[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 164 (Thursday, November 18, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S14790-S14791]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     EXTENSION OF MORNING BUSINESS

  Mr. GRAMM. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that morning 
business extend until 6 p.m.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, reserving the right to object--and I 
shall not--there are some of us who would like to speak on this debate 
concerning this particular issue and who have been waiting for a while. 
Could we get some sequence of order perhaps?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, Senator Landrieu is 
to follow, and Senator Kohl is to follow Senator Landrieu. There is no 
UC. Senator Landrieu was the last covered.
  Mr. GRAMM. As far as I am aware, we have gone back and forth from the 
Democrat side to the Republican side. I have listened to five other 
people speak. I have been well served by hearing their speeches. I will 
be as brief as I can.
  Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I be in 
order of sequence on the Democratic side as we move back and forth.
  Mr. GRAMM. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, if we could 
simply accommodate every speaker, while realizing that we are waiting 
for the omnibus bill to come over from the House, may I suggest we 
amend that unanimous consent request so that the Senator be recognized 
in the order of the sequence we have, but that when the omnibus bill 
comes over from the House, it continue to take precedence?
  Mr. KERRY. Reserving the right to object, Mr. President.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Massachusetts.
  Mr. KERRY. It is my understanding the Senator appropriately asked for 
an extension until 6. It is my understanding the Senator from Louisiana 
wants to speak for only 10 minutes, or less. The Senator from Minnesota 
wants 5 minutes. I think if we could get an order, we could contain it 
within the time and everybody would be satisfied. I ask the Senator 
from Alaska how long he wants to speak.

[[Page S14791]]

  Mr. MURKOWSKI. In responding to my friend from Massachusetts, about 6 
minutes. I am satisfied if we go back and forth, as suggested, it would 
concur with the unanimous consent agreement pending.
  Mr. KERRY. I ask unanimous consent that following the Senator from 
Texas, the Senator from Louisiana be recognized for 10 minutes; 
following that, the Senator from Alaska be recognized for 5 minutes; 
the Senator from Minnesota for 5 minutes; and I would like to follow 
the Senator from Minnesota for 5 minutes.
  Mr. LOTT. Reserving the right to object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.
  Mr. LOTT. To clarify that, when the District of Columbia 
appropriations conference report and its parts arrive, that will be 
taken up at that point regardless of the order. But then, of course, 
when that is completed, we can go back to this order.
  Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, again, may I ask the distinguished majority 
leader: I think we have such a tight containment here, there are some 
who have some problems off the floor. So it may be that he would be 
held up by about 5 minutes, I think, in total.
  Mr. LOTT. If it is something like that, it should not be a problem. 
But they are voting in the House at this time, so the papers will be 
headed this way. Rather than holding up the debate getting started, I 
think with the order we have lined up, we should be all right. I think 
we could extend the colloquy to the point where we couldn't do the 
business of the Senate.

  Mr. KERRY. Would the majority leader then permit us to put in place 
the request we have made?
  Mr. LOTT. I withdraw my reservation.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The Senator from Texas.
  Mr. GRAMM. Mr. President, it is obvious that there are a lot of 
people who want to speak. Let me sum up by saying that in an era where 
I think we have gotten Government out of balance, where extremist 
elements are determined to impose their will and their values--often at 
the expense of the jobs of people who work with their hands and who, in 
the process, contribute to America--when we become callous to the needs 
of working people by catering to people who are often quite well off 
and quite successful and quite comfortable, who, in some cases, would 
put their interests and their hobbies ahead of working people, it is 
very important that we have someone such as Senator Byrd who pulls us 
back to reality.
  I think Senator Byrd mentioned my name as a cosponsor. But just in 
case he did not, I ask unanimous consent that my name be added.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. GRAMM. I am proud to support this amendment. I think the 
administration has become dominated by people who are more concerned 
about specific elements of the environment, as they define it, than 
they are concerned about the environment based on good science. I think 
they are more concerned about their values than the well-being of the 
people who do the work and pay the taxes and pull the wagon in America.
  It is easy for a planner or an idealist to set out a policy and act 
as if destroying the livelihood of a coal miner is as irrelevant as 
simply overturning a regulation. But we know the difference between a 
regulation and the livelihood of a coal miner. It is because we know 
the difference that we are here.
  I hope this amendment passes. I hope it sends a clear signal that the 
Clinton administration has become an extremist administration in terms 
of the environment. This is a bipartisan effort. I think it is 
important. I think it pulls us back to the center in recognizing we 
want a better environment. But we want to look at costs and benefits. 
We want to look at science. When we are putting thousands of people out 
of work, we ought to stop and reflect on what we are doing. Senator 
Byrd is asking us to do that today. I am proud to join him in this 
effort.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Louisiana.

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