landrieu: thank you, mr. president. i am proud to join my friend, the senator from missouri, on the floor to add voice to this travesty that has recently occurred. the senator from missouri described the situation accurately, that a country that claims to be a powerful nation on the earth has decided to take powerful action against the weakest, most vulnerable individuals on the earth. and those are children without families. it makes no sense whatsoever for the country of russia to take the action that they did, because they're in a disagreement with us here in america, and maybe others around the world, about human rights violations regarding adults. the russian government in front of the whole world has taken that out, their anger and frustration, on their own children. their own children, who are orphans, their own children who are sick, their own children who in some cases are disabled. it makes no sense in the world. i was trying to thank, the senator from missouri, what would ever possess the united states of ame

landrieu: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from louisiana. ms. landrieu: mr. president, i rise to discuss amendment 3415. it's my understanding that there's no opposition to this amendment. we may be able to voice vote it tonight. but let me take a minute to explain it. understand -- this is really a technical correction to an underlying provision that is already in the bill that we'll be voting for. in the current law, there is a perverse incentive for local governments, when they are recovering, to hire outside contractors as opposed to maybe working with the workers that are already on the payroll -- firefighters and police officers. it was not intended to be that way. but because fema only reimburses for contractors and not for the local police or firefighters under certain circumstances, we believe and fema believes it is actually spending more moafnlt so the essence of this amendment is to save money, be neutral in the law so that the local officials can make the best decisions wherever they want to hire, either contractors if it makes sense or their own

i don't want to pull a landrieu. i want to pull with landrieu to get the supplement. >> if you're not careful you'll have a mccull trust me. you'll be happy to have a landrieu. am i not right, patty mor i murray. [laughter] >> i want to thank you ranking member. it's been a great hearing. what we bring is experience in this area both as senator of louisiana an a great sense of response, compassion, but also form understanding that we're in a frugal environment. you have a tough jock. ijob i think if we can work together we institute the forms, respond in a creative, compassionate way, and yet keep an eye on the bottom line. i think that's what we people of the country and those affected would want us to do. right now there is heart break in maryland. and what i do want to comment on the things that -- we want to thank the president for issuing so quickly and promptly the decoration of general disaster deep ration. we want to thank secretary gamp. janet napolitano. you declared we're eligible for public assistance. we

than a landrieu. trust me. you'll be happy to have a landrieu. am i not right? but go ahead. >> that was going to be my next sentence. >> i want to thank you and the ranking member. this has been a great hearing. and also what you bring is experience in this area both as a senator and as a louisianan. and you have a great sense of response, compassion, but also reform, understanding that we're in a frugal environment. so we've got a big job. but i think if we work together out of moving on the supplemental, we can institute reforms, respond in a very creative, compassionate way and yet keep an eye on the bottom line. and i think that's what the people would want us to do. right now there is heartbreak in maryland. and -- but do i want to comment on some -- quickly on the things that are working. we do want to thank the president for issuing so quickly and promptly the general -- the declaration of a general disaster -- a general disaster declaration. we want to thank secretary napolitano. i've spoken to her and her availability. to fema, you have been on the job

new orleans mayor mitch landrieu. "the washington post's" eugene robinson. also "fortune" magazine dubbed her the new queen of wall street. we're going to talk to alexander lebenthal on how she quickly became one of the most powerful people in new york. >>> up next, though, one of the most powerful men in washington, mike allen with the top stories in the "politico playbook." >>> but first -- >> oh, no, dude! it's about contrast, okay? if you're going with a dark -- no. >> no? >> the funeral director look? that's not what you wanted? >> i think you've gone from ukrainian to bulgarian. >> bill, i get the feeling on your time off you wear hawaiian shirts and shorts and flip-flops. >> that's usually more than what i wear. yeah. that's good. >> here we go again. he can't help himself. give this guy more than three consecutive minutes on the air, suddenly he's hef. >> all right. let's just get the forecast for the weekend. shall we? >> let's do that, why don't we. new tie. good morning, everyone. we have sunshine out there this morning. it's going to be a beautif

let me again thank congresswoman bass and senator landrieu for their leadership as well. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from tennessee. mr. roe: i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. miller: mr. speaker, the care and concern for foster children has been a bit of a relay race for myself back in the late 1970's and 19 0's, to senator long, to former congressman downy and former majority leader tom delay to senator landrieu, not karen bass from my state of california, congressman mcdermott before her. we tried to make sure that these young people with a lot of chaos in their life far beyond any of their own doing have a chance to succeed, and clearly the best chance to succeed is to see that they get a good education and an opportunity to participate in american society and america's economy. and this act, the uninterrupted scholars act, goes a long way toward helping their advocates making sure they get the best shot at the best education. i thank

senator landrieu, the chair of the homeland security subcommittee, was incredible in giving us advice and help, and even in those darkest days was there for us, and the other subcommittee leaders, senator leahy, senator feinstein, senator murray all made sure that this package became a reality. their staffs, charlie hoye, lila helms, gabby baffer and alex keenan were great. and of course my good friend, truly one of the closest friends i have and a great leader of this place who understood the need and went out of his way for us, senator reid, was invaluable. it wouldn't have happened without him or his amazing floor staff led by gary myrick and tim mitchell who really gave us tremendous advice and help. so i want to thank them. and finally, i want to thank my republican colleagues across the aisle for putting aside partisanship. we had real differences, but this bill was debated and conducted in the right way. we allowed a lot of amendments, the bills were not blocked, there were no cheap shots. it was great. and i also want to thank gary's colleague, dave, for his advice and help as

karl landrieu one hand slam. he had 19 as well. 62 were 49 warriors at the half. this team is most effective when everyone gets involved. david lee 20 points averaging a double double. 20-10 every single game on this trip. health curie playing like an all star. a little steel and slam here. he had 18 points. warriors 6-1 on a road trip for the first time in franchise history. 150-93 that final. nonconference match up after a couple weeks of exams. only player to show up 23 of the team's 52 points. rush never sleeps. the jumper and the foul. he had 14 points. cardinals led 14-29 at the half. 7-3 with a 75-52 victory. >>> 26 points in the first half. cobbs carried the load at 18. 10 of 17 from the field. 34 points. monster game for the blue jays. they fall to 6-3. >>> facing toronto centennial for the open division crown. they have the leading offense with two 1,000 yard rushers. bob lad kerr talked about retiring after 34 years at the helm. three of his four rushing touchdowns in the first half. this for 46 yards. quarterback chris williams guns it to austin lone s

landrieu: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from louisiana. ms. landrieu: thank you, madam president. i am going to truncate my remarks to five minutes. i came to speak on the supplemental and the great needs in the northeast. generally, because i know that there are other senators that have other items to discuss, and i will come back at a later time for extended remarks. but, madam president, i wanted to come to the floor just to say to all of my colleagues that i hope that we can be patient with one another, supportive of the tragedy that is unfolding in the northeast related to superstorm sandy, which i think has caused greater destruction than maybe many people in this chamber and the capitol realize. while katrina, something that i'm very familiar with, a storm that hit us over seven years ago, in august of 2005, got headline after headline after headline, week after week after week, television station after television station, superstorm sandy, because it hit a more dense area that is potentially not as -- i don't know, as camera-friendly a

the key democrats, landrieu, begich and north carolina -- i can't remember her name -- they are on all on record saying i don't think i'm for this. he has even a harder time convincing those on the democratic side to go with his plan. >> greg: one day explain why are you punishing the rich when you know it won't benefit anything? that is a punitive idea and pay more than anyone in country. >> eric: we have to go. why are american jobs on the chopping block because of animals like to prairie chicken? dana explains how environmentalists are running wild. that's next on "the five." >> announcer: 'tis the season of more-- more shopping, more dining out... and along with it, more identity theft. by the time this holiday season is over, an estimated 1.2 million identities may be stolen. every time you pull out your wallet, shop online or hit the road, you give thieves a chance to ruin your holiday. by the time you're done watching this, as many as 40 more identities may be stolen. you can't be on the lookout 24/7, but lifelock can. they're relentless about protecting your identity every minu

the key democrats, landrieu, begich and north carolina -- i can't remember her name -- they are on all on record saying i don't think i'm for this. he has even a harder time convincing those on the democratic side to go with his plan. >> greg: one day explain why are you punishing the rich when you know it won't benefit anything? that is a punitive idea and pay more than anyone in country. >> eric: we have to go. why are american jobs on the chopping block because of animals like to prairie chicken? dana explains how environmentalists are running wild. that's next on "the five." everyone loves surprise parties. yeah, so last week we had a surprise party for our dear friend, lizzy. surprise! surprise! surprise! surprise! we totally got her! [ male announcer ] when you combine creamy velveeta with zesty rotel tomatoes and green chiles, you'll get a bowl of queso that makes even this get-together betr. if we want to improve you'll geour schools...eso ... what should we invest in? maybe new buildings? what about updated equipment? they can help, but recent research shows... ... nothing tra

exports to africa act, legislation i've introduce in the senate with senators boozman, coons, cardin and landrieu, and that is being sponsored and led in the house of representatives by congressman chris smith and congresswoman karen bass. it's a straightforward, bipartisan bill that tackles a very serious problem, specifically making sure that american companies have the ability to compete in the growing african market, a market that economists call the next frontier, a market that is hungry for american goods and services. the african market is also one where others are competing. too often at the expense of american businesses and american employees, american products and american values. china, in ti ha particular, hasn aggressive strategy to help its companies invest in africa, leaving a trouble footprint across the continent of its environmental, and governance and values standards. the loss to american workers and american influence on the continent is enormous and inexcusable. that's why we introduced this bill, to make sure senior administration official brings desperately needed coordin

. >> good morning, chairwoman landrieu and committee members. it's an honor to be here today. i am the mayor of hoboken, new jersey. hoboken is located across the river from new york city for baseball and franks are not shed in the home of cake costs. with more than 50,000 residents and hundreds of businesses call her square mile city their home, which is why we want the most densely populated cities in america. more than new york city. were proud to be one of the most walkable communities in the country we ranked number one in per capita use of public transportation for commuting. for a vibrant urban community filled with hundreds of boutiques, restaurants and outdoor cafÉs. with hurricane cindy was devastating for hoboken. for the first time in history the hudson river spilled into hoboken from the north and the south and western half of her city was flooded. our community center, public works, grouch, three of our four firehouses in 1700 homes were flooded. we estimate the total damage to our community of well over $109. thankfully her main street, washington street did no

we had in getting in job done with our little marie, that we formed an adoption caucus and senator landrieu from louisiana and i ran that and you're asking the wrong person about it, but we had to do our own research. >> you contacted someone in ethiopia and got the process started. >> we had a friend, a brother in ethiopia, and he called one day, he had gone through an organage, and he looked over and saw this little girl. she's about a week old and real tiny and not doing well and he walked and said, that's got to be her. and he called me that day and said, we have found this little girl. but you have to keep in mind, by our standards, those are very primitive orphanages and they have, oh, in this one they had two different rooms, one for those who are not thriving and one that were thriving. and those that were thriving could have avacado and milk. those who were not thriving just got milk. she was not thriving very well and that's how we originally got in touch with her and new immediately that little marie was going to be our granddaughter. >> so, marine, you are a beautiful young lady

it was just the last hour we heard from democratic senator mary landrieu. she wanted to weigh in as well about the gridlock in washington. here's what she said. >> the good news is i'm glad we're here the at work. we need to stay at work and get this done, and the negotiations seem to be moving in the right direction. >> coming up, we hear from the other side of the aisle, republican senator john barosso. he's going to be joining us live. tyeah, its the galaxy note ii.re great. you can do two things at the same time. you can watch videos and text. or you could watch the earnings report and take notes, like we're supposed to. so... can i get it? yeah. okay either of you put together the earnings report yet? yes, me totally. what? why don't you tackle the next quarter. you eat yet? polynesian? pu pu platter? yup! keep up the good work. i will keep up the good work. do more with the new samsung galaxy note ii. [ male announcer ] the way it moves. the way it cleans. everything about the oral-b power brush is simply revolutionary. oral-b power brushes oscillate,

landrieu, a senator from the state of louisiana, to perform the duties of the chair. signed: patrick j. leahy, president pro tempore. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the senate stands adjourned until 10:00 a.m. on thursday, december 27, 2012. >> we're going to go back to our booktv programming now. kevin ryan, president and ceo of covenant house, and tina kelley, former staff writer for "the new york times," talk about their book on teenage homelessness, "almost home." >> some of them making $7 and change an hour. and many of them working overtime to try to make more money but still qualify for programs like s.n.a.p., and so here we are allowing many of our employees -- especially as i was saying behind the curtain. i think the curtain's there to block the sex and love section. [laughter] do you notice that is the one that's curtained off here? it's like 7/eleven, so you guys should put your book on the sex aisle. [laughter] it would sell much better. >> we should have called the book "50 shades of homelessness." >> yeah. it would have sold a lot bett

we could work in this committee to enact further improvements and reform that senator landrieu mentioned. i was proud to work with her and others including the sba disaster reform 2008 farm bill. but we can continue to learn and to improve and enact reform and we can in this context. finally, to touch on an issue outside of our jurisdiction which is the core of engineers. it is another federal agency that is important within the disaster we have to improve the process to address real reform so we can work quickly and address needs like this. we have then working on that in a bipartisan way. we hope to have more reform in the next bill that senator boxer and i are working on now. thank you. >> senator mendez would you allow him? thank you. you have an ad day's show been a champion and we're happy to hear your opening remarks. >> thank you for the opportunity. thank you for coming to new jersey with several colleagues to look at the devastation on good jersey shore. and senator fitter ien -- sanders and whether deviated the flight but. >> it looked better than we would have seen. thank you

landrieu: thank you. earlier i came to the floor. senator leahy has been handling this bill for the last 24 hours or so. i came to the floor earlier to speak about the supplemental. i gave truncated remarks because senator mccain had personal remarks to make on behalf of his colleague, senator kyl. so i'd like to reengage in the debate regarding the supplemental for just a few minutes. and i know this day has been back and forth with personal tributes on the floor as well as the debate on hurricane -- on the supplemental for hurricane or super storm sandy. i wanted to document floor specifically as chair -- i wanted to come to the floor specifically as the chair of the homeland security subcommittee which has jurisdiction over fema. i understand the other chairs of the appropriations committee has come down, whether for the corps of engineers mitigation issues in this bill or fishery issues, the subject of senator mikulski's committee; or housing and urban development, community block grants -- that's in h.u.d. -- or transportation u

senator landrieu, who is on the floor, she's the chair of the homeland security subcommittee. well, this is a senator who's no stranger to attacking the incredible challenges of responding to and recovering from natural disasters of this scale. i know she's going to speak in a short while here, but we all know that louisiana is still rebuilding from the catastrophes of hurricanes katrina and rita. senator landrieu, both as an individual senator and from her position as chair, has worked tirelessly helping her state and others recovering from storms and calamities. i know how hard she works because she stepped in to help vermont when we were in a similar situation last year. an example, i might say, mr. president, how even states that are not hurt, it's always been our tradition in the senate. in this supplemental, she's worked to incorporate that experience into vital emergency funding for fema and other disaster relief programs. since the supplemental we consider today contains funding that is going to help millions of americans recover from this terrible storm, i want to hig

she chaired the brown cloalings with senator landrieu. in 1995, she was one of five republicans to vote to acquit president clinton of both articles of i am peachment. and in 2005, she joined the bipartisan gang of 14 which helped defuse an earlier dispute about threats to change the senate's rules. yet, what many failed to mention is that despite her vaunted independence, olympia has always been a very proud republican. we believe as republicans, she recently said, that the individual is more important than the state. we believe that the great days of our past can be a steppingstone to an even greater future. we believe a job is preferential to a handout and independence is better than dependence. we believe that the private sector is more productive than big government will ever be, and when it comes to a balanced budget, a top priority for the party, senator snowe has been a true leader. she has been a long time supporter of a balanced budget amendment as far back as 1993 when she was still serving in the house. she was one of four ini

hagan: i further ask that the landrieu substitute amendment which is at the desk be agreed to, the bill as amended be read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid on the table, with no intervening action or debate, and that any statements relating to the measure be printed at the appropriate place in the record as if read. the presiding officer: without objection. mrs. hagan: i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today it recesses until 10:00 a.m. on tuesday, december 18, 2012, that following the prayer and pledge, the journal be approved to date, and that the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day. that following any leader remarks, the senate be in a period of morning business for one hour, with senators permitted to speak therein up to ten minutes each, with the time equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees with the majority controlling the first half and the republicans controlling the final half. and that following morning business the senate resume consideration of h.r. 1,

constitutional question, make the democrats in the senate and house of representatives vote, do you think mary landrieu would vote to give him total power? the republicans do not have a clue how to handle this. >> that would be smart, to call a vote right now on the president's ability to take away from congress the power to raise the debt crisis. that one. on the point about --. >>gregg: that is unconstitutional. >> and the fact they need a positive pro growth agenda which sounds like what we have said each sunday since march about mitt romney but he never did it. he lost. the republicans are not doing i. the agenda is very clear, it is outlined in the simpson-bowles debt reduction commission which the president appointed, ran away from, it has all the elements here that were for growing the economy and pulling in spending, where is the republican talking about it, it isn't a mistake for republicans to say we will not raise tax rates on the high income learned but we will allow you to tax the same people more by closing loopholes and the net effect is the same thing. >> exactly, if they conceded that

landrieu: mr. president, i i understand there's no more time necessary on this vote. we could call for the vote now. the presiding officer: is all time yielded back? the question is on the amendment. ms. landrieu: i ask for the yeas and nays. the presiding officer: is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

madam president, i also think about my friend, senator landrieu, who is sitting here in the chamber as well and how we formed the senate common ground coalition again in 2006 to rekindle cross-party relations. and not only have mary and i made history as the first women to serve simultaneously as chair and ranking member in a standing committee for the entire congress ever, but we worked together on numerous measures that are assisting america's greatest job generators: our small businesses. and as a shining example of what's possible, the civility and bipartisan team work, senator ted kennedy and i coauthored the landmark genetic nondiscrimination act to stop insurance companies employers from denying or dropping coverage based on genetic tests so individuals won't forego those potentially lifesaving tests. at that juncture democrats were in the majority and traditionally the chair of a committee takes the lead name on legislation. but ted approached me and said essentially that because of my work on the legislation had made it possible, it should be snowe-kennedy and not kennedy-snow

mary landrieu said she looked through this as part of a broader package. the small businesses -- if you're organized as a partnership, they are not corporations. you claim your business income on your individual tax returns. if that business income kicks you over $250,000, you almost certainly will be subject to higher taxes in january. host: paul, good morning. caller: good morning. thank you for taking my call. i would like to know what these rates would go up to for the individual taxpayer if we do go off the fiscal cliff? guest: if we go off the cliff, the rate will go up to 39.6%. the low bracket will go away and the lowest tax bracket will be 15% if we go off the cliff. 15% to 39.6% if we go off the cliff. caller: what about the other rates? host: we have a question on twitter. guest: you don't pay taxes on losses. if you're making profits and a picture up over $250,000, that could result in a tax increase that kicks you over $250,000. caller: we need jobs in this country. i hear all this money being talked. the average worker -- i am lucky i get 30

>> well, i mean, i think chairwoman landrieu highlighted the numbers when you consider the impact. it's between new york and new jersey, it's over 450,000 businesses that were lost and only 18,000 with hurricane katrina that they thought was devastating. i hope congress looks at this as this is the economic engine of the united states really. i he mean, the northeast is very important economically. we need to look as quickly as possible at how to support on our businesses. they were very receptive. some of them were very receptive. one senator didn't really believe me on the basement issue and is looking into it, but it will require an act of congress to change the rules which right now are very, very unfair to our local businesses and residents. >> the concert, speak a little bit about the concert. the 121212 concert that happened last night raising tens of millions of dollars in relief there. pretty impressive. what was your feelings about that when you saw that? >> i think it's fantastic. obviously, we're going to need as much money as possible. i do recognize the federal govern

colleagues who have cosponsored this measure, including senators collins, feinstein, gillibrand, kerry, landrieu, merkley, mikulski, murray, vitter, and wyden. they are tireless animal advocates, and this bill is indeed, the amendment as well, are about ending animal fighting, which plainly and simply is a blood sport. it is something that is cruel and inhumane. it leaves animals scarred and disabled. and it is associated with many other criminal activities. people who attend animal fights are often also engaged in drug dealing, extortion, assault, a variety of criminal activities, and the enabling activity is animal fighting. and that is why this bill increases the penalties for knowingly -- knowingly -- attending an animal fight with a child and, indeed, makes it a crime to knowingly attend an animal fight. so these penalties -- stricter penalties for bringing a child knowingly and criminal penalties of up to a year imprisonment or a fine or both for knowingly attending an animal fight -- are contingent on a purposeful support for this cruel and inhumane sport. very simply, it provides new too

does senator landrieu gave us a tremendous advise. i want to thank all of the staff that did a great job and all of the people from your. we had the governor. the mayor was down here several times. lots of our business and leadership, we called on them to make calls, particularly to our republican colleagues, those who had connection and those who had helped to bear fruit. >> do have any confidence that he can get anything on this? >> well, we are hopeful. we have spoken to several of our republican colleagues in the house today and yesterday about making sure. we had a whole bunch of republicans from new york and new jersey in making sure that they asked the leadership to put this bill on the floor. we're also getting the same new york interest for both business and labor leaders to talk to colleagues in the house to make sure that they will vote for the bill. whenever we called on gov. christie. i spoke to him myself a few times. he was there and he did everything we asked. >> this rally has been a bipartisan effort from the beginni

certainly we know senators landrieu and vitter brought it home to us in katrina, that these events are happening more and more often and we have to focus on what it means to her people. many of our fellow citizens have a long road ahead to rebuild their lives and their communities. we have a duty to be by their site during this difficult time in the months to come. this year we'll create a record which has jurisdiction over flood control and other related issues. we'll explore how we can prevent or mitigate the incredible destruction and future extreme weather events as we take a the way we go. there's a photo we have from nasa and it illustrates why superstrong sandy is ranked as one of the worst natural disasters to ever hit our nation and how it caused such widespread destruction. stretching from maine to the colts take on the sandy brought a storm surge along the mid-atlantic coast northward including a surge to 11 feet and the long island. massive storms and sustained winds were 90 miles per hour with hurricane force wind approximately 75 miles to the center and tropical storm for

first, as the secretary clinton senator landrieu to congress, we have taken each and every one of the board's recommendations and have argued and implement them. according to secretary clinton, she ordered this review to determine exactly what happened and then coffee. i want to convey our appreciation to a admiral mullen and others for achieving such a charge. it takes a clear eyed look at systemic problems. problems occur unacceptable. problems for which secretary clinton has said we take responsibility. problems which have are even begun to effects. in the hours and days after the terrorist attacks in benghazi come at the secretary's direction, we took immediate steps to further protect our people and our posts. we launched a worldwide review of the department's overall security posture. the diplomatic and military security expert a particular attention to this post. they have assigned additional marines to post around the world. they have hired new security personnel and reinforce these facilities. they updated employment procedures to increase the number of experienced and well-t

i also want to thank senator landrieu for her leadership to help craft this bill that way that has transparency and accountability and to learn from the mistakes of the past with hurricane katrina. she's worked overtime to make this bill a reality and i want to thank her. of course i want to thank my colleague, senator schumer for his extraordinary leadership. senator menendez and senator lautenberg on behalf of their state, it makes a huge difference. but i do want to start with senator mikulski went off in recognition to senator blumenthal. during the holidays, we often reflect on our blessings. we think about what is going well in our lives. we think -- we are very thankful for what's been given to us. and whether it's the health of our children, being if a safe, warm home, whether it's having a good job whether it's having a business that's profitable, whatever those blessings are that's what the holidays really are all about being grateful for them. and this holiday will be a very difficult time for so many families in newark, new jersey and connecticut. there were many loved ones lost dur

madam president, i think about my friend, senator landrieu sitting in the chamber as well. the common brown coalition again in 2006 to rekindle cross party relations. not only have mary and i made history as the first woman to serve simultaneously as chair and making them were in the standing committee for the entire congress ever, but we worked together in numerous measures assisting america's greatest job generated, our small businesses. what is possible with stability and bipartisan teamwork. senator ted kennedy and i co-authored the genetic nondiscrimination act to stop insurance companies and employees from talking coverage raised so individuals wouldn't forgo this potentially life-saving mats. traditionally they share the committee takes the lead name on legislation. ted approached me and said because of my work on the legislation has made it possible, it should be snow kennedy and not kennedy snow. from the legislative line of the united states senate. i'm proud to say that this genetic nondiscrimination act passed in 2008 and has been referred to as the first major

later today will hear from representatives landrieu has been actively engaged in weathering the storm entailing with the aftereffects. rhode island suffered significant damage. a major disaster was declared in four perfect counties, south coast, which includes westerly, charlestown pounded heavily over several homes uprooted, james obliterated. sandra striven back in the coastal ponds. through homes onto local roadways exposing septic tanks, other utilities that of course the army corps ocean data system recorded 47 feet. the island sustains severe road damage in middletown, rhode island and the national wildlife refuge and the treacherous by receive sustained damage isolated and can't be used because the one road access obliterated. despite the damage we know the outcome could have been far worse. our sympathies go to the families of the northeast so eloquently described by senator schumer who lost loved ones coming to sustain devastating damage and are still recovering. our hearts literally go out to their representatives doing so much to help them. in rhode island and elsewhere thr

. >> finally, is it not in the cd bg grants that have the greatest flexibility, which i now senator landrieu has become by necessity almost an expert as a result of what she went through in her state -- as the chair of the homeland security appropriations subcommittee, has made that very clear. for example, a small business, the economic backbone. i visited street after street of small businesses that have been closed. they're trying to make a decision -- to start my business again or do i not? trying to get a sense of the government as to whether there will be any standards under which a grant will be considered. many appreciate the small business loan at low rates and long term, but that is just adding debt to a debt they already have. they took that to start the business, they took that to survive the recession, and now they are faced with having lost so much. the choice between opening or not opening may very well depend upon the program that they can depend upon. is that not a fair statement? >> that is a fair statement. grantees would have the flexibility to determine how to design the

. >> thank you senator landrieu and one to join to think you personally for your calls unsolicited contact with me for having this hearing. what do think the sba, secretary napolitano mr. fugate as visited to see firsthand to see the damage and secretary donald been has been in contact numerous times the federal government has responded promptly to the crisis and we're grateful to them. the storms have created a new normal. this was the fourth in 19 months. the cost is cumulative. we strongly urge we are a included in the supplemental that did not happen the last time but we urge connecticut be made eligible but long term, the mantra has to be in bus now or pay later. these investments to work has shown by the 17-foot high barrier to block the 11-foot storm surge and it saved 25 billion estimated dollars the place had to be operated manually where it is pumped and investment of 1 million saved 25 million. the numbers tell a story of the sea wall, dunes, retreat meant plants come infrastructure, upgrades, re placement of power lines, micro grids. we know what works. and what we have to do a

and we have been here -- i want to congratulate senator murray and senator landrieu, who chaired the committees in appropriations on fema and h.u.d., because it will be fema money and community development block grant money that will help these communities. it's been two months since sandy, two months. surely we can act. the president has made a request. yes, is it a hefty $60 billion? but look at who was hit -- a big city that's the heart -- one of the heartbeats of america: new york. and a little community like crisfield. now matter h.j. you live in -- but no matter whether you live in new york city or in crisfield, maryland, you deserve the help of your government. and i say to my colleagues, let's think of the people we were sent here to represent. we weren't sent here to represent a bottom line. we were here to represent people. and i would hope that we would put into place -- that we would pass the president's request. we have great policies that were arrived at. and if you really want to honor senator inouye, let's honor the way his own code of conduct -- a gentle way, a civil

the governor wondered if it was something he said that made somebody mad, like senator landrieu asked. and not saying it was wrong to reimburse louisiana and not mississippi, but it sure does make you wonder. take a look at that and see if it cannot be looked at in our fairness. these things sometimes do not end very quickly. we passed the disaster recovery act and we worked very hard on it. we wanted to try to implement some of the lessons learned from previous storms. i invite your attention and to the agreements that we have reached here in the congress on these issues and we look for your careful and thoughtful administration of the act and the funding level and have been provided. katrina was another thing entirely, but it still hangs over us and it is still with us. here we are with sandy. thank you very much for all that you are doing. we encourage you to use the fema funds provided as intended and as spelled out in the legislation. there's always the opportunity for supplementals. if you find there is something we have left out that need ashamed to don't be bring it before our

currently the ranking member on the small business committee with our other colleague, senator mary landrieu. she knows the backbone that runs the economy is small business. and she also knows it's the backbone of the american economy. i've watched her day in and day out being concerned about her fishermen who are out there working in the cold waters off of georgia's bank for lobsters, to the small shop owner on main street, from the potato fields and lumber yards to l.l. bean, olympia snowe has stood up for them but also for the big issues in terms of jobs in the bass shipyard. in national security, we have worked together to look out for our troops here and to protect our communities from predators over there. she's been steadfast and true. it's a committee that meets often behind closed doors, but i will tell you, there is a senator that continue to look out for the safety of the american people. one of the areas that i've had the closest work with her is in the area of women's health. you might be interested to know that senator snowe and i received the good housekeeping award for house

madam president, i also think about my friend, senator landrieu, sitting in the chamber roswell and how we formed the senate common ground coalition again to rekindle cross-party relations. not only have we made history as the first women to serve simultaneously as chair and ranking member in a standing committee for the entire congress, but we worked together on numerous measures assisting america's greatest job generators, our small businesses. in a shining example of what is possible with civility and a bipartisan team worked, senator ted kennedy and by co-authored the landmark genetic nondiscrimination act to stop insurance companies from denying and dropping coverage based on genetic tests on individuals would not forego those potentially lifesaving tests. at that juncture, democrats were in the majority. he approached me and he said essentially because of my work on the legislation, that had made possible, it should have been kennedy-snowe, a magnanimous gesture from the legislative lion. it passed in 2008 and has been the first major civil rights act of the 21st century. madam pr

my partners on the bill are senator chris coons, senator ben cardin, john boozman and mary landrieu, as well as support in the house from representative chris smith. at the heart of this bill is the creation of jobs in america. exporting more goods to africa will help create jobs here. every $1 billion in exports supports over 5,000 jobs. i believe we can increase exports from the united states to africa by 200% in real dollars over the next ten years, and we can't wait any longer. if there are some who say africa is so backward and so far behind, what is it in the united states they can afford to buy if they even wanted to, that is old thinking. let me give you some new reality. in the past ten years six of the world's fastest-growing economies are in sub-saharan africa. and in the next five years, sub-saharan africa will boast seven of the top fastest-growing economies in the world. the number of africans with access to the internet has increased over the last ten years fourfold to 27%, from 1998 to today the number of mobile phones on the continent have grown from four million to

senator landrieu and i had the adoption caucus in the united states senate. there are hundreds of thousands of little kids out there, people who want to adopt little kids, and they can't do it because of the problems. we're tackling that problem. this little girl wouldn't even be alive today, and here she is now 11 1/2, almost 12 years old, reading at college level and doing wonderful things. be sure to tune in to mike huckabee and waup -- watch her be interviewed days from now. the last thing i would say is this is bad enough not to be back during your anniversary, but it's also bad as you get closer to christmas, if you can only see the celebration that's going on right now, all those kids, they're all there and they're participating. i remember what happened in the year 2009. in 2009 we played this same game. you know, come here, a little theater, make sure everybody knows we're working. we didn't get out until the afternoon, just about noon on christmas eve. i remember that was the worst snowstorm in the history of north, of northern texas and of oklahoma

senator landrieu from louisiana called the estate tax and this year phroefls of estate tax -- this year levels estate tax a make or break issue. senator pryor from arkansas has stressed the need for stability so families can plan. whatever we do with these tax policies, as much as possible, madam president, we need to do them in a permanent way. this going one year at a time or two years at a time on the estate tax, if your family has a taxable estate event this year, it's not a big deal. if you have it in january, it's devastating. we don't need to continue to have that. this shouldn't a partisan issue. it's about protecting families and the things that they have put together often working side by side as a family. we need to work across the aisle on this issue and other issues. one of the things that right now is making that harder to do than it needs to be is this discussion of the rules change. a rules change where people want to change the historic role of the senate, which is designed to foster compromise and debate like we had this week on the defense bill or like we had as the -

isn't it in the cbdg grants that have the greatest flexibility which i know senator lang andrew has --landrieu has become an expert on and as chair of the homeland security appropriations subcommittee has made very clear that for example a small-business which is the economic backbone for which i have visited street after street of small businesses that have been closed that are trying to make a decision, do i start my business again or not, based upon trying to get a sense from the government whether there will be any standards under which the grant will be considered because many have told me i appreciate small-business loan at low rates and long term, that is just adding debt to a debt i already have. they took out the business and survived the great recession and now they are faced with having lost so much for them. the choice between opening or not opening may depend upon cbdg program they can depend on. >> that is a fair statement. they have flexibility to determine how to design that program, they could determine they want to provide grants to small-businesses and get restarted. in othe

landrieu: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from louisiana. ms. landrieu: mr. president, i rise in opposition to this amendment, but i want to say that the senator from oklahoma raises a very good point. but this comes under the jurisdiction of the committee that he is actually a ranking member with the new chairman, senator tom carper, to be done in an authorizing action, not on this particular bill. now, it does need some updating. but the other point that needs to be looked at -- and i think the senator from oklahoma will agree with me, because the federal government can't do everything -- is what role the states should play in helping counties, particularly rural counties, like what happened in joplin, missouri; like what's happened in oklahoma, like what's happened in tennessee. what should states do to help these more rural counties that get hurt? so i agree with the senator in the need for an update. this is not the time to do it, however, and i urge a "no" vote on his amendment and turn it over to the authorizing which the of which he is a member, to pr

and i also want to pay -- and senator landrieu, who, as the chair of the homeland security, have all done good jobs. but we senators know that we're only as good as our staff. and as the inouye era goes through its transition, i would like to thank the inouye staff. first of all, for everything they've done on this bill. i would like to thank the inouye staff for all they did in staffing truly one of the great icons in the united states senate. now, don't think the inouye staff is going to go away under barbara mikulski. but i want to publicly thank all of them in behalf of all of you, that they held their own emotions in control so we could move forward with the senate business. that is what professional staff is. they are the highest and the best of the best. i think the senate owes them a debt of gratitude. now i know that i will lean on them -- be back here on thursday to move this bill in a regular order. i say, god bless senator inouye and all that he meant to america. and god bless the staff that has helped him be one of the greatest snoring senators in amn history. mrs. hutch

currently the ranking member on the small business committee with our other colleague, senator mary landrieu. she knows the backbone that runs the economy is small business. and she also knows it's the backbone of the american economy. i've watched her day in and day out being concerned about her fishermen who are out there working in the cold waters off of georgia's bank for lobsters, to the small shop owner on main street, from the potato fields and lumber yards to l.l. bean, olympia snowe has stood up for them but also for the big issues in terms of jobs in the bass shipyard. in national security, we have worked together to look out for our troops here and to protect our communities from predators over there. she's been steadfast and true. it's a committee that meets often behind closed doors, but i will tell you, there is a senator that continue to look out for the safety of the american people. one of the areas that i've had the closest work with her is in the area of women's health. you might be interested to know that senator snowe and i received the good housekeeping award for house