Tom Daschle

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, today I want to pay tribute to Marion Ein Lewin, a prominent health policy analyst and the long-time director of the highly regarded Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellowship program. Marion is retiring from the fellowship program this year, after 14 years of dedicated service during which she guided and mentored scores of health care professionals from around the United States who took time off from their careers to participate in the policymaking process in Washington, DC. Her mixture of warmth, wisdom, and compassion will be sorely missed by future RWJ fellows and by the Members of Congress and the administration offices who have had the good fortune to work with Marion and the top-notch fellows she has overseen. For almost 30 years, the RWJ Health Policy Fellowship program has selected a small group of leaders in America's academic health centers to participate in the development of America's health policy. RWJ Fellows come to Washington understanding health care delivery, and, during an extensive training program, they supplement their health care expertise with lessons about health policy and the process to develop that policy. This training and the unique opportunities created by working on the health staffs of Members of Congress and in the Executive Branch have allowed RWJ Fellows to participate in every major health care debate over the last 25 years. Marion Ein Lewin has served as the guiding light for the last 14 classes of RWJ Fellows. As teacher, mentor and policy analyst, Marion has helped new Fellows understand the history and opportunities of health policy. She has introduced Fellows to the most important health policy thinkers in the country. The greatest testament to her extraordinary impact is the warmth and fondness departing Fellows feel for her. Appropriately, Marion's experience in health policy began in a Member's office. She served as the Legislative Assistant for Health for Congressman James H. Scheurer (D-NY), where she helped develop legislation and performed all the activities of a Congressional staffer. Though Marion is known for her grace and warmth, she has made substantial contributions to the annals of American health policy. Marion's broad experience in health policy was bolstered by stints at the American Enterprise Institute and the National Health Policy Forum. She became director of the AEI Center for Health Policy Research before joining the Institute of Medicine. While at AEI, Marion edited five texts on health policy. During her 14 years on the staff of the Institute of Medicine, Marion served as the study director for three IOM reports on critical issues ranging from improving Medicare, to the impact of information on the development of health policy, to the status of safety net providers. While at the IOM, she also directed the Pew Health Policy Fellowship. Now, after 14 years, Marion Ein Lewin has decided to leave her pivotal role in the Robert Wood Johnson Fellowship. Her influence upon the 85 Fellows who served during her tenure is indelible. She has overseen the transformation of academic faculty into reasonable facsimiles of congressional health LAs. Fellows have provided my staff and me incalculable assistance over the years, and I know other Members of Congress and the administration share my appreciation. Marion's guidance has enabled these Fellows to make these valuable contributions as we seek to improve the healthcare system in our country. Through the dint of her long service and extraordinary knowledge of health policy, Marion has come to personify the Fellowship and its values. It is hard to imagine the Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellowship without Marion Ein Lewin. Mr. President, I ask my Senate colleagues to join me in congratulating Marion and the Robert Wood Johnson Program on their many successes, and sending a heartfelt thank you for her many years of dedicated service. Marion has made a genuine difference in health care. We wish her well and expect her to continue her good work as she enters this new phase in her life.

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. I still retain the floor for purposes of making a motion, but I yield to the Senator from Arizona first.

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, before I file the cloture motion, let me yield to the distinguished Senator from South Carolina first, and to the Senator from Arizona second.

Mr. DASCHLE. I yield briefly to the Senator from California.

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, if I may respond to the Republican leader, first, I agree with virtually all he has said. There is an urgency to the airport security bill that dictates that we come to the floor this afternoon. I know Senator Hollings, Senator McCain, and others have spent a good deal of time working in concert with experts and with others to reach the point that they have in bringing this bill to the floor right now. Earlier today, I made the announcement that we were going to take up airport security first and counterterrorism second, and that my hope was that we could take up counterterrorism as early as Tuesday. That may not now be the case. I don't know that there are two more urgent pieces of legislation than these two bills that are virtually ready to go. Obviously, that doesn't mean because these two bills are urgent, that there is no other urgent matter related to the tragedy that has to be addressed. The question is, How many vehicles do you have, given the very serious limitation on time? Senator Lott and I have spent a lot of hours, working late into the night trying to pre-conference some of this. But a lot of our colleagues, understandably, say, ``What about us? We want to participate. We have amendments that are good ideas that we would like to offer.'' So acknowledging that some of these matters cannot be pre- conferenced, our only option is to come to the floor. Then our only option is to hear out other ideas, as Senator Lott suggested. Some are directly relevant to airport security, and some have to do with the tragedies that millions of Americans are facing in that they no longer have a job, they no longer have health insurance, they no longer have the ability to cope any more than the airlines had an ability to cope a week ago. So there is an urgency to addressing their crises as well. One Senator on the floor just now noted that we are probably a stone's throw away from a railroad tunnel that could be every bit as much in jeopardy and in danger as any airport today. There is an urgency to railroad security that we have to address. The question is, Do we have to take up each one of these bills separately and address them individually or can we do what the Senate has always done as we look at issues, which is address them in the most collective way, asking for people to be disciplined, cooperative, and to understand the urgency and to understand that this is a different day? We are in a crisis situation. I am as much for ensuring that everybody has an opportunity to be heard as is possible. But we need to recognize that the whole country is watching, the whole country is expecting us to respond, as we have so far. So I am disappointed, frankly, that we are not able to get agreement to go to this bill and debate issues that are of import to the country, not just to any particular Republican or Democrat. So we will file cloture and recognize that there will be another time when these bills and amendments are going to be considered. I hope that in working as Senator Lott and I have, together with all of the cooperation we have been given these last 3 weeks, we can work through these difficult questions. I am still confident that we can, even though we may have hit a temporary snag.

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I have been in consultation with the distinguished Republican leader. I appreciate the advice we have been given on all sides with regard to how to proceed on the airport security bill. I don't know that we have reached a consensus, but I do think it is important for us to procedurally move forward with an expectation that at some point we are going to reach a consensus. At this point, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to consideration of S. 1447, the aviation security bill.

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I move to proceed to the consideration of S. 1447 and send a cloture motion to the desk.

Mr. DASCHLE

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

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, today, the Senate takes a significant step toward opening Vietnamese markets to America's farmers and workers, normalizing our relations with Vietnam, and reaffirming our commitment to engage, and not retreat from, the rest of the world. H.J. Res. 51, the Vietnam Trade Act, is the result of nearly five years of negotiations. It will put into action the landmark trade agreement that was signed last summer by the United States and Vietnam. A number of years ago, I had the opportunity to visit Vietnam. I remember the warmth with which we were greeted by nearly everyone we met. I especially remember a girl I met one morning on a street in Hanoi. She couldn't have been more than 12 or 13 years old, and she was selling old postcards of different places all over the world. I offered to buy the one postcard she had from America. She shook her head and said, ``No, won't sell . . . America.'' To her, that postcard was priceless. It represented a place of freedom and opportunity. This trade agreement will allow US goods and services to enter Vietnam. Just as important, it will allow American ideals to flow more freely into that nation. It will help that young woman, and the 60 percent of all Vietnamese who were born after the war, create a freer and more prosperous Vietnam. Instead of holding onto that old, tattered postcard, she will be able to grasp real freedom and opportunity. That will help both of our Nations. I want to thank the many people who made this agreement possible: Ambassador Pete Peterson and the trade negotiators in the Clinton Administration; President Bush, who has pressed for this act's completion; Chairman Baucus and Senator Grassley, who have worked together to bring this bill to the floor; and, four senators whose war stories are well known, and whose service to this country is unparalleled. This trade agreement would not have been possible without the courageous leadership of John Kerry, John McCain, Chuck Hagel, and Max Cleland. This is the most comprehensive bilateral trade agreement ever negotiated by the U.S. with a Jackson-Vanik country. It demands that Vietnam provide greater access to their markets, provide greater protection for intellectual property rights, and modernize business practices. The result will be new markets, and new opportunities, for our companies, farmers and workers. This trade deal is far more than just a commercial pact. It is another step in the long road toward normalizing relations between our two countries. We all know where our countries were, and how far we have come. For people like John McCain and John Kerry, for all of us who served during the Vietnam War era, we came of age knowing Vietnam as an adversary. In the years since, we've been able to open lines of communication. We've worked to provide a full accounting of American prisoners of war and those missing in action, and we are cooperating on research into the health and environmental effects of Agent Orange. Today, we take another step toward making Vietnam a partner. In exchange for serious economic reform and increased transparency, this agreement normalizes the economic relationship between our countries. Those reforms, in turn, will give Vietnam the opportunity to integrate into regional and global institutions. And they will give the Vietnamese people a chance to know greater freedoms and a more open society. We are clear-eyed about Vietnam's problems. The State Department found again this year that the Vietnamese government's human rights record is poor. Religious persecution and civil rights abuses are still rampant throughout the country. In pressing forward today, we are not condoning this behavior. To the contrary, we are calling on the Vietnam government to fulfill its commitments for greater freedom. And we are pledging to hold them to that commitment. Finally, the Vietnam Trade Act is also a reaffirmation of America's continued international leadership. Last spring, when this resolution was introduced in the Senate, I said that its passage would send a signal to the world that the United States is committed to engaging with countries around the globe by using our mutual interests as a foundation for working through our differences. In the wake of September 11, this engagement is more important than ever, and since that time we have: overwhelmingly approved the Jordan Free Trade Act, the first ever U.S. free trade agreement with an Arab country; taken another step to make right our dues at the United Nations; and, begun building an unprecedented international coalition against terrorism. Final passage of this agreement will send an additional message to the global community that the United States cannot, and will not, be scared into its borders. We will not close up shop. And to that young girl in Hanoi, and all who share her hopes, we say that we will not be content to defend our freedoms solely within our borders. We will continue to be a light to all who look to us for hope. We will not retreat from the world. We will lead it. This is a good resolution. And it allows us to begin implementing a good agreement. I urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I congratulate our two managers for the outstanding job they have done in getting us to this point. It was not easy. I am grateful to my chairman and to our ranking member for the excellent job they did in maneuvering and orchestrating the effort to this point. I expect we will have a very good vote, thanks in large measure to their leadership. After this vote, it is my intention to move to the Vietnam trade bill. There may be a request to have a vote on the motion to proceed. It would be my desire to have the vote, if it is required, immediately following the vote on the Defense authorization bill. I urge Members to stay until we can clarify whether or not a second vote is required. If it is not required, the vote on the Defense authorization bill will be the final vote for the day. We will be on the Vietnam trade bill either way--either on the motion to proceed, which I don't expect, or on the bill itself. As my colleagues I am sure know, there is a 20-hour time limit. It is my hope and my plea that we don't feel the need to spend all 20 hours on this bill. It is an important piece of legislation. I don't minimize it. But we have a lot of work to do in what is a short workweek once again. We will take up the bill. I am hopeful we can have a good debate tonight and then vote on it tomorrow, and hopefully early in the day. I ask my colleagues to stay on the floor until we know for sure whether there is a second vote. I urge my colleagues as well to come and debate this bill so we can move it along and, hopefully, vote on its final passage sometime tomorrow.

Mr. DASCHLE. I thank the chairman for his comments.

Mr. DASCHLE. I thank the Senator from Virginia. I yield the floor.

Mr. DASCHLE

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

Mr. DASCHLE. Reserving the right to object, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. DASCHLE

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

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I am delighted that the Senate has adopted an amendment I cosponsored with Senator Domenici to provide $665 million over the next 10 years to fund the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. Hundreds of former uranium workers in South Dakota and thousands across the Nation have developed cancer and other life-threatening diseases as a result of their work producing uranium on behalf of the U.S. Government. Although the Federal Government knew this work put the health of these men and women at risk, it failed to take appropriate steps to warn or protect them. The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act is designed to compensate these individuals, or their surviving family. Although Congress has already committed to the compensation, adequate funding has never available to fund this program. In fact, the Federal Government at times has been sending IOUs to eligible beneficiaries because Congress has not been providing enough money to pay these claims. The amendment just adopted by the Senate takes a significant step toward addressing this problem. It provides $665 million over the next 10 years to pay these claims. While this amount is not sufficient to cover all those expected to apply for benefits, it will cover the vast majority of claims. I plan to work with my colleagues to ensure that any remaining funds that prove to be necessary are provided. I want to express my thanks to Senator Domenici for his work on this issue, and to Senators Bingaman, Reid and Hatch for their consistent efforts to support uranium workers.

Mr. DASCHLE. Madam President, in consultation with our colleagues on both sides of the aisle, I feel the need to propound another unanimous consent request. I know there have been requests made throughout this debate regarding the list of finite amendments. I ask unanimous consent that the list that I will send to the desk at a later time tonight be the only first-degree amendments remaining in order to S. 1438, the Department of Defense authorization bill; that these amendments be subject to relevant second-degree amendments; that upon disposition of all the amendments, the bill be read the third time and the Senate vote on passage of the bill with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. DASCHLE. Madam President, if I could just add to what the distinguished Senator from Michigan has said, and let me repeat also the compliment of our two managers. I think they have done an admirable job. They have shown remarkable patience with all of their colleagues. But I don't know of a bill that deserves more urgency than this one. I don't know of a bill that ought to be the source of unity as we look at the array of challenges that our country is currently facing. This afternoon, we were given one of the finest briefings that I have heard in recent years by the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense. They did an outstanding job in laying out the challenges that we have to face, not only in the short term but in the longer term. At the very least, it seems to me, the Senate ought to respond to the tremendous challenges we face by providing the support that we can to this administration at a time of need. I must say that I know we have worked off the earlier objections. And now, as the Senator from Michigan said, we have objections tonight that I am told have nothing to do with the Defense bill but have to do with the schedule on other issues. I am willing to work with my colleagues. No one wants to pass an energy bill more than I do. We know we have to do that. That has to be an important part of the Senate's agenda. I am willing to enter into a colloquy with Senators who have concerns about how high a priority that is. But, for heaven's sake, let us not hold up one of the most urgent bills before the Senate tonight. I must say, I will tell my colleagues, that we may be left with no other option than to pull this bill and go straight to Defense appropriations when that bill is ready. We can resolve this on Defense appropriations. I don't want to have to do that, but I will do that if there is no other choice. Tomorrow we are going to go to the military construction bill. This is our last opportunity tonight until sometime later. There are so many other urgent pieces of work that have to be done. We have an airport security bill that we all have talked about that we know is important. That has to be brought up, hopefully next week. We can't continue to deliberate, object, delay, and confound the two managers here as we try to address this important question. We have a window. If we lose this window, we are going to have to look for another window under the appropriations process. I put my colleagues on notice. We will either work this out this way or we will work it out another way. But these laborious objections are very troubling to me and ought to be troubling to all of our colleagues. I will work with our managers. I appreciate as well the distinguished assistant majority leader for his efforts tonight. If I sound frustrated, I am. I will be patient. But patience wears thin. We have a lot of work to do. I yield the floor.

Mr. DASCHLE. Madam President, I am happy to yield to the Senator from Michigan.

Mr. DASCHLE

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

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be read three times, passed, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table.

Mr. DASCHLE. I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed to the consideration of H.J. Res. 65, a continuing resolution.

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. For the interest of all Senators, we will stand in recess immediately following this vote in order to accommodate Senators who wish to attend the briefing that will be held in room 407 this afternoon. That briefing will be to hear the Secretary of State give an update on the current circumstances.