Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, overnight and early this morning parts of my home State of Illinois and our adjoining State of Missouri were pummeled by severe storms and tornadoes. While the total extent of the damage is not yet known, it is clear that southeastern Illinois was hit hard by at least one tornado and heavy storms. The towns of Harrisburg in Saline County and Ridgway in Gallatin County have suffered terrible damage. Several people in Harrisburg have died as a result of these tornadoes. The earliest reports suggest 10 deaths. The exact number will not be known for some time. More than 100 other people in this area are reported to have suffered serious injury.

This is an indication of some of the damage and devastation in Harrisburg. Between 250 and 300 homes in nearby Gallatin County have also been damaged. An estimated 25 Harrisburg-area businesses are damaged or destroyed, including a Walmart and a strip mall that were hit by the tornado.

This next photograph is an indication of some of the terrible devastation that took place. Three bodies have been recovered from the field behind the Walmart, and survivors are still being pulled from the wreckage of the building. Most roads in Harrisburg have been closed. People are going door to door to check. The reports are positive in terms of the accountability.

The Harrisburg Hospital has received damage itself. Yet the personnel have done a heroic job in setting up triage stations throughout the hospital after this devastation. Hospital officials are asking that all nonemergency cases that are unrelated to the severe weather go to other hospitals. The hospitals are only taking in those who are injured and asking family members to wait outside because of the limited facilities available. Patients in the hospital's B wing, which suffered heavy damage, are being evacuated to Evansville, Indiana's Deaconess Hospital, which has called in all available staff.

The First Baptist Church in Harrisburg is being used as a shelter, and I am sure everyone in that community--a wonderful community in southern Illinois--is pitching in to give a helping hand.

Harrisburg schools, obviously, are canceled for the week. Ridgway is nearby, and no one is being allowed to visit the town at this point. Between 50 and 60 homes in Gallatin County have been destroyed.

I have an early photograph of some of the scenes there that show the damage to this historic church. Historic St. Joseph Church, and at least one business, the Gallatin County Tin Shoppe, have been leveled by this tornado.

This last photograph is of the same church before the storm, which is an indication of what happened. This is an historic church which many of us are well aware of. It has served the Catholics in this community for many years.

Between 9,000 and 13,000 people are without electricity because of the storm damage. The Illinois Emergency Management Agency is hard at work clearing debris and roads. Governor Pat Quinn has activated a state emergency operations center to help with the damage, and he and Jonathan Monken of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency are on their way to the scene this afternoon.

My heart goes out to all of the people in Harrisburg who have lost loved ones. We are keeping in close contact with the people on the ground, working together with my colleague Senator Mark Kirk's office here in Washington. They share our concern for the devastation, damage, suffering, and death associated with this, and both Senator Kirk and I have extended to the State of Illinois our willingness to help in any way possible.

My thoughts are with the residents of these hard-hit towns, with the first responders, and the Red Cross volunteers who are always on the scene and who are working to assess the damage and help those who have been injured. Jonathan Monken had a conference call with many members of the Illinois congressional delegation a short time ago. He assures us that all requests for State and FEMA assistance are being met at this moment. We will continue to make the promise that that will be true in the future as well.

My staff and I are in contact with local officials, including Harrisburg Mayor Eric Gregg; the mayor of Ridgway, Becky Mitchell; State Senator Gary Forby; and State Representative Brandon Phelps. I, along with Senator Mark Kirk, am committed to help do everything possible to help communities respond to and help with this disaster.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

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Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, tomorrow morning, the Senate will vote on a measure which is controversial and has gathered a lot of attention across America. It is an amendment offered by the Senator from Missouri, Mr. Blunt, and it relates to the health services that will be available to people across America and it calls into question an issue which we have debated since the earliest colonists came to this country; that is, the appropriate role of religion and government in America. It is an issue which has been hotly debated and contested in the earliest days of our Nation and was finally resolved by our Constitution in a manner that has served us well for over two centuries.

The Constitution speaks to the issue of religion in three specific places. It states in the first amendment that we each have the freedom of religion; that is, the freedom to believe or not to believe. It says there will be no official State religion; whereas, in England they chose the Church of England, but in our government there will be no choice of any religion.

Finally, there is a provision which says that there shall be no religious test for office. These are all constitutional provisions which, though sparing in language, have guided us carefully through over 200 years of history. We see around the world where other countries have not been as fortunate to come together in basic principles that have kept a diversity of religious belief alive in the country. Time and again we have seen differences when it comes to religion lead to conflict and death. We see it today in many places around the world. So when our government is called on to make a decision relative to the role of religion in American life, we should take care to stick to those basic principles that have guided us for over two centuries.

The issue before us today is what will be the requirements of health insurance that is offered by employers across America. What we have tried to establish are the essentials and basics of health insurance and health care. We are mindful of the fact that if the market were to dictate health insurance plans and policies, they may not be fair to the people of this country. I recall an instance before I came to Congress while working in Illinois where we learned that health insurance companies were offering policies which refused to cover newborn babies in the first 30 days of their life. Of course, that was done for economic reasons, because children born with a serious illness can be extremely expensive in that 30-day period. We changed the law in Illinois and said, if you want to cover a maternity, if you want to cover a child, it is from the moment of birth. That became the policy: to establish basic standards so that families buying these policies would have the most basic protections.

This issue we are debating with the Blunt amendment is what will be required of health insurance policies across America when it comes to preventive care. We asked the experts: What basics in preventive care should be included to make certain we don't overlook something that is fundamental to a person's survival or life? One of the things they said is when it comes to preventive care, to offer to women across America family planning services. That, of course, is the nub of the controversy, the center of it.

Some religions--the Catholic religion in particular--have strongly held beliefs about family planning. They have been opposed to what they call artificial forms of birth control from the beginning. At this point, the controversy came up--although those religious institutions that are strictly religious, such as the church rectory, the convent, and the like, are exempted from any requirements when it comes to health insurance--what of those religious-sponsored institutions such as universities, hospitals, and charities? What should their requirements be when it comes to health insurance for their employees? So the Obama administration said their employees should also receive the most essential and basic services, including preventive care for women, including family planning, and that is when the controversy lit up.

The President came to what I thought was a reasonable compromise, and here is what it says: A religious-sponsored university hospital, charity, or the like will not be required to offer health services such as family planning if it violates their basic religious beliefs. Their health insurance policy will not be required to cover those services. However, if an individual employee of that religious-sponsored institution chooses on their own initiative to go forward to the health insurance company, they can receive that service without charge. So the women will be offered these preventive care services, which are essential to their health, and yet there will be no requirement of the sponsoring institution to include those services. It is strictly a matter of the employee opting for that coverage.

Now comes the Blunt amendment. Senator Blunt of Missouri said we should go beyond that and allow employers and insurance companies across America to decide the limitations of health insurance policies if those limitations follow the conscience and values of the employer. Keep in mind, we have gone way beyond religious-sponsored institutions; we are talking about individual employers making that decision.

Think of the diversity of opinion and belief across America, and imagine, then, what we will come up with. We have heard many things mentioned on the floor. My colleagues have made reference to individuals who may have a particular religious belief, and own a business that has no connection at all to a religion otherwise, and decide then that under the Blunt amendment they will limit health insurance coverage accordingly. We can think of possibilities. Someone believes in conscience that a woman should never use birth control and says, then, that it will be prohibited from being offered by the health insurance policy of that employer. At the end of the day we would have a patchwork quilt of health insurance coverage and many people in this country--men and women--denied basic health coverage in their health insurance because the employer believes in conscience it shouldn't be offered. That is an impossible situation. It goes beyond the freedom of religion, to imposing someone's religious belief on another, in a situation that could endanger their lives.

The Blunt amendment would be a step in the wrong direction for this country. I think what the President has seized on is a reasonable course of action, to allow religious-sponsored institutions to follow their moral dictates when it comes to the health insurance they offer, but to still protect the right of individuals to seek the protection they need. I know it is going to be a controversial vote, but it is one that is important, because I think it strikes the right balance. I think it reflects back on decisions and values we have established as a country and that we should work to protect, even in the midst of a Presidential campaign when the rhetoric involved in it is very hot and inflammatory.

SYRIA

Mr. President, I rise to speak of the atrocities that are being committed every day by the Syrian Government against its own citizens--thousands who have stood bravely month after month against unspeakable violence simply to ask for basic political freedoms we take for granted in this country. And I rise to speak of the indefensible and inexplicable support of this brutal regime by Russia.

It has now been almost one full year since the Syrian uprising began in March 2011. By some reports, over 6,000 innocent people--civilians--have lost their lives in Syria. The exact number may never be known. Humanitarian groups have been prohibited from even assisting the wounded, and reporters prohibited from telling the story to the world. Syria's third largest city, Homs, has been bombarded with rockets and bombs by the Syrian military for over 3 weeks with scores of deaths, shortages of food and medical supplies.

One report describes rockets--11 rockets--slamming into a single apartment building in the space of 2 minutes. As soon as the barrage stopped and people started to rush to get away, it started again, killing even more. The result: a horrific trail of death and dying in this building from the fifth floor on down.

Those killed in Syria include two western journalists. Some suspect they might have been targeted. The murder of a well-known video blogger, Rami el-Sayed, supports that claim.

In this photo, my colleagues can see the results of the Syrian Government's bombardment of the city of Homs. Sadly, this is likely one of the many burial ceremonies that the people of that city have had to endure recently. Just a few days ago, it was reported that the bodies of 64 men were covered in a mass grave on the outskirts of the city. The women and children who were with them have gone missing.

The Independent National Commission of Inquiry on Syria, working with the U.N., submitted its most recent report on February 26. It said the Syrian Government has accelerated the killing of its own people, particularly in Homs, resulting in the deaths of nearly 800 civilians in the first 2 weeks of February alone. From the report:

On several occasions in January and February 2012, entire families--children and adults--were brutally murdered in Homs.

It is also noted that protesters have been arrested without cause, tortured, and even summarily executed.

In October, Senators CARDIN, MENENDEZ, BOXER, and I sent a letter to the Ambassador to the United Nations from the United States, Susan Rice, urging that the Syrian Government be referred to the International Criminal Court for possible indictment for war crimes. Certainly the evidence for such charges is overwhelming and continues to this day.

Assad has paid lip service to reforms such as the sham constitutional referendum last Sunday. The document's most important changes included giant caveats that they would, in effect, maintain the status quo as it exists in Syria.

One example is Assad's introduction of Presidential term limits to 2 terms of 7 years each, but the clock wouldn't start until Assad's current term expires in 2014, giving him 14 more years in office, a total of 28 years. Incomprehensible.

Secretary Clinton aptly described the referendum as a cynical ploy, to say the least.

On February 17, the Senate unanimously passed a resolution that:

Strongly condemns the government of Syria's brutal and unjustifiable use of force against civilians, including unarmed women and children and its violations of the fundamental human rights and dignity of the people of Syria.

Additionally, the U.N. General Assembly on February 16 passed a resolution by a vote of 137 to 12:

Strongly condemning continuing widespread and systematic human rights violations by the Syrian authorities.

Last Friday, more than 60 governments and organizations gathered in Tunis under the auspices of the Friends of Syria rubric and they called for an immediate cease-fire, the provision of humanitarian aid, and a U.N. peacekeeping force.

The international community has coalesced in support of the Syrian people. I wish to recognize once again the leadership of the Arab League in building this consensus against the bloodshed. Even some U.N. Security Council members such as India and South Africa, that early on had concerns about speaking out, can no longer stand by silently as the killing continues. In the most recent U.N. Security Council vote earlier this month, they chose to do the right thing and to vote in favor of the latest resolution backing the Arab League peace plan.

However, as sad as it is to report, this resolution was vetoed by Russia and China. The exceptions to the international solidarity and support of the Syrian people have been Iran, China, and Russia. While both Iran and China's support for the Assad regime is deplorable, it is even worse in the case of Russia, for it is Russia that has the most blood of innocent Syrian women and children on its hands. Russia is not only protecting President Assad as he kills his own people, but it continues to supply him with the weapons to do it. How can any responsible nation take such action?

In an interview following the Friends of Syria meeting, Secretary of State Clinton said:

It's quite distressing to see two permanent members of the Security Council using their veto when people are murdered: Women, children, brave young men. It's just despicable. And I ask, whose side are they on?

Russia has chosen to align itself with a murderous regime, to impede democratic reform, and to facilitate the killing of innocent people by putting more and more weapons into the hands of those eager to pull the trigger.

Despite 6,000 innocent civilians dying, despite the overwhelming international consensus that Assad has lost legitimacy to lead the Syrian people, Russia continues to sell arms to Syria. According to media reports:

Shipping data shows at least four cargo ships since December that left the Black Sea port of Oktyabrsk--used by Russian arms exporters for arms shipments have headed for or reached the Syrian port of Tartous. Separately was the Chariot, a Russian ship which docked at the Cypriot port of Limassol during stormy weather in mid-January. It promised to change its destination in accordance with a European Union ban on weapons to Syria but, hours after leaving Limassol, reset its course for Syria.

The Russian arming of the Syrian murderers continues.

A Cypriot source said that ship was carrying a load of ammunition and a European security source said the ship was hauling ammunition and sniper rifles of the kind used increasingly by Syrian Government forces against protesters.

I want to show one other photograph I have here in the Chamber. This photo is of one of those Russian warships--an aircraft carrier--docked at the Syrian port of Tartous on January 8. What we could not turn into a poster is the video clip showing the Russian warship captains being greeted like royalty by the Syrian Minister of Defense who went out to personally welcome their ship.

Rebel soldiers and an official who defected from the Government of Syria say Moscow's small-arms trade with Damascus is booming, and that the government doubled its military budget in 2011 to pay for the brutal response to this opposition.

That said, Russia is in a unique position. It has President Assad's trust and confidence--maybe more than any other country. Should Russia choose, it could use this power and influence to constructively broker a real transition and an end to this bloodshed.

The longer President Assad holds power in Syria, the more innocent people will die. The window for a more peaceful transition and ending is closing. Now is the time for Russia to lead in the right direction--to be a responsible global partner, and to be part of a solution in ending the carnage, bloodshed, and death in Syria.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

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