Robert Byrd

Mr. BYRD

Mr. BYRD. Madam President, I yield to my colleague to offer an amendment, after which I will, hopefully, get the floor to offer another amendment.

Mr. BYRD. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Amendment No. 4495

Mr. BYRD. Madam President, I have an amendment which I offer on behalf of Senator Leahy. I send it to the desk. These amendments are short, so I would like for the clerk to read them.

Mr. BYRD. Madam President, this amendment, which is proposed by Mr. Leahy, would allow the Smithsonian Institution to use a single procurement contract for multiyear repair and renovation work at the Patent Office Building. This amendment will result in the saving of time and the saving of money and has, therefore, been agreed to by the managers.

Mr. BYRD. Madam President, I move to reconsider the vote by which the amendment was agreed to.

Mr. BYRD. Madam President, on these remaining amendments, when they are offered, I ask unanimous consent that the pending amendment be set aside until our series of amendments have been taken care of.

Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, this amendment I have offered on behalf of Senators Graham and Nelson of Florida will expedite the important environmental restoration work currently underway in and around the Everglades National Park. The amendment has been agreed to by both sides. I urge its adoption.

Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote by which the amendment was agreed to.

Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, the remaining amendments will be offered by my colleague, Mr. Burns. Amendment No. 4498

Mr. BYRD. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Amendment No. 4499

Mr. BYRD. Madam President, I apologize to the distinguished Senator from Minnesota, Mr. Wellstone, for my having objected to his calling off an earlier quorum. My reason for doing that was so that we, the two managers, could get certain amendments in order that were agreed to, with respect to the amendments, on both sides. We would like to go forward with these at this point, after which I certainly hope the distinguished Senator from Minnesota will then proceed. I thank him for his characteristic courtesy. Madam President, I shall offer three or four amendments for Members on my side of the aisle. My colleague, Mr. Burns, will offer amendments for Members on his side of the aisle. These amendments have been agreed to on both sides. Amendment No. 4493

Mr. BYRD

Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I thank the distinguished Senator from Alaska for his comments. There will come a time when the Senate should debate this question. I compliment the distinguished Senator from Alaska on his concerns with respect to Saddam Hussein. I believe he said we have every reason to believe Saddam Hussein has developed a nuclear capability. I hope I am not misquoting the Senator. In the days ahead, we will want to know what the evidence is. I do not intend to get into any long debate at this point about the matter because we have a bill before us with a pending amendment. We need to get on with that, but no Senator is seeking recognition at this point. Perhaps Saddam Hussein has developed such a nuclear capability. When the able Senator says we have every reason to believe he has, that is not quite the point. Where is the evidence? Of course, it is to be expected that some people in this country will assign unpatriotic reasons for the asking of questions by Senators. We have a right to ask questions, we have a duty to ask questions, because we are living in a very perilous time. The war drums are beating all around us. I want to listen to what is said. I want to listen to what the President has to say. I want to listen to what he is going to say at the United Nations. I hope the United Nations will respond. I am not saying we in the Congress have to have authorization by the United Nations. Authorization is contained right here in this little book I hold in my hand, the Constitution of the United States. This Congress has the power to declare war. I, for one, am not going to hang my vote on an authorization by the U.N. for us in this Congress to do thus and so. We should know what the United Nations has to say. I think the United Nations should take a position. If the straits are as dire as we hear, then the United Nations ought to be concerned. And the United Nations ought to give the world the benefit of its opinion. I am glad the President is going to the United Nations. I am breaking our own rules here. I ask unanimous consent, although the Pastore rule may not have run its course, I may speak on a different subject.

Mr. BYRD. The United Nations, I think, has a duty to let the world know where it stands and what its opinion is. If this country is going to eventually go into a difficult situation, as may confront us, if war is declared by this legislative branch, or if war is approved, authorized, by this legislative branch, then we in the United States should not have to go it alone. But when we say we have every right to believe that Saddam Hussein has developed nuclear capability, well, we have every right in our minds to think perhaps he has, and we can easily convince ourselves, but is that enough? Where is the evidence? I, for one, intend to ask questions as we go along. It is not unpatriotic to ask questions. I intend to ask questions. I have a right to ask questions. Where is the evidence? We might think about that as we go along.

Mr. BYRD

Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I hope Senators will come to the floor if they have anything to say by way of debate on the pending amendment, if they have an amendment to the amendment. I hope Senators will come to the floor and exercise their right to offer amendments, or to speak. But we do not have the time to waste by just waiting and letting the clock run. This afternoon, the Senate will be debating the homeland security legislation. Take a look at the situation we are in. October 1, a new fiscal year, is rapidly approaching. It is staring us in the face. Not one appropriations bill has been sent to the President for his signature. Where is the other House, where is the other body, on this matter? I don't seek to point the finger, but the facts are the facts. The Appropriations Committee of the Senate, which I chair, and the distinguished former chairman, just preceding me, Senator Stevens, he and I and others on the committee, Republicans and Democrats, have reported out 13 appropriations bills. We did that before the recess. We in the committee have done our work. Where is the House? Why doesn't the House report? I have to be careful about criticizing the other body. I don't criticize. I simply ask the question, Where is the House in this matter? The House has acted on the House floor on, I believe, six bills; I believe I am correct. The Senate on the floor has acted on, in the past, three appropriations bills. One is now pending. But all the appropriations bills have been reported by our Appropriations Committee in this Senate. We did that before the recess. We need other bills from the House. The Constitution does not say appropriations bills have to start in the House. It says the revenue bills must, the revenue-raising bills, but not appropriations. However, by custom, the House over the years has generally initiated the appropriations bills. I don't have any quarrel with that. So where are the other bills? Our time is fast running. The new fiscal year begins on October 1. Here we are, the Nation is confronted with some great questions. The question of homeland security, that is homeland defense. That is the defense of our country, our families, our children, right here in this country. We have legislation before the Senate that deals with homeland security. We need to get on with it or we need to take our time. And here again we need to ask questions--that is what I have been doing--on homeland security. But where are we? Here we are with three Senators on the floor. Now, Senators are busy. There are committee meetings going on, I know, right now. However, I urge Senators to come to the floor and get this bill going and try to pass it. Tomorrow, a good many Senators are going to New York City. I am not, but a good many Senators are going to New York City. I don't believe I need to go to show my concern for what has happened. I have reacted as chairman of the Appropriations Committee, I and Senator Stevens, Republicans and Democrats on that committee have reacted, have responded to the needs of New York City. We have done the best we could. We have appropriated $20 billion. So we have responded. I feel sorrow and the need for comfort as much as anyone, but I make the point here that I am not going. I think we ought to be right here doing our work. We have plenty of it to do and not much time. Look at the calendar, and you will see how squeezed we are to get our remaining work done. We have homeland security. We have nine more appropriations bills to pass in this body after this bill that is before the Senate is acted on. Then we have to go to conference. And here we are, the calendar is running. I have taken a good bit of time on this point to say this. I don't want anyone to misunderstand my remarks. I have my own viewpoint. As Popeye used to say: I am what I am, and that's all I am. So I have my viewpoint. But it is not my will that should be done. We have work to do, and we ought to be here doing it. We ought to be here right now moving on with it. The distinguished ranking member is here at his post. He and I have offered amendments on behalf of the Members on both sides. Where are the other Members who have amendments? Where are they? The first question that was ever asked in the history of mankind was the question: Where art thou? And God, walking through the Garden of Eden, in the cool of the day, said: Adam, Adam, where art thou? That was the first question that was ever asked in the history of mankind: Where art thou? If I might just pick up on those words--that is all that I, this humble piece of mortal clay can do, is ask: Where art thou? Where are the Senators? Where are we? Let me say again with apologies to Senators, I know they are very busy. But those who have amendments ought to come. This floor is open and will be. I will take my chair at any time somebody comes in the door. So: Where art thou? Senators, hear me, come to the floor, offer your amendments; let's have votes and move on. Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. BYRD

Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, the leadership has been invited to the White House this morning, and therefore this matter will be somewhat delayed until their return. My distinguished ranking member, Mr. Burns, is with me, and we are going to proceed with statements on the bill, after which I have two or three technical amendments which make corrections, and with the approval of my ranking member on the other side of the aisle, I shall propose those, and perhaps the Senate can move them, accept them, and get them out of the way. The first amendment I intend to offer will not be offered until the majority leader and the majority whip return. I am pleased to be joined by my distinguished colleague, the ranking member of the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, as we bring before the Senate the Interior appropriations bill for fiscal year 2003. I am very proud of our work on this legislation. Although this bill is not, in terms of total dollars appropriated, the largest of the 13 annual appropriations bills, it is an exceedingly important bill. It is in this legislation that we support and protect the crown jewels of this Nation, our national parks. The four land management agencies funded through this bill, the National Parks Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Forest Service, and the Bureau of Land Management, are responsible for overseeing 628 million acres of land or about one-fourth of the total area of the United States. The Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Indian Health Service provide educational opportunities and critical health care to more than 1.4 million American Indians. The Department of Energy is charged with developing cutting-edge technology in the areas of fossil energy and energy conservation, and the Smithsonian Institution, along with the arts and humanities endowments, protects and promotes some of our Nation's most enduring cultural resources. Because the bill and the report have been available for review since June 28, I will not go through each and every account line by line. I will, however, reiterate some of the highlights of the legislation. As it now stands, the bill provides the full $2 billion requested by the President for fiscal year 2003 firefighting activities. It provides the full $1.4 billion allowed for under the conservation spending category. It provides a $35 million increase for basic operations at our 385 national parks, including $6.1 million for enhanced security, and a total of $702 million to attack the maintenance backlog at those parks. Our parks and wilderness areas reflect the pristine beauty, the unmatched beauty of this country. They are important to our sense of national pride, and they showcase this Nation to approximately 33 million foreign visitors every year. The bill also provides the Fish and Wildlife Service with $460 million for refuges and wildlife. It provides $641 million for fossil energy research and development, including $150 million for the Clean Coal Technology Program, and $922 million for energy conservation programs, including $286 million for the weatherization and State energy programs. This bill, which has been crafted by my colleague, Mr. Burns, and the Republican and Democratic members of the subcommittee, also promotes culture and history by providing $538 million for the important work of the Smithsonian Institution, and $246 million for the arts and humanities endowments. The funding levels contained in this bill are fully consistent with the subcommittee's allocation as agreed to unanimously by the Appropriations Committee on June 27, and as published in the Congressional Record on June 28. We have used scarce resources. I emphasize, resources are scarce, and we have used scarce resources to fund all of the important missions of the Department of Interior. But our fiscal situation and the times in which we live demand discretion and frugality. Consequently, Senator Burns and I, as managers of this bill, stand ready to oppose amendments that would increase the fiscal year 2003 spending beyond the current level in the bill. We will also discourage amendments using offsets which rely on across-the-board cuts, undefined reductions in administrative or travel expenses, or any other amorphous proposal that relies on savings that may not be real. Finally, Mr. President, before yielding the floor, I acknowledge the efforts of several people. First, I publicly thank the subcommittee's distinguished ranking member for his help in drafting this legislation. As a westerner, Senator Conrad Burns brings a wealth of experience and knowledge and an important perspective to the diverse and difficult issues that always seem to come up in the Interior appropriations bill. I applaud the dedication to duty that he exudes, and I applaud his willingness to work in a bipartisan fashion. It is a pleasure to work and to serve with Senator Conrad Burns on this subcommittee. I wish to thank Senator Ted Stevens, the ranking member of the full committee. Senator Stevens has provided invaluable advice and counsel with respect to the Interior bill. His efforts are one of the reasons this bill was unanimously reported out of the Appropriations Committee. Ted Stevens has a marvelous ability, based on a great wealth of experience, to craft workable solutions to tough problems, and I rely heavily on his sage advice and his unique and thorough, meticulous grasp of detail. Let me thank our subcommittee staff. These are the men and women who work for Senator Burns and for me on this important Interior bill. They are a highly dedicated group of individuals who spend a tremendous amount of time, who ensure that all members of the subcommittee have the information we need to accomplish our work. Senator Burns and I appreciate their efforts. I especially want to thank Peter Kiefhaber, my clerk on the Interior bill, for his conscientious approach to funding this bill and to his never-failing pleasant demeanor, for his characteristic cooperation and courtesy always, not just to me but to all other Senators as well. I also thank the staff person on the other side, the ranking member of this committee's staff. Bruce Evans never fails to add to the near perfection, as near as we can make it, of the bill that we present to our colleagues for their study and counsel and decision. So as chairman of the subcommittee, I thank him, as well as I thank my own clerk. We have to work together. We have to get along together, and we do that. We do these things together on this subcommittee. I urge now my colleagues to adopt this measure in a timely manner so that we can proceed to conference with the House. We need to get this work done. Senator Burns and I stand ready, as we also stand ready with Senator Stevens, to go forward with this bill. We will be glad to discuss amendments as we proceed. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when Mr. Burns has completed his statement, if he has one, and gets recognition, as I assume he will, that I be recognized to offer some technical amendments.

Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. BYRD

Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Brenda Toineeta, an Interior Department employee on detail to the majority staff, be granted the privilege of the floor during consideration of H.R. 5093, the Interior appropriations bill.

Mr. BYRD

Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, with the approval of my colleague, Senator Conrad Burns, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate stand in recess awaiting the return of the majority leader and/or the minority leader-- the return of those two leaders--and/or the whips on both sides.

Mr. BYRD

Mr. BYRD. I thank the distinguished majority leader.

Mr. BYRD. Madam President, as I understand it, the author of the amendment needs no consent to modify his amendment at this point, no action having been taken on his amendment.

Mr. BYRD. Madam President, may I ask the distinguished majority leader: The leader and the assistant leader and the distinguished ranking member of the subcommittee, Mr. Burns, Mr. Baucus, and I earlier had a discussion to the extent that the offeror, the author of the amendment, Mr. Daschle, would modify the amendment to make it read that the funds would be available in fiscal year 2002 and that the amount would be charged to the Committee on Agriculture, the authorizing committee. Are these provisions included in the amendment?

Mr. BYRD. Madam President, would the distinguished majority leader add my name to the list of Senators who are cosponsors of this measure?

Mr. BYRD. Yes. Absolutely. I make that unanimous consent request, Madam President.

Mr. BYRD. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that further reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mr. BYRD. Madam President, I am about to send to the desk an amendment. Before doing so, let me just briefly tell Senators what this amendment is about. This amendment is being offered by myself, Senator Burns, Senator Stevens, and other Senators. It addresses the critical firefighting needs of the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. As many of our colleagues know, 2002 is turning out to be one of the most devastating fire seasons on record. Therefore, our amendment provides $825 million in emergency funding to reimburse the various accounts from which these agencies are currently borrowing. Of the amount provided, $636 million is allocated to the Forest Service and $189 million is allocated to the Department of the Interior. These are the exact amounts requested by the President just last week. If anyone may think that this money is not needed, let me briefly state for the record, over the past 10 years the average number of acres burned by fire between January 1 and September 3 has been 3.2 million acres. This year--this year--however, the comparable number of acres burned is 6.3 million, almost twice the 10-year average. This problem is much more than just numbers of acres burned. The devastation and destruction resulting from these fires is almost too much to comprehend. More than $1 billion will be spent on fighting fires, nearly 2,300 structures have been destroyed, and 20 brave firefighters have lost their lives. Clearly, this situation amounts to a domestic emergency of historic proportions. I send to the desk, Madam President, an amendment, the amendment to which I have already referred, for the clerk's reading, after which the amendment will be open to amendment.