Floor Statements

Mr. President, I have been back in the Republican cloakroom meeting with Senators Gregg and Conrad. I think we are at a point where we should be able to enter a finite list of amendments. That should be momentarily, I hope. Once we get those listed, then the managers and staffs will look to see which can be accepted on each side and which have to be voted on. Some will be taken by voice, perhaps.

It is now 8 o'clock and we have quite a few amendments. I hope everyone will be cooperative. I think we are at a point where we can do a pretty good job of working through these.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk.

I ask unanimous consent the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mr. President, there is a problem on whose behalf I am offering this. We will get this resolved very quickly. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, the record should reflect this is not being offered on behalf of Senator Cardin or Senator Menendez. It is being offered by me.

This is an important amendment. We believe in the COPS Program. The purpose of the program is to stop crime and the sanctuary city program, that is being advocated by my friend from Louisiana will not alleviate crime. In fact, it will stop people from even going to law enforcement if there is a crime committed, because if they go to a police officer, the police officer, under this provision Senator Vitter has, would have to ask whether citizenship is up to date, and I don't think that does anyone any good. We want immigrants to report crimes. We don't want people taking advantage of them. We want safety. That is what the COPS Program is all about.

We have a Federal form of Government, and that is what this is all about. I certainly ask my friends to vote in favor of this amendment. This is for law enforcement and it is for safe cities and it is to protect our form of Government.

I move to reconsider the vote.

I move to reconsider the vote.

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

Prior to that time, we are going to have a finite list.

Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. President, this has been cleared by the minority and the majority managers.

I ask unanimous consent the following numbered amendments be the only amendments in order, that if Senator Gregg or Senator Conrad decide they want a so-called side-by-side with these, that is at their discretion.

I would ask unanimous consent there be no second-degree amendments in order. The amendments are: 4242, 4230, 4330, 4276, 4168, 4186, 4220, 4308, 4209, 4233, 4311, 4307, 4345, 4344, 4357, 4339, 4371, 4347, 4269, 4243, 4270, 4206, 4369, 4334, 4375, 4283, 4265, 4159, 4331, 4351, 4202, 4200, 4255, 4245, 4361, 4300, 4256, 4310 and an unnumbered

amendment by Senator Brown, an unnumbered amendment by Senator Whitehouse, an unnumbered amendment by Senator Bingaman, an unnumbered amendment by Senator Kyl, an unnumbered amendment by Senator DeMint, an amendment No. 4268, an unnumbered amendment by Senator Conrad, and an unnumbered amendment by Senator Vitter.

I would say to everyone, there is no one trying to take advantage of anyone. If there is a problem we will be happy to work with you. This is a finite list. If there is some misunderstanding, we have two of the most generous, patient men I have ever seen, Senator Conrad and Senator Gregg. We will work with you. Let's get this locked down. If there is a problem, we will work with you. No one is trying to take advantage of anyone.

I ask unanimous consent that we approve this agreement. If there is something that my friend from Louisiana has a problem with, we will talk with him.

Yes.

I have no problem with that. I renew my previous unanimous consent request.

I move to lay that motion on the table.

The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.

Would my friend yield?

Mr. President, we have a few amendments. We know everyone is very tired. We are doing very well. I would hope that those who have sense-of-the-Senate amendments would consider not moving them. I know they are important amendments, but they are sense of the Senate.

Anyway, even with those, we do not have many left. So if everyone would be patient, the staff is working very hard. The managers have another group of amendments that can be accepted. So if everyone will be very patient, final passage is going to be close. We need everybody here. So everyone please be patient.

Amendments Nos. 4270, as Modified; 4302, 4300, 4331, 4209, as Modified;

4375, 4307, and 4371

Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.

I move to lay that motion on the table.

The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Mr. President, I have talked to the managers of the bill. We have two amendments left. It is my understanding the Biden amendment, which has 16 or 17 Republican cosponsors, is going to be accepted.

No?

We do not have an answer yet. When do you think we might have an answer?

We have two left. We have the Biden amendment and we have the Vitter amendment. We have indicated that we would take the Vitter amendment without a vote. It is a sense of the Senate. We have had 40 amendments already. The average is 32. It is 1 o'clock in the morning. I think it would be appropriate if we could work something out on these last two and have final passage. Everyone has their rights, but I would say that we get an answer on the Biden amendment.

We have an answer?

OK, we need a vote. Listen, I am happy to vote. But I sure hope we can work to change the rules, Mr. President, next go-around. But we have not changed them yet. We keep talking about it.

So, anyway, the one thing that brought a little bit of peace and serenity to this chaotic situation has been the two managers of the bill. They have been patient and very good in everything they have done. So I appreciate the good job they are doing. They have worked together for so many years, and I think they have set an example of how people, in very adverse conditions, should work together.

Mr. President, for the information of all Members, we will not be in session today. We will have final passage. I said this just a few minutes ago, but it really speaks volumes. This bill has been managed in a very professional way, and we appreciate the good work.

We will be out now for 2 weeks. There will be no votes on Monday, March 31, but there will be votes--it is more apropos to what we have done today--on April Fools' Day, April 1. We are going to have votes before lunch on Tuesday, April 1. We will have votes before lunch. So everyone should be advised there will be votes before noon on Tuesday. I hope everyone will keep that in mind and have a happy and successful 2-week break period.

Mr. President, I apologize to everyone. Everyone, please be patient.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

I move to reconsider, and I move to lay that motion on the table.

The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Mr. President, I now ask unanimous consent to proceed to Calendar No. 340, H.R. 3221, and I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, I ask now that there be a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for a period of up to 10 minutes each.

As in executive session, I ask unanimous consent that the injunction of secrecy be removed from the following treaty transmitted to the Senate on March 13, 2008, by the President of the United States:

Protocol Amending 1980 Tax Convention with Canada (Treaty

Document No. 110-15).

I further ask that the treaty be considered as having been read the first time; that it be referred, with accompanying papers, to the Committee on Foreign Relations and ordered to be printed; and that the President's message be printed in the Record.

I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed to H. Con. Res. 316, the adjournment resolution.

I ask unanimous consent the motion to reconsider be laid on the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Con. Res. 71

I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be laid on the table, and that any statements be printed in the Record.

The concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 71) was agreed to.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 486.

I ask unanimous consent that the resolution and preamble be agreed to, en bloc, and the motions to reconsider be laid on the table, and any statements be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 487.

I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be laid on the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to S. Res. 488.

I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid on the table, and

there be no intervening action or debate, and any statements relating to this matter be printed in the Record.

I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to S. Res. 489.

I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be and preamble be agreed to bloc, the motions to reconsider be laid on the table en bloc, and that any statements relating to this matter be printed in the Record.

I now ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to S. Res. 485 relating to the death of former Senator Howard Metzenbaum.

I ask unanimous consent that Senator Sherrod Brown be added as an original cosponsor of the resolution.

I ask unanimous consent that the resolution and preamble be agreed to en bloc, and the motions to reconsider be laid on the table.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding the upcoming recess or adjournment of the Senate, the President of the Senate, the President pro tempore, and the majority and minority leaders be authorized to make appointments to commissions, committees, boards, conferences or interparliamentary conferences authorized by law, by concurrent action of the two Houses or by order of the Senate.

Mr. President, I have spent a lot of time today with the President's Chief of Staff, Josh Bolten. I have said before, he is a very pleasant man. We worked for a long time today trying to work ourselves through the nominations. I think we made great progress. I think we have teed things up to do even more when we come back after 2 weeks.

To show my good faith, when Mr. Bolten said he wanted to work with us, I approved Mr. Filip, who the Attorney General said was very important to him. Judge Filip left a Federal judgeship and is now acting as the Attorney General's Chief of Staff, for lack of a better word.

So we have made progress. And even through this that we have done today, I, in good faith, threw in some people I thought were important, even though we did not have them done--and that was not part of the original deal--and that was to confirm the head of the Internal Revenue Service. But we have done that.

So, Mr. President, I now ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session to consider the following nominations: 401, 402, 404, 428, 429, 430, 431, 440, 441, 450, 452, 460, 461, 463, 464, 465, 467, 468, 469, 470, 475, 480, 481 through 489, 490 through 507, 509, 511 through 515, and all nominations on the Secretary's desk; that the nominations be confirmed en bloc, the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action, and the Senate return to legislative session.

Mr. President, these have been approved; is that right?

I move to reconsider the vote, and I move to lay that motion on the table.

The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Mr. President, just to show that we are trying to work with the President's Chief of Staff, as I indicated earlier, we put this in. Even though it wasn't part of the original agreement I had with Mr. Bolten, we added Doug Shuma, Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service--I am looking for Mr. Sullivan--and John J. Sullivan, Deputy Secretary of Commerce. So we have worked hard to live up to our end of the bargain. I hope when we come back after the break, we can do more. I have indicated to the distinguished Republican leader and to Mr. Bolton, if things work out right and we are able to work together, there should be some judges we can approve when we come back.