[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.

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