Liberated Text -> Congressional Record -> Nine Senators of Shame

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Mr. Frist: I ask unanimous consent, notwithstanding rule XXII, the vote on the motion to invoke cloture occur following the last scheduled vote in this sequence, with the mandatory live quorum waived.

Mr. Reid: Reserving the right to object, I want the record spread with my appreciation to the Senators from Louisiana for allowing the Senate to move forward. We were going to work through the night and early in the morning to come up with something that would help satisfy their tremendous needs. I appreciate their cooperation so we do not have to be here at 1 o'clock in the morning.

The Presiding Officer: Without objection, it is so ordered.

Mr. Frist: For the information of our colleagues, what this means is we will vote on the Stabenow amendment next. Immediately following that, we will go to the cloture vote. Following that, there will be no more rollcall votes tonight.

Throughout tomorrow we will have plenty of opportunity for discussion, for debate. We will be voting throughout tomorrow, as well. There will be no more rollcall votes after the Stabenow vote and cloture vote tonight which will immediately follow the Stabenow vote.

Mr. Stevens: I announce we will have a managers' package. We will consider amendments that might be taken by voice vote after this last scheduled vote.

I have already made the point of order against the Stabenow amendment. To be sure the record is clear, I make the point of order against the Kerry amendment and I ask it be agreed to.

The Presiding Officer: The emergency designation has been stricken from the amendment.

Mr. Stevens: Is the record clear I made the point of order on the Stabenow amendment?

The Presiding Officer: The Chair would inform the Senator an emergency point of order has been stricken from--we are still on the Kerry amendment.

Mr. Stevens: And I asked it be dropped, now.

The Presiding Officer: The point of order is sustained under the Budget Act.

Amendment No. 1937

Mr. Stevens: Now, is the record clear about my making a point of order to the Stabenow amendment? If not, I renew the point of order under 302(f) of the Congressional Budget Act. The amendment requires spending in excess of the committee's 302(b) allocation for the fiscal year concurrent resolution of the Budget, and I ask for the yeas and nays.

Ms. Stabenow: Pursuant to section 904 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, I move to waive the applicable sections of that act for the purpose of the pending amendment, and I ask for the yeas and nays.

The Presiding Officer: Is there a sufficient second?

There is a sufficient second.

The yeas and nays were ordered.

Ms. Stabenow: Mr. President, I ask colleagues to support the Stabenow-Johnson-Thune amendment that guarantees funding for our veterans for health care. It takes it out of the annual appropriations process where every year we are wrestling with whether the funding is available. This year alone already we have had one emergency designation of $1.5 billion because the veterans health care budget was underfunded this year. We know there are concerns about next year.

This amendment would do two things. First, the legislation provides an annual discretionary amount that would be locked in for future years at the 2005 funding level. Then in the future, the VA would receive a sum of mandatory funding that would be adjusted year to year based on changes in demand from the VA health care system as well as rate of inflation.

This is incredibly important. We should not be arbitrarily picking numbers in terms of funding veterans health care. It should be based on the brave men and women who have served who come on home and put on a veteran's cap. We have more and more coming home from Afghanistan and Iraq every day. Each and every one of them has been promised health care. The way to guarantee we keep our promise is to pass this amendment.

I urge agreement.

Mr. Craig: Mr. President, our veterans deserve all a grateful nation can give them. Over the last 6 years we have increased the Veterans budget by over $3 billion a year. Although the Senator from Michigan is right about the dustup this year, we still did it because America is grateful for those who serve in harm's way.

While all veterans are entitled, should we start a new entitlement program, one that is now out of control, that we cannot monitor on a yearly basis as we do through the appropriating process and the authorizing process? The Senator is proposing a new entitlement program. But she is also saying something else. She is not saying those who served is the baseline of the formula. She is saying those who are entitled. And there is a very real difference between those who are entitled and eligible versus those who seek service because of need. We pay for those who seek service based on their eligibility. We do not create a new entitlement program.

Ask yourselves, do you want to create a new entitlement program or do you want to do what we are doing now, providing the necessary resources on an annual basis to meet the needs of America's veterans?

I ask Members to vote no. Do not waive the Budget Act. Do not create a new entitlement program and basically take it out of the hands of the Congress and put it in the hands of the VA. That is not what I think our veterans would want us to do.

The Presiding Officer: The question is on agreeing to the motion to waive the Budget Act. The yeas and nays have been ordered. The clerk will call the roll.

The legislative clerk called the roll.

Mr. Durbin: I announce that the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Corzine) is necessarily absent.

The Presiding Officer: Are there any other Senators in the Chamber desiring to vote?

The result was announced--yeas 48, nays 51, as follows:

[Rollcall Vote No. 251 Leg.]

YEAS--48
Akaka	Clinton	Jeffords	Lincoln	Rockefeller
Baucus	Collins	Johnson	Mikulski	Salazar
Bayh	Conrad	Kennedy	Murray	Sarbanes
Biden	Dayton	Kerry	Nelson (FL)	Schumer
Bingaman	Dodd	Kohl	Nelson (NE)	Snowe
Boxer	Dorgan	Landrieu	Obama	Specter
Byrd	Durbin	Lautenberg	Pryor	Stabenow
Cantwell	Feingold	Leahy	Reed	Thune
Carper	Feinstein	Levin	Reid	Wyden
Chafee	Harkin	Lieberman
NAYS--51
Alexander	Cochran	Enzi	Isakson	Sessions
Allard	Coleman	Frist	Kyl	Shelby
Allen	Cornyn	Graham	Lott	Smith
Bennett	Craig	Grassley	Lugar	Stevens
Bond	Crapo	Gregg	Martinez	Sununu
Brownback	DeMint	Hagel	McCain	Talent
Bunning	DeWine	Hatch	McConnell	Thomas
Burns	Dole	Hutchison	Murkowski	Vitter
Burr	Domenici	Inhofe	Roberts	Voinovich
Chambliss	Ensign	Inouye	Santorum	Warner
Coburn
NOT VOTING--1
Corzine

The Presiding Officer: On this vote, the yeas are 48, the nays are 51. Three-fifths of the Senators duly chosen and sworn not having voted in the affirmative, the motion is rejected, the point of order is sustained, and the amendment falls.

Mr. Stevens: Mr. President, I did not hear the last ruling of the Chair.

The Presiding Officer: The amendment falls on the point of order.

Mr. Stevens: Now, the next pending business is the cloture vote?

The Presiding Officer: That is correct.

Mr. Stevens: Mr. President, it is my understanding we will convene about 9:30 in the morning. We will be prepared to stay tonight if any Senators wish to discuss amendments following the cloture vote.

Mr. Levin: Parliamentary inquiry, Mr. President.

The Presiding Officer: The Senator from Michigan.

Mr. Levin: Could the Presiding Officer tell us how many amendments have been filed and how many of them would fall as nongermane? Could the Chair just give us some idea, some estimate?

The Presiding Officer: The Chair will note that the Parliamentarian does not have that information at this time.

Mr. Levin: Can we have an idea as to how many are filed? Can we get that information?

The Presiding Officer: There are approximately 140 amendments filed.

Mr. Levin: I thank the Chair.

I cannot vote for cloture on this bill because it would make it impossible to consider highly important amendments for our troops and their families and amendments to enhance our Nation's security.

One hundred twenty amendments are filled. The Parliamentarian can't tell us even how many are relevant but, because they are not technically germane, will not be permitted to come to a vote if cloture is invoked.

The stakes for our security in the middle of war are too great not to take an extra few days to consider important relevant amendments.

I vote to take those extra few days rather than to prematurely end debate. I will vote against cloture.

Cloture Motion

The Presiding Officer: Under the previous order, the Chair lays before the Senate the pending cloture motion, which the clerk will report.

The legislative clerk read as follows:

Cloture Motion

We the undersigned Senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate, do hereby move to bring to a close debate on H.R. 2863: the Department of Defense appropriations bill.

Bill Frist, Ted Stevens, Daniel Inouye, Mel Martinez, Mitch McConnell, Bob Bennett, George Allen, Chuck Hagel, Tom Coburn, Richard Burr, Lisa Murkowski, John Thune, Lamar Alexander, Richard Shelby, Jon Kyl, Jeff Sessions, Saxby Chambliss.

The Presiding Officer: By unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum call has been waived.

The question is, Is it the sense of the Senate that debate on H.R. 2863, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 2006, shall be brought to a close? The yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule. The clerk will call the roll.

The assistant legislative clerk called the roll.

Mr. McConnell. Mr. President, I announce that the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Santorum) is necessarily absent.

Mr. Durbin: I announce that the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Corzine) is necessarily absent.

The Presiding Officer: Are there any other Senators in the Chamber desiring to vote?

The yeas and nays resulted--yeas 94, nays 4, as follows:

[Rollcall Vote No. 252 Leg.]

YEAS--94
Akaka	Coburn	Feinstein	Lautenberg	Salazar
Alexander	Cochran	Frist	Leahy	Sarbanes
Allard	Coleman	Graham	Lieberman	Schumer
Allen	Collins	Grassley	Lincoln	Sessions
Baucus	Conrad	Gregg	Lott	Shelby
Bayh	Cornyn	Hagel	Lugar	Smith
Bennett	Craig	Harkin	Martinez	Snowe
Biden	Crapo	Hatch	McCain	Specter
Bond	Dayton	Hutchison	McConnell	Stabenow
Brownback	DeMint	Inhofe	Mikulski	Stevens
Bunning	DeWine	Inouye	Murkowski	Sununu
Burns	Dodd	Isakson	Murray	Talent
Burr	Dole	Jeffords	Nelson (FL)	Thomas
Byrd	Domenici	Johnson	Nelson (NE)	Thune
Cantwell	Dorgan	Kennedy	Obama	Vitter
Carper	Durbin	Kerry	Pryor	Voinovich
Chafee	Ensign	Kohl	Reed	Warner
Chambliss	Enzi	Kyl	Roberts	Wyden
Clinton	Feingold	Landrieu	Rockefeller
NAYS--4
Bingaman	Boxer	Levin	Reid
NOT VOTING--2
Corzine	Santorum

The Presiding Officer: On this vote, the yeas are 94, the nays are 4. Three-fifths of the Senators duly chosen and sworn having voted in the affirmative, the motion is agreed to.

The Senator from Alaska.

Amendments Nos. 1882, as Modified; 1923, 1942, as modified; 1969, as modified; 2001, 2004, as Modified; 2038, as Modified; and 2042

Mr. Stevens: Mr. President, we have a managers' package, which is No. 6, that I send to the desk. I ask unanimous consent that they be considered en bloc. I state for the record that this includes a Bingaman-Domenici colloquy on the F-117; for Senator Hatch and others, an amendment on the Air Force Depot Maintenance Program, as modified. This is amendment No. 2001; for Senator Schumer and Senator Clinton, amendment No. 2038 on the arsenal program support, which is modified; for Senator Hagel, a colloquy on supplemental security income; for Senator Bond, amendment No. 1923, for oral anthrax vaccine; for Senator Sarbanes, amendment No. 1969, as modified, for the Naval Academy; for Senator McConnell, amendment No. 2042, recognizing U.S. military personnel; for Senator Landrieu, amendment No. 1942, as modified, for Northern Command; for Senator Graham, amendment No. 2004, as modified, on combatant status review tribunals; for Senator Conrad, amendment No. 1882, as modified, on Predator aircraft.

The Presiding Officer: The Chair notes that amendment No. 2001 is not modified.

Mr. Stevens: Air Force Depot Maintenance, is it not modified? I stand corrected. That is not a modified amendment.

I ask that these amendments be considered en bloc, and I ask for their further consideration.

The Presiding Officer: Is there further debate on the amendments? If not, without objection, the amendments are agreed to en bloc.

The amendments were agreed to en bloc, as follows:

amendment no. 1882, as modified

(Purpose: To increase, with an offset, amounts available for the procurement of Predator unmanned aerial vehicles)

At the appropriate place in title IX, insert the following:

Sec. __.(a) Additional Amount for Aircraft Procurement, Air Force.--The amount appropriated by this title under the heading "Aircraft Procurement, Air Force" is hereby increased by $130,000,000.

(b) Availability of Amount.--Of the amount appropriated by this title under the heading "Aircraft Procurement, Air Force", as increased by subsection (a), $130,000,000 shall be available for purposes as follows:

(1) Procurement of Predator air vehicles, initial spares, and RSP kits.

(2) Procurement of Containerized Dual Control Station Launch and Recovery Elements.

(3) Procurement of a Fixed Ground Control Station.

(4) Procurement of other upgrades to Predator Ground Control Stations, spares, and signals intelligence packages.

(c) Offset.--(1) The amount appropriated by title II for Operation and Maintenance, Air Force is hereby reduced by $130,000,000.

amendment no. 1923

(Purpose: To make available $4,000,000 from Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation, Defense-Wide, for Oral Anthrax/Plague Vaccine Development)

At the appropriate place, insert the following:

Sec. __. Of the amount appropriated by title IV under the heading "Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation, Defense-Wide", up to $4,000,000 may be used for Oral Anthrax/Plague Vaccine Development.

amendment no. 1942, as modified

(Purpose: To make available $10,000,000 for Operation and Maintenance, Air Force, and $20,000,000 for Other Procurement, Air Force, for the implementation of IMT-2000 3G Standards Based Communications Information Extension capability for the Gulf States and key entities within the Northern Command Area of Responsibility)

At the appropriate place, insert the following:

Sec. __. (a) Implementation of Long-Range Wireless Capabilities.--Of the amount appropriated by title II under the heading "Operation and Maintenance, Air Force", up to $10,000,000 may be used by the United States Northern Command for the purposes of implementing Long-range wireless telecommunications capabilities for the Gulf States and key entities within the Northern Command Area of Responsibility (AOR).

(b) Implementation of Long-Range Wireless Capabilities.--Of the amount appropriated or otherwise made available by title III under the heading "Other Procurement, Air Force", up to $20,000,000 may be used by the United States Northern Command for the purposes of implementing IMT-2000 3G Standards Based Communications Information Extension capabilities for the Gulf States and key entities within the Northern Command Area of Responsibility (AOR).

amendment no. 1969, as modified

(Purpose: To authorize the Secretary of the Navy to donate the World War II-era marine railway located at the United States Naval Academy to the Richardson Maritime Heritage Center, Cambridge, Maryland, for non- commercial purposes)

On page 220, after line 25, insert the following:

Sec. 8116. (a) The Secretary of the Navy may, subject to the terms and conditions of the Secretary, donate the World War II-era marine railway located at the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland, to the Richardson Maritime Heritage Center, Cambridge, Maryland.

(b) The marine railway donated under subsection (a) may not be used for commercial purposes.

amendment no. 2001

(Purpose: To express the sense of the Senate regarding the investment of funds as called for in the Depot Maintenance Strategy and Master Plan of the Air Force)

In an appropriate place insert the following:

SEC. . SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING DEPOT MAINTENANCE.

(a) Findings.--The Senate finds that--

(1) the Depot Maintenance Strategy and Master Plan of the Air Force reflects the essential requirements for the Air Force to maintain a ready and controlled source of organic technical competence, thereby ensuring an effective and timely response to national defense contingencies and emergency requirements;

(2) since the publication of the Depot Maintenance Strategy and Master Plan of the Air Force in 2002, the service had made great progress toward modernizing all 3 of its Depots, in order to maintain their status as "world class" maintenance repair and overhaul operations;

(3) 1 of the indispensable components of the Depot Maintenance Strategy and Master Plan of the Air Force is the commitment of the Air Force to allocate $150,000,000 a year over 6 years, beginning in fiscal year 2004, for recapitalization and investment, including the procurement of technologically advanced facilities and equipment, of our Nation's 3 Air Force depots; and

(4) the funds expended to date have ensured that transformation projects, such as the initial implementation of "Lean" and "Six Sigma" production techniques, have achieved great success in dramatically reducing the time necessary to perform depot maintenance on aircraft.

(b) Sense of the Senate.--It is the sense of the Senate that--

(1) the Air Force should be commended for the implementation of its Depot Maintenance Strategy and Master Plan and, in particular, meeting its commitment to invest $150,000,000 a year over 6 years, since fiscal year 2004, in the Nation's 3 Air Force Depots; and

(2) the Air Force should continue to fully fund its commitment of $150,000,000 a year through fiscal year 2009 in investments and recapitalization projects pursuant to the Depot Maintenance Strategy and Master Plan.

amendment no. 2004, as modified

(Purpose: To require the President to submit the procedures for Status Review Tribunals and Administrative Review Boards to determine the status of detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba)

At the appropriate place, insert the following:

Sec. __. (a) Submission of Procedures for Combatant Status Review Tribunals and Administrative Review Boards To Determine Status of Detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.--Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act the President shall submit to the congressional defense committees and committees on Judiciary in the House and Senate the procedures for the Combatant Status Review Tribunals and noticed Administrative Review Boards, in operation at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for determining the status of the detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, including whether any such detainee is a lawful enemy combatant or an unlawful enemy combatant.

(b) Procedures.--The procedures submitted to Congress pursuant to subsection (a) shall ensure that--

(1) in making a determination of status under such procedures, the Combatant Status Review Tribunal and Annual Review Boards may not consider statements derived from persons that, as determined by the Tribunals or Boards, by the preponderance of the evidence, were obtained with undue coercion.

(2) the Designated Civilian Official shall be an officer of the United States Government whose appointment to office was made by the President, by and with the advise and consent of the Senate.

(c) Modification of Procedures.--The President shall submit to Congress any modification to the procedures submitted under subsection (a) no less than 30 days before the date on which such modifications go into effect.

(Purpose: To make available $5,000,000 from Procurement of Weapons and Tracked Combat Vehicles for the Army for the Arsenal Support Program Initiative and to allocate such amounts)

At the appropriate place, insert the following:

Sec. __. Of the amount appropriated by title III under the heading "Procurement of Weapons and Tracked Combat Vehicles, Army," up to $5,000,000 may be used for the Arsenal Support Program Initiative for Watervliet Arsenal, New York.

AMENDMENT NO. 2042

(Purpose: To recognize U.S. military personnel serving in Afghanistan and Iraq)

At the appropriate place, insert the following:

Sec. __. The Secretary of Defense may present promotional materials, including a United States flag, to any member of an Active or Reserve component under the Secretary's jurisdiction who, as determined by the Secretary, participates in Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom, along with other recognition items in conjunction with any week-long national observation and day of national celebration, if established by Presidential proclamation, for any such members returning from such operations."

Mr. Stevens: I move to reconsider the vote, and I move to lay that motion on the table.

The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

PROHIBITION ON RETIREMENT OF F-117 AIRCRAFT

Mr. Domenici: Mr. President, let me begin by complimenting my friend from Alaska, the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, for producing a terrific bill. H.R. 2863, the fiscal year 2006 Defense appropriations bill, is a strong piece of legislation that supports the men and women of the Armed Forces and strengthens our security. I would also like to recognize my colleague, the junior Senator from New Mexico, who joins us today.

I want to raise the issue of the F-117 Stealth Nighthawk aircraft. Report 109-69 to S. 1042, the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2006, recommends a provision prohibiting retirement of F- 117 aircraft in fiscal year 2006. I know that my colleague from New Mexico is aware of this recommendation as well.

Mr. Bingaman: I am aware of this recommendation and note that it further describes the F-117 as the only stealthy tactical aircraft capable of delivering certain precision munitions currently in the inventory. Clearly, this is a very important capability for national security.

Mr. Domenici: I agree with my colleague's assessment about the strategic value of the F-117 and note that this recommendation is further validated by the House-passed H.R. 2863 which retains the President's budget request for F-117 upgrades and adds $11.1 million in operations and maintenance funding to retain the 10 aircraft scheduled for retirement. I would like to ask the distinguished chairman for his views concerning the Air Force's recommendation to retire 10 F-117s in fiscal year 2006.

Mr. Stevens: I concur with the Senators from New Mexico that the F- 117 is of critical importance to the Nation's precision strike capability. Furthermore, I agree with the Senate Armed Services Committee recommendation that it is premature to retire any F-117s at this time.

Mr. Domenici: I thank the distinguished chairman for his views on this important matter.

Mr. Bingaman: I thank the chairman as well, and look forward to working with him; the ranking member, Senator Inouye and Senator Domenici on this issue in the future.

SSI Eligibility

Mr. Hagel: Mr. President, currently there are service members in our Armed Forces with disabled dependents who have lost or are in danger of losing Supplemental Security Income, SSI, eligibility or benefits. This issue not only affects our regular active duty service members, but our mobilized National Guard and Reserve service members as well.

Supplemental Security Income is a Federal income supplement program, funded by tax revenues, designed to provide cash to meet basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter for aged, blind, and disabled people.

Under current law, section 1612(a) of the Social Security Act, only military basic pay is counted as earned income for the purposes of determining SSI eligibility and benefit amount. Special pay and allowances are counted as unearned income. As a result, a disabled child or spouse of a service member can lose SSI eligibility or have a benefit reduction due to the way military compensation is presently counted.

Because a significant portion of a service member's compensation includes special pay and allowances, military compensation generally results in more countable income for SSI purposes than comparable wages earned by a civilian. Accordingly, a child or spouse of a service member could be ineligible for SSI while the child or spouse of a civilian worker could be eligible for SSI based on comparable gross wages.

The problem is particularly acute when a member of the National Guard or Reserves is called to active duty and begins to receive full military pay, including special pay and allowances. In some cases, the military pay alone is sufficient to cause a reduction of SSI benefits or a loss of eligibility for the disabled dependent. This means that at the critical point when the service member is called away from his or her family in the service of our country, SSI benefits may be reduced or stopped.

In consideration of the special hardships facing military families in a time of war and to provide more financial security for these families, I have offered an amendment that proposes a statutory exclusion for all types of special pay and allowances received by service members serving on active duty regardless of duty station. At a time when military service members and their families are making such a huge sacrifice for our country, it is vital that this step be taken to protect SSI eligibility for these families.

Under this proposed statutory change, only basic pay, earned income, would be used to determine SSI eligibility for a disabled child or spouse of the service member. All compensation provided by special pay and allowances, including the basic allowance for housing, BAH, would be excluded. Excluding all special pay and allowances would eliminate the disadvantageous income counting that results from treating a substantial portion of military compensation as unearned income.

Mr. Stevens: I agree with the Senator from Nebraska. The provisions of the Social Security Act need to be addressed in order to ensure Supplemental Security Income eligibility and benefits are not inadvertently taken away from those in the armed services when they need them most.

Mr. Stevens: Mr. President, for the information of Senators, we will resume consideration of this bill tomorrow following the opening of the Senate at 9:30 a.m. as soon as possible. It will be my intention to ask that any votes that are to be taken on this bill be stacked until approximately noon or 12:30 in order that the committees may meet in the morning. There has been a specific request for that to happen. It is my understanding that there will be a request later that the time consumed for cloture be consumed during the period of temporary recess this evening on into tomorrow morning; is that the understanding?

The Presiding Officer: That unanimous consent request has not yet been propounded or agreed to.

Mr. Stevens: I am assured that will be the case.

Notice of Intent

Mrs. Clinton: Mr. President, in accordance with rule V of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby give notice in writing that it is my intention to move to suspend paragraph 4 of rule XVI for the purpose of proposing to the bill, H.R. 2863, a bill making appropriations for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2006, and for other purposes: amendment No. 2040.

(The amendment is printed in the Record of Tuesday, October 4, 2005 under "Text of Amendments.")

CROWS

Mr. Salazar: Mr. President, I wish to bring up an important subject involving our soldiers in harm's way. In my State of Colorado and across the country, our fighting men and women have suffered casualties while on patrol in armored vehicles. Typically, the gunner sitting on top of the vehicle is at more risk from being hit both because he or she is visible to the enemy and because he or she is not as protected as those troops inside the armored vehicle.

I recently received an e-mail from a Colorado soldier serving in Iraq. This brave young man wrote me concerning the combat death of his friend. His friend was riding in the gunner's seat when his Humvee was subjected to an improvised explosive device attack. He feels that his friend might still be alive if that Humvee had a Common Remotely Operated Weapons Station--CROWS--and he wanted me to know about it and see if anyone here in Washington could do something about it.

I think we can do something about it, and with the help of my colleagues from Hawaii and Alaska, we will do something about it.

The CROWS can be mounted on a variety of vehicles, including Humvees. It allows the operator to acquire and engage targets while protected inside the armored vehicle from enemy fire and IED attacks. It works with a variety of machine guns. The sensor suite allows both day and night time operation.

This appropriations bill, as it stands now, allocates $75 million out of the emergency supplemental for the military to purchase CROWS. The House Defense appropriations bill provides no funding for CROWS, which is disheartening. The DOD's program manager has advised me that the Pentagon supports spending $206 million for the CROWS system over the next year.

My goal is for the military to be able to purchase thousands of these systems, but at the moment our production capability is only on the order of 10 systems per month. We have to do better. I ask my colleagues, the chairman and ranking member of the Defense Subcommittee on Appropriations, for their leadership and assistance in sustaining the Senate's position when they get to conference on this matter with the House.

Mr. Inouye: Mr. President, like all proud Americans, I share my colleague's concern for the safety and well being of our troops. IED attacks are a very real threat to our troops and it is our responsibility as Members of Congress to help protect our brave men and women fighting overseas. I will work in conference to ensure that we can maintain the Senate's funding level to purchase CROWS for our troops.

Mr. Stevens: Mr. President, I thank my colleagues from Colorado and Hawaii for their work on this issue. They are right. We will continue to support these systems that provide our service members with the force protection they need.

Mr. Salazar: Mr. President, I thank the chairman and the ranking member for their leadership on this issue--and for their careers of service to and sacrifice for this country.