[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 32 (Friday, March 20, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2374-S2375]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                PROGRAM

  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, the Senate will lay aside the NATO treaty 
and begin consideration of the emergency supplemental appropriations 
bill on Monday. A vote will occur on Monday at 5:30, hopefully, with 
respect to an amendment on this supplemental appropriations bill, if 
some are available. If that cannot be arranged, then we will be voting 
with respect to the Executive Calendar item--at least one. Senators 
should be on notice that a vote will occur at 5:30 on Monday, March 23.
  I hope the Senate can make good progress, if not complete action on 
the supplemental appropriations bill, by the 5:30 cloture vote on 
Tuesday.
  I really believe that we should be able to finish that bill in just a 
few hours, actually. I urge all Members who must offer an amendment to 
restrain themselves and make sure that it is a very important amendment 
and that it relates to the subjects we have included in this 
supplemental appropriations.

  As Members can determine from the various agreements and 
announcements I have outlined here, the NATO treaty has been postponed 
to occur on a later date. Perhaps we can return to it next week. But it 
depends on what we can get done on the supplemental appropriations and 
on the education savings account.
  For instance, assuming we get cloture, there still could be 30 hours 
that could be eaten up after that. So rather than continue to go back 
and forth, I thought we had reached a point where we need to get 
focused on doing these two bills, and then we will go back to NATO 
enlargement at a later date.
  It could actually now not be back for a concentrated debate and 
amendments and votes even until after the Easter recess. I had hoped we 
could have gotten it done earlier. I had hoped we would have it done by 
now. But we have not received cooperation on any bill that has come up 
this year, and I can only do so much to try to get the Senate to focus 
and complete action. If they do not, then I have to turn to other 
emergency matters.

[[Page S2375]]

  So once a determination is made that we want to get this work 
completed, then we will go back to it. But until the Senate indicates a 
willingness to stay focused and we get a little cooperation and don't 
have a filibuster fight and a cloture vote on every bill, then it will 
just have to come up later because I do have Members on both sides of 
the aisle asking me to delay it. And yet I have tried to go forward 
with it because I thought it was the right thing to do, and I am 
willing always to try to do the right thing for our country but not if 
everybody else is going to be playing games.
  So we will just go with this schedule and hopefully next week with 
cooperation we can complete the Coverdell education savings account 
bill, the supplemental appropriations, NATO enlargement perhaps even, 
and then turn to the budget resolution next. Hope springs eternal. I 
hope it will apply to next week.

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