[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 173 (Wednesday, December 22, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Page S10953]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                Amendment No. 4892, as Further Modified

  Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, I believe at the desk now is the Kyl 
amendment, as modified.
  I am sorry about the confusion. Mr. President, I ask unanimous 
consent that we be able to immediately proceed to the Kyl amendment. We 
will come right back to the Corker amendment, but I ask unanimous 
consent to proceed to the Kyl amendment, as modified, with the 
modification that has been submitted at the desk.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment (No. 4892), as further modified, is as follows:

       At the end of subsection (a), add the following:
       (11) Design and funding of certain facilities.--Prior to 
     the entry into force of the New START Treaty, the President 
     shall certify to the Senate that the President intends to--
       (A) accelerate to the extent possible the design and 
     engineering phase of the Chemistry and Metallurgy Research 
     Replacement (CMRR) building and the Uranium Processing 
     Facility (UPF); and
       (B) request full funding, including on a multi-year basis 
     as appropriate, for the Chemistry and Metallurgy Research 
     Replacement building and the Uranium Processing Facility upon 
     completion of the design and engineering phase for such 
     facilities.

  Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, I believe Senator Kyl wishes to say 
something.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Arizona.
  Mr. KYL. Mr. President, I will comment more when I make my concluding 
comments, but what we have just done is to agree to provide a mechanism 
for the President to certify a way forward to fund the two large 
facilities that are part of the nuclear weapons complex in a way that 
we hope will provide for the most efficient way to build these 
facilities and to get them constructed as rapidly as possible.
  The result of this is that, potentially, we could save hundreds of 
millions of dollars and construct the facilities at an earlier date 
than was originally intended. But to be clear, nothing in this 
amendment reduces the President's decisionmaking or flexibility. It 
remains his decision as to how the funding is requested and when it is 
requested.
  Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, I agree with the comments of the Senator. 
It does leave the President that important ability, but it also puts 
the question of whether this is a way that is more efficient. It is 
something we should be looking at, and the President intends to look at 
it. We will accept this amendment.
  Mr. President, I don't think there is further debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the amendment.
  The amendment (No. 4892), as further modified, was agreed to.