Thad Cochran

Mr. COCHRAN

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 3823 on behalf of Mr. Leahy regarding Colombia.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, this amendment is offset by a reduction in foreign economic assistance.

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

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. COCHRAN. I thank the Chair. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate resumes the supplemental appropriations bill tomorrow morning, the Senate proceed to consider votes on or in relation to the following, with no intervening action or debate or second-degree amendments: Thune amendment No. 3705, and Vitter amendment No. 3728, as modified. I further ask unanimous consent that the bill be read a third time and the Senate proceed to a vote on passage with no intervening action or debate; provided further that following passage, the Senate insist on its amendments and request a conference with the House, and the Chair then be authorized to appoint conferees on the part of the Senate.

Mr. COCHRAN. No, it is not. If the Senator will yield, as I understand it, it shifts funds from a foreign economic assistance account to an account to provide disaster assistance in Guatemala for damages and expenses sustained in a hurricane.

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

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 3657 on behalf of Senator Leahy and others regarding international disaster and famine assistance and hurricane relief.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, there are two amendments that have been cleared for consideration by the Senate. Amendment No. 3605 Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that it be in order to call up and consider amendment No. 3605 on behalf of Mr. Lott regarding Armed Forces retirement home.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I am advised that we are now prepared to go to a vote on the McCain amendment. For that purpose, I ask for the regular order. Amendment No. 3616

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

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

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, if the Senator will yield, we understand the meeting with Senators and the Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense is still going on. We are advised that a good time for the vote on the McCain amendment would be about 3:30. You are getting wound up.

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

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

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

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

Mr. COCHRAN. My reading is that it transfers money from a foreign economic assistance account to one that provides disaster assistance for damages sustained in Guatemala as a result of a hurricane-- Hurricane Stan I think was the name of it.

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

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, what is the pending business? Amendment No. 3855

Mr. COCHRAN. I think we are ready to proceed to agree to that on a voice vote.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, there are some Senators who are in a meeting with the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of State. We are not going to go to a vote right now because of that conflict with some Senators. But we have an opportunity for those who want to speak on this amendment or any other pending amendment that has not been adequately discussed at this point. Let me say with regard to the amendment of the Senator from Arizona that I can remember in my State time and time again when we have had severe weather disasters; wet-weather-related disasters. The pecan growers, in particular, would inevitably have a difficult time making a case for the losses they sustained when Federal disasters have been declared and eligibility for Federal assistance had been promised because it is not the kind of program crop, so-called, such as cotton, rice, wheat, corn, that are traditionally supported by Federal programs. It almost takes someone at the local level who understands yield, production, and how records are kept where the State governments are much better situated in those States to have knowledge and understanding of the crops and of the values of trees and the crops they produce. Peaches is another example. In my part of Mississippi where I grew up, we had a good many peach orchards. We had a good many pecan orchards. And those who live in the rural areas of our State traditionally depend upon these crops to help sustain them. We are talking about not the kind of agriculture that produces millions of dollars of income but small amounts of income to supplement family needs. Workers in the area can move from orchard to orchard volunteering to help harvest these crops. I can remember as a young boy my grandparents who lived near Utica, MS, would traditionally kind of let the word go throughout the community that they were going to be picking up pecans on a certain day. And some of the workers would come and pick up pecans and in payment would get part of the pecans. They would get a part of the harvest. That was the payment. Money was short. We are not talking about wealthy landowners. We are talking about subsistence production in many cases which will qualify for the benefits under this title. If this amendment is approved, they won't get anything. These funds are going to the States so that at the local level a determination can be made as to the amount of compensation and support those who are disaster victims in these areas of agriculture are entitled to receive. I am hopeful the Senate will reject this amendment. I just spoke to two parts of it--orchards and the pecan trees--because from my personal experience I know a little bit about that. But driving through my State after these disasters, I can testify to the widespread damage to orchards, to pine forests on which people depend for their livelihood. In that part of the State where the storm's destruction was the greatest, there is very little of the traditional large cotton plantation areas. That is not that part of the State. That would be up in the mid to northern part of the State along the Mississippi Delta. That is where the heavy production of cotton is. It may be up in the prairie area of northeast Mississippi and north central Mississippi. Where this storm's destruction was the heaviest, there are a lot of people who lost pecan orchards, trees, or peach orchards. Dairy farms were seriously damaged, and dairy is included in this part of the title. Beef cattle production and those things that are grown to sustain those herds of cattle and to feed them were damaged severely. I am hopeful the Senate will understand that this is not something that the committee made up, either. I am not making this up. These are the facts as I saw them and that I can say to the Senate justify the inclusion of these funds in this bill. I urge the Senate to reject the amendment.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, we continue to make good progress. We hope to complete action either this evening or tomorrow on the bill. It could be, in consultation with the leader, possible to complete action on the bill today and have a vote on final passage tomorrow if we are going to go a little late this evening, but we don't anticipate a late evening. We hope to be able to adjourn at a reasonable hour. With the cooperation of Senators, we can do that. We have cloture, which has been invoked, which limits amendments for consideration to germane amendments. We have entered into colloquies and we think some of these amendments are going to be withdrawn. We hope if Senators have an intention of disposing of their amendments, if they want a vote, now is a good time to come to the floor and make that request known. We can dispose of those amendments. We urge the cooperation of Senators, and if we get to some point, we may offer amendments for Senators, if they are in order and pending and have not yet been called up. As a matter of notice, we intend to press ahead and complete action on the bill within a reasonable time. And we will, with the cooperation of all Senators. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. COCHRAN

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Airland be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, May 3, 2006, at 10 a.m. in closed session to mark up the Airland Programs and provisions contained in the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2007.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President. I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs, Product Safety, and Insurance be authorized to meet on Wednesday, May 3, 2006, at 2:30 p.m., on Pool Safety. The PRESIDING. OFFICER Without objection, it is so ordered. Subcommittee on Seapower