[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 169 (Thursday, November 20, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S15212]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   RECOGNITION OF THE MINORITY LEADER

  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The minority leader is recognized.
  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, the majority leader has been consulting 
with us with regard to the schedule. I share his view that there is an 
opportunity here for us to complete our work, if we can find a way to 
resolve the remaining issues before the Senate. We have a lot of work 
to do on conference reports, on the omnibus legislation, and on certain 
nominations.
  I will say there are a number of holds on the nominations in part 
because of a misunderstanding perhaps with the White House on a 
particular nominee that has to be resolved if we are to move forward on 
these nominations. I am hopeful that can be done perhaps as early as 
today. That is one of the major obstacles to addressing successfully a 
number of other nominees.
  This is going to be a busy week. I certainly urge our colleagues not 
to make plans for Saturday or Sunday until we know better what the 
scheduling entails. I think it would be important for us to give our 
Members adequate notice with regard to the schedule, perhaps once or 
twice a day updating people as to what the schedule may hold. We will 
certainly work with the majority leader in attempting to address the 
many challenges we face with regard to the legislative schedule yet 
before us.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The majority leader.
  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, the Democratic leader and I have been in 
consultation and will continue to be in consultation over the course of 
the day--as he suggested, pretty much every few hours--to facilitate 
what is going to be a challenge in moving in a reasonably orderly way 
all that we have on the table.
  I do want to mention in my opening comments that we are very close to 
addressing Healthy Forests. I plead with everyone, hopefully over the 
course of this morning, to resolve whatever remaining issues there are 
in terms of holding up that legislation. If we go to conference 
quickly, that very important legislation will be addressed. I think we 
are just about there. We were just about there last night. If we can 
get that over the goal line this morning, that would be helpful.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The minority leader.
  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I am pleased the majority leader 
mentioned Healthy Forests. I would have done it if I had remembered. Of 
course, Senator Cochran and I had a very good conversation yesterday. 
Based on that conversation and his assurances that extraneous material 
would not be included in conference, we are prepared to go to 
conference now.
  We have had good success in reaching agreement on the forest health 
provisions of the bill. There are other issues that still remain to be 
addressed. I share the view of the majority leader that we are now at a 
moment where I think we ought to try to complete our work. It would be 
great if at the end of the day we could set aside the pending 
legislation and pass that conference report. I think we are going to 
get a good broad bipartisan vote on the legislation. I applaud those 
who have taken us to this point. This is good legislation. It deserves 
support. I look forward to finishing work on that bill as well.
  I yield the floor.

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