[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 36 (Wednesday, March 13, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1718-S1719]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, MILITARY CONSTRUCTION AND VETERANS AFFAIRS, AND 
             FULL-YEAR CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2013

  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Under the previous order, the 
Senate will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to Calendar 
No. 21, H.R. 933.
  The clerk will report the motion.
  The bill clerk read as follows:

       Motion to proceed to Calendar No. 21, H.R. 933, a bill 
     making appropriations for the Department of Defense, the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs, and other departments and 
     agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2013, and 
     for other purposes.

  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Oklahoma.
  Mr. COBURN. Mr. President, I wanted to make a few comments. We have 
finished our analysis of this bill. The bill has 587 pages and spends 
well over $1 trillion. We finished at 9 p.m. last

[[Page S1719]]

night. We have no objection to moving to the bill through a fair and 
open process. We will be happy to submit our ideas to the chairman and 
ranking member of the Appropriations Committee. There is a lot we ought 
to discuss about this bill. However, there is no attempt to filibuster 
the bill. There was an attempt to do our job, which was to actually 
read the bill and see what is in it so we would be prepared to offer 
constructive criticisms to the bill.
  With that, I leave and I will be back on the floor in a little bit 
when the managers of the bill come to the floor. If they want to offer 
amendments and ask unanimous consent to move on to the bill, I am sure 
there will be no objection.
  I yield the floor.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Illinois.
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I respect my friend from Arizona. He is my 
friend, and we have worked together on a bipartisan basis. I respect 
his right as a Senator and his responsibility as a Senator to speak on 
issues that he thinks are important to our Nation and his home State as 
well as to offer amendments if that is the appropriate approach he 
wants to use. However, we have wasted a day. We lost a day in the U.S. 
Senate.
  Yesterday was the day to begin the amendment process and we could 
not. Senators objected to our coming to this process and even offering 
an amendment on the continuing resolution, which is the Federal budget 
for the remainder of this year; in other words, until September 30. We 
know we are just days away from the continuing resolution expiring. We 
don't want the government to shut down; we do want to fund the 
government. We understand there must be spending cuts and there is a 
healthy difference of opinion on where those cuts should be made. The 
Senator from Arizona was on the floor yesterday and we spoke of this.
  One aspect of this bill, which I wish to address for a moment, is the 
Department of Defense appropriations. This is a new responsibility 
which I have on the Senate Appropriations Committee, and it is an 
awesome responsibility. Not only are we dealing with the security of 
the United States of America, first and foremost, we are dealing with a 
massive spending bill. This is larger than any other spending bill in 
the Federal Government.
  Last week the House of Representatives passed a continuing resolution 
which covers the Department of Defense for the remainder of this year. 
Many changes are included in there, but that was done along with the 
military construction budget and the Veterans Administration budget. 
That was all finished last week. It was all sent to us by the House 
last week ready for us to address it if we cared to.
  Well, we had that chance yesterday, and we didn't do it. Now we have 
another chance today, and we should take it. We have a lot to do in a 
limited amount of time. We have this week and the next to accomplish 
not only the passage of this Federal budget for the remainder of this 
year but also next week we will begin consideration of a budget 
resolution for spending in the next fiscal year. Those are two awesome 
responsibilities back to back and up against the Easter recess.
  Senator Harry Reid, the Democratic majority leader, has come to the 
floor expressing some frustration. He wanted to move on this continuing 
resolution this week--as early as yesterday--and give Members an 
opportunity to offer amendments. There were several Members who stepped 
forward prepared to do so, but there was a stop. There was a hold.
  I understand the Senator from Oklahoma--and I believe my friend from 
Arizona may echo his remarks--is prepared to not stand in the way of 
any of the amendments. If Members wish to offer amendments, they can do 
so, and I hope they will.
  Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, could I ask my friend a question while he 
is on that subject?
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask permission to engage in a dialogue 
with my friend from Arizona.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Mr. McCAIN. I say to my friend from Illinois that there is no further 
objection. The Senator from Oklahoma and I have reviewed the bill and 
yesterday we discussed its length and our obligations. I promise to my 
friend from Illinois that we will not rehash that discussion we had. We 
have no objection whatsoever to taking up amendments right now and 
moving forward with that. I hope that is perfectly clear to all 
Members. Very frankly, I am eager to move forward.
  I will mention to my friend from Illinois that I appreciate the new 
responsibilities he has. I appreciate the responsibilities he has 
addressing, as he just said, the largest single part of our 
appropriations bill which is in the Defense authorization. During the 
intervening time we had requested, I came up with, for example, $65 
million for Pacific coast salmon restorations for States, which 
includes Nevada. We are going to restore salmon restoration in the 
State of Nevada?
  Also listed here is the Department of Defense to overpay contracts by 
an additional 5 percent--totaling $15 million--for Native Hawaiian-
owned companies. I would be glad to include this long list for the 
Record.
  There is a request for $993,000 in grants to dig private wells for 
private property owners; $10 million for USDA high-energy cost grant 
program to go to subsidize electricity bills in Alaska and Hawaii; $5.9 
million for economic impact initiative grants. The list goes on and on.
  I say to my friend from Illinois that we were trying to examine this 
legislation--the 587 pages or whatever it is--to find this sort of 
issue. It is our obligation to do so. We have found these things, and 
we are still finding additional elements.
  I see my old friend, the distinguished majority leader, on the floor. 
We are ready to move forward with amendments. I was saying to my friend 
from Illinois that we found numerous additional provisions in this 
legislation that we think are important for debate and discussion. I 
won't go through all of them, but some of the items include $120 
million for Guam; $5 million for the National Guard STARBASE Youth 
Program; $154 million for alternative energy resource. It goes on and 
on. In the meantime we have ships that cannot deport, planes that 
cannot fly, and men and women we cannot train and equip. Yet we have 
this kind of stuff on the appropriations bills.
  I want to share with my colleagues that the Senator from Oklahoma and 
I finished examining this bill yesterday. We are prepared with 
amendments and moving forward with vigorous debate. If there was any 
misunderstanding about that, I apologize to the majority leader and my 
friend from Illinois.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The majority leader.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, as I said yesterday on the floor, I have 
nothing but the highest respect for my friend from Arizona. I know he 
looks into things very deeply, and I appreciate his peacemaking. Even 
though he is a famous man in America and the world because of his 
wartime experiences, he is also a peacemaker, and I am grateful for 
that.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the motion to proceed be 
agreed to.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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