[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 78 (Friday, May 11, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6031-S6032]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
IRAQ FUNDING
Mr. REID. Mr. President, it is my understanding, prior to my doing
the closing--and I don't know if the distinguished Republican leader
has anything today--it is my understanding that the Senator from
Virginia wanted to make a statement. Does the Senator from Kentucky
have anything to say?
Mr. McCONNELL. No, Mr. President, I don't have anything to add.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The senior Senator from Virginia is
recognized.
Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, if I may engage our respected leaders in a
colloquy regarding the passage last night of the House supplemental. I
am speaking for, I think, a number of Senators on both sides of the
aisle, who have some thoughts with regard to how we proceed on the
funding issue. I personally--speaking for myself--believe we should
have no bifurcation of the funding and that it should all be acted upon
at one time. I am very anxious that the tentative schedule of the
leadership is before Memorial Day. That is most important.
I hope some of us could address the Senate and the leadership
regarding the subject of benchmarks. I read with great interest that
the President is openminded on the question of benchmarks. I believe it
is important that, in September, General Petraeus is going to give us a
report, together with the U.S. Ambassador, and presumably the
Secretaries of State and Defense will join in that very important
report to the Congress--indeed, to the whole country--with regard to
the status of things in Iraq in September. I do believe there is such a
rapidly unfolding situation over there--we don't know from day to day
how to anticipate certain things. Earlier this morning, General Mixon
reported that he didn't have sufficient forces, U.S. forces and
presumably Iraqi forces, to perform his mission in Diyala Province.
I am hopeful, speaking for myself, that we can put in some language
tied to benchmarks by which the President, before we go out on the
August recess, would report to the Nation and to the Congress on his
judgment as to whether there is progress on the benchmarks and whether
he feels that in the July timeframe some change in strategy must be
brought about in order to achieve the goals of the original strategy
laid down on January 10 of this year.
My language would not have any obstruction to the flow of funds, but
it would simply keep the Nation and the Congress fully informed of his
judgment, together with his senior advisers, at that critical time
before we go out on the August recess. I believe we have a
responsibility, first and foremost, to the men and women in the Armed
Forces, their families, and to the country for the Congress to watch
this situation very closely and not defer until the September timeframe
the concentrated judgment that would
[[Page S6032]]
be brought to bear on the receiving of the report in September.
To what extent can you advise us as to the process that might be
followed in order to expeditiously get to the conference but at the
same time either the conferees be informed of the views of others or we
have some mechanism by which to address the issue?
Mr. REID. Mr. President, there are many issues--in fact, most issues
that come before this body deal with monetary things, policy issues,
which do not deal with the lives of our men and women in uniform. This
issue does. I cannot speak for my Republican counterpart, Senator
McConnell, but I can say without any question that I believe he and I
are arm-locked in the recognition of how serious this is and how we
have to do the very best the Senate can do. We are going to try to do
that.
This is a time when we have to work on a nonpartisan basis--not
bipartisan but a nonpartisan basis--to get a matter to the House of
Representatives so we can do a conference. At this stage, I have to say
to my friend from Virginia, who is so knowledgeable about things
military, we don't know how we are going to do that yet. That is a fair
statement. Everything is on the table. But how we take things off the
table and put certain things back on the table, I don't know at this
stage. I don't think my friend from Kentucky does, either, but we are
open for suggestions and comments. It is not an easy situation. The
House of Representatives is a different body than we are. The majority
party there can do what they want to do. We cannot do that. This is the
Senate, which is divided, as we speak, 50 to 49. So we have to work
together.
I say to my friend that I understand his involvement in this. He has
worked over the years very well with the Democrats. I look forward to
that continuing during the supplemental appropriations bill. Speaking
for me, I don't know how we are going to get there, but we are going to
try. We have no choice. Failure is not an option.
Mr. WARNER. I thank the majority leader.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, nobody has done more for his country,
for the defense of this country, and for the Armed Forces of this
country than the distinguished Senator from Virginia. We thank him for
his ongoing advice about how to deal with this most difficult problem.
The majority leader and I are in exactly the same place. I believe
the Senator from Virginia is as well. It is our great desire to get to
conference and get a bill signed before Memorial Day. Exactly as the
majority leader indicated, how we get from here to there is a matter
under serious discussion between the two of us and with our members. So
we will be working to get the job completed at the earliest possible
opportunity.
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I only add that I have been as critical of
the President as anybody in the Senate. But I have to say that, in the
last week or two, his spokesperson, his Chief of Staff, speaking with
the authority of the President, has been available to Senator McConnell
and me anytime I have asked. I appreciate that. If we are going to get
this done, the President has to be part of the solution.
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