Floor Statements

Madam President, I come to the floor this afternoon to take a couple of minutes to speak and to honor the life and legacy of a great leader from my home State of Washington. He was the former Speaker of the House, John O'Brien, and he passed away just this past weekend.

It is no exaggeration to say that John O'Brien had one of the longest and most accomplished careers of anyone who served in our Washington State Legislature. I was really lucky to have an opportunity to work with him when I was in the Washington State Senate and he was serving in the House. He was one of those people whom, whenever he walked into a room, everyone noticed. I always thought he was just so tall, but then I am only 5 feet tall, so to me he was tall. But it is amazing to me how many people say that his stature brought the respect of everyone who ever met him, and it certainly was true for me and for so many of us.

As Speaker of the House, he was known to be very tough but always fair. He was always firm, and he was always compassionate. I think I learned most from him that when you know the rules and use them for the betterment of all people, that is the kind of power which leaves you with a legacy everybody admires.

John leaves us many legacies. He leaves us a record of long and distinguished service in the State legislature. There is a building on our capitol grounds in Washington State that bears his name. He leaves behind laws that made our State a better place to work, to live, and to raise a family. Most importantly, he left a legacy of service that lives on in all of us who were lucky enough to serve with him and to be inspired by his leadership. It is the kind of legacy that any elected official would be proud of.

On this sad occasion, I extend my condolences to his family, to his many friends, and to all of us who served with him. We will not forget his legacy.

Madam President, I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, April 26, 2007, at 9:30 a.m., in open session to receive testimony on legal issues regarding individuals detained by the Department of Defense as unlawful enemy combatants.

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, April 26, 2007, at 10 a.m. in Room 253 of the Russell Senate Office Building. The purpose of this hearing is to discuss clean coal technology.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Finance which will meet on Thursday, April 26, 2007, at 1 p.m., in 215 Dirksen Senate Office Building, to hear testimony on ``Coal: A Clean Future''.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Indian Affairs be authorized to meet on Thursday, April 26, 2007, at 10 a.m. in Room 485 of the Russell Senate Office Building to conduct a hearing on S. 462, Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of Duck Valley Water Rights Settlement Act.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Airland be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, April 26, 2007, at 3 p.m., in open session to receive testimony on Air Force and Navy Aviation in review of the defense authorization request for fiscal year 2008 and the future years defense program.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety, be authorized to hold a hearing on OSHA during the session of the Senate on Thursday, April 26, 2007 at 10 a.m. in SD-628.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on National Parks be authorized to hold a hearing during the session of the Senate on Thursday, April 26th, 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. 169, to amend the National Trails System Act to clarify Federal authority relating to land acquisition from willing sellers for the majority of the trails in the System; S. 312/H.R. 497, to authorize the Marion Park Project and Committee of the Palmetto Conservation Foundation to establish a commemorative work on Federal land in the District of Columbia and its environs to honor Brigadier General Francis Marion; S. 580, to amend the National Trails System Act to require the Secretary of the Interior to update the feasibility and suitability studies of four national historic trails; S. 686, to amend the National Trails System Act to designate the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail; S. 722, to direct the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to jointly conduct a study of certain land adjacent to the Walnut Canyon National Monument in the State of Arizona; S. 783, to adjust the boundary of the Barataria Preserve Unit of the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve in the State of Louisiana; S. 890, to provide for certain administrative and support services for the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission; and H.R. 1047, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to determine the suitability and feasibility of designating the Soldiers' Memorial Military Museum located in St. Louis, MO, as a unit of the National Park System.

Mr. President, I am here to speak on the floor today because American lives, American security, and America's future are on the line in Iraq. The American people know it. They sent a clear message last November. The Iraq Study Group has told us. They gave us honest assessments and recommendations to move forward in Iraq.

Generals have spoken out. General Casey told us in January:

The longer we in the U.S. Forces continue to bear the main

burden of Iraq's security, it lengthens the time that the

government of Iraq has to make the hard decisions about

reconciliation and dealing with the militias.

General Abizaid told us in November:

I do not believe that more American troops right now is the

solution to the problem.

Colin Powell has talked about it. He said:

I am not persuaded that another surge of troops into

Baghdad for the purpose of suppressing this communitarian

violence, this civil war, will work.

The numbers speak for themselves. More than 3,300 Americans have died in Iraq and nearly 25,000 have been wounded. A few days ago, 9 more U.S. soldiers were killed in a bombing, and 20 more U.S. troops and an Iraqi soldier were injured.

Americans have heard the military experts, they have heard the Iraq Study Group, they have seen the sacrifice of our troops and their families, and now they are demanding a change in course. But, sadly, the President refuses to listen. He is ignoring the military experts, the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, and the American people.

It is clear the Iraqi civil war requires a political solution, not a military solution. Our servicemembers have done everything we have asked them to do. They deserve better than to be stuck in the middle of a civil war.

Four years into this war--starting the fifth year--the President is still tossing around heated rhetoric while trying to convince the American people that Democrats do not support the troops. I reject that rhetoric, and I call on him to put politics aside and begin to put our troops first. We can all agree, it is long past time for that.

Now is the time to show our troops we support them with the funds and supplies and armor they need but that we also support them enough to change direction when the current course simply is not working.

Now is the time to show our troops we respect our military, and we refuse to decimate the world's finest fighting forces through extended deployments, limited time at home, and the destruction of valuable equipment in another country's civil war.

Now is the time to show our troops their lives mean more than an open-ended commitment to an Iraqi Government that has repeatedly failed to meet deadlines and take ownership for their own future.

Now is the time to show our troops we understand that America needs them, not in the middle of an Iraqi civil war but in places such as Afghanistan, where al-Qaida is growing in strength.

And now is the time to show our troops their Government is about more than promises and rhetoric. We must stand together to say we will meet the needs of our injured servicemembers and our veterans who have paid the price for this administration's failure to plan for the war and its aftermath.

Congress is moving forward now to pass a supplemental bill that shows our troops they come first. All the President has to do is sign on the dotted line. Unfortunately, because the Bush administration failed to plan and failed to understand the centuries' old tensions in this region, we now, more than ever, need a political and diplomatic solution in Iraq.

As the past 2 months have brutally revealed, the escalation is not working. The civil war has intensified and our troops are stuck in the middle of sectarian violence and find themselves the target of insurgent attacks. It is hard to argue that the situation on the ground--both for our troops and for Iraqis--has gotten better.

Last Wednesday, the New York Times reported:

Bombs ripped through the streets of Baghdad killing at

least 171 people in the deadliest day in the capital since

the American-led security plan for the city took effect two

months ago.

Two days ago, the Boston Globe noted:

The deaths raised to 85 the number of U.S. servicemembers

who died in Iraq in April, making it the deadliest month for

American troops since December, when 112 died.

According to the Associated Press:

Outside the capital, 1,504 civilians were killed between

Feb. 14 and Thursday, April 12 compared with 1,009 deaths

during the two previous months.

It is time to transition our mission in Iraq from that of policing a civil war. Our troops are trained for combat, not for refereeing warring factions with a long and complex history. It is time to focus on strengthening America's security and bringing our troops home.

Transitioning the mission should center on three realistic and achievable goals for our military: Training and equipping Iraqi security forces, conducting targeted counterterrorism operations, and protecting our remaining U.S. forces and interests in Iraq.

The second part of the equation is a surge in diplomatic and political efforts. This is a necessary task the President has refused to undertake. America alone does not own the keys to Iraq's future. Iraq's neighbors must help as well. They should play a larger role in training the Iraqi military and police and in reconstruction. They should play a larger role in convincing Iraqis they must make compromises and take responsibility for their future. Without a targeted and serious regional effort to stabilize Iraq, the country's future will remain in question.

The cause of continued insecurity and destruction has not been our military, but, rather, the political and policy failures of a President who has hid in his bunker and stubbornly refused to pursue a strategy needed to bring stability to Iraq.

As we all saw vividly in November, the American people have lost patience with the President's go-it-alone strategy. It is simply wrongheaded to continue on with an open-ended commitment to an Iraqi Government that has repeatedly failed to meet deadlines and to take responsibility for their own country.

The supplemental bill we will send to the White House requires the President to send a report to Congress by July 1 of this year certifying whether Iraq is meeting responsible benchmarks. The American people deserve to know if the sacrifices made by our troops are being met by the Iraqi Government.

Specifically, the American people deserve to know if the Iraqi Government has given U.S. and Iraqi security forces the authority to pursue all extremists, including the Sunni insurgents and the Shia militias.

The American people deserve to know if Iraq is making substantial progress in delivering necessary Iraqi security forces for Baghdad and protecting those forces from political interference.

We deserve to know if Iraq is intensifying efforts to build balanced security forces throughout Iraq that provide evenhanded security for all Iraqis.

Specifically, we deserve to know if the Iraqi Government is making substantial progress in meeting reconciliation initiatives, including enacting laws to equitably share oil revenue

among all Iraqi regions, whether they are adopting laws for provincial and local elections, whether they are reforming their laws banning members of the Baath party from public service, and whether they are shouldering the cost of reconstruction through allocation of oil revenue.

Those are reasonable benchmarks Americans should require of Iraq if we are asking our young Americans to put their lives on the line. That is why Congress is about to send this supplemental request to the White House with language that begins the phased redeployment of our troops no later than October 1 of this year, with a goal of removing all combat forces by April 1, 2008--with the exception of those who will remain to train and equip Iraqi security forces, to continue targeted counterterrorist operations, and to protect our remaining U.S. forces.

From sending our troops to war without critical armor, to housing them in squalor at Walter Reid, to leaving them to fend for themselves when they need mental health care, the Bush administration has utterly failed our servicemembers, our veterans, and their families.

As we rightfully change the mission of our troops in Iraq and prepare to redeploy, we cannot--and we must not--forget about our veterans when they come home. Nowhere is that failure more apparent than in the handling of what will one day become known as the signature wound of this war: traumatic brain injury. It is now estimated that 10 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have suffered traumatic brain injury during their service in Iraq and Afghanistan. One of the biggest problems with traumatic brain injury, or TBI, is that it is an unseen wound. Often, because of that, it is misdiagnosed. In too many cases today, unless a servicemember is involved in an IED incident and is bleeding, he or she is not documented as even having been involved in that explosion, if he was 100 yards away or 200 yards away. So as a result, the actual number of OIF and OEF veterans with TBI could be even much higher than the statistics today even indicate.

Now, I know many of us are familiar with ABC News anchor Bob Woodruff's experience with traumatic brain injury. I personally was moved by Bob's struggle with his injury. His family had unrelenting hope for his recovery, and their ongoing work toward triumph was so apparent throughout this horrible situation. Bob Woodruff has seen a tremendous recovery from his horrendous injury, but I fear the care he received has not been duplicated today for thousands of other troops with similar injuries when they have returned home.

He detailed for us several cases of soldiers who were suffering from injuries, not unlike his own, and the lack of care they received when they left flagship care centers for our smaller, local hospitals.

Our wounded warriors and our veterans have faced massive budget shortfalls. They have faced horribly long waiting lines and sickening hospital conditions. But this administration continues to be reactive to this problem to this day. It is time for that posture to end. Taking care of our troops, taking care of our veterans, taking care of their families has to be a part of the cost of this war.

When it comes to caring for our troops and our veterans, this administration--from the White House, to the Pentagon, to the Department of Veterans Affairs--has consistently waited until conditions reached a critical stage before taking action to remedy them.

In this supplemental conference report we are sending to the President, Congress is saying: Enough is enough. We are finally providing more funding for our troops than even the President himself has sought. The bill we are sending includes over $100 billion for the Department of Defense, which I should note is nearly $4 billion more than the President's request for our troops. We provide critical funding for vehicles that will help our troops be protected from these horrible IEDs.

This military has also been brought to the brink by a President who has, time and again, extended their tours and called upon our National Guard and Reserve to join combat brigades in Iraq. This supplemental bill will rebuild our overburdened military and calls for an end to the deployment of nonbattle-ready troops. It provides $1.8 billion for the VA to provide first class health care to our wounded and $2.5 billion for military health care.

For the last 4 years, this administration has conducted this war with little regard for the tremendous strains it is placing on the VA, on our veterans, and their families. Today, we are putting an end to their neglect. The days of ignoring our wounded warriors as a cost of this war are over.

As the President acknowledged in a speech last September, our terrorist enemies are more dangerous than ever. On that point, the President is correct. Unfortunately, he fails to acknowledge that terrorists are rapidly growing and gathering strength outside of Iraq, and he fails to acknowledge that having our forces in the middle of a civil war is making Iraq sap our ability to combat terrorism in other parts of the globe. It is clear that terrorist cells with heavy anti- American bents are gaining power and continue to grow in places such as Afghanistan and Pakistan. If we turn a blind eye to those anti-American cells and focus only on Iraq, the consequences for America's future security are dire. By redeploying our forces, we can reconcentrate on the war on terror. We can devote our resources toward pursuing those who would do America harm.

As we deal with the situation overseas, we cannot neglect our needs at home. That is why the supplemental bill provides $1.8 billion for veterans health care; $20 million to repair Walter Reed Hospital; $6.9 billion to repair the gulf coast after Hurricane Katrina, long past due; $650 million for the SCHIP children's health program; and $2.25 billion to secure our homeland, a vital need--securing our ports and borders, transit security, screening for explosives at airports--vital needs that are included in this bill.

Somehow the White House is claiming that all of those investments are unnecessary. I think most Americans would disagree. I know most Americans want us to take care of our citizens at home.

In recent weeks we have heard some false claims about the supplemental that I want to take a moment to correct. First of all, we are moving this bill to the President at a rapid pace. In fact, we are moving even faster than the Republicans did last year and the year before that.

Secondly, we are doing our job in meeting the needs at home. Anyone who thinks that domestic needs should be ignored in an emergency supplemental ought to look at the last four supplementals, all written and passed by a Republican Congress signed by a Republican President.

The emergency supplementals approved by Republican Congresses in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006 included funding for domestic needs. Interestingly, during those years, the President never complained about domestic funding in supplementals.

As our Government spends billions in Iraq, I believe it is our job to also meet our needs at home. If the President vetoes this bill, he is going to have to explain to the American people why he is delaying funding to our troops overseas, why he is blocking funding to care for our injured troops, why he is ignoring the will of military experts, the Iraq Study Group, and the American people. He is going to have to explain why he is ignoring the needs of our hard-hit communities that are struggling to recover and why he is standing in the way of security needs at home that are so critical.

Congress has agreed to a supplemental bill that shows our troops they come first. The President has repeatedly reminded Congress that he is the Commander in Chief and he is the one with the authority to make the military and policy decisions that impact not only our troops and veterans but the well-being of our gulf coast, our borders, and the future of America's security. The President is alone in his bunker. If he truly cares about getting this funding to our troops as soon as possible and providing them with the supplies and the health care and direction they deserve, he will quickly sign this bipartisan supplemental bill.

Mr. President, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is just a short distance from Capitol Hill, but if the President vetoes this sensible legislation to give our troops a successful path forward in

Iraq, then he is miles away from the will of the American people whom he serves.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. President, with this bill, we are taking a major step forward to help America's workers compete and win in the global economy.

I have been working on education, workforce and competitiveness issues for many years, and I will never forget a roundtable I held in Washington State a few years ago. Sitting around the table, we had business owners, higher education officials and public school educators.

The big question was this--who is responsible for making sure our students get the skills they need? Businesses didn't want to hire somebody and then have to train them in the basics. Higher education leaders wanted to be able

to focus on college-level material, not remediation. And high school leaders were working as hard as they could just to deal with the demands on their plate.

So whose responsibility is it to make sure our students get the skills they need?

It is all of our responsibility, and that is what this bill finally recognizes. It ensures that our Federal agencies--from Commerce to Education to Energy to the National Science Foundation--take aggressive steps to keep American workers ahead of the curve.

I am very proud that our country is home to some of the most innovative workers, schools, and companies in the world. But I have been frustrated that for too long our government has not used all the tools available to strengthen the hand of American workers in the world marketplace. This bill finally gets us on the right track, and that's going to pay dividends for generations.

I worked to strengthen this bill through my amendment to improve math education in high school. Just yesterday, we had a hearing in the Senate HELP Committee, where education experts from across the country told us that math instructional support does not extend as far as it needs to in high school. That's why I offered an amendment to help address this shortcoming. The Murray Math Skills Program offers competitive grants to help high schools hire math coaches to provide targeted support for students and math teachers. It will ensure high school students have the rigorous math materials, instruction, and support they need to pursue college and careers in engineering, science, math and technology. I am excited that my amendment was included in this bill to make sure high school students get the math support they need.

I am pleased that this bill doubles funding for the National Science Foundation and the Energy Department's Office of Science over the next 10 years. It also encourages high-risk research and supports research at NASA.

As I work on issues like this, I bring the perspective of not just a Senator, but a former educator and someone who represents one of the most innovative regions of our country--the Pacific Northwest. I have seen firsthand the connection between what we do in our schools and what our businesses and economy are able to do. I am proud to represent a state that is home to some of the most innovative workers and companies in the world in diverse fields like computers, software, biotechnology, aerospace, and many more. So as I work on these issues, I know how important a skilled workforce is to our quality of life.

I also know that so much is at stake. Businesses spend about $60 billion just to remediate new employees, and that doesn't include what colleges have to spend to help incoming students catch up.

The statistics are troubling. According to a report called ``Tough Choices or Tough Times'' from the National Center on Education and the Economy, the number of engineering degrees in the United States is down 20 percent from its peak year in 1985. This is just one indicator of the trouble ahead if we don't turn this ship around.

I have heard time and again from experts, including the ``Rising Above the Gathering Storm'' report, that our economic future depends on our ability to innovate, think creatively, and create technological breakthroughs.

Our students and workers need strong skills in math, science, engineering, technology, and problem solving to make these kinds of technological and scientific breakthroughs that help ensure our Nation's place in the world. This bill moves us in the right direction by putting in place several key pieces of the puzzle.

Let me turn to the substance of the bill. The America COMPETES Act helps increase our country's investment in research, including the type of higher risk research that can lead to major breakthroughs. It also helps students get the skills and experiences they need from elementary school through graduate school in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. I applaud the bill for also making great steps towards attracting women and minorities into these studies and careers; groups that have been historically underrepresented in math and science. Finally, the bill helps bring an array of representatives to the table to develop a foundation for innovation and creativity, which is so important to our country's competitiveness.

When the HELP Committee first began to consider these issues in the 110th Congress, we heard from Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft in my home State, at a hearing titled ``Strengthening American Competitiveness for the 21st Century.'' We all heard his urgent call for our country to invest in education, healthcare, and basic science research. As Bill Gates put it:

The U.S. cannot maintain its economic leadership unless our

work force consists of people who have the knowledge and

skills needed to drive innovation.

This bill recognizes that truth and moves our country in the right direction. It is not the final word. We still have a lot of work to do in areas like workforce investment--but it is a critical step forward, and I urge my colleagues to join me in voting for the America COMPETES Act.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Honor Our Commitment to Veterans Act.

More than four years ago, the Bush Administration cut off enrollment of Priority 8 veterans in the VA healthcare system. Priority 8 veterans are those veterans without service-connected disabilities whose income is above a means tested level that varies across the country. Many of these so-called ``high-income veterans'' have annual incomes as low as $26,902.

When the Administration announced its intention to suspend healthcare enrollment for new Priority 8 veterans, they said that they were doing so in order to reduce the backlog and alleviate a longstanding funding crisis within the VA.

There is no doubt that the VA has problems. Nearly five years into this war, our veterans are facing lengthy waits just to get in the door to see a primary care physician. They are having trouble accessing critical mental health services, and some are waiting up to two years for benefits claims to be processed. These are real problems facing real people, and they deserve real solutions.

But instead of cutting off enrollment to veterans of modest means four years ago, the Bush Administration should have asked Congress for the resources necessary to address its shortcomings and increase access to this high quality health care system.

It is absolutely unacceptable that veterans in need of care are being prohibited from enrolling in the system that is supposed to serve them. Veterans who have fought hard to secure our freedoms shouldn't have to fight for access to health care at home. Our veterans deserve better.

That is why I am introducing the Honor Our Commitment to Veterans Act today, which would permit new Priority 8 veterans to enroll in the VA healthcare system.

According to a recent Congressional Research Service report, the VA estimates that if the enrollment freeze was lifted, approximately 273,000 Priority 8 veterans would have been eligible to receive medical care from VA in FY2006, and 242,000 Priority 8 veterans would be eligible in FY2007.

This legislation, which has been introduced in the House by Congressman Steve Rothman of New Jersey, would correct the injustice perpetrated in 2003 by allowing all new Priority 8 veterans to enroll in the VA healthcare system.

Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Honor Our Commitment to Veterans Act.

More than four years ago, the Bush Administration cut off enrollment of Priority 8 veterans in the VA healthcare system. Priority 8 veterans are those veterans without service-connected disabilities whose income is above a means tested level that varies across the country. Many of these so-called ``high-income veterans'' have annual incomes as low as $26,902.

When the Administration announced its intention to suspend healthcare enrollment for new Priority 8 veterans, they said that they were doing so in order to reduce the backlog and alleviate a longstanding funding crisis within the VA.

There is no doubt that the VA has problems. Nearly five years into this war, our veterans are facing lengthy waits just to get in the door to see a primary care physician. They are having trouble accessing critical mental health services, and some are waiting up to two years for benefits claims to be processed. These are real problems facing real people, and they deserve real solutions.

But instead of cutting off enrollment to veterans of modest means four years ago, the Bush Administration should have asked Congress for the resources necessary to address its shortcomings and increase access to this high quality health care system.

It is absolutely unacceptable that veterans in need of care are being prohibited from enrolling in the system that is supposed to serve them. Veterans who have fought hard to secure our freedoms shouldn't have to fight for access to health care at home. Our veterans deserve better.

That is why I am introducing the Honor Our Commitment to Veterans Act today, which would permit new Priority 8 veterans to enroll in the VA healthcare system.

According to a recent Congressional Research Service report, the VA estimates that if the enrollment freeze was lifted, approximately 273,000 Priority 8 veterans would have been eligible to receive medical care from VA in FY2006, and 242,000 Priority 8 veterans would be eligible in FY2007.

This legislation, which has been introduced in the House by Congressman Steve Rothman of New Jersey, would correct the injustice perpetrated in 2003 by allowing all new Priority 8 veterans to enroll in the VA healthcare system.

Mr. President, I yield myself 10 minutes from this side.

Mr. President, I come to the floor today to speak out in strong support of the promising research that can save lives and bring hope to millions of Americans. I will vote for the Stem Cell Enhancement Act of 2007, and I urge all of our colleagues to do so.

More importantly, I urge President Bush to finally hear the voices of scientists, medical leaders, patients, and more than 500 organizations that have said loudly and clearly that it is time for promising research to move forward in this country. It is time to take the handcuffs off of our scientists, those who say they will then be able to pursue what all Americans are hoping for and promising research for so many diseases that impact so many of our families. For too long, this President has allowed politics and ideology to trump lifesaving research. We have to correct that mistake. The bill, S. 5, we are considering today shows us how.

Throughout this country, Americans are suffering from diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and they and their families are looking to us for help. We have scientists and researchers who are so eager to provide that help, but today, as we all know, their hands are tied by the arbitrary restrictions President Bush imposed back in 2001.

I believe we can allow research on embryonic stem cells, and we can do so with strong ethical guidelines that are required under this legislation.

Back in August of 2001, President Bush greatly limited the number of embryonic stem cells that were available for federally funded research. Those limits were based on inaccurate science and ideology, and they have restricted our ability to make progress. At the time, the White House said there were 78 stem cell lines available for federally funded research, but now we know there are only 21 such lines. Researchers, those men and woman whom we count on to find cures to the diseases that impact so many, believe it is imperative to have access to newer, more promising stem cell lines that do not pose the risk of contamination.

The first consequence of the President's restriction has been to limit hope and to limit progress for families who suffer from these diseases. The second impact has been to push embryonic stem cell research overseas. That means that our country is falling behind other countries in a cutting-edge field.

Because of the President's imposed arbitrary limits, we are now in this country surrendering our scientific leadership to other countries. That can have far-reaching consequences for our economy and for our future.

My State of Washington is home to world-class research institutions such as the University of Washington. I want our country and institutions such as that to be the leading edge of scientific frontiers so our country and all of us can benefit from the new advances.

The bill we are considering today and will vote on this evening will lift the President's arbitrary restrictions and put in place expanded research under strict ethical guidelines. It would direct the Department of Health and Human Services to conduct and support research on stem cells that are derived from frozen embryos that are now stored in fertility clinics that would otherwise be destroyed. This bill also promotes research into finding alternative ways to derive stem cells that do not involve the destruction of an embryo. This bill imposes strong ethical guidelines. In fact, the guidelines in this bill are even stricter than the President's policy.

Embryonic stem cell research is a relatively young field. These cells were not even isolated in humans until 1998. Scientists believe that embryonic stem cells are more valuable than adult stem cells because they can develop into any type of cell or tissue in the body. Think of all the veterans who are coming home from the war in Iraq who have spinal cord injuries. Think of all the veterans of the first gulf war who are now being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and who could be helped by this promising research.

In my own family, I have seen up close and personally the impact a disease such as multiple sclerosis can have. When I was 15 years old, my dad was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

I saw him in just a few years going from working to being someone who was home in a wheelchair every single day every single minute. For the rest of his life, my father was confined to a wheelchair. I can't tell you what a profound impact that had on my family. My mom had to stay home and raise myself and my six brothers and sisters. She had to go back to work and get a job and she had to stay home and take care of him, all at the same time. It was a very difficult time for my family. The medical bills were amazing. The challenges my family went through because of my dad's illness were incredible. I can only imagine what it might have been like had there been a cure for MS for my family and for thousands of others. When I was growing up, the promise of this type of research was not even on the horizon. Today that potential is in our hands. We need to do everything we can to make sure that that research is done so families such as mine have hope and opportunity in the future.

I hope we don't see it continually blocked by an ideological policy that puts politics over science. It is time to change course and put our Government on the side of the patients and their families and to give them hope again.

Last month the Director of the National Institutes of Health told us:

[I]t is clear today that American science would be better

served and the nation would be better served if we let our

scientists have access to more cell lines . . .

The NIH Director said that existing lines will not be sufficient for the research that needs to be done, and he said that adult stem cells do not have the same potential as embryonic stem cells. That is the scientific view of the Director of the National Institutes of Health. The Senate and the President would be very wise to heed his counsel.

I know what it is like to grow up with someone who has a serious illness. I can only imagine what it would have been like to know there was hope and a chance for a cure. I know of many families out there who have been waiting for this day in the Senate, for us to vote and pass this important stem cell research bill. I commend Senator Harkin for his perseverance in coming back and again pushing at this as one of the first pieces of legislation we consider in this Congress. We all know it has a ways to go. We know the President has said he might veto it. I hope he doesn't. I hope he sends a message to some young girl out there whose dad has just been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis that we are a country of hope once again.

I urge my colleagues to vote for S. 5. I look forward to its passage today, moving through conference. I hope it will be signed by the President.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I understand under the order that there will be 4 minutes equally divided before each amendment. The first amendment we are considering is the Ensign amendment; is that correct?

I see the Senator from Nevada is on the floor, so I yield the floor.

amendment no. 752, as modified

Mr. President, the Ensign amendment, as modified, is an amendment that is acceptable to this side. I ask my colleague from Nevada if he is willing to take a voice vote.

Mr. President, I understand the Senator wants a rollcall vote on this amendment. We will move to that vote. We support the amendment on this side and yield back our time.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, we are moving quickly to finish this bill. It will take the cooperation of all Senators. I ask everyone to make sure you are in the Senate Chamber because rollcall votes will be 10 minutes from here on.

We now turn to the Senator from South Carolina.

Mr. President, the amendment by the Senator from South Carolina is a solution looking for a problem. I sit on the Appropriations Committee. I was there throughout the entire committee markup. There was never any money for spinach in the Senate version of this bill. There is not now any money for spinach in the Senate version of this bill, so adoption of this amendment will not change the substance of this bill one iota. But if the Senator insists, we will go ahead and move forward on his amendment. We are happy to take it by a voice vote if the Senator would consider that.

How much time do I have remaining?

Mr. President, I tell my colleagues on this side of the aisle, there is no money in the Senate bill for spinach. We do know there are issues out there affecting our agricultural communities across the Nation. The bill that is before us addresses many of those critical issues. This is a supplemental emergency bill, and when there are emergencies, we are responsible for taking care of them. But the amendment of the Senator from South Carolina will make no difference in this bill.

Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. President, the next amendment in order is the Coburn amendment, No. 649. We are ready to take this on a voice vote. If there is no one who wants to speak on the other side, we can move to the amendment.

Mr. President, I yield back all time.

Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. President, the next amendment in order is the Sanders amendment, No. 737. This amendment has also been agreed to on both sides. If the Senator from Vermont wishes to, he may speak.

Mr. President, this amendment has been agreed to on both sides. I believe we can do it on a voice vote.

Mr. President, I yield back all time.

Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. President, we are moving rapidly to a finish. We have one final amendment that needs to be voted on. Then we will have a manager's package and final passage shortly. I yield to the Senator from Delaware.

Amendment No. 739

Mr. President, I yield back all time.

I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the following amendments be agreed to en bloc: amendment No. 661 by Senator Kohl; amendment No. 664, Obama, as modified; No. 677, Leahy; No. 679, Collins, as modified; No. 681, Leahy, as modified; No. 683, Senator Dorgan; No. 722, Senators Domenici and Bingaman, as modified; No. 726, Kerry, as modified; No. 728, Bond, as modified; No. 754, Mikulski and Shelby, as modified; No. 757, Byrd; No. 759, Clinton; No. 771, Senator Snowe; No. 784, Senator Durbin; No. 799, Senators Lugar and Kennedy, as modified; and ask for their immediate consideration. I send the modifications to the desk.

Having heard the objection, it is unfortunate. We have been trying to work through a number of what we had hoped would be agreed-upon amendments, but since they can't be considered at this time, all debate time has expired, and I understand we will move to third reading.

Mr. President, I raise the defense of germaneness on this point of order.

Mr. President, could we ask for a ruling from the Chair on the germaneness of the underlying section?

I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. President, what is the regular order?

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate insist on its amendments, request a conference with the House on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses, and the Chair be authorized to appoint conferees with a ratio of 15 to 14.

Mr. President, the Senate has just made a tremendous effort in moving forward to make sure we support our troops in every sense of the word. I thank all of my colleagues who voted ``aye'' in moving this forward.

It is important to remember that this is an emergency supplemental bill. I have heard others on the other side call it a war supplemental. It is true, indeed, that over the last several years, the President has insisted that we pay for the war in Iraq on an emergency supplemental. But I remind everyone that there are countless emergencies across this country, and we, as Democrats, believe it is critical that we address those concerns--whether it is our agricultural industry, which has faced drought, severe weather, family farms which have been inundated and unable to continue to provide the crops all of us rely on to feed our families; whether it is our veterans who, as the occupant of the chair well knows as a member of the Veterans' Committee, have been left behind time and time again.

We all know of the Walter Reed issue that hit the papers several weeks ago. But this is not a new issue for many of us who have been following this issue for some time. We have men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan who are coming home and have severe traumatic brain injuries. They have been lost in the system. We are now starting the fifth year of this war, and to date this President has not planned and supported funding to make sure those men and women--whether it is traumatic brain injury or whether they lost a limb or whether they have post-traumatic stress syndrome or whether it is just coming home and being able to find another job--have been paid attention to.

In this supplemental, we say we are going to pay for all costs of the war and certainly pay for those men and women who paid the ultimate price, along with their families, and taking care of them is part of that cost of war. In this critical bill which the Democrats voted for, we make sure they are a part of this.

So we provide funding to repair the facilities at Walter Reed and also to make sure that across the country the Walter Reed syndrome is paid attention to. Those veterans facilities we have gotten the reports from--the 1,100 sightings of mold on the walls, of bats that have not been gotten rid of in the Oregon VA facility, of peeling paint on the walls--these kinds of conditions are not ones we as Americans should allow to continue.

In the supplemental bill, we say we are going to take care of those issues, and we require specifically that the VA come back to us in 60 days and identify every one of those 1,100 sightings and say whether they have fixed those facilities. If they have not, we want to know the exact cost, because we are not going to let those men and women sit in those deplorable conditions.

Under this bill, we address the issue that has faced many of our soldiers who have returned home with traumatic brain injury. Many of us saw the Bob Woodruff special several weeks ago, a reporter who was in Iraq and who suffered a traumatic brain injury. We saw how he struggled with his recovery and now has presented an amazing news story to let all of us know what is happening not just with him but to men and women across this country as they come home. It is true when a soldier is in a vehicle that is immediately affected by a blast, they often know they have traumatic brain injury. It is also true soldiers who may be 100 or 150 yards away from that blast may also receive an injury but may not know it.

We have all talked to these men and women when we go home, and their wives normally say to us, my husband can't remember where he put a piece of paper I just handed to him, not realizing he had been a victim of a blast and that his injury had caused brain damage. We need to make sure those soldiers are treated and are treated well, and that we have the research and the capability to make sure they are not lost when they come home from service to this country. That funding is in this bill, and that funding was voted on by a majority of Senators in this body. We are going to keep working to make sure it is there.

We also have in this bill money for Katrina. It seems a long time ago now that our country was stunned by the impact of Katrina and other hurricanes in the gulf coast. Americans across the country said, what are we going to do? We know since that time there have been major stumbles. As Democrats, we are not stepping back. We believe that is as much an emergency as what the President has asked for in this emergency supplemental focusing only on Iraq, the war, and the reconstruction efforts there.

We have a reconstruction effort that is absolutely critical here in this country. Democrats are standing up and saying we are going to take responsibility and pay for it. There is $6.7 billion in here for the victims of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. I believe that is as much a critical emergency spending item as the reconstruction dollars the President has asked for in the supplemental, and that is why we are supporting this bill.

This bill also addresses the issue of homeland security. We have heard a lot of rhetoric about homeland security and protecting our own. That is an emergency because that funding has not been there. Rhetoric protects no one here at home. We provide $2 billion, critical infrastructure dollars, for port security, mass transit security, and explosive detection equipment at our airports. We are putting it into this bill because it has not yet been funded, and across this country Americans are at risk without that funding.

We have heard a lot of talk on this floor over the last several days about extra porkbarrel spending. Well, I would say to all of my colleagues there is $4.2 billion that is provided for Americans here at home--not for reconstruction efforts out in the world but for right here at home, $4.2 billion.

Senator Boxer from California was out here yesterday showing tremendous pictures of the agricultural disasters that have occurred in California. These are farmers whom we rely on as Americans when we go to our grocery stores to be able to buy food to feed our families. If their farms are lost because they do not have the support after a disaster that has affected them, every one of us suffers. As Democrats, we say that is as much an emergency as what we are putting into this bill for reconstruction in Iraq. We need to reconstruct here at home.

On this side we are playing catchup. For a number of years now we have seen emergency supplementals that were just war supplementals. We are saying that, as Democrats, we know we have to invest in ourselves across the country. We have to invest in our future. We will only be as strong abroad as we are at home. If we abandon our farmers, if we abandon our children because they do not have health care--and there is SCHIP funding in this bill--if we abandon our gulf coast residents, who have not yet been able to rebuild their homes and their infrastructure, if we abandon our veterans when they come home and don't take care of them, if we abandon our military personnel without the proper equipment and supplies, then we are not doing the job we have been sent here to do.

We are proud of this supplemental we are putting forward because, in addition to everything else, we are taking a major step forward and saying we are no longer going to idly stand by without any debate, without any consequences, and move continuously to increase the war in Iraq. We have said it is time for us as a nation to tell the Iraqi people they need to stand up for themselves. That language is critical in this bill.

We have worked with colleagues on all sides to put together what I think is a very important, very critical bill for us here in America-- here at home. We are going to work very hard now in conference with our House colleagues to come together with a bill to bring back to the Senate and then to send to the President. I understand the President is saying he is going to veto the

bill, but I ask the President to listen to us, to sit down in the way we are supposed to here in Congress, and work with us to find agreement so we can move this bill forward. That is my hope for us here, and it is my hope for Americans across this country.

I am proud of the bill we have put forward in addressing the critical infrastructure investments here at home, and I hope as we move forward in this process in a few weeks we will be able to have a conference committee bill that will be sent to the President and that he will agree to so we can then move on to the other issues facing this Nation.

I also take this opportunity to thank a number of people who worked on this bill, but particularly Chairman Byrd, who led us throughout this debate. I thank Senator Cochran, my ranking member, who has been out here on the floor late nights working with us to help keep an orderly process.

I also thank all of our full committee staff, Terry Sauvain and Bruce Evans, all of their staff, who have worked countless hours. I am not sure they even went home last night before they came in this morning to help us get to the point we are today, and I thank all the staff of all the Appropriations subcommittees, who have worked very hard on this bill.

I also thank our floor staff, because without their work and their support, none of us would be able to complete the work we do. They are the silent workers who sit in front of us and who have done such a tremendous job to help us get through this process.

At the end of the day, I want my colleagues and I want America to know we in the majority here in the Senate believe an emergency spending bill should be just that. There are numerous emergencies across this country, investing in Americans who have suffered tremendously, and we are working hard to make sure their issues are finally addressed. Importantly, we are telling the President that our veterans and those who serve us in Iraq and Afghanistan, when they come home, their issues are going to be addressed as part of the cost of the war and as part of this emergency supplemental.

Madam 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 now ask unanimous consent that the previous order be further modified to provide that the cloture vote occur immediately; that the other two votes with respect to the Wyden and Burr amendments occur at 2 p.m. under the same conditions and limitations; provided further, that notwithstanding rule XXII, the amendments remain in order.

Mr. President, we will now move to the cloture vote. Following the cloture vote, it is our understanding that Senators Hagel and Webb, under the previous agreement, will speak on the amendment to which they would like to speak. For the information of all Senators, once this vote occurs, Senator Hagel and Senator Webb will be speaking, and then we will have votes at 2 o'clock, which were just ordered.

Cloture Motion

Mr. President, it is my understanding that we are now going to turn to Senator Hagel and Senator Webb, who are both here. We have time allocated until 2 o'clock, at which time, I remind my colleagues, we will have two votes.

Mr. President, if I can inform our colleagues, we are in the process of working to get a unanimous consent agreement to move the two votes that were scheduled for 2 o'clock to 2:30 p.m. We are going to be putting that together. We should have it in just a few minutes. If our colleagues will allow us to let Senator Boxer continue for a few minutes, we will have that put together.

Mr. GRAHAM addressed the Chair.

Mr. President, I inform the Senator that we have about eight Senators here who are all wanting about 5 minutes between now and 2:30 p.m. If the Senator wouldn't mind withholding, we will try to accommodate him after the votes.

Mr. President, if the Senator from California will yield for a minute for a unanimous consent request.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the previous order be further modified, for the last time, and that the votes slated to occur at 2 p.m. be delayed until 2:40 p.m., and that the time until 2:40 p.m. be divided 30 minutes in opposition to the Coburn amendments Nos. 657 and 648, and that Senator Coburn control 5 minutes; that upon disposition of the Burr amendment, the Senate proceed to vote in relation to the Coburn amendment No. 657, to be followed by a vote in relation to amendment No. 648; that no amendments be in order to either amendment; that there be 2 minutes for debate prior to each amendment covered under this agreement; and that after the first vote, the time be limited to 10 minutes.

Mr. President, for the information of all Senators, we will then have four votes beginning at 2:40 p.m.

I thank the Senator from California.

I yield 5 additional minutes to the Senator from California.

Mr. President, I now yield 5 minutes to the Senator from Minnesota, Ms. Klobuchar, and 10 minutes to the Senator from Colorado, Mr. Salazar.

Mr. President, under the order, how much time remains on our side?

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Hagel amendment, No. 707, be withdrawn, as outlined under a previous order.

Mr. President, I yield the remaining time to the Senator from Wisconsin.

Mr. President, may I ask how much time do we have on our side?

I am happy to yield that time to the Senator from Minnesota.

Mr. President, how much time is remaining to both sides?

I don't see the Senator from Oklahoma. He has some time. I assume he will be coming to the floor, since we will be going to a vote shortly.

I yield the remainder of our time to the Senator from Oregon.

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 yield back all time on both sides.

Amendment No. 709

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

Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. President, in a moment, we are going to hear from Senator Burr and Senator Wyden on this amendment. I would tell our colleagues that we have three more votes that will be limited to 10 minutes.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

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.

Amendment No. 657

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

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.

Change of Vote

I yield a minute to the Senator from Minnesota and then a minute to the Senator from Colorado.

Madam President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

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.

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 the Senator from Iowa be recognized for 10 minutes; that immediately following the Senator from Iowa, the Senator from South Carolina be recognized for 5 minutes, and then we immediately return to regular order.

I object.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent the Senator from Kentucky be allowed to speak for up to 10 minutes on the underlying bill, and at the end of that time or yielding back of that time we return to the regular order.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent the Senator from Nevada be given 10 minutes to speak, and after using his time or yielding back his time we revert to the regular order.

Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Madam President, I object.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senator from Colorado be recognized for 7 minutes and that upon the completion of his remarks or yielding back of his time we revert to the regular order.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senator from Idaho be allowed to speak for 5 minutes, that the Senator from Vermont be allowed to speak for 1 minute, and that the Senator from Illinois be allowed to speak for up to 10 minutes.

Mr. President, a few moments ago the Senator from Idaho came to the floor to talk about an amendment he had regarding the language in the underlying bill covering veterans and he described it as ``too prescriptive.'' I think it is imperative that we keep the language the way it is written.

For 4 years, the Bush administration has conducted this war with very little regard for the tremendous strain it is putting on the VA and it is putting on veterans and their families. Last month we saw this horrible reality exposed at Walter Reed. So today, in this supplemental bill, we are helping to put an end to that neglect. We are not going to wait for the President to fix these problems. We have waited too long. We are facing the cost of war in the supplemental, and we are putting the money where it is needed.

This supplemental does include $1.7 billion for veterans health funding. We put this money in because this administration has fallen short in meeting the needs of our returning veterans. The supplemental does direct the VA to prescriptively put in $50 million for new polytrauma centers, as we have learned of the traumatic brain injury impact to many soldiers and their families. It does direct $100 million for mental health care, because we know more than a third of our soldiers who are returning home are suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome and too often are being turned away for care. It does include $201 million to treat these recently returning veterans, because we know they are waiting in line and cannot get their benefits, and too many of them today are ending up homeless simply because they can't get the check they need to be able to pay for basic costs for themselves.

It does include $30 million for research on the best prosthetics for amputees. We were at the VA hearing a few days ago and heard from a wonderful woman, Tammy Duckworth, talking about our veterans today who are coming back who need prosthetics, not just to be able to walk but to be able to ski or to be able to rock climb. Those are the kinds of prosthetics that take a great deal of training. We want to make sure those young men and women who are coming back today who have lost limbs have the best prosthetics available for what they need in their lives. It does include $870 million to fix those problems that were uncovered at the VA facilities across the country, not just at Walter Reed, but for tiles falling off ceilings, bats that haven't been eliminated in Oregon, facilities that have peeling paint at care facilities that would not be accepted by any of us in this country. It does include $46 million to hire new claims processors so our veterans don't have to wait for their benefits.

Why are we being so prescriptive? Well, we are here today because we have seen the VA not spend the dollars wisely, to move the dollars around in different accounts to cover the lack of funding they have needed, and we are going to make sure in this bill we take care of the needs we have heard so vividly about from so many men and women who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan and around the globe, and who are facing long lines, who aren't getting the mental health care they need, who need access to care for traumatic brain injuries, the signature injury of this war, and we are going to make sure we hold this administration accountable by finally being prescriptive so it is spent wisely.

I reject the Senator from Idaho's arguments on our amendment, and I think we have wisely held the administration and ourselves accountable to make sure the men and women who have served us so well are treated with respect when they come home.

Mr. President, we have a number of amendments we are going to go through at this time. I believe we are ready to accept them. I ask unanimous consent to set aside the pending amendment.

Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 655 on behalf of Senator Hutchison and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mr. President, this amendment has been cleared on both sides.

Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 666 on behalf of Senator Clinton.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

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

Amendment No. 666 on behalf of Senator Clinton.

Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 685 on behalf of Senator Kennedy, with a modification, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

This amendment has been cleared on both sides.

Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 674 on behalf of Senator Cochran.

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

This amendment has been cleared on both sides.

Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 687 on behalf of Senator Kerry and send a modification to the desk.

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

This amendment also has been cleared on both sides.

Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 727 on behalf of Senator Stevens.

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

This amendment has been cleared on both sides.

Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 732 on behalf of Senators Landrieu, Vitter, and Inhofe and send a modification to the desk.

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

This amendment is cleared on both sides.

Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 755 on behalf of Senators Leahy and Specter.

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

This amendment has been cleared on both sides.

Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 772 on behalf of Senator Snowe.

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

This amendment has been cleared.

Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 776 on behalf of Senators Landrieu and Cochran.

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

This amendment has been cleared.

Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 793 on behalf of Senator Klobuchar.

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

This amendment has been cleared on both sides.

Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 807 on behalf of Senator Pryor.

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

This amendment has been cleared.

Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 835 on behalf of Senators Coleman, Cochran, and Klobuchar.

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

This amendment has also been cleared.

Mr. President, I move that the votes by which the last 13 amendments were agreed to be reconsidered en bloc and that my motion be laid upon the table en bloc.

The motions to lay on the table were agreed to en bloc.

Mr. President, I now call for the regular order, 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 unanimous consent that action on amendment No. 835 be vitiated and the amendment be modified with the changes at the desk, the amendment, as modified, be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be laid on the table; further, that action on amendment No. 755 be vitiated and the amendment be modified with the changes at the desk, and the amendment be agreed to, as modified, and the motion to reconsider be laid on the table.

I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate resumes consideration of H.R. 1591 on Thursday, all time postcloture be considered expired; that the only amendments remaining in order to be the following, and that they may not be subject to second-degree amendment: The Ensign amendment, No. 752, to be modified; DeMint amendment No. 704; Coburn amendment No. 649; Sanders amendment No. 737, to be modified; Biden amendment No. 739; that the Reid second-degree amendment to the Lugar amendment No. 690 be withdrawn and the Lugar amendment be agreed to; that all other pending amendments be withdrawn, that there be 4 minutes equally divided and controlled in the usual form prior to each vote; that a manager's amendment be in order, provided it has been cleared by the managers and the two leaders; that upon disposition of the amendments, the bill be read a third time and the Senate proceed to vote on passage of the bill.

I ask unanimous consent that the votes occur in the order of the amendments I just listed.

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

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 Wednesday, March 28, 2007, at 10 a.m., in room 253 of the Russell Senate Office Building. The purpose of this hearing is to discuss the future of the Coast Guard dive program.

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 Wednesday, March 28, 2007, at 2:30 p.m., in room 253 of the Russell Senate Office Building. The purpose of this hearing is to discuss transitioning to a Next Generation Human Space Flight System.

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 Wednesday, March 28, 2007.

The agenda to be considered:

Reducing Government Building Operational Costs through Innovation and Efficiency: Legislative Solutions.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 28, 2007, at 10 a.m., in 215 Dirksen Senate Office Building, to hear testimony on ``Risks and Reform: The Role of Currency in the U.S.-China Relationship.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 28, 2007, at 11:45 a.m. to hold a business meeting.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be authorized to hold a hearing on the No Child Left Behind reauthorization during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 28, 2007, at 3 p.m. in SD- 430.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Rules and Administration be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 28, 2007, at 10 a.m., to conduct a markup on S. 223, the Senate Campaign Disclosure Parity Act.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Joint Economic Committee be authorized to conduct a hearing in Room 216 of the Hart Senate Office Building, Wednesday, March 28, 2007, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Special Committee on Aging be authorized to meet Wednesday, March 28, 2007, from 10:15 a.m. to 12 p.m. in Dirksen 562 for the purpose of conducting a hearing.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Personnel be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 28, 2007, at 3:30 p.m., to receive testimony on active component, reserve component, and civilian personnel programs in review of the defense authorization request for fiscal year 2008 and the future years defense program.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces be authorized to meet in open and closed sessions during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 28, 2007, at 9:30 a.m., to receive testimony on strategic forces programs in review of the defense authorization request for fiscal year 2008 and the future years defense program.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed to executive session to consider Executive Calendar No. 43, the nomination of Vanessa Lynne Bryant, to be a U.S. district judge for the District of Connecticut; that the nomination be confirmed, the motion to reconsider be laid on the table, the President be notified of the Senate's action, and the Senate then return to legislative session; that any statements relating to the nomination be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Agriculture Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 114 and the Senate then proceed to its immediate consideration.

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