[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Page 16285]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                           ORDER OF BUSINESS

  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, obviously I had hoped we would be making a 
lot more progress this week on appropriations bills and other issues. 
That has not transpired yet. But we have been filing cloture motions, 
and we will be getting votes. In some way we will deal this week with 
the Treasury-Postal Service appropriations bill. I hope we can find a 
way to proceed on the energy and water appropriations bill. We will get 
to a vote at some point on the intelligence authorization bill. So, 
hopefully, we can still go forward.
  I do not feel as if we are proceeding appropriately, but in spite of 
that, I think it generally was interpreted or understood that I would 
try to begin the discussion on the China PNTR bill. Even though it will 
be difficult to get through the maze of clotures we have had to file 
this week, I still think it is the appropriate thing to do to begin 
this process because we do not know exactly how long it will take to 
get to a final vote on the China trade issue.
  I am still going to do my best to find a way to have the Thompson-
Torricelli legislation considered in some manner before we get to the 
substance of the China trade bill because I think Chinese nuclear 
weapons proliferation is a very serious matter. We should discuss that 
and have a vote on it. I think it would be preferable to do it aside 
from the trade bill itself.
  In the end, if we can't get any other way to get at it, these two 
Senators may exercise their right to offer it to the China PNTR bill. 
But I am going to continue to try to find a way for that to be offered 
in another forum. I think Senator Daschle indicated he would work with 
us to try to see if we could find a way to do that. But I do think if 
we can go ahead and get started--and since there will be resistance to 
the motion to proceed--then we will file cloture and have a vote on it 
then on Friday.




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