Kent Conrad

Mr. CONRAD

Mr. CONRAD. Madam President, the Senator from Nebraska is exactly right. What he is doing with this amendment, which I support, is of the $35 billion which is unallocated, the second stimulus package, an insurance policy against further economic downturn, he doesn't add any money. What he does is of the $3.5 billion that was reserved for infrastructure in the $35 billion, he is doubling that amount to $7 billion of the $35 billion for infrastructure. I think that is a wise thing to do because I frankly think the infrastructure projects are the most stimulative. We know for every $1 billion spent on highways and bridges, 45,000 jobs are created, and those are jobs in America. As my colleague knows, the money is reserved--the Budget Committee doesn't have the ability to dictate at the end of the day how it is used. Committees of jurisdiction will do that. But what the Senator from Nebraska is doing is sending a message that of this $35 billion, instead of $3.5 billion dedicated for infrastructure projects that are ready to go--and, in fact, we know there are more than $3.5 billion of infrastructure projects ready to fund.

Mr. CONRAD. That is true.

Mr. CONRAD. Madam President, I thank the Senator from Alabama publicly for the courtesy he showed in the Budget Committee markup. We had a circumstance where he offered an amendment. I asked him to withhold a vote on the amendment until we had a chance to see if we could work out the amendment. It turns out we kind of ran out of time, so we were not able to work out the amendment. Another Senator wanted to have an alternative amendment offered, but Senator Gregg and I had already agreed that we would not have additional amendments. The Senator from Alabama was a consummate gentleman and agreed to withhold his amendment until we got to the floor so as not to disadvantage a colleague, although he would have had the right to do so. I want to say how much I admire that. That, again, is in the best traditions of the Senate and I think reflects well on the whole body. Certainly it reflects well on the Senator from Alabama.

Mr. CONRAD. While we are giving a chance for the Parliamentarian to review this amendment, maybe we can go to Senator Reed for discussion of his amendment. How much time does the Senator require?

Mr. CONRAD. I yield up to 10 minutes to the Senator from Rhode Island off the resolution.

Mr. CONRAD. I thank the Senator from Texas for his courtesy. We are trying to use the floor time as efficiently as possible. The Parliamentarian needs a chance to review the Senator's amendment.

Mr. CONRAD. I send the Pryor amendment to the desk to be in order after the Cornyn amendment.

Mr. CONRAD. I ask unanimous consent that reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mr. CONRAD. I thank the Senator. Now we have time for Mr. Biden, the senior Senator from Delaware. Would 15 minutes be plenty?

Mr. CONRAD. One understanding we might have, if that amendment consumes less time or the side-by-side consumes less time, that we go on to other business.

Mr. CONRAD. All right. I have no objection.

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that further proceedings under the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I want to enter a plea to my colleagues: We need an attitude adjustment around here. We need an attitude adjustment around here. Here it looks pretty placid. Underneath all of this, there is a great deal of turmoil. If we are going to complete this in any reasonable way, we have to have people be more cooperative, less confrontational, less insistent on side-by-side amendments for even minor matters. I plead with my colleagues. I have a feeling what we have here is a lot of staff members who have gone into hyperactive mode, insisting on things in the name of their boss, and I bet their boss doesn't even know. I bet a lot of bosses would be a little embarrassed, frankly, about the insistence being made here from their staffs about how they have to have this and they have to have that, no matter how minor, no matter how insignificant, no matter how petty. I will tell my colleagues, it is wearing pretty thin with me. It is wearing real thin with me. I want to send that message. Senator Gregg and I have been here for hours, we will be here hours more. We were here all day yesterday. Let's get serious. If we want to get done, then everybody is going to have to start getting a little better attitude about getting done. I hope people think very carefully about what I have said. I thank the Chair.

Mr. CONRAD. I think that would be the best way to proceed, don't you, to maintain some discipline for what is to come tomorrow?

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I would ask the leader, for the purposes of clarification, if Members would be permitted to speak tonight on their amendments but to call them up tomorrow. We already have a very long line of amendments in the queue. I think the ranking member would probably agree that we would permit Members to speak tonight, but they would have to sequence their amendments tomorrow because we already have a long line of amendments in the queue. I think that would provide a better discipline for the process tomorrow.

Mr. CONRAD. Would the Senator from Nevada wait to proceed for one moment for a unanimous consent request?

Mr. CONRAD. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that this appear before the gentleman's remarks so his remarks are not interrupted.

Mr. CONRAD. I have talked with Senator Gregg about this matter. The one thing we did not agree to formally that needs to be agreed to is that Senator Menendez would have a right to offer the side-by-side amendment to Senator Sessions' this evening. That would be the only thing that would be permitted tonight, other than additional agreements between the ranking member and the chairman. But that is one piece of business we previously agreed to informally but have not done formally. We should do that at this moment.

Mr. CONRAD

Mr. CONRAD. 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 March 12, 2008, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing entitled ``Oversight of HUD and Its Fiscal Year 2009 Budget.''

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs, be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, to conduct a hearing entitled ``Generation Rx: The Abuse of Prescription and Over- the-Counter Drugs'' on Wednesday, March 12, 2008, at 2 p.m., in room SD-226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. Witness list Len Paulozzi, M.D., Medical Epidemiologist, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Atlanta, GA; Nora Volkow, M.D., Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Washington, DC; Steve Pasierb, President and CEO, The Partnership for a Drug-Free America, New York, NY; Derek Clark, Director, Clinton Substance Abuse Council, Clinton, IA; and Misty Fetko, RN, Parent of Carl Hennon, New Albany, OH.

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities of the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 12, 2008, at 2 p.m. in open session to receive testimony on technologies to combat weapons of mass destruction.

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs' Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 12, 2008, at 2:30 p.m. to conduct a hearing entitled, ``Agencies in Peril: Are We Doing Enough to Protect Federal IT and Secure Sensitive Information?''

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Seapower of the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 12, 2008, at 2 p.m., in open session to receive testimony on strategic lift programs in review of the defense authorization request for fiscal year 2009 and the future years defense program.

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the subcommittee on Strategic Forces of the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 12, 2008, at 10 a.m., in open session to receive testimony on strategic forces programs in review of the Defense authorization request for fiscal year 2009 and the Future Years Defense Program.

Mr. CONRAD

Mr. CONRAD. Did you not assume in your 2006 budget resolution the extension of all the President's tax cuts?