Tom Daschle

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Madam President, in light of our circumstances, I reluctantly concluded that there will be no more votes tonight. There is so much work we could do. Clearly, we are not at a point where we can move any further on the bill. If Members wish to express themselves, they are welcome to do that. But there will be no more votes tonight. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I thank the distinguished Senator from Texas. Especially I thank the chair of the Senate Finance Committee and the ranking member for their work in getting us to this point. I simply wanted to come to the floor before the end of the debate to express my strong support for the Jordan Free Trade Area Implementation Act. This is the first-ever U.S. free trade agreement with an Arab country. I think at these very tenuous and challenging times, there could be no stronger statement for us to make than to pass this legislation. I appreciate very much the work by all of those involved to see that it is done. I note this agreement was negotiated before the events of September 11. We are moving ahead today because forging this agreement is the right thing to do for the people of the United States. It is also the right thing to do for the people of Jordan. It serves as a statement that our enemy is terrorism, not the Muslim world. More than a year ago, President Clinton and King Abdullah began discussions about how we could more closely link the United States and Jordan, which, as everyone knows, is an increasingly important and strategic friend in the Middle East. This act is the result of those efforts, an important step in deepening that bond. When President Clinton and King Abdullah signed the United States-Jordan Free Trade Agreement a year ago, they expressed their concern about the impact of trade on workers and the environment. I share that concern today. I am pleased that written into the text for the first time ever are several provisions to protect the environment and the rights of workers. I see this as not only an important bilateral agreement but hopefully a template for future trade agreements as well. I recognize, as others have noted, that several of my colleagues have concerns about how this agreement is structured, and I thank them for saving this debate for another day and allowing us to move forward on this important legislation. Our disagreements on this bill are far outweighed by our areas of agreement. We all agree on the strategic importance and good friendship of the Kingdom of Jordan. Bordering Israel, Syria, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia, Jordan sits in the middle of a wide range of critical U.S. national interests-- geographically and politically. This centrality has been bolstered by Jordan's supportive orientation toward U.S. interests. This agreement should stand as a strong symbol of the importance we attach to our relations with Jordan. The Jordanians have taken admirable steps to improve relations with Israel, including the 1994 peace treaty that helped to advance the Middle East peace process. This trade agreement, as the foreign assistance and debt relief before it, is a signal to Jordan that we appreciate its efforts at peace in the Middle East and that we hope for more. That view is held by Israeli Prime Minister Sharon, who, on his first visit to Washington as Prime Minister, urged Congress to pass this historic trade agreement. This trade agreement is also a signal to King Abdullah that we support his efforts at economic modernization. He and his team have instituted a series of significant economic reforms in order to restore growth. We understand those reforms, while necessary, are painful. With this vote today, we are telling the Jordanians their reform and austerity will pay dividends. Lastly, and most importantly, this agreement signals that the United States is not the enemy of the Arab and Muslim world. Osama bin Laden and his associate extremists argue that the West is waging a war on Islam. Nothing could be further from the truth. We are waging a war on terrorism. Jordan's participation in this international coalition against terror will only hasten our triumph and isolate the extremists and criminals who attacked America 2 weeks ago. By further solidifying our important relationship at this critical time, the United States-Jordan Free Trade Area Implementation Act will give further impetus to the international coalition against terrorism and advance vital U.S. national security interests as well. For these reasons, I come to the floor in support of H.R. 2603 and hope that all my colleagues will do the same. I yield the floor.

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I so amend the request.

Mr. DASCHLE. I so amend the request, Mr. President.

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, those would be in addition to the 1-hour total as is propounded.

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, we are now at a point where I can propound this unanimous consent request. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to S. 1450, the aviation assistance and security bill; that no amendments or motions be in order to the bill; that there be 1 hour for debate equally divided between the two leaders, or their designees, with an additional 15 minutes under the control of Senator Byrd and 10 minutes for Senator Kennedy and 5 minutes for Senator Specter; that at the conclusion or yielding back of the time, the bill be read a third time, and the Senate vote, without intervening action or debate, on final passage of the bill. I further ask unanimous consent that when the Senate receives from the House its companion bill, it be immediately considered, read a third time, and passed, provided it is identical to the Senate-passed bill. I further ask unanimous consent that once the bill has been enacted into law, provided it is identical to the Senate measure, then action on the Senate bill be vitiated and the measure then be indefinitely postponed.

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, let me thank the distinguished Senator from Missouri for raising the issue and commend her for her active involvement on this matter now for some time. She spoke eloquently about it in the caucus, and she has addressed this issue on a number of occasions. I share her conviction and her strong belief that we must address the impact on employees as well. Over 100,000 employees are now out of work as a result of this extraordinary economic problem we are facing, and we have to address it. I indicated my caucus this morning that it is my strong view that this is the first installment of a series of efforts that must be made to put our economy back on track and to address the myriad other economic challenges we face, especially those involving workers and their families. So we are going to continue to work and find ways in which to do that. I emphasize I see this only as the first installment. We will have to go back and address other issues, especially those involving families. I thank the Senator for raising the issue.

Mr. DASCHLE. The Senator is correct.

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to S. 1450, the aviation assistance and security bill; that no amendments or motions be in order to the bill; that there be 1 hour for debate equally divided between the two leaders or their designees, with an additional 15 minutes under the control of Senator Byrd, with 10 minutes for Senator Kennedy; that at the conclusion or yielding back of the time, the bill be read a third time and the Senate vote without intervening action or debate on final passage of the bill. I further ask unanimous consent that when the Senate receives from the House its companion bill, it be immediately considered, read a third time, and passed, provided it is identical to the Senate-passed bill. I further ask unanimous consent that once the House bill has been enacted into law, provided it is identical to the Senate measure, then action on the Senate bill be vitiated and the measure then be indefinitely postponed.

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Madam President, I will also say for the interest of colleagues, we will be propounding the unanimous consent request with regard to the consideration of the aviation legislation sometime shortly, but it was in the interest of accommodating Senators who wish to speak that I thought it would be appropriate for us now to enter into a period for morning business. We will do that and be back on the floor with the request in the not too distant future. I yield the floor.

Mr. DASCHLE. Madam President, I appreciate very much the report from the ranking member. The ranking member and the chairman have done a good job getting us to this point. We ought to be ready with amendments. We are going to have votes as early as 12 o'clock on Monday. I would like to entertain amendments as early as 10 o'clock on Monday morning and be prepared for votes as early as 12 o'clock on Monday. We will certainly work with the ranking member, the chairman, and accommodate those Senators who wish to offer amendments. We need to get started. I would like to get into a very complete debate on Monday. We will be in throughout the day and maybe into the evening on Monday in order to continue our work on the Defense authorization bill.

Mr. DASCHLE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate enter into a period for morning business, with Senators not to speak for more than 15 minutes each.

Mr. DASCHLE

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

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I move that the Senate stand in recess subject to the call of the Chair.

Mr. DASCHLE

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

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, a number of our colleagues have been calling both leaders asking for some update on the schedule for the day. I wanted to notify Senators that the negotiations on the airline legislation have just been concluded. So it is my expectation that we will take the bill up within the next hour and a half. All Senators should be on notice that we will attempt to get a unanimous consent agreement to move to the bill shortly after the legislation has been drafted, and it would be my expectation to take the bill up immediately. There would be most likely a rollcall vote before the end of the day. I guess, in the 3:30 to 4 o'clock range we will take the bill up. I am not sure about the length of the debate. We will have a rollcall vote on that legislation before the end of the day.

Mr. DASCHLE

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

Mr. DASCHLE

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

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Madam President, for the interest of all Senators, I want to make sure people understand what the schedule is for Monday. We will convene at 12 noon. From 12 o'clock to 2 o'clock, we will take up the Jordan free trade agreement. That has already been established by unanimous consent. There will be a 2-hour debate and, by agreement, a voice vote. At 2 p.m., there will be a rollcall vote on the Kirk Van Tine nomination, Mr. Van Tine to be general counsel of the Department of Transportation. Following that vote, we will resume consideration of the Defense authorization bill. Passage of S. 1450 I appreciate very much the tremendous cooperation of all Senators. I know this bill was extremely difficult and very complex, very controversial in many respects. I appreciate the work on both sides of the aisle to get us to the point we are now. I know there are a lot of Senators who would have appreciated the opportunity to offer amendments. It is not our intent to deny Senators the right to offer amendments. Under these circumstances, I am grateful for the acknowledgment that we are in a very difficult time and that cooperation, as was demonstrated again this afternoon, is essential if we are able to respond as we now have to the crisis we are facing, not only in the aviation industry but in the economy in a number of other ways having to do with the tragedy. In my view, there were two essential pieces of legislation missing from this bill. Others have already addressed it. Senators Carnahan, Murray, Cantwell, and Kennedy, and others have been working on a proposal to deal with the disaster adjustment assistance and extended COBRA coverage. It is essential that we provide dislocated workers some income security, some training, access to health benefits. We did a little bit of that in this bill. It was a first step, but we really have a long way to go if we are going to address in a comprehensive and meaningful way the tremendous problems that families all over this country are now facing as a result of layoffs, as a result of bankruptcies, as a result of the economic slowdown. For all of the reasons we have heard, we simply cannot allow the circumstances to go unattended. It is critical that we do it sooner rather than later. I have talked to Senators Kennedy and Carnahan and others. I have talked with some Senators on this side of the aisle, especially Senator Lott. It is my hope and my determination to address this issue in the not-too-distant future. We must. We simply cannot go without the acknowledgment of the seriousness of the problem as well as a recognition that this problem must be addressed. Secondly, I am very pleased that the Senator from South Carolina, Mr. Hollings, Senator McCain, Senator Rockefeller, Senator Hutchison, so many others, and Senator Kerry, have worked as closely together as they have on airport security and on airplane security as well. If there is one piece I really wish we could have addressed in this bill more comprehensively, it is that. I talked to the President about it this morning. It is his intention to address the issue in a much more comprehensive way as well. I have no doubt we can work with him on security. The Presiding Officer very eloquently and passionately addressed the issue of security this morning in the caucus. I am pleased that at least the $3 billion that has been committed to airport security will allow us to take some of the initial steps. We must rebuild confidence on the part of air travelers. We must ensure that airports and airplanes can be made more secure. We must work together to make that happen soon. We can continue to provide these bills with billions and billions of dollars, but if people are not going to climb on those airplanes, if they are not going to feel comfortable walking through the airports, if they don't know whether the ramps are secure or not, those billions of dollars will not solve the problem. I am equally as determined to address this issue of security in the days ahead. Senator Hollings has indicated he will continue to work with our colleagues on both sides of the aisle. I intend to work with the administration. I will bring this matter up with the speaker at the next opportunity. We will continue to find ways with which to address security, perhaps as early as next week. The bill the Commerce Committee has now introduced is a bill I believe very confidently will address many of these issues, so confidently that I have cosponsored it along with many other Senators. I am hopeful that in the not-too-distant future it can be a subject for debate and consideration in the Senate Chamber and that we can work to get a bill passed that will truly provide the kind of infrastructure and security that will be required to raise the confidence level that is necessary. Security, additional compensation, and a safety net for all of those workers who have been left out so far are issues that I am committed to address and that I know the Senate is committed to address. I will continue to work with my colleague Senator Lott, who is every bit as concerned about many of these issues as I am. We will continue to find ways to work together to do what we know we must to put this country back and to recognize the needs of families, workers, and businesses across the country.

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Mr. DASCHLE

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

Mr. DASCHLE

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

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. I thank the Chair.

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, for the information of all Senators, there will be caucuses held by both parties at 9:15 a.m. today. As soon as the caucuses have completed their deliberations, we will enter into morning business for a period of time. My hope and my expectation is that we will take up both the supplemental appropriations bill, as well as the resolution having to do with the circumstances we are facing in providing the President with additional authority. That resolution, as well as the supplemental appropriations bill, will be the subject of deliberation and debate today, perhaps tomorrow. The House of Representatives has indicated they will be in session tomorrow to take up the resolution. It is my hope that perhaps we might be able to complete our work today, but until I have had the opportunity to consult more with the Republican leader, I am unable to make any more definitive judgment about the time it will take to complete our work on both of these matters. We were negotiating late into the evening last night. I thank all of those who participated. We concluded our work successfully after midnight last night. We will now be in a position to take up the supplemental appropriations bill. I will consult with the chairman of the Appropriations Committee, the ranking member, as well as the Republican leader, as we consider just what the sequence will be throughout the day. There will be rollcalls. We are unclear about the timing of those rollcalls or whether or not a Saturday session may be required. I call attention to that expectation. I also remind Senators that there is a memorial service at the National Cathedral at noon. While the more optimistic view is that we could perhaps begin boarding buses as early as 10 o'clock to accommodate logistics and security, it may be that we will be boarding a little later than that in order to accommodate whatever other considerations in the schedule there will be this morning. I remind Senators that there will be a need to board buses sometime, I would say, at least prior to 11 o'clock, but we will make more definitive announcements with regard to boarding the buses as well as the specific schedule in the time ahead. Baby Grace Also, Mr. President, in what has been a very dark hour for this country and for this institution, it is hard to find anything for which we can celebrate, but we can celebrate this morning. Senator Dodd and his wife Jackie had a baby girl last night. Her name is Grace. She is 7 pounds. They are doing well. I congratulate Senator Dodd, Jackie, and welcome Grace into this world of ours.

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, Ernest Hemingway observed that ``life breaks us all, and afterward many are strong at the broken places.'' America's heart is broken. What happened on Tuesday was not simply an attack against America. It was a crime against democracy, against decency itself. The more we learn, the more we grieve for the innocent victims of these unconscionable attacks: the people of New York, and those of New Jersey, Connecticut, and all who were in and around World Trade Center at the time of these attacks; our men and women serving at the Pentagon; and, the passengers and crew of American Airlines flights 11 and 77, and United Airlines flights 93 and 175. Today, with the passage of this supplemental bill, we take a step toward healing, and we begin the process of growing stronger at the broken places. It has been an extraordinary few days here in Congress. As we come together to consider how we can act, how we can help, how we can serve, we forget to consider those things that once divided us. Today, we are not Democrats or Republicans. We are Americans. We stand together as one Congress, one people. And we say together, with one voice, we will do whatever needs to be done to care for the victims, to comfort the families, to address this threat to our homeland, and to let our enemies know: We will find them. And we will have justice. This bill we are considering provides 40 billion dollars to provide aid to the victims of the attacks, and to deal with the consequences of those attacks. The money will be used to: repair the horrific damage caused by these attacks, and help begin the process of recovery; improve attack and disaster preparedness; enhance our counterterrorism efforts; make our planes and other systems of transportation safer and more secure; and strengthen our national security. But we need to remember: in the end, this isn't about money, because money is only a means. This is a statement of our commitment to help our fellow Americans in their time of need, to protect our Nation from the most insidious of threats, and to ensure that those who had a hand in these evil acts are held accountable. This is a first step. It is the first of many. Because we will do whatever it takes. And, ultimately, we will grow strong in the broken places.