[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 17]
[Senate]
[Page 23414]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               RECOGNITION OF THE ACTING MINORITY LEADER

  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The acting Democratic leader is 
recognized.
  Mr. REID. Before the majority leader leaves the floor, I indicated to 
the Senator last week that we should have done something else rather 
than bringing up the DC bill. I don't see the DC bill moving. I don't 
see us being able to complete it on Monday. I think we have other 
appropriations bills we could move through fairly quickly. With the 
voucher issue involving the DC bill, it makes it very difficult to slog 
through the bill. I know how we have to put a positive note on 
everything--especially you--but I think we will have a lot of trouble 
in completing the DC appropriations bill Monday or any time in the near 
future.
  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, listening very carefully, I am 
disappointed. I think we have an opportunity in this body to address a 
tragedy, and that is that there are impoverished children trapped in 
today's schools that are not serving them well. We have an opportunity 
to reach out and help those children. We have today to work on it. We 
have Monday to work on it. But if the other side of the aisle feels we 
cannot make progress on it, I will listen, but I am very disappointed 
in that.
  Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, if I may make a suggestion--Senator 
DeWine can speak for himself--this bill is so important and this 
subject is so important to so many people, I am wondering if we could 
just be flexible and move the discussion of DC in and out of other 
things, not stopping anything else that is important or would take 
precedence, but this issue really deserves full debate. As you know, 
the hours of Senate debate are not always completely and fully taken. I 
offer for consideration that we have time this morning, we will have 
time on Monday, and if the leadership wants to move to something else, 
we could temporarily set this aside and come back to it. There are many 
Members, at least on our side, who really want some time to speak about 
this issue. They are most certainly entitled to because it is a very 
important issue--not just for the District but for the Nation. I lay 
that out to my friend and colleague as a suggestion.

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