[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 27 (Tuesday, February 13, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1889-S1890]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
MAKING FURTHER CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 2007
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will
resume consideration of H.J. Res. 20, which the clerk will report by
title.
The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
A joint resolution (H.J. Res. 20) making further continuing
appropriations for the fiscal year 2007, and for other
purposes.
Pending:
Reid Amendment No. 237, to change an effective date.
Reid Amendment No. 238 (to Amendment No. 237), of a
technical nature.
Motion to recommit the bill to the Committee on
Appropriations, with instructions to report back forthwith,
with Reid Amendment No. 239, to change an effective date.
Reid Amendment No. 240 (to the instructions of the motion
to recommit), of a technical nature.
Reid Amendment No. 241 (to Amendment No. 240), of a
technical nature.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the time until 2:30
will be equally divided between the two leaders or their designees.
Who yields time? The Senator from West Virginia.
Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I can do this, I think in 5 or 6 minutes. I
yield myself such time as I may consume. Am I recognized?
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator is recognized.
Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, today is the 136th day of fiscal year 2007.
It is
[[Page S1890]]
past time to complete the remaining nine fiscal year 2007
appropriations bills. Agencies have limped along through October,
November, December, January, and half of February based on a very
restrictive continuing resolution. Thirteen of the fifteen departments
do not know how much money they will have for a fiscal year that is now
one-third gone, one-third over.
This is a deplorable way to run a government, any government,
specifically the Federal Government--this Government.
Under the existing continuing resolution, our veterans hospitals are
confronting the need to deny health care to 500,000 veterans and to
force 850,000 veterans to wait longer for their care. H.J. Res. 20
includes an increase of $3.6 billion to solve the problem. On this, the
136th day of fiscal year 2007, it is time to act.
Under the existing continuing resolution, the Social Security
Administration is facing longer lines for approving benefits, and
furloughs of employees. The 1-800 Medicare call centers, which have
received over 35 million calls from the elderly with questions about
their coverage, will have to shut down for the final months of the
fiscal year. H.J. Res. 20 solves those problems. It is time to act.
Under the existing continuing resolution, the Department of Defense
will have to delay elective surgeries, nonemergency care, and increase
the cost of some pharmaceuticals for Active-Duty members, their
families, and retirees. H.J. Res. 20 includes an increase of $1.4
billion to solve the problem. It is time to act.
Under the existing continuing resolution, funding for highways and
transit is frozen at fiscal year 2006 levels, putting 160,000 jobs at
risk. H.J. Res. 20 fully funds the highway and transit guarantees. It
is time to act.
Under the existing continuing resolution, no funds are provided to
the Department of Defense to build the facilities needed to bring our
troops back home from Europe. H.J. Res. 20 includes $1 billion to solve
that problem. It is time, again I say, to act.
According to the White House Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator,
under the existing continuing resolution 110,000 to 175,000 people will
likely die of HIV-related causes. H.J. Res. 20 includes a $1.4 billion
increase to help HIV victims. It is time to act.
H.J. Res. 20 complies with the $872.8 billion statutory cap on
spending. It contains no earmarks and, I should say, eliminates 9,300
prior earmarks.
Hallelujah. It eliminates 9,300 prior earmarks.
H.J. Res. 20 cuts 125 accounts below fiscal year 2006 levels and
freezes 450 accounts at the 2006 level. H.J. Res. 20 is tough, it is
disciplined, and it addresses critical needs. It is time to act.
I urge Members to vote aye on the cloture motion and on the
resolution.
Mr. President, how much time do we have remaining?
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator has about 4 minutes remaining.
Mr. BYRD. I thank the Chair. I yield the floor and 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. BYRD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Cloture Motion
Under the previous order, the clerk will report the motion to invoke
cloture.
The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
Cloture Motion
We, the undersigned Senators, in accordance with the
provisions of rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate,
do hereby move to bring to a close the debate on Calendar No.
18, H.J. Res. 20, Continuing Funding resolution.
Robert C. Byrd, Sherrod Brown, Joe Lieberman, Pat Leahy,
Patty Murray, John Kerry, Barbara A. Mikulski, Dick
Durbin, Ken Salazar, Jack Reed, Tom Harkin, Dianne
Feinstein, H.R. Clinton, Mary Landrieu, Herb Kohl, Carl
Levin, Byron L. Dorgan, Ben Nelson.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. By unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum
call has been waived.
The question is, Is it the sense of the Senate that debate on H.J.
Res. 20, making further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2007,
and for other purposes, shall be brought to a close? The yeas and nays
are mandatory under the rule.
The clerk will call the roll.
The assistant legislative clerk called the roll.
Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Delaware (Mr. Biden) and
the Senator from South Dakota (Mr. Johnson) are necessarily absent.
Mr. LOTT. The following Senator was necessarily absent. The Senator
from Kansas, Mr. Brownback.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber
desiring to vote?
The yeas and nays resulted--yeas 71, nays 26, as follows:
[Rollcall Vote No. 46 Leg.]
YEAS--71
Akaka
Baucus
Bayh
Bennett
Bingaman
Bond
Boxer
Brown
Bunning
Burr
Byrd
Cantwell
Cardin
Carper
Casey
Chambliss
Clinton
Cochran
Coleman
Conrad
Corker
Craig
Crapo
Dodd
Domenici
Dorgan
Durbin
Enzi
Feingold
Feinstein
Grassley
Harkin
Inouye
Isakson
Kennedy
Kerry
Klobuchar
Kohl
Landrieu
Lautenberg
Leahy
Levin
Lieberman
Lincoln
Lott
Lugar
McCaskill
McConnell
Menendez
Mikulski
Murkowski
Murray
Nelson (FL)
Nelson (NE)
Obama
Pryor
Reed
Reid
Rockefeller
Salazar
Sanders
Schumer
Shelby
Specter
Stabenow
Sununu
Tester
Thune
Vitter
Webb
Whitehouse
NAYS--26
Alexander
Allard
Coburn
Collins
Cornyn
DeMint
Dole
Ensign
Graham
Gregg
Hagel
Hatch
Hutchison
Inhofe
Kyl
Martinez
McCain
Roberts
Sessions
Smith
Snowe
Stevens
Thomas
Voinovich
Warner
Wyden
NOT VOTING--3
Biden
Brownback
Johnson
The PRESIDING OFFICER. On this vote, the yeas are 71, the nays are
26. Three-fifths of the Senators duly chosen and sworn having voted in
the affirmative, the motion is agreed to.
Mrs. MURRAY. I move to reconsider the vote.
Mr. DURBIN. I move to lay that motion on the table.
The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Georgia.
____________________