Robert Byrd

Mr. BYRD

Mr. BYRD. I thank the Senator.

Mr. BYRD. Madam President, I know about the Klamath problem. I would be happy to discuss that. I also know that the administration wants this bill. I hope the Senator will not stand in the way of final action on it. There are many things I have wanted over the years, and the Senator has every right to stand on the floor as long as his feet will hold him and speak as long as he wants. I will be here listening when he speaks. I have a sick wife. She has been in the hospital now for 10 days--9 days, but she is on the mend. I will be here as long as the Senator wants to talk. If he wants to stay in the way of the bill, I will be here listening. But we will talk about this. I am not saying no, but I am saying that when anyone wants to stand in the way, they are going to have the administration to compete with there. The President wants this bill. And my friend Ted Stevens and I have busted a gut to get this bill to the floor and to keep it within the President's limits. If any Senator is contemplating calling up an amendment, if it is a money amendment, that Senator ought to be ready to find an offset in the bill. That Senator ought to be ready to have the administration call that amendment an emergency on this bill. Now, if the administration wants to call it an emergency or if there is an offset, I am sure the Senator probably won't have a great deal of trouble. But I want to do what the President has asked for in this instance. This money is needed now. That is a long story, but I say to the distinguished Senator from Oregon that he won't be by himself if he wants to hold up the bill.

Mr. BYRD. Yes, I will.

Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, earlier today the distinguished Senator from Alaska, Mr. Stevens, and I entered into a colloquy with several other Senators here anent the possibility of reaching an agreement on the amendments that would be considered at such time as the majority leader calls up the supplemental appropriations bill. I have asked the distinguished Senator from Arizona to yield for that purpose again. I wonder if it might be possible at this point to get an agreement, or at least to get ourselves on the way to an agreement, that would limit the number of amendments to be called up to the supplemental appropriations bill to those amendments that we have ascertained are out there via the hotline in the Cloakroom and a managers' amendment, the contents of which Senator Stevens and I are ready to reveal to any Senator who wishes to know what is in the managers' amendment. May I ask, with the permission of the Senator from Arizona--I am about to lose my voice for the second time in 83 years--the distinguished majority leader for a reaction to this request?

Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, would the distinguished Senator from Arizona yield to me so I might ask a question without his losing his right to the floor?

Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I thank the distinguished majority leader. I wonder if we can't set the hour of 3 o'clock as the time when the majority leader could propound a request in this regard.

Mr. BYRD. Madam President, I thank the Republican leader. Let me close by urging that our respective staffs--I thank both leaders for the assurances they have given of cooperation and of desire to get the bill finished. I would like to suggest that the proposal by Senator Stevens go forward, that our respective staffs get together, work out a time agreement, and any Senators who want to offer amendments under the constrictions that have been stated here, by which we are bound, let's have those Senators come forward by noon today and tell us about their amendments.

Mr. BYRD. I thank all Senators.

Mr. BYRD. Madam President, I make that request.

Mr. BYRD. Yes. The distinguished Republican leader has already indicated his strong support for such an effort. So I thank the majority leader. And I thank the distinguished Senator from Arizona for yielding.

Mr. BYRD. Madam President, I still have the floor. I don't lose it on an objection to a unanimous consent request. Let me simply say that I will just express the hope that we can know by noon. I have discussed this with our leader during the break. I certainly want to work with our distinguished whip between now and then. There hasn't been any Democratic whip in my time here that is any better, and few have been as good as Mr. Reid. I am not one of those who is any better. I am one of those who hasn't been as good a whip as Mr. Reid. So I thank him. I am sure that we will work together.

Mr. BYRD. Yes.

Mr. BYRD. Yes, I do.

Mr. BYRD. Yes, but I retain my right to the floor.

Mr. BYRD. I yield for that purpose.

Mr. BYRD. Yes.

Mr. BYRD. Madam President, I hope we have reached an understanding. I have been at this work for many years. I have learned a long time ago that when you are within reach and you have both leaders having expressed their desire for a unanimous consent request, and with the work that the Senator from Alaska and I have already done with respect to arriving at such a request, that other amendments, other Senators, and other requests can come out of the woodwork. I would like to get this nailed down by noon, or earlier, because the longer we wait, the more Senators there will be that will say, ``This is my chance.'' In closing, I hope we can go forward with this request soon. I yield the floor. Amendment No. 818

Mr. BYRD. Madam President, I want to make sure the distinguished whip understood my request. My request was not that we take up the bill by noon. My request is only that Senators who have amendments make it known by 12 noon, that we close out after they have made it known as to what amendments they want to call up, and that we close out the amendments at that point. The leader would still retain, of course, his right to call up the bill whenever he wishes. Having said that, might I make the request again?

Mr. BYRD. I yield to the Senator from Alaska.

Mr. BYRD. I thank the distinguished majority leader. I yield to my counterpart.

Mr. BYRD. I yield to the distinguished majority leader, with the understanding I not lose my rights to the floor.

Mr. BYRD. I yield to the Senator.

Mr. BYRD

Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I thank both Senators. (The remarks of Mr. Byrd are located in today's Record under ``Morning Business.'')

Mr. BYRD. Reserving the right to object.

Mr. BYRD. I wonder if I might be able to have the floor to speak.