Thad Cochran

Mr. COCHRAN

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

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

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, the Senator has very ably explained the challenge that is faced to restore and rebuild and recover in terms of transportation assets on the Mississippi coast, but this applies and will have an effect across the breadth of the area of the gulf coast that was damaged, including Louisiana, Mississippi, as well as Alabama. Somebody cavalierly noted the other day that this is like the bridge to nowhere--this is the railroad to nowhere. It is a transportation corridor that links New Orleans; Bay St. Louis, MS; Pass Christian; Gulfport, MS; Biloxi, MS; Pascagoula, MS; Mobile, AL, and beyond--as the Senator said--all the way to California on the west side. This is a very important part of the transportation system across the southern United States, and on this line of transportation facilities the Stennis Space Center, where our rockets are tested for the space program, and many other military activities in that part of the gulf coast area--the ship yards at Pascagoula, the Keesler Air Force Base along U.S. Highway 90 in the Biloxi, MS, area, and on and on and on. The Coast Guard facilities and the former naval station at Pascagoula have other activities there. There are national security consequences for the failure to rebuild and recover and restore these important transportation facilities. That is why it is appropriate to do it now. This is authorization. The committee recommended $700 million for the Rail Line Relocation Capital Grant Program. That is the entity where the money goes, and through that money to mitigate damages and restore transportation under the provisions of that authorization, the funds will be used to relocate. This is what our committee report says: To relocate tracks that are currently located along the coast of Mississippi, the damaged railroad line---- These are findings of a committee of Congress---- is a major east and west freight corridor adjacent to the Mississippi gulf coast. It is vitally important to numerous Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama industries, and essential to the successful operations of major Gulf of Mexico ports. The rail line sustained major damage and total destruction in some areas as a result of Hurricane Katrina's winds and water surges. Eleven bridges were destroyed. More than 38 miles of track were completely lost. Signaling and safety systems were demolished and many track beds were completely washed out along the rail corridor. The rail line has been out of commission for 143 days. Progress is being made, but these funds will be used to accelerate the reconstruction and the recovery that is essential for that area of the gulf coast of the United States. We have made a case for it in committee. The committee agreed to provide these funds. The Senator from Mississippi, my colleague, has adequately and impressively described the consequences to the gulf coast area. This amendment should be defeated. It would strike all of these funds that have been approved by the committee. I move to table the amendment, and I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I move to table the motion to recommit, and I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, it is my understanding that the distinguished Senator from Texas has an amendment to the Akaka amendment which she intends to offer. And I was going to be sure she had that opportunity at this time. I am happy to yield to her for that purpose.

Mr. COCHRAN. I move to reconsider the vote.

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

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I thank the distinguished Senator from Wyoming for bringing this amendment to the floor. It does go to some of the points of contention that have been raised in the discussions based on whether the President's request should be exceeded by the Congress. First of all, the President has threatened to veto the bill, which, of course, he has a right to do. He is setting out another marker that any amount over and above the request of the President would be considered inappropriate and therefore would subject the bill to a veto. This is very early in the process of considering the bill for the President, in my opinion, to be threatening a veto. We have clear emergencies confronting the country that require the expenditure of funds for the Department of Defense and our military forces which are deployed in Iraq and elsewhere and engaged in the global war on terror to protect the security interests of our country and the lives of our American citizens. That is the major portion of this legislation. Another very important part of the bill is to replenish some accounts in the Department of State, where agencies and officers of that Department are engaged in the same kind of peacekeeping activity, diplomatic efforts to avoid conflict, to preserve the peace where it can be preserved and protect the security interests of our citizens. The third request the President submitted was to provide additional disaster assistance for the gulf coast States, primarily in the State of Louisiana but also across the gulf coast. I know that we can disagree on the exact dollar amounts. In the Senate, we are going to have a difference of opinion on some of these issues, but it suits me now to just test the water and see where the Senate is. Do we want to ignore, as a body, the needs that are clear and important and serious, that are addressed by the funding in this legislation? This amendment takes a lot of money out of the bill. It may respond to some concerns that some have that this bill calls for spending more money than is necessary. The Senate Appropriations Committee reported this bill to the Senate and is recommending its passage. I am hopeful that we can get an early reading. If this bill should go back to the committee, we could reconsider it. But I think the time is now, when we should come to terms with the realities of this legislation. Either the Senate agrees that these needs are real, that they require the funds we recommended be appropriated, or not. We had an open discussion in the committee, in public. Any Senator who serves on that committee could offer an amendment to reduce funding. I don't recall any amendment to reduce funding. There were amendments to add funds to address needs that had either arisen after the President submitted his request and the House had acted early on the legislation or because of information that had come to the attention of the Committee on Appropriations. It was the view of the majority, the vast majority of the members of that committee, that the funding should be included at the amount reported to the Senate. I am prepared to have a vote. I suggest--I don't know of any reason why we can't have the vote now. I can move to table the amendment and ask for the yeas and nays and we will get a vote. I think that is what we will do. Mr. President, I move to table the amendment of the Senator from Wyoming, and I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, this is an amendment, as the Senator points out, which has been before the body before. We have approved it by a substantial margin on a recorded vote. We are prepared to recommend that the amendment be accepted on a voice vote, so we can proceed to that unless there are other Senators who want to be heard on the amendment.

Mr. COCHRAN. I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. COCHRAN. I object.

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

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I never asked any questions. The Senator has had an opportunity to describe his amendment. He did that earlier in the day. He used information that I presume he will present all over again. I don't have any objection to his proceeding, but I don't want him to talk too long. We have Members who are waiting to vote. They have read comments in the paper and the debate that has been carried throughout the press for the last 2 weeks while the Senate wasn't in session. I think the Senate has heard enough about it and is ready to vote.

Mr. COCHRAN. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Vote on Amendment No. 3604

Mr. COCHRAN

Mr. COCHRAN. I ask unanimous consent that Jeremy Weirich, a detailee with the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and related agencies, from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, be granted the privileges of the floor for the duration of consideration of the supplemental appropriations bill, H.R. 4939.

Mr. COCHRAN

Mr. COCHRAN. I thank the Democratic leader. Amendment No. 3604

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, for the information of Senators who may be interested in knowing what the plan of action is for the remainder of today, we have pending before the Senate an amendment offered by the distinguished Senator from New Hampshire, Mr. Gregg, relating to border security, to strengthen, tighten up the provisions of this bill with respect to adequacy of funding to protect the security of our borders. It is our understanding that the other side would like to have an amendment also offered tonight, with debate on it, as much as whoever wants to discuss it would like to engage in, and then enter into some kind of agreement on having votes, back-to-back votes or close together tomorrow, on the two amendments, the Gregg amendment and whatever amendment is offered on the other side. That is the situation as I understand it. I am happy to see the distinguished Democratic leader on the floor. He may be able to add to that or clarify the intentions with respect to another amendment tonight.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I object.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, this is a statement of an agreement that has been reached between the two leaders regarding the votes on the pending amendments. I ask unanimous consent that at 12 o'clock on Wednesday, April 26, the Senate proceed to a vote on the pending Gregg amendment, as modified, to be followed immediately by a vote on amendment No. 3604 on the subject of border security offered by Senator Reid; provided further that no second-degree amendments be in order to the amendments and that when the Senate resumes consideration of the bill on Wednesday all debate time until the votes be equally divided between the two leaders or their designees.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I thank the distinguished Democratic leader, and I thank all Senators for their cooperation in the consideration of this bill today. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be dispensed with.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, by way of explanation, the objection was lodged because we are currently considering a supplemental appropriations bill on the floor of the Senate to appropriate funds to the Department of Defense, Department of State, and assist gulf states in recovery from the devastation cautioned by Hurricanes Rita and Katrina. The request posed by the distinguished Senator would have not only required the Senate to turn immediately to the consideration of the bill she is offering, but that it be considered read, the debate concluded, no amendments be in order, and that it be passed and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table. It is the judgment of the managers of the bill that the thing to do now in the Senate is to complete action on this supplemental appropriations bill. Over $100 billion is being requested, approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee, to fund these needed activities, many of which are designed to protect our Nation's security. So under those circumstances I felt compelled to object. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I object.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be dispensed with.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, under rule XVI, I raise a point of order against the amendment. It is legislation on an appropriations bill. Mr. MENENDEZ addressed the Chair.