[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 74 (Wednesday, June 14, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5070-S5071]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      UNANIMOUS-CONSENT AGREEMENT

  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I now ask unanimous consent that the Senator 
from Virginia be recognized to offer a series of cleared amendments to 
the pending DOD authorization bill, and following the disposition of 
the 41-plus cleared amendments, the DOD authorization bill be laid 
aside and that the Senate then turn to the House Transportation 
appropriations bill and the Senate bill be immediately offered as an 
amendment in the nature of a substitute.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I also had intended to ask consent that when 
the Senate resumes the DOD bill, the Smith amendment be laid aside and 
Senator Dodd be recognized to offer his amendment regarding a Cuba 
commission. I am informed that Senator McCain would object to that, but 
I assure Senator Daschle and Senator Dodd and Senator Mack and Senator 
Levin and Senator Warner, everybody, we will keep working to see if we 
can get this done. I think that is what we should do.
  We are going to go back to DOD authorization in the morning in some 
form. Everybody is wanting to get in line or get their position first, 
or they don't want us to allow that second-degree slot to be opened, I 
guess, to the Smith amendment. Others want it to be open. It is kind of 
complicated. A lot of Senators are invoking their rights. They have a 
right to do that.
  I do plead with the Senate, Republicans and Democrats, to work with 
us to try to get our appropriations bills done. I am going to continue 
to try to keep my word. Senator Daschle is working with me, and 
Senators are cooperating on both sides to come back to make progress on 
the Department of Defense authorization bill.
  We were prepared to go to the Murray amendment, which is germane to 
the Defense bill. It is a Defense amendment. But I believe Senator 
Feingold or somebody objected to that. We will keep working here. I 
think we can work through this in a way that will allow us to come back 
to the Defense authorization bill and deal with Defense-related 
amendments, which is what I prefer. It is our national security we are 
talking about. But there are amendments that Senators on both sides of 
the aisle want to offer that are not germane. We will try to find an 
orderly way in which to do that.
  At this point, I am advised that there will be objections on this 
side on one approach and on that side on another approach. Let's keep 
working to find a way to get this done.
  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I just urge the cooperation of all 
Senators. The only way this dual track is going to work is if we can 
accommodate each other's needs. That is what generated our agreement to 
address both bills in this fashion. Senators on both sides want to be 
accommodated. They have amendments to offer. This allows for that 
process to continue--to allow amendments on Defense authorization

[[Page S5071]]

in the morning up until early afternoon, and then to take up 
appropriations in the afternoon--so that we can work through the 
appropriations bills that we know we must get done.
  We will be unable to go to appropriations bills in the future if we 
can't continue to accommodate each other's needs. I think this is 
working well. I hope we can continue to work well to work off the list 
of amendments. Senator Reid does his magic with our list, and I know we 
have our colleagues on the other side who are attempting to do the same 
there. But we ought to have these votes and debates. I think it is good 
for the country and good for the institution to be able to have the 
opportunity to debate some of these issues. That is what we are doing, 
and that is why you see the cooperation you have this week.
  I yield the floor.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, one of the reasons Senator Daschle and I 
decided to try to proceed on this dual track, trying to work on the 
Defense authorization bill in the morning and appropriations bills in 
the afternoon--it was Senator Daschle's suggestion that we do that for 
the very purpose we are achieving here. It keeps people focused. Out of 
sight, out of mind. If we were not trying to come back to DOD 
authorization, everybody would go off to committee hearings and other 
work and would not focus on trying to get an orderly way to do it. So 
while it is not agreed to yet, it is exactly what we had in mind--to 
make everybody understand we are going to keep trying to do the 
Transportation appropriations bill, and we are going to focus on 
amendments and try to get order and process to go back to the 
Department of Defense authorization.
  John Warner and Senator Levin, the two managers of this legislation, 
are trying very hard to find a way to work through this maze that they 
are faced with to get a Defense authorization bill for the national 
security of our country. Senator Warner, working with others, has 41 
amendments that we can clear. At that rate, in 2 or 3 days, maybe we 
can eliminate a couple hundred amendments. So we will keep trying to do 
that.

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