[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 53 (Thursday, May 2, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3832-S3833]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           ORDER OF BUSINESS

  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, momentarily we will take up a unanimous 
consent request that will accommodate a debate on the farm bill 
conference report. As I understand it, the distinguished Republican 
leader is on his way to the Chamber. Let me comment briefly on a couple 
of scheduling matters.
  I know the assistant Democratic leader has talked on several 
occasions and has offered unanimous consent agreements on terrorism 
insurance. We would be prepared, once again, to offer a unanimous 
consent agreement on terrorism insurance, but I hear our Republican 
colleagues continue to object. We have said on many occasions we are 
prepared to go to the floor procedurally, have a debate on any one of a 
number of questions relating directly or indirectly to terrorism 
insurance, but for whatever reason, our Republican colleagues continue 
to refuse to allow that debate and that consideration. This has been an 
ongoing effort.
  We have made many attempts to satisfy those certain Senators on the 
other side who proclaim interest and support for terrorism insurance, 
but we have been unable to satisfy their obstruction--I use that word 
with full appreciation of its definition--their obstruction when it 
comes to an important matter such as this. We will continue to try to 
talk with our colleagues in an effort to come to some conclusion 
procedurally, but I must say there is growing frustration on our part 
that we have not been able to proceed.
  The same could be said for the conference report on the farm bill. I 
have

[[Page S3833]]

attempted to bring the bill up throughout the day. I must say, Senator 
Lott deserves commendation in his efforts to work with those who have 
threatened filibusters on the legislation. We received a letter from 
the President today urging the Senate to send the bill to the President 
as soon as possible. That was my hope today, that we would have a bill 
to send to the President. But as I now understand it, our Republican 
colleagues, rather than filibustering the bill, will ask for a 
substantial amount of additional time.
  We will ask unanimous consent they have 6 hours on Tuesday and 6 
hours on Wednesday to talk about a conference report. So we will 
accommodate that request and we will proceed with that unanimous 
consent request as soon as the Republican leader comes to the floor.
  I have been getting calls today from the administration urging us to 
complete our work on trade as well. But as my colleagues know, there 
are those Senators on the other side who currently are filibustering 
the trade bill, the trade package. So we have a filibuster on trade and 
trade adjustment assistance, a quasi-filibuster on the farm bill, and I 
guess you could call it a filibuster on terrorism insurance--at least 
an unwillingness to proceed to terrorism insurance.
  These issues are important. We hear oftentimes our colleagues talk 
about how they wish we could accomplish more on the Senate floor. I 
advise my colleagues, this is one reason it is difficult to accomplish 
more, when we don't get any more cooperation than that.
  I do appreciate the work the Republican leader has invested in 
getting us at least to this point. I am prepared to entertain the 
unanimous consent request as soon as he comes to the floor.
  I might say that the schedule next week will include not only this 
elongated debate on a conference report relating to the farm bill but 
the trade bill. The schedule will include, of course, the debate on 
Tuesday for 6 hours. We will then go back to the trade bill. The debate 
on the farm conference report will pick up again on Wednesday, 
beginning at around 9:30. Our expectation would be that we would then 
complete debate by Wednesday afternoon with, again, the expectation we 
would come back to the trade bill and attempt to move and consider 
additional amendments.
  Because there are no vote scheduled on Monday, we will be in a pro 
forma session on Monday. There will be no votes, and I would not expect 
any debate on the trade bill on Monday.
  That is the schedule. My desire is to dual-track other issues as they 
become available. I realize the possibility is not very significant, 
but if we could reach an agreement procedurally on terrorism insurance, 
of course we would bring that up. We have other confirmation questions 
we would want to raise and certainly would be prepared to have votes on 
those as well. In addition, as legislation becomes available that does 
not involve a great deal of controversy, it would be my hope that we 
could take that up, as well, on a dual track.
  I remind my colleagues, we do have to make every effort to 
accommodate the May 16 deadline on the Andean Trade Preferences Act. If 
we fail, obviously all of the conditions involving the trade barriers 
that existed prior to the enactment of TPA kick back in. We would hate 
to see that. I hope we can avoid that. We will cross that bridge when 
we come to it.
  Therefore, it is important we use all of that time available to us 
next week, outside of this consideration of the farm bill, to continue 
TPA, TAA consideration.

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