[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 105 (Wednesday, June 27, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8600-S8601]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
UNANIMOUS-CONSENT REQUEST--H.R. 1
Mr. REID. Mr. President, despite the fact that we are fast
approaching the 6-year anniversary since the terrorist attacks of
September 11, it is painfully clear that we have a lot of work to do to
protect this Nation from further terrorist attacks. The threats are
real, they are growing, and when Democrats took control of the Congress
at the start of this year, we said we would implement the unanimous
recommendation of the bipartisan 9/11 Commission. That matter passed
this body by a big vote. That is where we said we should implement into
law the 9/11 Commission recommendations. Democrats voted for that, and
Republicans voted for it. It was one of the first bills we passed at
the start of this session of Congress. The House passed its version of
the bill on January 9. The Senate passed our bill on March 13. The
House bill was 299 to 128; ours was 60 to 38.
As my colleagues know, Democrats and Republicans who serve on the
House and Senate committees with jurisdiction over this bill have
worked tirelessly to resolve the differences on these two bills. I
myself have spoken to Chairman Lieberman, I don't think it is an
exaggeration to say a dozen times. The American people expect us to
finish this work quickly, and that is why we believe we need to take
the next procedural step as part of our regular order, which is to
appoint conferees to finish these negotiations.
When this bill is signed into law, it will make America more secure.
It will improve the screening of maritime cargo so that Americans can
be assured we are doing all we can to prevent the smuggling of weapons
into this country, including nuclear weapons. It will improve the
congressional oversight of intelligence to ensure we are building the
best capabilities possible to stop terrorist attacks. It will improve
information sharing and communications interoperability among first
responders so that they can work swiftly to prevent terrorist attacks.
It will ensure that transportation and mass-transit structures are
hardened against terrorist attacks.
This legislation wasn't something a couple of Senators dreamed up. It
was the recommendations of the bipartisan 9/11 Commission, chaired by
Governor Kean and cochaired by Congressman Hamilton, a Republican and a
Democrat. This is what we are doing. We are long past when we should
have done this. We need to do this.
I make the following request, Mr. President: I ask unanimous consent
[[Page S8601]]
that the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee be
discharged from further consideration of H.R. 1 and that the Senate
then proceed to its consideration; that all after the enacting clause
be stricken and the text of S.4, as passed by the Senate on March 13,
2007, be inserted in lieu thereof; that the bill be read a third time,
passed, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table; that the
Senate insist on its amendment, request a conference with the House on
the disagreeing votes of the two Houses, and the Chair be authorized to
appoint conferees on the part of the Senate, with the above occurring
with no intervening action or debate.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, the
leadership has been continuing to consult with our colleagues who are
working on this legislation, and I have the impression, from talking to
Members who are involved, that they have done a lot of good work and
perhaps have made some progress that will lead to being able to get a
conference and act on it. They have been discussing some very
significant issues.
One of the problems that I recall is that this legislation went well
beyond what was just in the 9/11 Commission recommendations, and that
is a major part of the problem. There was some other language that was
of great concern and could lead this bill to be vetoed by the
President, but he does not want to veto it, and we want to get a bill
that we can agree on that can become law. We all want to strengthen our
homeland security, but, as quite often is the case in the Congress--the
House or the Senate or the both of us--we put language in these bills
that is problematic and, in my opinion and others, counterproductive.
So we don't want to get to a point where we can't get an agreement or
get a bill signed into law and have to start back at square one.
I wish to emphasize that the impression of the leadership--and that
is whom I am speaking for here--is that they are working and making
progress, and we hope they will continue to do that and get a good,
productive, and bipartisan agreement.
At this point, I must object.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
Mr. REID. I, of course, am very disappointed my Republican colleague
has chosen to object to this request on moving forward on the 9/11
Commission recommendations bill. The minority stated yesterday that
they had a problem with the bill. We agreed to take that out of the
bill. I don't know how much more we can do.
It appears to me there are forces within the Republican Senate that
simply don't want this bill enacted. This is really too bad. As my
friend--and we have worked together on this Senate floor, my friend,
the junior Senator from Mississippi, we have worked on this floor
together for many years. When he was the majority leader, we worked
together in detail on so many different issues, so this is not directed
toward him. But I do say that there have been procedural roadblocks
thrown up in front of virtually everything we have tried to do in the
Senate this year. I was hoping we could reconsider this obstructionism
when it comes to moving legislation that would make America more
secure. Every day we wait on this is another day for the terrorists.
For example, I talked about cargo screening. Other countries do it, but
we don't.
These phantom issues which are blocking this bill do not exist. This
is a bill which the managers, Senator Lieberman and others, have worked
out. We could go to conference and do this bill in one-half hour, an
hour. And this is a real conference where conferees would sit down,
there would be open debate, public debate, there is nothing to jam this
through. This is the way we should do things.
The 9/11 victims' families have organizations, and these family
representatives are calling for all parties to move this forward, and
we are listening to them. This bill needs to pass. We are willing to be
flexible. We have shown that. I would hope my Republican colleagues and
the administration will demonstrate what they do not like about this
bill, and what they do not like about it, tell us. This bill is
important. It is important for me and my family, every Senator here and
their families, everybody in this country, and every day we don't do
something is a day lost.
I can assure my Republican colleague that Senator Lieberman, our lead
conferee, as well as the rest of our conferees will continue to work in
a bipartisan manner, as they have to date. So I am very disappointed
the Republicans are still objecting to moving the process forward on
this bill. I say to my colleagues and to all Americans that I will be
back on the floor again and again until our Republican friends allow us
to move forward.
I do say, Mr. President, that it is a real shame we can't get this
done before the Fourth of July recess. I am not exaggerating when I say
this bill needs to be done. I think, without going into any
confidential information, this bill should pass. We should do it as
soon as we can. I urge my friend to speak to whomever needs to be
spoken to on the other side to reconsider their objection.
Tomorrow, let us move this bill. It is Thursday. We could complete
this before we go home, and it would be a day of celebration for all
America that we are implementing the 9/11 Commission recommendations.
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