[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 118 (Wednesday, September 18, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8710-S8711]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            MORNING BUSINESS

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the hour of 11:30 
a.m. having arrived, there will now be a period for the transaction of 
morning business not to extend beyond the hour of 12:30 p.m. with 
Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.
  Mr. GRAMM. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for 10 
minutes.
  Mrs. BOXER. I object. I ask if the Senator can complete in 5 minutes.
  Mr. GRAMM. Yes, I can do it in 5 minutes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Texas is recognized.
  Mr. GRAMM. Madam President, the President wanted the ability to do 
things such as promote that FBI agent because, had we been able to get 
through that massive, incoherent system in which we are working, we 
might have prevented the attacks.
  I also think we might want to fire the people at INS who gave visas 
to the people who had flown a plane into the World Trade Center after 
their picture had been on every television in the world and on the 
front page of every newspaper.
  We have, as a Senate, approved those flexibilities, those powers, for 
the Transportation Security Administration, the Internal Revenue 
Service, the FAA, and we did that prior to 9/11. But after 9/11, we are 
told that the President, under national security circumstances, with a 
declaration of a clear and present danger to our people, cannot have 
the kind of flexibility in homeland security that we gave to a previous 
President for the Internal Revenue Service. To make the Internal 
Revenue Service more responsible, we gave President Bill Clinton, 
personnel flexibility. But now, to protect the lives of our people in 
homeland security, are we not willing to give the same flexibility to 
President Bush?
  When the American people finally discover what is going on here, they 
are going to be outraged, and they are going to discover it because, 
despite our best efforts of saying let's work together, let's do this 
on a bipartisan effort, it is clear now that there is going to be a 
battle. It is clear now that we are going to have to choose between the 
status quo, the old way of doing business, and the health, safety, and 
lives of our people.
  The choice is as stark as a choice can be. The bill that is before us 
literally takes power away from the President that every President 
since Jimmy Carter has had to use national security waivers. It takes 
that power away from the President in the aftermath of 9/11. The 
American people will never understand that, and they will never accept 
it. They will never accept a compromise on it.
  When the American people realize we were concerned enough about the 
Internal Revenue Service's operation that we gave President Clinton 
personnel flexibility to hire and fire and promote, because we thought 
it was important, but we are not willing to give President Bush the 
same flexibility to protect the lives of our people, I don't think they 
are going to take kindly to that.
  The plain truth is that we have a bill before us that protects 
everything except national security. It protects every special interest 
group in the American Government. The plain truth is, the people who 
work for the Government want these changes. An OPM poll looking at 
accountability in the Federal Government. By very large margins, two-
thirds of the people who are Federal workers believe that Federal 
performers are not adequately disciplined. Nearly half of all workers 
believe job performance has little or nothing to do with promotion and 
raises, and 99 percent of people who got bad evaluations last year in 
the Federal Government got pay raises. When we are talking about 
national security, when we are looking at the aftermath of 9/11, it is 
time for change. It is not time for the same old special interests.
  So what we are asking, in essence, is very simply--and I will 
conclude on this--let this President keep the power that every 
President since Jimmy Carter has had, which is to use national security 
waivers. That hardly seems extreme given the attack on America and the 
deaths of thousands of our people. Give this President the same 
flexibility in national security and homeland security that we gave 
Bill Clinton with the Internal Revenue Service. If that sounds extreme, 
you are looking at things differently than I.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the first half of 
the time is under the control of the majority leader or his designee, 
and the second half of the time is under the control of the Republican 
leader or his designee.
  Mr. REID. Madam President, my friend from Texas got an extra 5 
minutes. I ask that it be charged against the Republicans' time in 
morning business.

[[Page S8711]]

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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