Congressional Record UNUM

E PLURIBUS

United States

of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 112th

 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION

∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor.

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S6075 

Vol. 158 WASHINGTON, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2012 No. 121 

Senate 

The Senate met at 10 a.m. and was 

called to order by the Honorable RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, a Senator from the 

State of Connecticut. 

PRAYER

The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, offered the following prayer: 

Let us pray. 

Eternal God, the source of our being, 

on this 11th anniversary of September 

11, we pause to remember how You sustained us even through life’s tragedies. 

Recalling the deaths and the injuries, 

the heroism, and the patriotism, it is 

easy for us to be thankful for Your 

presence and power. Continue to guide 

this land we love on the labyrinthine 

path to greatness, protecting it from 

dangers seen and unseen, as You heal 

its doubts and divisions. Use our Senators for Your glory as our Nation 

seeks to truly be the land of the free 

and the home of the brave. 

We pray in Your sacred Name. Amen. 

f 

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 

The Honorable RICHARD BLUMENTHAL

led the Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: 

I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the 

United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, 

indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. 

f 

APPOINTMENT OF ACTING 

PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The 

clerk will please read a communication 

to the Senate from the President pro 

tempore (Mr. INOUYE). 

The legislative clerk read the following letter: 

U.S. SENATE, 

PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, 

Washington, DC, September 11, 2012. 

To the Senate: 

Under the provisions of rule I, paragraph 3, 

of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby 

appoint the Honorable RICHARD

BLUMENTHAL, a Senator from the State of 

Connecticut, to perform the duties of the 

Chair. 

DANIEL K. INOUYE, 

President pro tempore. 

Mr. BLUMENTHAL thereupon assumed the chair as Acting President 

pro tempore. 

f 

RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY 

LEADER 

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The majority leader is recognized. 

f 

VETERANS JOBS CORPS ACT OF 

2012—MOTION TO PROCEED 

Mr. REID. I move to proceed to Calendar No. 476, S. 3457. 

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will report the motion. 

The legislative clerk read as follows: 

Motion to proceed to Calendar No. 476, S. 

3457, a bill to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a veterans jobs 

corps, and for other purposes. 

SCHEDULE

Mr. REID. Mr. President, the first 

hour will be equally divided between 

the two leaders or their designees. The 

majority will control the first half and 

the Republicans will control the final 

half. At 11 a.m. there will be a moment 

of silence in observance of the 11th anniversary of the attacks on September 

11, 2001. The Senate will recess from 

12:30 p.m. until 2:15 p.m. for the weekly 

caucus meetings. At 2:15 p.m. there will 

be a cloture vote on the motion to proceed to S. 3457, the Veterans Jobs Corps 

Act. 

MEASURES PLACED ON THE CALENDAR—H.R. 8, S. 

3522, S. 3525

Mr. President, I am told there are 

three bills at the desk due for a second 

reading. 

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will read the titles of 

the bills for a second time. 

A bill (H.R. 8) to extend certain tax relief 

provisions enacted in 2001 and 2003, and to 

provide for expedited consideration of a bill 

providing for comprehensive tax reform, and 

for other purposes. 

A bill (S. 3522) to provide for the expansion 

of affordable refinancing of mortgages held 

by the Federal National Mortgage Association and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage 

Corporation. 

A bill (S. 3525) to protect and enhance opportunities for recreational hunting, fishing, 

and shooting, and for other purposes. 

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I object to 

all three bills that were read for the 

second time. 

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The objection having been heard, 

the bills will be placed on the calendar. 

COMMEMORATING SEPTEMBER 11

Mr. REID. Mr. President, just a short 

way from this Chamber, in S–209, we 

have been meeting for many years as a 

Senate Democratic leadership to discuss the issues of the week. We just finished a meeting there, and part of the 

discussion today in that meeting was 

what happened 11 years ago at the 

exact same time we were meeting 

there. I can remember that so clearly. 

I will never, ever forget that. It is implanted in my mind so clearly. I was 

the first one to get to that meeting, 

and Senator Breaux from Louisiana 

came in and said: There is something 

going on in New York. Let’s turn on 

the TV. And we did. Senators started 

coming in. It appeared an airplane hit 

one of the towers, and we were wondering why it would have done that. 

Something was obviously wrong. 

Senator Daschle was the leader at 

the time. He started the meeting, and 

the TV was off. The meeting was just 

getting started, and someone came in 

to take Senator Daschle out of that 

meeting. He came back very quickly 

and said: There is a plane headed for 

the Capitol, and we all have to evacuate the Capitol—everybody. The 

alarm went out and people were rushing down these halls leaving. I can remember leaving that room over here 

and looking out the window and seeing 

the smoke billowing from what we 


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