mrs. feinstein: mr.resident, i terrorize speak on -- the presiding officer: the senate is currently in a quorum call. mrs. feinstein: i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mrs. feinstein: thank you, mr. president. i rise in support of the ethanol subsidy and tariff repeal act which senator coburn and i are offering as an amendment to pending legislation. the other cosponsors on this amendment are senator webb and senator collins. this is identical to a bill that we have submitted. and on that bill, there are more cosponsors. they are coburn, cardin, webb, corker, lieberman, collins, shaheen, burr, risch, and toomey. and so i wanted to have the record straight that this amendment is in response to a bill which we have crafted. on tuesday, the senate voted on the proposal, but unfortunately we saw a process battle which i spoke to on the floor, which i think overwhelmed in some respects the debate. that is not the case today. there are ongoing n

mrs. feinstein: just a couple seconds more. the presiding officer: without objection. mrs. feinstein: so -- the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mrs. feinstein: thank you very much. so we could try to see if we could work something out with senators klobuchar and thune. i would implore him once again. i think for the best interests of our body as a whole, both sides, we ought to take the time to try to work it out. i think we lose votes right now on the basis of the process alone that we would not lose on just a straight vote. i believe if it weren't for the process, we would have 60 votes. that's my belief. so i want the senator from oklahoma to know that right up front, and i would implore him to let us withdraw the amendment, try to negotiate a solution, and then take this up as the leader has pledged by friday next. mr. coburn: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from oklahoma. mr. coburn: i ask unanimous consent for two minutes. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection, so ordered. mr. coburn: the reason this amendment

mrs. feinstein: thank you very much, mr. president. i come to the floor as the chairman of the collect committee on intelligence to speak about the nomination of general david petraeus to become the director of the c.i.a. i want to thank the majority leader for bringing this nomination to the floor in such a quick fashion because the committee earlier this week, tuesday, unanimously approved the nomination of general petraeus. i think that there is no doubt but that general petraeus is among the finest military officers and strategic thinkers of his generation. we are very lucky to have his service. he wrote the army's counterinsurgency strategy and then applied it in iraq, securing a military victory from what had appeared to be a descent into chaos and violence. one year ago to this day, the senate confirmed general petraeus to replace general stanley mcchrystal as the leader of american and international security assistance forces in afghanistan. since then, he has shifted the strategy, implemented the troop surge, kept our coalitio

mrs. feinstein: thank you very much. so we can't afford and we should not pay oil companies such as exxonmobil and b.p. to follow the law to the tune of $6 billion a year. so, as the g.a.o. has found, the mandate for the use is duplicative in stimulating domestic production and use of ethanol. it can and is resulting in substantial loss of revenue to the treasury. let me just say one thing about the tariff. the tariff on low carbon sugar cane ethanol, which i proposed repealing in 2006, makes our nation more dependent on foreign oil. how? the combined tariffs on ethanol are 60 cents per gallon, at least 15 per gallon higher than the ethanol subsidies they supposedly offset. so this is essentially a major trade barrier. so, we have a real problem with this triple crown. we mandate its use. we pay people to use it. and then we set a large tariff barrier to prevent anybody from importing any ethanol, whether it's corn or sugar, that's cheaper. and this is expensive. $15 million a day, $6 billion, as i've said, a year. i kno

mrs. feinstein: thank you very much. so we can't afford and we should not pay oil companies such as exxonmobil and b.p. to follow the law to the tune of $6 billion a year. so, as the g.a.o. has found, the mandate for the use is duplicative in stimulating domestic production and use of ethanol. it can and is resulting in substantial loss of revenue to the treasury. let me just say one thing about the tariff. the tariff on low carbon sugar cane ethanol, which i proposed repealing in 2006, makes our nation more dependent on foreign oil. how? the combined tariffs on ethanol are 60 cents per gallon, at least 15 per gallon higher than the ethanol subsidies they supposedly offset. so this is essentially a major trade barrier. so, we have a real problem with this triple crown. we mandate its use. we pay people to use it. and then we set a large tariff barrier to prevent anybody from importing any ethanol, whether it's corn or sugar, that's cheaper. and this is expensive. $15 million a day, $6 billion, as i've said, a year. i kno

mrs. feinstein: now, i do this, not because i want to run through it all but because i think it's evidentiary testimony of what is happening out there because of what is very bad and egregious public policy, and at a time of debt and deficit where we are looking to find a bipartisan solution which is going to be very, very difficult, and if we reach one have a dramatic impact on this nation. ofion. enzus billions of dollars makes no sense to me at all. this summer experts are predicting a mass slaughter hogs. the usda projects with u.s. reserves will sink to their lowest level since the mid nineties this summer and rising global poverty and instability.e so, we are faced with a votey today that is very simple. the vote says in this trifectap, of subsidy mandate and protective terror, and it says don't wait for it to expire at the end of the year, but do it o as of july 1st. and if we do it as of july 1st,t we produce approximately $2.7 billion to the treasury to ameliorate the debt and deficit. so this is i think an easy $2.7i $2.7 million to save. w now someone might say well, what are you d

feinstein. it reads, "dear mrs.vin, it is a pleasure for me to join your friends, family, and colleagues in recognizing you for all the work you have done in the fight for civil rights. thank you for dedicating your life to the cause of equality. you have given so much to this country. when you refuse to give up your bus seat on march 2, 1955, it ignited a spark within montgomery, alabama, that helped begin the process of change. the landmark united states supreme court case that eventually ended segregation on all buses within this country could not have been achieved without your valiant efforts that began with your testimony against the montgomery public transportation system. i commend you for your passion, courage, and dedication. very few people could have demonstrated the level of conviction you showed at the young age of 15. young people today view you as a role model and as an important figure in the history of the civil rights movement. as united states senator representing the people of california, i comm

feinstein. where are you? would you please join us to do the duty of swearing ed lee in. mr. lee. >> if you would be kind enough to please raise your right hand and repeat after me. i edwin m. lee. >> i edwin m. lee. >> do solemnly swear -- >> do sol manyly swear -- solemnly swear -- >> that i will support and defend -- >> that i will support and defend -- >> the constitution of the united states -- >> the constitution of the united states >> and the constitution of the state of california -- >> and the constitution of the state of california >> against allen miss foreign and domestic -- against all enemies foreign and domestic -- >> against allen miss and domestic -- >> that i will bear true faith and aline of scrimmagens. >> that i will bear true faith and aline of scrimmagens >> to the constitution of the united states. >> to the constitution of the united states. >> and to the constitution of the state of california. >> to the constitution of the state of california. >> that i take this obligation freely -- >> without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion -- >> wit

mr. president, i rise to speak in favor of the feinstein amendment, and i am a proud cosponsor of this proposal because it will save us money, it will reduce food prices, annandale doing so do it in a responsible manner. mr. president, ethanol enjoys truly unprecedented support from the federal government. first, there is the renewable fuels mandate, mandate that requires, requires ethanol to be blended into gasoline. second, there is a 45% -- 45-cent-per-gallon subsidy to blend ethanol into gasoline that is costing the treasury nearly nearly $6 billion per year. third, there is a 54-cent-per-gallon tariff on imported ethanol, protecting the domestic industry from any serious competition. and to top it all off, the federal government spends billions every year to subsidize the growth of corn for ethanol. so in a time of fiscal constraint, we simply cannot afford to prop up an industry with such enormous supports, and these supports are not just costing taxpayers money but they are also causing food prices to rise and harming our environment. the united states department of structure estimates t

mr. deco sta and a few others. the design intent is not being met. supervisor cohen, i am glad you're asking some many good questions. we have senator feinstein senator boxer and others. they have worked so hard to get the system going. i want to implore the officials -- muni officials. look at light rail as an organic entity. also, all of them, they are modern designers. these urban systems are treated almost as living entities. we are just barely able to makee discomfort and dissatisfaction. in these to go beyond. -- they are showing the discomfort and dissatisfaction. it needs to go beyond. say, wow, that is now my job is there. that is out. that is the benchmark. [chime] thank you. these are $2 i did not pay for on the fair coming here. i will make a donation to the treasurer's office. thank you. supervisor cohen: thank you. well, to wrap up all the public comment and testimony, thank you to mta. thank you for answering questions. although we did not have any members of the public that actually were lined out the door, believe me when i tell you -- and i have the data to prove this -- i hear from residents all the time complaining about t

mr. panetta. it is a treat the you're with us. senator feinstein, the chair of the intelligence committee. she has a lot of direct experience long before then with director panetta. >> thank you, mr. chairman and members of the committee. it is distinct pleasure for me to introduce the director of the central intelligence agency and distinguish california, leon panetta, who was nominated by president obama on april 28 to be the 23rd secretary of defense. as members of this committee will know, it is 47 years of public service, director panetta has held positions of congressman, chairman of the house budget committee, director of the office of management and budget, chief of staff to the white house, co-director with his wife of the leon and sylvia panetta institute for public policy, which i've had the pleasure of speaking before, a member of the iraq study group, a secondof the caia, and first lt. as an intelligence officer. trusted adviser to the president and respected member of his national security team. in the course of two years, he has mastered the intelligence field, led the cia th

mr. panetta. it is a treat the you're with us. senator feinstein, the chair of the intelligence committee. she has a lot of direct experience long before then with director panetta. >> thank you, mr. chairman and members of the committee. it is distinct pleasure for me to introduce the director of the central intelligence agency and distinguish california, leon panetta, who was nominated by president obama on april 28 to be the 23rd secretary of defense. as members of this committee will know, it is 47 years of public service, director panetta has held positions of congressman, chairman of the house budget committee, director of the office of management and budget, chief of staff to the white house, co-director with his wife of the leon and sylvia panetta institute for public policy, which i've had the pleasure of speaking before, a member of the iraq study group, a secondof the caia, and first lt. as an intelligence officer. trusted adviser to the president and respected member of his national security team. in the course of two years, he has mastered the intelligence field, led the cia th

feinstein. this is 40 minutes. >> mr. president, i rise today in support of the ethanol subsidy repeal agent which senator coburn offered and i have co-sponsoredded along with senators collins, corkers lieberman, tiewmy, and webb. i know that the fact that this amendment is on the floor scheduled to be voted on at 2:15 this afternoon caused deep consternation on my side of the aisle. there is objection to the procedures used. i am not going to get into that. i'm going to say a vote a is vote, and we are facing a vote at 2:15 unless something changes. now, to be candid, if there were an offer to bring to in the floor next week or the week after for a time specific in a commitment specific, i believe that the author and myself and co-sponsors would certainly agree to that, but in the absence of that offer, it is important that the united states -- the united states senate takes a position on a program has become both gross and egregious, and i want to explain why i feel that way. madam president, no other product i know of

mr. president, i'm pleased to join with senators coburn and feinstein in offering an amendment to repeal the ethanol excise tax credit and the ethanol import tariff. these policies are fiscally irresponsible, environmentally unwise and economically indefensible. historically, mr. president, our government has helped a product compete in one of three ways. either we subsidize it, we protect it from competition or we require its use. right now, ethanol may be the only product receiving all three forms of support. the ethanol tax break is extraordinarily expensive. the government accountability office has found that the tax credit costs american taxpayers a staggering $6 billion annually. this is quite a sum to prop up a fuel that is causing land conversion for corn production, commodity and food prices to rise and is barely putting a dent into our nation's defendens on foreign oil. with our amendment which has an effective date of july 1, we have the opportunity to immediately save american taxpayers nearly $3 billion in just the six months remaining in this fiscal year. mr. president, the

mr. panetta. it is a treat the you're with us. senator feinstein, the chair of the intelligence committee. she has a lot of direct experience long before then with director panetta. >> thank you, mr. chairman and members of the committee. it is distinct pleasure for me to introduce the director of the central intelligence agency and distinguish california, leon panetta, who was nomined by president obama on april 28 to be the 23rd secretary of defense. as members of this committee will know, it is 47 years of public service, director panetta ha held positions of congressman, chairman of the house budget comttee, director of the office of management and budget, chief of staff to the white house, co-director with his wife of th leon and sylvia panetta institute for public policy, which i've had the pleasure of speaking before, a member of the iraq study group, a secondof the caia, and first lt. as an intelligence officer. trusted adviser to the president and respected member of his national security team. in the course of two years, he has mastered the intelligence field, led the cia three ve

mr. panetta. it is a treat the you're with us. senator feinstein, the chair of the intelligence committee. she has a lot of direct experience long before then with director panetta. >> thank you, mr. chairman and members of the committee. it is distinct pleasure for me to introduce the director of the central intelligence agency and distinguish california, leon panetta, who was nominated by president obama on april 28 to be the 23rd secretary of defense. as members of this committee will know, it is 47 years of public service, director panetta has held positions of congressman, chairman of the house budget committee, director of the office of management and budget, chief of staff to the white house, co-director with his wife of the leon and sylvia panetta institute for public policy, which i've had the pleasure of speaking before, a member of the iraq study group, a secondof the caia, and first lt. as an intelligence officer. trusted adviser to the president and respected member of his national security team. in the course of two years, he has mastered the intelligence field, led the cia th

mr. chairman. thank you very much. >> thank you very much, chairman feinstein, senator chambliss, members of the committee, colleagues and friends, i am truly honored to have been asked to appear before you this afternoon to introduce president obama's nominee to be the next direct your of the central intelligence agency, general david petraeus. none of chair, as you indicated earlier in a literal sense, and general petraeus needs no introduction. i want to take a few moments to describe what i believe dave petraeus has meant to her country and why i am confident he will be a superb direct and why i am confident he will be a superb direct and why i am confident he will be a superb direct and why i am confident he will be a superb direct petraeus is the most distinguished general officer at the united states generation of his generation contained a number of very impressive general officers. he is a true american hero who has twice been called upon by our commander-in-chief to assume leadership of a sweltering war effort and twice he not only an effect called, but let our forces out of the shots of defeat onto the pat

mr. chairman. let me follow quickly other words that are really well articulated by senator feinstein and her boxer. as it is partly to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. i hope they will really take note of the extraordinary qualifications that this nominee brings to the table. one colleague mention the fact that he had been the ceo of a major regular -- regulating company. i would respectfully submit that i think my colleague is going to find this is a bold and creative capitalist who has served on more boards of major companies have diverse nature than all of the members of this committee put together. and i think he brings a very level of business expertise at a time when we obviously know we have to create jobs and change the dynamic in this country. i think my colleagues will find both nominees have a strong sense of how to do that in the commerce department is going to be a critical player with respect to transportation, infrastructure, research in the information economy. a lot of the technology issues that we need to deal with. i think we've got a terrific spokesperson who is co

mr. panetta. it is a treat the you're with us. senator feinstein, the chair of the intelligence committee. she has a lot of direct experience long before then with director panetta. >> thank you, mr. chairman and members of the committee. it is distinct pleasure for me to introduce the director of the central intelligence agency and distinguish california, leon panetta, who was nominated by president obama on april 28 to be the 23rd secretary of defense. as members of this committee will know, it is 47 years of public service, director panetta has held positions of congressman, chairman of the house budget committee, director of the office of management and budget, chief of staff to the white house, co-director with his wife of the leon and sylvia panetta institute for public policy, which i've had the pleasure of speaking before, a member of the iraq study group, a secondof the caia, and first lt. as an intelligence officer. trusted adviser to the president and respected member of his national security team. in the course of two years, he has mastered the intelligence field, led the cia th

mr. president, i would ask that senator coburn be listed as the second sponsor of that amendment, feinstein 476. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: ask unanimous consent that when the senate resumes consideration of s. 782 on thursday, june 16, the feinstein amendment 476 and mccain amendment 411 be debated concurrently, there be up to four hours divided between between, the senate proceed to votes on amendments in the following order: feinstein 476, mccain 411. further, neither amendment be divisible. there be no amendments or points of order or motions in order -- or budgets point of order and applicable motions to waifnlt both amendments be subject to a 60-vote threshold. the motion to reconsider be laid and -- on the table and finally the majority leader be recognized. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: mr. president the majority leader. mr. reid: i want to thank the senator from south carolina. senator demint wanted to make sure that this agreement does not limit his ability to offer votes on an amendment that he cares about, it's number 460, regarding