[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 92 (Thursday, June 20, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6607-S6608]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 1997

  The Senate continued with the consideration of the bill.
  Mr. NUNN. Mr. President, there was a unanimous-consent request that 
was submitted today asking that all amendments be filed today or not be 
in order. That unanimous-consent request was not agreed to. It is my 
strong hope, though, that we will be able to have that kind of 
unanimous-consent request agreed to early next week.
  I serve notice on our side of the aisle that we would like all 
amendments filed by 4 o'clock next Tuesday afternoon. I have talked to 
the chairman about this. I have talked to the majority leader, Senator 
Lott, about this. It is certainly my intention to do everything 
possible to get that kind of unanimous-consent agreement early next 
week.
  So I serve notice today to all our colleagues, particularly those on 
the Democratic side of the aisle, from my perspective, that I will do 
everything in my power to help Senator Thurmond, and the leaders on 
both sides of the aisle, in their efforts to move this bill next week. 
The way to do that is to have all amendments that are going to be 
considered on this bill in by Tuesday at 4 o'clock.
  It is my understanding that the majority leader would like to pass 
this bill next week, as well as the Defense appropriations bill. We 
have gotten bogged down on nongermane amendments now. It is my hope we 
can get back on Defense amendments, stick to those and get this bill 
done next week.
  Mr. THURMOND addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from South Carolina.
  Mr. THURMOND. Mr. President, there is no more important legislation 
before this Congress than to get this Defense authorization bill 
passed. We have been pleading with the Members to come in with their 
amendments. They have been delayed, delayed. Now the time has come to 
act.
  We ask everyone who has an amendment to come forward and present 
their amendment by Tuesday at 4 o'clock. We are going to begin acting. 
We would like to have the amendments all in at that time. I urge all of 
the Members to do that, especially those on the Republican side. 
Senator Nunn has spoken about the Democratic side. He and I are working 
together. We are working together for the good of the country with this 
bill. It is nonpartisan.

[[Page S6608]]

  We want to get action. We want to get results. We want to help this 
Nation. To do it, we ought to pass this Defense authorization bill as 
soon as possible.
  Mr. President, I also want to commend our able majority leader for 
all he is doing to help us get this bill passed. He was a member of 
this committee at one time, a very stalwart, able member. I am sure he 
will continue his commitment on this bill. We thank him very much.
  Mr. LOTT addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I thank the distinguished chairman for those 
comments. I enjoyed my 8 years on the committee. I will always feel 
like I am a part of it. As usual, I will continue to take orders and 
directions from the Senator from South Carolina and the Senator from 
Georgia, as I have just been doing to try to find ways to move this 
bill and get some votes and also get some of the issues that really 
should not be on this bill to be handled in some other way. I am going 
to work with the distinguished Democratic leader to make sure we do 
that.

  I, too, want to say Members should have their amendments ready. I am 
glad we are going to move on Tuesday to get that list. We have already 
notified our Members on our hot line system today as if a unanimous-
consent agreement was reached, even though it was not, to get their 
amendments in. We really need to press that point. I know the 
Democratic leader is going to be working on that, too. We will work 
with you.
  We are determined we are going to get this bill done before there is 
any Fourth of July recess. We made a commitment to go out next Friday, 
but we have work to do, and we are going to get it done next week, even 
if we do have to stay late at night.
  Mr. THURMOND. I think it is well for them to understand, we are going 
to take no recess until we get this bill accomplished.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I do have some requests now we would like to 
work through with the Democratic leader.

                          ____________________