Thad Cochran

Mr. COCHRAN

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 suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I object.

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

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I object.

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

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, the Senator from Georgia has indicated he wishes to speak on the amendment and I defer to him.

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

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I appreciate the cooperation of Senators in laying this groundwork for the further consideration and debate of this bill. I particularly appreciate the comments of the Senator from New Hampshire with respect to the situation regarding funding for border security activities, programs, and equipment necessary to help guarantee the strict enforcement of our laws and to ensure integrity of our borders. His suggestion in this amendment is going to result in a major step forward in achieving our goals. His comments about our efforts when the Department of Homeland Security was initially established and funding for various activities under the jurisdiction of that Department are appreciated very much, but his leadership is demonstrating we can do a better job. He has made another suggestion in the offering of this amendment that carries out that past practice of identifying ways to use funds wisely, make investments in equipment, personnel, and strategies that will lead to a higher level of security for our country. The offset identified in the bill for adding this money takes it away from certain Defense appropriations activities. We have consulted with the chairman of that subcommittee, the distinguished Senator from Alaska, Mr. Stevens, and this offset can be accommodated, I have been advised, and without doing detriment to any military activities funded in this bill. Unless there is a Senator who wishes to be heard in opposition or requesting a vote on this amendment, I recommend this amendment be accepted.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I know of no further Senators seeking recognition on this amendment. I, too, support it. I am advised that the leader wants to speak on the amendment. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. COCHRAN

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet to conduct a hearing on ``Immigration: Economic Impacts'' on Tuesday, April 25, 2006, at 9:30 a.m. in Room 226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. Panel I: Richard B. Freeman, Professor of Economics, Harvard University, Program Director of Labor Studies, National Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge, MA; Dan Siciliano, Executive Director, Program in Law, Economics and Business, Stanford Law School, Stanford, CA; Barry R. Chiswick, Professor of Economics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL; Harry J. Holzer, Professor of Public Policy, Georgetown University, Washington, DC.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 25, 2006, at 10 a.m. to conduct a hearing on ``A Review of Current Securities Issues.''

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet to conduct a hearing on ``Judicial Nominations'' on Tuesday, April 25, 2006, at 2:15 p.m., in Room 226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. Panel I: The Honorable Frank Lautenberg, United States Senator, D-NJ; The Honorable Robert Menendez, United States Senator, R-NJ; The Honorable Barbara Boxer, United States Senator, D-CA; The Honorable Gordan Smith, United States Senator, R-OR. Panel II: Milan D. Smith, Jr. to be United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit. Panel III: Renee Marie Bumb to be United States District Judge for the District of New Jersey; Noel Lawrence Hillman to be United States District Judge for the District of New Jersey; Peter G. Sheridan to be United States District Judge for the District of New Jersey; and Susan Davis Wigenton to be United States District Judge for the District of New Jersey.

Mr. COCHRAN

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, it is my pleasure and honor to describe for the Senate the supplemental appropriations bill that has been reported by our committee. The President has requested supplemental appropriations for this fiscal year, which the committee has reviewed. The House has passed a bill reporting and referring to the Senate this bill that is described as an emergency. The funds are needed primarily for the global war on terror, which is included in title I of the bill. The total committee substitute would provide $106,474,107,000 in supplemental appropriations for this fiscal year, 2006. It is above the President's request by $14,253,522,000. It is also above the House- passed bill, and we have broken this down and presented it to the Senate in titles. The first title provides money primarily for defense-related activities, as I said, to carry out the global war on terror. It provides funding for ongoing operations and reconstruction efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. In title II, we have included funds above the President's request for recovery from the damages caused by the hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico in 2005. The President requested $19.7 billion for this purpose. The committee, in consideration of amendments offered by Senators during the markup session, approved an additional $7.4 billion for this purpose. So the total of title II is $27,126,662,000. Title III reflects the provision of an amendment that was offered in committee by Senators Dorgan of North Dakota and Burns of Montana relating to agricultural disaster assistance for farmers and ranchers in States that are affected either by the hurricanes of 2005 or drought, flood, wildfires, and other natural disasters that have occurred. That amendment provides exactly $3,944 million for emergency agricultural disaster assistance. Title IV reflects an amendment that was approved by the committee for emergency drought assistance, more broadly defined, and is an amendment offered by the Senator from New Mexico, Mr. Domenici, and agreed to by the committee, with $12,500,000 for that purpose. Title V is an appropriation of $648,050,000 for port security enhancements. This was requested by--and the committee approved the request--the distinguished Senator from West Virginia, Mr. Byrd. Title VI includes funds for influenza pandemic preparation and response activities. The administration asked for this amendment. It was included by the committee. It provides $2,300 million for that purpose. Title VII is the part of the bill that has general provisions and technical provisions. Overall, the bill can be described as having two major points of focus. First, it provides needed funding for our military to continue to carry out operations overseas. It also includes the commitment to rebuild the gulf coast to permit inhabitants there to recover from the devastation caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. It is my opinion--and I think this reflects the action taken by our committee--that it is critical that these funds be provided expeditiously, and we need the cooperation and support of all Senators to accomplish this goal. The committee recommendation has been available to Senators for several weeks. I hope we can consider amendments in an orderly fashion, that they can be brought up as early as possible so they can be considered without prolonged and unnecessary delay. I have to say that the individual subcommittee chairmen worked hard to identify the needs in the areas under their jurisdiction. Those who serve as ranking minority members of the subcommittees have had opportunities to participate. It has been a bipartisan effort made by our committee to bring to the bill a recommended appropriation amount that would serve our national security interests as well as our economic interests and other problems that were caused by natural disasters. At the appropriate time, I will move that the committee substitute be adopted and be treated as original text for the purpose of further amendments. I have to say at this point that the work of this committee reflects bipartisan cooperation and mutual respect between the Members on both sides of the aisle. It carries out a tradition that I believe has been one of the hallmarks of the activity of the Senate. It has reflected credit, therefore, on the Senate. I hope Members will understand that we are not addressing issues on the basis of partisanship but on the basis of need to address problems that confront our country and those which were unanticipated when the President submitted his initial budget request for this fiscal year. We have had other events that have caused us to have to proceed to adopt emergency appropriations bills, and here again that is something we have to deal with. We are presenting this bill as a good-faith effort to meet the needs of the country as we see them and as requested by the President. I am happy to yield to my friend, the distinguished Senator from West Virginia, Mr. Byrd, who has provided very important assistance to me personally and, through his service in the Senate, to the work of this committee for a long time. We appreciate his valuable assistance. All members of the committee have worked to be sure that this is a good bill and deserves the support of the Senate. I think it does. Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I want to express my genuine heartfelt appreciation for the remarks of the distinguished Senator from West Virginia about me and about the work of our committee. He has been a very valuable tutor, friend, and companion during the work of our Committee on Appropriations since I have been on the committee, since January of 1981. I have learned a lot from him. I have learned to respect him in terms of the conscientious way he goes about carrying out his responsibilities to the people of West Virginia and also to the people of the United States as a U.S. Senator. We can all study his career and his dedication to public service with great profit for our own interests. We can be guided by his example and be very proud of our work product if we do. Mr. President, at the appropriate time, I will ask unanimous consent that the committee amendment be agreed to and the bill as thus amended be considered as original text for the purpose of further amendment, and that no points of order be waived by the request. I give the Senate notice that I will make that unanimous consent request in due course, and it probably will occur immediately after our break for the policy luncheons of the respective parties of the Senate. I am happy to yield to any other Senator who wishes to make any comments. I understand the Senator from Minnesota would like to speak as if in morning business, and I yield the floor.

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

Mr. COCHRAN

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, The Medicare prescription drug plan is a tremendous success with more than 27 million Medicare beneficiaries now enrolled in the program. Seniors are realizing significant decreases in the cost of their prescription drugs and the savings are even greater than expected. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and health care providers worked together to plan and implement this program. In particular, community pharmacists played an important role in making this benefit successful. Prior to the January 1 start of the program, pharmacists assisted their Medicare patients in the selection and enrollment process. This process was new and challenging, but pharmacists were diligent in serving their patients and providing much- needed medications while the program became functional. We are introducing a bill today to assist pharmacists as they continue to serve their patients and as they help to continue the success of the Medicare drug benefit. This bill will allow pharmacists to achieve efficiencies in reimbursement for the products they have provided to new beneficiaries. This is especially needed by small, rural independent pharmacies. This legislation will also provide incentives for pharmacists and other providers to help beneficiaries better utilize their medications, adhere to their drug regimens, and utilize cost saving medication therapy management programs. I am pleased to offer this legislation that will help continue the success of the Medicare prescription drug benefit. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. COCHRAN

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, The Medicare prescription drug plan is a tremendous success with more than 27 million Medicare beneficiaries now enrolled in the program. Seniors are realizing significant decreases in the cost of their prescription drugs and the savings are even greater than expected. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and health care providers worked together to plan and implement this program. In particular, community pharmacists played an important role in making this benefit successful. Prior to the January 1 start of the program, pharmacists assisted their Medicare patients in the selection and enrollment process. This process was new and challenging, but pharmacists were diligent in serving their patients and providing much- needed medications while the program became functional. We are introducing a bill today to assist pharmacists as they continue to serve their patients and as they help to continue the success of the Medicare drug benefit. This bill will allow pharmacists to achieve efficiencies in reimbursement for the products they have provided to new beneficiaries. This is especially needed by small, rural independent pharmacies. This legislation will also provide incentives for pharmacists and other providers to help beneficiaries better utilize their medications, adhere to their drug regimens, and utilize cost saving medication therapy management programs. I am pleased to offer this legislation that will help continue the success of the Medicare prescription drug benefit. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. COCHRAN

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, yesterday was a sad day for me because it was the day when friends and family of Margo Carlisle, my former chief of staff, gathered to bid her farewell. Margo worked faithfully in a number of positions of responsibility here in the Senate. She was the first female staff director of the Senate Republican Conference, under the chairmanship of former Senator Jim McClure of Idaho. She was my chief of staff from 1991 to 1997. All who worked with her here know of her respect and appreciation for the Senate, and her conscientious devotion to our great country. She served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs from 1986 to 1989, and at that time, she was one of the highest ranking women in the Department of Defense. She received the Distinguished Public Service Medal in recognition of her outstanding performance of duty in this important office. She also served as vice president of the Heritage Foundation, president of the Philadelphia Society, and was a member of the board of the Marine Corps University in Quantico and the Washington Home Hospice. She is survived by her husband of 45 years, Miles; and two children, Mary ``Nisi'' Hamilton of Bethesda and Tristram Coffin Carlisle of Alexandria. We extend to them our sincerest condolences.

Mr. COCHRAN

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I am pleased to commend Dr. Kent Wyatt of Cleveland, MS, for his distinguished service as president of Delta Council this year. Delta Council is an economic development organization representing the business, professional, and agricultural leadership of the 18 delta and part-delta counties of Northwest Mississippi. Delta Council was organized in 1935 to focus on the challenges which face the economy and society of the region. Kent Wyatt distinguished himself as the president of Delta State University from 1975 to 1999, and during his years as the president of this proud, regional university, the school experienced unprecedented growth. Since retirement from Delta State University, Dr. Wyatt has provided careful and responsive civic leadership to the Mississippi Delta region. Through his work with Delta Council, he has been a strong advocate and effective leader in advancing adult literacy, for reversing critical teacher shortages in the primary and secondary school system, in increasing access to improved health care, and for sustaining progress in highway developments which are so important to the delta region. Dr. Kent Wyatt has been a leader in his community and in the field of higher education. He and his wife Janice have committed their entire life toward improving the quality of life for others in this special delta region of our country. I congratulate Dr. Kent Wyatt for his contributions to the delta region and for his effective leadership of Delta Council. I look forward to his future contributions.

Mr. COCHRAN

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