[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 131 (Monday, October 17, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11339-S11340]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             SENATE AGENDA

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I welcome back our colleagues from the 
Columbus Day recess. As we open our session, I hope everyone--I am sure 
they did--had a productive and rejuvenating week with their 
constituents and their families and their friends. We have a very busy 
5-week session ahead of us. There is a lot of work to do.
  First up is going to be spending reconciliation. This week our 
committees are taking up the hard work of thoughtfully considering 
spending cuts to ensure fiscal discipline, particularly in light of our 
responsibilities in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. It is not an easy 
job. It is not going to be an easy job over the next several days and 
weeks. I do want to thank our committees and their chairmen and ranking 
members for their determination and focus.
  On appropriations, we have made steady progress. We have made good 
progress in the last several weeks. I anticipate we will be able to 
finish the Transportation, Treasury, HUD, and DC appropriations bill 
this week, which means once we are successful with that--and we will 
be--we will have only one bill remaining. I thank, particularly, 
Chairman Thad Cochran for his tremendous leadership in this 
appropriations process.
  The appropriations process is one of our primary responsibilities. It 
funds the basic functions of our Government. And we are committed to 
doing so in a way that is disciplined and is fiscally responsible.
  This is equally true as we continue to meet the challenges of 
Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. In the wake of these twin 
disasters, we focused on providing the targeted relief, the immediate 
relief, and the effective tax incentives that we know will work to help 
the gulf coast recover and rebuild.
  As this process moves forward, we are going to face a lot of tough 
decisions, a lot of difficult decisions. But with each of these 
decisions does come an opportunity, an opportunity to encourage growth, 
to lower costs, to create jobs, and to strengthen the economy as the 
gulf recovers and rebuilds stronger and, indeed, more prosperous than 
ever.
  Throughout, we need to keep a sharp eye on the bottom line, and we 
need to set clear priorities. Some have called for higher taxes to 
cover the short-term expense. I disagree. America's families are 
already bearing the burden of higher taxes in higher gasoline prices 
and heating bills as a result of the storms. We cannot and should not 
burden the American people with even greater Government-imposed 
expenses.
  We need to stick to a rigorous program of fiscal discipline and 
strong progrowth and deliver meaningful solutions that are responsible 
and effective, that we know will work.
  Before the Columbus Day recess, I asked our committee chairmen to 
keep working on the spending controls we agreed to earlier this year 
and to look for ways to find additional savings.

[[Page S11340]]

  I asked our Budget Committee chairman, Judd Gregg, to put together 
feasible and achievable savings recommendations. I also asked him to 
coordinate his work with the House and the White House.
  We have also endorsed the concept of creating an independent 
inspector general to make sure the Katrina and Rita disaster relief 
will be well spent.

  To further control costs, we have asked the President to send the 
Congress a rescissions package under the Budget Act. This is the only 
guaranteed way to ensure both the House and Senate jointly take a stand 
on spending. This authority, last used in 1992, resulted in savings, 
then, of nearly $8 billion.
  We are moving forward, and I urge all of our colleagues to continue 
to work together to impose aggressive fiscal discipline to restrain 
Government spending.
  In the next 5 weeks, we will also consider the President's nomination 
of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court of the United States. I expect 
the Senate to carry out its constitutional advice and consent 
responsibility in an expeditious, fair, and civil manner, as we did 
with Chief Justice John Roberts.
  Harriet Miers is an accomplished and experienced lawyer, who is 
respected by her peers and trusted by the President. In the weeks 
ahead, we will have the opportunity to learn more about her background 
and more about her qualifications. Through courtesy calls and hearings, 
we will have that opportunity to hear from Ms. Miers herself.
  I urge all of my colleagues to let her be heard and to resist a rush 
to judgment. Such as with all judicial nominees, Harriet Miers deserves 
a fair up-or-down vote.
  In the meantime, we will continue to work for consent on pensions and 
Defense authorization. I urge my colleagues to work together to get 
these critical pieces of legislation done.
  Protecting our fellow citizens' safety and well-being is our highest 
obligation. The American people expect and deserve a Senate that is 
purpose driven and that does get results. We are called upon to govern 
with meaningful solutions.
  In this session, we have worked hard to address some daunting 
challenges: defeating our terrorist enemies, tackling rising energy 
costs, and securing our borders from illegal immigration and terrorist 
threat. More remains to be done. We face a serious threat of avian flu, 
as well as taking a hard look at our spending priorities.
  These are just two examples. There will be many more. But I am 
confident that by pulling together with a sense of common purpose we 
can secure a stronger, safer, healthier, freer, and more prosperous 
America. I am confident that with determination and focus we will 
continue to move America forward.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.

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