John Chafee

Mr. CHAFEE

Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, I ask that the votes that we originally asked [[Page S 13594]] for to occur starting at 8 be postponed until 8:30.

Mr. CHAFEE. I remind the Senator that she is on my time.

Mr. CHAFEE. Yes, obviously, on my time. I have a couple of questions. This is an interesting amendment and rather a broad one, as I understand it. I think the Senator from Pennsylvania has some comments that will delve into matters that otherwise I might have covered. I have two questions. One, does the Senator from Maryland know what this would cost? The second question is, Does she have some way of paying for it?

Mr. CHAFEE. I would ask the Chair----

Mr. CHAFEE. I have a question of the Senator from Florida. Is there any cost estimate on this?

Mr. CHAFEE. On both sides?

Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, is there a time agreement on this amendment?

Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, this is the last vote in this category. We have others coming after this. But the others have not yet been debated or rollcalls ordered. This is the last one in this group. Amendment No. 2513

Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.

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

Mr. CHAFEE. Correct. I ask unanimous consent that the yeas and nays be vitiated on the DeWine amendment.

Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, just to intervene here, we are prepared to accept the following amendment after the Feinstein amendment, which is the DeWine amendment. I know the Senator from Mississippi had some reservations, and there are some changes that we would make in that DeWine amendment before the conference. The other side is prepared to accept it, and we are prepared to accept the DeWine amendment.

Mr. CHAFEE. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Mr. CHAFEE. And that after the first rollcall vote, the votes be 10 minutes.

Mr. CHAFEE. I ask that the votes we are going to have be set aside for 10 minutes so the Senator from New Jersey can be heard.

Mr. CHAFEE. All Senator Lieberman can do is to lose now. Everybody is for the amendment. I yield 2 minutes to the Senator from Connecticut.

Mr. CHAFEE. Could I say it is a tremendous amendment. Everybody is for it. I do not see why we do not accept it and get it over with. I wonder if the Senator might do this. We have other amendments. If he could check with his cosponsors and see if they drop their objections as we are dealing with the other amendments, then we can at least pick up some time.

Mr. CHAFEE. Titles mean nothing.

Mr. CHAFEE. That is right.

Mr. CHAFEE. I do not know what the amendment is. Maybe somebody on this side will oppose it.

Mr. CHAFEE. I ask that we have 20 minutes equally divided.

Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, therefore, at that batting order, we will have the Shelby, Mikulski, and Feinstein amendments. And I know the Senator from California has another amendment, followed by Senator Conrad. But I want to work in a Republican. Senator DeWine was available. I do not see him now. So why do we not go with the second Feinstein amendment, and then work in a Republican Senator, Senator DeWine, and then Senator Conrad, if that is agreeable? I say to everybody that it is not necessary to prove one's credentials by having an amendment. Everybody is a full-fledged Senator, and we recognize that. We will continue to recognize that even though they do not come forward with an amendment on this piece of legislation. At the rate we are going, we are going to be here a long, long time. I mean this evening a long time. Every time I turn around somebody comes up with an additional amendment. Usually Senators stand here and say, ``Bring over your amendments. We are waiting to do business.'' Well, we have too much business to do here. So we are not seeking additional amendments. So everybody just call a halt to the amendment business so we can get to final passage. I see the Senator from Ohio has arrived. So if the Senator from California will just delay, we will go ahead with Senator DeWine's amendment. Mr. President, how much time is he asking for?

Mr. CHAFEE. I know the Senator is being facetious. I do not want to take her up on it too much. But a billion dollars is really what it is. She was being facetious when she used the words ``a couple of bucks,'' but I am not going to dwell on that. But we have a real problem here, Mr. President. Everybody is coming forward with amendments--wonderful amendments and good things, undoubtedly. But there is no method of paying for them. All that means is that those of us on the Finance Committee have to somehow come and make up that money. We are having terrible times coming up with amounts that we are designated to provide anyway. We have to come up with $530 billion, and to load on $1 billion more in this bill--and other moneys have been expended in other measures that come before us. So I am, reluctantly, going to have to oppose the Senator's measure. I know the Senator from Pennsylvania has comments.

Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, let me say this. We are not going to consume our full 10 minutes. Does the Senator from New Jersey want a couple minutes from us? Three minutes for the Senator from our allotment of time.

Mr. CHAFEE. Now, Mr. President, we have a list here. And Senator Mikulski is not here. I notice Senator Feinstein is here. Mr. President, is there any defined order that has previously been arranged?