Robert Byrd

Mr. BYRD

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

Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I send a technical amendment to the desk.

Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I join the distinguished Democratic whip in recalling Slade Gorton. Slade Gorton was an outstanding chairman of this subcommittee. On many occasions, I lauded Slade Gorton's chairmanship. He was eminently fair, preeminently knowledgeable of the bill. In conferences, he knew everything that a Senator ought to know about the projects and the items at issue between the two Houses. I have never seen a subcommittee chairman who was better than Slade Gorton when he was chairman of this subcommittee. He was also very kind and good to me. I am glad the distinguished majority whip has had the thoughtfulness to mention Slade Gorton today. Along this line, let me say that on yesterday, and the day before, we worked hard to complete the supplemental appropriations bill. Senator Stevens is the former chairman of the Appropriations Committee in the Senate, about whom I have no hesitancy in saying, he was the best chairman of the Appropriations Committee that I have seen in my 43 years in the Senate, including Robert Byrd. I have no hesitancy, not a bit, in lauding a Republican. I have no hesitancy in saying, ``He is a better man than I am, Gunga Din.'' I have seen some great chairmen of this committee, the Appropriations Committee. Senator Russell, to me, was the finest Senator, the best Senator with whom I have ever served in my 43 years in the Senate. He was chairman of the Appropriations Committee at one time. There have been other great Senators, such as Senator Stennis of Mississippi. He was always courteous, always the gentleman. Then there was Senator Mark Hatfield. But times have changed and chairmen have to change in accordance with the times and the circumstances. So in our time, in our day, Ted Stevens is the best. I don't mind thinking I might have been second. But I won't dare say that. It is a bit like Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus Major, who defeated Hannibal in the Battle of Zama in 202 B.C. He met Hannibal at Ephesus, and they walked together upon one occasion and he asked Hannibal, ``Who was the greatest general?'' Hannibal thought for a moment, and then he said, ``Pyrrhus the Greek from Epirus was the greatest. The second was Alexander. The third was I, Hannibal.'' Whereupon, Scipio Africanus Major asked, ``Where would you have placed yourself if I had not defeated you at Zama?'' Hannibal thought for a moment, and then said, ``I would have been first.'' I did have the good fortune to chair this committee for 6 years. But Ted Stevens I salute. He is a Republican, yes, but a great one, a fine gentleman, a gentleman always, somebody who keeps his word. And he doesn't put politics at the apex of all things that matter. Well, with his assistance and his leadership, on yesterday we passed the supplemental appropriations bill. The President requested $6.5 billion and that bill did not exceed that request one thin dime. The Senators' amendments were offset. The amendments that Senators offered and were considered, if they were adopted, if they had to do with money, were offset. Senators had offsets--meaningful offsets, not ``waste, fraud and abuse.'' There is no doubt but that there is some waste, fraud, and abuse in the budget in every department, I would say, in this Government. But we don't offset with false offsets. We had everything appropriately offset. There wasn't a single amendment designated as an ``emergency'' in this Senate. The President had complained about the use of ``emergencies.'' Mr. Stevens and I believe there is a time and place for emergencies, yes, but there is no question but that the designation of ``emergency'' has been overdone in both Houses. And in the supplemental appropriations bill that passed the House, there are $473 million in emergencies. Not $1 in the bill that passed the Senate was designated as an emergency. Where is the President going to stand on this when the bill goes to conference? I hope he will let us know. What is his position going to be with regard to the emergencies that were in the Republican- controlled House bill? The first question that was ever asked in the history of the human race was, when God entered the Garden of Eden in the shadow of the evening, in the cool of the day, and he started looking for Adam. Adam had hidden himself, and God said: ``Adam, where art thou?'' That was the first question ever asked in the history of mankind. ``Adam, where art thou?'' So, if I might, in my small way as a direct descendent of Adam, let me ask the question of the President: Mr. President, where art thou in regard to the $473 million in emergencies that are contained in the House-passed bill? Let us know, Mr. President, where art thou? If I get a chance to ask the President, I am going to say: Mr. President, where art thou with respect to the $473 million that was added as emergencies in the House bill? Where art thou? Let us know. We would like to know. In any event, that is the kind of bill we passed in this Senate. No emergencies, not one Indianhead copper penny above the President's request, not one! Mr. Stevens and I had cooperation of the Senators on both sides of the aisle. I could not resist the opportunity to say that without Ted Stevens and his help, his assistance, his leadership on that bill, the cooperation of Senators and staff on both sides, the help of our distinguished Democratic whip, and our leaders, we could not have accomplished that. So I take this opportunity to compliment our colleagues. Amendment No. 877

Mr. BYRD. Yes.

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

Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I am very honored to join with my colleague, the distinguished Senator from Montana, Mr. Burns, in bringing before the Senate H.R. 2217, the Interior and related agencies bill for fiscal year 2002, as amended, by the Senate Appropriations Committee. This is the first of the 13 annual appropriations measures to be considered by the Senate this year. In my opinion, this is a well- crafted bill. It balances both the needs of the American people and the resources available to the committee. We only have so much money available and ``we ain't going to spend what we ain't got.'' That being the situation then, I urge my colleagues to adopt this bill in a timely fashion so we can proceed to conference with the House of Representatives. We have gotten a late start this year and we have to work hard and long to catch up. Darkness may have fallen, from time to time, before we catch up on these appropriations bills. H.R. 2217 provides more than $1.2 billion in much-needed funding to attack the deferred maintenance problems at our national parks, our national wildlife refuges, our national forests, and other federal recreational facilities across this nation. The bill would provide $480 million to the National Park Service, $108 million to the Fish and Wildlife Service, $78 million to the Bureau of Land Management, and $541 million to the Forest Service for literally hundreds, hundreds and hundreds of important maintenance projects. In addition, the bill restores $35 million in abandoned mine clean-up funds that were unwisely proposed to be cut by the administration. We are not going down that road, Mr. President. It restores nearly $80 million in proposed cuts to the budget of the U.S. Geological Survey, a matter of great importance to many of our colleagues. The bill fully funds the construction needs of the next six schools on the priority list of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, while increasing funding for the Indian Health Service. It increases funding for important energy research programs overseen by Department of Energy, another issue of particular importance to those from the West. Finally, this bill provides nearly $895 million in funding for various cultural agencies: agencies such as the Smithsonian Institution, the National Gallery of Art, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Office of Museum Services. I am proud of the fact that the committee has kept its previous commitment and has fully funded the Conservation Spending Category established in title VIII of last year's Interior appropriations bill. Included in that amount is $406 million for federal land acquisition; $221 million for State and other conservation programs such as endangered species programs and wetland conservation programs; $137 million for historic preservation programs; an additional $50 million for the Payment-In-Lieu-of-Taxes program; and $180 million for Federal infrastructure improvements. This is a well-balanced bill, given the demands placed on the committee as a result of 1,799 Member requests versus the resources available to it. Despite that, I know there are Members who are passionate about some of the programs funded in this bill, and they would like to increase funding in one area or another. I appreciate that. I respect the right of every Member to come to the floor and offer such an amendment. But let me unfurl the warning flag. As reported by the Appropriations Committee, this bill is fully consistent with the 302(b) allocation provided to the Interior Subcommittee. In short, in plain, simple, mountain language, that means there is no extra money on the table waiting to be spent--none, no extra money waiting on the table, waiting to be spent. Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears: There is no extra money on the table. Any amendment proposing to increase spending in one area of the bill will have to be offset with a cut in some other area. Any Senator who wishes to add money may have to think whether or not he wants to take that money away from Conrad Burns or the minority leader or the majority leader or the humble slave, Robert C. Byrd. With respect to offsets, let me add that Senator Burns and I, as managers of this bill, will generally oppose amendments which propose to cut the so-called travel and administrative expenses accounts. The agencies funded in this bill have done a good job generally in trimming these expenses to the bone, and unless Members are willing to offer real, honest to goodness programmatic cuts as a way to pay for their amendments, we will oppose all bogus offsets. I urge my colleagues to come to the floor. I have heard it said that some Senators think we are working too hard in the Senate. Let the record show that a great stillness fell over the Chamber upon my saying that. I have heard rumors that some Senators are concerned that we are working too late, too long, too hard. It is mortifying to hear such rumors. I can remember when for Easter Sunday we were out on Friday and came back here on Monday. We didn't used to have so-called ``breaks.'' We were also in session Mondays through Fridays, and sometimes we were in on Saturdays. God made the universe--all of creation, the beasts of the fields, the fowl of the air, fruits and herb yielding seed--and he made man, not in 3 days. He didn't have a 3-day work week. We have gotten used to 3-day workweeks here; come in late on Tuesday, vote late on Tuesday, vote on Wednesday, vote Thursday, and be out Friday, out Saturday, and out Sunday. God said keep the Sabbath day holy. But that is not why the Senate lets out on Sunday. Let us not be stunned if we are asked to work a little later or a little longer. I would be happy to start voting on Monday and vote late on Friday. I would just as soon be here as to be at home on Saturday mopping the floor. Let some of these Senators learn how to mop the floor for their wives. Then they, too, will probably be married 64 years, as I have been. Mop the floor, keep the wrists and the fingers strong. There is no arthritis in my fingers. They tremble, but the bones are strong. The wrists are strong, You would be surprised how many men I can wrestle to their knees with these strong wrists. These strong wrists come from mopping the floors. Yes. I mop the bathroom. I mop the kitchen floor. I mop the utility room. I vacuum. I dust. It is good for me. It keeps me humble. I even clean the commodes around my house. Things have changed in this country. It used to be that we ate on the inside of the house and went outside to the toilet. But anymore we eat on the outside of the House and go inside to the toilet. A Senator? Surely, a Senator wouldn't be concerned about working a little longer or a little later. We have become spoiled. It is all right for Senator Reid and me to become spoiled on Fathers' Day. But to say that we don't want to vote on Mondays, and we don't want to vote on Tuesdays until after the conference--we didn't even have weekly conferences here when I was majority whip. We Democrats didn't have conferences every Tuesday. We didn't need them. But when I ran for the office of United States Senator for the eighth consecutive 6-year term, I didn't say just sign me up for 3 days a week. I didn't tell the majority leader when I was sworn in here, don't count on me on any Fridays or Saturdays. I didn't say that. I hope this is mere rumor that I hear that certain Senators have been complaining that they have been working too long, too late, too many days a week. I hope the majority leader will keep us in late tonight. I hope he will keep us in late tomorrow night, if we don't finish this bill. I hope he will say we will be in Friday, and with votes, if we don't finish this bill today. And if we aren't finished by Saturday, I hope the leader will say: Let's go at it, boys. We will be in Saturday. But if there is a Senator who is complaining about working too hard, Mr. Majority Whip, tell them where my office is. While we are on this bill, I am for working. I want to get this bill finished. We have 12 more appropriations bills behind this bill. I urge my colleagues to come to the floor today to offer any amendment they may have and to allow us to conclude debate on this measure no later than tomorrow so I can be with Lady Byrd and my little dog, Billy Byrd. The bill and report have been available for more than a week, and Senator Burns and I are here ready and willing to work with our colleagues. Mr. President, I thank, at this time, my colleague, Mr. Burns, for his steady hand and for the leadership he has demonstrated in the markup, in the hearings on the bill, and for his splendid cooperation, for his always charitable attitude toward other Senators, and for his fairness. I yield the floor.

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

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

Mr. BYRD

Mr. BYRD. A vote on the motion to table would occur at 4:10 p.m. today.

Mr. BYRD. I ask unanimous consent the committee amendment be agreed to, that the bill as thus amended be considered original text for the purpose of further amendment, and that no points of order be waived by this request.

Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I thank the distinguished Senator from Florida.

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

Mr. BYRD. Madam President, I send to the desk an amendment.

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

Mr. BYRD. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the pending amendment be temporarily laid aside.

Mr. BYRD. Reserving the right to object, what is the request?

Mr. BYRD. What was the request, ``and then 4:15''?

Mr. BYRD. I remove my reservation.

Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I may proceed for not to exceed 3 minutes.

Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, the order was that amendments should be filed by 4 p.m. today. I have in my hand a list of the amendments that were filed by 4 o'clock and the authors thereof. I shall state them at this point: An amendment by Mr. Crapo; Mr. Durbin--that is the pending amendment--Mr. Byrd; Mr. Kyl, three amendments; Mr. Kerry; Mr. Murkowski; Mr. Sessions; Ms. Collins; Mr. Harkin; Mr. Enzi; Mr. Breaux; Mr. Corzine; Mr. Stevens; Mr. Nelson of Florida; Mr. Nelson of Florida; Mr. Kerry; Mr. Nickles; Mr. Enzi; Mr. Sessions; Mr. Smith of Oregon; Mr. Allard; Mr. Durbin; Mrs. Feinstein; Mrs. Feinstein; Mr. McCain; Mrs. Boxer; Ms. Cantwell; Ms. Landrieu has six amendments; Mr. Bingaman, four amendments; Mr. Levin; and Mr. Craig. The amendments are numbered from 878 to 918 inclusive. I yield the floor.

Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, reserving the right to object.

Mr. BYRD. I do not object. Would the distinguished majority leader make that verbiage ``not to exceed 3 hours''?

Mr. BYRD. Will the distinguished Senator yield for a unanimous consent request without losing his right to the floor?

Mr. BYRD

Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, there being no Senators seeking recognition and having discussed the following request with the distinguished majority whip and the distinguished manager on the other side of the aisle, it appears it might be best if the Senate stood in recess until 12:15 p.m., during which time some work may be done hopefully that will speed up the entire process to some extent. I, therefore, ask unanimous consent that the Senate stand in recess until the hour of 12:15 p.m. today.

Mr. BYRD

Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Scott Dalzell, a detailee with the majority staff, and Mark Davis, a detailee with the minority staff, be afforded privileges of the floor during the pendency of H.R. 2217.