Floor Statements

How much time remains under the order?

I reserve the remainder of my time and I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

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.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that amendment No. 487 be modified so as to appear on page 187 after line 18. This request only changes the placement of the amendment in the bill. It does not change the text of the amendment.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

I move to reconsider the vote by which the bill was passed.

Madam President, I thank all Senators for their cooperation in the passage of this bill. There were a lot of amendments offered, and we agreed to some of them. Some of them were adopted. We are going to conference with the House now to work out differences between the two bills. I am confident we will be able to come back with a product in the form of a conference report which the Senate can support, which will continue to support the additional funding that is needed for this fiscal year for our troops in the field, for those who are deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan and elsewhere in the world in the war on terror, and will meet the needs of our State Department through replenishment of accounts that have been depleted because of the disaster in the tsunami episode and for other needs the Senate and House have seen fit to include in this appropriations bill.

As my first bill to manager on the floor of the Senate as chairman of the Appropriations Committee, I have to give great credit to the assistance I received personally from staff members here in the Senate, other Senators as well who are more experienced and who chaired important subcommittees in the past and this full committee, as a matter of fact.

Specifically, I am thinking about Senator Byrd, the distinguished Senator from West Virginia, who has served as chairman of this committee and ranking member of the committee; Senator Stevens, who is chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee; Senator Inouye, who is the senior Democrat on that subcommittee, both of whom helped shape the content of this bill in areas under the jurisdiction of their subcommittee; and the staff director, Keith Kennedy, who is back from a leave of absence he had doing other things for the last several years but who, as a former staff director of this committee, provided strong leadership for our staff and gave me tremendous support which I needed to get this bill to this point. I am very grateful to him for his support and those who worked closely with him, like Terry Sauvain on the Democratic side; Sid Ashworth, who is the clerk of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, and her counterpart on the Democratic side, Charlie Houy; Paul Grove; Tim Rieser; Clayton Heil, who is counsel to the committee; and Chuck Kieffer, all of whom provided very important and appreciated support to me during the handling of this legislation.

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

Mr. President, we made good progress on this legislation yesterday. We considered a number of amendments. We were able to accept some in terms of being able to agree that they be adopted on voice vote. We had some rollcall votes on others. We are pleased that Senators cooperated with our committee. We hope to complete action on this bill today, certainly by tomorrow. But if we move with dispatch to consider the amendments that we know about, it is likely we can finish today, with the cooperation of all Senators. We appreciate that very much.

I know the Senator from Wisconsin, Mr. Kohl, has an amendment relating to PL 480 accounts, and we are prepared to consider that amendment at this time if he wishes to send it to the desk and offer it for the Senate's consideration.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. President, Senator Kohl has indicated a very impressive list of cosponsors who ask that the Senate agree to this amendment. I know of no other request for time to debate the amendment. I do not want to cut off any Senator, but we are prepared to go to a vote on the amendment if there are no Senators who wish to debate.

Mr. President, 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. 388

Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. President, will the Senator yield for a response to that statement?

The Senator suggested he does not know anyone who would debate the issue or support the funding that is contained in the bill. The Senator is totally incorrect about that. There is a difference of opinion as reflected in the House-passed bill and the bill as reported by the Senate Committee on Appropriations. We had hearings on this issue. We had testimony that was compelling from the Secretary of State, Dr. Condoleezza Rice. We had an appeal that was made personally to Senators on the committee by the Secretary, which were very compelling.

To give some example of what the Secretary said, we have personnel, who are trying to live and stay alive in the Bagdad regions, who are representing the interests of the United States, who are trying to contribute toward a democracy being established under very difficult and dangerous circumstances. Many of them are located in temporary shelters, some are in tents, some are in other structures. We have people trying to carry on the work of our U.S. Embassy in a palace that was formerly occupied by Saddam Hussein that is not safe from mortar attacks or other military actions and terrorist activities. There is a perimeter that is very difficult to defend that we have all heard about and read about in the newspapers and seen on television. And to follow the suggestion of the Senator from Oklahoma to do nothing to try to establish quarters that are safe, that can be protected, that will permit our Ambassador to operate safely in a secure environment, we would be neglecting our obligations as representatives of the people of this great country.

To say that they are on their own, to continue to try to manage the way they have been for the last year and a half, I think that would be an absolute abrogation of responsibility for this Senate.

Our committee recommended that we approve the request submitted by the administration for these funds. I strongly support the appropriation. I will defend the action of this committee on this issue as long as the Senator wants to debate it.

So to say there is no one who is willing to argue the point is absolutely without basis in fact.

Mr. President, will the Senator yield before he abandons this issue?

I want to point out that the Department of State submitted to the committee a letter on April 18, 2005 in justification for proceeding with the funding for the embassy compound and pointed out the reasons it was important to approve the full funding now. It is not something we dreamed up or that we are doing to undermine the integrity of our fiscal soundness as a country. It is not irresponsible in any way whatsoever.

Here is what the letter says in part:

This funding request in the supplemental is more urgent as

a result of the highly successful Iraqi elections. Now that

it is clear that Iraq is on the road to full sovereignty,

building a permanent United States embassy has become

imperative. In order to complete compound construction within

24 months construction must start now.

That is why it is an emergency in any sense of the word. That is why our committee was impressed with this argument. This argument wasn't made very well over on the House side of the Capitol. But it was in person by the Secretary in appeals to individual Members. I can recall being in my State and getting a telephone call from the Secretary of State on this subject to emphasize the importance of doing what we are recommending the Senate approve.

Here is another sentence from this same letter signed by Nicholas Burns. I will have it printed in the Record so Senators will be able to read the letter in its entirety.

We need the Committee-recommended level of funding to

ensure that we can adequately house and protect U.S.

Government staff for our mission in Baghdad. Less than the

full Committee-recommended funding level will delay moving

our people into more safe, secure, and functional facilities,

causing greater risks to U.S. Government personnel.

That is good enough for me. I think it is good enough for the Senate, and I hope the Senate will reject this amendment.

I ask unanimous consent that a copy of this letter that I referred to be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I am happy to assure the Senator we will have an opportunity to vote on any amendments that require votes. There are some Senators who are off the premises right now and I ask they be given some notice so they can get back. We will confer with the leader and I will consult with the Senator from Illinois. I thank the Senator for his assurances.

REAL ID Act

Madam President, I rise in opposition to the REAL ID Act. The REAL ID Act is a measure the House Republicans attached to the supplemental appropriations bill. It has little or nothing to do with appropriations for tsunami victims, or appropriations for our men and women in uniform. It is a separate immigration matter, and a very controversial one.

They chose this bill because they know we need this bill. It needs to be signed by the President. So they are hoping to push through this change in immigration law on a bill that is a must-pass bill. We have had no hearings, no debate, no votes in the Senate on this so-called REAL ID Act.

The Senate Republican leadership has stated it is opposed to including this act in the appropriations bill. I hope they mean it. The test will come when this bill returns from the conference committee.

I want to take a couple minutes to explain why the REAL ID Act is something we should debate. The proponents of this act claim it is simple, that all it wants to do is prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining driver's licenses.

Several States across America have decided, in their State legislatures, to allow the issuance of State driver's licenses to people who are not documented. You know the argument: Those people are going to drive anyway. It is better they are licensed, that they clearly have demonstrated they can drive a truck or a car, and they have insurance.

Now, we can get into that debate, and it would be an interesting one, as to whether those States have made the right decision. This bill says all the States that have decided to issue the driver's licenses are wrong. So it would prohibit those who are undocumented from receiving driver's licenses.

If that were the only issue, it is one we could debate for a little while and decide whether we ought to preempt all of these State legislatures. But this bill does so much more. The REAL ID Act would mean real big problems for the States and a lot of people. It imposes very difficult standards for driver's licenses on the States.

When we passed the intelligence reform bill, we carefully crafted language--bipartisan language--to establish standards for States issuing driver's licenses. We did not tell the States who could receive a driver's license. That has always been a State decision. But we required that the Federal Government work cooperatively with the States to create minimum Federal standards for driver's licenses. Standards will be established for, among other things, documents presented as proof of identity, fraud prevention, and security features included in driver's licenses.

The REAL ID bill goes far beyond this intelligence reform provision. Its impact will be felt by every American when they go in for a driver's license. It requires that the State DMV verify every document, including birth certificates, presented by every applicant, including American citizens. This means significant expense and long processing delays.

If a State, incidentally, fails to comply with the REAL ID provisions included in the House bill, no resident of that State--listen to this carefully--no resident of that State will be able to use their driver's license for Federal purposes. So what would that mean? The most common form of identification in an airport is a driver's license. If you have been on an airplane, you know it. People bring out their driver's license.

This provision coming over from the Republican House says if your State does not comply with this law, if you are a resident of that State, you cannot use your driver's license to get on an airplane. What will you use? If you have a passport, I guess you could use it, but many people do not have a passport. So it goes way beyond what it needs to do to make certain we have secure driver's licenses.

As I mentioned earlier, we have already addressed the issue of driver's license security in the intelligence reform bill. The Federal Government is already meeting with State governments to negotiate new minimum Federal standards for driver's licenses. The REAL ID Act would stop this process dead in its tracks by repealing the

driver's license provision in the intelligence reform bill.

Incidentally, the REAL ID Act is opposed strongly by the States. Every Senator has received a letter opposing the REAL ID Act from the National Governors Association, the National Conference of State Legislatures, the Council of State Governments, and the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. They have said clearly, this REAL ID Act will ``impose technological standards and verification procedures, many of which are beyond the current capacity of even the Federal Government.''

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to have this letter printed in the Record.

Madam President, I ask for the regular order with respect to amendment No. 340.

Madam President, I make a point of order that the amendment is not germane.

Madam President, I ask for the regular order with respect to amendment No. 351.

Madam President, I make a point of order that the amendment is not germane.

Madam President, I ask for the regular order with respect to amendment No. 375.

Madam President, I make a point of order that the amendment is not germane.

Madam President, I ask for the regular order with respect to amendment No. 395.

Madam President, I make a point of order that the amendment is not germane.

Madam President, I ask for the regular order with respect to amendment No. 417.

Madam President, I make a point of order that the amendment is not germane.

Madam President, I ask for the regular order with respect to amendment No. 432.

Madam President, I make a point of order that the amendment is not germane.

Madam President, I ask for the regular order with respect to amendment No. 445.

Madam President, I make a point of order that the amendment is not germane.

Madam President, I ask for the regular order with respect to amendment No. 451.

Madam President, I make a point of order that the amendment is not germane.

Madam President, I ask for the regular order with respect to amendment No. 452.

Madam President, I make a point of order that the amendment is not germane.

Madam President, I ask for the regular order with respect to amendment No. 456.

Madam President, I make a point of order that the amendment is not germane.

Madam President, I ask for the regular order with respect to amendment No. 459.

Madam President, I make a point of order that the amendment is not germane.

Madam President, I ask for the regular order with respect to amendment No. 463.

Madam President, I make a point of order that the amendment is not germane.

Madam President, I ask for the regular order with respect to amendment No. 499.

Madam President, I make a point of order that the amendment is not germane.

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, the Senator from Oklahoma offered an amendment No. 471 relating to the Embassy in Iraq. We have had a discussion of that amendment. I ask unanimous consent that it be in order to table the amendment, and I ask for the yeas and nays. And I ask unanimous consent that the vote be ordered to occur at 1:45.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote by which the motion to table was agreed to.

Mr. President, I suggest we adopt the amendment offered by the Senator from Arkansas on a voice vote.

I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. President, reserving the right to object.

I have been notified that there is a Senator who wants to be heard on the issue of germaneness on this amendment--or on the issue itself.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that at 3:15 today the Senate proceed to votes in relation to the following amendments; provided further that no second-degree amendment also be in order to the amendments prior to the vote: the Byrd amendment No. 516 on border security, the Warner amendment No. 498 on carriers; further, that there be 2 minutes of debate equally divided prior to each vote.

Mr. President, those amendments have not been offered yet. These are amendments that have been offered and debated. We are simply proceeding to dispose of them.

Mr. President, I add that as part of the unanimous consent request.

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

Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays on the Byrd amendment.

Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote by which the amendment was agreed to.

I move to lay that motion on the table.

The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote by which the amendment was agreed to.

Mr. President, I know of no other requests for debate on the amendment. I have no objection to our proceeding to a voice vote on the amendment.

Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I be permitted to send to the desk a modification of amendment No. 493 in behalf of Senator Leahy.

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

Mr. President, 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. 489, As Modified

Mr. President, I send to the desk another modification in behalf of Senator Durbin.

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

Mr. President, 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. 342, As Modified

Mr. President, I send to the desk another modification of an amendment in behalf of Senator DeWine, No. 342.

Mr. President, 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. 425, As Modified

Mr. President, I send to the desk another modification to amendment No. 425, in behalf of Mr. Bennett.

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

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

The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

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

I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. President, I ask for the regular order with respect to amendment No. 537.

I make the point of order that the amendment is not germane.

Mr. President, on behalf of the Senator from Colorado, Mr. Salazar, I call up amendment No. 454 and ask that it be reported.

Mr. President, I send a modification to the desk to amendment No. 454, and I ask unanimous consent that the modification of the amendment be considered.

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. 517, As Modified

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to send a modification of amendment No. 517 to the desk and that it be reported.

I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the following list of cosponsors to the Corzine amendment be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, on behalf of Senator McConnell, I call up amendment No. 488.

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

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

The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Mr. President, I am pleased, on behalf of the leader, to present the following agreement that has been cleared.

I ask unanimous consent that the only remaining amendments to the bill be the Ensign amendment No. 487 and the Bayh amendment No. 520; provided further, that all time be considered expired under rule XXII, with the exception of 15 minutes prior to the votes; provided further, that on Thursday, at a time to be determined by the majority leader, after consultation with the Democratic leader, the Senate resume consideration of the bill and that there be 15 minutes for debate equally divided between the chairman and Senator Bayh or his designee prior to votes in relation to the remaining amendments, and that following the disposition of the amendments, the bill be read a third time and the Senate proceed to vote on passage, with no intervening action or debate; finally, I ask unanimous consent that following passage of the bill, the Senate insist on its amendments, request a conference with the House, and the Chair be authorized to appoint the Appropriations Committee as conferees on the part of the Senate.

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

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be authorized to meet

during the session of the Senate on April 20, 2005, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing on ``Regulatory Reform of the Housing Government- Sponsored Enterprises.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Environment and Public Works be authorized to meet on Wednesday, April 20, 2005, at 9:30 a.m. to conduct a hearing regarding the following nominations: Gregory B. Jaczko--Nominated by the President to be a Member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission;

Peter B. Lyons--Nominated by the President to be a Member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Wednesday, April 20, 2005 at 9:30 a.m.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, Subcommittee on Education and Early Childhood Development, be authorized to hold a hearing during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, April 20, 2005 at 10:00 a.m. in SD-430.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate for a hearing entitled, ``Solving the Small Business Health Care Crisis: Alternatives for Lowering Costs and Covering the Uninsured'' on Wednesday, April 20, 2005, beginning at 10:00 a.m. in room 428A of the Russell Senate Office Building.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 20, 2005, at 2:30 p.m., to hold a briefing.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 20, 2005, at 2 p.m., in open session to receive testimony on the readiness of military units deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Ending Freedom in review of the defense authorization request for fiscal year 2006.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Science and Space be authorized to meet on Wednesday, April 20, 2005, at 10 a.m., on International Space Station Research Benefits.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology, and Homeland Security be authorized to meet to conduct a hearing on ``A Review of the Material Support to Terrorism Prohibition Improvements Act'' on Wednesday, April 20, 2005, at 2:30 p.m., in Dirksen 226.

Witness List

Wednesday, April 20, 2005, at 2:30 p.m., Dirksen Senate Office Building Room 226.

Mr. Barry Sabin, Chief of Counterterrorism Section, Criminal Division, Department of Justice; and Mr. Dan Meron, Deputy Assistance Attorney General, Civil Division, Department of Justice.

I move to reconsider the vote.

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

The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Mr. President, we have several amendments that have been cleared on both sides, and I am prepared to bring those to the attention of the Senate.

Amendment No. 547

Mr. President, I send to the desk an amendment on behalf of Mr. Bond regarding Federal Housing Enterprises Oversight, and I ask that it be reported.

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

Mr. President, 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. 527

Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 527 on behalf of Ms. Landrieu regarding oil and gas fabrication ports.

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

Mr. President, 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. 441

Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 441 on behalf of Mr. Santorum regarding loan guarantees.

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

Mr. President, 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. 407

Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 407 on behalf of Mr. Reid regarding the Walker River Basin.

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

Mr. President, 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. 476

Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 476 on behalf of Mr. Byrd regarding the Upper Tygart Watershed project.

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

Mr. President, 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. 548

Mr. President, I send to the desk an amendment on behalf of Mr. Leahy regarding the protection of the Galapogas.

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

Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote by which the amendment was agreed to, and I move to lay that motion on the table.

The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Mr. President, I have no further amendments to present to the Senate at this time.

I yield the floor.

Amendment No. 499

Mr. President, in the amendments we cleared and approved a moment ago, there were two modifications which I neglected to send to the desk. The first was a modification of the Reid amendment. I ask unanimous consent that the Reid amendment be so modified.

Mr. President, I make the same request with respect to modification of the amendment previously agreed to by the Senate on behalf of Senator Byrd.

I thank the Chair and yield the floor.

Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. President, for the purpose of completing action on cleared amendments, there are two amendments that do not require a rollcall vote. Senator Hutchison has an amendment and Senator Chambliss has an amendment. I ask unanimous consent that it be in order for them to offer those amendments at this time.

I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. President, we have some requests to make on behalf of the managers of the bill with respect to amendments that have been cleared on both sides of the aisle. We understand there has been a review undertaken by staff to try to ensure that the amendments which are going to be presented to the Senate are consistent with the vote taken on cloture earlier in the day.

Amendment No. 343

With that information, I call up amendment No. 343 on behalf of Mr. Pryor regarding Camp Joseph T. Robinson.

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

Mr. President, I know of no request for debate on the amendment.

Mr. President, 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. 427, as modified

Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 427 on behalf of Mr. Durbin regarding Iraqi security services.

Mr. President, I also send a modification of the amendment to the desk.

Mr. President, I know of no requests for debate on the amendment as modified.

I move to reconsider the vote.

I call up amendment numbered 399, on behalf of Mr. Dorgan, regarding the independent counsel investigation of Henry Cisneros.

I know of no requests for debate on the amendment.

I move to reconsider the vote.

I send to the desk an amendment on behalf of Mr. Shelby, regarding judicial security enhancements.

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

I know of no requests for debate on the amendment

I move to reconsider the vote.

I send to the desk an amendment on behalf of Mr. Reid of Nevada--technical in nature--and ask it be reported.

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

Mr. President, I know of no requests for debate.

I move to reconsider the vote.

My final request is to send to the desk another amendment on behalf of Mr. Reid of Nevada that is technical in nature. I ask that it be reported.

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

Mr. President, I know of no requests for debate.

I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. President, I thank the distinguished Senator, my friend from Vermont. He is a valuable member of the Appropriations Committee.

Mr. President, I am pleased with the progress we have been able to make on this supplemental appropriations bill today. The Senate is working hard to ensure we consider requests that have merit which should be included in this bill.

The focus of the bill, as everyone realizes, though, is on assisting and providing for our troops, the Department of Defense facilities that are located in Iraq, trying to help ensure we protect the forces we have there, giving them what they need to bring these operations to a successful conclusion. We have made tremendous progress there, as well as in Afghanistan, bringing an opportunity for peace and freedom to the people of both of those countries. It is quite amazing to see the success that has been achieved in that direction, as those nations continue to work to build the infrastructure for democracy and a growing economy.

Our troops still need additional assistance, and that is why it is important for us to respond in a positive way to the requests of the administration to fund those needs and provide that assistance which will play such a critical role in their success.

The funds appropriated in this bill will provide support, pay in allowances. It will provide additional equipment, more modern and more effective equipment, so that the chances of success will be enhanced.

We do not want to drag out this supplemental unnecessarily. We need to complete action on the bill so we can go to conference with our counterpart committee, the Appropriations Committee in the House, and work out differences between the two bodies on this bill.

We do not want to delay this supplemental. We do not want to endanger our troops and our national interests in those areas of the world and here at home by unnecessary delay.

We appreciate the cooperation of all Senators. I thank everyone who has played a part today in our success in moving forward with this legislation.

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

Mr. President, I am pleased to commend Ken Murphree of Tunica for his distinguished service as president of Delta Council this year.

Delta Council is an economic development organization representing the 18 Delta and part-Delta counties of northwest Mississippi. Delta Council was organized in 1935 to bring together the agriculture and business leadership of the region to focus on the challenges which face the economy and society of the Delta.

Ken Murphree has served admirably as president of Delta Council; and with his distinguished record of public service as a county administrator for DeSoto County during its early years as a growth-area for the Memphis metropolitan region, and more recently, as the county administrator for Tunica County, MS, he has provided careful and responsible leadership for orderly economic growth in our State. The growth of the local tax base in Tunica County, MS, resulting from the rapid expansion of the gaming industry in that area, has ben characterized as a model and a standard by which other rural growth areas are measured.

Ken Murphree has been a strong proponent of Delta Council's programs of education and health care during the past year. His history of involvement in transportation improvements has served Delta Council well this year. The progress being registered on the development of Interstate 69 and the U.S. Highway 82--Mississippi River Bridge has also benefited from his leadership.

Ken has coordinated the activities of Delta Council in a way which has brought consensus throughout the region in areas such as flood control, industrial development, higher education funding, and transportation improvements.

Ken has been a leader in his community, and as he concludes his year as president of Delta Council I congratulate him for the contributions which he has made to this special region of our country. I look forward to his future contributions in improving the quality of life for our citizens in the Mississippi Delta.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that at 5:30 today the Senate proceed to a vote in relation to the Byrd amendment No. 464, with no second-degree amendments in order to the amendment prior to the vote. It has been cleared on both sides.

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 for the yeas and nays on the amendment.

Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. President, I have requests to make in behalf of the managers of the bill with respect to amendments that have been cleared on both sides of the aisle.

I call up amendment No. 496 on behalf of Mr. Reid of Nevada which is technical in nature.

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

Mr. President, I think we can have a voice vote on this amendment.

Mr. President, 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. 473

Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 473 on my own behalf regarding the business and industry loan program.

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

Mr. President, 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. 536

Mr. President, I send to the desk an amendment on behalf of Mr. Bond regarding insurance fee requirements.

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

Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 491 on behalf of Mr. McConnell regarding debt relief in tsunami-affected countries.

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

Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 492 on behalf of Mr. Leahy regarding Nepal.

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

Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.

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 have requests to make on behalf of the managers of the bill with respect to amendments that have been cleared on both sides of the aisle.

I send an amendment to the desk, on behalf of Mr. Leahy and Mr. Obama, and ask for its immediate consideration.

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

I move to reconsider the vote by which the amendment was agreed to, and I move to lay that motion on the table.

The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Amendment No. 370, As Modified

Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 370, as modified, on behalf of Mr. Salazar, concerning democracy assistance for Lebanon.

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

I move to reconsider the vote by which the amendment was agreed to, and I move to lay that motion on the table.

The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Amendment No. 423

Mr. President, I now send an amendment to the desk, on behalf of Mr. Leahy, providing reprogramming authority for certain State Department accounts. I ask for its immediate consideration.

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

Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote by which the amendment was agreed to and move to lay that motion on the table.

The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Amendment No. 361

Mr. President, I now send an amendment to the desk, on behalf of Mr. Reid and Mr. Levin, regarding retired pay and veterans disability compensation, and ask for its immediate consideration.

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

Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote by which the amendment was agreed to, and I move to lay that motion on the table.

The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Amendment No. 424

Mr. President, I now send an amendment to the desk, on my own behalf, to make a technical correction to the bill. I ask it be reported.

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

I move to reconsider the vote by which the amendment was agreed to, and 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.

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

Mr. President, I notice that the distinguished Senator from New Jersey is on the floor. He is a cosponsor of this amendment. I assume he is here to talk on the amendment. I was going to try to bring the discussion to a close so we could vote on the amendment or vote in relation to the amendment, but I am happy to withhold because I do not want to cut off anyone who wants to talk on this subject.

Reserving the right to object--I, of course, will not object--it is my hope that we can continue to deal with the Byrd amendment and dispose of the Byrd amendment. Then the Senator can talk about the Mikulski amendment or any other amendment he wants to talk about.

I do not have an objection.

Mr. President, I appreciate very much the Senator from West Virginia offering the amendment and bringing this issue to the attention of the Senate and making the suggestion that is included in this amendment, which would ``prohibit the use of funds by any Federal agency to produce a prepackaged news story without including in such a story notification for the audience that the story was prepared or funded by a Federal agency.''

That is what the amendment says the purpose is, and that looks totally OK to me--harmless, no reason we should not support it. Then if you read down in the body of the amendment itself as to what it actually would provide in law, it says:

None of the funds provided in this act or any other act may

be used by a Federal agency to produce any prepackaged news

story, unless the story includes a clear notification to the

audience that the story was prepared or funded by that

Federal agency.

This creates a new obligation--not one that is enforced now by the FCC, not one that is embraced by Members of Congress or Senators when they send news releases out to news organizations about their activities or their views on a subject, it includes an obligation on anyone sending such a news story or statement or video release to communicate to the audience--the person looking at the television show or listening to the radio or reading the newspaper--that it is prepared by a Federal agency, or it uses funds to prepare it that are given to a Federal agency. It creates a new requirement, one that is almost impossible to meet.

Think about it. When we send a news release to a newspaper back home, we don't send it to all of the readers or subscribers of that newspaper. We send it to the newspaper, the address, the name of the newspaper in the town where it does business. So that is the defect in the amendment. That is why Senator Bond, speaking as chairman of the subcommittee that has jurisdiction over the funding and the laws under the jurisdiction of the subcommittee that would be involved and affected by

this, spoke against the amendment. That is why the Senate should not adopt the amendment.

We all agree you need to include a disclaimer. We have to do that and we do that. Federal agencies do that. We cannot make the news editor or the producer of the news show include the disclaimer in the broadcast though. Nor should we be held responsible personally or criticized if that news agency didn't disclaim or print or announce where they got the news story. That is an entirely different obligation and one that the FCC will enforce now and that we all support.

So what I am suggesting is that these are great speeches. This is a good political issue--to accuse the administration of trying to fool the American people by creating the impression that some of their news stories that are produced for the news media are produced by them and not the radio station or the television station or the newspaper that published it or broadcasted it. That is nothing new. But it is not up to the agency or the person who writes the story to communicate it to the audience.

That is the problem. We cannot support it. So it would be my intention to move to table the amendment because of that--not because it is not motivated by the right reasons or doesn't carry with it the sentiment that is appropriate. Of course, it does. But the wording of the amendment itself--not just the purpose of the amendment--is defective in that it imposes an obligation that should not be imposed on Federal agencies, the Government, or individual Members of Congress.

I am hopeful that--and I am sure the Senator from West Virginia will, if he can--the Senator will modify his amendment so it can be accepted. But if that cannot be done, I am prepared to move to table the amendment. I will not do that and cut off the right of any other person to talk about the subject.

Mr. President, I have no objection.

Mr. President, we have no objection to the modification.

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

The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Mr. President, what is the regular order?

The Dorgan amendment is the pending amendment.

I thank the Chair.

Mr. President, for the information of Senators, I have been asked and others have been asking the leadership about the intention of the Senate to proceed to votes on other amendments tonight. That is certainly up to the Senate. We are here open for business. We have an emergency supplemental appropriations bill pending before the Senate, and we need to move with dispatch to complete action on this bill to get the money to the Departments of Defense and State for accounts that have been depleted and that we need in the war on terror, that we need for our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. So I hope we can proceed to further consideration of amendments that are pending. There are amendments pending. I hope Senators can cooperate with the managers and the leadership in moving this bill ahead.

I thank all Senators. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I thank the Senator for the explanation of his amendment. There is one thing, in looking at the amendment, that I am not sure of, and I am wondering if he could advise the Senate. Does the Senator have an estimate from anyone at the Department of Defense or in the Hospital Services Agency of the Department of Defense as to what the costs of the amendment would be during the balance of this fiscal year?

I thank the Senator. I think the Senator certainly hits upon a subject that we are very sensitive about at this time. We are following very closely the situation of the servicemen who are participating in the war against terror in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere. We are proud of

them. We are sorry that any of them have to be in the hospital or have to have access to services that are provided under the terms of this amendment. I would be happy to take the suggestion that is embodied in this amendment to the conference committee and try to work out an acceptable provision to be included in the final conference report and bring it back to the Senate.

So I recommend the Senate accept the amendment.

Mr. President, 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 thank the Senator and thank the Chair.

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 requests to make, on behalf of the managers of the bill, with respect to amendments that have been cleared on both sides of the aisle.

Amendment No. 352

I now call up amendment No. 352, on behalf of Mr. Salazar, regarding the renaming of the death gratuity.

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

Mr. President, 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. 438

I send to the desk an amendment on behalf of Mr. Specter that is technical in nature and ask for its immediate consideration.

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

Mr. President, 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. 354

Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 354 on behalf of Mr. Graham regarding functions of the general counsel and judge advocate general of the Air Force.

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

Mr. President, 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. 393

Mr. President, I now call up amendment No. 393, on behalf of Mr. Kennedy, regarding the Veterans Health Administration facilities.

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

Mr. President, 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. 394

Mr. President, I now call up amendment No. 394, on behalf of Mr. Warner, regarding a reporting requirement.

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

Mr. President, 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.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 14, 2005, at 9:30 a.m., in open session to receive testimony on implementation by the Department of Defense of the National Security Personnel System.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 14, 2005, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing on ``The Terrorism Risk Insurance Program.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet on pending Committee business, on Thursday, April 14, 2005, at 10 a.m.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session on Thursday, April 14, 2005, at 10 a.m., to hear testimony on ``The $350 Billion Question: How To Solve the Tax Gap.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be authorized to hold a hearing during the session of the Senate on Thursday, April 14, 2005, at 10 a.m., in SD-430.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs be authorized to meet on Thursday, April 14, 2005, at 2 p.m., for a hearing title: ``U.S. Postal Service: What Is Needed To Ensure Its Future Viability?''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet to conduct a markup on Thursday, April 14, 2005 at 9:30 a.m. in Senate Dirksen Office Building Room 226.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 14, 2005, a 10 a.m. to hold a hearing.

THE PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

Select committee on intelligence

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 14, 2005, at 2 p.m. to hold a closed briefing.

THE PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

subcommittee on Airland

Mr. COCHRAN, Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the subcommittee on Airland be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 14, 2005, at 2:30 p.m., in open session to receive testimony on Air Force Acquisition oversight in review of the defense authorization request for fiscal year 2006.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary and the Committee Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security and Citizenship and the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security be authorized to meet to conduct a joint

hearing on ``Strengthening Interior Enforcement: Deportation and Related Issues'' on Thursday, April 14, 2005 in Dirksen room 226 at 2:30 p.m.

Panel I: Jonathan Cohn, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, DC and Victor Cerda, Acting Director of Detention and Removal, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Washington, DC.

Panel II: David Venturella, U.S. Investigations Service, Washington, DC and Lee Gelernt, Senior Staff Counsel, Immigrant's Rights Project, American Civil Liberties Union, Washington, DC.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia be authorized to meet on Thursday, April 14, at 10 a.m. for a hearing entitled, ``Passing the Buck: A Review of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.''

Mr. President, for the information of all Senators, we are preparing to seek unanimous consent that we have a series of three votes that will begin at 1:45 p.m. today. These will be on or in relation to the Durbin amendment and the two Kerry amendments which are pending before the Senate. We hope to be able to reach agreement on this consent request so Senators can be advised very soon that that will be the order of the Senate.

That still leaves, of course, the amendment of the Senator from West Virginia which we will have an opportunity to discuss separate and apart from these three that will be voted on. Then we will seek to deal with that amendment in the regular order.

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 am pleased to advise the Senate that we have been able to reach agreement on a series of votes that will occur at 1:45. I am authorized by the leadership on both sides to propound this unanimous consent request.

I ask unanimous consent at 1:45 p.m. today the Senate proceed to a series of votes in relation to the following amendments: Durbin No. 356; Kerry No. 333; Kerry No. 334; provided further that no amendments be in order to these amendments prior to the votes, and that prior to the Durbin vote Senator Stevens and Senator Durbin be allocated 5 minutes each to speak; further, that there be 2 minutes equally divided for debate prior to each vote; finally, that all votes after the first be limited to 10 minutes each.

Madam President, I appreciate the cooperation of all Senators in getting this agreement. Senator Byrd has offered an amendment on which the yeas and nays have been ordered, but we will not vote on that amendment until others who wish to speak on the amendment have an opportunity to do so. That will occur at any time. If we do complete debate on the Byrd amendment prior to 1:45, that could be something we could consider adding, but at this point we are not prepared to make that announcement.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

I ask for the yeas and nays on the motion to table.

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.

The yeas and nays have been ordered on the underlying amendment. I ask the yeas and nays be vitiated.

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.

We have under the order a vote, now, on two Kerry amendments, Nos. 333 and 334. Is there time for debate?

Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. President, I do not know of any other Senators who intend to debate this issue. I would like to put an exclamation point on the statement made by the distinguished Senator from Texas though.

One thing that is clear, if we do not have a permanent facility there, an improved facility, we are going to have to keep more U.S. personnel there guarding and maintaining the security of this facility. If we use the funds the administration is requesting, approve the request the administration has submitted to the Congress, then we will be able to use a lot of the people who are there now for other purposes elsewhere in the war on terror to help better defend the country and make sure we are safeguarding the security interests of the American people.

This is not to help prisoners have a better deal, even though the facility will be more humane and easier to care for and to deal with, but it will be more secure, and it will help us reallocate resources that will benefit our national security interests. That is the point.

This is money well invested. The administration is requesting it. Our subcommittee chair supports it after reviewing the request. So I think the Senate should support the committee and what it has recommended and reject the Byrd amendment.

I move to reconsider the vote.

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

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

Mr. President, I have requests to make on behalf of managers of the bill with respect to amendments that have been cleared on both sides of the aisle.

Amendment No. 401

I send an amendment to the desk on behalf of Senator McConnell.

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

Mr. President, the next amendment is on behalf of Senators McConnell, Leahy, and Obama that addresses the Avian flu virus in Asia, which I send to the desk.

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

Mr. President, I now send to the desk an amendment on behalf of Mr. Lugar and Mr. Biden. It deals with an increase in funding for the Department of State's Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization with an offset.

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

Mr. President, I now send an amendment to the desk on behalf of Mr. Leahy regarding environmental recovery activities in tsunami-affected countries.

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

Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk on behalf of Mr. Leahy requiring a 5-day notification to the committees on appropriations for tsunami funds.

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

Mr. President, I thank the Senators.

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