[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Pages 13117-13118]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION

  Mr. REID. If the distinguished majority leader will allow me to offer 
a few comments, it is my understanding that the distinguished chairman 
of the committee and Senator Lautenberg worked out side-by-side votes 
on his amendment and your second-degree amendment.
  Mr. WARNER. I did not hear the Senator.
  Mr. REID. I said it is my understanding for this afternoon we could 
have a vote on the Lautenberg amendment and also the amendment you 
offered in the second degree.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Senators should put their remarks through 
the Chair.
  Mr. FRIST. I ask the chairman to comment on the schedule.
  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I talked to Senator Lautenberg this 
morning. He made that request to me. I say this with all due respect. I 
second-degreed that amendment. The second degree, of course, would be 
in order for the first vote.
  I just wonder. I am perfectly prepared to say yes, but if we begin to 
sequentially vote every second degree and underlying, we are going to 
be here for some period of time. Could some evaluation be made by the 
distinguished Senator from Nevada, after the vote on the second degree, 
as to whether in fact it merits the time of the Senate to go forward 
with the second vote?
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I think the distinguished chairman, as 
usual, makes a lot of sense. If, in fact, the second-degree amendment 
is agreed to overwhelmingly, of course it would not make a lot of sense 
to vote on that first amendment. I am sure we can work something out on 
that. I wanted the majority leader to know that we at least have one 
vote, perhaps two votes, lined up tonight at 5:30 or whenever the 
majority leader decides.
  We have a number of other issues pending. Senator Durbin has offered 
an amendment. It is my understanding Senators Hatch and Harkin wish to 
second-degree that amendment. Senator Durbin is, of course, waiting 
around to see what that second degree would do.
  Senator Dayton has an amendment. He is willing to offer that. It is a 
``Buy American.'' He would agree to a short time period, but the 
Senator from Arizona said he wanted to be here when that amendment was 
offered so Senator Dayton is somewhat hesitant. I am going to talk to 
Senator Dayton and tell him he should get his vote out of the way 
today. If Senator McCain does choose to offer a second degree, we would 
be that much further ahead.
  Senator Bingaman has a number of amendments but it appears maybe they 
can be worked out. Senator Bingaman thinks so. Senator Byrd is going to 
make a decision tonight as to whether he is going to offer his 
amendment. Senator Corzine is indisposed today and is unable to offer 
his two amendments, but they should be on short time agreements. 
Senator Kennedy has said he would be ready to offer his first thing in 
the morning.
  So we are moving along. We don't have too much left to do. But there 
are a few things that will take a little bit of time.
  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, if I could reply, first, I think the 
distinguished Senator from Nevada has been extremely helpful and is 
continuing to be that way. Let me point out that we are prepared to 
take up each and every one of those amendments that he just mentioned 
right now. In the case of Senator McCain, it could be that I could 
present on his behalf the second degree, we could engage in part of 
that debate on Dayton, and upon the arrival of Senator McCain, I am 
sure he could move right in and conclude the debate.

[[Page 13118]]


  Mr. REID. Senator Dayton is here. He would be willing to do that.
  Mr. WARNER. That is one option.
  I am not certain as to the time of the arrival of the Senator from 
Utah, Mr. Hatch. But there again I don't have the knowledge. It is a 
matter unrelated to the Defense bill. As you know, it relates to 
dietary supplements. I understand my committee chairman, Senator Gregg, 
has some views on it. I expect we could begin to engage in some debate 
on that prior to the arrival of Senator Hatch.
  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, let me interject. The Senator from Utah 
will be here early afternoon, sometime right after 2:30.
  Mr. WARNER. So we could get started on that.
  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I will allow Senators to finish. I think 
from the discussion we all just witnessed, we are working very hard 
with certain limitations with people who are here and the way they want 
to express themselves.
  From a leadership standpoint, because this is the last week before 
the recess and we have other important legislation, I want to encourage 
the managers to do exactly what they are doing, and the leadership on 
both sides of the aisle, to bring this bill to closure tomorrow night. 
If it means working very hard today and tonight and starting early 
tomorrow with votes continuing late tomorrow night, I ask them to give 
every consideration to that so we can move on to very important 
business before our recess.
  Mr. WARNER. Fine. Mr. President, if I heard the distinguished leader 
properly, the word was ``closure'' tomorrow night, not ``cloture''? I 
want to make sure of that.
  Mr. FRIST. That is correct, Mr. President. We want to proceed in good 
faith as we have been doing.
  Mr. WARNER. As we have been doing.
  Mr. FRIST. I vitiated the last cloture vote because I recognize the 
good faith both sides are working in, but we need to bring the bill to 
completion tomorrow night if it is at all humanly possible.
  Mr. WARNER. I thank my leader.
  With respect to the first issue raised by the distinguished Senator 
from Nevada about the Lautenberg measure, I did not mean in any sense 
to be negative about his approach. Frankly, it is a bipartisan issue, 
in my judgment. There will be Senators on both sides who will perhaps 
look at this amendment, which I believe is an important one in terms of 
the very critical subject before us today--that is, how this Nation 
best respects those who lose their lives in the combat operations in 
far lands today, primarily Afghanistan and Iraq. It is a serious 
amendment. There will be, I think, some support on both sides for my 
proposition and perhaps as well for the position of my distinguished 
friend from New Jersey, Senator Lautenberg.
  But I wish to raise the subject of sequential votes in the case of 
second degrees. Each one should be looked at individually rather than 
just establishing an ironclad policy that we will proceed to have 
sequential votes every time there are second-degree amendments.

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