Robert Byrd

Mr. BYRD

Mr. BYRD. I thank the Chair. Further parliamentary inquiry: Is it not a fact that if cloture is invoked on H.R. 5005, under the rule, 30 hours then will ensue under that cloture measure? If cloture is invoked, there will be 30 hours on H.R. 5005, am I correct?

Mr. BYRD. I thank the Chair. In this instance, if the Thompson substitute, the House bill No. 4901, if that substitute is adopted and cloture then is invoked on H.R. 5005, will amendments be in order during those 30 hours?

Mr. BYRD. I thought that was the case. The adoption of the Thompson substitute means as far as further amendments are concerned, the ball game is over; am I correct in putting it in that form?

Mr. BYRD

Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, will the Senator yield? I ask that 2 minutes of my inquiry not be charged against his 10.

Mr. BYRD

Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, will the distinguished Senator yield?

Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that my name may be added as a cosponsor of the pending Daschle-Lieberman amendment.

Mr. BYRD

Mr. BYRD. Will the Chair repeat the response?

Mr. BYRD. Would the Chair repeat--

Mr. BYRD. What bill is the Senator referencing?

Mr. BYRD

Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, will the Senator yield?

Mr. BYRD. I hope he has 3 additional minutes.

Mr. BYRD. Just one quick observation. I hope the Senator will delete from his remarks which will appear in the Record any reference to the Holy Bible in the context that he was speaking. I do not think that has any place in this argument. I say that lovingly and fondly.

Mr. BYRD

Mr. BYRD. Exactly. And I am very much alarmed by it. I spent 3 hours yesterday talking about some of these provisions. And, of course, there is a provision in here to reward the pharmaceutical companies. That is pork for pharmaceutical companies. That just came to light. That did not go through any committee. That had no hearings, no testimony of witnesses--just slipped into the bill in the wee hours of the morning of Wednesday. It is alarming. Here we are about to pass this massive bill without our knowing its contents. It has never seen a day or an hour of hearings in any committee, and it is just put together by somebody in the shades of darkness. And then, here it is, dropped on our desks yesterday morning. We are supposed to pass this. It provides for a massive shift of power to the executive branch, a massive shift, and Congress will be left out of the loop. I think we ought to at least have a few more days to study this bill, have our staffs able to study it, and advise us as to what is in it. That is all I am asking. I do not doubt cloture will be invoked at some point, but it should not be invoked today. We ought to at least have until sometime next week to further study this before cloture clamps its beartrap on us.

Mr. BYRD. I will be glad to, if I may do so.

Mr. BYRD. Yes, exactly, one of which happens to appear to target a facility for a district represented by a Member of the House from Texas. We do not know what that facility is, but it has been slipped into this measure.

Mr. BYRD. Yes.

Mr. BYRD. I yield to the distinguished Senator from Maryland.

Mr. BYRD. I think that is where I got a glimmer of it, somewhere in a newspaper story.

Mr. BYRD. Is the Senator talking about a conference report when he says it is a nondebatable motion? Is he talking about a conference report?

Mr. BYRD. Is that a conference report?

Mr. BYRD. Will the Senator yield?

Mr. BYRD. I hope we are not going to work on Sunday. That is a religious holiday for this Senator. We do observe religious holidays around here. Furthermore, I think the distinguished Democratic whip's mention of reason and logic and common sense should be applied to the homeland security legislation as well. I hope all Senators within the sound of my voice here in this Chamber and listening on the TV--

Mr. BYRD. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to proceed for 1 minute.

Mr. BYRD. I hope that all Senators within the sound of my voice will vote no on cloture today. Here is a 484-page bill that we have not seen until the wee hours of the morning on Wednesday, the day before yesterday. And the Senators are being asked to invoke cloture on this measure when we do not know everything about it. What is in it? We are entitled to have some time to study this bill. We owe it to our constituents.

Mr. BYRD. Yes, I yield, if I may have an additional 2 minutes.