to me, everything, started here on campus." in 1990, two years after he left the white house, president reagan traveled to aboline, kansas to celebrate the anniversary of president eisenhower's birth. "i learn ed a long time ago in order to find the heart of america, you need only to visit the heartland of america." it was a lesson he learned in the n illinois -- in illinois. if you want to see the places that helped shape america's 40th president, come to illinois this year where it all began. mr. president, ronald reagan was president when i was first elected to the house of representatives in 1982. our views on government differed remarkably, but i admired him for his optimism and his unshakeable faith in this country. he restored his sense of confidence in many americans when we really needed it.

he told us -- and i quote -- "america's too great to dream small dreams," and ronald reagan was right. in 1992, two years before he announced he had alzheimer's disease, ronald reagan addressed his party's nominating convention. here's what he said: whatever else history may say about me when i'm gone, i hope it will recall i appealed to your best hopes, not your worst fears, to your confidence rather than your doubts. in 1993 one of the most important accomplishments of his presidency is i, ronald reagan brought together democrats and republicans to head off a crisis in social security. that bipartisan agreement helped add years of solvency to one of the most successful programs this government has ever created. that bipartisan agreement brought 50 years of solvency to social security. i think it's one of the crowning jewels of ronald reagan's leadership as president. in 1986 he signed the america's last major tax reform to simplify the tax code, broaden

the tax base, eliminate loopholes that allowed some to avoid their obligations. today we face a far greater challenge. not only do we have to protect social security, but we also have to simplify our tax code again and put in place a responsible plan to reduce our deficits. in this centennial year of his birth it would be fitting tribute to president reagan if democrats and republicans could once again work together to solve our problems in a spirit of the patriotic pragmatism that really energized president ronald reagan. i hope we can work together and help americans get back to work and lay the foundation for a strong economy. after president reagan finally clinched the delegates needed to win his party's 1980 presidential nomination, a news reporter asked him what he needed to do next. he replied he wanted to dispel the notion he was a hard nosed radical who would compromise on principle. "there are some people so imbued

with their ideology if they can't get everything they want they'll jump off the cliff with the flag flying. as governor, i found if i can get half a loaf instead of stalking off angrily, i'd take it." ronald reagan believed deeply in core principles. he would not want any of us to compromise their own core principles in his memory. but there is such a thing as principled compromise. president reagan understood that when we worked out an agreement on the future of social security. he knew accommodation was needed to make america's government work. we would honor his memory by remembering that lesson and working to restore our politics to the same level of civility that we associate with him. let's remember there's no dishonor in accepting half a loaf. that's how democracy works. finally, my admiration for mrs. reagan, her love and steadfast devotion to her husband during his illness moved every one of us. and her courageous work in the support of new treatments for

alzheimer's disease will help families. our thoughts are with her and the rest of president reagan's family as we mark this historic centennial. madam president, if no one is seeking the floor now, i'd like to ask permission to return to the bill and speak on the bill pending on the floor. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: madam president, the f.a.a. authorization expired in october of 2007. before the three years we've been operating on short-term extensions, 17 total short-term extensions. the federal aviation administration, airlines and flying public all deserve a long-term authorization to provide certainty to our national aviation system. the bill before us will improve the safety of air travel, modernize our air traffic control system and create thousands of jobs. this is a jobs bill. the f.a.a. estimates commercial aviation is responsible for over 5% of our gross domestic product and generates $1.2 trillion a

year in economic activity. the aviation industry provides $346 billion in earnings and 11 million jobs in america. this bill will help grow those numbers. the funding provided in this bill will support over 280,000 jobs. the economist mark zandi said aviation is the glue that keeps the global economy together. we know that in illinois. we know it because of that great airport called o'hare which we're currently in the process of modernizing. this bill will boost our economy now to keep the united states competitive in the global marketplace. the senate commerce committee chaired by senator rockefeller with ranking member senator inhofe has held dozens of hearings over the past few years on aviation. each was different, all of them focused on safety. last year we passed into law many safety provisions the committee recommended, but we need to do more. this bill will improve safety by preventing one-way incursions.

improving runway safety according to the national transportation safety board is the highest priority. there were 988 runway incursions last year. this year there have already been 66. this bill will require the f.a.a. to review all commercial service airports in the u.s. and initiate action to improve lighting, signage and runway and taxi way markings. another key component of this bill is nextgen. it is the term we use to describe our transition to a more modern satellite-based air traffic control system. madam president, i mentioned on the floor before that i recently read a book by steve johnson about innovation in america and he told a fascinating story that october 4, 1957, when the soviets launched sputnik, america was caught by surprise. here, our adversaries in the cold war, the russians, had the capacity with a missile to launch a satellite that circled the earth. it was the first manmade

satellite. we knew they had the bomb. now they had these missiles and the capacity to launch a satellite. and so the russians, to prove to the world that they had launched the satellite, had this basketball-sized sputnik satellite emitting this signal. there were two sign teufrts up near baltimore -- scientists near baltimore working for the federal government who decided they would track this signal. and they found it. as they tracked it, they used their scientific expertise and the doppler effect to determine not only the trajectory of the satellite but its speed. they reported their findings to the department of defense. they could tell the department of defense where sputnik was and how fast it was moving. the department of defense challenged them and said if you can tell us where that satellite is and how fast it's moving, if you were on that satellite, could you tell where that signal is being received on earth? well, they went to work. it took them several weeks. they came up with the means to

determine from a satellite where the signal was being received on earth. we know it as g.p.s. g.p.s. is in our pockets. we carry it with our cell phones. people can locate us based on the cell phone we carry in our pockets. well, the problem is that airplanes don't have g.p.s. they still rely on aged technology, radar and the like, to locate the planes and to move them safely. this bill that we're moving today, the federal aviation administration authorization bill, is going to move us into this new generation of technology. it's about time. nextgen will give pilots and air traffic controllers the ability to accurately pinpoint aircraft in the sky to avoid problems, monitor traffic and move things safely. the f.a.a. called for action on implementing nextgen. last year u.s. airlines carried 7 million passengers and a lot

of senators and congressmen. soon those numbers will increase. the f.a.a. reports that u.s. airlines will carry more than a billion passengers by 23023 and more than 1.23 by 2030. our outdated traffic control system can't handle this increase in traffic, but with nextgen we hope to triple the capacity of our national aviation system and not compromise at all when it comes to safety. this technology will allow planes to fly the straightest, quickest route from point a to point b. and with more precise information, better communication, we can fit more planes safely in the airspace. doing so will save the airlines fuel and money. it will reduce airport delays significantly. chicago's midway airport was ranked dead last over the past few months for on-time departures. chicago's o'hare has with won that dubious distinction more than once. the main reason is the lack of capacity in our aviation control system. fully implementing nextgen could reduce these delays

dramatically. it will also save a lot of fuel and a lot of money for the airlines. this is a great investment. illinois, we're in the middle of the largest airport expansion in american history at o'hare. the $6.6 billion project will completely reconfigure runways and make sure traffic moves in and out of o'hare more efficiently. moving this project along means a lot to the people of chicago and illinois. o'hare generates more than 50,000 jobs and $38 billion in economic activity for chicago and my state. this modernization project has created more than 195,000 more jobs and another $18 billion in annual economic activity. we need to move forward as a nation with the federal aviation administration to make certain that o'hare is modern and safe and can accommodate the increased capacity in air service. madam president, i would say at this point that i hope that we can take up this bill and the

amendments that have been offered to it in a timely fashion and pass them soon. this bill will help small airports and airports the size of o'hare around the united states. it has already helped us in many ways. this program, the essential air service program and the air service grant program have been essential for a lot of small airports. we need to make sure that air service across america was served in community large and small. i have an amendment which i'm offering to this bill that tries to coordinate some of the bookings between amtrak and airlines. i think if we coordinate this service, we can move people more efficiently, we can do it in more communities, we can do it at lower expenses to the federal government. i thank both senator inhofe from oklahoma and senator rockefeller from west virginia for their leadership on this bill. i at this point will yield the floor. mr. inhofe: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from oklahoma. mr. inhofe: madam president,

first of all, let me say that most everything that the senator from illinois talked about, i agree with. we've been talking about this bill for a long time. we keep coming up against -- i would encourage, i would join senator rockefeller in encouraging anyone, democrats particularly, to bring any amendments down that they want. procedurally i don't think i can get my two amendments in the queue until that happens. for just a moment i'd like to ask unanimous consent that i be recognized in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. inhofe: the senator from illinois was talking about our friend, our beloved ronald reagan. i thought i would make a couple of comments that might surprise a few people here. i was not from oklahoma originally. i was actually born in iowa. when i was a very small child, ronald reagan was a sports announcer for who radio. my father what is a claims adjustor and they officed in the same room. not just the same building, but the same room.

they played the pinball machine together. i can remember at that time they never said ronald reagan. they said dutch reagan. that was his name as a sports announcer too. he would actually come by, and we would refer to him as "uncle dutch." that was in des moines, iowa. that was back during the depression and shortly after. when i moved, when our family moved to oklahoma, we didn't have a lot of money, so we never went to movies. at that time they didn't have tv. my dad, the only time we'd ever see a movie is if dutch reagan were having a movie. we were once in oklahoma, a round trip driving about four hours, we went to see a dutch reagan movie. later on i became the mayor of tulsa. during that time that was when reagan in his first term, was first elected. so i was mayor of tulsa, and he had me do his domestic, all of his domestic work. so i was debating all these

democrat mayors from all over the country on the policies that ronald reagan had initiated and tried to perpetuate, and they were all very successful, i might add. now in retrospect, a lot of people who were on the other side of the fence realized they were. saying this, with a personal relationship, i look beyond what kind of everyone knows about ronald reagan, what his persona is, and can say that he was such a warm and personal person, and it never occurred to me -- i thought of him as some of the family until the time that he started running for political office. it's kind of interesting because his first office, of course, was running for office out in california. at that time we still didn't have a lot of money, but my father, i think that was the first race he ever got involved with financially. and ronald reagan never forgot it. i can remember when i came to congress, he was in his second term and he would always comment. he said well there's young

congressman inhofe. his daddy was one of my first financial contributors. so that was -- anyway, i would just say this, when you lose somebody like him, you don't just lose a leader that in retrospect looks good to everyone, but you lose someone who is very warm and loving. here's a guy that in the oval office would never ever walk in without a coat and tie on. this is the way he distinguished the office, and this is the way the office distinguished him. we dearly miss him and want to make these comments on this 100th anniversary. thank you, madam president. i yield the floor. before asking for -- let me just make one comment about the two amendments i have on the bill. i think it is important that we address one of them, both of them but one of them in particular is very significant. we have a sub-s version of the f.a.r.'s that affect scheduled

and nonscheduled airlines. a scheduled airline can -- can live with the crew rest and the flight rest and duty because they can adjust their -- their schedules to do that. the unscheduled cannot. so the sub-s in the f.a.r.'s today allows a sub-s to work longer hours but they also have longer rest hours in between. they average out actually with longer rest hours for active hours than under the law that affects the scheduled airlines. and for that reason, let me just give you a couple of examples of why it's important. 95% of our troop movement over in theatre, where the occupier and the chair of i just came back after having spent new year's eve with our troops over in -- in -- in kabul and in afghanistan. and during that time, there were several times when they had to bring blood in. now, if you have to -- if a nonscheduled airline has to bring the blood in, they cannot

do it because that is too far for one -- they can't go -- they'd have to leave the plane there and have crew rest in kabul and come back. well, they can't do that because we have rules against it. 95% of the troop activity, movement comes from nonscheduled airlines. 40% of the material comes in and out and that's what we're talking about. we're talking about getting blood over to our -- our troops in -- in the a.o.r. so it has wocd well. there hasn't been -- in 15 years, there has not been one case where an accident on a nonscheduled airline has taken place due to fatigue of anyone. so it's a problem that doesn't exist and i've always had this hangup about fixing things that aren't broke. so consequently, i'm hoping that we'll be able to keep that. what's happening today is there is a comment period and a rule that would -- would -- would do away with the sub-s, and this bill -- i'd like to have this amendment in here. this bill would keep that from

happening. so i think that's very important and i think it means a lot to our -- to our troops over there. the only alternative, if you take the blood example, is you've got to find from maybe qatar or some other place a military plane, a c-130 or a c-17 to take them in. and as you know, right nows up tempo of our lift capacity is to the point where we can't take on anything more. so i think this is really kind of a life-and-death type of thing. the other one i feel strongly about, i mentioned it awhile ago when senator glenn retired, that left me as the last active commercial pilot in the united states senate and i still am and have been for 50 years. many times in the past i have, at my own expense in my own aircraft, done things where we're helping out people that -- because there's no one else to do it. either taking people for medical treatment or taking -- in one case it was a limb that had been amputated, taking it back to be reattached, this type of thing. and so for people to do it, the

pilots and the equipment, such as my pilot -- my equipment, it cost us money to do it but we -- we feel in order to encourage them to do it that they should be exempt from liability should something happen so that they don't have frivolous lawsuits if you do. then it discourages people from being generous. this is kind of a good samaritan type of amendment. these are amendments number 7 and number 6. i'm hoping to get them in the queue. i can't do it this time. i want to cooperate with senator rockefeller. but as soon as we can, i want to get these in. with that, i yield the floor. i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

mr. nelson: madam president?

the presiding officer: the senator from florida. mr. nelson: madam president, i'm waiting until i receive an amendment -- madam president, i ask consent that the quorum be lifted. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. nelson: i'm waiting just momentarily to receive the documentation on offering an amendment, madam president, but in the meantime, i'd like to speak as if in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. nelson: madam president, it is very apparent that president mubarak must step down, and the longer that he waits to realize that he has to step down, the more difficult it's going to be in order to have an orderly transition and to keep the peace in egypt. and the longer he waits to announce that he is stepping down immediately, the more difficult it is to transfer

power to his vice president, general omar sullimanmenman. now, if he would have done this several days ago, then that transition would have been so much easier because general sulliman is well respected in egypt certainly by the military, he's well respected by the arab neighbors in they john, and he is well -- in the region, and he is well respected in israel as well as by the u.s. but every day that there is violence and blood shed in these clashes, it makes the arab street much more difficult to accept any semblance of authority that would come from mubarak even though under the egyptian constitution there is a vice president, albeit that vice presidency has been vacant for years and years and years. but nevertheless, there is a

vice president who is in the constitutional line of succession to become president. again, i say what i said several days ago. president mubarak needs to recognize, despite his long years of great service in keeping egypt stable, especially in the aftermath of the assassination of president anwar sadat, that it is time for him to step down, that there is a new nation of egypt out there and they want reform. and they want free and fair elections. and most of them want a peaceful and orderly transition of power. and i would again call on the president of egypt to step down and step down immediately and

let the presidency be assumed by his vice president with the guarantee of free and fair elections in september and the guarantee that he is not the president, mubarak is not going to run for reelection. madam president, i yield the floor and i would suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

mr. nelson: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from florida. mr. nelson: mr. president, i ask consent that the quorum call

be lifted. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. nelson: madam president, i call up amendment 34, and i ask consent that the pending amendment be set aside in order to call up amendment 34. the presiding officer: without objection. the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: the senator from florida, mr. nelson, proposes amendment numbered 34. mr. nelson: i ask consent that it be considered as read. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. nelson: madam president, the nasa bill that we passed last fall strongly reaffirmed that aeronautics research is an integral part of the agency and made the point in that bill of increasing a focus on nasa's aeronautics research programs. as a matter of fact, what does

"nasa" stand for? it's become a noun, but it actually stands for "the national aeronautics and space administration." the first "a" of nails is a is aeronautics and it is vital to our research programs in both air and space. the research that is going on. we have existing aeronautics research facilities that are national assets, and they're in places like the ames research center in california and the glenn research center, named after our former colleague, senator john glenn, that's in cleveland. langley research center in virginia, the driden flight research center. and that's at edwards air force base in california. and these nasa centers are unique in their ability to leverage the complementary and ever-increasing synergies between the space and the

aviation systems through these incredibly experienced technical researchers, and they make remarkable advances in aerospace-related disciplines, in things like materials and structures, flight controls, aerospace systems, health management in aerospace systems, in high-speed aerothermal analysis tools. we take for granted when we get on commercial airlines some of the improvements that have been made. we will, where do you think a lot that have came from? it came from nasa, in the research there. and these advances not only accelerate space and aviation systemsystems but also other vey complex systems such as the smart grid, remote medicine and medical robotics, smart cars, a whole bunch of things.

so nasa's fundamental aeronautics research capability happens to be also integrated with enabling our future space missions in nasa. and the nation's ai aeronautics research and developments investment currently is planned and we will-coordinated in the national aeronautics research and development policy as we will as in an executive order 13419 in which the roles and responsibilities of executive departments and agencies in federal aeronautics are clearly defined and delineated all the way through the rest of this decade until 2020. so what had happened when this f.a.a. bill was put together

years ago, it had a transfer to some committee of nasa's successful aeronautics r&d investment leadership, and this competitiveness, this investment a has really supported springing forth key technologies that directly contradict a national policy of doing this in a committee instead of doing it in nasa. and the unnecessary reassignment when it bill was crafted some time ago, the unnecessary reassignment of those responsibilities to other agencies of government would clearly jeopardize the success of this extraordinary r&d program. and so the amendment of which we have no objection is to take

this part out of the bill so that, with the new nasa bill that was passed, with the robust aeronautics research and development that's within that inasa,that that is the operative policy. so, madam president, i -- if it is appropriate, if we're in the parliamentary procedure, i would ask for the yeas -- i'd just ask for a voice vote. okay, i'm told that we're not in that procedure in which to do it, so, madam president, i have offered the amendment. it is laid down, and we will deal with it appropriately. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the clerk -- mr. nelson: and i ask that -- i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll.

quorum call:

mrs. feinstein: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from california. mrs. feinstein: madam president, do i understand correctly that we are now speaking on morning business? the presiding officer: we're in a quorum call. fine dispien that the quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mrs. feinstein: thank you very much, madam president. as a native californian, i come to the floor now to honor the 100th birthday of president ronald reagan. former first lady nancy reagan ask that i serve on the ronald reagan centennial commission and i was very honored to accept. today i join senator jim webb, also a member, and orrin hatch to continue president reagan's spirit of bipartisanship, and we have invited senators on both sides of the aisle to join us here on the floor. from seemy valley in california

to our nation's capital, americans this month are honoring president ronald reagan. these centennial events are intended to reach all americans, including many born after president reagan left office. those to remember ronald reagan as governor or as president know how he impacted history. but there are some who may not realize that the society we live in today is, in part, due to the policies of president reagan. young adults today grow up without the fear of nuclear war in the back of their mind, and students of tomorrow will work to achieve president reagan's dream of a world without nuclear weapons. it can be said that every great president can be remembered in just one sentence. some sentences, "he freed the

slaves." oh, "he made the louisiana purchase." yet 22 years after he left office and seven years after his death, the name "ronald wilson reagan" can still provoke a complex debate. there is no one phrase that can describe his legacy. some come to mind: "the great communicator" or "mr. gorbachev, tear down that wall." that's the one that does it for me. there's much debate over president reagan because we all think of him differently. and over time history sweetens our memories. but no matter what matter disagreements you may have had with him, you have to admire his style of politics. he was a conservative republican, but he understood that in order to get anything done, he had to work across the aisle, which he did. in his 1983 state of the union address, president reagan said -- and i quote -- "let us, in

these next two years, men and women of both parties, every political shade, concentrate on the long-range bipartisan responsibilities of government, not the short-range or short-term temptations of partisan politics." end quote. also ronald reagan had commonsense convictions that helped his achievements. he was a true gentle person, a gentleman in american politics. you would not have seen him giving a speech like some do today calling his opponents names or giving out generalized insults. dignity and wit were his weapons of choice. also, president reagan served during times of divided government, when one party had the white house and the other controlled at least one chamber of congress, giving each side some governing responsibility to

find solutions. it was a time when a financial and fiscal crisis brought the two parties together to compromise on tough choices about taxes and spending. in 1983, president reagan and speaker tip o'neill came together to compromise on social security based on proposals from a commission led by alan greenspan. and president reagan is credited with creating the conditions that led to the end of the cold war, providing the economy -- reviving the economy and returning a sense of optimism to our country. one of the things i most admired was his work to reduce the number of nuclear weapons in the world and his dream of a world one day free of these awful weapons. president reagan expressed this vision during his second inaugural address on january 21, 1985. he declared -- quote -- "we seek

the total elimination one day of nuclear weapons from the face of the earth." end quote. it was a remarkable statement from a president who had deployed tactical nuclear missiles in europe to counterthe soviet union's fearsome ss-20 missile fleet. but president reagan understood the grave threat that nuclear weapons pose to humanity, and he boldly set himself to achieve their eventual elimination. my good friend, george shultz, secretary of state under president reagan, remembers that many at that time thought the president's initial negotiations to reduce strategic arms were not serious, even quite ridiculous. a classified report released recently showed that president reagan asked the joint chiefs of staff about the cost of an

all-out soviet attack and plans for retaliation. he asked secretary shultz -- and i quote -- "what's so good about keeping the peace after wiping each other out?" end quote. mr. shultz believes if he were around today, president reagan would have been in favor of the new start treaty. at the famous reykjavik summit with soviet president mikhail gorbachev in october 1980, president reagan went far beyond gorbachev's proposal to slash strategic arms by 50%. he truly believed we should go to zero. the reykjavik talks may not have worked out, but the idea that we should create a world free of nuclear weapons still endures to this day. secretary shultz thinks president reagan would want to

be remembered for his complete faith in freedom and his conviction that you have to be strong to defend that freedom. and that is certainly true. ronald reagan came into office with character and charisma, traits that take other elected officials years to develop. it was that charisma which impressed california's republicans and led to his nomination as governor of my great state. ronald reagan was elected governor of california in 1966 by nearly a million-vote margin. he was elected to a second term in 1970. he did not seem to mind that people underappreciated him at the time. and decades later, as volumes of his handwritten essays were released to the public, americans saw just what a thoughtful and visionary man he was. if we remember ronald reagan

with one sentence, let us remember him as one who took big ideas and a crafting of words and a conviction of freedom to change the entire world. on the 100th anniversary of the birth of the great communicator, i hope we can embody his spirit of bipartisanship to keep our country strong and united today. thank you, madam chair. i yield the floor. mrs. hutchison: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from texas. mrs. hutchison: madam president, i rise to speak also on the 100th anniversary of the birth of ronald reagan. i am so pleased to follow my colleague from california who has been under the weather for a little while, and we're very glad that she's back. madam president, i think all of us will have an opportunity to talk about one of the great presidents of the last century and to mark the 30 years since

ronald reagan's inauguration. when ron weighing was elected president in 1980, america faced an anemic economy, high unemployment and a sense of malaise emanated from washington. president reagan never doubted america's potential was unlimited. during his second inaugural address, he said america can outproduce, outcompete and outsell anybody anywhere in the world. the reagan revolution was fueled by the understanding that given the opportunity, americans would dream, create, and build. he also knew that the road to greatness was through an individual's effort, not through expanded government. so president reagan said about reinvigorating the stagnant economy. he cut government spending. he reduced government regulation. he ended the practice of wage

and price controls. he passed tax cuts for all americans. he famously noted that government's first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives. the american economy responded with sustained growth, ao new era of economic prosperity had been ushered in. reagan's vision of the greater good also extended beyond our shores. he was a fierce advocate for freedom. with our cold war adversary, the soviet union, imposing the type grip of communism on much of the world, president reagan launched a resurgence of american military might through the strategic defense initiative. as he said, "of the four wars in my lifetime, none came about because the united states was too strong." it was his firm resolve to negotiate from a position of strength that led to successful

arms talks with the soviets and ultimately to the downfall of the soviet empire. during his first inaugural address, he clearly stated where america stood. as for the enemies of freedom, he said, those who are potential adversaries they will be reminded that these is the highest aspiration of the american people. we will negotiate for it, sacrifice for it, we will not surrender for it now or ever. president reagan understood that all people, regardless of where they lived, long for liberty and freedom. he believed that america was a beacon of hope to all the oppressed people of the world, a shining city on the hill as he described it. as jeffrey bell wrote in "the weekly standard," ronald reagan believed that people all over the world craved self government just as much as americans did. even today he is still being

proven right." he said, "concentrated power has always been the enemy of liberty. these words still echo in today's tumultuous times. we witnessed the poignant photographs of women in iraq voting and joyously holding up their purple-stained thumbs. we have seen marches in egypt of people who yearn to be able to vote for the first time in a real election in 30 years. he also understood the importance of information in promoting freedom calling it the oxygen of the age. it seeps through the walls, he said. it's topped by barbed wire. it wafts across the electrified border. his words are as true today as when he uttered them. freedom and individual liberty are america's greatest assets. they are the core of our

national identity. they are the foundation of our economic prosperity. and these precious assess have been protected by the patriots from every generation from the beginning of america's history to today. ronald reagan understood and appreciated the duty we all have to preserve these american ideals. as he said, democracy is worth dying for because it is the most deeply honorable form of government devised by man. when president reagan died in 2004, there was a spontaneous worldwide outpouring of grief and tributes that caught some seasoned political pundits by surprise. throughout his political career, ronald reagan was underestimated by establishment political intellectuals of the day. he was dismissed sometimes by the media. but when he spoke, the american people listened, they

understood, and they agreed with this down-to-earth but very profound man. and so did the world. we all remember him fondly and with great respect and are honored to have known him. madam president, i yield the floor. mr. wyden: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from oregon. mr. wyden: madam president, in just a few minutes we will have the very appropriate recognition for the late president reagan. i just want to take a quick minute or two to talk about an amendment that will be called up later in the afternoon on my behalf to expand and improve the unmanned aerial systems, what's known as u.a.s. programs that are part of the federal aviation administration reauthorization bill. my amendment is amendment 27. i want to thank chairman rockefeller and his staff because they've worked very closely with me on this and several other amendments. growth in the unmanned aerial

system sector in the aviation business has been extraordinary in just the last few years. i think it's well known that the systems are proving critical to military operations in iraq and afghanistan. but they also have tremendous potential in the civilian sector, whether it's for fire fighting, law enforcement, border patrol, search and rescue or environmental monitoring. law enforcement uses for this technology would be especially helpful in rural areas like most of my home state in oregon. unfortunately the federal aviation administration has not yet been able to come up with a real plan for how to integrate these unmanned aerial system vehicles into our airspace. so that's why i'm pleased that the rockefeller bill before us includes requirements for f.a.a. to get to work on a plan in this area and establish test sites for unmanned aerial systems

research. the bill, however, includes only four of these sites. i would like to see us be bolder, particularly in a area where i think there is so much opportunity for innovation, development and job creation. this amendment would expand the number of sites to ten which would require the f.a.a. to explore the most useful way for unmanned systems to be integrated into the airspace. the amendment would require at least one of these test sites investigate how unmanned systems can be useful in monitoring public lands. as the chairman in the subcommittee on public lands and forests i've heard repeatedly from officials that remote public lands are too often being used as a place for criminals to grow drugs without detection. the bureau of land management and forest service, two agencies that work in this field, simply don't have the resources to use expensive helicopters and do all the work that is necessary to

route out the -- to root out the illegal operations. let me conclude by saying i believe unmanned aerial systems could be a cost-saving way to correct this problem and by getting the ball rolling with this amendment, i believe it will be possible to more significantly fight these reprehensible drug operations that are taking place on public lands. i'm hoping this amendment, amendment 27, will be accepted as part of the rockefeller legislation. i look forward to working with the bill's managers to encourage development in a sect that i think is right at the half a trillion what we need to do to promote innovation in the aviation field. i thank chairman rockefeller. i see senator mccain here, and i'm very pleased that the senate is moving now to take time to recognize the extraordinary contributions of our late president ronald reagan. thank you, madam president. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the senate will proceed to morning business

until 3:00 p.m. with senators permitted to speak up to ten minutes each for the purpose of giving remarks relative to the upcoming centennial of the birth of president ronald reagan. the senator from arizona. mr. mccain: madam president, there are many of us who will come to the floor this afternoon to pay tribute to one of the great presidents in american history and many of us will recollect times and experiences and contacts we had with president reagan and the way he inspired us personally as well as a nation. when i was a prisoner of war in north vietnam, the vietnamese went to great lengths to restrict the news from home to the statements and activities of

prominent opponents of the war in vietnam. they wanted us to believe that america had forgotten us. they never mentioned ronald reagan to us or played his speeches over the camp loud speakers. no matter. we knew about him. new additions to our ranks told us how the governor and mrs. reagan were committed to our liberation and our cause. when we came home, all of us were eager to meet the reagans, to thank them for their concern. but more than gratitude drew us to them. we were drawn to them because they were among the few prominent americans who didn't subscribe to the then-fashionable notion that america had entered her inevitable decline. we prisoners of war came home to a country that had lost a war and the best sense of itself, a

county beset by social and economic problems. assassinations, riots, scandals, contempt for political, religious and educational institutions gave the appearance that we had become a dysfunctional society. patriotism was sneered at. the military scorned. and the world anticipated the collapse of our global influen influence. the great, robust, confident republic that had given its name to the last century seemed exhausted. ronald reagan believed differently. he possessed an unshakeable faith in america's greatness, past and future, that proved more durable than the prevailing political sentiments of the time. and his confidence was a tonic to men who had come home eager to put the war behind us and for

the country to do likewise. our country has a long and honorable history. a lost war or any other calamity should not destroy our confidence or weaken our purpo purpose. we were a good nation before vietnam and we are a good country after vietnam. in all of history, you can't find a better one. of that ronald reagan was supremely confident and he became president to prove it. his was a faith that shouted at tyrants to "tear down this wal wall." such faith, such patriotism requires a great deal of love to profess, and i will always revere him for it. when walls were all i had for a world, i learned about a man whose love of freedom gave me

hope in a desolate place. his faith honored us as it honored all americans, as it has honored all freedom-loving people. let us honor his memory especially today by holding his faith as our own and let us, too, tear down walls to freedom. that is what americans do when they believe in themselves. mr. president, i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from alabama. mr. sessions: i ask that the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. sessions: and would note that i was honored to be able to hear senator mccain's comments on ronald reagan. this sunday is, indeed, the 100th anniversary of his birth. it was an opportunity for the whole -- it's an opportunity for the whole nation to honor the

memory of a man who honored us with his leadership. the 1980's were a -- in the 1980's, we were a weakened country. inflation and unemployment were in double digits, the hostage crisis in iran dragged on with no end in sight, our standing abroad was waning and so, too, was our military strength. challenges at home were answered with one failed washington program after another. we had lost confidence in our future and, really, the principle -- and in the principles that made us exceptional. ronald reagan changed that. part of that change began with 12 simple but crucial words: government is not the solution to our problems. government is the problem. and it is a big part of our problem.

he stirred the passions of our country, revitalizing not only our economy but our identity and confidence as free people. what some have called the reagan revolution he called the great rediscovery. he instilled us with a new confidence in our future and in america's role as the last, best hope of mankind. his achievements are well-known but they bear repeating. working with paul coale -- paul volcker, chairman of the federal reserve, he entaind inflation, which was depriving americans of their life savings. it was a tough course, a tough road, but he saw it through, he stayed on the course and we were stronger as a result and we needed to get on a tough -- we need to get on a tough road and stay the course today. he lowered taxes dramatically, including a reduction in the top rate from nearly 80%, and he

reined in a runaway bureaucracy that had trapped innovation and productivity in a labyrinth of regulation and red tape. his faith in the free market was not misplaced. it rewarded us. he created 20 million new jobs, grew our gross national product by 26% and began the longest peacetime boom in our history. conditions improved for americans in every walk of life. the net worth of families earning between $20,000 and $50,000 rose by 27%. reagan's stunning success debunked every myth of those who believed a government -- a bigger government is more compassionate and can do more for more people. the growth and potential productivity of the private sector is what has made america the most prosperous nation.

and this success at home was matched by his success abroad. he defended our principles and our way of life with clarity, confidence, and vigor. his policies brought down the soviet empire. "mr. gorbachev, tear down this wall." still resonates in our minds. and it liberated untold millio millions. now today, more than 20 years after reagan left office, we find ourselves facing many of the same challenges: a sagging economy, a growing government, and a diminished standing in the world. mr. sessions: we would be vie we to remember the lessons of that era -- peace through strength,, prosperity through freedom. he understood that our future greatness lies in the same place it always has, through our pioneering, restless, enterprising spirit that is filled with ambition and

excitement and a deep sense of honor and decency that defines who we are as a people and who we will be tonal. in -- who we will be tomorrow. in president reagan's farewell address, he urged a word of caution. if we forget what committee did, we -- what we did, we won't know who we are. i am warning of an eradication of that, of the american nearm y that would result ultimately in an erosion of the american spirit, he said. so we face a daunting and defining challenges of our time, and as we do so, i hope we'll look back to the leadership he provided. mr. president, just on a personal note, i was tremendously honored to have been appointed united states attorney in the southern district of alabama by president reagan in 1981. it was an office that i had served as an assistant in a

number of years before. and to be able to come back and to lead that office was such a personal thrill. and, you know, the president didn't give me any directions exactly what we were to do but i absolutely knew -- and i've often said it's a great example of true leadership -- i knew exactly what he wanted me to do. and i gathered the staff, many of whom i'd worked for from years before, and used these words. i said, president reagan sent me here to prosecute criminals and protect the united states treasury. and i believe that's what he d did. i believe that was implicit in his campaign, his consistent leadership, that he believed in law and order and efficiency and he wanted us to fight corruption and to try to help produce a more efficient government. i remember in those days that we

went to a united states attorneys conference that i attended with my good friend, recently the deputy attorney general of the united states, larry thompson, and we would share rooms on the trips to save money because we knew and believed president reagan wanted us to save money and that we were -- our spending was out of control and we had a serious financial problem. our budgets were frozen but we worked harder and we produced more. that can be done today. this wining -- whining that we can't reduce spending, and many times they define reducing spending is a reduction of the projected rate of growth. it's not even a reduction -- a reduction of current level of spending. these kind of things happened throughout the government, increased productivity of our government. it reduced the take of the federal government from the

private economy. the private economy grew and the governmental sector became more efficient and more productive. that's what we need to return to. it was such a fabulous honor to have the opportunity to serve in that position, and i hope and -- that i was faithful to the values that the president who appointed me had. i got to tell you, i think i knew what they were and i know i gave my best effort to be worthy of the trust he placed in me. and i think that was true of many, many more people throughout the federal government. i would note the absence of a quorum and yield the floor. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from georgia. mr. isakson: mr. president, i rise for a moment in joining my other colleagues in paying tribute to ronald reagan, president of the united states -- the presiding officer: the senator should be aware we're in a quorum call. mr. isakson: i would ask unanimous consent the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. so ordered.

mr. isakson: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, i rise to join many of my other colleagues in paying tribute to the late ronald reagan and president of the united states and a great conservative leader of our country and an inspiration to many, many, many americans. i want to dedicate my remarks to a lady named kathy miller. she works tabor me here in washington. she has loved ronald reagan since the day he came on the scene and probably can quote him verbatim much more than i can. i dedicate these troorks her today. and my speech is is going to be about two events that i happened to attend where ronald reagan was president. the impact of those events, not only on me, but on everybody else that was there, and on the future of our country. one took place in 1975 when he was beginning his pursuit for the nomination for the presidency of the united states. gerald ford was still president of the united states at that time and was running for the nomination for a full term. ronald reagan came to cobb

county, georgia, where i live. it is a very republican county right nowvment but in 1975 it was not a very republican county. in fact there was only one elected official in the entire county that was republican out of literally 100 or more who were democratic officials. ronald reagan came to the civic center in c.b.o. county -- in cobb county and an unanticipated thing happened. a crowd so large came that fire marshalls shut the building down. this is a very good-sized, 4,000-seat auditorium. people came to hear a positive message about america. i was fortunate enough, because i had been in politics a little bit, to be ail to get in that room appeared listen to his speech. in 1975 in america, it was not the most prosperous of times. a lot of things we had been suffering through in the last couple of years we went through in 1974-75. a difficult housing market,

unemployment, a high unemployment rate. he uplifted people who needed uplifting and di he did it witha message of belief in our self, belief in our country, pride in america, defense through strength. those messages that were so clear of ronald wilson reagan. it inspired me, inspired me so much that i hold he would -- that i hoped he would ghat nomination. but gerald ford got it. you didn't go home and pout. he didn't not participate, not dropout. he set his sights on the 1980 republican nomination as president of the united states. he achieved it, won it and there was eight great years for our country, eight great years by a man who could inspire and lead. i've oftentimes said that two of the truly great presidents that we've had -- john kennedy and ronald reagan -- both had something in common. they were from different parties

but, first, they could stand before a group of people and make a speech about a subject they didn't agree with and by the time they finished, they got a standing ovation. they were great communicators. second, they were committed to a safe and prosperous america. they were hawks on defense. they confronted our enemies straight up, like president kennedy did with khrushchev and like president reagan did. and third, most importantly, they reduced taxes and brought prosperity to the economy of the united states. the second occasion that i met praying reagan was an interesting occasion. it was in the omni coliseum in atlanta where professional basketball was played at the time. seated 16,000 people. i was the majority leader of the georgia house of representatives. i was the emcee. the keynote was a speech from ronald reagan. he flew from washington to at than to make that speech and then went on to confront

gorbachev and brezhnev and a strong buildup of american forces so we would be a strong country that could defend ourselves, not a weak country that would be subservient to anyone else. in that auditorium he stood up before them and he again did the same thng he did in that auditorium in 1975 -- he inspired them to believe in their country, inspired them to believe in what was right, inspired them to peace through -- i think when he left the presidency, we would all agree our country was uplifted. there was a period of prosperity, a period of strength, a rein canals of the american spimplet that is a test of true leadership. so i'm honored and trifled to join many of my colleagues on the floor today to pay tribute to the memory and the commitment of ronald reagan, president of the united states. mr. president, i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from virginia. mr. webb: i ask unanimous consent that the call of the quorum be terminated. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. webb: thank you, mr. president. i'd like to join my other colleagues who have come to the floor at this time to speak in honor of the late-president ronald reagan on the occasion of his 100th birthday. i'd like to first begin by gichg my best wishes -- giving my best wishes to mrs. reagan and wish her all the best for her continued health, and throes say that, as someone who had three different positions in the reagan administration, i'm thinking of a lot of very fine people with whom i had the

opportunity to serve and especially c.a.p. win weinberge, who i met and worked with every day, one of the finest people i ever worked with and also john herington, the director of white house personnel, who first brought me into the reagan administration and later served our country as secretary of energy. as i mentioned, mr. president, i had three different positions in the reagan administration, first as a member of the national advisory committee and then spent four years to the day in the pentagon as assistant secretary of defense and then as secretary of the navy. and it was truly an inspiring time in my life to have worked for an individual who had the leadership qualities that ronald reagan demonstrated. he knew how to inspire our countrymen. he knew how to bring strong

personalities together to work toward the good of the country and for its future. he knew how to make decisions. he knew how to make hard decisions. one of the great qualities that he had was that he was never afraid to take responsibility for the consequences of any of those decisions. and that is something that motivated, i think, everyone who served in his administration. if we go back to that time period, those of us who were of age, 1980, it was a bad time in our country. our country was in tremendous turmoil. we were demoralized in the wake of the fall of south viet tpha*pl and the bitterness that affected so many of us along class lines, particularly among those who opposed the vietnam war and those who had fought it and what we were going to do in terms of resolving those issues here in the country and the impact it had on our reputation

internationally. inflation was rampant, sometimes in the high teens. people were saying that the presidency was too big of a job for any one person. our military was overworked, underpaid and dramatically underappreciated. i had friends with whom i had served or that i had gone to the naval academy with who had gone into the navy who were saying during this time period, if you make commander, you may as well get your divorce because you're going to go to sea for four years. the navy had gone from 930 combatant ships during the vietnam war down to 479 precipitously at the same time our country assumed the obligations in the indian ocean and persian gulf, obligations it had not had before. the soviet union, kind of hard to remember right now, was in a state of high activity diplomatically and militarily. it had invaded afghanistan,

threatening instability in that part of the world. it had a massive naval build-up in the pacific following our withdrawal from vietnam. our diplomatic and military personnel in tehran had been taken hostage by the iranian regime and were being taunted daily on tv. our national self-image was in a crisis state. who were we as a country? do we really have a future? ronald reagan campaigned based on our national greatness and on the intrinsic good of our society and on restoring our place at the top of the world community. i can vividly remember in the summer of 1980 when ronald reagan made a speech at the veterans of foreign wars convention and just mentioned, as he was so want to do with symbolic phrases, that

vietnam had been a noble cause. he had the media following him around the country mocking the comment at this point, only five years after the fall of south vietnam. but for those of us who had stepped forward and served in order to attempt to bring democracy to south vietnam, that was a great moment of inspiration. once he was elected, ronald reagan governed with the same sense of certainty about the greatness of our system and the goodness of our people. he convinced strong, talented people to join his administration with george shultz as secretary of state and cap weinberger as secretary of defense, he brought two lions into his cabinet who didn't always agree, which was rather famous in washington at the time, but who were able to combine fierce, competitive intellects with decades of

valuable experience. when ronald reagan left the white house, our military had been rebuilt, our people had regained their pride in our country, and in their optimism for its future. the united states was again recognized as a leading nation in the world community. and the failed governmental concept that had produced the soviet union was on the verge of imploding. not because of external attack, but soon to disappear at the hands of its own citizens who could look to the west and see a better way of life. to paraphrase an old saying, you never know when you're making history. you only know when you did. mr. president, ronald reagan did make history, and i was proud to be a small part of it. and with that, i yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll.

a senator: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent to suspend the quorum call. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. a senator: as a junior senator representing the state of illinois and one who will lead a celebration of president reagan's life in chicago saturday night for sunday, the 100th birthday of our native illinoisan, the 40th president, ronald reagan, i want to talk for a moment about his life and what he has meant to the united states now on the 100th anniversary of president reagan's birth. mr. kirk: on february 6, 1911 in tampico, illinois, with a population of 820, john and nellie reagan welcomed a child who would one day change the direction not just of our

country but the world. according to the reagan family lore, when he first gazed upon his son, john reagan prophetically kweupd he looks like a fat little dutch man. but who knows, one day he may grow up to be president one day. his father was a strong believer in the american dream and nellie reagan passed on to her son her penchant to always look for the good in people regardless of their position. it was those lessons in perseverance and faith that would inspire ronald reagan to pursue his dream of becoming a hollywood actor. he signed his first professional acting contract in 1935 and went on to enjoy a successful career on the silver screen. but by 1946, after serving three years in the army air force intelligence corps during the height of world war ii, he began to have ambitions beyond

hollywood. after five-year stint as the president of the screen actors gild laid the foundation for ronald reagan's political career. during the turmoil of the hollywood communism craze, reagan proved himself to be a skilled dealmaker and an influential leader as he successfully navigated the upheaval in the hollywood community. in 1964, ronald reagan was thrust into the national spotlight as he gave his televised speech entitled "a time for choosing" in support of the presidential nominee, barry goldwater. following his speech, a group of influential citizens became convinced that ronald reagan should become the next governor of california. after winning a primary and enduring a very hard-fought campaign, ronald reagan unseated the two-time governor of california, pat brown, to become the 33rd governor in

california's history. during his two terms as governor, californians enjoyed a smaller, less costly and more efficient state government. governor reagan returned $5 billion to the taxpayers and used his line-item veto authority 943 times to ensure that the state's budget matched its priorities. ronald reagan had once again proved himself a determined and capable leader in difficult times. but soon the american people would learn that his best days were very much ahead of him. after an unsuccessful republican presidential attempt in 1976, he knew that he wanted to be president but would only enter the race if the people of the united states actually wanted him to run. in the years following the 1976 primary, ronald reagan became increasingly concerned about the direction that the country was headed, especially in the areas

of national security, unemployment, and the economy. more than anything, reagan sensed that americans had lost their sense of confidence not just in themselves, but also in the country. interestingly, the concerns mr. reagan felt as he weighed the decision to run for president are not unlike many of the challenges we face today. ronald reagan was confident that he was the man who could lead the country out of a dark recession and into the light of a new prosperity and national pride. after winning a landslide election in november, ronald reagan was sworn in as our 40th president on january 20, 1981. he immediately went to work on repairing a broken economy by enacting the economic recovery tax act of 1981 with his solemn belief being that if people had

more money in their pockets and confidence to invest, the country would get back on a sound financial footing. during his first months in office, reagan was as much thankful for the newfound economic stability as he was for a heightened sense of optimistic that was returning to the united states after very hard times. he thoughtfully guided this country through a series of national tragedies and terrorist attacks on our military forces abroad. yet through it all, president reagan's resolve never wavered. his confidence in the american people would meet the challenges of the times they faced without faltering. he was a man who, after surviving his own assassination attempt, continued to meet with congressional leaders in his hospital bed as he recovered because he believed it was best and in the intft american people not -- in the interest of the american people to continue to work as he healed. it was that type of steadfast

determination that allowed negotiations with soviet leader mikhail gorbachev to move forward and eventually led to the tearing down of the berlin wall, the signing of the i.n.f. treaty and eventually the end of soviet oppression of eastern europe. the issue that got him into politics -- ending the spread of communism -- became the crowning achievement of ronald reagan's presidency. his constant refrain throughout this time in the white house was that government was becoming too big, too inefficient, too unresponsive, and too wasteful. as governor, reagan demonstrated the ability to exercise fiscal restraint as he urged leaders in congress to do the same thing. i think it's appropriate that we are celebrating ronald reagan's 100th birthday at a time when the national debt and deficit are at an all-time high. we know that ronald reagan possessed the willingness to

tackle such tough issues and i believe that the lesson we can learn most if his presidency is the endlessly optimistic attitude that he had for the united states, for its people and himself would one day emerge stronger than any of the difficulties he had to overcome. his assertion was that america was -- quote -- "a shining city on a hill." it guided him, as it should guide us. a hard-nosed and gritty politician, reagan would have jumped at the chance to take the responsibility of leading the country out of a very dark recession, as he did in 1981. so as we celebrate ronald reagan's 100th birthday, let us take us -- take a moment to reflect on the life of a man who, as president, always did what was necessary to move the country forward in a way that was most beneficial to his

people. now, i know his legacy is most associated with the people of california, but as the junior senator for illinois, we will claim our right to note his birth in tampaco, his childhood in dicks son and his college years at eureka college. we will be very happy to mark the 100th birthday on saturday in chicagoland and through celebrations in other parts of the state. one of our great presidents who very much changed the course, of the direction of this country and this world for the better. and with that, mr. president, i yield back. mr. kirk kirk: and i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: thank you. the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

mr. lieberman: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from connecticut. mr. lieberman: i thank the chair. mr. president, is the senate in a quorum call? the presiding officer: yes, senator. mr. lieberman: i would then ask unanimous consent that further proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. lieberman: i thank the

chair. mr. president, in three days time across our country, from the north country of new hampshire to his final resting place in simi valley, california, americans will celebrate the legacy of president ronald reagan. it will be the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his birth. and i'm really honored to rise today to join other colleagues of both parties and others throughout the united states and i'm sure the world in paying tribute to america's 40th president. i cannot speak as personally about president reagan as some in this chamber can. i met him only a few times when, as a visiting state attorney general during the 1980's, i was at the white house. he was always gracious, always responsive to us. but i did have one meeting that i might call a virtual meeting with president reagan that reminds me of his enduring importance for our country today. 22 years ago, on january 4, 19

1989, as president reagan was departing the white house having completed his second term, i had just arrived in washington as a freshman senator from connecticut. president reagan was set to give his final weekly radio address on that brisk saturday morning and then-senate majority leader george mitchell had honored me by asking me if i would give the democratic response. it was a real honor although a daunting one for me to be asked to do that on that occasion. looking back, i believe that president reagan's 331st and final radio address on that january morning was among the most masterful and moving of his career. in it, he captured the very essence of the american spirit. he said, "whether we seek it or not, whether we like it or not, we americans are keepers of the miracles. we are asked to be guardians of

a place to come to, a place to start again, a place to live in the dignity god meant for his children. may it ever be so," president reagan concluded that morning. needless to say, president reagan's final radio address was quite literally a tough act to follow. in my remarks, i praised him for his love of country, for his fervent devotion to freedom, on and for his commitment to the values of faith, flag, and family. i was, as i put it then, inspired and encouraged by his patriotism and i urged all americans to work on our unfinished business and the challenges ahead with the spirit of purpose and confidence that is the legacy of the reagan years, end quote. today, 22 years later, i continue to feel deeply honored that i was able to deliver those remarks and ever more confident of the importance of ronald

reagan's legacy to us and the generations of americans to come. the optimism, moral clarity, and confidence that president -- president reagan radiated inspired a generation, and they are precisely the ideals that we need today to rekindle and reinspire the current generation of americans and others, frankly, living without freedom around the world. i didn't always agree with president reagan. that's a matter of public record. but i always understood the enduring value and strength and sincerity of his faith in america's values and america's destiny. in 1980, ronald reagan promised to make america great again and he did. he expressed with total confidence that those who would

challenge our hard-won freedoms would collapse and they did. he led our country and the free world to victory in the cold war against soviet communism and he never doubted for a moment that america and our cause could and would prevail. when in 1977 ronald reagan was asked about his vision for the end of the cold war -- remember, he wasn't yet president -- he responded with characteristic and refreshing directness. he said -- and i quote -- "my idea of american policy toward the soviet union is simple and some would say simila simplisti. it is this -- we win and they lose." president reagan's understanding of world affairs was far from simplistic. he was an optimist without illusions who was guided by and

frankly expressed moral judgments about what was right and what was wrong. we don't see that enough today. there's a kind of relativism afoot. but some things are just plain wrong and some things, thank god, are just plain right. president reagan had the moral clarity to make distinctions between good and evil and the moral courage to speak the truth of those distinctions unambiguously and to support them unwaveringly. when he addressed an audience of veterans and world leaders commemorating the 40th anniversary of d-day, standing as he spoke on the wind swept coast of northern france, the very clifftop in nor normandy we courage us allied soldiers fought to liberate europe from the yoke of nazi tyranny, president reagan magnificently, masterfully, compellingly

revealed again his moral clarity. and i'm honored to quote these words today on this floor. "the men of normandy," reagan said, "had faith that what they were doing was right, faith that they fought for all humanity, faith that a just god would grant them mercy on this beachhead. or on the next. it was the deep knowledge and pray god we have not lost it, that there is a profound moral difference between the use of force for liberation and the use of force for conquest. you were here," he said to the veterans, "to liberate, not to conker and so you and those others did not doubt your cause. you were right not to doubt. you all knew that some things are worth dying for. one's country is worth dying for and democracy is worth dying f for, because it's the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man.

all of you loved liberty," president reagan concluded, "all of you were willing to fight tyranny and you knew the people of your countries were behind you." it's thrilling just to read those words again. yet president reagan never spoke about america's enemies belligerently. rather, he spoke firmly and frankly about the deep divide between our marlt and that of the -- our morality and that of the soviet union. in doing so, i think he reawakened in all of us the belief that every human being has the potential to change history because history, as reagan knew, was made not by abstract inexorable forces but by real live men and women. it was president ronald reagan who came to the defense of the dissidents in their fight against the soviet union and reminded the world that a single courageous human face, a single

courageous voice can tear down the faceless inhumanity of a massive repressive system such as the soviet union. the great soviet dissident and later israeli leader and human rights activist, natan shiransky, once shared with me his memory of the moment when he first learned of president reagan's 1982 speech before the british parliament. the speech in which reagan described the soviet union as an evil empire. there were some here in this country who thought that was much too stark and disrespectful. but sharansky, who was a prisoner for nearly a decade in the soviet gulag described to me how word of reagan's speech spread through that heartless prison as he and his fellow dissidents tapped on walls and talked through pipes and even

toilets to communicate the extraordinary news that the leader of the free world had spoken the truth, a truth, as sharansky put it -- and i quote -- "that burned inside the heart of each and every one of us" -- end quote. indeed, president reagan was willing to expose an inconvenient truth about the soviet union that unsettled and unnerved some of his contemporaries who feared his undiplomatic words were a threat to stability. and the thriew truth is they we. president reagan refused to accept the stability of an authoritarian status quo that consigned millions of people to live under perpetual tyranny and so he did challenge the stability of the berlin wall and the gulag and nastassi and in doing so, his courage helped inspire the men and women who brought down the iron curtain and expanded the frontiers of freedom. his approach to foreign policy,

president ronald reagan embodied the quintessentialally american combination of idealism and pragmatism. he understood what america was about, which is freedom and opportunity. and he fought to extend those great values here at home and throughout the world. in his final words to the nation as our president in a radio address on that january morning 22 years ago, president reagan shared a story about a meeting winston churchill had with a group of american journalists in 1952. it was a time when many doubted whether the president could meet the challenges of the cold war and whether the west could meet the challenges of the cold war and prevail. churchill asked the reporters, what other nation in history, when it became supremely powerful, has had no thought of territorial aggrandizement, no ambition but to use its resources for the good of the

world? i marvel," churchill said, "at america's altruism, her sublime disinterestedness." churchill's friend and physician described the prime minister's demeanor as he spoke. "all at once i realized,ings "he wrote, "win chonston was in tears. his eyes were red, he was deeply moved." i think president reagan was drawn to that story in his final radio address to the nation 22 years ago because he understood that in that moment churchill understood and acknowledged the greatness of the perso of the an spirit. imperfect though we are as human beings, it is the spirit who explains who we are and expression all we aspire tofnlt he saw america's devotion to a cause that has defined us for over two centuries, a cause greater than our own individual self-interest or even national

self-interest very often, and that given us an enduring purpose to our national destiny, and that is the cause of human dignity and human freedom. at a time when many -- at a time when we face many challenges both at home hand abroad and when it has unfortunately become unfashion to believe suggest that our best days as a nation are behind us, president ronald reagan's optimism and his abiding faith in america are more important to remember than ever before. they are as wise as they are true. our shared national destiny, mr. president, has always inspired us as americans and propelled us forward together. it is the spirit that ronald reagan reinexpired in america at a time of great peril. and it is the spirit i know at this time of peril here at home and around the twhoorld can carry us forward and continue to make us the greatest nation on earth and the last, best hope of

mankind. i change the car thank the chaid the floor. mr. alexander: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from tennessee. mr. alexander: thank you, mr. president. i appreciate the remarks of the senator from connecticut. glad i had the opportunity to hear them. i, too, am here to celebrate ronald reagan's life, born 100 year, but also his nearly 50 years of influence on american public policy. and i would begin in this way: a few years ago when he was president of the united states, president reagan attended one of the many washington press dinners that are held here. i think it was the gridiron dinner. it is we will-known that 90% of the people in the audience, the members of the press, had a different point of view on politics than he did. but they liked him anyway and they respected him, just as he respected them. and i remember that evening that he strode into the gridiron

dinner and smiling and looking like a million dollars. the press rose and smiled back and applauded him, and president reagan stood in front of the media until the applause subsided and then he sthaid: "thank you very much. i know how hard it is to clap with your fingers crossed." and the media laughed. they had a wonderful time with president reagan. the first thing we think about, those of us who had a chance to know him -- and that was a great many of us -- is that ronald reagan was a very friendly man. he was a congenial man. an easy person to know, the kind of person you would enjoy spending time with. he was very comfortable, as we say, in his own skin, and what you saw in private was what everybody else saw in public. but ronald reagan was about more than being friendly and

congenial. and each of us has a personal story of his or her connection to president reagan, and i have mine. and i'd like to use as an example this: 16-year-old this month i stood as a great many members of this body have on the front porch -- or on the front porch of my hometown courthouse. in my case was merryville, tennessee. u.a.e.nnounced his candidacy for president of the united states. it was an offer that the people of the united states didn't accept. my preacher brother-in-law said i should consider that political defeat as a reverse calling, and i have, and i've gone on to other things. but as an example of the influence that president reagan had on my generation and other generations, let me give you an example of what i said 16-year-old.

30 30* years ago i said then, ronald reagan, before he was elected to any public office, made an address called "time for chootion." he said in america freedom sour greatest value and then there were two great threats, commun i abroad and big government at home. looking back over those last 30 years, i was tock talking in 1995, quks i suppose we could say one down and one to go. communism, the evil empire, has virtually disappeared, but big government at home has become an arrogant empire, object noxious and increasingly irrelevant in a telecommunication telecommunications age. in every neighborhood of america, the government in washington is stepping on the prosm american life. the government in washington, the new american revolution is about lifting that yoke from the backs of american teachers, american farmers, businessmen and women, college presidents, and homeless shelter directors and giving us the tbreem to make decisions for ourselves.

ronald rairks" said in 1994, "phut this way when he spoke in 1964: quote -- 'this is the issue of the lerks whether we believe in our capacity for self-government or whether we abandon the american revolution and confess that a little intellectual elite in a far-distant capital can plan our lives forbe us better than we can plan ourselves.' "that was also the issue of the election in 1994. it will be the issue of 1996, i said, and for years to come. it took 30 years of unfashionable principled leadership by the last republican outsider who became president to help collapse the evil empire. now is a good time to give another republican washington outsider the opportunity to help put some humility in an arrogant empire in washington, d.c. " so, you see, that the issues of 1964, the issues of 1994, the issues of 2010, most likely the

issues of 2012, 2016 and beyond have a lot of similarities, and over that half-century, ronald reagan was the finest spokesman for that point of view, the finest and the most persuasive. mr. president, we americans say that anything is possible, and nothing symbolizes that more than the american presidency. we see it in president obama today. we saw it in president lincoln, we saw it in president truman, we saw it in president eisenhower, and we saw it in ronald reagan. no president symbolized that more in the last half-century than president reagan did, though. he reminded us of what it means to be an american. he lifted our spirits, he made us proud, he strengthened our character, and he taughtes a great many lessons.

we celebrate the centennial of his birth and the half-century of his influence in public life. mr. president, i ask unanimous consent to include at the end of my remarks ronald reagan's speech "a time for choosing" made october 27, 1964, which was the beginning -- which launched him into public debate in the united states. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. alexander: i ask unanimous consent following that to include remarks i made in orange county, california, on october 28, 1994, on the 30th anniversary of the speech "time for choosing." the presiding officer: without objection. mr. alexander: and fine amly, mr. president, i ask unanimous consent to include in the record remarks that i made in tribute to president reagan in june of 2004. the presiding officer: without

objection. mr. alexander: i thank the chair. i yield the floor.

a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from south dakota. mr. thune: mr. president, i want to join with my colleagues. i appreciate whatd senator from tennessee to say about our former president ronald reagan as we look upon his 100th birthday coming up here this weekend and all of us pay tribute to the legacy that he gave this country, the tremendous contributions that he made during his time in office, and we all have different, i think, remembrances and associations with his presiden presidency. i was -- it was actually i was a sophomore in high school when he was elected to his first term as president back in 1980. i should say "sophomore in college." it was the first election that i had the opportunity to vote in. but -- so i guess you could say i was sort of coming of age about the time he was coming on the national political staifnlgt

he of course had run for president four years earlier. but i remember just has a young person who was beginning to pay a little bit of atenge to politics at the time -- attention to politics at the time being so impressed with a number of qualities, the attributes i think that characterized his personally and which were primarily responsible for the tremendous success that he had as a president and for the great legacy that he leaves behind. and i -- you know, i was someone who grew up in a small-town in south dakota and had parents who my father and mother had both come through the great depression so they were very similar in terms of her remembrances of that period and could identify with some of the thanks president reagan talked about. but he was a person of strong convictions. he had a strength of conviction i think that was really appealing to a lot of americans. he was someone who believed in american exceptionalism. he understood that the greatness of this country wasn't in its

government institutions but in its people and its ideals. he was someone who was willing to confront the threats that we faced around the world and the way that he took on the threat of communism and promoted freedom and democracy around the globe is something for which he will always be rerdz, not only here at home but by other countries around the world. i think that he possessed in many respects a lot of the qualities that we value in the midwest. he was a very humble person. i think his humility is something that really stood out. he was always referred to "dutch" reagan in his growing up, his formative years. the impact that he had on this country was because he saw himself as just an ordinary american like every other american, and he was able to connect with and identify with the challenges and the opportunities that were facing americans across this country at the time. i think he also possessed, although he was the governor of

california, a midwestern sensibility that never left. he had in many respects values that, as i said before, that many of us in the midwest find really important: his belief that you ought to live within your means, his sort of midwestern bedrock values of individual responsibility were things he always touched upon and referenced in his remarks. those are the types of qualities i think that really differentiated him on the national stage. and i remember too as a young person being impressed with his sense of humor. and i think too often today we -- these are serious matters that we deal with, matters of great gravity and great weight and they need to be taken with the right level of seriousness. but he also was able to see the best in people and to use his sense of humor to, i think, connect with people about what was really distinctive and unique about america. i remember the story that was

told while we were fighting the cold war about the guy in the soviet union who went in to buy a car. he said i want to buy a car, and the guy at the transportation department said, well, you can have your black sedan and you can pick it up ten years from today. the guy thought about it for a minute. he said will that be in the morning or the afternoon? the guy at the transportation bureau said what difference does it make? ten years from now. the guy said because i've got the phrurpl coming in the -- the plumber coming in the morning. ronald reagan had a way to put in simple, understandable and sometimes humorous terms what was unique about the american experience. that's something i think also that really set him apart. when it came to the big issues of the day, he had a statement that he made that i quote, you said there are no easy answers but there are simple answers. i think oftentimes we face these

complex problems and we overanalyze a little bit, and the truth is a lot of the challenges we face today, not unlike the times when he was president, there are not easy answers but i believe there are simple answers, mr. president. i think those very basic, core principles and those values that helped shape his presidency and the things he never lost sight of are what made him an effective president. i think that is a lesson we can apply today. there are no easy answers but there are simple answers. when we believe in the greatness of america, we look at the foundation of this country: personal freedom, personal liberty coupled with individual responsibility. he believed profoundly that you achieve peace through strength. he was willing to confront communism at a point in this nation's history when it posed a great threat to freedom-loving countries around the world. i think those are the types of qualities for which president reagan will be remembered. as, again, someone who was very impressionable at that time, he was a great inspiration to

public service. i think he represented the very best of public service. he got into it for all the right reasons, understood the importance of what he was doing, the issues with which he was dealing. but always had an eye toward making a difference in providing a better future for the next generation. and that's a lesson too that i think all of us need to remember, that sometimes we have a tendency to believe that it's about us, it's about today. and i think we always have to keep an eye on tomorrow, on the future. and what are we doing to build a better and brighter and more prosperous and stronger future for future generations? and so when i think about and remember president reagan, as we come upon his 100th birthday, those are the types of things that strike me as really standing out, mr. president: his humility, his sense of humor, his belief in american exceptionalism. those are the types of things

that i believe will characterize, that history will write, has already written about him but will certainly permanently impress upon my mind, my experience the time that i've had in public life, just the types of qualities that i want to apply and want to bring to the work that we do here in the united states senate. so i rise along with many of my colleagues today and pay tribute to our 40th president and to his family. and of course we thank them for their great service and sacrifice too because anybody who's been in this arena knows the sacrifice that comes with public service. we are indeed grateful for his great service to our country, for the way that he impacted so many both here at home and around the world and for the way that he continues through his legacy to impact generations of americans today. mr. president, i yield the floor.

the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the

senator from missouri. mr. blunt: i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. blunt: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, i want to speak for a few minutes today about ronald reagan. ronald reagan inspired freedom and changed the world. maybe nobody said that better than former prime minister, british prime minister margaret thatcher in a prerecorded eulogy that was played at president reagan's funeral at the national cathedral. i'd like to read just a little of that eulogy. it starts "we have lost a great president, a great american, and a great man." and mrs. thatcher said, "i have lost a dear friend. in his lifetime, ronald reagan was such a cheerful and invigorating presence it was easy to forget what daunting task he set for himself. he sought to mend america's wounded spirit, restore the strength of the free world and to free the slaves of communism. these were causes hard to

accomplish and heavy with risk." mrs. thatcher went on, "yet they were pursued with almost a lightness of spirit. for ronald reagan also embodied another great cause, what arnold bennett once called -- quoting arnold bennett -- the great cause of cheering us all up. back to mrs. thatcher: he won converts from every class and every nation and ultimately from the very heart of the evil empire. yet his humor often had a purpose beyond humor. in the terrible hours after the attempt on his life, his easy jokes gave reassurance to an anxious world. they are evidence that in the aftermath of terror and in the midst of hysteria, one great heart at least remained sane and jocular. they were truly grace under pressure. and perhaps they signified grace

of a different kind. mrs. thatcher says, ronnie himself certainly believed that he had been given back his life for a purpose. as he told a priest after his recovery, whatever time i've got left now belongs to the big fellow upstairs. and surely it's hard to deny that ronald reagan's life wasn't providential. when we look at what he achieved in the eight years that followed. other prophesied the decline of the west. he inspired americans and its allies with renewed faith in their mission of freedom. others saw only limits of growth. he transformed a stagnant economy into an engine of opportunity. others hoped at best for an uneasy cohabitation with the soviet union. he won the cold war. not only without firing a shot, but also by inviting enemies out of their fortress and turning them into friends. mrs. thatcher goes on to say, i cannot imagine how any diplomat

or any dramatist could improve on his words to mikhail gorbachev at the geneva summit. quoting president reagan: let me tell you why it is we distrust you. mrs. thatcher says those words are candid and tough, and they can't have been easy to hear. but they were also a clear invitation to a new beginning and a new relationship that would be rooted in trust. ronald reagan's -- finishing with mrs. thatcher and moving to me for a moment, i'd say ronald reagan's truly only american life story began 200 years ago this weekend. during his lifetime he was a democrat and later a republican. he was a liberal and then a conservative. he was a labor union president and then president of the united states. during his lifetime, he developed a philosophy of faith, life, and government that americans understood.

americans understood, and during his presidency the people of this country had an extraordinary understanding of what their president would think and how their president would react to events and circumstances. mr. president, the strength of the certain trumpet, the strength of the clarion call; i believe, impossible to overestimate. knowing how your president, how your leader views the world and views the circumstances that may meet us in the world is an incredibly comforting thing. in fact, there's an epic greek fable more often applied to president lincoln about the fox and the hedgehog. and in the epic great fable of the fox and the hedgehog, the fox is wiley, the fox is clever, the fox knows lots of little things. but the hedgehog knows one really big thing.

and in that fable and in reality, the fox can never defeat the hedgehog. neither lincoln -- i'm really not comfortable referring to either lincoln or reagan and characterize them as a hedgehog, but i am comfortable characterizing them as men of big ideas, men who understood the big things, leaders who understood the big things. with lincoln, it was the union. with president reagan, it was a focus on the big things with an understanding that you measured the circumstances and events that came up by your view of the big things that guide the country, that guide us individually, that guide lives and in fact guide the lives of the nation. president reagan understood big things. he could quickly evaluate any issue or challenge through that prism and the prism of those core values. ronald reagan, mr. president, inspired freedom and changed the

world, and the centennial celebration of his birth that begins this week and officially begins this weekend gives us an opportunity to think about what it was that made this president great, what it was that puts this president on the cover of news magazines in the decade before the centennial, arm in arm in one recent cover with the current president of the united states, what was it that made this extraordinary man so extraordinary? and i would just say again, ronald reagan inspired freedom and changed the world. mr. president, i request a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from california. mrs. boxer: thank you very much, mr. president. i ask that the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mrs. boxer: mr. president, i have a statement to mark the service of former president

ronald reagan which i ask unanimous consent to place in the record at this time. the presiding officer: without objection. mrs. boxer: and what i want to say is that at the time of president reagan's death, i put an extensive statement in the record, and -- and as a california senator, certainly ronald reagan is one of our most famous residents. and was governor and then president. and i was in the house of representatives while he was president. and clearly there were a lot of things that were disagreements between president reagan and many of those in congress, like myself, who didn't believe that government was the problem, which was his definite belief at that time. and we certainly had a loyal opposition and we certainly

worked together when we could. but -- but one of the things that was so interesting to me, compared to working with other presidents, because i've had the honor of serving for so long that actually president obama is the fifth president i've had the honor of serving with. i went to every -- every state of the union address, all of which were very impressive. i think the thing about president reagan that i grew to admire, that as hard as you might debate with him on his position on what were the priorities, what we should invest in, what was important, when those debates were over and a decision was made, regardless of who won the day, you just moved on to the next issue. and you tried to fientd common e common ground and if you didn't you had a respectful debate.

it never was taken personally. again, there were many things i disagreed with him. i remember being a young member of congress at the time that the aids epidemic came out and i remember i was to frustrated because president reagan was very compassionate but he didn't really want to discuss the issue of aids. and we had to work very hard with the surgeon general at the time. we finally made a little bit of progress. so, yes, there were many tough, tough debates. and, of course, his -- his presence. his very sunny presence. his optimism about the country and the future was very important to a nation that had been torn asunder because of many tough, tough issues that separated the generations. so i -- again, i have a longer statement that i have already placed into the record, but i wanted to add my voice on this day when we remember former president ronald reagan.

someone that california is -- is very proud of and -- and someone who is obviously -- has obviously gone down in history for the many things he accomplished, particularly his with the soviet union at that time. it was a big contribution to the world. thank you very much. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from utah. mr. hatch: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. hatch: mr. president, just over 30 years ago, ronald reagan was inaugurated as the 40th president of the united states. it's hard to believe that three decades have passed since he stood in front of this capitol just yards away and announced to this nation and the world that america's moment not passed. and it's hard to think that we have been without him now for over six years. i think of him and his wonderful, lovely wife nancy 2008 often. i knew -- nancy -- nancy quite often.

one of my first campaign trips with ronald reagan was with nancy. and i can tell you there never was a stronger advocate for a presidential husband or as a husband, period. as a man he had the rare combination of good humor and commitment to principle. as a leader of his party, he reminded the commitment to the constitutional ideals and as a couple ron and nancy were a pair for the ages. if there was any doubt that my colleagues have confirmed today in their tributes to president reagan on the centennial of his birth, that ronald reagan might have passed on, but he is most certainly not forgotten. not by a longshot. when reagan was president, he inspired great reactions from both parties. i can attest particularly with respect to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, but not all of those reactions were positive. yet today's bipartisan celebration of president

reagan's legacy shows that he has become as much a part of the american story as his greatest predecessors in office. like other great men before him, ronald reagan seemed to embody the times during which he lived. the man himself, his personal story in many ways personified america's 20th century. ronald wilson reagan was born in the midwest and became a westerner moving to california like so many of his other fellow americans. the country that he grew up in looked very different from our own today. as michael maron recently reminded us in "the claremont review" books, when america entered the second world war, one-quarter of americans still lived on farms and half of those were either without electricity or only recently acquired electricity. america's population was at the same time both more diffuse and

more concentrated than it is today. america's nonrural population was clustered in a few great cities. again at the outbernank out -- f the second world war, two-thirds of america lived in brooklyn, new york. instead of concentrating in existing urban centers, new communities grew and suburbs expanding. that was the story of ronald reagan who was born in tinily tampico, illinois, population 7,072 and came to the world's attention in california, home of suburban life, and the american highway. he became a californian through and through. he loved his ranch and he loved being on the back of a horse. the large landscapes of california and of the entire

west suggest the boundless opportunity that has afforded those who worked hard in this country. it was there that ronald reagan found his professional and political success. it was where he met nancy and raised his family. and it is where he was finally laid to rest. but ronald reagan did not have it easy. as he put it, he did not grow up on the wrong side of the tracks, but he could hear the train. he lived through the great depression. and, like countless americans before and after him, with dogged determination, and a good deal of pluck, he succeeded. at a time when college was a luxury, ronald reagan graduated from urica college. he went on to have a successful career in radio and as a sportscaster, but that was not enough. so he moved to hollywood where he became an actor. of all the roles that ronald reagan would play, we

identified -- we eventually identified him most closely with the character of george gibbs in "neut rock any, all american," it should come as little surprise that we would associate him with notre dame and fighting irish. when he first appeared on the screen, newt rockny was at his wits end. rockny asked if he could run the ball. he answered how far. naturally he ran down the field, scored a touchdown and took his place in notre dame lore. there is no challenge too big. it is a good thing that he thought that way because he faced plenty of obstacles. with the outbreak of world war ii, his promising acting career

was put on hold, he would go on to serve as president of the screen actors gild and later he worked in television as the host of general electric theater. it was that association with general electric that would set reagan on his path toward the presidency, going on what he called the mash potato circuit, he spoke across the country to the thousands of g.e. employees giving later what he called the speech. giving these after-dinner remarks, reagan honed his thoughts about freedom, the size of government and the soviet menace. in 1964 on the eve of a presidential election, he would deliver that speech to the nation. senator barry goldwater went on to lose that election in a landslide. today we know that conservatives might have lost that battle but would win the war. a week before the election, ronald reagan delivered a taped address, a time for choosing.

he spoke as a partisan for liberty and urged his fellow americans to join him in that struggle. he completed his remarks telling ar national television audience, you and i have a renedevous for destiny, we will preserve for this the last best hope for man on earth. this speech resonated with the american people. it raised $8 million for goldwater, a large sum at the time. it made ronald reagan a formidable presence on the political scene. i knew barry goldwater. i knew him well. when i ran for the senate, he was one of two people i came to visit here in washington to get some advice from. i admired him so much. and it was a privilege to serve with him. the other one was chuck grassley, who was then in the house, and i count him as one of my dearest friends on earth. reagan and grassley, two great

people. against the odds and conventional wisdom, ronald reagan ran for governor of california in 1966. now to the mistake of the california establishment, they underestimated the actor from the midwest and he went on to beat his more liberal primary opponent and popular incumbent governor. underestimating reagan was a mistake the washington establishment would make time and time again when he arrived here 14 years later. they never seemed to understand what was so obvious to president reagan -- for all of the superficial differences, americans of his age were not so different than the generation that fathered this nation, fought the civil war, worked through the great depression and struggled for civil rights. in the end, americans of today are committed to the same principles of liberty and equality that animated the authors of our declarations of independence and constitution.

this shared commitment to our founding principles served him well because he took office at the time of great uncertainty, a time not unlike our own. a combination of factors seemed to be putting the aspirations of americans out of reach. to be blunt, america was at its heels. the prime interest rate was 15%. inflation was 12.5%. civilian unemployment was at 7%. when he ran in 1976, ronald reagan -- i think i -- when he ran, i was the first person he ever preprimary endorsed. at least that's what i was told, and i have cherished that memory for all these years. at that time, government regulations and tax rates were smothering american innovation and with it the american dream. abroad, the picture was just as grim. an imperialist soviet union had

invaded afghanistan, it was supporting revolutionary movements across the globe. the american hostages had not yet been freed from iran. yet, when ronald reagan left office eight years later, he had left his mark. according to his biographer, lou cannon, when he came into office, there were 4,414 individual tax returns with an adjusted gross income of more than $1 million. by 1987, fueled by tax cuts, the breaking of inflation and explosive economic growth, there were 34, 944 such returns. when he entered the white house, only one in six americans owned a microwave, and v.c.r.'s were a luxury for the wealthy. away the -- by the time he left office, these were common household goods. he helped to restore our understanding of a limited judiciary that respects the traditions of the american people and their elected representatives, and he restored faith in our men and women in uniform. just before he left office, president reagan reviewed the

troops at andrews air force base one last time. during that visit, he said that serving as commander in chief was the most sacred, most important task of the presidency barely five years after america left south vietnam, reagan spoke at the veterans of foreign wars convention and reminded america that vietnam had been a noble cause. the rush to blame america first in our conflict with totalitarian regimes and the days of holding our military men and women in low esteem came to an end with the reagan presidency. and although his greatest achievement, the collapse of the soviet union, would occur on his successor's watch, the writing was on the wall by the time ronald reagan left office. and his successor deserves credit as well. his recommitment to freedom during our twilight struggle with what was truly an evil

empire quite literally saved the world and liberated millions and millions of people. it is no surprise that he will be honored in prague, budapest, and krakow, the home of his great partner pope john paul ii, later this summer for his role in exposing the great lie that was the soviet union. ronald reagan succeeded as president because he knew what he was about. in his farewell address from the oval office, he said, "i went into politics in part to put up my hand and say stop. i was a citizen politician, and it seemed the right thing for a citizen to do. i think we have stopped a lot of what needed stopping and i hope we have once again reminded the people that man is not free unless government is limited." there is a clear cause and effect here that is as need and predictable as the law of physics. as government expands, liberty

contracts. i could not agree more. and that reagan revolution, the aspiration of citizens for greater freedom and greater futureses for the generations that follow, continues. i am proud to have been part of that revolution. president reagan took a flier on me when i first ran for the senate supporting me in my primary. i have tried to do him proud. i remember well the blistering hot day in the rose garden when he signed the hatch-waxman legislation into law back in 1984. in his signing statement, he joked that with this law, everyone wins, particularly our elderly americans. senior citizens require more medication than any other segment of our society. i speak with some authority on that. that's what he said. in my opinion, that law typified the commitments of president reagan. since its passage, it has saved the federal government and consumers hundreds of billions of dollars.

some say trillions now. and it essentially created the generic drug industry and incentives for the creation of the next generation of saving drugs. i worked with him when he was in office, and as i work today for the citizens of utah, his principled example is always on my mind. we still have work to do. reagan understood the danger of what is today called progressivism but was then called liberalism. it knows no bounds. as he put it, no government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. government programs once launched never disappear. actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth. in some respects, ronald reagan belonged to a different age. he was governor during the student protests of the 1960's. he entered the national political consciousness during a presidential campaign where the

possibility of global nuclear conflict was an imminent threat. when he became president, he was only a few years removed from the widespread urban riots and the end of the vietnam war. when he spoke at point duhook on the 40th anniversary of d-day, he spoke to the men who actually scaled those cliffs and liberated a continent. today, most of those veterans have passed on, but ultimately, reagan remains one of us. i think that his advisor david gergen got it wrong when he mused that reagan's legacy was how much he changed our minds. in my view, ronald reagan was a success because he understood that the american people did not need to change their minds. americans in 1980 had the same beliefs and hopes that we have always had. ronald reagan's genius was in giving voice to those hopes. ronald reagan was a big man, made for a big screen and eventually the biggest stage, and he played his part well.

to borrow from hollywood, he knew that he had been -- he knew that even as time goes by, the fundamental thing apply before leaving office. president reagan addressed the nation one last time. speaking to the citizens of this shining city upon a hill, he told us he did it. we weren't just marking time. we made a difference. we made the city stronger. we made the city freer. we left her in good hands. all in all, not bad, not bad at all indeed. it has been said that ronald reagan had a love affair with the american people. he did, but it took two to tango ronald reagan loved his country, but i think his country loved him even more. and that includes people on both sides of this floor at the time. mr. president, i yield the floor.

the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

the presiding officer: the senator from west virginia. mr. manchin: i ask consent to address the house. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. manchin: mr. president, it is my great honor today to speak on the floor for the first time as a united states senator. i'm truly humbled by this us suspicious occasion and the enormous privilege to serve the greatest people in america, the people of west virginia. west virginia may be a small state but our impact on our nation's history and its future is far greater than the size of our geography or our population. west virginia was born out of

the turmoil of the civil war. founded by patriots who shared a united pursuit for justice and freedom for all. since this historic beginning, our lands and vast natural resources have helped build this nation. our people's hard work, sacrifices and patriotism have helped make our nation stronger and safer. from the mining of the coal that powers our cities to the forging of the steel, we will i and have done the heavy lifting that has built america. but this great responsibility to serve as a united states senator for west virginia would never have come about had our state not lost a true giant, our beloved senator robert c. byrd. senator byrd was a mentor to me, a great friend to west virginia and a tireless advocate for us all. west virginia would not be the state it is today without the inexhaustible commitment that he made every day. and without senator byrd, is not only a loss for us all, but we all can take comfort that he

made not just west virginia a better state but he made america a greater nation. while no one will ever be able to fill his shoes, i hope to honor his memory by continuing down the path he blazed fighting to better the lives of west virginians and all americans. i would also like to recognize the unwavering leadership of west virginia's distinguished senior senator, one -- who has left a dynamic mark on history, my dear friend, senator jay rockefeller. he has committed his life to giving outstanding public service to a very grateful state. throughout my 20 years of public service, i have been fortunate beyond words to have been able to serve the great people of west virginia. again and again i've been inspired by west virginians' devotion to family, their love of country, their belief in hard work and sacrifice, and, above all, their undeniable spirit to weather any storm by coming together. i have seen our state endure the most devastating challenges, horrific flooding, the tragic

mining accidents, and i have seen our state in the best of times. but at all times, the spirit of west virginia has never been broken. it is this spirit of working together and finding commonsense solutions to any challenge that inspires me. it is this spirit that also inspired both sets of my grandparents to emigrate to america, one from italy and the other from czechoslovakia. my grandparents came here with the same goal shared by countless generations of immigrants: to provide a better quality of life for their families through hard work and sacrifice. they did just that. mr. manchin: this is what i learned growing up in west virginia -- when things are tough, we don't back down. when we're having trouble paying our bills -- we don't think of spending more money. when we face difficult times -- we work together to make things better. when faced with a problem -- we don't avoid what needs to be done; we try to solve it. this is what west virginians

would call common sense. now, i was born and raised in farmington, west virginia, a small coal mining town. nothing will teach you commonsense like growing up in a town of less than 500 people. i was educated in our public schools and became the first member of my family to graduate from college. i met my partner in life, my wife, gayle, in west virginia. we raised our three children in the state we love and i have long believed in the importance of public service. beginning with my days supporting a volunteer rescue squad in marion county and working with the united way more than three decades ago. as for my public life, my first days as a state legislator to my last days as governor, i realize that none of us in this or any body, are simply elected to an office. we are not here for the title. we are here to make a differen difference. i'm here to work hard and do this job and i will work with anyone who offers commonsense solutions on how to best move

this country forward. madam president, in my maiden inaugural address as west virginia's 34th governor, i said that in order for us to be successful, it was going to take the commitment of civic leaders, public employees, business people, and laborers, educators, students and parents, lawyers and doctors, veterans, young professionals, senior citizens, and republicans, democrats and independents. at the time, very few thought that such a diverse coalition could ever be forged let alone actually accomplish something in the process. but we west virginians put politics aside. we listened to each other, we worked togetherand we came together to find common ground and develop commonsense solutions. as a result, we changed the direction of our state for the better. we got our financial house in order, we lowered our taxes for both families and businesses, we paid down unfunded liabilities, and we created thousands of new

jobs. there was a surplus every year that i was governor. west virginia became a stronger state and one of the very few fiscally solvent states in this nation, all during the worst recession in generations. we solved the actual problems that were holding our state back and those problems were not solved with partisan rhetoric and the mentality -- if you win, i lose. not at all. west virginians came together with a shared vision and a common purpose and by working together, we found commonsense solutions. and in doing so, we made the future we all share -- share better. this commonsense middle is by no means unique to only west virginia. i truly believe we can develop commonsense solutions to the problems our nation faces. commonsense solutions defined not by party or i hadin i -- o y but by doing what is right and what makes sense for our state and our country. i am committed to doing just

that. of course, cynics will argue that gridlock is inevitable and that commonsense solutions are impossible because the partisan division in washington is just too great. i say they're wrong. while the legislative reality we face is divided government, it does not mean that we must be divided. in fact, since the day i was sworn in as a u.s. senator, i have been fortunate to sit and talk with many of my democratic and republican colleagues. every time what i heard was a profound love for this great nation and an unbreakable commitment to leave this country better and stronger for future generations. while disagreements in how we solve our nation's great challenges will occur, they need not divide us. i see these disagreements as an opportunity for us to seek the common ground that will unite us and move our nation forward, and i, madam president, am committed to working with both sides to doing what is right to address

the serious economic and policy challenges we face as a nation. and which are of deep concern to the hard-working people of west virginia. i heard these concerns loud and clear during our most recent work period. during those two weeks in january, i traveled more than 2,100 miles on my "call for commonsense" tour. i held more than 28 events and met with the unemployed, seniors, veterans, small business owners, young professionals, labor leaders, educators, leaders from our coal and energy industry, as well as leaders in manufacturing. i held town hall meetings in weeley and elkins where west virginians with diverse concerns came together to share their opinions. again and again i heard their serious concerns about the economy and jobs, the need protect coal and our energy industry, as well as the fears from rising debt and deficits. i heard about what government was doing or not doing to ensure

that we keep our promises to our seniors and our veterans. but i also heard -- what i also heard was a lot of commonsense ideas about what our country needs to focus on and what we must do to provide a more secure future for our children and grandchildren. addressing these top concerns -- job creation, deficit reduction, energy independence, and keeping our promises to our veterans and our seniors -- matter not only to west virginians and me but to every one of you and all of america. with respect to job creation, our nation continues to struggle with high unemployment and a great recession that fills too much -- that feels too much like a great depression for the millions of americans looking for work. for too long, we have seen america's manufacturing sector dominated or disseminated by the cruel irony of rules and regulations that make it easier to create jobs abroad than here in the united states. madam president, west virgini virginiaans are not asking for a handout, we're asking for a work

permit. we've seen small business owners, the bedrock of our economy and our job growth, increasingly strangled by paperwork and regulatory obstacles that make doing business more difficult. i believe that to create a thriving economy and jobs, we must lessen the burdens of unnecessary rules and regulations. bureaucrats should not be able to regulate what has not been legislated. we need make government work smarter and its agencies operate more efficiently and effectively. we're not asking government to be our provider. we are asking government to be our partner. i truly hope that we in this session of congress will work together to reform our federal bureaucracy so that we can make sure our government works for us instead of the other way around. as a small business person, i know firsthand that the last thing any small business owner needs is more regulation or paperwork. it is why i was proud to be one of the lead democrats to work

across the aisle to cosponsor legislation with my friend, senator mike johanns, to repeal the 1099 provision from our health care reform. i was even more proud to have my -- add my voice last night to the many senators from both parties who stheed we can -- who showed that we can and will work together on compromising reform for health care legislation. it is why i will continue to work with any of my colleagues to ensure that we do everything that we can to help small business, not just by improving health care reform but also by strengthening the access to the capital and investment that small businesses so desperately need to create jobs. improving the opportunities for small business and boosting job creation will also depend on making difficult choices to rein in wasteful spending and rising debt. as we learned last week, the fiscal 2012 deficit is projected to be $1.5 trillion. the congressional budget office

projects that under current law, our national debt will reach $25 trillion by 2021. madam president, what i heard from my fellow west virginians is that we must get our financial house in order. my proud grandfather always told me that crippling debt will lead us to make cowardly decisions. madam president, america is not a country of cowards. during a recent town hall i held in wheeley, a young college student, worried about getting married and having a family in the near future, told me that she was worried because of the debt and fiscal burdens her child would inherit. for me, this young woman's words are a tragic reminder of the consequences that will come from inaction. in america, no one should have to have second thoughts about starting a family because of his or her worries about our nation's out-of-control spending and rising debt. as i have said before, we as a

nation can't spend ourself to prosperity. we must confront our fiscal situation and be willing to make the right investments and the difficult choices. doing so for west virginia -- for west virginians is just commonsense. west virginians don't go out and spend more money when they face tough financial problems. they cut back and live within their means. and i believe that we all in america must do the same, especially in washington. to that end, i believe we must declare a bipartisan war against wasteful spending and begin to take responsible steps to scour our nation's budget for all waste and redundant programs. in the coming weeks, i look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to develop a commonsense strategy on how to best cut spending and address our rising debt and deficits. and while these steps will require difficult decisions, i believe that if we put partisanship aside and work together, we can have a

bipartisan commonsense plan that improves our fiscal future and sets our nation on a new course for fiscal responsibility. but strengthening our economy will also depend on our -- on our nation achieving not just independence from debt but real energy independence. as a senator from a true energy state, the second leading producer of coal with an abundance resources, a net exporter of electricity, i am very proud of the critical role west virginians play in providing energy to our nation. and i imagine that the lights in this very chamber would be a little dimmer were it not for west virginia and west virginia coal. moving forward, achieving true energy independence demands that we not only start realizing the importance that coal has in achieving this goal, it means we must stop demonizing one resource and start realizing we must develop a comprehensive plan that utilizes all of our

domestic resources -- coal, natural gas, the development of nuclear, wind, and solar so that we can, once and for all, end our dependence on foreign oil within this generation. if we are going to truly be secure, we must declare our country to be energy independent and every state in this great nation must do its part. west virginia is using every owngs of its natural resources, our goal, our abundant supply of natural gas, wind, biofuel, electric, solar, all of which must be used in a responsible way. as a country we must stop buying oil from the dhawns promote violence against their own people and the united states. that's just common sense. i'm also strongly committed to working with my fellow senators to develop a realistic and responsible clean energy policy for the future that balances the needs of our country and our environment. i believe that we can achieve

this commonsense balance while protecting l vital role that coal and natural gas and our other resources play in our economy. defending the critical role that west virginia and coal plays in our nation's energy production is one reason that i submitted today my first piece of legislation: the e.p.a. fairplay act of 2011, which will check the power of the environment at protection agency. i believe it is fundamentally wrong for any bureaucratic agency, including the e.p.a., to regulate what has not been legislated, to have absolute power, to change the rules at the entdz of the game, and to revoke a permit, as the e.p.a. did in southern west virginia's spruce mine, after it was lawfully granted and employees were hired. giving any agency such absolute power will have a chilling effect on investment and job creation, far beyond west virginia, and i am proud that there is already bipartisan

support for this legislation. madam president, achieving a brighter future for our nation will also depend on us keeping our promises to our seniors and our veterans. west virginia's seniors and veterans helped build and defend this nation, and we have the obligation to them that we must never break. as i traveled the state last month, i heard from seniors at breakfasts and nursing homes, in courthouses and in town halls about their social security being at risk. i made it clear to them that i will never support going back on our promises. i also heard their concerns about living for two years without a cola increase. and i'm committed to finding a commonsense solution, a recalculation of the cola formula to make sure it reflects the reality of the cost of living today. to our seniors, social security and medicare are not just government programs; they are promises made by a thankful nation to ensure quality of life, we will-earned, from years of hard work and sacrifice. for our veterans their sack files and patriotism know no

bounds. they have answered the call of our state and this nation again and again. they have served with unparalleled honor and disifntle as governor i was so proud and honored to have been commander in chief of the west virginia national garksd the greatest guard in the nation. madam president, west virginia is one of the most patriotic states in the country, and we are proud of the number of vearntses and active duty members who have served our military and served honorably and proudly. during this session of congress, i am strongly committed to working with my colleagues on legislation that will ensure that our veterans and their families have the best care and benefits they deserve. that is why i'm so proud as a cosponsor to the lead of this bill senator jay rockefeller's legislation giving the national guard the rightful place on the joint chiefs of staff. our national guard and reserve forces have bravely assumed a major role in our combat missions, and they deserve a seat at the table along with our

active duty forces. west virginia flat guard and reserve forces are the best in the nation, and as governor i was proud to be their commander in chief. not only are they an operational force to be reckoned with on the front lines defending our nation abroad, they are also first on the scene during the disaster here at home. looking ahead, a addressing the issues here like energy independence, keeping our promises to our seniors around veterans will not demand just commonsense policies but a renewed, bipartisan spirit. no matter how large a divide must seem at times, we must work together to achieve commonsense solutions. i truly believe that republicans and democrats and independents can and will work together to chart a new course for this nation. it is why i am so proud and honored to have been slepghted to serve on such esteemed committees as the armed services

committee, the energy and natural resources committee and the special commission on aging. i look forward to working with senators levin and mccain, bingaman and murkowski, collin, corker and all of my complete colleagues to address the wide array of issues and challenges that will come before these important bodies. whether it is my work on these committees or not, i am committed to working hard and being the best senator i can be for the state that i love. like all 99 of my colleagues who are here for the right reasons, i will represent my state to the best of my abilities and work to make america stronger and my state proud. i pledge to you that i will not only work with eve and every one of my fellow senators to find commonsense solutions, i will do what i can to usher in a new bipartisan spirit in the senate and in congress. and that spirit i will strive to always find that commonsense bridge that unites our parties and reminds us and the world that we, no matter what state we

may represent, share one common and unbreakable bond: we are all americans. we all share a love for this nation, for our families and children, and this is bond which will unite us in these difficult times and which gives me the hope and optimism that once again we will rise above any challenge we face. madam president, i yield the floor. mr. rockefeller: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from west virginia. mr. rockefeller: i ask unanimous consent that the order of the quorum call be rescinded. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. rockefeller: madam president, you have just heard a

classic joe manchin speech, and it truly is. it's full of optimism, strength, common purpose, no problem cannot be solved, the desire for bipartisan cooperation. if anybody can bring our two sides together, surely he can do that. he's aggressive, he's thoughtful, but above all he's optimistic, as has a positive approach, constructive approach, unafraid of any problem, and thrilled about doing whatever kind of public service he does. we have actually fairly common careers. we both served in the state legislature. served in both branchts i served in one branch. we were both secretaries of state. and we both ran for governor. and now we're both united states senators. and so i've known the manchin family for years.

i've known joe manchin for years. i've always been proud of his work. he's fun. he loves sports. that's very important in life. very important in lievment he lovers sport sports. he's devoted mountaineer. and sometimes i think he calls the plays for our team. but it's going to be -- this is going to be a better senate because of joe manchin, because of his personality. i have watched him in just the couple months he's been here, the couple weeks -- a month -- two -- and he's been all over the floor. it's fun to watch him. somebody sits down that side this side, all of a sudden senator joe manchin is seated right beside them, grabbing an arm, making a point, establishing a friendship, bonding. that's the way he is with our people. he comes from the very heart of west virginia, coal mining country, and that's the way he acts.

that's the way his father acted. that's the way his family has always acted. they are part and parcel of the blood, beginning, and the struggle of west virginia. one of the reasons i'm in public service is because west virginia is always fighting uphill. people don't pay attention to us the way we think they shoovment they don't pay attention to what our economy has to offer the way they should. and that motivates him. if you are a west virginian, you just simply have to fight harder. if you are a west virginia public servant, at whatever level, you have to fight harder. and you have to have an optimistic view. towivel that things can without objection. you have to be determined that things can work and you have to see the course all the way to the end. and that's exactly who joe manchin s so i'm incredibly proud to serve with him. i read his speech before. he said some very nice things about me, all accurate. but because he has -- we've been

completion for so long, i can -- we've been colleagues for so long, i can tell you for those who don't him as we will, he's real asset to this body. we are a body which is now in the process of struggling to find out who we are. it is not always a pretty sight. but everybody here takes public life seriously. governor -- senator manchin has the problem -- some would say the opportunity, but not many -- the opportunity to have to be reelected again in two years. so life will be more complicated for him. because that's just the way the election system is worked out. but he is a bright light, and a young, aggressive bright light with an absolutely marvelous wife, who is now part of us. and i think has a unique perspective. it is a classic west virginia perspective and i look forward to -- that he will make an

enormous difference in this body to our state, and to our country. so i welcome him. i congratulate him on his opening statement. i made an opening statement some years ago. it was actually one of the most boring spieches ever listened to. but those were the days that he weren't allowed to make a speech until you'd been here for six months. then everybody turned out, all -- you know, the old guard, like the senior senator from new york over there the guys with a the gray beards, the wise old men. they all turned out and listened to this incredibly boring speech of mine, which was about a steel company, then they stood up and said, that's -- russell long said, that's the most brilliant speech i ever heard. those were the days of a certain amount of protocol. we have to react much faster now. we don't have time for that. so senator manchin made his speech. but he goes from the speech to

his work and there he will simply not stop until we get a better state and a better country. i congratulate him, and i welcome him officiately and -- efficientlily and for -- officiately and foretoafort senate. mr. alexander: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from tennessee. mr. alexander: i thank the senator from new york. i join the senator from new york in welcoming another west virginia governor to the united states senate. governor manchin succeeds a man who is irreplaceable really in the united states senate history, senator byrd. but he brings to our senate the skills of a governor. governor rockefeller and i are very partial to those skills. we think the senate needs more governors. governors are accustomed to looking for consensus, to making things work, to making things happen. we have a different sort of job here in the legislate tiewrks but that -- those qualities are

important. they're especially important now when we have such large challenges to face, such as the fact that we're spending $3.7 trillion and collecting $2.1 trillion. all of us are shocked by that. and we've got to deal with it one way or the oamplet so i welcome him, i welcome his wife, a distinguished educator, to the senate feavment i know shoo that she's here today, and we welcome heenders look forward to learning from her as we will. and i join governor rockefeller in saying, it was a great speech. i mean, your maiden speech sauls your best speech. i remember walking with the university of tennessee basketball coach in knoxville in the dogwood parade or some parade before the season started. he was very popular before the season began, and senators who make maiden speeches always had their best speeches then and basketball speeches are always most popular at the beginning of the year. so i look forward to working with governor/senator manchin.

he will make a tremendous contribution to the united states senate. i'm glad i was hear to -- i'm glad i was here to hear his outstanding maiden speech. mr. schumer: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from new york. mr. schumer: thank you. i, too, want to join in the accolades for our senator from west virginia, senator manchin. he is just one fine guy. i got to know him when he was governor and then campaigning. and he is doing a wonderful job here already. to have passion about where you come from is a noble thing. i think the great poets from greek times on have written that. and nobody has more passion about where he comes from and his roots than senator manchin, than joe man chifnlt and you can see it and feel it in everything he does, as we could in this speech today. and so i, too, want to join in thanking him for coming here. america needs his perspective

and his wisdom. and i know he will make a greater senator and we're already great friends, and soy thank him here. i would also like to compliment my cleelg, the senior senator from west virginia, as we will. senator rockefeller, for his kind remarks. he's a great leader. joe and i have talked about how you can't go wrong watching and imitating and emulating senator rockefeller. and so with the two of them, i believe west virginia might have the tallest delegation in the senate, but not just tall in inches, but in stature, ability to get things done and passion for the states they represent. so it's my honor to be here as well and to congratulate joe on a very fine introductory speech. the presiding officer: the senator from north dakota.

mr. hoeven: thank you, madam president. i also rise today to congratulate the senator from west virginia on his speech and express my pleasure in working together. i want to echo the comments of senator lamar alexander, the good senator from tennessee, as well. being a former governor, i actually got to know joe manchin in his days as governor, worked together as governor. certainly now look forward to working with him as senator. our states share many interests. one of those interests is coal. i want to express my intent today to joan as a cosponsor on -- to join as a cosponsor on legislation regarding some e.p.a. regulation senator manchin is putting forward. that's a good example where we can work together to create some jobs and some opportunity. i certainly look forward to doing that.

so again, i want to congratulate the good senator on his speech today. thank you, madam president. i yield the floor.

mr. rockefeller: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from west virginia. mr. rockefeller: are we back on the regular order? the presiding officer: morning business is closed. s. 223 is the pending measure. the senator from kentucky.

mr. paul: i ask unanimous consent to set aside the pending amendment and call up amendment 21. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection, the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: the senator from kentucky, mr. paul, proposes amendment number 21. at the end of title -- mr. paul: i ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. paul: madam president, the amendment that i have presented to the floor here for the f.a.a. bill is an amendment that i think is a first step towards looking at budgetary restraint. the president in his state of the union talked about freezing spending at 2010 levels. if we were to do that at the inflated levels of 2010, we would add $3.8 trillion to the debt over the next five years. it does nothing to the looming

debt crisis to leave things at 2010 levels because these were levels where we had already increased spending by over 20%. what i am asking is a very modest proposal, and that's that all spending go back to the 2008 levels. this is not a significant cut. we've increased things dramatically in the recent years. f.a.a. has been increased in funding, has been increased by 50% over the last eight years. we can fund the upgrading of nextgen and various things by looking for cost savings within the bill. these are things we must do. the american people are demanding cost savings. the american people don't understand why we must pay inflated rates for our wages for the workers on federal projects. they don't understand why davis-bacon wages, which were

often 30% higher than the wages paid on other projects, private projects, must be paid. people are familiar with this even in their home states, when you talk about the building of schools, how schools cost 20% and 30% more because of having to have inflated wages and extra regulations, extra paperwork that all the davis-bacon laws require. what we're looking for is cost savings everywhere in this bill, in every bill that comes forward as long as i am able to and as long as i am allowed, we will ask for spending reductions. many people in this city are for a balanced budget. they say we're for a balanced budget amendment. but how can you be for a balanced budget amendment if you're not willing to cut spending? this is a very small, almost token cut in spending. but you have to do it everywhere. when people ask how will you balance the budget, you have to say, i will cut spending. this is a very small first step to take the spending for this

particular department to 2008 levels. i think it's a step that's long overdue. it's a chance for members who say they are for a balanced budget to put their vote where their mouth is. let's vote to cut spending. let's vote to cut spending on this bill now. thank you very much for your indulgence, and i yield back the remainder of my time. a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from texas. mrs. hutchison: i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

quorum call:

a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from west virginia. mr. rockefeller: mr. president, i ask that the order of the quorum call be rescinded. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. rockefeller: i ask consent that the senator from oregon,

mr. wyden, his amendment number 27 be put on the pending amendments list. the presiding officer: without objection, the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: the senator from west virginia, mr. rockefeller, for mr. wyden, proposes amendment numbered 27. mr. rockefeller: i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. mr. harkin: i ask that further proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. harkin: mr. president, i'd like to discuss an alarming trespassed that seems to be developing on this, the first substantive legislation that we're considering on the senate floor of this new congress. at least three amendments have been filed, one of which has already been offered. it is expected to be offered shortly that make unnecessary and misplaced attacks on basic rights and protections for

american workers. i find it deeply disturbing that in this difficult economy, some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle seem to be chomping at the bit to bring american workers down a notch or two more. i don't think that the safety of our skies has to come at the expense of fair wages, safe working conditions and other basic workplace rights, and i hope that all of the republicans in this chamber don't share that radical viewpoint. the first amendment that i would focus on today would deny transportation security officers basic collective bargaining rights. that amendment is offered by my friend, the distinguished senator from mississippi. well, that's fundamentally unfair and a poor way to treat hard-working people who are on the front lines of our effort to keep america safe. currently, most federal

employees, including other employees at the department of homeland security, like border patrol, immigration and customs officials, coast guard, they all have a voice in the decisions that affect their safety, their families and their future. other federal security employees also had these protections. the right to collective bargaining, including border patrol agents, capital police officers, customs and border inspection officers and federal protective service officers. that's right. all these wonderful policemen that we see out here day after day that are doing a hard job protecting us, protecting all the people that work in the capitol and all these buildings around here, all our capitol police officers, guess what? they have the fundamental right of being organized and collectively bargain for their hours, wages and conditions of employment.

do we feel any less safe because of that? of course not. and despite working side by side with these colleagues, transportation security officers, t.s.o.'s, are denied the rights that these other employees enjoy. they don't have a voice at work. they don't have whistle-blower protections. they have no right to appeal if they are subject to discrimination or unfair treatment. -- unfair treatment by their supervisors. the absence of collective bargaining rights has made t.s.a. less effective. our transportation security officers, t.s.o.'s, have twice the average rate of injury for federal employees. a recent -- quote -- "best places to work" survey ranked t.s.a. 220 out of 224 federal employers.

and turnover rates are among the highest for any federal agency. let me repeat that. turnover rates at t.s.a. are among the highest for any federal agency. i submit that low morale, high turnover at a frontline security agency are a recipe for disaster. and senator wicker's amendment will only exacerbate the problem and make it worse. i've heard some deeply disturbing rhetoric from my republican colleagues about the effects of granting t.s.o.'s collective bargaining rights. they say that collective bargaining rights keep security workers from performing their jobs effectively. well, these insinuations are an insult to every man and woman in uniform who works under a collective bargaining agreement across this country. to suggest that unionized

workers will not do what is best for our country in the event of an emergency is scandalous. how many remember that image of 9/11? 9/11? when we saw the towers come crumbling down and we saw men and women running to escape the disaster, running away from it. and who was running into it? our firefighters, our emergency medical teams, our police officers, all of them unionized, every single one of them. every single one of them a member of organized labor. operating under a collective bargaining agreement. does anyone question their loyalty, their devotion to duty, many of whom lost their lives, many who are severely impaired and -- for life because they did their duty?

simply because they were union members? we're saying that somehow they're less -- they're less than others simply because they belong to a union? also, on 9/11, the department of defense employees -- department of defense employees operating under a collective bargaining agreement were required to report wherever they were told, regardless of their usual work assignments. no federal union tried to hold up this process in any way to bargain or seek arbitration. and not one single grievance was filed to challenge the redeployments after the fact. not one. increasing employees' voice at work has the potential to improve the functioning of our security systems. think about this. when you travel brows -- when you travel abroad, you go

through screening devices. you go to london, go to paris, go to luxembourg, go to rome, go to -- go to tokyo, go to singapore, go to brisbane go, to sisidney, go anywhere around the world where they have airport screeners and, guess what? they all work under collective bargaining agreements. the unions that represent these screeners have worked hand-in-hand with their governments to improve security procedures and to make our skies safer. now, senator wicker referenced a 2003 memo from the under secretary of transportation security as the rationale for his bill. well, currently t.s.a. is reviewing that 2003 decision and is expected to make a determination soon about the relationship between safety and collective bargaining. i think we should defer to that agency's expertise on this issue

rather than hastily approving an amendment that would limit the administration's ability to adapt. check checcollective bargainingi believe, is the best way to bring dignity, consist and i fairness to a workplace. it will make our t.s.o. work force more safe and stable, enhancing the security of our skies. restoring these essential rights is long overdue. i urge my colleagues to oppose the wicker amendment. mr. president, i yield the floor and note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. reid: i ask that the quorum call be terminated. the presiding officer: woiks. mr. reid: ask unanimous consent that senator paul be recognized to calm amendment number 19, which deals with the davis-bacon -- davis-bacon issue. there be 30 minutes of debate equally divided between senators paul and rockefeller or their designees. upon the use or yielding basket time, there be ten minutes of debate equally divided on the whitehouse amendment number 8. dealing with laser pointers. this time be equally divided

between senators whitehouse and hutchison or their designees. upon the united states or yield back of the time, the senate proceed to vote in relation to the whitehouse amendment to be followed by a vote in relation to the paul amendment. further, that there be no amendments or points of order to the amendments prior to the votes. the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid on the table, no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: mr. president, that being the cairks we'll have the vote probably around 5:30, give or take a few minutes. and everyone should be alerted, there's likely to be some time yeemedded back. if that's the case, we'll vote it up to vote even more quickly.

the presiding officer: the senator from kentucky. mr. paul: i ask unanimous consent to temporarily set aside the pending amendment so i may call up my amendment 19 that's at the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: the senator from kentucky, mr. paul, proposes amendment numbered 19. on page -- none of the funds made available under this act or -- mr. paul: i ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. paul: the amendment that i've offered to the f.a.a. bill is an amendment to exempt the f.a.a. from the davis-bacon restrictions. most of us know when we talk

about schools being built in our district or in our neighborhood that the cost of schools and anything built under davis-bacon, which is prevailing wages -- this means that if your carpenters usually make $14 an hour in bowling green, kentucky, the government comes in and say, you need pay them $35. so it inflates the cost of building projects and does us no good as a society. so what happens is that we can build less schools, less airports, and we're unable to have enough money in our country to provide for the things that we want. we can build build 20% to 30% me airports if we don't force union wages that are above the market wages on our government projects. and i think it's inexcusable at a time when we run a deficit of between $1.5 trillion and $2 trillion in a year that we want to inflate the cost of government projects.

the marketplace should determine the market for wages. and we should have a market wage that allows us to build more airports, more schools, and i think it's not a good idea to have the government get involved by forcing wages above the market wage. if you pass this and you allow an exemption from davis-bacon you'll save about $500 million just on this job, just in this department. if you allow this across government, you'd save $11 billion. my point in bringing this up is that this won't balance the budget, but you've got to start somewhere. everybody says we have to do something, but nobody's willing to do anything that will reduce government expenditures. i think this is one small step forward, and if we don't do this, if you can't vote for this one small step forward, you're not serious about balancing the budget. that's why the american people are unhappy with us in congress,

is because we won't do anything. we won't step forward. we will not be bold. and we will not start cutting spending. i recommend to the senate that we pass this amendment as one small step forward, but an important step forward towards trying to get our fiscal house in order. i yield to senator hutchison. the presiding officer: the senator from texas. mrs. hutchison: mr. president, how much time does senator paul control? the presiding officer: there are 12 1/2 minutes left. mrs. hutchison: how long? the presiding officer: 12 1/2. mrs. hutchison: mr. president, i would like to hold until the other side has had a chance to speak. then i will take part of senator paul's time. praoeup who yields time? -- the presiding officer: who yields time?

is. mr. rockefeller: i think the senator from iowa would wish to speak. mr. harkin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. mr. harkin: i assume the chairman of the committee has yielded me whatever time i want to consume, i assume. and i'm reserving some time also for the chairman. mr. harkin: mr. president, here we go again. it's not the first time we've had an attack on davis-bacon, and i'm sure it won't be the last. again, we have to get the facts out and not be led astray by

misconceptions and by lack of really good data. the fact is davis-bacon doesn't just create good jobs, it saves government money in federal construction costs. again, my friend from kentucky has said this is going to cost more money. well, i'd like to see the studies, because we've had a lot of studies on davis-bacon over the years and studies have shown that prevailing wage laws have led to the reduction in injuries by 10% to 20%. this is because responsible contractors that pay their workers at least the prevailing wage complete the work on time, with better quality, higher productivity and fewer safety problems. we also need davis-bacon so that our infrastructure projects are built safely, safely, safely for the hundreds of millions of americans who rely on them, because contractors that pay prevailing wages hire higher-skilled workers and better trained workers.

they produce better buildings, bridges roads and tunnels. senator paul's amendment would undermine public safety by making it much easier for less responsible contractors to build important public infrastructure projects with shoddy construction. congress has rejected attacks on davis-bacon before, going clear back to the 1920's. and it should do so again. in the mows -- most recent vote in the senate in 2007 arcs bipartisan vote -- a bipartisan vote of democrats and republicans voted against an amendment to strip davis-bacon from funds to repair bridges. again, there's always been bipartisan support for davis-bacon in this body. in fact, i say to my friend from kentucky, you taout read history. -- you ought to read history. representative davis and senator bacon were both republicans, and conservative republicans.

it was originally a republican bill. and i hope that my colleagues will recognize the value of continuing to support fair wages in these difficult economic times. this is the wrong time to start pulling the rug out from underneath our construction workers. our fair wages that we have under davis-bacon are a kpaoe component of middle-class security. for working families, now is the wrong time to be attacking these essential protections. prevailing wage laws like davis-bacon require that workers be paid the prevailing local wages and benefits. prevailing. these laws ensure that federally supported construction projects don't undermine local labor standards. by removing these protections, senator paul's amendment would drive down wages creating a dangerous race to the bottom. again, the wrong approach to taking this troubled economy,

the wrong approach to take for worker safety, the wrong approach to take for making sure that what taxpayers, what we build with taxpayers' money is built well. built well, with well-trained, well-motivated and well-paid workers. if we want a real recovery, these working families, these construction workers, that tie our steel, that pour the cement, build the bridges, build the walls, do all the things that build the infrastructure of our country, we want to make sure that they have good family-supporting jobs with fair wages and decent benefits. that's what davis-bacon is about. and i urge a defeat of the amendment by senator paul. mr. president, i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from west virginia. mr. rockefeller: mr. president, i oppose this

amendment also. there are reasons for it. one of them, for example, is it protects communities and it protects employers by keeping the wage standards of low-wage areas from being imported into high-wage areas. and also the reverse. what do i mean by that? obviously west virginia has a very different wage level than new york or maryland or many parts of virginia. they could come in and bid on a contract and either bid very low and do a bad job or bid very high and get it for whatever reason. this prevents artificially inflating wages. the inference was that it costs

more to have davis-bacon. there are people that don't like davis-bacon; i understand that. but the law specifically requires that all workers must be paid no less than prevailing wages and benefits that are paid in similar projects in that area. so it attacks the whole davis-bacon concept on to the regional local wage area. virginia and maryland aren't far from west virginia, so people want contracts, so they're likely to bid. low-ball contractors try to compete, and you know that song. i mean, people, we all see it so much. they come in and bid at a very low price. they get it and then there's all

kinds of extra things added on, costs plus. it doesn't happen in this. it isn't allowed in this. the law effectively makes sure that taxpayers get their money's worth. and as the senator from iowa has indicated, numerous studies have determined that projects built under davis-bacon are in fact more likely to be completed on time within budget and with fewer repair costs. so; this is a very significant amendment, but it's not bilking the taxpayers' amendment. it's protecting the taxpayers and putting -- davis-bacon puts the contract and the wages in line with what's prevailing locally. that is the law. it makes sense to me, and i strongly oppose the amendment. the presiding officer: the senator from texas. mrs. hutchison: mr. president, i rise to speak in favor of the

paul amendment. the davis-bacon act was passed in 1931. we had a very different labor diversity of wages. there were not minimum wages to the extent that we have today. and today every state has a different cost of living, different standards of what kind of construction requirements there are and thousands, mr. president, thousands of buildings in this country are built in the private sector very safely, very efficiently. but when davis-bacon kicks in for a government program, it excuse the entire wage scale of that community, causing an inflation to other projects. the studies that i have seen prove that davis-bacon increases

costs throughout a community because it sets an artificial standard, not taking into account the cost of living in that area. no one can argue that the cost of living in new york is very different from the cost of living in texas or west virginia or tennessee. and we shouldn't be trying to change the norms in an area by artificially inflating the costs. and that's exactly what davis-bacon does. and if we are going to hear the voice of the people who said last november we are tired of business as usual in washington and in congress, we will pass the paul amendment because this is the first step toward efficiency, to say that the projects going forward in this bill will not be subject to davis-bacon. they will be subject to bidding on contracts. bidders do not necessarily win

because they have the lowest bid. the person that is doing the contracting has the leeway to take into account quality, the reputation of the builder. so it's not like the lowest bidder gets every bid. it is a process that is orderly. but davis-bacon does inflate the costs. so i think the paul amendment is an excellent one. i think it will show that the people in this senate got the message in november that we don't have to stick with a 1931 law that is no longer necessary because the protections are in place, and we need to build our taxpayer-funded facilities in the most efficient way that save taxpayer dollars. mr. president, i support the paul amendment and hope that it will pass. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from tennessee

mr. alexander: our priorities are two, to create cheaper private sector jobs, two to lower federal debt. the paul amendment makes it easier to create private sector jobs. why does it do that? because it permits more contractors to mire more people to do -- hire more people to do more work at the lowest possible cost to the taxpayer. also, according to the general accounting office, it will help lower the federal debt. in fact, the g.a.o. has recommended changes in the davis-bacon act as a means for trimming the federal deficit. leaving the law the way it is, applying the davis-bacon law to construction projects all over the country will mean fewer jobs, less construction, higher taxes and a higher federal debt. passing the rand paul amendment will mean that we'll make it

easier and cheaper to create private-sector jobs. so day after day after day in this senate, we should be acting on legislation that remembers that in tennessee, for example, we've had 24 straight months of unemployment above 9%. i would like -- i'm glad to be a cosponsor of the paul amendment because in my state and across the country it will make it easier and cheaper to create private-sector jobs instead of adding to the debt, creating fewer jobs, meaning less construction, slower airport contracts and higher taxes. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: who yields time? who yields time? mrs. hutchison: mr. president, i would ask if i could ask the senator from kentucky if he is