June 11, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 97 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Pages S3307-S3309]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                          Flooding in Illinois

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, Saturday morning, I was in Alton, IL. This 
picture here is what we saw. You have to look closely to understand 
what I am looking at here. These grain elevators are in downtown Alton, 
IL, and this is the Mississippi River, which has now risen to the point 
that it is just below this red line. I know this red line a little bit 
because it marks the 1993 flood level of the same Mississippi River, so 
we are almost there. We were hoping over the weekend that the river 
would crest and that Alton and so many other communities in the Midwest 
would be spared further flooding.
  The interesting thing is, when I went down there to talk to the 
people engaged in the recovery effort and trying to help fight these 
floodwaters, there was an insight I was really surprised to hear. I 
asked them what is different about this flood, because we get lots of 
floods in the Midwest. The difference with this flood, according to 
those who have done the research, is this is a flood of longer duration 
than any flood we have seen since 1927.
  When I spoke to the mayor of the town of Alton, IL, I said: So this 
comes and goes? He said: It never goes, Senator. We have had six floods 
in the last 10 years that were supposed to be breaking historic 
records.
  So let's step back for a minute and take an honest look at this, if 
we can, and realize that we are living in a little different world this 
year than we did just a few years ago. The extreme weather events, 
which we hear reported every single day, suggest that something is 
going on beyond just changes in the weather. When we see rainfall and 
snowfall in the upper Midwest, which is now responsible for this 
flooding situation here, we have to ask ourselves the obvious question: 
Is this just a one-off event, or are we seeing the new normal? And if 
this is the new normal, are we prepared for it?
  When these floodwaters hopefully recede in the very near future, 
there will be a lot of repair work to be done. There is a lot of damage 
to homes, businesses, and families. But then there will be a big 
question: What do we do next? If this is the new normal in our weather 
patterns, if we are in fact seeing a change in our climate around

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the United States and around the world, how will we respond? My first 
concern, of course, is my home State of Illinois and the folks who are 
kind enough to let me serve them in the U.S. Senate.
  I want to do everything I can to work with the Army Corps of 
Engineers, which is a critical part of flood protection for the 
Midwest. These earthen levees you will see along the shorelines of the 
Mississippi and Illinois Rivers have been sorely taxed by these 
floodwaters. When they are drenched and soaked over long periods of 
time, they tend to weaken. We count on the Army Corps of Engineers and 
the good people locally to step forward and help us fortify these 
levees. We need to continue to do that, maybe even more so because of 
the frequency of the floods we are seeing in the Midwest.
  But we have a responsibility here in Washington too. What are we 
doing about the climate change that is happening around the world? What 
are we doing to make sure our kids and grandkids will inherit an Earth 
that is habitable and that won't face these kinds of awful occurrences 
on a regular basis? Are we willing to make sacrifices and changes in 
the comfort of our own lives just a little bit so that our kids and 
grandkids have a world that they can live in, a world that is 
habitable, that they can pass on to the next generation? I don't think 
that is too much to ask.
  There was an agreement reached a few years ago in Paris. Every nation 
in the world signed up to do something. Every single nation in the 
world signed up to do something to reach a common goal of stopping the 
warming of this planet and everything that has followed. Then what 
happened with the election of this President? President Trump stepped 
forward and said: Count us out. The United States is not in the Paris 
Agreement any longer. We are the only nation in the world to step away 
from that agreement. The rest of the world understands the gravity of 
this challenge. Today, it is the floods in the Midwest. Tomorrow, it 
will be that tornado in Oklahoma. The list goes on and on and on.
  I stand ready to work with everyone I can locally to deal with this, 
but I also plead with this administration--open your eyes to the 
reality of climate change in the world and what it is doing to the 
extreme weather patterns we currently face.
  Our Governor, J. B. Pritzker, has declared a disaster in 34 of 
Illinois's 102 counties--about a third of the State. Four hundred 
Illinois National Guard men and women members are working sometimes 
around the clock to do their part, and my hat is off to them and their 
families for their extraordinary sacrifice.
  The levees, like the Nutwood Levee, which isn't far from Alton, IL, 
were breached by floodwaters, and over the past week, a small town was 
evacuated. State and local officials have urged everyone there to be 
careful and make certain that they do everything they can to protect 
themselves and their property.
  When you take a look at this picture taken in Alton, IL, you don't 
see the real story. There are a few people, families who are looking at 
floodwaters, but the real story is the coordinated effort, which is 
heartwarming. It is not just the Federal agencies, like the Corps of 
Engineers and the Coast Guard; it is not just the State agencies, like 
the Illinois Emergency Management Agency; it is the local units of 
government, like the city of Alton and so many other cities, that have 
come together to coordinate their efforts and to make the best of what 
they have.
  It is also an effort by a lot of charitable organizations. As you 
might expect, the Red Cross was on the scene almost immediately, and we 
also know the Salvation Army has been involved as well. They are all 
doing their part to make sure we work together.
  But the one group that should be recognized--they may not have a 
formal title--are the men and women, the families and community leaders 
who stepped up and rolled up their sleeves to fill the sandbags to help 
their neighbors. It is not just a midwestern thing, but it is a 
midwestern thing, as far as I am concerned. Our people and our families 
across my State time and again step up to lend a helping hand to one 
another. In this time of need with this kind of flooding damage in 
Alton and all across our State, it does my heart proud to see that 
these folks have once again responded to this call.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. GARDNER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. Blackburn). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.


                                 S. 546

  Mr. GARDNER. Madam President, I rise for the swift passage of 
bipartisan legislation I am leading with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand 
known as the Never Forget the Heroes: Permanent Authorization of the 
September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act.
  I will never forget the images of the brave men and women running 
into danger to save lives during the September 11 terrorist attacks. I 
never had the privilege or honor of going to New York City prior to 
September 11, 2001, but I will never forget my first visit after 
September 11, 2001, going to Ground Zero, watching the firetrucks, with 
their flag, heading to Ground Zero to continue to work, and now that 
has become absolutely emblazoned in the minds of the people of this 
country.
  The work they did wasn't just for those in Manhattan who suffered 
incredible loss but the work they carried forth for our country--they 
became symbols of our security, symbols of our freedoms, symbols of our 
country's willingness, effort, and tenacity to fight back.
  This legislation would ensure that all 9/11 first responders and 
survivors who have been injured by the toxins at Ground Zero would 
receive their full compensation through the September 11th Victim 
Compensation Fund now and into the future as more and more become ill 
with 9/11-related cancers.
  When I visited Ground Zero, I will never forget that smell--a 
burning, acrid odor. These men and women didn't just visit it once but 
time and again to carry out the cleanup of Ground Zero. Unfortunately, 
thousands of first responders and survivors, including many who reside 
in my home State of Colorado, now suffer from illnesses and diseases 
from the toxins they inhaled day after day during the recovery efforts 
at Ground Zero.
  It is unacceptable for this Congress to fail these heroes and their 
families. It is unacceptable to fail the families and heroes of 
September 11. There is no time to waste as Congress debates this issue. 
More and more people are becoming ill, more and more people are 
suffering. Today people such as Lou Alvarez came to Washington, DC, 
postponing a chemotherapy treatment to advocate for his fellow heroes.
  The fund expires at the end of this year if we do not act. These men 
and women have already been forced to reduce their compensation. We 
have seen a reduction of their compensation for 9/11 first responders 
due to the impending insolvency.
  Jon Stewart, a longtime advocate for the 9/11 responders, testified 
today before the House Judiciary Committee, expressing the urgency of 
making sure these first responders receive the care they deserve. He 
testified before members of the committee in the House about the need 
to act now because time is of the essence. He said that these men and 
women ``responded in 5 seconds. They did their jobs, with courage, 
grace, tenacity, humility . . . 18 years later'' it is time for 
Congress to do its job.
  That is what I hope my colleagues will do--our job. Pass this 
important bipartisan legislation, recognizing the service and the 
sacrifice of these great heroes of 9/11.
  Tomorrow the House companion legislation will be marked up in the 
Judiciary Committee. Congress must do the right thing. The Senate must 
do our job, and it must act on this legislation. I urge my colleagues 
to join this legislation to cosponsor the bill, to support this effort, 
and to support the effort in the House and Senate to swiftly pass this 
legislation to ensure these heroes receive the care they need and 
deserve.
  We didn't know what was going to happen on September 11, but for the 
thousands of people involved at Ground Zero, we know what will happen 
if Congress fails to act. It is unacceptable.

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That is why I urge my colleagues to pass this important legislation, to 
do the right thing and stand up for their fellow heroes who served our 
country so well.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. KAINE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.