the role of the Federal Government in emergencies is to assist states, not just say it is your responsibility, good luck, because that is not acceptable.

Let me ask on one issue I am concerned about and that is one of the parts of the debris is a sizable amount.

If Homeland Security and the military did not know the ship was this close to the United States and it was just floating unmanned--I doubt they did not know this.

As I understand the current Act, we do not have the authority to actually do the cleanup.

I think part of the problem is NOAA stepping into this arena is one that we are not very familiar with.

Since the event, NOAA's Marine Debris Program has closely monitored the incoming tides of debris.

We do not have the funds to mount a cleanup, especially in areas as remote as Alaska or some of the northwestern Hawaiian islands.

this Senator is going to continue to push until NOAA responds in the appropriate way of giving our coastal communities the answers that they deserve.

It is incredibly expensive to do this kind of a cleanup.

Plastic is everywhere.

The impact of marine debris is significant and requires our immediate attention.

How do you respond to that? And maybe you cannot.

However, the reality is that given Alaska's geography, distance from the lower 48, and the very remote locations of small rural communities...

We need some ability, because at the end of the year, they will not be able to pay their RUS loans, and they will be out of business.

Is there a way, especially for very small carriers, because the waiver process cost is the same.

Some Alaskan communities, including the entire island of Adak are on the brink of disaster because of the sever USF funding cuts established in your reform order.

I want to thank you for working with me during the FCC's recent efforts to reform the Universal Service Fund.

I rise to commend the members of the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division from Fort Wainwright, AK upon completion of their deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. I am pleased to offer a…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs' Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia be authorized to meet during the session of…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on May 9, 2012, at 2 p.m. to conduct a…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Policy be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on May 9, 2012, at 10 a.m. to conduct a hearing entitled ``The…

I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on May 9, 2012, at 2:30 p.m. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Subcommittee on Economic…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on May 9, 2012, at 2:30 p.m., in room SD 226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct a hearing entitled…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on May 9, 2012, at 10 a.m., in room SD 226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct a hearing entitled ``Oversight…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on May 9, 2012, at 10 a.m. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered…