Floor Statements

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

I move to lay that motion on the table.

The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Amendment No. 2706

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, in Iraq and Afghanistan, like so many conflicts before, our servicemembers have done absolutely everything that has been asked of them. They have answered the President's call to war with honor and a sense of duty we have come to expect from our Nation's bravest men and women. They have performed under enormous pressure in the middle of a civil war, they have left behind loved ones who count on them, and they have continued to put their lives on the line every day.

Unfortunately, at home, their commitment to service has not been met yet by an administration that is committed to care for them. From poor conditions at VA facilities around the country, lack of PTSD counselors, benefits claims backlogs that keep our veterans waiting for months and months and months and sometimes years, it is very clear that so far this administration has failed to account for our Nation's veterans and to count them as a cost of this war. It is unacceptable that servicemembers who fought overseas are returning home and being forced to fight their own Government for the care and services they need.

Today, with the bill that is in front of us, the VA bill, we take a major step toward reversing that trend and the Bush administration's failure to care for our heroes. The funding for our veterans included in the VA bill is more than $3.6 billion over the President's request. After years of cutting corners on caring for our heroes, we are finally putting forth an honest assessment of what these men and women need.

This bill takes into account the additional strains on the VA system that simultaneous wars and new battlefield realities present. It is an investment that represents nearly all of the independent budget, which is the recommendation of the funds needed to care for our veterans and is compiled by our veterans service organization.

This bill invests in improving health care, expanding mental health services, and constructing new facilities that are really needed. It is going to mean, when this bill is passed and signed by the President, more qualified health care workers, better prosthetics that our servicemembers are asking for, and more accessible veterans facilities. It is also going to mean, importantly, thousands of new VA case workers who will help us reduce that unacceptable delay that we have heard about from so many of our veterans when they come home and try to access their benefits.

It will improve conditions at our VA facilities. It will add an increased investment in polytrauma and mental health care facilities that will drastically improve treatment for PTSD and traumatic brain injury and catastrophic injuries as well. Most of all, this bill means after years of neglect our Government is again going to honor our veterans' sacrifices.

This bill and all it provides could not come at a more crucial time. As a member myself of both the appropriations subcommittee that is responsible for this bill and the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, I have heard numerous times firsthand about the VA's shortcomings in caring for our veterans. In fact, last month on the August break I held a Senate Veterans' Affairs field hearing in Takoma, WA, to specifically examine the challenges that men and women are facing when they come home. At that hearing I spoke with Brandon Jacobs. He is a veteran of the Army and National Guard, and he served in Iraq. He said a lot more has to be done to raise awareness of post-traumatic stress syndrome and combat-related stresses. He talked about how we needed to not only increase access for him and his fellow servicemembers, but also for the families that struggle when a loved one returns home with an invisible wound.

I also heard from a young man, Dan Purcell. He is an Iraq veteran who said he didn't ``want to be treated as a tool that could be casually discarded when broken or found to be no longer useful.'' What a tragic statement from someone who served us overseas, that when he comes home he feels like a discarded tool because he has been broken. That is not how we should be treating our veterans, and that is not how this VA/HUD bill treats our veterans.

This bill that is before us finally takes the important steps that are necessary to recognize Brandon and Dan and so many others who are part of the costs of this war. We also have to make sure our troops are ready and that they receive the training they need before we send them overseas. I am very pleased that within this bill, the military construction investments that are made will help our country do a better job in training the men and women we asked to serve us in our military. In my home State of Washington, our military facilities play a very important role in our Nation's security. We have Fort Lewis in Tacoma, where we are training the Stryker Brigades at the center of the fighting in Iraq, we have Fairchild Air Force Base in Spokane that plays a major role in our air defense, and we have the Naval Air Station Whidbey Island that helps patrol the Pacific shores. It is extremely critical that these bases, which serve such vital roles, receive the funding they need.

The bill that is in front of us today does just that and provides more than $635 million in improvements for Washington State military installations. I thank Senators Reed and Hutchison for their special attention and recognition of the needs of our bases in my home State of Washington and across the country. Their leadership on this bill has been outstanding.

I know the chair and ranking member will be on the Senate floor throughout today. The leader has told us that he wants this bill finished by this evening. I urge all Members who have any amendments to come this afternoon to get their amendments offered because we do have to wrap up this bill. We are very aware of the timelines that are approaching, the very short amount of time that is left to get our numerous appropriations bills through. We intend to move them through. In order to do that we ask Members to come to the floor today, offer their amendments, let's work through them and get this bill passed so we can get it sent to the President.

It is important to pass this bill because this bill recognizes that any time we invest in building our military and improving training for our troops we invest in their care. I remind my colleagues what George Washington famously observed one time:

The willingness with which our young people are likely to

serve in any way war, no

matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how

they perceive the veterans of earlier wars were treated and

appreciated by their country.

The bill in front of us reverses President Bush's failures and carries through on the commitment that our very first President discussed. It keeps our military strong by honoring the sacrifices of our heroes with the funding that meets their needs.

I note this bill has been endorsed by the Disabled Americans, Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, Paralyzed Veterans of America, AMVETS, and the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, among many other veterans service organizations that take so much time out of their own lives to fight for our veterans and recognize the critical funding for this bill.

I note an AP article from this morning that says the Secretary of the VA, Secretary Nickolson, has said in a letter to key lawmakers they do not need additional funding, they just need this bill passed. I note we have heard that song before, and that song was wrong.

We have to do the right thing. This bill is critical. The additional funding in this bill, I think every Member knows is needed. Every one of us has been out there and talked to the men and women who have come home from Iraq, to their families, and heard from PTSD counselors on down the line who have visited facilities or Walter Reed or seen facilities in their own States. They know this funding is needed. I encourage my colleagues to come to the Senate floor, offer their amendments, get this bill expeditiously to conference and sent to the President. I encourage the President and Secretary not to challenge us on the need for funding but to do the right thing; recognize the care of our service men and women is part of the cost of war. It is an obligation we have to meet.

We are meeting it with this bill, and I hope we can get it done quickly so our veterans, many men and women who have served us, will know this country is doing right by them.

I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, today, Senate Democrats offered the Bush administration the tools needed to fight international terrorism while upholding the very liberties that our enemies seek to destroy. That is why I support S. 2011, the Rockefeller-Levin Protect America Act.

The Rockefeller-Levin bill strengthens our ability to protect Americans, while ensuring this authority doesn't undermine our freedoms. Rockefeller-Levin gives the Director of National Intelligence the authority to obtain all essential intelligence information while preserving a role for the independent FISA Court to oversee his methods and protect our constitutional liberties.

To simply legitimize the Bush administration's warrantless wiretap program and provide unchecked authority to invade the personal privacy of all Americans is the wrong message to send to our citizens and the world.

Our Constitution provides for a separation of powers to protect our Nation and our way of life, and I, for one, do not believe we can undermine the liberty our troops have fought for generations to ensure.

I move to lay that motion on the table.

Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.

Madam President, all children should be able to see a doctor when they are sick, and all children should be able to get the medicine they need to make them better. When a kid gets a cut or requires stitches or comes down with a fever or an earache or with any imaginable problem, they should be able to get help, period. Unfortunately, today in America, the richest and most successful country ever, that is not the case. In fact, millions of American children do not have health insurance today, which means millions of American children cannot see a doctor when they are sick and millions of American children do not get the medicine they need to get better. As wages remain stagnant, as the cost of living--heat, food, clothing, college tuition, doctor's visits--increases, more and more parents today are unable to afford health care, and the ranks of uninsured children are growing.

This tragedy can only be described as a shame. It is unquestionably our moral obligation as Americans to correct it. It does not matter if you are Republican or Democrat, progressive or conservative--making sure our children get health care is the moral thing to do. Now, most of us in the Senate know this, and we are working now to do the moral thing--support reauthorizing and improving the Children's Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, which takes massive steps forward to giving our kids better health insurance in this country.

This bill will ensure that the 6.6 million children who are enrolled in CHIP continue receiving care, and it provides 3.2 million uninsured children with coverage. As a result, over the next 5 years, the number of uninsured children in America will drop by more than a third. It also strengthens the program by increasing funding for States that need the most help. You know, in recent years under President Bush's watch, many of our States have faced funding shortfalls, jeopardizing the coverage of countless children.

This bill also provides an emergency fund to cover unexpected shortfalls arising from economic downturns or emergencies. In fact, the Congressional Budget Office, which is a nonpartisan group of experts, predicts that 800,000 children now covered by CHIP or children's health insurance will lose coverage over the next 5 years unless there is an increase in funding above the base amount required.

This legislation which is before the Senate today provides $100 million as well for outreach and enrollment efforts that increase the participation of children in the Children's Health Insurance Program. It includes a national campaign to help raise awareness of the Children's Health Insurance Program and the targeting of our children in rural areas with high populations of eligible but unenrolled children today. Another outreach effort will provide funds for translation and interpretation service for CHIP, so minority children, especially Native Americans and Hispanics, will become more aware of this program.

Finally, this authorization plan provides my home State of Washington with the funding and flexibility we need to provide more children with quality health care.

This bill is a big win-win for Washington State and the many families who struggle to provide care for their children today. One of the smartest parts of this plan is that the money for these initiatives-- $35 billion over 5 years--comes solely from a 61-cent excise tax increase on cigarettes and

other tobacco products. No other programs are cut; Social Security is not raided; the deficit will not be increased.

Not only will this bill provide millions of American children with health care, but it is estimated that it will lead 1.7 million adult smokers to quit smoking, and that will cause a 9.2-percent decline in youth smoking and will prevent over 1.8 million kids from becoming smokers. So when you provide health care to millions of children and lead millions of young people to stop smoking or to never pick up a cigarette, this bill is a win-win for our country and for our children.

I think it is very important that I thank my colleague, Senator Max Baucus, for his tireless work on this issue and for all of America's children. Without his determination, we would not be so close to providing more of our kids with health care.

It is also important to note that this bill is bipartisan. Senator Grassley has worked very hard, along with Senator Baucus, in creating this legislation. It was passed out of committee on a commendable bipartisan basis.

Another big supporter of this bill on the floor has been Senator Hatch, who was a cosponsor, actually, of the original 1997 bill.

I listened to him as he recently said:

We are trying to do what is right by our children who are

currently not being helped by our health care system. If we

cover children properly, we will save billions of dollars in the long run. Even if we did not, we should still take care of those children.

Senators Grassley and Hatch are not alone on their side of the aisle. Many of our colleagues realize that supporting this legislation is the moral thing to do. Unfortunately, however, President Bush does not agree, and he has, amazingly, threatened to veto this bill. Now, he is going to be out there giving his reasons for the veto. He is going to make complicated arguments and throw some numbers around. But the bottom line is, the moral line is that vetoing this bill will endanger coverage for millions of children who are currently enrolled in our Children's Health Insurance Program, and a veto will deny millions of kids who would become covered under the bill a chance to see a doctor when they are sick. It seems, sadly, the moral light President Bush says guides his decisions has dimmed.

I wish to share the following story with President Bush and with any Senators who might be thinking about voting against this bill.

This is Sydney. Sydney and her mom Sandi DeBord live in Yakima, WA. Sydney has cystic fibrosis. Sydney's mom recently wrote to me. She talked about her daughter and the importance of the Children's Health Insurance Program, which allowed Sydney to get the care she needed, which extended her life and allowed her to live her short life to the fullest.

Mrs. DeBord wrote to me, and I want to read to you what she said. These are her words:

My daughter has a life-shortening genetic condition called

Cystic Fibrosis. With quality health care I believe her life

has been extended and she has been able to enjoy 9 years of

quality life.

Of course, she spent many weeks in the hospital on life-

saving IV antibiotics during those 9 years, and not a day

goes by that she does not have to endure taking a bucket full

of medicine. But despite the obstacle in her way, she is a

happy child living life to the fullest.

She is active, she does well in school, has many friends,

and loves to sing and dance. However, none of that would be

possible if it was not for the quality health care she

receives as part of the CHIP health care. I know for a fact

that without this bit of assistance, her life would end much

sooner due to the inability to afford quality health care for

her.

As her parent, it frightens me to even think some day she

may be without health care coverage if programs like CHIP are

no longer available.

She said:

I write to ask you to reauthorize the State Children's

Health Insurance Program and ensure the program is adequately

funded to provide high quality health care for children with

Cystic Fibrosis.

I hope President Bush and opponents of this bill will listen to this story. I hope they take a chance to look at Sydney and the life in her eyes and the life she has been able to live. I know Mrs. DeBord hopes they are listening as well.

It is our moral duty as Americans to ensure our kids can see a doctor when they are sick. The bill in front of us today fulfills that duty. It ensures that children covered by CHIP remain covered, and it ensures that millions without insurance today are going to get it.

I strongly urge my colleagues to do the moral thing and support the reauthorization of this Children's Health Insurance Program.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum and ask unanimous consent that the time be equally divided.

Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum and ask unanimous consent that the time in the quorum call be evenly divided.

Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.

Would the Senator repeat his request?

What is the number of the amendment?

Mr. President, I would object at this time and suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I call for the regular order with respect to the Landrieu amendment.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Madam President, I wish to take a few minutes to walk everyone through where we are right now.

About 15 or 20 minutes ago, the majority leader came over to the Senate to talk to us about moving quickly through the Homeland Security appropriations bill that is now on the floor because, as he described, we have many

items of business that need to be accomplished before the Senate goes into recess for the August break. He asked the managers of this legislation, Senators Byrd and Cochran, to work with Senators who have pending amendments to move them through in an orderly fashion so we could possibly finish this bill by tonight and go on to the rest of the business that needs to be completed.

In complying with that, Senator Byrd and Senator Cochran and myself worked out an agreement to begin to deal with some of those amendments. That is how we work in the Senate. We would never finish everything if we didn't take some time to have conversations to figure out how we can work through amendments in an orderly fashion.

There are 11 amendments currently pending that we are trying to work our way through. One of those amendments is an amendment offered by the Senator from Louisiana, Mr. Vitter, which he had a right to come and offer. It was not the pending matter. The pending matter was the Landrieu amendment, second degreed by the Dorgan amendment.

In order to get to the amendment offered by Senator Vitter, we had to agree by unanimous consent to set that aside. We talked to the Senator and agreed on a process to dispose of his amendment. Senator Byrd, Senator Cochran, Senator Vitter, and I were here to come to an agreement that Senator Vitter would offer his amendment. He understood that a point of order lay against that regarding whether it was a rule XVI. He understood that Senator Cochran's second-degree amendment also was in the same procedural difficulty.

The agreement was that we would agree to lay the amendment aside, Senator Vitter would set aside the amendment, go to his amendment, and a point of order would lie against it, as well as a point of order against the second degree offered by Senator Cochran. It sounds complex, but the upshot was, it would dispose of the amendment, a point of order would lie against it, and we would move on to the other numerous amendments that now lay before the Senate.

In this body, it is extremely important that we all have the opportunity to work out these agreements so we can work through bills in an orderly fashion. I assumed that would be the case, that we had all agreed upon that and that would be the order this would go to.

Unfortunately, when the Senator rose to ask to set aside the amendment, according to the agreement we agreed to, I did not object. The Senator went to his amendment, and instead of going through the process we had all agreed upon, he sent a modification to the desk that changed his underlying amendment and meant that it no longer had a point of order lying against it.

That is a difficult position it puts us all in because we have 11 amendments, possibly more, to get through. If we can't come to an agreement and trust each other on how the process is going to move forward and go outside that, we are not going to be able to get through these amendments, because this Senate really is based on trust.

So, Madam President, we are now in the parliamentary position where we have gone back to the regular order. Another amendment is pending. If we move through these in proper fashion, the amendment offered by Senator Vitter will now be at the end of 12 amendments that are now in order. At some point we will get to it, but we now are in a difficult position of: How do we move through all these other amendments that are being offered? How do we deal with all the other Senators who are going to come to the floor and ask us to work through these amendments, if we cannot have an agreement that this Senate--when Senators stand on the floor and agree to it--knows that is what will occur? So we find ourselves in a very difficult position.

I see the majority leader is on the Senate floor and will yield to him if he would like to make a statement.

Madam President--while the majority leader is here, and the managers of the bill--the parliamentary position in which we now find ourselves is that the amendment that is now before the Senate under the regular order is the Dorgan amendment to the Landrieu amendment.

Senator Dorgan was on the floor a few minutes ago and said he would be willing to agree to a 10-minute debate time and a vote. I know the majority leader has several issues that are going on. I would like to ask the managers of the amendment how they would like to proceed at this point.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate vote at 2 o'clock on or in relationship to the Dorgan amendment to the Landrieu amendment that is currently pending, with the time equally divided between now and 2 o'clock.

Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum and

ask unanimous consent that the time be equally divided.

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

Madam President, on behalf of the Senator from New York, Mr. Schumer, I ask unanimous consent to withdraw amendment No. 2448.

Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum and ask unanimous consent that the time be equally divided.

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

Again, I would remind my colleagues that we are currently debating the Dorgan amendment to the Landrieu amendment. Senator Kerry is on the floor and wishes to speak. I yield him the time until 1:45 when it will be equally divided at that time. So the Senator has 10 minutes.

I believe I have the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I thank all our colleagues for working with us to a point where I hope now we can start working through the amendments.

I call for regular order at this point, and I would remind all of us that I have about 12 or 13 amendments that have been offered. I know several other Senators have asked to be recognized to offer amendments. We want to work our way through all of these in a timely manner in regular order. We will be doing that this afternoon. So I ask Senators to stay close by the floor so we can move them through as quickly as possible. Hopefully, we can get time agreements on them in short order and dispose of them in whatever way is appropriate.

At this time, I call for regular order.

Amendment No. 2468

Mr. President, at this point we would like to move to regular order. The next amendment pending is the Grassley-Inhofe amendment.

I understand the Senator from Louisiana would like 2 minutes just to discuss the amendment that just fell, so I ask unanimous consent that she have 2 minutes.

I object at this time. I have a number of Senators who are asking us to call up amendments. We would like to work with all of you to do that in a regular fashion. Maybe we can do that after the Senator from Louisiana is speaking, but at this point we are going to allow the Senator from Louisiana to speak and then move back to regular order, which will then be the Grassley-Inhofe amendment, No. 2444.

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

The clerk will call the roll.

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

I ask unanimous consent that the Grassley amendment No. 2444 be temporarily set aside; that we proceed to the Alexander-Collins amendment No. 2405.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent for 1 hour of debate, equally controlled in the usual form, with no second-degree amendments in order prior to the vote, and upon use or yielding back of the time, the Senate proceed to vote in relation to the amendment, as modified.

Mr. President, we do have one other Senator who wants to come and speak on this amendment. I think he will be here shortly.

If there are no other Senators who want to speak at the moment, I suggest the absence of a quorum and ask unanimous consent that the time be charged equally.

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

Mr. President, so everyone knows what is happening, Senator Tester is going to be here in a minute to speak for several minutes. Senator Alexander has a few minutes remaining. At the end of that time, we will be moving to a vote on the underlying amendment, so I hope all Senators are close by the floor.

Mr. President, I see the Senator from Montana is in the Chamber and I ask him how much time he is going to use.

I believe the Senator from Montana will be using 5 minutes. Senator Alexander will be using a few. So a vote will be imminent.

Will the Senator repeat his request?

That is correct. He can speak for 2 minutes, and I will then make a motion at the end of that time.

Mr. President, I move to table the amendment.

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

Madam President, what is the pending business? Madam President, regular order.

The Grassley amendment, No. 2444, is the pending amendment. I understand that there is a modification at the desk. Is that correct?

Madam President, I believe that amendment is agreed to at this time, as modified.

Madam President, I move to reconsider the vote.

Madam President, am I correct under regular order the pending amendment is now Schumer amendment No. 2416?

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to withdraw Schumer amendment No. 2416 that is pending.

Madam President, I understand now under regular order the next pending amendment is Schumer amendment No. 2461, and there is a modification at the desk.

Madam President, we have talked with the minority. I do believe this amendment, as well, is agreed to.

Madam President, I move to reconsider the vote.

Madam President, under regular order the next amendment is Schumer amendment No. 2447. Is that correct?

I believe that amendment also has been agreed to on both sides.

Madam President, under regular order is the next item of business the Dole amendment, No. 2462?

Madam President, at this time we are hoping Senator Dole can be on the Senate floor. We are working our way through these amendments really well at this point. We do have a number of Senators who have their amendments in order. I advise all of them to stay close by the floor. We are trying to work our way through them. As soon as Senator Dole arrives on the floor, we will try to work out an agreement with her and hopefully move forward.

Amendment No. 2476 Withdrawn

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to withdraw amendment No. 2476.

Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

I object.

Mr. President, I say to the Senator, there are a number of amendments we expect to be called up shortly. For the information of all Senators, we are working through the order we have in front of us right now. Staff is working through a number of amendments we think will be agreed to. At that point, we can work through the final amendments, and we will talk with the Senator about offering his amendment.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, we are making progress. We have been working through a number of amendments over the past several hours. I thank the majority leader, the minority leader, as well as the managers of the bill in helping us move forward.

Amendment No. 2496, withdrawn

Amendment No. 2488, as modified

I would just reiterate what Senator Reid said earlier. I am happy that we

have finally resolved the issue regarding the amendment of the Senator from Louisiana. I believe we are at the point now where we can move forward on that.

I ask unanimous consent that the Cochran second-degree amendment No. 2496 be withdrawn; that the Vitter amendment No. 2488, as modified, be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

I suggest the absence of a quorum

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

Mr. President, the pending amendment, I believe, is the Dole amendment No. 2462; is that correct?

Mr. President, I believe the amendment has been agreed to on both sides.

I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. President, the next pending amendment is the Dole amendment No. 2449. I believe that is the pending amendment.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that amendment be withdrawn.

Mr. President, I now ask unanimous consent that the following amendments be called up by the individual Senators, with the following time agreements, with no intervening action: amendment No. 2481, by Senator DeMint; amendment No. 2516, by Senator Salazar; amendment No. 2498, by Senator Sanders; that the Senators be allowed to speak for up to 10 minutes, with no intervening action.

Mr. President, with that we now have three Senators who will be calling up amendments.

I again say to any Senator who has an amendment they want to offer tonight, we are moving quickly to final passage. In a few minutes, we will have a number of amendments that have been agreed to on both sides. We will be calling those up.

Between now and then, the Senators I referred to will be speaking to their amendments and calling them up.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Senator Lieberman be allowed 10 minutes to call up an amendment.

Mr. President, I want our colleagues to know we are trying to work as diligently as possible to move forward at this time. The Senator from New Jersey wants 10 minutes to speak, and after that I think we can start moving on some of the amendments. So I ask unanimous consent that the Senator from New Jersey to speak for 10 minutes.

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 at 8:30 this evening, the Senate proceed to vote in relation to the following amendments in the order listed; that no amendments be in order to any of the amendments in this agreement prior to the vote; that there be 2 minutes of debate equally divided in the usual form prior to each vote: Lieberman amendment No. 2407, Sanders amendment No. 2498, Salazar amendment No. 2516, and DeMint amendment No. 2481.

Mr. President, I understand that the Senator from Louisiana and the Senator from Oklahoma both would like to call up an amendment, but in the intervening time between now and 8:30, we welcome talking with the Senators to set up some time for those who want to call up their amendments to do so.

No, there are a number of amendments beyond the four I just mentioned.

Mr. President, if the Senator will withhold his objection, I inform him that when the Salazar amendment is pending before the Senate, he will be able to offer a rule XVI point of order if he so wishes.

The amendment will be called up for a vote, and a rule XVI point of order could be raised at that point on the amendment. We are simply setting up these amendments to consider at that time.

Mr. President, I revise my unanimous consent request: that at 8:30 this evening, the Senate proceed to vote in relation to the following amendments--we will remove the Salazar amendment--and that no other amendments will be in order: Lieberman amendment No. 2407, Sanders amendment No. 2498, and DeMint amendment No. 2481.

I add to the unanimous consent I already put in place that following this order being put in place, between now and 8:30 p.m. that Senator Coburn and Senator Landrieu be allowed to call up their amendments and speak for 10 minutes each.

May I respond to the Senator? Their amendment is one of the pending amendments. The yeas and nays have been ordered on it. So before this bill is finally adopted, their amendment will be in order at some point.

We are trying to move our way through, Mr. President, to the end of this evening. The majority leader has said we will finish this bill tonight. There are a number of amendments that are pending. We hope to dispose of all of them before it gets too late this evening.

I again ask unanimous consent as I said before.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

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

Mr. President, I would like to inform the Senate that I believe both sides are in agreement that the Lieberman amendment is accepted. I ask unanimous consent to vitiate the yeas and nays on the Lieberman amendment.

I move to lay that motion on the table.

The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Amendment No. 2498

What is the pending amendment?

Mr. President, we are now to the DeMint amendment No. 2481. That is the pending item.

I believe the Senators on this side are ready to accept this amendment, and if the Senator wants a voice vote, we are more than happy to do it.

Mr. President, I could not hear the Senator.

Mr. President, I expect that most of the Members on our side will be voting for this. We had been willing to accept it without a vote. But having said that, I hope once we accept it on this bill, it means that we will not have to have a vote later this evening on a motion to recommit on the 9/11 Commission because once we vote on this and it is part of this package, it will mean, hopefully, we will not have to deal with it on the next bill that we will be considering tonight, the 9/11 Commission. So with that I will be voting aye. I urge adoption.

I move to lay that motion on the table.

The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Amendment No. 2442

Mr. President, I believe we now have agreement on the Coburn amendment No. 2442 that is pending. I believe we have agreed to accept that amendment.

I move to lay that motion on the table.

The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Mr. President, for the information of all Senators, as the majority leader said, we are going to go to final passage tonight no matter what it takes. We are working our way through the amendments.

I am going to proceed to two amendments that I believe are agreed upon by Senator Salazar and Senator Kyl that I believe will be adopted by voice vote.

I have not made a unanimous consent request, I would say.

We are working with the Senator from Louisiana, Ms. Landrieu, on an amendment she intends to offer. Meanwhile, we are working to put together a final package of agreed-upon amendments that will take us about 20 minutes to put together. Hopefully, at that time we will have a vote on final passage. So I would like all Senators to know we are going to work our way through several amendments over the next 20 minutes or half hour and, hopefully, be at a point where we can move to final passage on this bill.

Mr. President, with that, we now have an agreement on both the Salazar and Kyl amendments. I send both----

Mr. President, just to notify the Senator, I have not asked for unanimous consent. I say to the Senator, we will get to her amendment.

Amendments Nos. 2516, as Modified; and 2518, as Modified

Mr. President, we now have an agreement on both the Salazar and Kyl amendments. I send both amendments to the desk, as modified, and ask unanimous consent that they be considered en bloc.

Mr. President, I believe both sides have agreed to this amendment, and we do not have further debate. I believe we are ready to vote.

I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. President, I believe we now move to Senator Salazar's amendment.

I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that amendment No. 2419 be withdrawn.

Mr. President, for the information of all Senators, we are now working with the Senator from Louisiana who has an amendment that is pending, on how we are going to dispose of that. We will work that out over the next several minutes. We have a number of other amendments we have been working with Senators on that I believe will be agreed upon on all sides. Again, our staffs are working diligently. I expect it will take them the next 15 or 20 minutes. At that time, we hope to have all the amendments before the Senate and move to final passage on this bill.

With that, 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 send an amendment to the desk on behalf of Senator Landrieu and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. President, I believe this amendment has been agreed to on both sides.

I move to lay that motion on the table.

The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Mr. President, we are going to move to a number of amendments that have been agreed to in a few short minutes. I ask the patience of all the Senators here, and 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 to withdraw amendment No. 2525.

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 call up amendment No. 2469 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. President, I believe this amendment has been agreed to on both sides.

I move to lay that motion on the table.

The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Amendment No. 2499, As Modified, to Amendment No. 2383

Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 2499, send a modification to the desk, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. President, I believe this amendment has been agreed to on all sides.

I move to lay that motion on the table.

The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Amendment No. 2475, As Modified, to Amendment No. 2383

Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 2475, send a modification to the desk, and ask for its immediate consideration.

I believe this amendment has been agreed to.

I move to lay that motion on the table.

The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Amendment No. 2513 to Amendment No. 2383

Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 2513 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. President, I believe this amendment has been agreed to.

I move to lay that motion on the table.

The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Amendment No. 2502 to Amendment No. 2383

(Purpose: To authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security to regulate the sale of ammonium nitrate to prevent and deter the acquisition of

ammonium nitrate by terrorists, and for other purposes)

Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 2502 and ask for its immediate consideration

Mr. President, I believe this amendment has been agreed to on both sides.

I move to lay that motion on the table.

The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Amendment No. 2514 to Amendment No. 2383

Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 2514 and ask for its immediate consideration.

I believe this amendment has been agreed to on both sides.

I move to lay that motion on the table.

The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Amendment No. 2391 to Amendment No. 2383

Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 2391 and ask for its immediate consideration.

I believe this amendment has been agreed to.

I move to lay that motion on the table.

The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Amendment No. 2466 to Amendment No. 2383

Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 2466 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. President, I believe this amendment is also agreed to.

I move to lay that motion on the table.

The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Amendment No. 2484 to Amendment No. 2383

Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 2484 and ask for its immediate consideration.

I believe this amendment is also agreed to.

I move to lay that motion on the table.

The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Amendment No. 2486 to Amendment No. 2383

Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 2486 and ask for its immediate consideration.

I believe this amendment has been agreed to.

I move to lay that motion on the table.

The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Amendment No. 2497 to Amendment No. 2383

Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 2497 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. President, I believe this amendment has been agreed to.

I move to lay that motion on the table.

The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Amendment No. 2404, As Modified, to Amendment No. 2383

Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 2404, with a modification, and ask for its immediate consideration.

I believe this amendment has been agreed to.

I move to lay that motion on the table.

The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Amendment No. 2478 to Amendment No. 2383

Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 2478 and ask for its immediate consideration.

I believe this amendment has been agreed to.

I move to lay that motion on the table.

The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

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 adoption of amendment No. 2516, the amendment be further modified with the version I now send to the desk.

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

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

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding adoption of Kyl amendment No. 2518, the amendment be further modified with the version I now send to the desk.

Madam President, I advise Senators that we have about 10 more minutes. We are working through the final package of agreed-upon amendments which we hope to have to the floor in the next 10 minutes. We will work our way through those amendments and on to final passage.

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 have a list, a managers' package that I believe has been agreed to on both sides. I ask unanimous consent that I be allowed to send them to the desk en bloc, with the modifications, and have them agreed to en bloc.

Mr. President, with the objection heard, we have about 20 amendments. We will work our way through them one at a time.

We are getting a copy of the amendments to the desk. As soon as that is done, we will have to proceed through the amendments one by one until they are agreed to.

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 know of no other amendments to come before the Senate on this bill. I move to third reading.

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

I ask unanimous consent that we go back to second reading.

I ask unanimous consent that the managers' package, as was presented, be sent to the desk, en bloc, with the modifications as requested and be agreed to.

I believe those are all the amendments to come before the Senate.

amendment no. 2521

Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. President, I thank all Senators who worked very hard to get the Homeland Security appropriations bill completed. I thank Senator Cochran and Senator Byrd, managers of the bill. It has been a long process. We got a lot accomplished. We have one appropriations bill that we will now send to conference. I especially thank the staffs who spent long hours.

I ask unanimous consent to have their names printed in the Record and to thank them publicly.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, today I recognize Mrs. Fausta Sawal for her outstanding service in senior citizen communities in our home State of Washington. Mrs. Sawal was selected among 16,000 volunteers to receive the Senior Companion 2007 Spirit of Service Award.

The Spirit of Service awards are given to individuals who have demonstrated both leadership and a commitment to service within their communities. Mrs. Sawal has been a true role model in the community, helping senior citizens and disabled adults for more than 16 years. During her service with the Volunteers of America Senior Companion Program in Seattle/King County, she made a profound difference in the quality of life for dozens of people. Mrs. Sawal was there to call 911 when one of her clients suffered from a heart attack. She also provided assistance when another client fell from a bus and needed to be taken to the hospital. Time and again, Mrs. Sawal demonstrated her caring nature and her ability to effectively assist individuals in a time of need.

Mrs. Sawal has not limited her work to helping individuals. She has been a leader within many community organizations. Currently, she is the president of the Senior Companion Program Advisory Council, a member of the Filipino Community Center, and a volunteer at both the Asian Counseling and Referral Services and the International Drop-In Center. Mrs. Sawal has been active in each of these organizations, taking on many responsibilities including organizing special events, assisting case managers and clients, assisting with in-service trainings, procuring sponsors, and recruiting volunteers.

In addition to her role in the community, this amazing woman has raised eight children. Mrs. Sawal has more than 20 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren. In 2004, she was chosen as the Mother of the Year in Seattle's Asian community.

I would like to thank Mrs. Sawal for the positive impact she has had on so many lives in Washington State. Both her past activities and her current pursuits are helping to create healthier and happier communities. I am sure Mrs. Sawal will continue to make significant contributions to her family and in the elderly and disabled communities in Washington. Mrs. Sawal is a remarkable woman, and I am pleased she is being honored for her years of dedication to helping others.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to hold a hearing during the session of the Senate on Thursday, July 26, 2007, at 10 a.m., in room 253 of the Russell Senate Office Building. The purpose of this hearing is to explore U.S. readiness for and the consumer impact of the nationwide transition from analog television broadcasting to digital television broadcasting.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Environment and Public Works be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, July 26, 2007 at 10 a.m., in room 406 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building in order to conduct a hearing entitled, ``Examining the Case for the California Waiver: An Update from EPA.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to hold a hearing during the session of the Senate on Thursday, July 26, 2007, at 2:30 p.m., in room 253 of the Russell Senate Office Building. The hearing will focus on proposed efforts to improve the safety of the Nation's railroads through targeting highway-rail grade crossing safety, reducing employee hours of service and fatigue, and developing and using new rail safety technology.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, July 26, 2007, at 3 p.m., in room 215 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to consider S. 1607, the ``Currency Exchange Rate Oversight Reform Act of 2007,'' with a substitute amendment, and to consider favorably reporting pending nominees who have responded to all written questions and been cleared by both sides.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, July 26, 2007, at 9:30 a.m. to hold a hearing on Extraordinary Rendition.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, July 26, 2007, at 2:30 p.m. to hold a hearing on the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be authorized to meet in executive session during the session of the Senate on Thursday, July 26, 2007 at 9:30 a.m. in SR-325. We will be considering the following:

Agenda

1. S. 625, Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act

2. S. 1183, Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act

3. S. 579, Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act of 2007

4. S. 898, Alzheimer's Breakthrough Act of 2007

5. S. 1858, Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act of 2007

6. The following nominations:

Diane Auer Jones, of Maryland, to be Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education, Department of Education

David C. Geary, of Missouri, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the National Board for Education Sciences

Miguel Campaneria, of Puerto Rico, to be a Member of the National Council on the Arts

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Indian Affairs be authorized to meet Thursday, July 26, 2007, at 9:30 a.m. in room 485 of the Russell Senate Office Building to conduct a hearing on the nomination of Charles W. Grim to be Director of the Indian Health Service.

Mr. President I ask uanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate in order to conduct a markup on Thursday, July 26, 2007, at 10 a.m. in

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on July 26, 2007 at 2:30 p.m. to hold a closed hearing.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Water and Power of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to hold a hearing during the session of the Senate on Thursday, July 26, 2007 at 2:30 p.m. in room SD-366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony on the following bills: S. 300, to authorize appropriations for the Bureau of Reclamation to carry out the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program in the States of Arizona, California, and Nevada, and for other purposes; S. 1258, to amend the Reclamation Safety of Dams Act of 1978 to authorize improvements for the security of dams and other facilities; S. 1477, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to carry out the Jackson Gulch rehabilitation project in the State of Colorado; S. 1522, to amend the Bonneville Power Administration portions of the Fisheries Restoration and Irrigation Mitigation Act of 2000 to authorize appropriations for fiscal years 2008 through 2014, and for other purposes; and H.R. 1025, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of implementing a water supply and conservation project to improve water supply reliability, increase the capacity of water storage, and improve water management efficiency in the Republican River Basin between Harlan County Lake in Nebraska and Milford Lake in Kansas.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Jeffrey Watters, a fellow in Senator Cantwell's office, be given floor privileges for the duration of the consideration of this bill.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Agriculture be discharged from further consideration of S. 1716 and that the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and any statements relating to the measure be printed in Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 1877, introduced earlier today.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements relating to the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to the immediate consideration of H. Con. Res. 190, just received from the House and is at the desk.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the concurrent resolution be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, without intervening action or debate.