[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 123 (Tuesday, September 9, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11191-S11192]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                SCHEDULE

  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I have been asked by the majority leader 
to make the following statement.
  For the information of all Senators, this morning the Senate will 
resume consideration of H.R. 2660, the Labor, HHS, and Education 
appropriations bill. There are a number of pending amendments that will 
need to be disposed of and it is therefore my hope that we can reach an 
agreement to vote in relation to those amendments. Many of these 
amendments have been fully debated and will require a rollcall vote.
  I understand that on the other side of the aisle there is a 
reluctance to vote on any of the amendments until an agreement is 
reached with respect to the Harkin amendment. I encourage Members to 
allow us to move forward on the bill until that issue is resolved. 
There are a number of amendments that were pending prior to the Harkin 
amendment. Again, these amendments have been debated previously and are 
at this stage ready--should be ready for the Senate to work its will. 
Therefore, I hope we can begin to schedule those votes to allow further 
progress on the bill.
  Rollcall votes are anticipated throughout the day and it is still my 
expectation to complete the Labor-HHS bill as early as possible this 
week.

  Also, I would supplement what the leader has said, that there is no 
reason we can't finish this bill if we can get a schedule of votes. It 
conceivably could be done today but certainly no later than tomorrow if 
we move ahead and break this logjam as to when the votes are going to 
occur.
  The leader concludes his own statement: As a reminder, today the 
Senate will recess from 12:30 to 2:15 for the weekly party lunches to 
meet.
  In addition to the comments I have read on behalf of the leader, as 
the manager of the bill I would supplement what the leader has said to 
urge us to move forward. There is a certain reluctance, understandable 
reluctance, on the part of the Members on this side of the aisle, to 
be, in effect, dictated to as to when we are going to vote.
  I understand the problems faced by the Democrats, where they have a 
number of people running for President who are out of town. From my 
personal point of view, I would like to accommodate them and I would 
like to move on. But it draws considerable consternation and ire to be 
told when we are going to vote.
  I had a colloquy yesterday with the Senator from Iowa, a colleague 
and a very good friend with whom I have worked very closely for more 
than a decade. There is scarcely a disagreement between Senator Harkin 
and myself. As we change control of the gavel, we use the expression, 
``change seamlessly.'' But I pointed out, we have a majority, and under 
the rules of the Senate, the majority is supposed to determine the 
schedule. It is not a very big prerogative. We can't impose our will 
beyond a filibuster. And the Senators on the other side of the aisle 
are competent, able, resourceful as they articulate their views and 
carry their policies forward. That is something we understand.
  But when it comes to a matter of the schedule it is my hope that the 
majority's prerogative to establish the schedule will be respected.
  When I commented about our being in the majority, my esteemed 
colleague, Senator Harkin said: Well, it's only 51 to 48 and 1.
  There have been closer elections. There have been elections by 1 
vote, not by 2\1/2\ votes.
  So it is my hope that we can at least be accorded the prerogative of 
running the schedule. If people on this side of the aisle dig in their 
heels, like people on the other side of the aisle, and people on the 
other side of the aisle dig in their heels, we are not going to be able 
to conduct the people's business.

  I see the Senator from Nevada waiting to speak. I will conclude. The 
Senator from Nevada has been in the Chamber more in the past several 
years than anybody else, managing the business of the Senate. He has 
done that when he has been in the majority and

[[Page S11192]]

he has done that in the minority. I know he does his utmost to try to 
work these matters out.
  So it is my hope that reason will prevail and we can find a way to 
get out of the entrenched positions, move ahead, do the public's 
business, and finish this bill.

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