[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 81 (Wednesday, June 11, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5502-S5503]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   UNANIMOUS-CONSENT REQUESTS--SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS BILL AND 
                    AUTHORITY FOR COMMITTEE TO MEET

  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that at the hour of 
2:05 p.m., the Senate begin 3 hours 55 minutes for debate only, to be 
divided equally between the two leaders or their designees, for 
discussions with respect to the supplemental appropriations bill, and 
that there be no motions in order during the approximately 4 hours of 
debate, other than a motion to adjourn by the majority leader or his 
designee.
  I further ask unanimous consent that it not be in order for the Chair 
to entertain any unanimous-consent requests with respect to 
consideration of any supplemental appropriations bill during the 4-hour 
period described above.
  And, finally, I ask unanimous consent that the Armed Services 
Committee be permitted to meet during the session of the Senate today, 
Wednesday, June 11.
  In support of that unanimous-consent request, before the Chair puts 
the request, I would just like to observe that I know there are 
Senators who would like to be heard on this issue, on the supplemental 
appropriations bill, about what is in it, the importance of it, how it 
can be resolved, comments on language that is included, a whole variety 
of statements that I am sure Senators would like to make to show their 
interest in and their suggestions as to how we deal with the 
supplemental appropriations bill. So I think to have 4 hours of debate 
makes good sense for the Senate to be able to hear what Senators have 
to say.
  I also indicate to our colleagues that there are a lot of discussions 
underway, a lot of meetings underway. Today, we have been in direct 
contact with the White House on how some of these issues can be 
resolved. I have had conversations with Senator Daschle. We are 
communicating with the House leadership to see exactly how they plan to 
proceed and when that would be. I understand perhaps there is a meeting 
right now at the White House on some of the provisions of this issue. 
So I think and I hope that we are making some progress and that we can 
find some way to bring this issue to fruition in the next few hours. 
Hopefully, we can have some action on it before we go out this week.
  But I think while we are doing that, we should be doing the business 
of the Senate, having hearings or markups in committees, particularly 
the Armed Services Committee, which is working on the defense 
authorization bill which we hope to have up next week in the Senate, 
and also so that we can continue our efforts to come to an agreement on 
how we deal with the supplemental appropriations, the Government 
shutdown provision language, the census language, to try to see how we 
can work out an agreement and what that language might be. It is very 
important we have an opportunity to do that this very afternoon. That 
is why I make the request. I urge it be considered and that it not be 
objected to.
  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, reserving the right to object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. DASCHLE. Reserving the right to object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The minority leader is recognized.
  Mr. DASCHLE. I concur with the distinguished majority leader about 
the efforts now underway and his hope and expectation that at some 
point these efforts could lead to further success in resolving the 
impasse that we have faced now for some time. I appreciate his 
leadership and his personal involvement in making that effort.
  I also have to note that there are many on our side of the aisle who 
have indicated strong objections to committees meeting during such 
time, so as not to lose the focus that we currently have. There are 
those who are involved in these efforts who need to be at these 
committee markups who would otherwise be occupied if they are prevented 
from participating in the discussions involving the disaster assistance 
legislation.
  I would amend the unanimous-consent request propounded by the 
majority leader simply to suggest and propose a unanimous-consent 
agreement that would allow debate on the floor on

[[Page S5503]]

the supplemental, with debate equally divided with no further consent 
requests, presuming Senator Dorgan, of course, has had his opportunity 
to make a request, but that there be no committee meetings.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, was there an objection to my request?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair heard objection early on.
  Mr. LOTT. And you added a request of your own. Let me make sure I 
understand what it is. First, you are objecting to committee meetings, 
but you are asking consent that we take up what?
  Mr. DASCHLE. That we have, as you suggested, debate on the Senate 
floor on the supplemental divided evenly for the next 4 hours, as the 
majority leader suggested.
  Mr. LOTT. What supplemental is that?
  Mr. DASCHLE. It would be the subject of the debate as you have 
proposed, as the majority leader has proposed. You had asked unanimous 
consent that there be debate only equally divided between the two 
leaders for discussions with respect to the supplemental appropriations 
bill. I am not suggesting we change that. I am simply saying let's keep 
our focus on that, and I would not object to a request that involved a 
discussion as the majority leader has proposed.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I believe I would object to that, but I have 
a counterproposal maybe we could consider. I do want to note also that 
the Finance Committee has requested consent to meet this afternoon, 
also to begin the process of markup on the reconciliation bill, which 
is required under the budget agreement. I believe it is going to be 
pretty bipartisan in its makeup, in terms of the spending provisions or 
the restraint on spending, whichever the case may be. And in order to 
have this legislation completed in the Finance Committee by, I believe 
it is the 18th of this month, we need to have them meeting.
  But I ask unanimous consent, sort of in the vein of what Senator 
Daschle was talking about, that the Senate now proceed to the 
consideration of Calendar No. 18, H.R. 581; and further, no amendments 
be in order, with the exception of one substitute amendment to be 
offered by the majority leader or his designee; that there be 1 hour 
total for debate on the bill and the amendment, to be equally divided 
in the usual form; and finally, that following the expiration or 
yielding back of time and the disposition of the substitute amendment, 
the bill be read a third time and the Senate proceed immediately to 
vote on passage of the bill, as amended, if amended, with no 
intervening action or debate.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair heard objection to the unanimous-
consent request by the minority leader. We now have before us a 
unanimous-consent request by the majority leader. Is there objection?
  Mr. DASCHLE. Reserving the right to object, I ask the majority leader 
if he could share a copy of the substitute amendment referred to in the 
unanimous-consent request.
  Mr. LOTT. I don't have one now, but I believe that during this time, 
while we are debating the issue, we could develop one and, as a matter 
of fact, I believe there is a meeting at the White House right now that 
would be the subject of this substitute and one we could agree on.
  Or I could do it this way. What I suggested yesterday, and where I 
think we actually should go, is a bill that provides the actual 
emergency disaster funds and the funds for DOD, but not the language 
and not the supplemental, just what has been referred to as a narrow 
disaster and emergency funding bill only, and the amount I am thinking 
about would be in the range of $3.9 billion. That way, we would get 
this issue resolved quickly while we continue to work on such things as 
the census language, where we hope and think maybe we can come to some 
agreement. We get this thing done; we get it done now.
  The House traditionally, as you very well know, is very sensitive 
about us acting before they do, but we could go ahead and have debate 
on this and take some action and hold it at the desk. I think this is 
one way to deal with this emergency. How would the Senator react to 
that?
  Mr. DASCHLE. As I reiterated, again, this morning to the 
distinguished majority leader, I am more than happy to look at the 
language that he suggests. I think there may be a way to accommodate 
just the emergency and all related legislative proposals in the 
supplemental dedicated to dealing with the disasters throughout the 
country, emergency or whatever related matters those may be.
  Obviously, we would have to see the language before we agreed to any 
kind of procedural commitment that would allow consideration of this 
yet unseen proposal.
  So we would not be in a position right now, as the majority leader 
certainly understands, to agree to a unanimous-consent proposal until 
we have had the opportunity to see the language. But I think the 
majority leader is on the right track. And if that will break the 
impasse, I am willing to look at it.
  Mr. LOTT. I appreciate the Democratic leader's comments on that. I 
hope that if we cannot find some other way to resolve the disagreements 
between now and 2 o'clock tomorrow, that he and I will consult maybe 
about the idea of doing just this tomorrow. And I do not want in any 
way to dampen the efforts that are underway to come to a broader total 
agreement. But in order to get this emergency addressed this week--
hopefully within the next 24 hours--I think this is the way that we 
want to consider doing it.
  I hope you will think about that between now and tomorrow and let us 
look at that as a possibility of what we might do at 2 o'clock tomorrow 
if something else has not already been worked out.
  I again thank the Senator for his comments.
  Mr. President, in view of the objection and the interests that we 
have, the committees meetings, the Finance Committee, the Armed 
Services Committee, the urgency of the work they are doing, I suggest 
the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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