Gentlelady from new york and the gentleman from connecticut also wish to speak. Mr. President , senators their states who have been very hard hit should have the opportunity to speak. Im going to take my rebuttal of the coburn amendments and just abbreviate them. With the exception of being willing to accept the amendment where you cant get Emergency Assistance if you are a tax cheater or if youve passed away, with the exception of a funeral benefit i really object to the coburn amendment. My objections have been so well articulated by the gentleman from new york, mr. Schumer; by the gentleman from new jersey, mr. Menendez, im not going to preet them. Im going to ask unanimous consent that my written rebuttals be in the record. The presiding officer without objection. Ms. Mikulski and in the interest of time, i think were all agreed the very intent to save money by adding delay and bureaucracy will cost money and will cost time in terms of getting people back on their feet in both their home and in their livelyhoods because remember what we seek here. Helping people get their life back and helping get their livelihood back. And i think they have been very well articulated. I would like to take the opportunity to call up and dispose two amendments. I would thraoeubg call up i would like to call up in behalf of senator leahy 3403. The presiding officer the clerk will report. Ms. Mikulski mr. President this the presiding officer the clerk needs to report. Ms. Mikulski i ask the clerk the senator from maryland ms. Mikulski, for mr. Leahy reports amendment 3403. Ms. Mikulski i ask the amendment be considered as read. The presiding officer without objection. Ms. Mikulski mr. President this amendment simply provides authority to the state department to transfer up to 1 billion in overseas Contingency Operations appropriated in fiscal year 2012 for operations in iraq which are no longer needed in iraq due to reduced operations there and to use these funds for increased security at u. S. Embassies and other overseas posts identified in the departments security review after the benghazi attack making additional Funds Available for this purpose is one of the recommendations of the accountable accountability review board chaired by ambassador pickerring and admiral mullen. This amendment is a permissive amendment. It is not a prescriptive amendment. It permits the transfer of funds between the Diplomatic Program and embassy security, construction and maintenance at which would otherwise be precluded due to percentage limitations on such transfers. According to c. B. O. , the amendment has no outlay scoring impact. We all want to do we all want to do what we can to prevent another tragedy like what occurred in benghazi. The state department has done a review and these funds will be used to expedite construction of Marine Security guard posts overseas posts to, build secure embassies in beirut, lebanon and zimbabwe. There is nothing controversial about this amendment. These are existing funds. There is no new appropriation. This amendment has no scoring impact. Its simply a matter of allowing unobligated prioryear funds to be used for a different purpose of higher priority, protecting our diplomats stationed in dangerous places around the world and does require that the agency submit a more detailed reprogramming. Mr. President , that amendment will be voted on tomorrow. Mr. President , i also have an amendment on behalf of senator harkin. I call amendment 3426 up. The presiding officer the clerk will report. The clerk the senator from maryland ms. Mikulski mr. President , i ask unanimous consent that the amendment be considered as read. The presiding officer without objection. Ms. Mikulski mr. President this is really this amendment makes two really very technical corrections that are necessary for properly implementing funding for the department of h. H. S. Services in the supplemental. First it deletes the term response activities for Hurricane Sandy and replaces it with purposes provided herein. A minor small verbal change. But response activities has unlimited meaning. This change does clarify that funds may be used to cover additional recovery and related costs connected to Hurricane Sandy. Second it adds the phrase to make grants to clarify that the department of h. H. S. Has specific grantmaking authority for renovating, repairing and rebuilding nonfederal facilities involved in n. I. H. Research. For example an Academic Center of excellence well known for its work particularly in Cancer Research will have the opportunity to rebuild. I recommend the support of this amendment. Senator shelby has signed off on it. I believe it is not controversial. C. B. O. Says it does not adversely it does not score at all. And i understand that the minority staff on laborh. H. S. Has also signed off on those changes. Mr. President , that amendment too will be voted on tomorrow if not accepted. Tonight were just not accepting amendments and were not voice voting them. I also want to note that we have two members on the floor whose states were hard hit. The gentlelady from new york. Senator schumers spoken. I know senator gillibrand wishes to speak. And the order that we will follow is senator gillibrand will speak as such time as she may consume to be followed by the gentleman from connecticut and such time as he may consume in speaking in behalf of the bill. Before the gentlelady speaks, though a word to the gentleman from connecticut. Connecticuts been hit twice. First by the hurricane and then by what happened at sandy hook elementary. For those of us who join with you, we just want the people of connecticut to know theyre not alone. As the gentleman from new jersey spoke earlier, we are the United States of america. And where there was a disaster in one state we all have to respond as if it were a disaster in all states. The attack on one child in connecticut, we have to protect all children in connecticut and in every single state in this union. And i would hope as we debate those solutions that we really do act in a union the United States of america. Once again our sympathy and condolences, and i yield the floor to these very able senators. The presiding officer the senator from new york. Mrs. Gillibrand thank you madam chairwoman for your leadership on this essential bill. I cant thank you enough for your tenacity and determination to meet the needs of so many affected families in our states. 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. Shes 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 whats been given to us. And whether its the health of our children, being if a safe, warm home, whether its having a good job whether its having a business thats profitable, whatever those blessings are thats 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 during Hurricane Sandy. There were many children lost in connecticut. When a loved one is no longer around the dining room table when there are gifts that were bought that were not able to be given, its a very sad time for our country. And what i am urging my colleagues to remember is what that loss feels like in their own states. Weve seen so many tragedies this last year. Weve seen so many disasters over the last several years. And as senator mikulski has said and senator schumer has said, this country always stands together in these times of disaster and grave need. Whether it was hurricane katrina, we stood by that state that region immediately within ten days we delivered 60 billion of aid and relief to the families in need. We did the same thing for florida. Hurricane andrew left devastation in its wake. We did the same thing when tornadoes hit joplin, missouri, and tuscaloosa, alabama. We stand by families in times of need. Its the job of the federal government to keep our families and communities safe. Its what we do. And its that gratitude we have when others come to our side in that moment of great need that draws this body together. So what i am urging most is that we all do count our blessings during these holidays. We do look to what we have and know that there are many families who are going without without a warm home, without that loved one whos been lost. And we know from this disaster, children were taken. Grandparents were taken. Husband and wives were lost. And so the least we can do is help a Community Rebuild from that devastation. It starts with homes. Now we saw so much loss in our state. We worked out that we needed about 17 billion to rebuild the homes in new york, and we asked for a Community Development block grant to cover that. Now our colleagues on the other side of the aisle will have a substitute bill, a substitute bill that will cut funding drastically. Its akin to if you have a fivealarm fire, youre just sending one fire truck because thats all you want to pay for today. Well, they have cut that money for housing from 17 billion down to 2 billion. So what are you saying to those families in new york, new jersey and connecticut in the region . Were not going to rebuild your house. Fema right now provides individual assistance up to 31,000 for each homeowner. Now, you cant rebuild a home for 31,000 particularly not in new york. If you didnt have insurance that covered or insurance claims didnt pay out or the insurance said sorry, it was a flood. Its not covered. What are you supposed to do . Youre homeless, your family has nowhere to go. We have to be able to provide the resources for these families to rebuild. The businesses are suffering. I can tell you i saw many businesses where the structures were in rubble. But every Business Owner i talked to said to me, im a new yorker. Im going to rebuild and im going to rebuild better. I was born here. Im going to stay here. And that determination and that gratitude for what they have and what they will have is whats going to make the difference. So i just want to thank you mr. President , for giving me a chance to advocate on behalf of our families. We do need the help of everyone in this chamber to do the right thing, to stand by others in their gravest time of need. Thats what weve always done, and thats what we must do now. I yield the floor. A senator mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from connecticut. Mr. Blumenthal thank you mr. President. I want to first begin by thanking my colleague from maryland senator mikulski, for her very kind and generous words about the recent tragedy that we suffered in connecticut and her sense of compassion and kindness in the remarks that she just made but also thank her for her vision and courage and leadership on the legislation before us and associate myself with the very eloquent and powerful remarks made by both senators from new york and the senator from new jersey today and i want to strongly oppose the amendments that would constrict and delay aid that is vital to connecticut as it is to the other states of the region that was hammered and pummelled by storm sandy in the night that it hit our area. The scope and scale of destruction made it one of the largest natural disasters to affect our nation. It left millions of people without homes or electricity. It cost tens of billions in damages. The governments business and residents. The sweep and depth of destruction and human impact and financial effect was simply staggering and our response should match its historic magnitude. We must act big think big go forward with vision and meet the needs of people as we do in america. We are, as has been said, the United States of america. We meet catastrophe with the resources and commitment that are necessary to make sure that people are treated fairly, and here delay or reduction in resources is unfair. Delay in effect is denial. And just like justice delayed is justice denied so would be the resources here if they are delayed by the kinds of amendments that have been offered and by the proposals to reduce the amount of resources that can be available. The estimates about the disaster can occupy much time on this floor, and i am going to be brief in describing what i think is necessary because i have previously spoken before committees of this body and suffice it to say that right away we need to redouble our efforts to reduce the personal costs and Property Damage of this storm but also to prevent that kind of damage in future storms. We can invest now or pay later. We will pay much more later if we fail to invest now and the path toward enlightened protection and preparation must include Infrastructure Improvements like stanfords floodgate, the efforts on the husatonick river to stop flooding the electricity security measures such as the establishment of microgrids and increased availability of generators especially for these are only examples of what can be done if we invest wisely now, and that is part of what this supplemental can do, and it is vitally necessary that we prepare because these kinds of disasters are in fact, becoming the new normal. This storm is the fourth major disaster for the state of connecticut in the past 19 months the fourth major disaster declaration for our state in that time. Record snowfall in january of 2011 later in 2011 Tropical Storm irene a highly unusual october snowstorm and now storm sandy. These kinds of natural disasters demand the kind of response that the senate can do if it approves this measure without these amendments that restrict and delay these efforts. We have built our infrastructure to 100year storm levels, but unfortunately 100year storms are happening just about every year. We have to be prepared for that new normal by hardening Critical Infrastructure and taking time and spending money to construct an infrastructure assessment that will allow states and municipalities to know what infrastructure is at risk and what needs to be done to mitigate that risk. Failing to meet the immediate needs of these areas is not only unkind, it is unwise. As the senator from new york has just remarked, sending one fire truck to a fivealarm fire is not only unkind, it is unwise. Rebuilding a house for a family that had three bedrooms and restricting it to one or none is unkind and unwise because it will fail to provide housing for that family. So i urge this body to provide the funding that connecticut new york and new jersey need to mitigate flooding and other damage from this storm and from future storms and make sure that we receive in these states the kind of aid that is necessary so that we can not only repair and rebuild but also prepare and prevent this kind of catastrophe in the future. I thank again all of my colleagues who have been so instrumental in reaching this point, and i urge my colleagues to come together in that spirit that the United States has always done when it has faced these kinds of catastrophes. We have always done the right thing, even in the face of fiscal austerity for regions and areas of our country that have been hard hit through no fault of their own and who need this kind of immediate relief. I thank my colleagues and i yield the floor. I note the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call the presiding officer the senator from new york. Mr. Schumer i ask unanimous consent the quorum call be dispensed with. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Schumer i ask unanimous consent that on friday, December December 28, when the senate proceed to h. R. 1 the senate proceed to vote to amendments to the bill under the previous order, that all remaining time under the previous order with respect to the amendments be yielded back, that there be two minutes equally divided prior to each vote with the exception of the following four minutes equally divided to each of the votes in relation to the coburn amendments and divisions ten minutes equally divided prior to the votes in relation to each of the paul amendments, eight minutes equally divided prior to the vote in relation to the mccain amendment 355 and ten minutes equally divided prior to the vote in relation to the lee amendment. That all other provisions of the previous order remain in effect. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Schumer i said december 1. Wishful thinking. The order should say friday, december 28. The presiding officer noted. Without objection. Mr. Schumer i i note the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call quorum call quorum call mr. Schumer mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from new york. Mr. Schumer i ask unanimous consent the quorum be dispensed with. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Schumer mr. President unanimous consent request unanimous consent the senate proceed to a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes each. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Schumer i ask unanimous consent the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee be discharged from the following postal naming bills en bloc h. R. 2338 and h. R. 3892, that the senate proceed to their consideration, the consideration of the following bills en bloc which were received from the house are at the desk h. R. 3869 4389, 6260, 6379 and h. R. 6587. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Schumer i ask unanimous consent the bills be read a third time passed en bloc, the motions to reconsider be laid on the table en bloc with no intervening action or debate and any related statements be printed in the record as if read. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Schumer i ask unanimous consent the Homeland Security i ask unanimous consent that the committee on finance be discharged from further consider