when we look to the heavens the work of your fingers the moon and the stars that you have a stablish what is humanity that you are mindful of those thoughts of your majesty lead us to humility and a willingness to acknowledge our weakness and failure as we receive your strength and wisdom give our senators a passion for your glory help them to remember your words personally thank you for the gifts of trent and tricia lott i praise you for their friendship their faithfulness and there for  for you as they leave the united states senate surround them with your grace power and lo we asked this in the name of him the clerk will read a communication to the senate washington d c december nineteenth two thousand and seven to the senate under the provisions of rule one paragraph three of the standing rules of the senate i hereby appoint the honorable robert p casey jr a senator from the commonwealth of pennsylvania to  and the speaker pelosi today and they expect to finish around six or seven o'clock tonight so during that time we'll be i'm sure throwing things back and forth to each other to get this work out this request i i am it's my honor saying has been approved by the republicans i ask unanimous consent that the senate request the house to return the papers roll up to h r two seven six four is there objection without objection so order ask consent senate proceed to counter number one seventy one yes one two four the clerk will report the number one seventy one at nine twenty four a bill to strengthen the united states coast guard integrated deepwater program motion to reconsider be laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate any statements relating to this matter be placed in the record at the proper place as if read without objection is present this is as you but how important she was she's not a committee chair but she was extremely valuable now everything we did getting the energy bill passed she was instrumental in working out a number of disputes that was  there were present that was keeping the bill from passing but with her really hard work she's she focused on something and that really helps a lot and i've had experience with her in the past her work on the the clerk report at seventeen ninety four bill two and then the small business act to approve programs for veterans and for other purposes without objection the committee is just charge in the senate will proceed to the measure there's a substitute amendment to desk i ask consent that the coburn amendment at the desk be considered agreed to the subsidies meant to be agreed to bill is meant to be read a third time in the senate then proceed h r four to five three which is at the desk that all record as if given with out further intervening action or debate and that yes seventy four and be placed on the calendar is there objection without objection do the same basic and start life as everyone else and that if we forget that this body is us serious trouble and it's in that spirit that i'd like to wrap up the year in pretty much the same way that i tried to open it by urging a little more cooperation and civility about a year ago now i called upon my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to take advantage of the rare opportunity divided government gave us to tackle big issues on a beyond that i said republicans had a few basic priorities keeping americans safe and secure protecting their basic freedoms protecting their wallets and spending their money wisely said we wouldn't hesitate to ensure those priorities by shaping more of the legislation or from time to time blocking legislation that would undermine them looking back on the year i think we've been very successful at it early on a majority presented us with a minimum wage bill that we felt undermined small businesses and it did it didn't pass when they agreed to include a tax break it sailed through  vote of ninety four to three that was one that we chose to shape a little later the majority gave us an energy conservation bill that would have led to higher taxes and it didn't pass when they agreed to remove the tax hikes six months later it lee eighty six to thirteen we shaped that one and then they offered to extend a ban on the a m t middle class tax hike for one more year but to cover the cost by imposing it a new tax on the same twenty three million americans who about that they walk by the a m t was never meant to hit middle class families so a new tax to pay for this for the mistake was plainly unfair when the majority found and took it out the a m t fix passed the senate eighty eight five we shaped that one again and again we've insisted that the minority be heard and in the end we were we shaped a lot of legislation this year to ensure that repub can priorities were addressed and we're proud of that we've also stopped a lot of things that we thought would undermine our security the most prominent example of course is iraq after last night senate democrats had held thirty four votes this year related to the war in iraq and on every one that either attempted to substitute our judgment for the judgment of our commanders or cut off funds for our men and women in the field we prevailed so we shaped a lot of things we thought were worthy things like the a m t fix and the energy conservation bill and we proudly block some things that we thought were just bad ideas all together like pulling our troops out of iraq before the betray us plan had time to take hold but our intention from the start was always a possible to avoid confrontation as an end unto itself the history books are filled with examples of things congress achieved when opposite parties control the white house and congress that was always our first option unfortunately our friends on the other side seemed most of the time in can't own forcing votes all year over whether they be on iraq or any number of domestic issues that never had a chance would be the passing the senate or for that matter becoming a law and the practical effect of course is a very little would get accomplished in the end but it didn't have to be that way on the bills i've mentioned the democrats had a choice they could have presented us first with a version i know we would cooperate on and th could actually become law or as we saw all too often often they could present us with a partisan bill that could only serve as a talking point when they chose the former we racked up some serious accomplishments to get over the last week we've seen this kind of cooperation work on the energy conservation bill and on a m t i must say on a personal basis have enjoyed working with a distinguished majority leader all year i won't the first person to remark that he's got very tough job but he's shown a lot of patience this year and he's put up with a lot so i want to thank him for his collegiality and his friendship as we end the year als i want to thank him once again for speaking to the students at the mcconnell center at the us were put here about voters with vastly different backgrounds who hold vastly different views and the fact that we can work together and pass legislation that covers every one of them is really the glory of this institution and this country but we'll never be able to do that if we're not gentlemanly and respectful trent had it right yesterday we can't lose sight of the important things so in that spirit i want to thank all of our colleagues staffs on both sides of the aisle republicans and democrats for all the sacrifices they made this year and for all the grief they took from their constituents their was their husbands their kids for living the kind of life that we all live in in this fishbowl i know a lot of them are on their way at the moment i'm glad they are i must say i am not far behind but i do want to wish them all a very warm and happy and merry christmas with their families and i'd say to my good friend the majority leader and all of our colleagues we're looking forward to a month off and then looking forward to getting back together at the end of january to see what we can accomplish next year for the american distinguished republican leader said in my behalf without in any way now taking away from the opportunities that we have sent as being the democratic republican leaders in the senate and majority minority leaders in the senate these are wonderful opportunities honors that neither one of us would ever imagine that we would have but i been in government a long time as has my friend the republican leader and we both recognize that we have to set an example for the rest of the body and patients and  and then gentleman and friends of each other and i think we've done that we have gone through some difficult times criticized not each other personally but  what has taken place there's been criticism that will continue and there's nothing wrong with that i like to say that my criticism is constructive in nature and i hope that that's how i take any criticism that i get from the other side we have a lot to do next year next year will actually be more difficult an issue here because we all know where it will be in the midst of a presidential election for me though i'll have three democratic senators back working full time that will be very pleasant we'll have to try to arrange the schedule for on all four of them scheduling is really hard because the senate has changed over the years eve since i've been here and the schedules are now a lot turman by airplane schedules not senate schedules but on the one hand when senators are forced to think about having to be here and not do their fundraising over we can't are going back to their states it tends to get a lot lot done and so we've had to on a on occasion several occasions the shares are going to be in as we can but with the exception of one weekend or maybe two weekends we were able to get the same amount of work done had we stayed here all weekend going to be seeing a new president replace president bush will we we hope that that will create the last year of president bush's term markhor geology between the two of us and i have a meeting later today with the president's chief of staff i hope that that will bear fruit you know one of things we have to work on is to try to not have to be in session during our entire next month we have senators lined up to cover that i hope we can work something out with the white house so that that's not necessary because there's a significant number of democratic nominations and a large number of public kentucky the leadership time is reserved and under the previous order the will now be a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak for up to ten minutes each and that the senator from rhode island mr reid will be recognized for up to thirty minutes mr president senator from wyoming the president i want to thank our leaders for getting together and working things out so that we were able to conclude our votes late last night and begin the christmas recess was a relief to many to know that they weren't going to be here through christmas due to complications that could arise from airplanes today though i'm going to talk about something completely different from that i'm joined on the floor by katherine mcguire who's the staff director of the help they gave in labor and pensions and this will be her last time on the floor it was just about eleven years ago when i first came to washington to serve the people of wyoming in the senate as soon as i arrived the first item on my agenda was to start to put staff together i knew it was an important first step because the key to whatever success we're able to achieve is always do in large part to the dedicated and loyal people who work with us and for us in addition that first staff is so important to a new senator because our staff helped to set the tone for that first congress in the beginning of every senate career it is true that in the end you're only as good and effective as the people you work with and that you work for turns out sometimes i talk to everyone i could i went through a mountain of resumes and slowly but surely began to make some progress in a short week i went through orientation with the leadership of my wife we bought a house and i interviewed over one hundred people from my staff as i reviewed the then chills of an impressive group of applicants i knew i'd need someone to head up my staff who knew wyoming that meant i would need to find someone who had wyoming roots and understood the needs of my home state in addition that person would also need to know washington and the senate and how to help me and the rest of the staff get things done i knew it wouldn't be good enough to work hard if hard work and determination didn't produce the results that we were after it wouldn't be easy to find someone who was equally equally at home in both wyoming and washington but when i had those qualifications in mind and started looking for a person one candidate rose to the top that was katharine mcguire and she was clearly the best and most obvious choice for the job she had committee experience as well as state staff experience she also had a master's degree in agricultural economics i represent an agricultural state and i knew i would need that help she helped to fuel expectations which we were then able to meet and it's with a lot of pride that i have read i've been inducted into the wyoming agricultural hall of fame largely because of her efforts and i would never forget those early days as t rue as all senators are first office consisted of one room it was actually a store room for the credit union that cramped space helped us to develop a strong sense of teamwork right from the start because we were all in the same room and everybody knew what everyone else was doing now fortunately katherine was there at the helm and she helped to direct the efforts of my legislative staff right from the start she was able to do so because she's a natural leader she leads the best way and that's by example people on my staff know they can approach it with any ideas or suggestions they have confidence that she will hear them out and help them with whatever issue areas they've been assigned thanks to catch and we were able to accomplish a great deal during my first few years in the senate in more sessions and i could ever count katharine showed she was a great negotiator pen an even better strategist she is the best networker i've ever seen her competitive spirit began to show itself in high school in her play on a basketball team and then expanded in college and then blossomed when she played professionally in europe you don't want to run rebound an issue with her now then when the opportunity came  to chair the senate committee on health education labor and pensions once again i knew i'd need to put someone in charge of my committee staff who could handle the responsibility and the opportunity we would have to take action on some issues of great importance not only  the people of wyoming but to the rest of america as well once again it didn't take very long for me to feel certain that catherine was the perfect choice for the committee staff director position on the committee or on my personal staff catherine has proven herself time and time again over the years she's made a difference in my work on a long list of topics that have come to the senate floor it would be impossible to name them all i want to mention my first big bill though it was drafted to keep washington bureaucrats from being successful in their determination to make methane gas into a solid which of course would have taken away royalties from property owners and even force them to pay back back royalties in my first year in less than a month the correction was passed by both the senate and the house unanimously and that meant that catherine my team and i had to talk to five hundred thirty five members in congress in less than a month to get that result and it was interesting later to watch the supreme court use that bill as a basis for back payments to these same people we couldn't do anything to say all of anything before the legislation was passed because you have to be you have to look to the future so that was our first big win and fortunately more was to come as katherine had that my team and effort i'll just mention a few the global aids hiv aids law sarbanes oxley act the new minor law to protect the miners of this country the new food and drug administration reform law the pension protection act and a host of other successful bills were signed into law for every one of them catherine was always there putting in long and extended hours providing clear accurate leadership and advice and doing everything she could to make our team vision come true whenever i get the chance i like to tell people who ask about my staff that i was very fortunate to hire the people i did in fact i still think that if the staff work was in the limpid given my staff would win the gold medal and katharine would be the most valuable player katharine was a national natural fit for the captain of the team a role she has played very well she's proof of the wisdom of the old adage that a good captain makes everyone on the team better gaston's been such a good leader because she's always been willing to do what was necessary to ensure a successful outcome she has an unusual amount of abilities and talents and an overdose of persistence that's helped her to get things done she's never been one to talk about what she'd like to accomplish she just takes action in the west we like to say she rides hard that's helped our team to earn the respect and appreciation not only of my staff but all the staff that she's worked with and develop close ties to over the years i've always believed in something called the eighty percent rule i wasn't surprised to discover that catherine understood my eighty percent rule so well that she'd put it into practice long ago without even knowing the name she knew that eighty percent of every issue can be brought to agreement they're willing to  eighty percent to nothing it's the other twenty percent that's difficult to resolve but by focusing on the eighty percent impossible problems become possible and can be solved around here catherine result so there to help support my vision to look for and find the third way in dealing with conflict our philosophy has always been fashioned after the old adage we will either find a way or make one that attitude has always served to help or bring groups to the table to reach compromises that seemed unlikely at best now catherine's decided to leave the hill to take on another challenge in her professional life katherine knows that life is an adventure in constant change is a good thing now she'll be moving to a new place to help spread our message as she leaves i can't thank you enough for all she's done for me and for wyoming over the years she's been a tireless worker and she has never hesitated to roll up her sleeves and get to work whenever and wherever she was needed i remember one long evening on the senate floor during my speech and thanking people at the end i mentioned that katharine was an excellent juggler referring to her ability to handle many tasks at the same time her daughter was watching on c span too and said i didn't even know mom could juggle being a legislative director in a staff director's koster a lot of time from home but she's been able to work her family life into her work schedule is the top priority that it needs to be now she will have more time to spend with their own team at home that needs her love and attention or as been david along with her children ellie and cooper have all been very supporting during your senate years she is now going to try something new and once again her family will be there for her supporting her and providing the assistance she will continue to need to she pursues her new career it will be difficult to say goodbye to katharine she when she leaves the senate she will be greatly missed someday soon we will of found someone on t responsibilities that she leaves behind but we will never be able to replace her her constant warm and genuine smile her concern for all the people on her staff and her unique ability to size up the political situation immediately upon contact unmatched she's been a tremendous addition to my personal and committee staff and will miss her daily presence in our lives like most offices our staffs are more than our legislative teams their extended family and that won't change she'll forever be a member of the enzi family another daughter the senate's a place to work that is unlike any other in the world it welcomes only those with special skills and unique abilities and provide them with a tremendous opportunity to make this great nation of ours a better place in which to live in the end that will be katherine's legacy of seventeen years of service in the senate on my staff and before that serving with sen al simpson and senator richard lugar she has made the most of every opportunity she was given and she can be proud of the record of success she's compiled over the years in every area of her life we know from the bible that we chart our course in life in our hearts but god direct steps god's directed these new steps and catherine's life and i know she will continue to make the most of every step that god moves or to take good luck and god bless you and your family katherine don't forget us we won't forget you in fact we're senator from utah i may need a little more than ten minutes because this is an important speech for me i'm grateful for the opportunity today to pay tribute to a wonderful woman dedicated public servant health policy expert my chief of staff patricia knight or as many of many know her in the senate question we were all sad to learn last week that after thirty four years of public service trisha has decided to leave the senate family at the end of the year which in  the arcane ways of the senate could be any number of days between now and december thirty first in fact had i been able to convince her to stay until january seventh we would have been able to celebrate with her the thirty fourth anniversary of her first job on capitol hill trisha was born here in the district and grew up in arlington she progressed to jamestown elementary school wales where a junior high school and yorktown high school were like decatur about the fact that this is the pathway that launched s news woman katie couric when i first approached trish about being my chief of staff she quickly pointed out that she was not from utah however always thinking on her feet she rapidly concluded that graduating from syracuse university or syracuse you was close enough to four years in syria syracuse utah because we have a syracuse right right in utah and that became her story i might add that she graduated magna cum laude ee from syracuse diversity where she majored in anthropology and photojournalism which makes her in my mind uniquely qualified for work in this body tricia never intended to work on capitol hill she is the daughter of a pair of washington journalists now both the cities but i know they are watching over her no very proud of all the things that she has accomplished she always reminds the young people who come to work in my office that she got her first federal job by walking up and down constitution avenue point passing out resumes and the old civil service form s f one seventy one she was initially hired as a temporary typist at the u s department of commerce which it turned out was a lucky career start because she found out later that she had flunked the typing test but they hired her anyway that became her launching pad for work in the office of our former colleague and then house member senator jim broyhill of north carolina ranking republican on the energy and commerce committee in the house he trying to or will she move from case worker to legislative correspondent to legislative assistant i would like to say it was a meteorite rise but a nose days the average hill staff stayed more than two years trisha was here for almost eight years or was there for almost eight years day night and many weekends i knew she would be a real asset to my staff because of her considerable government experience before coming to the united states senate tricia served in the executive branch for presidents ronald reagan and george h w bush it is interesting that she worked at two cabinet agencies twice the commerce department and health and human services the cabinet secretary she served included richards weicker margaret heckler otis bowen m d lou sullivan m d and robert must becker perhaps best known for her work at h h s she served twice as deputy assistant secretary at the department of health and human services and is considered by many as one of the top health policy experts in washington d c and frankly in the whole country that job she was a line officer in the public health service as well as a staffer for the secretary and she worked for some of my favorite people dr ron dockside dr bob windham and dr james mason in addition to her work for senator broyhill when he served in the house she has also served on the staff of the house appropriations committee where she was minority clerk for the legendary silvio conti massachusetts on three appropriations bills commerce state justice legislative branch and foreign operations i felt very fortunate when tricia agreed to work in my office as a volunteer after the defeat of president george h w bush in fact i tried to hire her the first week but she flippantly and for me i didn't have the budget to do it i found that very interesting a few months later i found the money and she joined my health step rising quickly to become my health policy director a very important position in my office she is one of the shrewdest smartest most effective legislative minds in the senate she deeply understands the legislative process and has cultivated relationships with health policy experts throughout this country and frankly throughout the world she truly knows everyone in the proper way to get things done on health care and a whole range of other issues as well she has a rare combination of policy expertise and legislative knowhow in other words she not only knows what to do she knows how to make it happen those are rare qualities anywhere certainly around here she is very proud of her work in the senate infrastructure development in her active membership in the senate chief of staff organization and its executive committee she has been a real leader in that organization she has worked hard to be a capable administrator and manager and to help develop our staff and our own institutional knowledge she also takes pride in the young people whose careers she has helped launch on capitol hill i often heard her hear as only she could say i'm a poor substitute the legislation she has worked on is really among the most important in my service on capitol hill trisha was by my side when we finally persuaded congressm congressman dingell and senator kennedy to allow the dietary supplement health and education act to go through the governor of new mexico and i'm running for president on the democratic side with my prime co sponsor on that bill it was a journey of several years it was a legislative campaign that has served as the model for many pieces of legislation ever since and i might add it was the only major health bill to be enac one hundred forty four days people know how important that bill is virtually everybody in our society today recognizes the importance of the chip legislation i know she had hoped to stay on and see the  that will do all we can to get it done next year but she has played a pivotal and extremely important role in that remarkable landmark legislation she's had an influential role in development of so many other pieces of law reforming the  export laws allowing medical volunteers or community health centers to be covered under the federal tort claims act so many of the budget reconciliation bills including the landmark medicare modernization act all of the major f d a bills w consider in the past two decades including the prescription drug user fee x and the medical device user fee x and that's only mentioning a few of the bills and mainly in the health care you're not counting all of the other areas where she has played a pivotal and very important rule i might add she also served on the judiciary committee where she worked on nominations patents and controlled substances issues among many many others this way because she is delighted to note she assisted in saying the first bill she drafted passed an amended legislation to rename the national institute of child health and human development as the eunice kennedy shriver national institute of child health and human development i think most people who really know how close i am to sargent and eunice kennedy shriver and how much i love eunice kennedy shriver this woman has given so much to our country and frankly she is one terrific human being as was as was her husband when he worked in so many positions here in the federal government well this was a bill that trish drafted helped to push through along with the with the myself and and i'm really pleased that eunice kennedy shriver will be memorialized in something she always took great credit in the national institute of child child health and human develop she has worked with children all over the world and deserves the distinguished honor the list of precious accomplishments goes on and on and there are some not become law yet and i know she regrets that but i think we may still save the night agenda and acted two of these are allowing vitamins to be purchased with food stamps a common sense measure for good nutrition and even more importantly allowing f d a approval of biosimilars my high priority trish spearheaded for me the kennedy hatch biologics price competition and innovation act of two thousand and seven reported earlier this year by our health committee tricia also as a walking rolodex she knows everyone including just about every health policy expert in the country when she made her announcement on friday a flurry of e mails came into my office i would like to share just a few of them which i think you will enjoy and which show her true character one of my former staff directors for the senate labor committee noted in response to her announcement quote i can't believe you plan to hang up your whip ringmasters occasionally take breaks but that doesn't mean they quit the circus senator hatch thinks the world of you as do we all whatever your final decision i hope it keeps you in public affairs unquote likewise i hope so too one of senator kennedy's former staff director said quote the planet t so successful leadership staffer noted quote it truly will be a loss for the whole senate unquote of utah mayor and c e o told patricia quote i cannot tell you how much we have appreciated your help you will be missed your ability to make a difference on capitol hill is evident you have been a great friend and ally your work ethic is unmatched by anyone i have seen on the hill when you combine that with your knowledge of key areas like h issues you have been a very effective government operative unquote and utah political leader noted quote trish is the brightest political strategist i have known and all my years in politics she has the ability to put together a long term strategy to deal with a crisis before the crisis occurs her perspective and insight into issues is unsurpassed and just one last example a former robert robert wood johnson fellow in my office noted quote you know you are single handedly responsible for my whole perspective change the reality of government and its operation the amount of information you have in your mind from your experiences and all that you have done for others who stress staggering you will always be a close and dear friend of my life career has been better for knowing you and that rule no matter where you find yourself my admiration and respect will only grow while i was there and since you made sure that i had a life changing experience and got to see and hear it all unquote now people on the quote outside unquote who deal with many many congressional  staff hold trisha in the highest regard for her expertise her masterful strategic thinking and for her straightforwardness scrupulous honesty and sense of fair play but more importantly they genuinely like her because she is above all a surprisingly wonderful generous person over the years trisha has spent weeks traveling through utah mading with county and city officials and getting a good feel for the issues  helped our state and in numerous ways in fact when she heard she was leaving our house colleague representative chris cannon said quote it is the state's great loss unquote and i affirm that you  benefited greatly from trisha's leadership to she has the love and respect of everyone in the senate and you tub and those whose lives she has touched i will always appreciate her wise counsel and a deep commitment to me to my staff and to the citizens of utah her sense of humor in addition has diffused many a tense time trisha has been my right hand for many many years indeed she is my longest serving chief of staff and i will miss her greatly in fact one way blog and upon hearing this news and salt lake tribune i hope when she leaves to take hatch with her i thought that was a little course myself i ask unanimous consent that these articles be inserted in the record at this point without objection i will always be extremely grateful for the service that tricia has rendered but more than that she's a dear friend who had always be c tell me the truth that was really important to me has always been mr president i've been blessed to have some sense of purpose staff in my thirty one years here in the senate the devotion staffs have to the institution of the senate is very understandable we are all privileged to serve an institution that embodies the liberty liberty and deliberation among free people that the senate represents but the devotion of staff to a member is for me quite humbling for fifteen years trisha knight has given me in the senate her expertise her knowledge and her advice i've been able to rely on her literally twenty four hours a day during these fifteen years i have depended her to help me pass landmark legislation and surmount difficult challenges i have relied on her advice even when she thought obliged to tell me what i didn't want to hear at the time i have relied without exception on her integrity and i am grateful for every day of had the pleasure of her good character we're all going to miss trisha but i suspect we'll be seeing a lot of her in the future we do have a saying once i had staff are always i have staffer and we will expect her to adhere to that for her loyalty her service her counsel her sacrifice and her commitment to good policy let me just say that i've worked with some wonderful people in my days i have had some terrific people help me i've had people who've been loyal decent honorable kind honest people who have set examples around here and frankly i've had every one of them has become a very dear friend in particular i love trisha nights and i believe that she has more than given her best to the united states senate to the united states congress and to the government of the united states of america i care for and i hope that she will continue to stay in touch with with me and with others in our office because we're going to need her help and we're going to need to her advice from time to time and i just hope th chill always be there for us i want to wish trish the very best and whatever she chooses to do next and i pray for her continued good health success happiness love and joy in this life she's a great one i've been very privileged to have her with me mr grossman the yield the floor mr president the senator from new hampshire mr president i want to speak as if in  morning business and i want to thank us senator reid for giving me the opportunity to speak very briefly before his remarks in support of legislation i do hope the senate will act on today that is legislation  dedicate the post office in these hampstead new hampshire and on our of army ranger captain jonathan grass was killed in action on april seventh of this year in iraq this was a dedication that was first brought to my attention due to my office by a group of middle school students in new hampshire they petitioned the selectmen in the town in the selectmen have been turned provided their very strong support along with the family and friends of individual he came from a family with a great dedication and commitment to service to our country his father served as an army ranger his older brother was a west point graduate they have both provided undying support service that occasion in uniform to their country john followed this tradition going to john hopkins participating in the r t c program was an outstanding student elementary school in grade school they recognized right away that it was a very special individual and individual for whom the ideas of valor and service and integrity really mattered he served briefly in my office as an intern before going on to johns hopkins and then in turn going on to army ranger school he was a captain but he was a captain that understood what it was to serve on the frontlines he was a captain that understood what it was to take on the tough shores in the tough chat tasks of combat one of the anecdotes that was recounted to me and my staff on a number of occasions was an anecdote that recalls that he had pizza flown by helicopter from about one hundred kilometers away where his troops were serving in action serving in combat operations in an effort to keep morale high and it was an extra mile an extra step that he was willing to take  troops know how important their service was to him and their service was to our country today jonathan rest at peace in the arlington national cemetery but we want to make sure that we remember the life he lived and the model that he provided not just for his peers or his call for or members of the united states senate but for future generations as well and this modest gesture dedicating the post office in hampstead is a way that we can ensure that his memory stays alive in our hearts in our minds of permanently mr president i have a more detailed statement i will submit for the record i ask my colleagues to support this legislation and i thank senator reid for providing me the opportunity to speak on the floor today thank you mr president mr president senator from rhode island as president of a series of good sense first noting the objection and mr president i asked that the six consent that the order with respect to senator dorgan be changed to provide that if senator dole is here at two fifteen she be recognized for up to five minutes and then senator dorgan to be recognized to serve junction without objection thank you very much as president mr president i rise today to discuss the state of our economy and regrettably the news is not good two weeks ago the mortgage bankers association reported that the rate of home foreclosures and the present of the loans in foreclosure at the highest levels ever ever recorded by this organization at the same time surveys by the university of michigan on the conference board showed consumer confidence at the lowest levels in many many years the financial troubles that began with the subprime mortgage crisis last summer they have now spread  credit markets and created a liquidity crunch which threatens our entire economy some say that these troubles are really temporary in fact some say that there are really two economies is the real economy of people getting up and going to work and the economy  wall street which is financial engineering all sorts of incredibly exotic financial products but the reality is that these markets intersect and as a result our whole economy is threatened now by forces which may be temporary but they're working themselves out in a very difficult way for the people of this country the men and women that we represent our constituents so i contend that the market has undergone a can correction since the end of cheap credit get speculation the housing sector they point to job figures and quarterly g d p growth as indications that the overall economy the real economy is strong but frankly i think we have to look very critically at those assertions what troubles me more than just the numbers the g d p and all of the other financial system is what i'm hearing from rhode island and what i presume our colleagues our colleagues are hearing from their constituents across the country the mortgage crisis and credit crunch in many ways represents a culmination of their fears and sort of the chandra grow knowledge from what they've been fearful for many many months lately i've been struck by how many people are finding it increasingly difficult to maintain a decent standard of living despite having a steady job people are telling me they feel squeezed by the rising cost of energy and food of health care higher education while at the same time the size of their paychecks just don't seem to be expanding apple for thousands of families in rhode island and millions of people across america wage stagnation has created a general feeling of anxiety instead of trying to get ahead most people are finding it just hard to get by the subprime meltdown and subsequent credit crunch are adding additional stress to that equation and for some people it's pushed him to the brink of a personal and financial crisis today we are living in an era of prosperity where of few do extremely well extraordinarily well and the rest of us are struggling to keep up the bush administration has aided and accelerated this trend of growing inequality and its lax attitude toward regulation has allowed major economic liabilities to develop allegedly for the sake of allowing the markets of function officially without hindrance the latest crisis show that markets are not always offici nor always equitable and that rampant speculation in the absence of oversight can create problems that cannot be quickly addressed this president has perpetuated the system that encourages a fortunate few to collect as much of the benefits of our economy as possible while sharing very little with the rest of society at the same time what we have seen developing are normal blind spots and there is within themselves with disturbing frequency the tragedy of katrina the collapse of the bridge in minneapolis as well as the sub prime crisis even our policy in iraq for that matter are all evidence of the administration's consistent  plan for long term liabilities moreover the short sighted focus is reflective of massive trade and budget deficits as well as these incidents these very public incidents and the absence of any comprehensive plan to address our addiction to foreign oil a skyrocketing cost of health care these are creating real challenges for our country this year the new majority in congress has tried to set a different course but unfortunately we have not had the cooperation  and some people speak of as two americas the usually prosperous fraction of one percent of americans and the rest of us we have to i think reengage ourselves in a process of making sure that america competitiveness global economy it has policies that are sustainable that lead to true growth which is shared by all americans because all americans are engage in this great productive work in our economy in our society now since world war two every period of economic expansion until now has resulted in this shared prosperity for americans to be sure growth varied by degrees over time and from place to place but in general the tradition in america has been that a rising tide will lift all boats yet for the past six years under the bush administration this tradition of shared prosperity has not been sustained in my home state the poverty is that overall announced last month that our median wage has actually declined since two thousand which makes rhode island the only state in new england to experience negative wage growth during this period of stagnation in most places we have actually seen negative growth in the median wage since president bush took office the real national median household income has declined by nine hundred sixty two dollars from forty nine thousand one hundred  sixty three dollars in two thousand to forty eight thousand two hundred one dollars in two thousand and six in fact between the first quarter of two thousand and one and the third quarter of two thousand and seven real median weekly earnings fell one point two percent compared to a seven point one percent growth between one thousand nine hundred six and two thousand in the clinton administration we have seen a startling change in the economy affecting the families of america from a growing income from ninety six to do thousand to declining income and that reality is shaping the lives of millions and millions of for the top one percent of households hundred dollars for middle income households and two hundred dollars for low income housing and extraordinary divergence in terms of the wealth of the very few versus everyone else that average for the top one percent is more than three times the total income of the average middle income literally lift up every family in america a more equal distribution of wealth in fact many many many people and now we're seeing a re consecration of wealth which has consequences not just for our economy but for our society we pride ourselves as americans having a country where anyone can rise to the top where opportunity will propel twenty and thirty and forty years ago if you're wealthy your parents are wealthy and you're like this they will think that was not the case twenty and thirty and forty years ago now in his new book the the squandering america the economist robert kuttner writes between two thousand and two thousand and six the productivity of american workers increased by one thousand percent but the total increases in wages paid to all one hundred twenty four million non supervisory workers these are the folks the blue collar workers that come in every day and function and work hard and go home and take care their families these supervisory workers non supervisory workers their total increase in wages two hundred million dollars and six years now that is an increase of a dollar in sixteen per worker not a dollar sixty per hour per worker compare this to the two hundred million dollars this short million dollars total for all non supervisory workers to the nearly thirty eight billion dollars paid in bonuses alone by the top five wall street firms on the same period thirty eight billion dollars so those people who are truly successful on wall street versus two hundred million dollars for every non supervisory work in the country since one thousand nine hundred seven the pay of o s of large corporations is increased to an average of ten point five billion dollars per year or about three hundred sixty nine times the average wages of a worker and eight hundred twenty one times the average wage of a minimum wage worker productive those productivity gains were share that workers got more in their paycheck that's not happening it's not happening as it should let me give you another example according to alfa magazine and in the new york times in two thousand and six the top twenty five hedge fund managers combined earned fourteen billion dollars that's the top twenty five had managed fourteen billion dollars that is enough to pay new york city's eighty thousand public school teachers for nearly three years ask yourself as a matter of social worth and value eighty thousand public school teachers to be paid three years with what twenty five individuals have earned now i understand that there is there's there is a risk premium that that these are not only talented dedicated people but they are going in there and taking chances and rolling the dice and and creating the innovation intrapreneur ship opportunities for  six million dollars he made last year without trying to avoid paying higher taxes and he took the advantages that were there that which he should which we all should while a secretary who earns sixty thousand dollars a year was taxed at thirty percent now if you consider these and equities inequalities these differences it's hard to understand why the president so adamant about protecting the tax rates for the top one percent of ernest's and the consequences this is that we're also physical fiscal complications that we have a the most rapid deterioration of our nation's fiscal health in the history of the country in this administration we've swung from a projected surplus to a projected deficit dramatically when the president took over his office we had a surplus yet he has run a budget deficit every year for the past six years over the period of time bush's deficit spending has increased our national debt to nearly need additional tax cuts and it not only does it give more to those that already have a great deal it also starves the government funds to use for investing in the future productivity and prosperity of this country now the only area where the president has consistently supported more money has been for his tax cuts in terms of tax expenditures and for his policy in iraq there there is no limit to what he will accept a recent report released the joint economic committee estimates that the total economic course of the war in iraq has been approximately double the direct budgetary course we've been spending billions but the costs are really much more than that and as we look down even to a drawdown of our troops going forward the j c estimates that the total economic course that will reach at least two point eight trillion dollars the entire two thousand and three two thousand and seventeen period when you factor in veterans health care the course to acquire paying and replacing the materiel that we have consumed in this war and then and the reinvestment we don't need to make in our military it's a huge amount of money we're spending ten billion dollars per month on iraq the cost of the war the just two months of that war is roughly the same amount that was that issue between the president and the congress and our debate about this budget the president would refuse to spend twenty two billion dollars more than his line his limit on domestic spending but in two months will consume at least that much in iraq without being offset without any qualms without any considerations unconditional spending was the message he sent to us last evening when he demanded that this congress send him money for right now the president's policies to be not guns and butter but guns and caviar money for iraq money for afghanistan without limit without and it appears and benefits to the tax system for the very very wealthiest americans not to the rich the super rich this year the government is affected spending forty nine billion dollars to protect provide tax breaks averaging one hundred  thirty thousand dollars for the with incomes greater than a million dollars and we're seeing the impact throughout this country and particularly see it as you go back to what has to be i believe the reference point for what we all do and that is what's happening to families of course this country well in rhode island the course of health care premiums is rising twice as fast as wages and inflation stagnant wages accelerating costs for health care premiums unrolling pre sixty seven percent between two thousand and one and two thousand and six wages didn't raise that fast i can tell you that and the number of people without insurance increase fifty percent in that s they can't afford to pay for the course which meant gas prices have more than doubled in iran the price of regular gas has jumped ninety five percent from a dollar fifty two when president bush took office to about two dollars ninety seven cents in june of two thousand and seven people are spending more and more money on just getting to work getting the kids to little league games college education costs are rising in rhode island rising across the country average wish in fees or island have increased six percent for our four year public colleges and five percent for some private colleges at the same time what used to be the great source of economic security economic wealth economic flexibility to hedge against the uncertainty of the economy the value of a home has been decreasing and people are beginning to sense that decrease we're seeing like every place else an explosion of foreclosures and the net effect of all of these things and you could factor in also the uncertainty of pensions the fact that more and more of my constituents are being pushed from a defined benefit plan to  defined contribution plan to no pension at all that is adding to this uncertainty now what we have to do is response of these issues we've taken some steps we have passed in terms of education the college course reduction act two hundred billion dollars increase and sedates the result of this congress of this democratic congress and our priorities but we've got to do much much more we've also moved forward with respect to some issues on housing but much too late and much too little we finally cleared the federal housing administration modernization act the f h a act which is going to increase the amount of loans that they can guarantee is going to get him back into the business but that was months months after we should have moved more promptly more efficiently more effectively to do that and we have to respond to this growing crisis now in terms of foreclosures secretary paul has announce his his plans i think the plans are important because at least that signal some action but probably inadequate for the scope of the problem less developing we have legislation that's pending that has to be moved that i think would much much more effective going forward we've just this week and the president is signing an energy bill long overdue increases gas mileage but we have to do more there to the the tax provisions just so sense essential i think to ensuring that there's incentives for alternate fuels and its incentives in the marketplace so the new investors will put the money with the confidence that they will repay those tax incentives are still languishing they have to be economy not simply in the context of financial markets and when you look at the economy from the standpoint of people who live in harris rhode island or harrisburg pennsylvania it's a tough economy and they're asking us to stand up and do something to give them again the sense that when they work in their produce given it goes up their wages go up to give them the sense that they can actually actually provide for their family maybe even put a little bit aside very few people middle income people putting anything aside these days that is our challenge this congress has taken some steps to meet that challenge in terms of education policy  energy policy in terms of at least beginning to deal with the housing issue we've got a lot more to do and we need the cooperation of this is a i think historic moment we're going to abandon our sense that this country is based on opportunity for all of its citizens are we going to abandon the sense that our economy works for all of its citizens that those are creative and clever and take risks will get right great rewards but no one's going to be left behind no one's going to be left without anything to show for working harder working smarter working better i hope not that i think will be one of the ultimate judgments not just on this congress and this administration but in our tenure as members of the senate as we go forward and this is chairman and mr president thank you for your consideration allowing me to speak beyond the recess time and i will give under the previous version of the senate stand in recess until two fifteen p