Floor Statements

If there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate stand in adjournment under the previous order.

Mr. President, over the last several weeks and months, we have run into a situation where executive nominations are brought to the floor, but they are being held up for a final vote for reasons that are totally unrelated to those individuals and the positions they seek.

It has been done historically to some extent, but it is done in a way that one Member--not necessarily a Democrat or Republican but a Member in this body--uses that nomination in some way to focus attention on an issue or focus attention on something they need or want. Therefore, it can be very useful leverage for an individual Senator, but it has now gotten to the point that it is unfair to that individual. We have public servants who are dedicating their lives and have been nominated by the President of the United States for executive positions, and then they are being stopped or held up for this unrelated matter. And, therefore, in a systematic way we were going to address that.

Yesterday, on one such event, I filed a cloture motion on the nomination of Eric Edelman to be Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. Mr. Edelman had been reported out of the Armed Services Committee on July 29 of last year, 2005--came out of that Armed Services Committee and has been held up by someone on the other side of the aisle since that time.

In order to overcome that, I filed a cloture motion to ensure that the Senate was able to act on that nomination. We did that last night. That vote would have occurred tomorrow morning on cloture, and, because it is one person holding up Mr. Edelman, we would have gotten cloture and then it would have required a rollcall vote.

I understand that the other side has agreed to vitiate the cloture vote, and has agreed to a voice vote now--this evening--instead of requiring that cloture vote tomorrow and a rollcall vote. Our side appreciates that, and I think most Senators appreciate that since the vote would have probably been 100 to 0 if we had that vote.

What all this means is we will finally be able to move forward on a nomination, and we are not going to have to have a vote tomorrow. Some of my colleagues have said that we are expecting a vote tomorrow, and you are going to have a vote that we need to have the vote. On the other hand, since cloture can be vitiated with this unanimous consent, we will go ahead and approve it by a voice vote.

The larger issue is we need to systematically address executive nominations which are being held up for unrelated reasons.

Again, Mr. Edelman came out on July 29, and already we are in early February of 2006.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session; I ask unanimous consent that the cloture vote with respect to Executive Calendar No. 309 be vitiated, the Senate proceed to its consideration, the nomination be confirmed, the motion to reconsider be laid on the table, the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action, and the Senate then resume legislative session.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H. Con. Res. 331 at the desk and just received from the House.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the concurrent resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, en bloc, and any statements relating thereto be printed in the Record, without intervening action or debate.

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Rules and Administration be discharged from further consideration of S. 2166 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

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

I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand in recess until 9:30 a.m. on Friday, February 10; the time for the two leaders be reserved, and the Senate proceed to a period of morning business until 10 a.m.; further, that at 10 a.m. the Senate resume consideration of S. 852, the asbestos bill.

Mr. President, the Senate has been on the asbestos bill since Monday. Tomorrow, we will complete a full week of debate and consideration of this very important bill which, as has been said again and again, is a bill that addresses the fact that 150,000 people have lost their jobs, 77 companies have gone bankrupt, and many more are likely to go bankrupt in the future. Most importantly, we have victims of asbestos exposure--whether it is lung cancer or mesothelioma--who are not being compensated in a timely and appropriate way. It is a system crying out for reform.

Tomorrow, we will not have any rollcall votes, given the earlier action we took on the Edelman nomination. We will be continuing debate and discussion of the asbestos bill over the course of the day tomorrow, Friday.

As we look to next week, we will have a busy week as we finish our work for the Presidents Day recess. There will be votes each day next week beginning with Monday as we wrap up our business.

If there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate stand in recess under the previous order.

Mr. President, a little later this morning, after we conclude our 30 minutes of morning business, we will return to the consideration of S. 852, the asbestos legislation. When that bill is laid before us this morning, amendments will be in order. Chairman Specter will be ready to consider those amendments related to the underlying asbestos issue, and we expect rollcall votes during today's session.

We have had good debate up to this point, but it is finally time to begin working on the underlying issues of the asbestos bill. Therefore, we will be here ready and available into the evening to debate and vote on the amendments.

I remind everybody that last night I filed a cloture motion in relation to a Defense Department nomination on the Executive Calendar that has been held up. That vote will be tomorrow morning, and we hope we can get cloture and vote on the nomination early Friday. We have 2 days remaining this week, and Senators should have ample time to offer and debate amendments on the asbestos legislation.

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

With the authority of the majority of the Judiciary Committee, I withdraw the committee amendments, and I send a substitute amendment to the desk.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 164, S. 662.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the amendments at the desk be agreed to, the committee-reported amendment, as amended, be agreed to, and the bill, as amended, be read a third time.

Mr. President, I further ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to Calendar No. 176, H.R. 22.

Mr. President, I now ask consent that all after the enacting clause be stricken, the text of S. 662, as amended, be inserted in lieu thereof, and the bill, as amended, be read a third time and passed, and the Senate insist on its amendment, request a conference with the House, and the Chair

be authorized to appoint conferees with a ratio of 5 to 3.

Mr. President, I further ask unanimous consent that S. 662, as amended, be returned to the calendar and that it not be in order for the Senate to consider any conference report or House amendments to H.R. 22 if it would cause a net increase in on- or off- budget direct spending in excess of $5 billion in any of the four 10- year periods beginning in 2016 to 2055, as estimated by the Congressional Budget Office.

President, I would like to take a moment to comment on the passage of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act.

Today's passage of S. 662 is a first step towards meaningful postal reform. The Postal Service forms a crucial part of the backbone of our economy, and I am encouraged by today's action toward bringing meaningful reform to the Postal Service.

I am optimistic that the process of resolving the differences between the Senate and House bills will result in a product that goes even further to ensure that America's Postal Service has the resources and flexibility necessary to remain relevant and competitive in the global marketplace.

I want to thank the chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Senator Susan Collins of Maine, and Senator Tom Carper of Delaware, for their leadership. They worked diligently with their colleagues in the Senate, the U.S. Postal Service, the administration, and kept their focus on the thousands of postal workers in communities across America, and the businesses which rely on the mail system to craft the current compromise.

In the past three and a half decades, the needs of the Postal Service have changed dramatically. Indeed, the way we communicate has been transformed by technology through e-mail, faxes, and my personal favorite, Blackberries.

We can now pay our bills on the Internet. And online shopping is more common than catalog sales.

Nevertheless, the Postal Service remains a critical part of America's economy. Between paper manufacturing, printing, catalog production, direct mailing and financial services, the $900 billion mailing industry employs 11 million workers in America.

And it is fair to say that we rely on the U.S. Postal Service more than any other governmental service. In Nashville and Knoxville, and towns all across the country, the local post office still represents the heart of the community.

In recent years, the Postal Service has undergone some of its most challenging and difficult times. In 2001 and 2003, it was hit with deadly anthrax and ricin bioterrorism attacks. It was a frightening time for our country's postal workers, and shook us all to the core.

The Postal Service has also undergone significant modernization on the business side. These reforms have made the postal service more efficient and productive, and I applaud the leadership of Postal Master Jack Potter who has been a steady, forward-thinking, responsible leader of the U.S. Postal Service.

I have worked with the Postmaster General on a number of occasions. The attacks in 2001 and 2003 brought us together to address the public health risks of mail-born bioterrorism, and to develop better ways of protecting the Postal Service's employees and America's mail.

And most recently, Jack and I announced the transfer of the historic post office on the Mississippi River in Memphis, to the University of Memphis for their new law school. He personally worked with me, the city and the university to get this done for the Memphis community.

The Postal Service is in good hands, and under Jack Potter's leadership has significantly improved its financial performance. But in order for America to have a healthy and stable mail system into the future, the Postal Service needs a less cumbersome rate-setting process and better flexibility to respond to an increasingly competitive and demanding marketplace. S. 662 takes important steps toward that goal.

It grants the Postal Service Board of Governors new authority to set rates for competitive products like express mail and priority mail, and replaces the current rate-setting process for products such as first- class mail, periodicals, and library mail with a more efficient, less litigious rate cap-based structure.

The Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act also transforms the existing Postal Rate Commission into the Postal Regulatory Commission with authority to regulate rates for noncompetitive rates and services, ensure financial transparency, and establish limits on the accumulation of retained earnings, among other things.

I look forward to seeing more work done on this issue, but today's action represents the beginning of real reform to the Postal Service which will benefit the taxpayers, ratepayers, and the thousands of dedicated U.S. Postal Service employees.

Every day, we are working to keep America moving forward.

u.s. postal service

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that amendment No. 2747 be modified with the change at the desk.

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

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

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.