[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 65 (Tuesday, May 11, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5171-S5172]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                SCHEDULE

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, this morning the Senate will be in a period 
of morning business for up to 1 hour. The first half of that time will 
be under the control of the minority leader or his designee, and the 
second half of the time will be under the control of the majority side 
of the aisle.
  Following this period of morning business, the Senate will resume 
consideration of S. 1637, the FSC/ETI JOBS bill. Under the agreement 
reached last night, today the debate until noon will be equally divided 
between both sides.
  At noon, the Senate will conduct a rollcall vote on the motion to 
invoke cloture on the FSC/ETI JOBS legislation. If cloture is invoked, 
we will go immediately to a vote in relation to the pending Cantwell 
amendment regarding unemployment insurance.
  Senators can, therefore, expect up to two votes beginning at 12 noon 
today. Following those votes, the Senate will stand in recess until 
2:15 for the weekly policy luncheons to occur.
  I ask unanimous consent that if cloture is invoked, the time during 
the recess count under the provisions of rule XXII.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I thank all Members who have allowed us to 
proceed in this fashion. We have worked on both sides to organize today 
so we can bring the FSC/ETI bill to closure. I believe we will invoke 
cloture and we will be able to bring the bill to conclusion, hopefully, 
later this afternoon or early this evening.
  As I stated yesterday, there will be germane amendments, and we will 
debate them and vote on those; thus, we anticipate additional rollcall 
votes over the course of the day.
  I mentioned several weeks ago, and again yesterday, that we plan to 
begin the IDEA legislation following the completion of the FSC/ETI JOBS 
bill and, thus, we have a lot of work to do. I want to encourage people 
to consider that as we bring the FSC/ETI bill to closure.
  I also want to mention a concern that I have with the Executive 
Calendar. Last week, we were able to confirm some of the pending 
ambassadorial nominations on the calendar. But still, as you look at 
the calendar, there are 89 additional nominations that are available 
for Senate consideration. As we all know, some of these are 
controversial and, therefore, delay is not unexpected. But the vast 
majority of these nominations, including many of the judicial 
nominations, should be cleared unanimously.
  I want to take this opportunity to remind my Senate colleagues of our 
responsibility--the Senate's responsibility--to consider these 
nominations and to allow them to begin their very important work for 
the United States of America.
  In addition to the 33 judicial nominations, there are 8 additional 
ambassadorships to countries such as Sweden, Brazil, South Africa, 
Northern Ireland, and others. So, again, I want to take this moment to 
bring all of this to the Senate's attention. My colleagues may come to 
me and ask why we are not moving. It is time to move in that direction.
  I have heard the comments of the Democratic leadership regarding 
their concern with the nominations, and I know there are underway a 
number of consultations and discussions regarding this process. As we 
move forward, I urge my colleagues to allow us to consider some of the 
many noncontroversial nominations that are available so that we can 
fill these positions.
  Mr. President, I also want to comment on last night's action by 
thanking my colleagues for their unanimous support for S. 356. This 
Senate resolution, which passed last night, condemns the abuse of Iraqi 
prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison and urges a full and complete 
investigation to make sure that justice is served, and served in a 
fully transparent way.
  The resolution also expresses the Senate's support for all Americans 
who

[[Page S5172]]

are serving so nobly in Iraq to bring freedom, democracy, and the rule 
of law to that country.
  The resolution expressed the sentiment and views of the Senate in a 
clear, firm, and bipartisan manner. In particular, it made clear our 
expectation that the Senate be kept apprised of the ongoing 
investigations being conducted in the Department of Defense and of the 
actions being taken to ensure that these incidents never occur again.
  The resolution also made clear that the appropriate committees of the 
Senate will be exercising their oversight responsibilities to ensure 
these ends. This is not just the right thing to do; this is the 
Senate's duty and our obligation to the American people--indeed, to the 
victims, to the families, and to the Iraqi people.
  The Senate has already acted quickly and deliberately to address the 
heinous actions perpetrated by a few at the Abu Ghraib prison. Last 
week, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence held a closed-door 
session to hear from representatives of the intelligence community 
regarding the CIA's role. The Senate Armed Services Committee held a 
full hearing last Friday on this matter with the Secretary of Defense, 
the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and several other senior 
Defense Department officials appeared. Indeed, today, the Armed 
Services Committee is meeting again to receive testimony from Major 
General Taguba, who investigated and reported on the Abu Ghraib prison 
abuses.
  We are also working in a bipartisan manner to address the issue of 
appropriate access to further evidence of the atrocities at Abu Ghraib. 
And at the leadership level on both sides of the aisle, we are working 
with the ranking member and chairman of the Armed Services Committee to 
establish a process whereby materials can be viewed. As well, it is 
likely that we will afford the Secretary of Defense another opportunity 
to answer questions from Senators in the near future.
  I have also consulted with various committee chairmen about items 
that might be in their committee's jurisdiction as this investigation 
unfolds, so that the appropriate Senate tools are applied judicially to 
buttress the work of the executive branch in getting to the bottom of 
this scandal, no matter where it leads.
  In closing, I ensure my colleagues and the American people that the 
Senate will continue to hold hearings and briefings and take other 
steps, as necessary, to ensure that justice is served, that preventive 
action is taken, that those responsible are held accountable, and that 
all of this is done in a very fair, deliberate, and open manner.
  I yield the floor.

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