3:00:07 to 3:00:28( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: some say we're losing more than $4 billion a year to mortgage fraud. the problem is getting worse, not better. the victims of these frauds have to be protected now more than ever. the victims include, as i said, homeowners, fleeced by unscrupulous mortgage brokers. retirees have lost their life's

3:00:53 to 3:01:13( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: these american taxpayers expect they've made and make sure those funds are not exploited by fraud fraud. each one of us are among those taxpayers. we want to make sure the money is is not stolen. i have other things i'll say, but i will put my full statement and a number of letters in the

3:01:16 to 3:01:38( Edit History Discussion )

Chuck Grassley: distinguished cosponsor of bill, senator floor, and i yield to him. mr. grassley: mr. president? madam president. i'm sorry. senator from iowa. mr. grassley: thank you. i heard the kind remarks of the senator from vermont. i thank him f about this senator and thank hmmm for his cooperation on --

3:01:39 to 3:02:00( Edit History Discussion )

Chuck Grassley: and thank him for his cooperation on this bill, some things i very much interested in but also the legislation that he proposed i support as enthuse gas particularly as i do the rest of the bill. so, thank you, the senator from vermont. so i'm here obviously to speak in support of the legislation

3:02:22 to 3:02:44( Edit History Discussion )

Chuck Grassley: housing markets back on track. the fraud enforcement tools and resources provided in this bill are very, very necessary. they will ensure that the taxpayers' dollars that have been extended a shore up bank and financial institutions and

3:03:07 to 3:03:28( Edit History Discussion )

Chuck Grassley: money lost to fraud can be recovered through the false claims act. most help show the american people that we're we're doing something to try and prevent future fraud and recover moneys lost tohat fraud and

3:03:50 to 3:04:10( Edit History Discussion )

Chuck Grassley: supported the cloture tha that we'll be votg upon. the leadership honored that, and we had a number of amendments filed on this bill. we spent and disposed of a number of amendments to the bill. we have also -- we hav some

3:04:32 to 3:04:52( Edit History Discussion )

Chuck Grassley: these resources, and they need them n. that is why i'm going to vote for cloture on this bill. the taxpayers have been asked to shoulder an enormous burden at this time of economic crisis created by a credit crisis.

3:05:15 to 3:05:35( Edit History Discussion )

Chuck Grassley: or not you agree with these expenditures, we simply cannot allow these funds to be unprotected from fraud, waste, and abuse. this legislation ensures our law enforcement officials andur prosecutors have the tools necessary to enforce our

3:05:57 to 3:06:17( Edit History Discussion )

Chuck Grassley: it also makes necessary corrections to our antimoney laundering laws to ensur recent supreme court decision doesn't limit the ability of our department of justice to go after criminals who launder their ill-got finally, and perhaps most

3:06:40 to 3:07:01( Edit History Discussion )

Chuck Grassley: work of whistle-blowers who make that known. back in 1986 i authored major revisions to the false claims act and did that so that we could fight fraud, particularly against government then more so

3:07:24 to 3:07:44( Edit History Discussion )

Chuck Grassley: this power law taxpayers to act as private attorneys general by going to court on behalf of our government when they know of fraud against the these qui tam whistle-blowers are the heart and soul of the false claims act.

3:08:07 to 3:08:29( Edit History Discussion )

Chuck Grassley: the application of this powerful tool that has brought in $22 billion. this legislation thus ensuring go unpunished by simply navigating through the legal loopholes. this bill will help defer

3:08:46 to 3:09:08( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: voting for cloture on this bill to help make s taxpayer dollars are protected. i yield the floor. mr. inhofe: madam the presiding officer: the senator fr oklahoma. mr. inhofe: madam president, i'd like to -- i ask unanimous consent that i be recognized as if in morning business. however, if anyone wants to come in and talk about the pending

3:09:09 to 3:09:27( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: bill, i will them. mr. leahy: reserving the right to object -- and i shall not object -- madam president, what time is this bill scheduled for a vote? the presiding officer at -- the vote will occur at 5:20, vote on cloture. mr. leahy: would be kind enough to

3:10:11 to 3:10:31( Edit History Discussion )

James Inhofe: this body are not aware of, and one is that when president obama gave his excellent was his inaugural speech, he recognized that we need to determine what we're going to do with those who are currently detained at guantanamo bay and those that may come into that

3:10:53 to 3:11:13( Edit History Discussion )

James Inhofe: on february 2, i took a group down there, some senators who had never been to guantanamo bay. back is say, why are we considering giving up this facility? in fact, shortly after that i introduced legislation that would prevent any transfers of detainees from guantanamo to anywhere in the united states or

3:11:36 to 3:11:56( Edit History Discussion )

James Inhofe: now, today there are approximately 245 detainees left. this is the problem: these detainees,bout 170, near as we can determine, are very, very serious detainees such as khalid mohammed and others who were directly involved in the planning of 9/11.

3:12:18 to 3:12:38( Edit History Discussion )

James Inhofe: the continental united states. they've talked about some 17 places that could detain these terrorists. the problem you have with that is these would become 17 magnets for terrorism in the united states. and i can't find one member of the united states senate -- not one -- who is willing to sl them -- any of these detained in his

3:13:03 to 3:13:23( Edit History Discussion )

James Inhofe: amount of money, $4,000 a year, for this facility, and it has -- it is the state-of-the-art place in the united states to take care of this type let's keep in mind that we also have expeditionary legal complex located at gitmo. it is about the only place of its kind in the world where you

3:13:45 to 3:14:05( Edit History Discussion )

James Inhofe: the different -- in our federal judiciary system. what we are looking at -- and i had madam president, to go to ft. sill in my state of oklahoma, which is one of that had been named as possible areas for detention of these individuals. sergeant major carter was there

3:14:29 to 3:14:53( Edit History Discussion )

James Inhofe: if i indications that they guantanamo. and secondly, the ratio is 1:2 in terms of health care facilities. these detainees -- there is one health care in most occasions there are doctors and nurses for each bay. we don't have anything like that at st. sill or leavenworth or any of the other places that

3:15:15 to 3:15:38( Edit History Discussion )

James Inhofe: down. what really troubles me most is the obama administration is more focused on closing down gitmo and protecting the rights of detainees than conducting a war on terror and protecting our country and its people from terrorists like those held currently at gitmo. it's interesting that attorney

3:16:00 to 3:16:23( Edit History Discussion )

James Inhofe: for political reasons yet i have not heard these political reasons, why it is that people are so obsessed with the idea of closing it down. i think it's time for the members of because as we look at the evidence that's there and the problems, we have to find a place to put the detainees that are there. and i say to my good friend from

3:16:48 to 3:17:09( Edit History Discussion )

James Inhofe: are going to be -- from saudi arabia, from other areas -- there's no place else they can be put. so i think we have an opportunity there to have a place that is secure that has the highest standards and, again, the only alternative to

3:17:31 to 3:17:53( Edit History Discussion )

James Inhofe: american neighborhoods." that's not 94-3. i would suggest to you, madam president, that we'll have the opportunity to call on those 94 and certainly their constituents want to have them released, any of these detainees released and

3:18:16 to 3:18:31( Edit History Discussion )

James Inhofe: my opportunity in the next few days before any final action takes place in allowin both the h express a very strong position that they don't want to have

3:19:15 to 3:19:36( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: it. and amendments, most republican amendm them or voted them down, but mostly included them on this bill. the cloture was filed oy because a huge number of amendments came in that had

3:19:59 to 3:20:01( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: my remarks, be put into the