Kent Conrad

Mr. CONRAD

Mr. CONRAD. Would it be fatal to the privileged status of the budget resolution if it came back from conference?

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, so the challenge of this amendment is it is not germane. I, therefore, raise a point of order that the amendment violates section 305(b)(2) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974.

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, let me just help people understand where we are. We have what conceivably could be 9 or 10 more rollcall votes but dozens of additional amendments that are out there pending--as many as a total of 50. So that is the circumstance we face. The only way that Senator Gregg and I can see to reach conclusion tonight is if we devise another managers' package, put together amendments that can be cleared on both sides and deal with these other votes that require rollcalls, starting with Senator Kyl on his extenders. Or do we want to go to Senator DeMint?

Mr. CONRAD. Senator Kyl.

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, let me thank all colleagues for their extraordinary patience. This will be, before the end of the day, I think, a record number of votes on a budget resolution in 1 day. I don't think that is anything particularly to be proud of, but it is the reality of what we are confronting. We can go now to the Kyl amendment?

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, the budget resolution already provides for a 1-year package of extenders that is fully paid for. The Kyl amendment would add a second year without paying for it. Consequently, the Kyl amendment would drive us $28.6 billion into debt, driving us further away from the balance that we are seeking to achieve by the fourth year. We anticipate that tax extenders will be dealt with in the regular order, and our resolution provides for longer term extensions, as long as they are paid for. I ask colleagues to resist the Kyl amendment.

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. CONRAD. I move to lay that motion on the table.

Mr. CONRAD. I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, the next amendment in order is an amendment by Senator Landrieu. It is a side-by-side to Senator Kyl. This is on the estate tax. Obviously, these are important amendments. We would ask for the attention of our colleagues.

Mr. CONRAD. I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, next up is the Kyl amendment. Amendment No. 4372

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I thank my colleague, Senator Kyl, for his courtesy during all of the debates today. I urge my colleagues to oppose the Kyl amendment because it is not paid for. It goes onto the debt some $200 billion over 10 years. This would knock us out of balance in 2012 and in 2013. The previous amendment that had the same more generous exemptions was paid for. It didn't add to the debt, didn't add to the deficits, and it kept us in balance. So I would urge my colleagues to vote no on the Kyl amendment.

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote, and I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, the next amendment is from the ranking member of the Finance Committee, Senator Grassley.

Mr. CONRAD. That is correct.

Mr. CONRAD. That is correct. That is a Dorgan amendment. That is correct. It should have been read as amendment No. 4249.

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, we have a list now of additional amendments in a managers' package we can approve: amendment No. 4252, Senator Brown; amendment No. 4230, Senator Chambliss; amendment No. 4330, Senator Obama; amendment No. 4268, as modified, Senator Thune; amendment No. 4186, Senator Bunning; amendment No. 4311, Senator Alexander; amendment No. 4357, Senator Gregg; amendment No. 4361, Senator Clinton; amendment No. 4370, Senator Bingaman; amendment No. 4200, Senator Dorgan; amendment No. 4334, Senator Smith; amendment No. 4376, as modified, Senator Snowe; amendment No. 4159, Senator Allard, as well as amendment No. 4333, Senator Baucus; amendment No. 4255, Senator Kohl; amendment No. 4283, Senator Hatch; amendment No. 4345, Senator DeMint; and amendment No. 4220, Senator Cardin.

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, the ranking member tells me we need to defer on this DeMint amendment because it involves another amendment, it affects another amendment, and the other amendment is still in the clearing process. So we need to defer on this amendment. Senator DeMint has another amendment on Semper Fi; is that correct?

Mr. CONRAD. I ask the Senator from South Carolina if he can describe the amendment briefly, and if he will accept a voice vote, we can proceed to that amendment. We can accept that amendment.

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, we were told that amendment had been cleared. It appears it has not.

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum. At this moment we have, unfortunately, not yet seen the amendment of the Senator. We do need to take a moment to review it, and 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. Time for the vote. I ask for the yeas and nays.