -- and outreach

committee for our senate majority, one of my responsiblities is to bring people with various interests together. usually on a weekly basis to meet with members on issues from education to health care, clean energy, a civil rights, veterans. and people always wanted to have te kennedy in the room. and, again, as a very senior member with tremendous responsibiliti, chairing the "help" committee, all of the other responsibilities that he had, he could have easily said to me: you know, i'm just not going to be able to do that. we'll have moreunior members come and join in these meetings. but he came over andver and over again. and one of the things that we joked about all the time is that he wld see me coming and say: i know, i know, there's a

meeting tomorrow. i'll be there. i'll be there. he was someone who gave his all at every moment and he also understood that people needed and wanted to see him, to hear hi and the important leadership role that he had here. importance to people. and he treated everyone the sa. he was committed to a vision of makingmerica the best it could be. where every child would have the chance to grow up and be healthy, succeed in life, have a job, and at the end of life, a pension and retirement and to be able to live with dignity. his service was great, but his legacy is even greater.

and i believe h challenge to each of us is even greater. it's true that in nearly every -- nearly every bill passed -- every major bill in the last 47 years bears some mark from senator ted kennedy. the civil rights act, the voting rights act, meals for the elderly, the women, infants program and violence against women and title 9 which has given so many women and girls to participatend move through education at the highest levels, including the united states supreme court, as well as the wonderful athletic abilities we have seen. children's health insurance; americorps, mental health parity

act, leglation to allow the f.d.a. to regulate tobacco, the ryan white comprehensive aids act, americans with disabilities. it goes on and on and on. these are just a few of the hundreds of bills that senator kennedy sponsored or cosponsored during h time in the senate. in each and everi one of those bills made america a little bit better. his comtment to achieve the best of america for every child, every family, every worker was unmatched. we reay have lost the lion of the senate, and he will be sorely missed. personally, i've lost a friend, someone who i have the highest personal respect for, but someone who i cared deeply about

as a person. to vicki, to the family, weive ou lovend affection, and thanks for sharing him with us. in his maiden speech in the senate, senator kennedypoke of his brother's legacy. today the same words can be spoken about him. if his life and death had a meaning, it was that we should not hate, but love one another. we should use our powers not to create the conditions of oppression that lead to violence, but conditions of freedom that lead to peace. ted, we'll miss you. thank you.

. president? the presiding officer: the senator from michigan is recognized. ms. stabenow: i would ask unanieous consent that at:30 today the senate resume executive session in consideration of the nominatio of cass sunstein,nd that all postcloture time be yielded back except for 75 minutes, with that time equally divided and controlled, the te between senator lieberman and the republican leader or his designee, that at 3:45 p.m. the senate proceed to voten confirmation of the nomination, that upon the confirmation, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, no further motions being in order, the presint be

immediately notified of the senate's action and the senate resume legislative session. that upon resuming legislative session, the senate proceed to the consideration of calendar 153, h.r. 3288, the department of transportation housingnd urban development and related encies. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. ms. stabenow: i would ask -- i would suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: morning business is closed. under the previous order, the senate will proceed to executive session to consider the following nomination which the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination: executive office of the president. cass r. sunstei of massachusetts, to be administrator of the office of information and regulatory affairs, office of management and budget. ms. tabenow: i would suggest the absence of a quorum and ask the time be charged equally to

both sides. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered, and the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: mr. brown: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from ohio.

mr. brown: thank you, madam president. i ask unanimous consent to vitiate the quorum call. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. brown: i ask unanimous consent to speak in morning business for no more than five minutes. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. brown: thank you, madam president. i was in the presiding officer's chair, and i thank the senator from michigan, ms. stabenow, for switching pces for a moment, and for her eloent speech and senator schumer and crad also, andenator merkley about senator kennedy. i wanted to tell two quick stories about him. i had the pleasur of serving on his committee from 2007 on. before we -- early in my first year in the senate, the senators, as some know around the count, and certainly all the members of the senate know, we choose our desks o the senate floor by seniority. in the first month or so of 2007, the fshmen, the other nine members of my class, the ten of us were choosing our seats on the senate floor. you look around the senate chamber, there's no really bad

place to sit. i began to pull my -- i heard from a senior member that senators carve their names in their desk drawe sort of like high school perhaps. iegan to pull the drawers open on some of the desks not yet chosen. i pulled open this drawer here. it had hugo black of alabama, f.d.r.'s favorite southern senator who introduced legislation for the six-hour work day, making president roosevelt's eight-hour work day bill seem less radical. senator green from rhode island who came in the 1960's and served more than t decades. senator al gore sr. from tennessee. then it just said kennedy without a state or without a first name. i asked ted to come over a look. i said, ted, which brother is this? which brother's desk is this? he said it's bobby's desk. i have jack's desk. i, of cours fell in love with this desk and got the opportunity to have sat here for

e last three years. the other real quick story about setor kennedy. i knosenator k is scheduled to speak. i as others were invited from time to time to go up to his study just off the senate floor, one floor above us, just outside the chamber, to talk to him and hear him tell stories until late in the evening as we were voting sometimes until midnight or 1:00 or 2:00. what struck me about the study we the photos on the wall. eachhoto pictured peoe we all recognize: president kennedy, joe kennedy, rose kennedy, ethyl kennedy, bobby kennedy. eunice kennedy shriver, all the people we recognized, but ted kennedy said to us these are my family photos. thes were people we recognized in the photos, but i had never seenhese photos. none of us had. these weren't the photos in ife" magazine. these were the photos of the kennedy family. what impressed me about that was

they were the kennedys at hyannis port, the kennedys sailing, the kennedys at the capitol, the kennedys at the white house. what really impressed me was ted kennedy coulhave given up. he could have gone back to an easy life, particularly after the as as nation of robert kennedy in 1968. it would have been so easy for him to walk away from this job, from this kindf life, from the danger he faced. and instead he stayed and he fought. and he had everything anybody could hope for in life. he had a loving familyhat cared so much about him. he had all the wealth he needed, and the lifestyle that s many would have been so tempted by. but instead hetayed and served right up until his death. and that says to me everything that i love about ted kennedy and everything that we all need to know about senator kennedy. thank you, madam president. senator kyl, thank you for giving me the time. mr. kyl: madam president?

i say to my colleague from ohio, i commented o theame point. it's pretty obvious, but senator kennedy could have, because of who he was, done just about anything. he certainly wouldn't have had to work as hard as he did. but i have never known a harder-working senator than senator kennedy. it validates the point my colleague was making. i want to sak about the nomination that is pending before us and we'll soon be votingn, professor cass sunstein. his academic credentials are impressive. he's been a prolific writer on a variety of topics. he's had interesting ideas on st-benefit analysis which i hope will be reflected in his approach as admistrator of the ofce of informaon and regulatory aairs, to which he's been nominated. but i find that some of the arguments he'sade in these writings and some of the positions he's taken are significantly outside the mainstream, and i wanted t refer to some of them.

his beliefs on animal rights, for example, one thing that's appeared prepetedly in his -- repeatedly in his writis and peaches is his belief that animals should have standing in court. he wrotehat we could even grant animals a right to bring a suit without insisting that animals are persons. we could retain the idea of property but also give animals far more protection against neglect of their interests. he goes on, it seems possible that before long congress will grant standing to animals in their own right. indeed i believe that in some circumances congress shouldo exactly that. to provide a supplement to limited public enforcement efforts. end of quote. in a paper for the university of chicago school of law, he wrote -- and i quote -- "represents of animals --epresentatives of animals should be ableo bring suits to ensure anticruelty and related laws are enforced. if a farm is treating horses cruelly, a suit could be brought on behalf of those animals."

of course, mr. president, no one favors animal cruelty. that is why there are laws against it. there's a big difference between having concerns about the treatmts of animals and taking pressor sunstein's position than an animal deserves a lawyer in court. an anil is not a person and can't function as alaintiff during a trial. laws and regulations that would give animals legal snding in court could open the door to a flood of ridiculous lawsuit that would wreak havoc on research labs, restaurants, farm and the like. imagine what would happen if a group wanted to represent lab rats or form chickens in a class action lawsuit. to even contemplate it seems ridiculous. if claims were found baseless in courts, someone, there would be farms, laboratories, business owners would still bear the costs of litigion. there may be room for this kind of hypothetical thinking in academia but it has no place in the executive bnchof the united states government especially in the top regulory office of the administration. as the discovery institute's

wesley schmitt has written on professor sunstein's position, it would do morehanlunge the entire anima industry into chaos. the perceived exception and importance of human life would suffer a blow by erasing one of the clear legal boundaries that distinguishes people from animals. end of quote. ofessosunstein was also out of the mainstream when in a 2003 paper called lives, life years and willingness to pay, he explains views on a life valuation system. he said no regulatory program makes people immortgage tall. the only issue is life extension. a program that saves 10,000 life years is better than one that saves 1,0 life years, holdinf all else constant. in welfare terms, a program that saves younger people is unquestionably better than one that saves older people. end of quote. mr. president, that's plainly not true if you believe in the moral eality of all lives.

while discussions about the valu of an older person versus a younger person's life may be acceptable inside the cozy confines of elite academic settings, they raise concerns when written by theson nominated to be the person's regulatory czar. this is especially true at a time whene're engaged in a debate over the future of our health care system and as congress considers several proposed bills that call for the administration to act on new health care regulations that could end up under the purview of oira, the agency to which h's been nominated. cost-benefit analysis is fine but not as means to ration health care, for example to america's elderly. professor sunstein's views call to mind the british basis for health care rationing, quality adjusted life years. it's the same concept. a younger person's life is worth more than an older person's life, and so we can ration care to the older person while providing the care to the younger person.

it's objectionable. it's wrong. it would he no place in america's health care delivery system. i'm also troubled by the outcome of a democratic retreat in which professor sunstein participated right after the 2000 election. as "the new york times" reported in may of 2001, the principal topic was forging a unified party strategy to combat the white house on judicial nonees. that is to say the bush white house. the strategy that resulted from this retreat led to two fundamental, a ielieve corrosive changes in the way judicial nominees are considered. the first was to encourage filibusters which were previously unknown for judges. the second was when voting for a judicial nominee, a senator should determine the political views of the nominee and vote against those with whom he disagrees. as the times reported one participant said of the panel discussion on which professor sunstein participated -- quote -- "they said it was important for the senate to change ground rules and there waso obligation to confirm someone

cause they are scholarly or erudite." the negative result of these changes was a hyperpartisan judicial confirmation process during the bush adminisation, bun that tarnish nominees and in which too many votes were determined by party affiliation and ideology. worthy nominees such as miguel estrada were filibustered and wrongfully denied confirmation vote. in conclusion, mr. president, i see this nomination as part of a brder pattern. one that shows the obama administration as repeatedly nominated or hired individuals with overl partisan or bixarre views. last week the facts came to light about the radical ideology andssociations of van jones, president obama's former green jobs czar not subject to the senate confirmation process. while he tri -- tried to explain away some of his views and assure senators that he won't try to apply his personal opinions as part of his official duties, i believe that professor sunstein's nomination

reects this administration's pattern of favoring out of the mainstream individuals for key jobs. if a republican judicial nominee harbored such views, i have no doubt that the participas at the democratic retreat in which professor sunstein participated would have found justification for a filibuster or negative vote notwithstanding his fine legal credentials. while i have serious concerns about the standard, democrats won that debate and now apply the standard. there cannot be one standard for democrats and one standard for republicans. therefor i must oppose this nomination.

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' mr. nelson: mr. president? thpresiding officer: the senior senator from florida nor is recognized. mr. nelson: mr. president, i wish t speak about the new senator,nd i wish to speak as if in morning business. the presidinofficer: without objection, so ordered. mr. nelson: mr. president, momentarily, the vice president of the unite states willrrive to conduct one of the most important and very signal events of an individual

this has been called one of the greatest debating institutions designed by mankind that ests on t face of thi planet. it is a great privilege to be a part o an institution that valees democracy, that values free debate, that values the opions of others, and in this mix of two senators representing each of our states, we come together to build consensus in

order to ld our part to this constitutional process. so for george lemieux, this is going to be a red-letter day for him. mr. president, i want to share with the senate that it is a privege for me to have the new senator as my colleague. our colleagues know the special relationship that i had with senator mtinez, who i've had th privilege of having a 30-year persol relationship witwith. and we continued that in our professional relationship here. and so now, with the new senator duelly appointed -- duly appointed, we now have him coming to join us in this august body representing our state of

florida and that opportunity is now upon us since the vice president has entered the chamber. mr. president, i yield the floor. the vice president:he chair lays before the senate a certificate of appointment to fill the vacancy created by the rasignation of senator mel martinez of florida. the certificate, the chairadvisd by the senate. if there is no objection, the reading of the cerficate will be waived andrinted in full the record. if the senator-designee will present himself at the desk, the chair will administer the oath.

the vice president: will you please raise your right hand and reap pete after me. actually, not repeat after me. raise your right hand. do you solemnly swear that you ll support and defend the constitution of the united states against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that you will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that you take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that you will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which you are about to enter, so help you god? mr. lemieux: i do. the vice president: congratulations, senator. congratulations.

. durbi mr. president? the presiding officer: the assistant majority leader is

recognized. mr. durbin: i suggest the absence of a quorum a ask that the time ring the quorum call be charged equally to both sides. the presiding officer: without objection, the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

mr. sessions: quorum call i ask unanimous consent the call of the quorube dispensed. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. sessions: mr. president, the nominee to be an adnistrator of the office of information a regulatory affairs, mr. cass sunstein is before the body. he is, will be, if confirmed, a part of the white house office of management and budget, will have a number of responsibilities. it's certainly a very significant position. this job has the responsibility of renewing all regulations proposed by all the departments and agencies of the government and the regulations they issue

are many. laws are passed if this congress, sometimes in haste, leaving the details of execution to the various agencies of our government: the department of defense, the department of homeland security, the department o agriculture -- all the agencies. they have powers to effectuate the statutesassed by congress. they set forth the details of how it's done. this are thousands o pages of regulations enacted every year. they are published in the federal register. no senator or congressman, to my knowledge, has of sat down and read the federal register. federal regulatnsave much the same force asaw. indeed, people can go to jail for violating federal regulations and do go to jl for federal regulations. some of this is, in fact, a product of necessity. federal government, you create a

park and when there's park open and people come in and liter or if people come in after hours they can be punished, arrested, and put if jail. often those regulations and the punishment are set forth through regulation and not through the stute that created the park to begin with. but it is a matter of real importance. persons who produce these regulations are nameless and faceless den citizens ofaceless. many of the drug rulations enforced by the drug enforcement administration are based on regulations they pass, not what was actually requid by t congress of the united states. major policy decisions are often put forth in that and are set

forth in tt fashion including environmental regulations, health care regulations and reimbursement rules and hospital requirements and financial institutions c be done through regulations and controlled through them. truly, there is a concern about the disconnect between the democratic accountability we a known for in our country and this process of administrative regulations. during president rgan's time, i believe, congress passed a law that created this office: the administrator for the office of information and regulatory affairs. the idea being to have another unelected bureaucrat -- and that's what this really is -- to be a central clearing house for all the propped regulations and to question the lawfulness or cost of the thousands of

regulations that are promulgated. it is an important position that can protect and at least somewhat ensure our constitutional liberties are not beg eroded. enter mr. sunstein, always interesting and takin positions that those on the last of which he clearly is a part disagree; and indisputedly a man of the left, however. possessing, addition, and having taken quite a number of positions some of which are etty shocking over the years. so i think it's not normally the kind of person you would appoint to this kind of green eye shade position of somebodyitting down on aaily basis reading

regulations and studying them and researching them to be a free spirit as our nominee is so i have concerned. over the course of his career in action deemia, professor sunstein had clearly aocated a number of positions that are outside, well outside, the erican mainstream while much of the criticism of his nomination, rightly, has focused on his animal rights advocacy where he, in effect, and plainly said, that he thought animals should be able to have lawyers appointed to defend their interests. these are controversial matters. but he has other legal writings that are controversial, also. and don't just deal with the question of animal rights. professor sunstein has taken, for example, a number of legal and public policy positions that

are troubling. especially for an office that sits at the vo vortex of the gulatory engine of america. i would like to highlight a few of those positions. in 28 book titled "nudge, improving decisions about health, wealth, and happiness," professor sunstn advocates an approach for law based on economic and behavioral principles which he dubs "libertarian paternalism," and the government can take steps to "nudge" individuals toward making what he wld say are better decisions. and at least what the government considers to be more desirable social behavior. professor sunstein aues that the governmentan achieve these goals while not being actively or at least obviously coercive.

his theory operates on the assumption that the average person is in his words "lazy, busy, impulsive, irrational and highly susceptible to predictable biases and errors." so the government needs to be a little paternalistic he suggests and take care of them and issue regulations and pass laws that keep them from doing things that some bureaucrat or som congressman thinks is not soblly desire. as professor sunstein argues, for too long the united states has been trapped in a debate between laissez faire types who believe markets will solve all our problems and the command and control typ who believe that if there is a market failure then you need a mandate. the lays fair typethe lays fair,

the mandate types are right that people are fallible and make mistakes a sometimes pple who are specialists know better and can steer people in directions that make their lives better. that is what he has written. presumably an his view the specialis would "know better" than ordinary americans are government bureaucrats. he seems to believe that americans are lazy and inert. i think this is not a healthy view. so i question whether anyone who thinks the americans are fundamentally lazy can perform his role as a gatekeeper of government regulatio the obama administration. professor sunstein'spproach is consistent with much of what we have seen from this administration i have to say which seems to believe that government conol of health care, the financial markets and the business community, is

generally preferable to free market policies. americans are not comfortable with this. i have been out having town hall meetings and inow they are not comfortable. according to recent polling 52% of voter worry t government will do too much to "help" the economy. a poll in june, 59% of voters believe that the finanal bailouts were a bad idea. the masters of the universe thought it would be great, spend $8 billion, the largest expenditure in the history of the american republic and every penny going to the national debt because we were already in debt and we have borrowed every penny of it. we have had have little stimulative effect from that and the american people are right about that. only 31% believe this stimulus bill haselped the economy.

and we don't need that poll to tell us how uncomfortable the american people are with the president's effort to overhaul health care so the american people ought to understand that if we confirm professor sunstein he will be the chief architect and gatekeeper over the relations that this administration will be attempting to implement in a myriad of areas, not just health care and fincial markets but agriculture, the environment, energy, a host of areas that impact the people of our country. his view makeim a person who ould not be in this position. profr sunstein is taken an extremely aggressive position with respect to abortion. under his views, laws

restricting access to abortion "coapcoopt women's bodies for te protection of fetuses," and this "selectily turnomen's reproductive capacities into sothing for the use and control of other" in his view "abortion should be seen not as murder of the fetus but, instead, as a refusal to continue to permit one's body to be used to provide assistance to it." failure to accept his views simply a product of one's accepting the preexisting baseline of woman as child rrier. the rol of involuntary child bearer is part of government's capacity to choose not to bear a

child involuntarily." i think this is a disturbingly far-reaching and excessive view on this important issue of abortion. it fails to recognize in any way the moral aspect of thisebate which has divided american since the supreme court decision in roe v. wadand i think that his view is, really, a -- really mocks those who have a different view based on their deep beliefs and analysis of what that life is tha is within the mother. what about the question affirmative action? we talked about that during the judge sonia sotomayor hearings and the firefighters' case. professor sunstein has taken an extreme view, i think, in these issues arguing that affirmative action programs "should generally not be thought to raise a serious constitutional

issue." in his view "the current distribution of benefits and burdens along bacial lines is an outgrowth of a long history of discrimination o professor sunstein has returned to this theme repeat through. in 1992, in an article, he again argued that existing law depends heavily on "existing distributions of weah and power." specifically, he argued thathe conservati objection to affirmative action programs -- namely that discrimination is discrimination r5rdless of the e pretext takes as a given existing distribution of wealth and power without considering the historical and legal context that led to those distributions. well, professor suchstein further argues that the

constitutional text imposes no clear ban on affirmative action. the constitution says everybody shall be given due process and equal protection of t laws. when you advantage one person because of their race you disadvantage another person because of their re. it's not a zero sum game. he goes on to say that -- quote -- "there is no clear moral argument that requires courts to treat affirmative action policies with great skepticism." close quote. in 1997 after the fifth circuit struck down the university of texas schl of law's quota affirmative action admissions policy as a violationf the equal protection clause of the united states constitution, professor sunstein dubbed the

fifth circuit decision in hotwood as hubristic and compared it to dred scott v. sanford stating -- quote -- "a court opini outlawing affirmative action is closely analogous to dred scott and defective, abusive overreaching for the same reason. it would be an amazing act of hubris close quote. as we discussed in some detail during the recent nomination of judge sotomayor, the supreme court's jurisprudence in this area requires any government discrimination -- and that's what happens when you have a quota -- that any discrimination by the government be subject to strict scrutiny of the courts, because on its face it seems to be unfai now, we know that, as a result of long-term systemic dirimination -- particularly against african-americans -- that courts have fou that to

remedy that it's perfectly all right to remedy this lack of equal protection by fixing that and imposing certain remedies that favor groups that have been discriminated against, as a remedial act. but when yo you're passed the remedial stage and you're in a stage of objecvity, as we have in most of america today, then if you favor one group or another, then the supreme court says that's got to be looked at under strict scrutiny. we've the g.a.o. to be careful you're -- we've got to be careful you're not overreaching here and it seems that mr. sunstein has no -- for that philosophy. he seems to hold the view that such discrimination is not only permissible but the strict scrutiny standard announced in

add regd did and and others cases is totally perfect. i question whether someone who holds these views should be put in the position to make the kind ever decisions he'll be making as the regulation czar, some might say. with regard to the nominations of federal judges, he's taken some positions, i think, that have been healthy for the country -- unhealthy for the country. back in 2001, "the new york times" had an article -- there was a very significant little articl it wasn't a big acialtion but it was very important -- it wasn't a big article,ut it was very important and significant. reported that professor s diseen along with professor tribe and marsha greenberger, lawyers all attende a private retreathe they lectured democratic senators on how to block republican judicial

nominees by --te -- "change the ground rules." the title of the article by neil louis "was democrats readying for a judicial fight." and indeed they d i think the senate has been less healthy as a result of what they accomplished through the filibuster of judges on a utine basis. again, according to "the new york times," it was reported th they argued at the meeting -- quote -- "that it was important for the senate to change the ground rules and therwhenthere was no longer an obligation to confirm stwun somee because they were scholarly orrudite." a month later professor sunstein and tribe along with ms. ms. greenberg were before the judiciary committee to testif aa hearing entitled "should ideology matter: judicial nominations for 21."

and they argued at that hearing that political ideology of nominees is a legimate issue for members to consider in that record. i think that's been unhealthy thing and we've had a number of debates and hearisn it since and i believe my democratic colleagues to their credi have sort of backed off from it. in other words, it's all right to dig deeply into a nominee's judicial philosophy and how -- were they committed to the law and how theyen vision e process of ierpreting the constitution. but it's quite another to say because you've got this political ideology or these views, that you can no longer be chosen to be someone who can decide cases fairly. because most judges have some personal views and they have to decide every case every day setting aside those personal views.

at t hearing i thought he made an odd statement to me. he said that the current supreme court -quote -- "has no left at all." close quote. he believes that the people who haveeen generally reported to be activist or liberals were centrists and that presumably, i guess, the bad folks on the court were the judges who lieve in forcing the law -- enforcing the law as written because of their personal views. indeed, he testified at tha hearing that -- quote -- "he can't think of a single nominee by president clinton to the lower courts who generally counts as a liberal." well, mr. sunsteinas a lot of ability. he has taken some position posin animal rights that are clearly

shocking and should not -- that are troubling in light of how important it is to have a person in this position who's got good judgment to render good decisions about the regulations that would impact every american in this country. so i don't have anything personal againsthis nominee. he's got many friends. he's a very prolific writer and commentator. but his view, i think, are outside the mnstream, and i will be voting against the nomination. i thank the chair and yield the floor. mr. burris: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. burris: madam president, i uld like too speak as if in

morning business. e presiding officer: without objection. mr. burris: thank you very much, madam president. it is with a heavy heart that i take the floor of the united states senate today. for each of the past 46ears this chamber has running with the words of a man who came to be known as the lion of the senate. but today that familiaroice has fallen silent. for the first time in a half-century, the senate returns to the work without edward m. kennedy. with his passing, our country has lost a true giant, a compassionate public servant who became a legend in his own time. a man whose legacy is bound up in the history of the united

states senate, whose life and works have touched everyone in america since the day he entered public service almost 50 years ago. over the course of his career, hen fced more -- he enforce mo legislation than just about anyone in history. he argued passionately for voting rightsnd helped exte the promise of our democrats to a -- of our democracy to a new generation. he spo out in defense of our constitution and the principles that fairness we hold so dear. time and again he raised his oming voice on behalf of the less fortunate. he protected the rights and interests of the disabled he extend health insurance coverage to children and fought to improve the american health care system, a struggle that would become the cause of his

life. but perhaps his greatest single achievement came early in his career when he stepped to the center of the national debate and led the fight against segregation and became a champion of the civil rights movement, leading its full compassion to a difficult and divisive issue. today we live in a nation that is more free, more fair, and more equal because of edward kennedy. he was the single-most effective united states senator of our time. he did more good for more people than anyone in the senate has known before. and it will be a very, very long time, madam president, before we see the likes of him again.

ted kennedy reminds us of the greatness that lives in our highest aspirations. he enjoyed wonderful triumphs and endured terrible tragedy. d through it all, he taught us to keep the fire burning, to confront every challenge with passion, with hope, and with undying faith in the country that we love so much. he reached across the aisle time and again. everyone said that compromise sn't possible. deated kennedy did the impossib. partisan politics divided conservatives from liberals and republicans from democrats. ted kennedy was always there to bring us together in the servi of the american people. i firstet ted kennedy in 1962

when his brother was president and ted was a young man runng for the united states senate. i was a legal iurn at the white house, a second-year law student at howard university. for me, the chance to serve the edy administration and to meet all three kennedy brothers was a remarkae, inspiring part of my early career in public service. i had the for the national to -- i was for the not to have the service of senator kennedy again when i was unrunning for reelection for state conservator of the state of illinois. i was up for reelection and i had a major fund-raiser rmingt i needed a big draw to come and help mraise funds. someone said, well, there is a senator from massachusetts named ted kennedy. he'll come helpou. i said, no. no senator of his caliber would

come down to our capital for a fund-raiser for a person who is runng for state comptroller. needless to say, mr. president, i contacted the senator's offi office. without hesitation, senator ted kennedy appeared at the fund-raiser at the united states capital to help me reta my seat as stateomptroller. and during that same time we had a little tragedy take place that evening. for my 15-year-old son in chicago had been admitted to the hospital. and it was a question of whethe or not i could be there at the fund-raiser or go to chicago to be with my son because my wife and his mother was in minnesota, mr. chairman and so president kennedy -- senator kennedy understood the dilemma, but we went on with the

fund-raiser and g our son taken care of. but aery son was out of the hospital and home, guess who i get a call from days later wondering how my son was doing? it was ted kennedy. a man of his caliber you jus don't see each and every day in this country. d after i came to the united states senate myself, i had the honor to serve with ted only briefly. all the time i knew senator kennedy, i came to see him as more than a living legend, more than a senior statesm, more than the lion he had become, for he and for all who were fortunate enough to meet him over the years, he was a genuine human being, a remarkable ally, and a compassionate friend. he displayed nhing but kindness and remain for everyone he -- for everyone he met, fro

his good friends to his bitter opponents. but for his many accomplishments, for all that he accomplished over the course of a lifetime in public service, there was at least one victory th eluded him. as i address this chamber today, we stand on the verge of health care reform only because we're standing on ted kennedy's shoulders. and when the time ces, our plan to honor his legend and pay tribute to his service, a passionate vote that he could into the live long enough to s see, when senator kennedy departed this life on august 25, he left more than an empty desk in this senate chamber; he left

a fht for us to finish. a standard for us to bear. long a he picked up the legacy of his fallen brothers and carried it forth into the new centur ronald reagan once said -- and i quote -- "many men are great. a few capture the imagination of the spirit of the times. and ones who do are unforgettable." end of quote. mr. president, he was talking about pside kennedy, but his words ring just as true when applied to john kennedy's youngest brother. they speak to ted's enormous vitality, to his tiring impact on the lives of so many for so long. he is gone now, but his presence lingers in these halls, and the

many senators who he has been friends and men terks and in the dedicated faith and love of the country that he inspired. in the wood and stone and the soul of the senate chamber, his legacy is very much alive. now that this legacy has been passed on to each of us and it is time to take up the standd once again, this is a moment to look to the future, not the past; to meet difficult problems with bold solutions. it is the lion in the senate told us one year ago at the democratic national convention -- and i quote -- "work begins anew, hope rises again, and the dream lives on." end of quote.

mr. president, no single voice can fill this chamber as his once did. but together we will carry this refrain. thank you, mr. president, and i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from hawaii. mr. akaka: mr. president, i ask unimous consent that the previous order with respect to the vote on confirmation of the nomination ofass sstein be modified to provide that the vote on confirmation occur at 3:40 p.m. with the other provisions remaining in order. the priding officer: without objection. mr. akaka: mr. president, i rise today to pay tribute to my

frnd from massachusetts, senator edward moore kennedy, who improved the lives of so many people during his 46 years of service in the senate. my warm alo and prayers continue to be with vicki kennedy, staff members, the kenny family, and his many friends. i ask unanimous consent that my full statement be included in the record. the presiding office without objection. mr. akaka: senator kennedy's life-long commitment to public service produced a proud legacy thatas included expanding access to quality health care, protecting a empowering our -- and empowering our nation's workforce, and ensuring civil

and voting rights. before outlining seral of senator kennedy's important achievements, i want to share a story that demonstrates our shared commitment to helping working families and his optimistic outlook about the future. a beaming senator kennedy flagged me dn on the morning of march 2, 2005. he asked me if i had seen the "washington post" in an editorial criticizing the bankruptcy overhaul under consideration in the senate. the "post" indicated that the billould be made more fair by the inclusion of several amendments by senator kennedy, which intend to protect -- intended to protect consumers, and my amendment to better

inform consumers about the true costs associated with credit card use. after my amement was defeated, senator kennedy was the first mber to approach me. he complented me for my work and told me we would win on the amendment one day. senator kennedy was right. it took me another four years, but my credit card minimum payment warning and credit counseling referral legislation was enacted this may. -- this may as part of the credit card reform law. as an eternal optimist, senator kennedy never stopped advocating for increased access t quality health care. senato kennedy helped establish community health centers, the

children's health insurance program, and prmgrams that assist individuals suffering from h.i.v.-aids. these are just a few of the many health accomplishments that senator kenne helped bring about that improved the quali of life for mlions of pple in our country. despite continuing to battle ncer, senator kennedy's passion to expand access to quality health care never ceased. i also greatly appreciate all of the work done by nator kennedy to improve the lives of members of our nation's workforce. senator kendy helped increase the federal minimum wage 16 times. he fought for strong workplace,

health, and safety standards. promoted equal pay for equal work and securing retirement benefits. senator kennedy's career-long dedication to ensuring civil and voting rights helped bring about numerous changes that have made our country stronger, more equitable and just. he condemned the poll tax, made efforts to lower the voting age to 18, and removed voting barriers. in his -- in addition and his accomplishments and his advocacy for the people of our country, i remember ted kennedy as a true friend, always generous with his assistce and time. for many years my desk was next to senator kennedy's.

he welcomed me to the senate and always provided sound advice and guidance. in 1990, despite the long journey, senator kennedy came to hawaii to help me during my first senate campaign. i remember the rally tt we held in honolulu at mckinley high school as being one of the largest ever held in hawaii. we also had a memorable visit to an early childhood delopment program. footage of the event was recently replayed on the news in hawaii showing senator kennedy and me singing "itsy-bitsy spider" to the children. we toured the children's

hospital where we saw the devastating effect that crystal meth was having on families. senator kennedy visited the university of hawaii's john f. kennedy theater where he received an award for his work on health care. he spoke eloquently about our great country, congressional debates, civil rights, and economic empowerment programs. i, along with every member of this body, will ve much miss our friend from massachusetts, senator kennedy's extraordinary work has improved the quality of life for so many people. we can honor his memory by continuing to work to address the issues senator kennedy was so passionate about, such as, meaningful healph care and immigration reform.

i say aloha to my good friend and colleague, senator kennedy. thank you very much, mr. president. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the question occurs on the nomination of cass r. sunstein of massachusetts to be administror of the office of information and regulatory affairs, office of management and budget. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from minnesota. ms. klobuchar: i ask that the yeas and nays be ordered. the presiding officer: is there a second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vote:

the presiding officer: anyone wishing to vote or change their vote? if not, on this vote, the yeas are 57. and the nays are 40. and the nomination is confirmed. under the previous order, the motion to reconsider is considered made and laid upon e table. the president shall be immediately notified of the senate's action, and the senate shall resume legislative session. under the previous order, the senate will proceed to the consideration of h.r. 3288, which e clerk will report. the clerk: calendar number 153, h.r. 2888, an act making appropriations for the department of transportation, and so forth and for other

purposes. mrs. murray: mr.resident? the presiding officer: the senator from washiton. mrs. murray: mr. president, the senate isot in order. the presiding officer: the senate will be in order. the senator from washington. mrs. murray: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that joann wazak and didre goodman, detailees from the department of on the committee be granted unlimited consideration of the transportation bill. the presiding officer: without objection. mrs. murray: mr. president? e presiding officer: the senator from washington. mrs. murray: mr. president, i am very pleased that the senate is now considering the transportation housing and urban development housing appropriations bill for the coming year. mr. presidt, i will make my opening remarks here.

i believe senator bond will as well. i know that a number of senators have been talng about amendments to this bill. i would like to ask our coeagues if they do have amendments, if they could get to the floorhis afternoon and at let get them filed and help us work with them to begin to consider them. as we know, this is the last vote today. but we would like to have some of these amendments over friday and monday be offered so that we can move expeditiously to this really important appropriations bill and be movinguickly by monday afternoon on this. so i do know some senators have some amendments they' talked with us about on both sides. again, although this is th last vote, i would really ask senators who have do have amendments to help us work through this process by getting your amendments to the flo. mr. president, again, the senate is not in order. the presiding officer: the senate will be in order. please take your conversations out of the cmber. the senator from washington.

mrs. murray: mr. president, as we begin consideration of this important bill, it's really important to note that it is already been supported by broad bipartisan majorities. the transportation, housing and urban development appropriations subcommittee has 20 members. that's one-fifth of the senate. it's one of the largest subcommittees in the senate. but despite the diversity of views on our very large subcommittee, back on july 29, we voted unanimously to repo the bill to the full appropatio committee. and the next day the members of thcommittee voted unimously to report the bill to the united states senate. mr. president, this bl does have broad bipartisan support because it address the very real housing and transportation needs of american families across all regions of the nation. it has bipartisan support because it touches the lives of all of our constituents in ways that they can appreciate each day. whether it' a parent that

commutes every day and needs safe roads or new public transportation options so they can spend more time with their families or families searching for safe and affordable communities to raise their children, our perhaps a recently laid off worke who needs help to afford their rent or stay off the street. mr. president, this bill has real impact on america families that are struggling in these troubling economic times. the hard-working americans that are not only losing their jobs but also their homes and their financial security. six month ago this congress passed a recovery package. it's now creating jobs and rebuilding infrastructure and laying a strong foundation for our long-term economic growth. it's a good start, and the bill before us now builds on that and strengthens that effort. it makes needed and very serious investments in our transportation infrastructure as well as in housing and services

to support our nion's most srupb rablg. and it ensures -- vulnerable. it ensures that the federal agencies so many communities count on have the resources they need to keep our commuters safe and keep communitiesoving and prospering. mr. president, our bill takes a very balanced approach. it addresses the most crical needs we face inoth transportation and housing while remaining financially responsible and staying within the constraints of our budget resolution. i've been very fortunate to be joined by my ranking member, senator bond, in trafgt this package. -- in crafting this package. senator bond's long service on the appropriations bill as well as his work on the public works committee has made him one of our leading expts in the areas of both transportation and housing. throughout his career, senator bond has demonstrated tiress leadership and a commitment to the commission of h.u.d. i couldn't have a better or more experienced partner in this effort. and i just want to take a moment

of time from the senate to thank senator bond for his years of partnership and for being here with me on the floor this afternoon as we present ur bill to the senate. this bill provides over $735 billion in budgetary resources for the department of transportation to support continued investment in transportation infrastructure, including our bridges and our ports, our public transportation, our airplanes, our rail and the natios highway system. it provides $11 billion to support and expand pubc transit which continues to see record growth and ridership as ll as $1.2 billion to invest in inner city and high-speed rail to expand options for commuters and ease congestion on the roads and reduce greenhouse gas emissions andallies $1.1 billion to continue the highly competitive surface gnts program initiated thi year as part of the recovery package. that programhi provides

matching funds to projects making a significant impact on communities and regions generate a tremendous interest from the state and local authoties. the bill also supports the f.a.a.'s efforts to develop the next generation air transportation system to support projected growth in air travel in the coming year and invests $3.5 billion in capital improvements at airport across the country. this bill also includes targeted increases to address critical problems with our transportation safety. it has an increase before the president's budget to hire 236 more air, safety, inspectors and 50 more air traffic controllers. now at present our f.a.a. inspectors cannot spend enough time out in the field directly observing air carrier operations firsthand. these new positions that are in this bill will help correct that problem and improve f.a.a.

oversight. the bill also includes $50 million for a new program in railroad safety technology including positive train control as well as $150 million for the washington metropolitan area transit authority to make sure that tragedies like the one we saw here earlier this summer never happen again. in addition to tho imptant investments in tramtion, the bille now have befe us represents a veryirm commitment to providing critical housing and support services to families who have been affected byhis economic crisis. this bill provides nearly $46 billion in budgetary resources for the department of housing and you are been development including $100 million for h.u.d.'s housing counseling program to help our families in this country make responsible disuses when they purchase a home; to help them avoid the scams and aggressive lending tactics we have seen; and to help families facing foreclosure stay in their homes.

these funds are going to be an important tool to combat foreclosures. this counseling will help us avoid problems in the future by preparing homeowners for the changing housing market and also provides more than $18 billion for tenant-based rental assistance including an increase of over $1 billion for the renewal of section 8 vouchers and provides increased funding for the operation of blic housing for a total level of $4.75 billion which will ensure that our nation's low-income appeals which are always noon the hardest -- are always among the hardest hit during tough times have safe and affordable housing. we are proud this bill inclus $75 million for vouchers for the joint h.u.d.-veterans affairs supportive hosing progr, providing an additional 10,000 homeless veteran and their fells with housing and

supportive services. while this program has helped contribute to an overall reduction in homelessness among our research eterans we have seen disturbing increases in the number of homeless female certains, many of whom have childr. to me, mr. president, that is unacceptable. so the new funding in this bill will provide help to make sure ose who have already given so much to theirountry through their military service are now not forced to live on the street. in addition to sporting our nation's heroes, this bill also addresses the needs of some o our most vulnerable citizens by providing increased funding to support affordable housing for the elderly, disabled, those suffering from aids, youth who are aging out of our foster care and the nation's homeless. the bill also focuses on strengthsenning communities at a time when the economy strengthens programs at the backbone of our towns and cities. we provide almost $4 blion

for comownt development block grant program to support investments in public infrastructure, housing rehabilitation, construction and publ services, assistance that is very critical to our states and our local governments right n. the bill als supports the nation's public housing. the new choice neighborhoods public program included this this bill builds on the success of hope vi which my colleagues senator bond a senat mikulski deserve a great deal of credit for. so i summary, mr. president, this bill provides assistance to those would need it most and it directs resources in a responsible and fiscally prudent way. it is a bill that truly addresses the needs of families in every region of this country. these are famils who are looking for usere at the fedel level to step up and provide solutions to everything from congestion to transportation safety, to 401(k)s to affordable housing.

that's why it's a bill that has attracted widespread, bipartisan support, it helps commuters, homeowners, the most vulnerable in our society and our economy. so, i urge all senators to support this bill and i urge them to help us move it rapidly to final passage. again, i would ask our colleagues, if you have an amendment, please get it to the floor this afternoon, get it filed and help us move this bill along, get to conference to the house and get this bill to the president so the investments can truly help our families. with that, mr. president, i thanky colleagues and i yield the floor to my partner, senator bond. mr. bond: madam president, and, first, as ranking member of the transportation, h.u.d., and related agencies fiscal year appropriations bill i have been very pleased to be able to work with chair murray and her great

staff. it has been a real pleasure. i go with all she said but, except i can't do anything but thank her for the very kind and generous words she had. she mentioned a long-time experience, normally back home we refer to expense as something you get when you expected to get something else. but working on this committee i have foundhe experience to be a very pasant one. originally i worked with senator mikulski. we alternated chairs and ranking members and i think we did a wonderful job. she was a great partner and i couldn't ask for any better rtner to have than senator measure a. she has been very helpful and very gaishe gracious to us. i have to say this is a very complicated bill. we could thought do it without

excellent staff work. i thank her staff. the new people o big challenges ahead but it's an excellent staff and i am extremely grateful for all they haveaught me over the years. this is a bill that everybody can say we could do it better but i'm proud to support it and urge my colleagues to support it. the legislation has a number of extremely important programs which in today's economy are critical to helping families overwhelmed by national financial crisis. it's especially pleasing that we have been able to provide funding for the nation's most vulnerable, to homeless, to low-income families, seniors and the disabled. our committee has increased investment in h.u.d. community and development programs that provide assistance needed the

most. and the chair menoned the "bash" program an idea we had seral years ago that has gained great support from the veteran's administration, from h.u.d., and everybody who has looked at the appalling problem of men and women who riskheir lives, make great contributions to defend our country and come home without adequate housing or supportive housing they need. this program has been able to bring together the suppor services along with the housing that really enable the veterans not just to have a shelter over their head but to be able to get their lives back on tram after going through the rigors and horrors of war. it is certainly a program which i am delighted to be associated and i thank the chair for her work on it. we have also provided assistance

in critical aas like section 8, public housing, community development block grants, home program for the homeless, housing for seniors, housing for perss with disabilities, the lead hazard reduction program which senator mikulski has been a strong champion and early childhood development capital funding, among others. as i noted in the committee markup in july 1, our biggest concern remains the solvency of the highway trust fund and this must be dressed. we hope to work with chair boxer to deal th the serious rob the --probm because everyone kns how good roads and bridges are critical to attracting and stainable business, job creation, and economic growth in

our communities. we cannot afford annterruption in providing the much needed funds to the states. transportation infrastructure work creates jobs but most point, it makes a lg term invest in our community and a key component in our economic recovery. i had the pleasure of serving as missouri governor a top priority was economic development so i asked a good team i had there to figure out what makes enomic development work. and they got maps out in missouri and studied everything and the funny of the thing we found, the communities that were growg had the best roads available. people have to have transportation. if they are going to get to work, if what they produce at work will be shipped out, this is a critical element for economic recovery and the strength of ou nation. another area that i think is absolutely important is the f.a.a. safety inspectors.

now, i don't think it was planned but it was certainly fortuitous that i attended a local civic club lunch over august where the main speaker was a representative of the f.a.a. in st. louis and he went through some of the gd safety record but went through the horrendous crash that, i think, shocked all of us that happened in buffalo this past winter. he went through allf the problems. i said, don't you have safety inspectors? he said, the problem is, we don't have enough of them. yes, these are things that shld have been identified. think of the loss of life in that tragic crash because we didn't have enough safety inspectors to employee the whistle on things and people

that should not have been entrusted with the lives of american citizens. and as we lk at this, i, once again, became even stronger believer in the need for the safety inspectors. we have to have air traffic controllers. these people are all kitall criy important and no one i know except maybe a f friends from surrounding staes has not flown on a very regular basis and even they fly, and our families fly. that's extremely point. now, talking about challenges, i have mentioned on this floor many times before, i have been very much concerned about the rapid growth of the f.h.a. single family mortgage insurance program.

the share of the market has grown dramatically from 2% in 2006 to nearly 24% at the end of 2008. before we pat ourselves on the back and say what a great achievement that is, the -- let's take a look at it. thisear the freeze in private mortgage markets has driven fha's market share to 63%. as i have said, long-standing management and resource challenges and a substantial growth in risky lending due to political pressures has turned f.h.a. into a powder keg and i fe it is going to explode and leave taxpayers on the hook for another multihundreds of billions of dollars of losses. giving the cotinuing challenges in the housing market and continuing job losses, i believe is highly likely that the f.h.a. will not meet its statutory 2% capital reserve

when it's latest actuarial study is released in the coming weeks. that's the safety net that keeps it from goingn the hole. i believe this is the tip of the iceberg f the f.ha. which is why w must address their problems now, because americans have been signaling that the taxpayer credit card is maxed out and we don't want to put anymore on the federal debt and, thus, american's credit cards. to address the f.h.a. challenges i'm pleased we were able to include in this bill $20 million for.h.a. antifraud activities as well as $6 millionn additional funding for the h.u.d. i.g.a. predatory lending and it provides funding for h.u.d. to modernize the information technology systems in order to track the mortge and associated olses.

too many times i have said, well, what's your portfolio and they say, well, we don't know. that is scary because we as taxpayers are on the hook. if they go bad, that's on us and on future generations. we believe that h.u.d. and the i.g. must work together and leverage the funds to fight mortgage fraud and predatory lending. now, i have been ver much encouraged based on my discussions with h.u.d. secretary donovan and h.u.d. g. donohue. they understand the problem and are willing to work on it. hour, they need more resources and sustained focuses to combat edat lending and mortgage frau it must be don we have heard too many stori people who have been in the business very questionable business, of making readtory loan -- making predatory loans

and misrepresenting the temperatures and the impacon the home buyer. those people's handiwork cane seen in theumber of home loans going bad. theypushed the american dream very hard without telling the potential homeowner what the down side was and for too many americans this american dream has turned into the american nightmare. we have got to put a stop to it and we make a strong contribution in this bill towards giving the able leaders in h.u.d. -- f.h.a. and in the i.g. -- the resources to deal with it. again, i thank my chair and her very good staff for all the hard work. it's not perfe. it is very good legislation and i look forward to joining with my partner cialtion senator murray, in supporting this

legislation. i change thank the chair and my partner and i yield the floor. mrs. murray: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from washington. mrs. murray: i thank senator bond who has been a really good partner working with me on this critical bill. we are on the floor this afternoon. we are ready and table to go work, if our colleagues would come and file their amendment i think senator bond and i would be happy to mo to have third reading and pass the bill if nobody coes. mr. bond: well, mr. president, i agree with the chair. if somebody has got a good amendment, we'd sure like to see it and get started ton. the sooner you come here, the better consideration and iight hasten to add possibly the more favorableonsideration you will receive. so i know there's some potentially good ideas lurking out there, so bring the good ideas now. if y have some ideas that are not so good, you can waitntil the end and we'll see if we can close it out.

mrs. murray: the senator from missouri gets grouchier the longer he is he's out here, so -- mr. bond: there is a declining vel of tolerance that i've noticed on -- sometimes when people are on the floor. so, mr. president, i join i an urgent request to bring all of my colleagues in to offer such amendments as they choose to offer. i thank the chair. mrs. murray: thank you. and, mr. president, i would suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clk will call the roll. quum call:

quorum call:

a senator: mr. presidant? the presiding officer: the chair recognizes the senator from maryland. mr. cardin: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be dispeed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. cardin: mr. president, i rise today to pay tribute to my friend, our colleague, civil rights icon of the senate, senator edward m. knedy, our lion in the senate. i've lost seone who has been a mentor, a friend and one of my heroes. e nation has lost a great leader. to his family he was a rock. to his wife, vicki, to his children kara, edward, ted jr.,

and patrick, my former colleague when i was in the house to his sister jean and the entire kennedy familily, we extend our deepest console enses. to our colleagues he was a beacon of hope of a better day in america. when i came to the united states senate in 2007, i was frequently asked during my fir year in the sene -- i'm sure the presing officer has been asked this by people in his state, what ithe highlight? what is different? what makes this place a special place? what did you find different in the senate than you did in the hous and the example that i gave during my first monthn the united states senate, when i was sitting by myself on the floor of the senate, senator kennedy came by and sat next to me. he said, do you mind if we talk for a f moments? and he sat next to me, a new

member of the unite united sates senate and he said, ben, can you tell me what you think we should be doing in health care? he wanted my views. he was lookingo find out what this new senator from maryland thought wasossible in health care reform. and that was senator kennedy. senator kennedy engaged each member of the united states senate to find a common denominator to move forward in solving the major problems of america. he was truly a unique experience -- it was truly unique experience for me, to see one of the mosteniorembers of the united states senate, a person known internationally for his legislative skills, to seek out a new member of the united states senate. i remember one of my constituents asking me during my first year in the senate as to what senator do you mostdmire for his or her work ethic? and, mr. president, i said

immediately senator kennedy. and they were tak back, because they didn't realize that this senior senator, this person who had served for over 40 years in the united states senate, was a person who dedicated every day to doing his very best, whether it's working with staff or meeting with members or working his committee, or -- or making a speech on the floor of the united states senate, his work ethic was one of not wasting a single moment in ord to deal with the nation's probls. senator kennedy served for 46 yearin the united states senate and had a tremendous impact on the issues that have shaped our nation for almost a half cenry he authored over 2,500 pieces of legislation. l americans have been touched by senator kennedy's work. his dedication toife in the -- for the nameless, for the poor,

for t minority, voices in america is legendary. he has touched the lives of all americans by his work in the united states senate. whether it was what he did for voting rights or improving educational opportunities, dealing with the rights of immigrants, minimum wage laws, national service, help for the mentally ill, the minority, disabled, the children, t gay and lesbian community. andhe list goes on and on and on. he was there fighting for those who otherwise would not have had a voice in our government. he did it whether it was popular or not in his state or nation. he was true to his principles, and the list goes on and on of what he did. i had the great privilege of serving with him on the senate judiciary committee for two years.