[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 144 (Wednesday, October 15, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12574-S12579]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS FOR IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN SECURITY
AND RECONSTRUCTION ACT, 2004
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will
resume consideration of S. 1689, which the clerk will report.
The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
A bill (S. 1689) making emergency supplemental
appropriations for Iraq and Afghanistan security and
reconstruction for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2004,
and for other purposes.
Pending:
Byrd amendment No. 1818, to impose a limitation on the use
of sums appropriated for the Iraq Relief and Reconstruction
Fund.
Byrd/Durbin amendment No. 1819, to prohibit the use of Iraq
Relief and Reconstruction Funds for low-priority activities
that should not be the responsibility of U.S. taxpayers, and
shift $600 million from the Iraq Relief and Reconstruction
Fund to Defense Operations and Maintenance, Army, for
significantly improving efforts to secure and destroy
conventional weapons, such as bombs, bomb materials, small
arms, rocket propelled grenades, and shoulder-launched
missiles, in Iraq.
Bond/Mikulski amendment No. 1825, to provide additional VA
Medical Care Funds for the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Reid/Lincoln amendment No. 1835, to permit retired members
of the Armed Forces who have a service-connected disability
to receive both military retired pay by reason of their years
of military service and disability compensation from the
Department of Veterans Affairs for their disability.
Reid amendment No. 1836, to express the sense of Congress
on damages caused by the regime of Saddam Hussein during the
first gulf war.
Corzine/Durbin amendment No. 1811, to amend title 10,
United States Code, to reduce the age for receipt of military
retired pay for nonregular service from 60 to 55.
Durbin amendment No. 1837, to ensure that a Federal
employee who takes leave without pay in order to perform
certain service as a member of the uniformed services or
member of the National Guard shall continue to receive pay in
an amount which, when taken together with the pay and
allowances such individual is receiving for such service,
will be no less than the basic pay such individual would then
be receiving if no interruption in employment had occurred.
Reed/Hagel amendment No. 1834, to increase the end strength
of the Army and to structure the additional forces for
constabulary duty.
Amendment No. 1811
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, there will be 4
minutes equally divided prior to a vote in relation to the Corzine
amendment No. 1811.
Who seeks recognition?
The Senator from New Jersey.
Mr. CORZINE. Thank you, Mr. President.
Mr. President, this amendment I have offered, along with Senators
Lautenberg and Durbin, would reduce the retirement age for members of
the National Guard and Reserve from 60 to 55. This change would allow
an estimated 92,000 reservists currently age 55 to 59 to retire with
full benefits, honoring their service and respecting the drastic
[[Page S12575]]
demands we put on them in the post-cold-war era and the age of
terrorism.
As we reflect on the demands placed on our soldiers in Iraq and other
parts of our world because of terrorism, particularly our reservists--
roughly 20,000 are in the theater--it is time we actually make this
important change in the benefits that our reservists and guards
receive.
This chart shows how we were deployed in 1992. We had 1 million total
man-days per year from reservists and guards. It jumped to 13 million
in 2001. It was 41 million in 2002. It will be up again in 2003. We are
using our reservists dramatically differently than in previous years.
It is time to recognize that and make sure they are treated
appropriately.
This request is at the top of the requests of the Reserve Officers
Association, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Air Force Sergeants Association,
American Legion, a variety of folks. It will make a difference in
making sure our people want to continue their career as reservists and
guards. It will potentially reduce the cost of declining enlistment and
retention forces, promote an overall package of incentives to meet
recruiting and retention goals. It will make a difference in our
people's lives.
We need to move forward on this parity between reserve and civilian
retirement age. I hope my colleagues will join in supporting this
important amendment.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alaska.
Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, I share the Senator's concerns that
National Guard and Reserves troops are not being treated equitably when
it comes to retirement benefits. This is particularly unfortunate at a
time when we are relying more than ever on these brave men and women.
The retirement rules need to be changed.
While I agree with this amendment in principle, I regret that I
cannot support it at this time because of its large budgetary impact.
With our Federal deficit spiraling out of control, we need to make sure
that we offset--i.e., pay for--large spending measures. Unfortunately,
this amendment does not contain an offset.
We must also make sure that this important amendment, one with such a
large fiscal impact, is thoroughly evaluated. The Congress has
recognized the importance of the problem brought to our attention today
by the distinguished Senator from New Jersey, Mr. Corzine, and has
ordered that the issue be studied as part of a review of reserve
compensation. We should allow for the completion of this study as part
of our commitment to good stewardship of taxpayers' money.
The Senator from New Jersey was right to bring this debate to the
floor. The Guard and Reserves have been, and continue to be, heavily
relied upon by our country, and we owe it to them to fully address the
inequity in retirement rules. I look forward to working with my
colleagues in the near future to fix this retirement eligibility issue.
Mr. STEVENS. Again, I apologize to the Senator from New Jersey. Our
position on this amendment is it is an amendment that should not be
brought up in connection with an appropriations bill when changing the
reserve compensation system in a very drastic way. As a matter of fact,
CBO scored this provision as follows for mandatory/direct: First year
spending at $1.486 billion; the 5-year cost, $8.349 billion; and the
10-year cost, $16.466 billion.
Both the House and the Senate have passed a provision that requires a
study of this compensation, in part to determine whether retirement
systems should be changed in view of the modern requirements and in
view of the total force of the United States. The requirement to wait
until age 60 to collect reserve pay has long been in effect and there
is no basis right now to claim that any reservists who stay for a
career have been misled about the level or timing of the compensation
they receive. However, it is a matter of fact that we all want to have
this changed. Any changes to the Guard and Reserve retirement benefits
need to be assessed for the long term, not just in relationship to the
current deployment.
I am constrained to point out that the pending amendment 1811 offered
by the Senator from New Jersey, Mr. Corzine, increases spending by $2.3
billion in the fiscal year 2004. This additional spending would cause
the underlying bill to exceed the Defense subcommittee's section 302(b)
allocation. Therefore, I raise a point of order against the amendment
pursuant to section 302(f) of the Budget Act.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Jersey.
Mr. CORZINE. Mr. President, pursuant to section 904 of the Budget Act
of 1974, I move to waive the applicable sections of the act for
purposes of the pending amendment and I ask for the yeas and nays.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Burns). Is there a sufficient second?
There is a sufficient second.
The question is on agreeing to the motion. The clerk will call the
roll.
The assistant legislative clerk called the roll.
Mr. McCONNELL. I announce that the Senator from Illinois (Mr.
Fitzgerald) is necessarily absent.
Mr. REID. I announce that the Senator from North Carolina (Mr.
Edwards), the Senator from Massachusetts (Mr. Kerry), and the Senator
from Connecticut (Mr. Lieberman) are necessarily absent.
I further announce that, if present and voting, the Senator from
Massachusetts (Mr. Kerry) would vote ``yea.''
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber
desiring to vote?
The yeas and nays resulted--yeas 47, nays 49, as follows:
[Rollcall Vote No. 381 Leg.]
YEAS--47
Akaka
Baucus
Bayh
Biden
Bingaman
Boxer
Breaux
Byrd
Cantwell
Carper
Clinton
Corzine
Daschle
Dayton
Dodd
Dorgan
Durbin
Feinstein
Graham (FL)
Grassley
Harkin
Hollings
Hutchison
Inouye
Jeffords
Johnson
Kennedy
Kohl
Landrieu
Lautenberg
Leahy
Levin
Lincoln
Mikulski
Murray
Nelson (FL)
Nelson (NE)
Pryor
Reed
Reid
Rockefeller
Sarbanes
Schumer
Smith
Snowe
Stabenow
Wyden
NAYS--49
Alexander
Allard
Allen
Bennett
Bond
Brownback
Bunning
Burns
Campbell
Chafee
Chambliss
Cochran
Coleman
Collins
Conrad
Cornyn
Craig
Crapo
DeWine
Dole
Domenici
Ensign
Enzi
Feingold
Frist
Graham (SC)
Gregg
Hagel
Hatch
Inhofe
Kyl
Lott
Lugar
McCain
McConnell
Miller
Murkowski
Nickles
Roberts
Santorum
Sessions
Shelby
Specter
Stevens
Sununu
Talent
Thomas
Voinovich
Warner
NOT VOTING--4
Edwards
Fitzgerald
Kerry
Lieberman
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Graham of South Carolina). On this vote,
the yeas are 47, the nays are 49. Three-fifths of the Senators duly
chosen and sworn not having voted in the affirmative, the motion is
rejected. The point of order is sustained, and the amendment falls.
Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote, and I move
to lay that motion on the table.
The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.
Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, may I have the attention of the Senate
for a moment. There is another scheduled amendment to be voted on right
now. I ask Members of this side who have not come forward and offered
their amendments--we have a series of amendments filed by Republican
Members: Senators Hutchison, Specter, and Graham. We have notice that
two or three other Senators--Senator Warner and Senator Brownback--have
potential amendments. We have heard from the other side with amendments
so far. We agree we should consider amendments offered on this side if
anyone is ready to offer an amendment.
I urge during this vote that Members consult with me and the staff to
see what amendments they are willing to raise now. We are still
committed to finishing this bill, and my colleagues are going to have
to raise them sometime, so I hope they will consider raising them now.
Regular order, Mr. President.
Mr. REID. Mr. President, will the Chair indicate how long the last
vote took?
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Thirty-eight minutes.
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I say to everyone here, we are trying to
finish the
[[Page S12576]]
bill this week. Over the last several days, these votes have gone on
and on. We cannot finish this bill if the votes take more than 20
minutes. Everyone should be on notice. We have many amendments. This
would have been an opportunity, during the extra 20 minutes on this
amendment, for someone to have offered their amendment and then
completed the vote on the next amendment. We cannot finish the bill if
we continue having 38-minute votes.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alaska.
Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, the Senator from Nevada is absolutely
right. I recall the other day when a number of us were missing. The
last person had not voted and I asked his assistant where the person
was. They said he was at the airport. An hour and 40 minutes later, I
said: What airport? They said: Philadelphia.
The Member who just voted last was on the subway. I thought that was
the subway of the Capitol. I apologize to the Senator.
I put the Senate on notice that we will observe the 20 minutes. In
fact, as we get through this bill toward this evening, I hope to have a
series of stacked votes, with the first vote being 20 minutes and all
thereafter being 10 minutes. We have to stop wasting time on the voting
process and get this bill finished by Friday, as we will try to do.
I thank the Chair and ask for the regular order.
Amendment No. 1834
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, there are 7 minutes
for debate in relation to the Reed amendment No. 1834, with 5 minutes
under the control of the Senator from Rhode Island, Mr. Reed, and 2
minutes under the control of the chairman prior to a vote on or in
relation thereto.
The Senator from Rhode Island is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. REED. I thank the Chair.
Mr. President, my amendment would raise the end strength of the U.S.
Army by 10,000 soldiers. It is fully paid for this year through the
Iraqi freedom fund.
In the process of rebuilding Iraq, we have to be very careful not to
demolish our Army. It is stretched thin across the globe, with 320,000
soldiers in over 120 countries. They are serving us today. They will
serve us tomorrow. They will do it with great distinction and fidelity
to their service and to the country, but we have to make sure they have
additional men and women to do the job.
We are already beginning to see the cracks. In Iraq, there are 1
million tons of ammunition that are not fully secured. Thousands of air
defense shoulder-fired missiles are unaccounted because we simply do
not have the troops to cover all the places.
If we want more forces in Iraq, then we have to have more forces in
our end strength. Even if you do not want more forces in Iraq, we have
to have an end strength that will support our deployment policy, and we
do not right now.
This stress will show up in training opportunities missed, in
retention and recruitment objectives missed, and a lack of flexibility
to respond. It will be particularly important to our National Guard and
Reserves because if we do not increase the Active Forces, the burden
will fall more and more on Reserve Forces, and that burden over time is
unsustainable.
I urge all of my colleagues to support this measure to help the
soldiers. If we do not pass this measure, the next time you see your
Guard men and women and reservists, you can tell them their bag better
be packed because they will be going again and again.
I ask unanimous consent to add Senator Biden and Senator Nelson of
Florida as cosponsors.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. REED. Mr. President, I yield the remainder of my time to the
Senator from Nebraska.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nebraska.
Mr. HAGEL. Mr. President, I advise my colleagues to support Senator
Reed's amendment. I rise to support the Reed amendment because, in
fact, everything he has said about why it is important to enhance and
enlarge our force structure is exactly right. Force structures are not
developed over a year, 2, 3, or 4. Force structures are developed over
a long period of time.
When we are looking at 125,000 activated National Guard and Army
Reserve units now, and probably more to be activated, we cannot sustain
that kind of activity for the long term. That means we are going to
have to face up to reality--what the Senator from Rhode Island is
talking about--and that is enlarge that force structure.
Currently in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Balkans, almost in the entire
military police force, our civil affairs force is made up of National
Guard and Army Reserves. We cannot sustain that situation. We need more
light infantry; we need more special forces; and we cannot do this on
the cheap. As the President of the United States has said, this is a
long-term commitment, not just in Afghanistan and Iraq, but the
challenges that face us in the 21st century are new challenges,
different kinds of challenges that will require different force
structures. That means we cannot use just laser-guided munitions.
Someone has to govern--nation building--exactly what we are doing in
Afghanistan and Iraq.
I know this is imperfect. This maybe is not the exact way to do this,
but it is something this body, this Congress, this Nation needs to face
up to, and they need to face up to it now.
I hope my colleagues take a serious look at this amendment. As my
colleague from Rhode Island said, this does not come out of the
President's $87 billion package.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alaska.
Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, current law allows the services to exceed
end strength by 3 percent. Currently, there are about 9,000 soldiers
who already exceed the end strength. They have another 5,000 that they
can increase. This will take money from the amount they need. I
strongly understand the Senator's request, as well as Senator Hagel,
but I would like to yield 45 seconds to Senator McCain and 25 seconds
to Senator Sessions and then be recognized to make a motion to table.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Arizona.
Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I share the view of the Senator from Rhode
Island and the Senator from Nebraska that we need more troops in the
military. We have authorized that in the Defense authorization bill. I
agree that there are specific needs in Iraq and our Guard and Reserves
are overstressed. I believe this is not the appropriate vehicle. I
believe it is an earmark of the $87 billion, and at this juncture it
would take away from the flexibility that is necessary for the spending
of this money. I hope we could address this issue in the fashion which
it deserves both in Defense authorization and Defense appropriations
bills.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alabama.
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, I have given a lot of thought to this,
and I believe that we should not pass the Reed amendment at this time.
I have spoken with General Schoomaker, Chief of Staff of the Army on
this subject. He says: Give me time to study what we need, to study
transformation, to review our MOS structure, and then I will make a
recommendation. General Abizaid also clearly says that we do not need
more troops in Iraq. We are beginning to reduce our troop presence in
Iraq. We are presently at 138,000 down from 250,000.
CBO has said increasing our end-strength is not an answer to current
stress. It will take 2 years to get the troops proposed in this
amendment trained and fielded. I urge us not to go forward with this
amendment.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Rhode Island.
Mr. REED. Mr. President, the Army has 501,000 soldiers serving on
active duty. Not only is this above the authorized end strength of
480,000, it is also above the 3 percent variance rate. The Army
desperately needs troops, and we can provide them these troops today.
This is funded through the Iraqi freedom fund, a $1.9 billion
unrestricted account that the Secretary of Defense has. In fact, as I
understand it, the Secretary of Defense could turn around tomorrow and
use this money for these troops. We can do it today. We should do it
today. We cannot stand these stresses much longer. We can give General
Schoomaker more time, but the troops that are today in Afghanistan, in
Iraq, and around the globe need to know that we are going
[[Page S12577]]
to send them the reinforcements they need through the active services.
I yield my time.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alaska.
Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, it will take 3 to 5 years to train those
additional soldiers. I do not know from where the Senator is getting
his information. I get mine in writing from the Department of Defense,
and I stated the figures as we understand them. We do not need any more
troops. General Abizaid testified he has troops he does not need, and
he is going to start bringing some home.
I move to table the amendment and ask for the yeas and nays.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The sponsor of the amendment still has 25
seconds. Does the sponsor of the amendment yield time?
Mr. REID. I will yield back his time.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The time
is yielded back.
The yeas and nays have been requested. Is there a sufficient second?
There appears to be a sufficient second.
The question is on agreeing to the motion to table amendment No.
1834. The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk called the roll.
Mr. REID. I announce that the Senator from North Carolina (Mr.
Edwards), the Senator from Massachusetts (Mr. Kerry), and the Senator
from Connecticut (Mr. Lieberman) are necessarily absent.
I further announce that, if present and voting, the Senator from
Massachusetts (Mr. Kerry) would vote ``nay.''
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Murkowski). Are there any other Senators
in the Chamber desiring to vote?
The result was announced--yeas 45, nays 52, as follows:
[Rollcall Vote No. 382 Leg.]
YEAS--45
Alexander
Allard
Allen
Bennett
Bond
Brownback
Bunning
Burns
Campbell
Chambliss
Cochran
Coleman
Collins
Cornyn
Craig
Crapo
Dole
Domenici
Ensign
Enzi
Feingold
Feinstein
Fitzgerald
Frist
Graham (SC)
Grassley
Gregg
Hatch
Kyl
Lott
Lugar
McCain
McConnell
Miller
Murkowski
Nickles
Roberts
Santorum
Sessions
Shelby
Smith
Specter
Sununu
Thomas
Warner
NAYS--52
Akaka
Baucus
Bayh
Biden
Bingaman
Boxer
Breaux
Byrd
Cantwell
Carper
Chafee
Clinton
Conrad
Corzine
Daschle
Dayton
DeWine
Dodd
Dorgan
Durbin
Graham (FL)
Hagel
Harkin
Hollings
Hutchison
Inhofe
Inouye
Jeffords
Johnson
Kennedy
Kohl
Landrieu
Lautenberg
Leahy
Levin
Lincoln
Mikulski
Murray
Nelson (FL)
Nelson (NE)
Pryor
Reed
Reid
Rockefeller
Sarbanes
Schumer
Snowe
Stabenow
Stevens
Talent
Voinovich
Wyden
NOT VOTING--3
Edwards
Kerry
Lieberman
The motion was rejected.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Louisiana.
Change of Vote
Ms. LANDRIEU. On rollcall vote 382, I voted yea. It was my intention
to vote nay. Therefore, I ask unanimous consent that I be permitted to
change my vote since this will not affect the outcome.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
(The foregoing tally has been changed to reflect the above order.)
Mr. STEVENS. Madam President, I enter a motion to reconsider.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The motion is entered.
Mr. STEVENS. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will----
Mr. REID. Will the Senator withhold that request?
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Will the Senator withhold?
Mr. STEVENS. Yes.
Amendment No. 1835 Withdrawn
Mr. REID. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that amendment No.
1835 be withdrawn.
Mr. STEVENS. There is no objection.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Amendment No. 1838
Mr. REID. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the pending
amendment be set aside, and I send an amendment to the desk on behalf
of Senators Reid, McCain, and Lincoln.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The clerk
will report.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
The Senator from Nevada [Mr. Reid], for himself, Mr.
McCain, and Mrs. Lincoln, proposes an amendment numbered
1838.
The amendment is as follows:
(Purpose: To permit retired members of the Armed Forces who have a
service-connected disability to receive both military retired pay by
reason of their years of military service and disability compensation
from the Department of Veterans Affairs for their disability)
At the end of title I, add the following:
Sec. 316. (a) Restoration of Full Retired Pay Benefits.--
Section 1414 of title 10, United States Code, is amended to
read as follows:
``Sec. 1414. Members eligible for retired pay who have
service-connected disabilities: payment of retired pay and
veterans' disability compensation
``(a) Payment of Both Retired Pay and Compensation.--Except
as provided in subsection (b), a member or former member of
the uniformed services who is entitled to retired pay (other
than as specified in subsection (c)) and who is also entitled
to veterans' disability compensation is entitled to be paid
both without regard to sections 5304 and 5305 of title 38.
``(b) Special Rule for Chapter 61 Career Retirees.--The
retired pay of a member retired under chapter 61 of this
title with 20 years or more of service otherwise creditable
under section 1405 of this title at the time of the member's
retirement is subject to reduction under sections 5304 and
5305 of title 38, but only to the extent that the amount of
the member's retired pay under chapter 61 of this title
exceeds the amount of retired pay to which the member would
have been entitled under any other provision of law based
upon the member's service in the uniformed services if the
member had not been retired under chapter 61 of this title.
``(c) Exception.--Subsection (a) does not apply to a member
retired under chapter 61 of this title with less than 20
years of service otherwise creditable under section 1405 of
this title at the time of the member's retirement.
``(d) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) The term `retired pay' includes retainer pay,
emergency officers' retirement pay, and naval pension.
``(2) The term `veterans' disability compensation' has the
meaning given the term `compensation' in section 101(13) of
title 38.''.
(b) Repeal of Special Compensation Programs.--Sections 1413
and 1413a of such title are repealed.
(c) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the
beginning of such chapter is amended by striking the items
relating to sections 1413, 1413a, and 1414 and inserting the
following:
``1414. Members eligible for retired pay who have service-connected
disabilities: payment of retired pay and veterans'
disability compensation.''.
(d) Effective Date; Prohibition on Retroactive Benefits.--
(1) In general.--The amendments made by this section shall
take effect on the first day of the first month that begins
after the date of the enactment of this Act.
(2) Retroactive benefits.--No benefits may be paid to any
person by reason of section 1414 of title 10, United States
Code, as amended by subsection (a), for any period before the
effective date under paragraph (1).
Mr. REID. Madam President, if the Senator will allow me to state what
I think is in the process of happening, the Senator from Nevada is
going to take about 5 minutes, and the Senator from West Virginia would
take the remainder of the time until 12:30. He is going to offer an
amendment. Senator Byrd is going to offer an amendment, if that is
appropriate with the manager.
Mr. STEVENS. Will the amendment be called up at that time?
Mr. REID. Yes. Senator Ensign would like to be recognized to speak
for 5 minutes on his amendment, and Senator Byrd has an amendment. We
understood, based on previous conversations, that the majority was
going to offer amendments. We were of the impression there was no one
here to offer one before 12:30, other than the Senator from Nevada, Mr.
Ensign.
Mr. STEVENS. Madam President, the Senator is correct, although we are
working on that. As I understand it, does the Senator from Nevada
expect to go to a vote right away?
Mr. REID. Whenever the Senator wants to go to a vote. I know
leadership wants a vote.
Mr. STEVENS. We have two other Senators who are ready on this side.
[[Page S12578]]
Senator Warner and Senator Graham of South Carolina are ready to offer
amendments on this side.
Mr. REID. Senator Byrd was only doing this out of his normal
courtesy. He had other things to do. He was willing to come here and do
this at this time because we thought there was no one to offer an
amendment on that side.
Mr. STEVENS. Is the Senator's amendment already offered?
Mr. REID. No. So if you have people here ready to go, I ask Senator
Byrd, would that be OK that they go?
Mr. BYRD. Sure.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nevada.
Mr. REID. If I could take a minute, Madam President.
I know this last vote was a close vote. There was some trouble in
determining the final outcome of the vote. But I do say this, speaking
for me and for the Democratic leader, we are doing our best to
cooperate, but things are not going very quickly here, and I am not
confident, at this stage, we can complete this bill. We want to. We
have every intention of doing so. But, as I indicated a few minutes
ago, when a vote takes 38 minutes and this one takes--how long has this
vote taken, Madam President?
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Twenty-eight minutes.
Mr. REID. How long?
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Twenty-eight minutes.
Mr. REID. I think that speaks for itself. I hope we can move along
more quickly. It is not anything that we are doing that is slowing this
down. We have a number of Senators over here who wish to offer
amendments. I know the majority has some. So I think tonight and
tomorrow night could be very late nights.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alaska.
Mr. STEVENS. Madam President, I confess I was in another meeting when
I got the word that the vote was not as I expected it. As manager of
the bill, I am obligated to take the time to try to achieve the goal
that has been set by the administration and by the majority. So I do
apologize. But that was an extra amount of time needed to determine
what tactic I should use to try to achieve the goal I think the Senator
from Nevada would use if he were in my shoes. So we respect one
another.
He is right; we went over and we said, just minutes ago, we would
not. But a contingency developed that I do not think I need to
apologize for. I just need to explain.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nevada.
Amendment No. 1839
Mr. ENSIGN. Madam President, I send an amendment to the desk and ask
for its immediate consideration.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, the pending amendments are
set aside. The clerk will report.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
The Senator from Nevada [Mr. Ensign] proposes an amendment
numbered 1839.
Mr. ENSIGN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that reading of
the amendment be dispensed with.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The amendment is as follows:
(Purpose: To reduce the amount available for reconstruction in Iraq by
the amount that is used to repay bilateral debts owed by Iraq)
On page 38, between lines 20 and 21, insert the following
new section:
Sec. 2313. (a) Not later than April 30, 2004, the Secretary
of Defense shall submit a certification to Congress of the
amount that Iraq will pay, or that will be paid on behalf of
Iraq, during fiscal year 2004 to a foreign country to service
a debt incurred by Iraq during the regime of Saddam Hussein,
including any amount used for the payment of principal,
interest, or fees associated with such debt. Such
certification shall include--
(1) the actual amount spent for such purpose during the
period from October 1, 2003 through March 31, 2004; and
(2) the estimated amount that the Secretary reasonably
believes will be used for such purpose during the period from
April 1, 2004 through September 30, 2004.
(b) On May 1, 2004, the Director of the Office of
Management and Budget shall administratively reserve, out of
the unobligated balance of the funds appropriated in this
title under the subheading ``Iraq Relief and Reconstruction
Fund'' under the heading ``OTHER BILATERAL ECONOMIC
ASSISTANCE FUNDS APPROPRIATED TO THE PRESIDENT'', the amount
that is equal to the sum of the amount certified under
paragraph (1) of subsection (a) and the estimated amount
certified under paragraph (2) of such subsection. The amount
so reserved may not be obligated or expended on or after such
date.
(c) The Director of the Office of Management and Budget
shall impose such restrictions and conditions as the Director
determines necessary to ensure that, in the apportionment of
amounts appropriated as described in subsection (b), the
balance of the total amount so appropriated that remains
unobligated on May 1, 2004, exceeds the amount that is to be
reserved under subsection (b).
(d) It is the sense of Congress that each country that is
owed a debt by Iraq that was incurred during the regime of
Saddam Hussein should forgive such debt, including any amount
owed by Iraq for the principal, interest, and fees associated
with such debt.
Mr. ENSIGN. Mr. President, we don't intend to stay in Iraq forever.
And we don't intend to rebuild Iraq--that is a task for the Iraqi
people.
Our exit strategy--the way to get our troops home--is to make sure
that Iraq's economy can produce sufficient revenue to pay for its own
reconstruction--so Iraq is not dependent on International assistance.
Our exit strategy is to help train Iraqi police, border patrol, and
its armed forces and civil defense forces so Iraq is not dependent on
foreign troops for its own security.
The President's request is designed to help Iraqis get on a path to
self-reliance, so U.S. forces can come home, and so the U.S. taxpayer
does not have to foot the bill for Iraq's reconstruction.
Unfortunately, it is going to be difficult to kick-start Iraq's
economy--even with a generous U.S. aid package--because Iraq is saddled
with an enormous amount of debt from Saddam Hussein's regime.
For example, according to the White House, the bi-lateral debt owed
by Iraq includes:
$8.9 billion to Japan;
$6.9 billion to Russia;
$6 billion to France;
$4.8 billion to Germany;
$30-50 billion to Gulf countries;
$8.2 billion to Kuwait;
$18 billion to Non-Paris club countries like China, Korea, and
Turkey.
Mr. President, I realize that none of the funds appropriated by this
bill may be used to service a debt that is owed by Saddam Hussein's
regime. So I am not worried that any of the $20 billion the President
has requested for Iraq will directly end up in the pockets of the
French.
But money is fungible. If we pass this bill, as it stands right now,
a future Iraqi government could use new oil revenues to pay back France
billions of dollars while accepting billions in U.S. foreign aid. After
all, Iraq has already sold about $1.6 billion in oil exports since they
resumed this summer.
Americans are a generous people. We are willing to make sacrifices.
But we are not going to spend our hard-earned tax dollars to bail out
France--money France lent to Saddam Hussein.
My amendment is simple. It reduces the amount available for
reconstruction in Iraq by the amount that is used to repay bilateral
debts owed by Iraq. So for every dollar that goes to a country like
France, a dollar is subtracted from the U.S. foreign aid package.
This is a commonsense way to make sure that U.S. funds are spent
where they are needed--in Baghdad--instead of Paris, Moscow, or Berlin.
Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. STEVENS. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. STEVENS. Madam President, I have examined the amendment offered
by the Senator from Nevada and it has two basic requirements. One is a
certification of the amount Iraq will pay or that will be paid on
behalf of Iraq, during fiscal year 2004 to a foreign country to service
a debt incurred by Iraq, including any amount used for the payment of
principal, interest, et cetera. This deals with the amounts that were
debts of the former regime of Iraq. It states:
On May 1, 2004, the Director of the Office of Management
and Budget shall administratively reserve, out of the
unobligated balance of the funds in this title under the
subheading Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund
[[Page S12579]]
. . . the amount that is equal to the sum of the amount
certified under paragraph (1). . . .
Namely, it is the amount that has been used from any source to
service the debt that Iraq owed under the Saddam Hussein regime.
Madam President, we take the position there will be no such payment.
In any event, we don't see any harm in finding out if there is such a
payment and dealing with that subject accordingly. Therefore, I am
prepared to state to the Senator from Nevada we have no objection to
the amendment of the Senator under the circumstances right now, and I
will rely upon the statement of the distinguished Senator from West
Virginia to determine whether there is objection from his side of the
aisle. It is not an amendment I really seek to have enacted. In all
probability, it may be substantially changed in conference if it does
survive. But it is not something that offends the process we are
involved in now. We don't know of any payments that would be made by
any country on behalf of the former regime of Saddam Hussein to deal
with the debt that existed under that regime.
Therefore, I will not oppose the amendment. I seek the advice of the
Senator from West Virginia as to what they intend to do concerning this
amendment. Does the Senator wish some additional time to consider this
matter? Would he like to take the recess now and come back and deal
with this after our weekly luncheon?
Mr. BYRD. Madam President, it is my information that this side has
not yet adequately followed this amendment and has not seen it until
recently to the extent that we are prepared to accept it. It appears to
be a good amendment, but we may or may not want to accept it. Will the
Senator allow us a little time for further study?
Mr. STEVENS. Yes. Madam President, I thank the Senator. I think the
Senator will remember, as we wound up the session just prior to the
recess, there were a series of amendments that were under
consideration. Senator Ensign's was one of those. I think Members of
our side checked with staff on the Senator's side, but we are probably
not dealing with the right people. We had to pull the Ensign amendment
at the last minute because we didn't have the clearance we thought we
had.
I suggest we just stand in recess now and address this matter when we
come back after the scheduled recess.
Mr. BYRD. I thank the Senator.
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