Executive Session

Floor Speech

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Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Mr. President, I am here to speak on behalf of my good friend Gina McCarthy and her nomination to head the Environmental Protection Agency. But before I do so, I would like to raise an issue I raised during a hearing of the Armed Services Committee. I have come directly from that hearing.

I am here to express my deep dissatisfaction, in fact my outrage, at a form of military assistance that will literally waste a total of more than $1 billion in taxpayer money. In fact, we have just contracted and announced that contract in June for about 30 Russian Mi-17 helicopters that will cost American taxpayers $550 million to buy from Rosoboronexport, the Russian export agency, controlled by the Russian Government, those helicopters for the Afghan national forces that lack pilots and maintenance personnel to fly and repair and operate these helicopters. They will be sitting on the runways of Afghan airfields without any use, rusting, literally wasting American taxpayer funds.

Don't believe me when I make these statements. Those facts come from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan who completed a report recently, stating succinctly, clearly, irrefutably, that we are wasting $1 billion in taxpayer money buying Russian helicopters for Afghan national forces that, very simply, cannot use them.

In fact, we committed to that contract before we even have a status of forces agreement with the Afghan Government for the period after 2014 when we will be leaving that country, fortunately. If we can leave sooner, all the better. But in the meantime, we are buying equipment from the Russian export agency that is at the same time selling arms to Assad in Syria for the murder and slaughter of his own people, making money from those sales to Assad in Syria, and from the government that is harboring and providing refuge to Edward Snowden, who has illegally--I guess I should use the words allegedly illegally--but clearly violated American law in disclosing secrets from our government.

Last week I visited a National Guard helicopter repair facility in Groton, CT, where over 100 technicians--to be precise, 137 technicians--civilian employees at this facility alone have been furloughed. They are furloughed 11 days. It was originally 22, but it has been reduced to 11. Our helicopter repair function in that region, and similarly across the country, has been hampered and impeded because of the sequester and the impact in requiring furloughs. Our military readiness is suffering because of lack of funds on the part of the U.S. Government, when we are at the same time buying Russian helicopters that will have no use for the Afghan Government. In fact, they have no pilots to fly them or people to make repairs and maintain them. Something is wrong with this picture.

Yet in the hearing I have just left, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dempsey, maintained to me his view that a waiver should be exercised under the National Defense Authorization Act providing for the purchase of these Russian helicopters.

I respectfully disagree. I strongly disagree. I think the American taxpayers, certainly my fellow residents of Connecticut, ought to be equally outraged. We should be outraged in this body that we are wasting this money when precious funds have been forgone that can be used for military readiness of our Armed Forces.

I ask my colleagues to join me in saying to our U.S. military leaders that our national security is imperiled, not by refusing to acquire those helicopters but in fact by wasting taxpayer money on those purchases for an Afghan army that cannot use them, and for purchasing from a country that certainly means us no good and, in fact, an export agency that is selling arms to a murderous government and harboring an individual who has violated our laws and endangered our national security.

I will not let this matter rest. I will not let this issue go. I intend to pursue it. I ask my colleagues to join me in making sure we stop these purchases. In fact, Senator Ayotte and I have a bill, which is called No Contracting with the Enemy, to expand very useful contracting tools that now apply in Afghanistan, where we have found our aid and assistance finding its way to enemy hands. I can't think of a more blatant example of contracting with the enemy than handing over our taxpayer money to a company that is at the very same time selling S-300 air defense systems to the Syrian Government for use against its own people and violating international sanctions by helping Iran with that missile equipment.

MCCARTHY NOMINATION

I wish to turn to the reason I came to the floor, having just left that Armed Services Committee meeting, to speak on behalf of my very good friend Gina McCarthy.

I worked with Gina McCarthy over a number of years when she was, in fact, not only a fellow State official--I was then State attorney general--but also a client because I was her lawyer. I came to know her in a way that I think is very rare for any public official to know another, seeing her in times of crisis and public policy opportunity, the ups and the downs of public service.

I came to know her as a pragmatic person of consummate intelligence, integrity, an environmental protector for all seasons. She is not a partisan by any stretch of the imagination. There may be individuals who are more aggressive in the enforcement of environmental laws. There may be people who are more solicitous of economic progress and job creation, but I don't know. I certainly know no one who strikes the balance and seeks both goals of job creation, along with economic growth, and environmental protection with such zeal, passion, and great good humor.

I said before on this floor and I will say it again, Gina McCarthy knows how to bring people together. She knows how to work for a common goal.

We should seize this moment as a body to expand and enhance the bipartisan spirit of this past week and approve Gina McCarthy overwhelmingly because she epitomizes the kind of bipartisan spirit we should seek to grow and attract in our Federal Government, in fact, in all levels of government.

Let me give a few examples. My colleague Senator Murphy spoke last night about a number of her specific accomplishments, but there are many more--maybe most important, which I don't think has been given enough attention on the floor, is her work in designing, building, and implementing the Northeast's pioneering cap-and-trade program, known as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, RGGI. Nine States currently participate in RGGI: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is a highly innovative program. It is a model for the Nation and the world.

A 2012 report issued in 2012 estimates that RGGI investments will offset the need for more than 27 million megawatt hours of electricity generation and 26.7 British thermal units of energy generation. These savings will help avoid the emission of 12 million short tons of carbon dioxide pollution, an amount equivalent to taking 2 million passenger vehicles off the road for 1 year.

The numbers not only fail to tell the whole story about the environmental impact but also fail to tell about Gina McCarthy's role in bringing together Republican and Democratic Governors for a common good, what she will do in this country for environmental protection and what she has already done in her role at the EPA.

Under her guidance, the State of Connecticut settled a Clean Air Act suit against Ohio Edison on July 11, 2005, again requiring pollution reduction consistent with business needs and goals.

She settled a citizen suit against American Electric Power on December 13, 2007, a dramatic reduction in nitrogen oxide and tons of sulfur dioxide. These Clean Air Act suits, which I assisted her in bringing to conclusion, I think embody her goal of reducing air contamination and pollution consistent with the business community's concern for its bottom line. She is sensitive to both.

She is remarkable for her professionalism, for her zeal and passion as an environmental protector, and also for her willingness to listen, her willingness to hear and truly listen to people sitting across the table who may come into the room with different and sometimes conflicting views and come to a common conclusion. She knows how to get to yes, and she does it as a tough, fair, balanced environmental law enforcer.

I hope my colleagues will join me in my enthusiasm because the President couldn't have picked a more qualified person. Gina McCarthy is as good as it gets in public service. She is as good as it gets for integrity, intellect, and dedication to the public good.

It is my wish that we will move forward as united as possible, carrying forward the great bipartisan spirit that has characterized these last few days in our consideration of the President's nominees, which I hope will be enhanced and continue as we move forward today.

I yield the floor.

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