Floor Statements

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the statements of Senators Harkin and Durbin be printed as in executive session.

Mr. President, if I could ask the majority leader to yield just for a brief second, I of course appreciate very much the majority leader's statement. It has even more meaning based on his being a physician. But having been to Africa just a few months ago for the second time, and to see the difference in the approximately 8 or 9 years from the time I first went, to see the devastation by this plague that is sweeping this continent is stark.

It is frightening to think that thousands of people every day in that continent are dying--not hundreds. They don't take weekends off. There are no vacations. They continue to die during those periods of time.

I say to my distinguished Republican leader, I also appreciate President Bush devoting some of his time in the State of the Union Address to AIDS and acknowledging that there is a need to do more financially. I appreciate that very much.

I do say, however, to the majority leader, that, as you know, we tried last year to pass the same initiative. So it is not as if we have been standing still. We tried to do this in the past and, frankly, we were held up in its passage.

I also say that the United States, of course, is doing a lot, doing more than any other country, as the majority leader has indicated. But I believe we have an obligation to do that. I think it is good that we are doing it. I think we should do more.

I also would like to support what the majority leader has said. The Gates Foundation is exemplary. I think it is wonderful we have a private sector joining to try to do something to defeat this plague. That is what it is.

Having said that, I want to say to the majority leader, separate and apart from HIV/AIDS, that the reason I came here--I am very glad I did because I was educated by the leader's speech--there are not opportunities to do this all the time, it is early in the session, it is early in your leadership but I would just like to say we have, I think, done some good work. Last week, we were able to complete the appropriations bill. There were some who said we were going to try to stop it.

The leader took our word for it and didn't file cloture early. I think that set a good tone in this body. Some of the time we spent last week was tedious, but it set a good foundation. I would also say, based on conversations we had off the floor today with you and the Democratic leader, it was not all that likely we would be able to complete the work on a very important nomination you have wanted, the President has wanted, but we were able to work that out.

The only reason I mention that tonight is, there will be days when I am sure you will criticize us, and we will criticize you for not being able to get a lot of things done. We sure appreciate the days we have.

I know the leader has not decided what time we will start on the Estrada nomination. I will talk to you privately about that, what time we should do that Tuesday. I think we have been able to accomplish some good things today.

I would also say, I did not realize the leader had decided what time to go to the nomination on Tuesday. We would rather start it after the caucuses on Tuesday. But if the leader feels he needs to go at 10, we will be ready to go at 10 Tuesday morning.

If the leader will yield, I should have said that good work was done this afternoon with the Secretary-nominee, Mr. Snow, meeting with Senators Durbin and Harkin. He obviously did an excellent job. I express my appreciation to him, but also to Senators Durbin and Harkin for allowing us to move forward.

Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to my friend and fellow Nevadan Andre Agassi, who won the Australian Open tennis championship over the weekend. Andre is from Las Vegas, where the community knows him to be not only an outstanding athlete but also an outstanding person who gives generously to many worthwhile causes and helps those most in need.

Blessed with amazing talent, Andre was a natural who began his professional career as a very young boy. Although he is still quite young by most standards, for a professional athlete, especially a world-class tennis player he is considered old. He will turn 33 this year and is now one of the true veterans of the men's tennis tour. He has demonstrated a tremendous dedication to fitness and training to enable him to compete--and win--against much younger players.

Andre demonstrates the same relentless determination to succeed off the

court, and to help others have an opportunity to achieve. The people of Nevada appreciate Andre's commitment to the community and his longstanding philanthropic work.

Andre Agassi is an example of how a celebrity can use his fame, fortune, and connections for the public good. He has contributed millions of dollars and helped raise millions more for charitable organizations. And his involvement in these projects extends beyond signing large checks: he gives his time and energy to these programs, helps develop a vision and plan for them and knows what's going on with them.

He established the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation to assist organizations that support children and that provide assistance to victims of domestic violence.

The foundation provided much of the funding for the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy. Agassi Prep, as it is called, is a charter school serving at risk children. Many of the students live in poverty. The vast majority of them are from single parent households. Most of the students attending the school are African American.

Andre's goal is to improve their lives through education and prepare them for college.

I had the opportunity to visit this wonderful school and see the students learning in the classroom and then present a performance. I was encouraged by their enthusiasm for knowledge and the respect that they showed for their teachers and for one another.

In addition to the charter school, there is the Andre Agassi Boys and Girls Club in west Las Vegas, a minority community, providing a safe and positive environment for youth. The club functions as a place where children can participate in fun, recreational activities and also learn about the dangers of becoming involved with gangs or drugs.

So Andre Agassi is making a difference in the lives of so many children and their families in Southern Nevada, some of whom are unaware that this weekend Down Under in Australia, thousands of miles and many time zones away, Andre won another major tennis championship, the eighth Grand Slam title of his career.

To accomplish this, Andre won seven straight matches over 2 weeks. This extends his victory streak to 21 consecutive matches at the Australian Open, a tournament he won in 1995, and then again in 2000 and 2001. Unfortunately, he was not able to defend his championship last year because of an injury. But he recovered and worked hard to get his form back and once again triumphed.

Another reason tennis fans are celebrating Andre's latest victory is his recent suggestion that if he won this tournament, his wife, Steffi Graf, herself a legend in the tennis world and winner of numerous championships, would come out of her retirement to team up with him and play mixed doubles at the French Open this year.

He and Steffi are a formidable pair and should create a lot of excitement on the clay courts in Paris.

Several years ago Andre won the men's singles at the French Open and became the first tennis male player in more than three decades to win all four of the Grand Slam tournaments--Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, the Australian Open, and the French--during his career. These events are played on different surfaces--grass, hardcourt and clay--that emphasize different skills and strategies, so it is very difficult and rare for a single player to have the versatility needed to excel on all of them.

Andre has already established himself as one of the all-time greats in the history of tennis and provided fans with many memories. He has been playing professional tennis now for more than half of his life. Even though he is playing some of the best tennis of his life and shows no signs of slowing down, we know that sooner or later, I predict within the next 10 years, Andre will win his last Grand Slam at age 40.

He and Steffi are the parents of a young boy, Jaden Gil, and I'm sure Andre will want to be actively involved in family life after his professional tennis days are over. I am also certain that Andre will continue his great work on behalf of children in Las Vegas, and he can look forward to watching with pride as the students of Agassi Prep grow up, graduate and achieve success.

I am happy to recognize once again the accomplishments of a great Nevadan and great American, Andre Agassi.

Mr. President, I certainly publicly acknowledge the statement made by our leader. I approve of the statement, as does our Democratic Caucus, and would simply say we look forward to working on a bipartisan basis with the President. There are a lot of things we need to do, but this is a democracy and we have to act accordingly. So I look forward to working with the President on all of these issues about which the Democratic leader spoke.

The time is now mine, and I want to talk about something that is real important to me, important to the State of Nevada, and the country. I do not think it would be a stretch to say this administration does not have a good record on protecting civil rights. Republicans say they are for diversity, but they are fighting against policies that promote diversity. Embarrassed and on the defensive following recent events that focused attention on the Republican Party's position on civil rights, the President and other prominent Republicans professed a new willingness to support efforts to expand opportunities for all Americans.

Unfortunately, they have not taken any action to suggest that they have a sincere change of heart. In fact, to the contrary, the President has recently opposed affirmative action policies that open the doors of higher education to a generation of talented and motivated minority students, and he does not oppose affirmative action that gets people in some of our best schools because they are children of alumni, that some students get into because of their athletic ability, and a lot of other issues that were not brought up in the brief the President filed with the Court.

The President has to fully fund education programs, including those targeting minority and low income students. The President has nominated and continues to nominate judicial candidates who have expressed and demonstrated hostilities to civil rights enforcement and has placed opponents of civil rights in positions of power.

Now comes the disturbing news that this administration is on the brink of attacking title IX, programs that have made America better, stronger, and fairer by enabling millions of young women the same educational opportunities as young men. We cannot--I personally will not--let the administration do that. We cannot let this administration even think about dismantling title IX, taking away opportunities from American women, and undoing the progress we have made over the last 30 years.

Title IX of the education amendments of 1972 was the landmark legislation that prohibits sex discrimination in federally funded educational athletic programs.

In my career, as in the career of the Presiding Officer, I have had the opportunity to meet some very outstanding people. One of the people I met was a woman by the name of Molly Yard. Molly Yard was five foot two, from Pennsylvania, a graduate of Swarthmore, born in China to missionary parents. She came back to the United States when she was age 13. Having participated in athletics in China, when she came back to the United States there were no programs for girls. She always felt less of a person than she could have been for not having the ability to participate in athletics. For this woman, who later in life became the president of the National Organization of Women and was heavily involved in all kinds of activities, the one issue of utmost importance to her was title IX and having young women involved in athletics.

I met Molly Yard. I met her when she was an older woman. She was still very dynamic. Even though, after I met her, she had a stroke and was physically infirm, she was still very enthusiastic about having worked for title IX and young women, girls, participating in athletics.

Evan Bayh, who is presently the Senator from Indiana, should be proud of his father for many achievements. All of us who know Birch Bayh, a former Senator from the State of Indiana, know what a fine man he is and what a great legislative record he accumulated while in Congress, but Evan should be most impressed with his father for being the sponsor of title IX. In 1972, it was Birch Bayh who wrote and introduced these amendments that made title IX what it is today.

I will focus my remarks primarily on equal opportunity in athletics, not the whole statute.

As a sports fan, I love athletics. As a young boy, my dream was to be a professional baseball player, but I was not good enough. So I am a Senator instead. As an avid sports fan, I wake up in the morning and the first thing I do is read the sports page. I do it because there is always good news on the sports page. People may not always be happy with the outcome of athletic events, but there is always something good happening on the sports page; somebody won this or won that.

I enjoy very much going out to our university campuses in Nevada. I live in the southern part of the State and go to UNLV most of the time to watch girls athletics. I love to watch softball. I don't know how many people watch college level or high school level girls softball, but it is so exciting. I hope I don't offend Jim Bunning, but it is more exciting than baseball. It is quick and fast.

I have had the opportunity to watch some great athletes play softball. Lori Harrigan pitched and won games in two successive Olympics. I recently had a thrilling experience with a young lady named Nicole Truax, an intern from the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, a pitcher on one of their softball teams. I love to talk to Nicole. When she was 12 years old, her father could no longer catch her ball. She threw the ball so hard that her dad could not catch it.

That is what girls athletics is all about. I went to a UNLV girls basketball game recently and I went into the locker room afterwards and talked to them about title IX, about the reason they can participate in athletics, because of a law we passed in Congress.

On the high school level, I recently visited Gorman High School and watched Gorman High School play. The main reason I went was one of my friend's two girls play. They are both athletes, Danielle and Jackie Bates. They run track and play basketball.

I recently visited with and helped present some awards to the Green Valley High School golf team. This golf team set a national record for consecutive victories. On October 1 of last year they broke the record of 128 straight duel match wins by completing another unbeaten season, extending the streak to 133 over 11 years. Girls playing golf; they won the State championship last year by 70 streaks. That is what girls do in athletics.

Before title IX, it was rare to see girls and young women playing sports. Even if they wanted to play and were tall, they could not play in organized competitions because high schools and universities did not have women's teams. When I was in high school, my wife, who I am sure was more athletic than I, could only be a cheerleader. She could not play basketball. Of course, she is only 5 feet tall. There are a lot of 5-foot tall basketball players in women's sports. In those days, a young lady could only become a cheerleader; there were no other athletic competitions for her.

My oldest child is a daughter. Title IX was just coming into being. Programs were very sparse when she was in school and she did not participate in athletics. All my four boys participated. There were programs all over for them.

Thanks to title IX, women today have a much broader range of athletic and educational opportunities at all schools in Nevada and all over America. It has helped to dramatically increase participation in sports among female students. Since the implementation of title IX, there has been an already tenfold participation in high

school sports for girls. Now, there are 3 million girls participating in athletics. At the college level, the number is 150,000 athletes. This shows if you build it, they will come. Girls and young women have a high level of interest in sports and have embraced the opportunity to participate.

This dramatic increase in women participating in athletics has taken place even though women athletes still do not get equal treatment or equal funding that boys and men get. At schools in cities and towns and communities across the country, the boys who play sports are worshipped as heroes and get fancy uniforms, sometimes two or three seats for each player, new training facilities, and the best practice fields and games and an expensive travel budget.

I am sure women, before title IX, would have welcomed a chance to play on any school team, even if it meant wearing an old worn-out uniform, playing at less convenient times. But for girls it is not enough just to play. They deserve equal treatment. That is the law. Despite the inequality and unfairness, girls and young women participate in record numbers.

Remarkably, some critics of title IX trot out old stereotypes, claiming that women are not interested in sports. That is simply not true. The statistics show otherwise. The participation rate of girls in high school athletic programs since 1992 has increased 800 percent. There are five times as many women in college athletics.

We all know young men are actively pursuing opportunities to play sports. They see Michael Jordan and they want to be just like Michael, to jump to new heights. Girls also admire women who are successful in athletics, such as a Mia Hamm or a Julie Foudy, who played on our World Cup championship team, or Sheila Leslie, who plays basketball, or Gail Devers, who can run faster than most men in the world. That is whom they admire. And even though there are the Greg Madduxes and Steve Youngs men admire and respect, there are women athletes whom young women aspire to be like, such as Tasha Schwikert from Las Vegas, still in high school, a gymnast who is ranked No. 1 in the country and fifth in the world. It inspires other young ladies. They see Serena and Venus Williams shining on the court and ask, Why not me?

Last summer, the Secretary of Education announced the appointment of a panel to study title IX. It would have been great if he called for a review of how better to enforce the law, but he did not. Although no one in the administration dares to criticize title IX, and Secretary Paige praised it, they are poised to gut it. American girls and young women must be thinking that with friends like these, who claim to follow the law and like the law but are acting to undermine it, who needs enemies.

This week, the President's Commission on Opportunity in Athletics is holding its final meeting and will soon make recommendations that threaten the achievements American society has made because of title IX. It would be better entitled the President's Commission to Prevent Opportunity in Athletics.

I am deeply concerned about the stealth attack on women. If the President agrees with recommendations of this Commission--which, by the way, is heavily weighed by very large schools with great big football programs--he can make revolutionary changes. Even though Congress and the courts and the American people and women and men have consistently supported title IX, he could do this, but it would be wrong.

Yesterday, new data released by the Women's Sports Foundation found that the proposed changes being made by the President's Commission could result in a loss of as many as 931,000 opportunities for girls to participate in high school sports each year. Is this bad or wrong? Of course.

What are some of the facts about title IX? What is it and what is it not? No. 1, opponents of title IX claim they are in favor of title IX but not as policies. They certainly do not want to jeopardize men's athletics. No. 2, in reality, nothing in the law or policy requires schools to set aside a certain mandatory number of slots for athletics. In fact, every court that heard this argument has said title IX does not require quotas.

No. 3, then, means title IX is not a quota system. Although one way a school can comply with the law is by ensuring the percentage of male and female students is about equal--the race of men and women in the student body is not the only way you can do it--there are many other ways.

For example, schools can comply with title IX simply by showing it is trying to expand opportunities for female athletes or that it has accommodated interests of female students at the school, whatever the number of opportunities it provides. One proposal apparently being reviewed allows colleges and universities to limit the number of scholarships awarded to female athletes. Regardless of how many women are enrolled, a school would be allowed to limit women to just 43 percent of college scholarships. Why? On average, women comprise 53 percent of the student body's division 1 colleges at the top level of competition, but they are only 41 percent of the athletes,

For most Americans title IX is synonymous with our efforts to provide girls and women an equal opportunity to participate in sports, but title IX addresses a whole range of important programs and issues related to education. In fact, only a small fraction of the title IX complaints received by the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights are related to athletics. Maybe that is too bad, but it is a fact.

Title IX also has helped to provide women with equal access to higher education. Years ago, many universities excluded or severely restricted women from admission to certain programs. Now, however, the percentages of women enrolled in American law schools and medical schools are approximately the same as for men.

Unfortunately, according to reports recently issued both by the National Women's Law Center and the National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education young women continue to be subject to persistent gender segregation and discriminatory counseling in high school vocational and technical education programs at American high schools. They are often steered toward programs like cosmetology, health aide preparation, and child care training all of which lead to lower paying jobs while male students congregate in programs leading to higher paying careers in technology and the trades. This has significant negative implications for women's employment prospects and earning power.

We need to vigorously defend and enforce title IX in all of the areas it covers, so that we can sustain and expand upon the progress we have made. We need not to weaken the programs but to strengthen them.

We need to recognize the importance of title IX in opening educational opportunities for women in math, science, engineering and technology and examine the underrepresentation of female students at both the secondary and post-secondary levels in traditionally male areas of study such as physical science, engineering and technology programs, and the barriers that women continue to face in these programs.

I am concerned that it the President takes steps to deny girls and young women equal opportunity in athletics some will see that as a message that it is also okay to chip away at other laws and programs that protect women and promote fairness.

We need effective title IX enforcement--not weakening--to ensure women have the same opportunities as men to participate in science and technology programs and classes.

While we should be happy with all the progress we have made providing girls and women with opportunities previously denied them, we must continue our efforts to promote gender equality because the job is not complete.

Programs that have proven so effective in helping girls and women are under assault from critics who would like to turn the clock back.

We cannot allow these challenges to succeed--and we will not.

The girls and women playing sports now, their ``soccer Moms'' and ``basketball Dads'' will not tolerate a reversal of title IX--and neither will those of us in Congress who advocate equal opportunity for women.

We must continue to encourage participation in sports and provide girls and women the same opportunities

that boys and men have traditionally had. Athletic training and competition have the same benefits for females as for males: teaching them not only how to score goals but also how to set goals--and work hard to achieve them, promoting cooperation and teamwork, developing leadership skills, and instilling self-confidence.

Mr. President, I have had the opportunity to serve in the Senate with two great athletes, two Hall of Fame athletes. One is Bill Bradley, who until recently was a Senator from New Jersey. What a fine man he is. A lot of his greatness was as a result of his athletic abilities.

Senator Jim Bunning from Kentucky, with whom I have had the pleasure to serve and get to know, is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, as Senator Bradley is of the Basketball Hall of Fame. Jim Bunning is here for a lot of different reasons, however most notably, this man, as he went through his baseball career, developed this tremendous confidence. Anyone who knows Jim Bunning knows of his tremendous self-confidence. That came as a result of his athletic prowess, ability, and hard work. That is what athletics is all about, and it works for women as it does for men.

At a time when far too many American youth lead sedentary lifestyles and are obese, we must support programs that lead to improved fitness and health. Adolescent female athletes are more likely than non- athletes to develop a positive body image and less likely to become pregnant. They also are at less risk for diseases and health problems that afflict women like osteoporosis or breast cancer.

In addition, sports provide a safe and health alternative to drugs, alcohol, and tobacco, and to anti-social behavior. Students who participate in these programs feel a greater connection to school, have an additional incentive to attend classes and keep their grades up so they can maintain their eligibility.

I am disappointed, if not surprised, that some critics would like to halt this progress. They are making misleading and unfair criticisms of title IX. We are watching what this commission does this week in Washington.

So while we remain vigilant against attacks on title IX, we must also push for its continued implementation and enforcement, and the only changes we will allow will be changes for the better.

Often, we hear that girls and women are the beneficiaries of title IX. I'm sure they are. But I think it is more accurate to say that we all benefit from this important civil rights legislation. Certainly, American society as a whole is better when women--who after all make up more than half of our population--are provided a fair and equal opportunity to develop their full potential.

Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Reserving the right to object, Madam President.

Madam President, I understand the leader wants to go out at around 6 o'clock tonight. As far as the Democratic time is concerned, I would like 25 minutes allotted to Senator Byrd, who wishes to speak now, but during the remainder of the time, without any specific designation as to when it starts, I would ask unanimous consent that 20 minutes of our time be given to Senator Kennedy, 7\1/2\ minutes to Senator Schumer, and 7\1/2\ minutes to Senator Feinstein.

I appreciate the courtesy of my friend from Arizona.

Mr. President, last week in recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday, I spoke about the importance of continuing his legacy and working to ensure that the civil rights of all Americans are protected. I discussed my concerns that some of the current administration's policies jeopardize the gains our Nation has made.

In prefacing my remarks last week, I criticized President Bush, based on a disturbing report that recently appeared in Time magazine declaring that this administration had reinstated the tradition of delivering a floral wreath to the Confederate Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery.

The information I referenced in my speech was inaccurate, as Time magazine has subsequently issued a correction clarifying that the wreath practice was not initiated by President Bush, but in fact had been done by previous administrations. I, therefore, apologize to President Bush, as my remarks regarding the floral arrangement were inaccurate.

I do think this exercise should be discontinued by President Bush, regardless of the past history of the practice.

Reserving the right to object.

Mr. President, can we modify the request so that we lock in which Democrats expect to be here? Some of the times are more than 10 minutes, so we will need to ask unanimous consent to do that. I will go over that now with the consent of the Republican leader: From 11:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m., Senator Durbin; 11:45 a.m. to 12 noon, Senator Boxer; from 12 noon to 12:15 p.m., Senator Stabenow; from 12:15 p.m. to 12:30 p.m., Senator Biden; from 2:15 p.m. to 2:45 p.m., Senator Kennedy will be in control of the time. There will be some other Senators who will speak, but Senator Kennedy will allot the time. From 2:45 p.m. to 3:05 p.m., Senators Boxer and Jeffords; from 3:05 p.m. to 3:15 p.m., Senator Schumer.

This throws morning business off by 15 minutes. If the leader wants to take 15 minutes for the Republicans at 5 o'clock, that will be appropriate, but from 4:15 p.m. to 5 p.m., Senators Dayton and Dorgan control that time.

Mr. President, the note I was given had the wrong time. It will be from 4:45 p.m. to 5 p.m., Senator Dayton.

Mr. President, if I may say before the leader leaves the floor, I believe we had a productive week last week. It was extremely difficult and contentious at times. When it ended, I think it was good. I hope the leader will use whatever influence he has, which is significant, to have the conference move forward. We need to get this bill done. I hope the leader will do whatever he can to have the House and the Senate begin meeting immediately, and, of course, the way it works is the administration is heavily involved in those conferences. This is so important. I hope we start that ``yesterday.''

Will the Senator yield for a question?

I also read that article in the Senator's hometown newspaper, and I am wondering, if this is a closed hearing, is this a focus group? And I wonder if the lobbyists don't like certain lines of that speech, or certain paragraphs or phrases, do you think he will change the speech?

I ask the Senator, also, based on what was reported in the Senator's home State newspaper, it appears to me, in answering my own question, that maybe they had a lot more to do with writing that speech than one would necessarily think. I think these people already know what is going to be in the speech, if you represent Eli Lilly. You can tell about that from what went on on the floor last week.

Will the Senator yield?

Will the Senator explain what this chart means?

How did that turn out?

How far were they off? It is $283 billion, plus $159 billion, that's how far they were off?

That is easy: $341 billion.

I also ask my friend, wouldn't this $300 billion surplus that is the revised estimate be one of the largest deficits in more than 2 decades?

Will the Senator yield?

The majority leader is not in the Chamber to close the Senate, and I have a couple of questions I would like to ask. Mitch Daniels, the head of the Office of Management and Budget, said on January 16 this year we ought not to hyperventilate about this new deficit estimate. Are you aware that the Senate majority leader said on January 5, 1996: ``We have a moral obligation to balance the budget; I am very hopeful that we are going to see to that''? Are you aware he said that?

Is the Senator aware that on February 1, 1998, the senior Senator from New Hampshire said: ``As long as we have a Republican Congress we are going to have a balanced budget, and if we can get a Republican President we can start paying down the debt on the Federal Government''?

That really has not proven to be true, has it?

Is the Senator aware that on November 15, 1995, the junior Senator from Pennsylvania, now a part of the Senate leadership in the majority, said: ``The American people are sick and tired of excuses for inaction to balance the budget. The public wants us to stay the course toward a balanced budget, and we take that obligation quite seriously''?

That really is not the way it is. Is it not true that during the last 4 years of the Clinton administration we spent less money than we took in?

Is it not true we had a surplus?

Is it not true we were even warned the last year of the Clinton administration to be careful, the debt is being paid down too quickly, slow it down or it may have some short-term impact on the economy?

Is the Senator aware that on February 6, 1997, the senior Senator from Nebraska said: ``The real threat to Social Security is the national debt. If we do not act to balance the budget and stop adding to the debt, then we are truly placing the future of Social Security in jeopardy''? These huge deficits that have been accumulated during the last 2 years of this administration--the first 2 years, I should say, of this administration, the last 2 years--certainly that is not good for Social Security. Senator Hagel is right, is that not true?

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, reserving the right to object, if I can have the attention of my friend, tomorrow, under the Democrats' first hour, I ask unanimous consent that Senator Daschle be recognized for the first half hour and the Senator from Nevada, Senator Reid, be recognized for the second half hour.

Mr. President, under the direction of the Democratic leader, we have been able to move a lot of amendments. We also have about six amendments left on this side at this stage, or maybe a couple of others may pop up, but that is what we have. The managers of the bill are going to try to move a bunch of amendments shortly. I think we have an opportunity to finish this bill some time early this evening.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the time for morning business be divided, with the Republicans getting the last half and the Democrats getting the first half.