Senate Proceeding 09-30-09 on Sep 30th, 2009 :: 2:08:35 to 2:18:55
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2:08:23 to 2:08:44( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: quorum call: mr. inouye: the presiding officer: the senator from hawaii. mr. inouye: i ask that the quorum call be rescinded. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. inouye: mr. president, i rise today in speaking in support of the motion to waive this rule of order,

2:08:35 to 2:18:55( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Daniel Inouye

2:08:45 to 2:09:05( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: against the conference report for containg a continuing resolution provision allowing the government to maintain normal operations until october 31. mr. president, today is the last day of the fiscal year. as i noted earlier, our men and

2:09:06 to 2:09:26( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: women in uniform are fight on two fronts and on the home front our economy is at a critical stage in its recovery. our federal agencies provide essential services every day of the year to our men and women in uniform. to our veterans at have returned from war to homeowners

2:09:27 to 2:09:47( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: and workers struggling to recover from the downturn in our economy. and to businesses and maritime commerce relying on weather forecasts. these are just a few examples of a multitude of critical services that we must maintain by passing

2:09:48 to 2:10:08( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: this conference report with the continuing resolution provision included. and having it sent to the presiden for his signature. this point of order is being raised against the conference report based on the fact that this resolution was added to it without being included in either

2:10:09 to 2:10:30( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: the house or the senate version of the bill. while the vice-chairman and i are not inclined to add provisions outside the scope of the conference, there are occasions when it is necessary. mr. president, this is one of those times. as chairman of the appropriations committeei have

2:10:31 to 2:10:51( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: worked diligently with my colleague and vice chair, senator cochran appropriation process to regular order. when we finally receive the administration budget -- and may i ask my colleagues to recall that it was in may of this year

2:10:52 to 2:11:13( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: -- we worked nonstop holding budget hearings with the agencies, analyzing budget proposals, a reporting -- and marking up and reporting out all 12 bills in four months. 11 of them were reported out before the august recess.

2:11:14 to 2:11:36( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: i might add that the senate appropriations committee reported nine of these bills by a vote of 30-0, unanimous. and the other three by a vote of 29-1, one vote in opposition. the senate is currently

2:11:37 to 2:11:59( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: considering the the seven appropriations measures that come to the floor. mr. president, we have made great progress in our efforts to return to regular order and pass individual bills, but we are not there yet. and we need to pass this continuing resolution so that our agencies can continue to

2:12:00 to 2:12:23( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: operate while we conclude our business. in fact, today we have our second and third conferences in the house -- with the house, and i'm happy to report that both conferences have concluded in harmony and a report will be forthcoming to the senate floor. an several more are scheduled

2:12:24 to 2:12:45( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: for the rest of the week. this short-term c.r., which is clean and does not contain what i consider controversial matters, would give us time to consider a good number of appropriations bills under regular order. for my colleagues who may be

2:12:46 to 2:13:07( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: interested in specific details regarding the impact of a government shutdown, here are just a few examples: while veterans who have served, all nonemergency health care including elective surgeries, would be deferred. it means that those veterans

2:13:08 to 2:13:30( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: whose medical needs are not life-threatening or not an em see their doctors. the end result would be rationed health care, causing significant waiting times for appointment which would of course spill over after the shutdown has ended.

2:13:31 to 2:13:55( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: the government shuown would suspend much of the work, treasury staff is doing to promote economic recovery and would impact upon transportation funding that also plays an important role in supporting the economic recovery and putting people back to work. a government shutdown could

2:13:56 to 2:14:16( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: derail the census, for examp even a brief shutdown could jeopardize the accuracy and timeliness of the constitutionally mandated 2010 censusment, a census that everyone is depending upon for numbers. specifically, the census bureau could be forced to abandon or

2:14:17 to 2:14:38( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: delay the hiring o tens of thousands of temporary enumerators under government shutdown, sensors would be able to continue to set up field operations needed to count our citizens. a government shutdown would halt

2:14:39 to 2:15:01( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: highway, transit, and motor carrier safety programs, which would disrupt state and local efforts to maintain and improve our nati's transportation infrastructure and would impact upon commuters and movers of goods. a government shutdown would lay

2:15:02 to 2:15:26( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: off noaa's entire fleet of ships including the hydrographic vessels which would stop any current nautical charting operations for the purpose of navigation. even navigation surveys conducted by the private sector would cease and any data processing would be put on hold.

2:15:27 to 2:15:48( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: our nation's physical oceanographic real time system would not be maintained, eliminating environmental information such as tides and currents that coastal pilots need or when safely guiding huge vessels out of port. just imagine what would have happened if this shutdown was in

2:15:49 to 2:16:09( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: place at this moment. the knowledge that we have of the samoan disaster would not be available to us. simply put. maritime commerce which accounts for 90% of our nation's imports and exports would be dramatically slowed and the risk of an environmental disaster

2:16:10 to 2:16:31( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: would be heightened. and, mr. president, i could continue on with other services being impacted by the shutdown, but i think you've got the gist of it. mr. president, twice in the past four years, in 2006 and 2007,

2:16:32 to 2:16:53( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: the congress passed a similar type continuing resolution as a provision to a conference report. yesterday -- c.r.'s in the conference report in 2006 and 2007. in 2006, the republican-led congress passed a continuing

2:16:54 to 2:17:14( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: resolution provision by a vote of 1-0. in 2007, a passed the conference report with a continuing resolution by a vote of -- a voice vote, unanimous. it is not a partisan issue and it should not be a partisan issue today.

2:17:15 to 2:17:39( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: with that, issue my colleagues to vote to waive any point of order against the legislative branch conference report because and i yield the mr. president. i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll.

2:18:10 to 2:18:32( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: quorum call: the presiding officer: the gentleman from hawaii. mr. inouye: i ask re the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. inouye: mr. president, on behalf of the leader, i ask unanimous consent that upon disposition of the conference report to accompany h.r. 2918, the senate then stand in recess

2:18:33 to 2:18:54( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: until 6:30 p.m. that upon reconvening at 6:30 p.m., the senate resume consideration of h.r. 3326 and there be two minutes of debate prior to a vote and divided and controlled in the usual form with no amendment in order to the amendment prior to the vote.

2:18:55 to 2:18:55( Edit History Discussion )

Daniel Inouye: that upon the use of the two