January 8, 2009 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S187 

we face in this new session. We are all 

concerned about the size of the economic stimulus plan. Eight years ago, 

the Federal Government was actually 

running a budget surplus. Today we estimate a budget deficit, by the end of 

the year, of $1 trillion. That deficit is a 

reflection of poor choices that have 

been made at many levels of Government, but we cannot let the bad 

choices in the past prevent us from 

making the wise choices we have to 

make now to end this economic crisis. 

It is interesting that economists 

from all across the political spectrum 

have come to the same conclusion 

about what America needs. Nobel 

Prize-winning economist Paul 

Krugman, who is put in the category of 

liberal or Democrat, said recently: 

It is much better, in a depressed economy, 

to err on the side of too much stimulus than 

on the side of too little. 

He publicly wondered whether threequarters of a trillion dollars is enough. 

Martin Feldstein, President Reagan’s 

chief economic adviser, said: 

Without action, the economy will continue 

to decline rapidly. 

Mark Zandi, who advised Senator 

MCCAIN during his campaign, said: 

My advice is, err on the side of too big a 

package rather than too little. 

All the great minds, economic thinkers, are coming to the same conclusion: 

We need to act, act decisively, and act 

boldly. But we need to act responsibly 

too. We do not have a day to waste, but 

we do not have a taxpayer dollar to 

waste either. We have to make sure the 

dollars are well spent, not in the creation of Government agencies but in 

the creation of good-paying jobs right 

here in America; not in investments in 

bureaucracy but investments in our 

economy that will help our Nation 

grow in the years to come. 

We need to include smart spending 

and targeted tax cuts for the middle 

class so they can cope with the challenges, the economic challenges they 

face. We have to make sure the money 

that is spent by Congress is spent responsibly so we do not end up with embarrassing earmark projects that have 

not been subjected to public scrutiny 

and review in advance. We need to 

make sure programs are authorized and 

funds are pumped quickly into the 

economy but in an efficient way. 

We need to invest in jobs for American workers. States have identified almost $18 billion in road and bridge 

projects ready to launch within 90 

days. Every $1 billion of Federal funds 

can create up to 35,000 private sector, 

good-paying American jobs and generate $6.2 billion in economic activity. 

There is a lot of work to do. Our 

States are struggling. They don’t have 

the money to keep the safety net 

Americans will need as the economy 

weakens. They cannot help colleges 

and universities that need a helping 

hand. Nineteen States are considering 

cutbacks in basic health care; 18 States 

are cutting services for the elderly; 20 

States are cutting or proposing to cut 

K through 12 and early childhood education. The list goes on and on. 

I see my colleague from Montana, 

and I will be happy to take the chair so 

he can continue his remarks, if necessary, but the last point I will make is 

that the mortgage foreclosure crisis is 

at the core of our problems in America. 

We cannot come to grips with a rebirth 

of the American economy without dealing with the mortgage foreclosure crisis. It is a crisis that, as I mentioned 

earlier, hurts the families losing their 

homes and those living in the neighborhoods and towns around them. We are 

all in this together. What we need to do 

is work with major financial institutions to renegotiate these mortgages so 

people who still have a job and can 

make a reasonable mortgage payment 

can stay in their homes. 

I got off the phone with one of the 

major bankers in the city of Chicago, a 

friend of mine. He said: We get it. We 

are going to have to do things much 

more boldly to deal with mortgage 

foreclosure. The programs we put together, the voluntary programs, have 

not worked, they have not touched 

enough people. More and more homes 

are facing foreclosure, more people are 

heading to bankruptcy, and that has to 

come to an end. The housing industry, 

much like the automobile industry, is 

one of the staples of our economy and 

we have to deal with putting it back on 

track. 

Last month, Credit Suisse estimated 

8.1 million homes were likely to be lost 

to foreclosure by 2012. If the economy 

continues to worsen, they believe foreclosures will exceed 10 million homes. 

We are going to have to come up with 

the money to turn this economy 

around. It will mean more debt in the 

short term but, if the economy starts 

moving forward again, it, frankly, is 

the only thing that we can look to in 

the long term for America’s future. I 

urge my colleagues in the Senate, 

Democrats and Republicans, to try to 

find a common ground where we can 

work together. 

Just a day or two ago, Presidentelect Obama came up to meet with 

Democrats and Republicans, House and 

Senate leaders, just a few steps from 

this Senate floor. There was a conversation about ideas. I know him pretty well, having served with him, and I 

have been his friend for a number of 

years. I know he was genuine and sincere when he turned to one of the Republican leaders and said: If you have a 

better idea, I want to hear it. I want an 

opportunity to bring in all ideas, 

Democratic and Republican, so we can 

come up with the best package to serve 

the American people. It is not about 

one political party taking credit. Let’s 

take credit as a Congress and as an administration in turning this economy 

around. 

We are going to have that chance, to 

stabilize our economy and to rebuild it 

in the future. I look forward to working on a bipartisan basis to achieve 

that. 

Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, I join 

the Democratic whip in his comments. 

I think it is critically important that 

we work together in these economic 

times to solve the problems this country faces. We don’t have problems as 

Democrats or Republicans with the 

economy, we all have problems with 

the economy, and I think the American 

people are looking forward to us working together for solutions to our economic mess. 

f 

ORDER FOR RECESS 

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask 

unanimous consent that at 12:45 p.m. 

today, the Senate stand in recess subject to the call of the Chair. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without 

objection, it is so ordered. 

The Senator from Montana. 

f 

MONTANA NATIONAL GUARD 

Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, as we 

begin this new year and this new Congress, I would like to ask the Senate to 

stop and reflect on the service of the 

men and women of our military. Every 

day, hundreds of thousands of men and 

women in all branches of our military 

are performing jobs that place them in 

harm’s way and at the tip of the spear. 

In particular, I would like to thank 

the 229 men and women of the Montana 

National Guard who have deployed or 

will be deploying this month. 

Just in the past week, 46 airmen from 

the Montana Air National Guard security forces left the sub-zero temperatures in Montana for training at Fort 

Bliss, TX. From there, they will head 

to Kyrgyzstan. 

Another 120 soldiers of the Montana 

National Guard’s 639th Quartermaster 

Battalion left Helena for Fort Lewis, 

WA before they leave for Iraq. 

And later this month, 63 soldiers 

from our 189th Aviation Battalion will 

go to Fort Sill to prepare for a tour in 

Iraq. 

We feel a great deal of pride when 

sending our strongest and most dedicated Montanans overseas. We feel a 

great deal of hope too. 

Leaving Montana to answer the call 

of duty isn’t just another assignment. 

It is a symbol of commitment and 

courage. We will always appreciate 

their service, their hard work, and 

their willingness to protect Montana 

and America. 

They say Montana is just a small 

town with a lot of long streets, and 

that means that when 229 guardsmen 

deploy overseas, it impacts a great deal 

of the State. 

Businesses lose talented members of 

their workforce. Cities and towns lose 

cops, firefighters, doctors and other 

professionals in the community. 

And most important of all, families 

have an empty seat at the dinner table. 

Family schedules get changed. Mothers 

and fathers become single parents for a 

little while. 

Americans will never forget the sacrifices National Guard families make 

at home. 


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S188 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE January 8, 2009 

Sharla and I join all Montanans in 

sending our thoughts and prayers to 

these men and women as they complete 

their mission. 

As Montana’s only member of the 

Veterans Affairs Committee, I look forward to working to serve them as honored veterans when they all come 

home. 

I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. DURBIN). The clerk will call the roll. 

The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll. 

f 

SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL 

Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. President, a 

few days ago, we all counted down the 

final seconds of 2008. In Israel they had 

something else to count all through 

last year. From January until December of 2008, a terrorist group launched 

more than 3,262 rockets and mortar 

shells into Israeli cities. These were deliberate acts of violence, provocation, 

and murder. The group responsible was 

Hamas. Hamas is a terrorist organization founded on one principal goal: destroying the state of Israel. Its charter 

says there is no value to international 

conferences, political initiatives, or 

dialogue. It says there is only one approach to the political situation in the 

Middle East, and that is jihad. 

So it was no surprise when the terrorist group Hamas staged an illegal 

coup against the forces of President 

Mahmoud Abbas, the legitimate President of the Palestinian people. It was 

no surprise that Hamas rejected Egyptian and Arabian calls for an extension 

of the cease-fire Egypt had negotiated. 

It was no surprise that when Israel 

voluntarily and unilaterally dismantled settlements and withdrew from 

Gaza in 2005 that Hamas saw this not 

as an opportunity to build peace but to 

instigate war, to continue to terrorize 

and kill Israelis in their places of worship, their schools, and their homes. 

Since that year, Hamas terrorists 

have used Gaza to fire more than 6,300 

mortars and rockets into Israel, reaching major cities, and pushing ever closer to the capital. 

No country would be expected to sit 

on its hands and simply allow its citizens to endure these kinds of vicious 

attacks without taking action to stop 

the responsible party. If I am sitting in 

New Jersey, and rockets are landing 

around my house, near my children, 

and near our schools, my No. 1 goal, 

my immediate goal, is to stop the rockets. So in December of 2008, Israel sent 

its military to Gaza to achieve a direct 

goal: stop the rockets. 

And now we all hope strongly that 

this goal can be achieved as quickly as 

possible. But we recognize it must be 

pursued if Israel is to have the sovereign right to protect itself and its 

citizens. Israel’s acts to stop the 

Hamas rocket attacks are a response to 

the daily risk of death faced by the 

900,000 Israeli citizens who live within 

rocket range. These innocent civilians 

have been forced to live constantly 

under the threat of mass casualties. No 

nation—no nation—should have to wait 

for the death toll to rise enough before 

it can act. No nation needs to wait 

until enough schoolchildren have fallen 

victim to a rocket attack before it 

stops rockets from falling on its cities. 

The launching of rockets and mortar 

fire is an invasion of Israel’s sovereign 

territory. It is no different from dropping bombs out of airplanes. It is no 

different from any other act of war. 

There is no question that Israel has a 

right and an obligation to defend its 

people. 

We mourn the loss of all innocent 

life, and the death of Palestinian civilians as a result of this conflict is tragic. There are a great many Palestinians 

in Gaza and the West Bank who completely reject the Hamas ideology. 

They want to live in peace and build 

the Palestinian state for themselves 

and for their children. They are, however, Hamas hostages. Hamas has hijacked Gaza, not to build a state in 

which you can live in peace and prosperity but to use it as a base to launch 

attacks against innocent civilians in 

Israel. 

Let us remember it was Hamas that 

chose to end the cease-fire, Hamas that 

chose to fire a continuous barrage of 

rockets. To date, it is Hamas that deliberately uses civilians as human 

shields and launches its attacks from 

heavily populated civilian areas, putting them at risk. It is Hamas that has 

spent its money on rockets rather than 

on food for the hungry. It is Hamas 

that would rather focus on the rhetoric 

that calls for the destruction of the 

State of Israel than on relief for its 

own people. 

Israel and the United States have 

proven their commitment to helping 

innocent civilians in Gaza. In stark 

contrast to the terrorist group of 

Hamas, Israel has taken significant 

steps to prevent civilian casualties. 

They give warnings of impending attacks, they drop leaflets, and make 

phone calls to targeted areas to warn 

the citizens they are in danger, even if 

that means losing the element of surprise and putting the lives of their own 

soldiers at risk. 

Israel and the United States have actively provided humanitarian assistance to Gaza. Since December 26, 10,000 

tons of humanitarian aid have been delivered to Gaza in coordination with 

Israel, the Palestinian Authority, 

international organizations, and various other donors. 

The United States Government, 

through the U.S. Agency for International Development, is continuing to 

deliver humanitarian supplies to the 

people of Gaza. The United States has 

provided medical and food supplies to 

health care facilities. We support the 

UN, the International Committee of 

the Red Cross, and other nongovernmental organizations as they continue 

their relief efforts. 

We all want peace in Gaza and hope 

it can come very soon. But peace cannot be achieved so long as Hamas continues its missile attacks. If a just and 

lasting cease-fire is to occur, it is incumbent upon Hamas to immediately 

and permanently halt all attacks 

against the Israeli people. 

I rise today to express unwavering 

commitment to the welfare, security, 

and survival of the state of Israel as a 

Jewish and democratic state. That is 

what the resolution before us affirms. 

As the resolution states, the ultimate 

goal of the United States is a ‘‘sustainable resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, that will allow for a 

viable and independent Palestinian 

state, living side by side in peace and 

security with the State of Israel.’’ This 

will not be possible as long as Israeli 

civilians are under threat from rockets. As this resolution correctly lays 

out, Hamas must end the rocket and 

mortar attacks against Israel, recognize Israel’s right to exist, renounce violence, and agree to accept previous 

agreements between Israel and the Palestinians. 

Today, the Senate must stand in support of the state of Israel, stand in support of its right to defend itself against 

terrorists, stand in support of its right 

to exist. Having said all of this, of 

course, we urge Israel as it defends its 

sovereignty and its people to use every 

option it can to limit the loss of innocent lives. So let us vote for a resolution that demonstrates our commitment to one of the strongest allies the 

United States of America has in the 

world, and let us do all we can to make 

it a peaceful 2009. 

I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. 

TESTER.) The clerk will call the roll. 

The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll. 

Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I ask 

unanimous consent that the order for 

the quorum call be rescinded. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without 

objection, it is so ordered. 

f 

RECESS FOR JOINT SESSION OF 

THE TWO HOUSES 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under 

the previous order, the Senate stands 

in recess subject to the call of the 

Chair. 

Thereupon, the Senate, at 12:46 p.m., 

recessed subject to the call of the 

Chair, to reassemble in the Hall of the 

House of Representatives for a joint 

session, and at 2:30 p.m. reassembled in 

the Senate Chamber when called to 

order by the Presiding Officer (Mr. 

NELSON of Nebraska). 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Republican whip is recognized. 

f 

SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL 

Mr. KYL. Mr. President, I would like 

to speak to two subjects. The first 

deals with a resolution the Senate 

unanimously adopted this morning. 


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