January 15, 2009 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S593 

the minority leader (or in the event of the 

absence of either of such leaders, from his 

designee). The prohibition contained in the 

preceding sentence shall not apply to the 

Committee on Appropriations or the Committee on the Budget. The majority leader or 

his designee shall announce to the Senate 

whenever consent has been given under this 

subparagraph and shall state the time and 

place of such meeting. The right to make 

such announcement of consent shall have the 

same priority as the filing of a cloture motion. 

(b) Each meeting of a committee, or any 

subcommittee thereof, including meetings to 

conduct hearings, shall be open to the public, 

except that a meeting or series of meetings 

by a committee or a subcommittee thereof 

on the same subject for a period of no more 

than fourteen calendar days may be closed to 

the public on a motion made and seconded to 

go into closed session to discuss only whether the matters enumerated in clauses (1) 

through (6) would require the meeting to be 

closed, followed immediately by a record 

vote in open session by a majority of the 

members of the committee or subcommittee 

when it is determined that the matters to be 

discussed or the testimony to be taken at 

such meeting or meetings— 

(1) will disclose matters necessary to be 

kept secret in the interests of national defense or the confidential conduct of the foreign relations of the United States; 

(2) will relate solely to matters of committee staff personnel or internal staff management or procedure; 

(3) will tend to charge an individual with 

crime or misconduct, to disgrace or injure 

the professional standing of an individual, or 

otherwise to expose an individual to public 

contempt or obloquy, or will represent a 

clearly unwarranted invasion of the privacy 

of an individual; 

(4) will disclose the identity of any informer or law enforcement agent or will disclose any information relating to the investigation or prosecution of a criminal offense 

that is required to be kept secret in interests 

of effective law enforcement; 

(5) will disclose information relating to the 

trade secrets of financial or commercial information pertaining specifically to a given 

person if— 

(A) an Act of Congress requires the information to be kept confidential by Government officers and employees; or 

(B) the information has been obtained the 

Government on a confidential basis, other 

than through an application by such person 

for a specific Government financial or other 

benefit, and is required to be kept secret in 

order to prevent undue injury to the competitive position of such person; or 

(6) may divulge matters required to be 

kept confidential under other provisions of 

law or Government regulations. 

(c) Whenever any hearing conducted by 

any such committee or subcommittee is 

open to the public, that hearing may be 

broadcast by radio or television, or both, 

under such rules the committee or subcommittee may adopt. 

(d) Whenever disorder arises during a committee meeting that is open to the public, or 

any demonstration of approval or disapproval is indulged in by any person in attendance at any such meeting, it shall be the 

duty of the Chair to enforce order on his own 

initiative and without any point of order 

being made by a Senator. When the Chair 

finds it necessary to maintain order, he shall 

have the power to clear the room, and the 

committee may act in closed session for so 

long as there is doubt of the assurance of 

order. 

(e) Each committee shall prepare and keep 

a complete transcript or electronic recording 

adequate to fully record the proceeding of 

each meeting or conference whether or not 

such meeting or any part thereof is closed 

under this paragraph, unless a majority of 

its members vote to forgo such a record. 

f 

* * * 

TRIBUTE TO SENATORS 

JOHN SUNUNU

Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. Presdient, I 

have really enjoyed working with John 

Sununu. 

John Sununu grew up in Salem, NH, 

and is one of eight children. He was 

first introduced to public service at a 

young age, when his mother served as 

chairman of the local school board. 

John attended public schools, graduated from Salem High School, and received bachelor’s and master’s degrees 

in Mechanical Engineering from the 

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 

John also earned a master’s degree in 

business administration from the Harvard Graduate School of Business. 

John Sununu first ran for public office in 1996, winning election in New 

Hampshire’s 1st District and serving 3 

terms in the U.S. House. 

In 2002, John defeated both an incumbent Senator and the sitting Governor 

to become the youngest Member of the 

U.S. Senate. 

As a Senator, John distinguished 

himself as an innovative legislator, 

bringing his extensive background in 

science, engineering, and small business to his work in Washington. 

Senator Sununu has been a staunch 

advocate for low taxes, smarter regulation, and civil liberties. 

Since he is still a young man at the 

age of 44, I suspect that we will be 

hearing a lot more from John Sununu 

in the years to come. 

I wish him well in his future endeavors. 

GORDON SMITH

Mr. President, Gordon Smith has 

served the people of Oregon extremely 

well. 

Before coming to the U.S. Senate, he 

served as director of the family owned 

Smith frozen foods company in Weston, 

OR, where he created jobs and spurred 

economic growth. 

Gordon Smith entered politics with 

his election to the Oregon State Senate 

in 1992, and he became president of that 

body in 1995. 

Since winning election to the U.S. 

Senate in 1996, Senator Smith has 

worked with his colleagues on both 

sides of the aisle on critical issues. 

Senator Smith chaired the Special 

Committee on Aging, and he also 

served on the following Senate committees: Commerce, Science and Transportation, Energy and Natural Resources, Finance, and Indian Affairs. 

Senator Smith has also courageously 

led the effort to educate Americans on 

ways to prevent the tragedy of suicide 

of young men and women. 

In 2004, I was so proud when President Bush signed the Garrett Lee 

Smith Memorial Act, authorizing $82 

million for suicide prevention and 

awareness programs at colleges. 

Because of his business experience, 

he was a Senate leader on issues and 

regulations that impede economic 

growth. 

Senator Smith also distinguished 

himself by championing rural Oregonians, including the many farmers and 

ranchers throughout the mountains 

and lake areas of his beautiful State. 

I thank Gordon Smith for his dedication and service, and I wish him well. 

TED STEVENS

Mr. Presdient, Senator Ted Stevens 

of Alaska has served in the U.S. Senate 

for 40 years, and is the longest-serving 

Republican Senator in history. 

On a personal note, I have enjoyed 

working with Senator Stevens, and it 

has been a true privilege to collaborate 

with him on some of the most important issues facing our great Nation—including energy, health care, and national defense. 

Senator Stevens’ service to the 

United States didn’t begin when he 

stepped inside this chamber. Rather, 

his service began decades earlier—during some of the most harrowing days of 

World War Two. 

Senator Stevens was part of the 

Greatest Generation who fought and 

won that global struggle for freedom— 

flying a C–47 in the China Burma India 

Theater. 

Incredibly, over 1,000 of Senator Stevens’ fellow airmen died ‘‘flying the 

hump’’ and elsewhere in the Chinese 

Burma India Theater—a sobering reminder of the high price of freedom. 

For his heroic efforts, Senator Stevens later received two Distinguished 

Flying Crosses and two Air Medals, as 

well as the Yuan Hai medal awarded by 

the Republic of China. 

After the war, Senator Stevens completed his education at UCLA and Harvard Law School, and then moved to 

Alaska, which was then a U.S. territory. 

In the city of Fairbanks, Senator 

Stevens practiced law for several years, 

until he came to Washington, DC, to 

serve in the Eisenhower administration, and also to lobby for Alaska’s admittance into the Union—a mission 

that succeeded in 1959. 

When Senator Stevens returned to 

Alaska, he ran for—and won a seat in 

the Alaska House of Representatives, 

and later became House majority leader. 

Then, in December 1968, Governor 

Walter J. Hickel appointed him to fill 

a vacancy in the U.S. Senate. 

In 1970, the voters of Alaska ratified 

that choice by electing Senator Stevens to finish that term in a special 

election, and then re-electing him six 

more times. 

Senator Stevens’ achievements are 

legendary in this chamber—including 

chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, the Appropriations Committee, 

the Commerce Committee and President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate— 

from January 2003 to January 2007. 


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S594 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE January 15, 2009 

For his many decades of service, Senator Stevens has received and accepted 

numerous honors—including having 

the Anchorage International Airport 

named after him. 

Back in 1993, when I first arrived in 

the U.S. Senate, I was one of only 

seven female Senators, and if the Senate was a men’s club, then the Appropriations Committee was its inner 

sanctum. 

There was not a single woman on the 

Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, 

but that is where I wanted to serve. 

I explained to Senator Stevens—who 

was then the ranking member of the 

committee—that Texas has more Army 

soldiers than any other State, more Air 

Force airmen and women stationed in 

Texas than any other State, and our 

defense industry builds everything 

from fighter aircraft to Army trucks to 

artillery systems to sophisticated electronics equipment for the Pentagon. 

Therefore, I hoped to be able to serve 

on that committee. 

After some careful thought, Senator 

Stevens agreed, and welcomed me to 

the Committee. 

Senator Stevens has been known to 

show dramatic performances on the 

Senate floor, keeping wandering eyes 

focused on the urgent issues that need 

to be addressed. 

One day, during a mark-up in the 

Senate Appropriations Committee, 

Senator Stevens, who chaired the committee at the time, grew very animated 

and laid down the law. 

When a frustrated senior Senator 

told Senator Stevens that ‘‘there was 

no reason to lose your temper,’’ Senator Stevens glared back and responded, ‘‘I never lose my temper. I always know exactly where I left it.’’ 

Senator Stevens acknowledges his 

quick temper; but those who know him 

see the other side—a compassionate 

heart. 

I will never forget when a group of 

protestors gathered outside of the Appropriations Committee conference to 

demand increased funding for breast 

cancer research. 

One particularly agitated advocate 

got in Senator Stevens’ face and said, 

‘‘If men were dying of breast cancer, 

you wouldn’t think twice about increasing the funding.’’ 

Needless to say, those words made 

quite an impact on Senator Stevens, 

but probably not what this advocate 

anticipated. 

When Senator Stevens walked back 

into the conference, he repeated the 

charge and then looked around at his 

mostly male colleagues. 

He knew that at least 6 of them suffered from prostate cancer. 

He also noticed that the bill they 

were considering didn’t fund prostate 

cancer research. 

But thanks to the excellent suggestion of the woman in the hallway, he 

became an advocate for breast cancer 

research and prostate cancer research. 

Senator Stevens became a leader on 

these issues. 

He has been a champion of a strong 

national defense and of the men and 

women who serve in the military. 

I wish him and his family the best. 

f 

CRISIS IN GAZA 

Mr. COBURN. Mr. President, when 

President Obama is sworn into office 

next week, he will inherit an extremely 

complex and challenging crisis in the 

Middle East. Since Israel commenced 

military operations in Gaza to defend 

its citizens against rocket attacks 

more than 1,000 have died in Gaza, 

many of them civilians, while 13 

Israelis have died. In spite of this carnage, Hamas refuses to surrender and 

continues to fire rockets into Israel. 

No clear resolution is in sight. 

As a practicing physician, I find this 

conflict heartbreaking. Israelis live in 

constant fear that a rocket attack will 

snuff out an innocent life. Families in 

Israel go to bed at night wondering if a 

rocket will slam into their home. At 

the same time, Palestinians have nowhere to run from a terrorist organization that uses its own civilians as 

human shields. 

While we all mourn the loss of innocent life, the world must recognize that 

Hamas deliberately created a situation 

in which Israel was forced to respond 

as any sovereign nation would while 

under attack. Israel, and every nation, 

has the right to self-defense. 

What makes Hamas’s actions particularly abhorrent and barbaric is the 

fact that they are making decisions, I 

believe, based on a perverse political 

calculation. While publically condemning Israel, Hamas’s leaders and 

sympathizers in Iran and elsewhere privately welcome the suffering of the 

Palestinian people as a political opportunity. Hamas knows better than anyone that virtually every area of the 

densely populated Gaza strip is a civilian area. In Gaza, refugees have no 

place to seek refuge. The terrible unintended consequences and loss of civilian life we’ve seen in Gaza is part of 

Hamas’s design and goal. 

The United States and the next administration can play an important 

role in preventing Hamas from achieving its goals. What many on both sides 

long for is not just the cessation of violence but a real, lasting and durable 

peace. Some believe this is impossible, 

but it is in the interest of all sides to 

work toward this goal. 

I trust President-elect Obama will 

avoid the false choice between 

unapologetically defending Israel’s security and creating hope and opportunity for people on both sides of the 

conflict who want the same degree of 

freedom, peace and opportunity for 

themselves and their children. As 

Israel’s most important ally, the 

United States should never waver in 

our commitment to Israel’s security. 

The strength of that assurance is itself 

one of our most important contributions in the region because it creates 

the security and stability that are a 

prerequisite for meaningful negotiations. 

At the same time, we enhance security in the region by assuring Palestinians in Gaza with our words and actions that they are not forgotten and 

that we hear their calls for peace and 

an end to violence. I’ve delivered 4,000 

babies and I grieve with the pregnant 

women in Gaza who are being turned 

away at hospitals because their own 

leaders have held their lives and the 

lives of their children in contempt. The 

next administration can legitimize and 

support those mothers’ pleas for peace 

while condemning and marginalizing 

Hamas’s tactics of terror. 

I believe President-elect Obama has 

the judgment and temperament to not 

only maintain our vital support of 

Israel, but to also create hope in the 

region and help Palestinians embrace 

alternatives to Hamas’s brand of violence and despair. He will have my 

prayers and support and I hope he can 

have the prayers and support of the 

American people as he confronts this 

difficult challenge. 

f 

IDAHOANS SPEAK OUT ON HIGH 

ENERGY PRICES 

Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, in midJune, I asked Idahoans to share with 

me how high energy prices are affecting their lives, and they responded by 

the hundreds. The stories, numbering 

well over 1,200, are heartbreaking and 

touching. While energy prices have 

dropped in recent weeks, the concerns 

expressed remain very relevant. To respect the efforts of those who took the 

opportunity to share their thoughts, I 

am submitting every e-mail sent to me 

through an address set up specifically 

for this purpose to the CONGRESSIONAL

RECORD. This is not an issue that will 

be easily resolved, but it is one that deserves immediate and serious attention, and Idahoans deserve to be heard. 

Their stories not only detail their 

struggles to meet everyday expenses 

but also have suggestions and recommendations as to what Congress can 

do now to tackle this problem and find 

solutions that last beyond today. I ask 

unanimous consent to have today’s letters printed in the RECORD. 

There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the 

RECORD, as follows: 

Well, gas prices have a direct impact on 

my driving habits. I have been trying to use 

the public bus at least twice a week to get to 

work. It takes me about 35 minutes more 

each way, but if I plan my after work errands 

needing a car for one day, then I can bank 

that extra time for the bus ride. I’m lucky to 

live in Boise where there is some type of public transportation. My husband works the 

night shift in Meridian, so he is forced to use 

the car. The cost of food is a shocker, but 

again, fuel costs have contributed to that 

also. There are more of the basic and less of 

the goodies at the checkout. I do not think 

our family will be flying anytime soon, and 

if we vacation somewhere besides home, it 

will still be within a short day’s drive. All in 

all, I worry more about those families who 

were barely surviving before, what will become of them now? 


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