Kent Conrad

Mr. CONRAD

Mr. CONRAD. Could I say, I was told a number of years ago that one of our colleagues called in and said he was on his way, that he was at the airport, and then it turned out he was at the Philadelphia airport.

Mr. CONRAD. Madam President, could the Chair inform us of the time remaining on both sides?

Mr. CONRAD. Madam President, I think I will take a bit of my time, then, as we await these other Senators. Perhaps the cloakroom could check on the availability of Senators who have time so we can use the time effectively and efficiently. With respect to Senator McCain's amendment, his substitute, I want to again indicate there is virtually no difference between the debt at the end of the 5 years under his amendment and the amendment that has come through the Senate Budget Committee. The debt as a share of GDP on the budget that is on the floor is 98.7 percent of GDP in 2014. In the substitute amendment offered by the Senator from Arizona, it is 98.3 percent. There is virtually no difference in the debt levels under the McCain amendment and the budget I have offered our colleagues. With respect to deficits, in 2014, the deficit as a share of GDP in the budget that is before us is 2.9 percent. Under the McCain amendment, it is 2.8 percent. So I say to my colleagues, if you rack up, if you look at his revenue compared to my revenue: 98 percent the same. His spending versus my spending: 98 percent the same. Where have we heard that figure before? I think the point that needs to be made, though, is that there are differences, and the differences do matter. The big difference here is the Senator from Arizona saves $350 billion out of the mandatory accounts, but he does not say where. He does not say where. He does not say it is out of Medicare. He does not say it is out of Social Security. He does not say it is out of agriculture. He does not say it is out of the other mandatory accounts. He puts all $350 billion in section 920, which is an across-the-board cut in all of them--$350 billion. Colleagues, if you want to be voting for cuts that could be $350 billion in Medicare and Social Security, vote for the McCain alternative. If you do not think that is a real good idea, stick with the budget that is before us. Because we have been specific about where the revenues are, about where the spending is, and we have tried to be disciplined about getting down to virtually the same levels on deficits and debt that are in the McCain amendment. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. CONRAD. Madam President, I thank the distinguished Senator from Louisiana for her leadership on these issues and for the good working relationship we have enjoyed. One thing I have learned about the Senator from Louisiana: She is persistent with a capital ``P.'' And I will tell you, if I wanted somebody to represent me here in this Capitol to get a result, I would pick her because never have I seen someone more indefatigable in defense of their State than the Senator from Louisiana, and I mean that with the highest praise.

Mr. CONRAD. Madam President, I object. We have a queue here. We have a unanimous consent agreement. It would be out of order to call up an amendment at this point.

Mr. CONRAD. Madam President, if the Senator from Nevada will withhold for 1 minute--and this time will not come out of his time--I think it is very important Senators understand that we have done a 5-year budget here. That is what we have done 30 of the 34 times Congress has done a budget under the Budget Act, including the last 5 years and including 2 when the ranking member was the chairman. Now, why have we done 5-year budgets? It is because the projections beyond 5 years are notoriously unreliable. The ranking member himself has said that second 5 years is a guess. My own belief is the fact that President Obama came forward with a 10-year budget is a useful thing. We have that scored. We know what that does. We know what it does in the second 5 years. But Congress has almost always done 5-year budgets. Thirty of the thirty- four times a budget has been written in Congress, it has been done on a 5-year basis because the outyears are so notoriously unreliable. One other point I wish to make to colleagues. We now have over 100 amendments pending. If everyone insists on their amendment, we can do three an hour, we will be here for 33 hours. It is in the hands of our colleagues. If everybody is going to insist on their amendment and a vote on their amendment, you can do the math. We can do three votes an hour, and we will be here for 33 hours. I hope my colleagues think carefully about that.

Mr. CONRAD. So 33\1/2\ hours. I stand corrected.

Mr. CONRAD. I am prepared to yield back all time.

Mr. CONRAD. Madam President, momentarily, we will go to a vote on the Ensign amendment. Before we do that, I ask unanimous consent that upon the use of all time remaining for debate on the budget resolution, the Senate then proceed to vote in relation to the following amendments in the order listed; that each amendment be reported by number prior to the time for debate with respect to the amendment; that the previous order remaining debate time and vote time remain in effect; provided further, that if a budget point of order is raised against any amendment, then a motion to waive the applicable point of order be considered made, with the vote occurring on the motion to waive. The list of amendments is as follows: Ensign, No. 805; McCain, No. 882, as modified; Dodd-Shelby, No. 913; Sanders, No. 875; Johanns, motion to recommit; Bennett, No. 759; Bennet, No. 799; Democratic side- by-side amendment to the Vitter amendment; Vitter No. 787; Coburn, No. 892; Casey, No. 755; Coburn, No. 893; Brown, No. 808; Graham, No. 910; Landrieu, No. 931, as modified, with the changes at the desk.

Mr. CONRAD. I thank the Chair.

Mr. CONRAD. Madam President, Senator Feinstein wishes to be recognized for the purpose of changing her vote.

Mr. CONRAD. Madam President, now that colleagues are in the Chamber, we will give you a status update. We now have over 100 amendments pending. We can do three an hour. If we hold on that, and everybody insists on a vote on their amendment, we will be here for at least 33 hours. I implore colleagues on both sides, if you can take a voice vote on your amendment, please be willing to do that. So I ask colleagues, if you can take a voice vote on your amendment or if you can hold off to another day, please do so; otherwise, we will be here clear through tomorrow.

Mr. CONRAD. Madam President, the chairman's mark that was referenced increases discretionary spending not by 8 percent but by 5.3 percent. That is all domestic discretionary spending is increased--by 5.3 percent. It averages nondefense discretionary spending at a 2\1/2\- percent increase over the 5 years. The McCain offer and the chairman's mark are almost identical with respect to deficit levels and debt levels. In 2014, the debt is 98.3 percent of GDP under the McCain amendment; 98.7 percent under the Chairman's mark--virtually no difference. But there are differences. He takes $350 billion in savings out of mandatory programs and doesn't specify whether it comes out of Social Security or Medicare or agriculture--$350 billion. Where does it land? If you want to risk cutting Social Security and Medicare by $350 billion, vote for the McCain substitute. If not, vote no.

Mr. CONRAD. Madam President, next in order is the Dodd-Shelby amendment, No. 913. Senator Dodd?

Mr. CONRAD. Senator Sanders will have the time in opposition.

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, in more normal times, this is an amendment I might well support, but these are not normal times. We are faced with the steepest economic decline since the Great Depression. The underlying budget mark already cuts nondefense discretionary spending by more than $160 billion. This would cut another $120 billion, much of it front end loaded, at the worst possible time for economic recovery. One other point I would make. We have more than 200 amendments pending now--more than 200. If the Senator's amendment were to pass-- this is a motion to recommit the budget resolution to the committee. If anybody wants to repeat the entire exercise of this week, the week we get back, I recommend you vote for the Senator's amendment. If you prefer to end this today, I recommend you vote no.

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

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I want to inform colleagues that when I said earlier we had 100 amendments pending, I was half right. That was last night. As of now, we have over 230 amendments pending. If you divide 230 by 3, that is almost 80 hours--about 76, 77 hours. That would mean we would be here all day today, tomorrow, and all day Saturday. If everybody sticks to their amendment, that is what is going to happen. I hope people in the calmness of the moment will think about other options. No. 1, if you will accept a voice vote--Senator Gregg and I are trying to work things out on amendments that could be accepted. If not, if you would withhold until there is another vehicle--and there will be a lot of vehicles this year. Really, we have been doing this for a lot of years. Amendments have sprouted here. I hope people will think: Do we want to do this for 3 days straight? Amendments Nos. 759, 799, 949, 755, and 808 We have an agreement to take several amendments here by unanimous consent. They are: Bennett No. 759; Bennet No. 799; Democratic side-by- side to Vitter; Casey No. 755, and Brown No. 808. I ask unanimous consent that these amendments be agreed to.

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I want to make it clear that the side by side to the Vitter amendment we approved by voice vote is No. 949. With that, the next amendment up is the Vitter--I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, on the Bennett amendment No. 759, Senator Bennett of Utah wishes to be recognized for a brief statement.

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I yield time to the Senator from Montana.

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, on an amendment that we just adopted by voice vote, the Reed amendment No. 949, there is a misunderstanding. There was not unanimous consent. So I think in fairness we ought to go back to that amendment and have Senator Reed offer it. I ask unanimous consent to vitiate the adoption of the Reed amendment No. 949.

Mr. CONRAD. That would be the pending amendment, No. 949, and Senator Reed would be recognized to offer the amendment.

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I alter the unanimous consent request so that the last four amendments in that request not be included. I also want to clarify that Brownback is No. 840.