Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Iraq and Afghanistan Security and Reconstruction Act, 2004

EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS FOR IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN SECURITY AND RECONSTRUCTION ACT, 2004

AMENDMENT NO. 1837

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, there are now 2 minutes evenly divided prior to a vote on the
Durbin amendment No. 1837.

The Senator from Alaska.

Mr. STEVENS. This amendment would require Federal agencies to pay any difference between military pay and civilian compensation for employees of the Federal Government who are called to active duty. We have concerns about requiring all Federal agencies to absorb the cost of implementing this program. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the initial cost is $80 million this year.

We have not opposed this amendment. I offered to take it to conference. The authors have demanded a vote. I will not oppose the vote. I intend to work with the two authorization committees that have jurisdiction over this matter, the Senate Armed Services and Governmental Affairs Committees, to ensure this is the appropriate policy to address the Guard and Reserve retention. I believe it will be modified in conference.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Illinois.

Mr. DURBIN. Of the nearly 1.2 million members of the National Guard and Reserve, 120,000, or 10 percent, are Federal employees; 14,000 Federal employees are currently mobilized and serving on active duty. We ask with this amendment that the Federal Government treat its employees the way State after State after State has decided to treat them. If they are activated, we will make up the difference in their lost pay, the difference between their pay as activated members of the military and what they would have earned with the Federal Government.

We know we are asking the Guard and Reserve to accept greater and longer responsibilities, with more hardship for their families. I would like to make it clear with a record vote this morning that we want the Federal Government to serve as an example for governments across America to stand behind the men and women in uniform, to make up their difference in pay, stand by their families, as they risk their lives to serve our country.

I urge my colleagues to give this a strong, overwhelming vote so the conference will stand behind it and this will become the law of the land.

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AMENDMENT NO. 1879

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, there are 2 minutes equally divided prior to the vote on the Durbin amendment.

The Senator from Illinois.

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, this is the morning's headline in the Washington Post: "Global Fund Slows Aid."

That is aid going to fight HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria. There is not enough money to fight the global epidemic which, like no other, threatens this Nation and every nation on Earth.

Don't take my word for it. A quote from Secretary of State Colin Powell before the General Assembly just days ago:
AIDS is more devastating than any terrorist attack, any conflict or any weapon of mass destruction.

We promised $3 billion in the authorization bill to fight global AIDS. We have failed to come up with that money. The
President of the United States promised that he would pledge $15 billion over 5 years to fight global AIDS. We have failed to come up with the money. Over 70 Members of the Senate voted, saying we will stand for $3 billion this year even if it breaks the budget. And we failed to come up with the money. With this amendment, $879 million will move out of the reconstruction part of Iraq into the global AIDS fight. The House has already cut $20.6 billion out of this bill. Certainly we can come up with the $800 million needed to keep our word to the world.

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Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, as a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, I salute the chairman and the ranking member for the fine work they do and for the fine staff we have. As the Senator from Kansas has said, we have 10 people who are working hard in this committee. Put it in perspective: 10 excellent staffers, responsible for overseeing the intelligence agencies of the Federal Government; 10 excellent staffers who in addition to that are initiating an investigation of the intelligence that led up to Iraq. It is totally inadequate. We are totally understaffed. That is why Senator Corzine's amendment is so important.

We have lost 335 American lives. Thousands have been wounded. We have put ourselves in a position in Iraq where we will be vulnerable for years to come, and we want to ask the hard questions with the Corzine commission. Was our intelligence right in leading us into this war? It is a difficult question and a painful question but it must be asked.

When Dr. Kay comes back emptyhanded, after more than 5 months of inspections, with hundreds of inspectors, with no evidence of weapons of mass destruction, it is a condemnation of one of two things: either our intelligence gathering or the use of that intelligence leading to the war. As painful as it is, we have to face that reality.

The reality is this: Next to the failure of the United States to recognize the collapse of the Soviet Union at the end of the cold war, this could be the most colossal intelligence failure in our history. Can we face that reality? I think we can and we should, because intelligence is key to America's security. Intelligence is key to winning the war on terrorism.

What Senator Corzine has said is turn this over to an independent, nonpartisan group to get the job done. I do not think that is a reflection on the Senate Intelligence Committee. They are doing a fine job, and I am glad to be a part of it, but for goodness' sake, do not be afraid to get to the truth. That is what the Corzine commission amendment is all about.