Tom Daschle

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, this is our first full day back. We were in session yesterday. We are not off to a very strong start. I was hoping we could have a vigorous debate today on the supplemental; we could offer amendments; we could move the process forward. For those who may not be aware, we are now debating the supplemental appropriations for further recovery from and response to terrorist attacks on the United States. Let me repeat that because people ought to be cognizant of the gravity of the bill we are considering. It is the supplemental appropriations act for further recovery from and response to terrorist attacks on the United States. It includes $14 billion requested by the President of the United States for the Department of Defense; $8 billion for homeland security efforts. It includes $5 billion for recovery in New York City. It includes money for the global AIDs trust fund, and a number of very high priorities. This legislation passed on a unanimous basis in the Appropriations Committee. We are told by some of our colleagues on the other side that--I think the phrase was--they wanted to ``slow walk'' this. For the life of me, I don't understand why our colleagues would want to slow walk a request by the President of the United States to address the supplemental needs on an emergency basis for homeland defense and for the defense of our country under these circumstances. I don't understand that. But it is clear that is what is underway. We must get this legislation passed. It must go to conference. We have to get this done. We have virtually wasted an entire day. Senators have not come to the floor to offer their amendments, and the calendar pages are turning. I have shared a list of additional legislation with our caucus and with Senator Lott, and I must say that list is ambitious. The Presiding Officer talked about the importance of getting prescription drug benefits passed. I said I would like to get that done before we complete our work this summer. But it is hard to see how we can take on any priorities unless we can complete our work on an emergency supplemental appropriations bill. We have been negotiating with a number of other colleagues with regard to the budget and the deeming resolution that has been the subject of some discussion over the last several weeks. We also must pass, at some point in the not-too-distant future, a debt limit increase. That is not something anybody relishes. I indicated to Senator Lott this morning that if we cannot put a deeming mechanism in the supplemental--and I am told there is opposition on the other side to doing that--we will have no choice but to file a freestanding debt limit resolution with the deeming language associated with it. I intend to rule XIV--that is, put the legislation on the calendar this week--as early as tomorrow. So we will do it one way or the other. We will do it in concert with the supplemental appropriations bill or we will do it in a freestanding resolution. But it will be done. I hope our colleagues on both sides of the aisle will work to achieve what we know must be done. So I hope we can find a way to resolve whatever other outstanding questions there are with regard to the deeming and the supplemental budget so we can move forward. Mr. President, I must say that this has been a very unproductive day, and it is not a good beginning to what I hoped would be a very productive week. In order to expedite our consideration of the supplemental, I intend to send a cloture motion to the desk today so we might accelerate and bring to a close the debate on this bill so we can move to the other pieces of legislation that must be considered, attended to, and addressed in a meaningful way in the short period of time we have during the work period this month.

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I send that cloture motion to the desk.

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I had not intended to offer a cloture motion this soon, but when I hear colleagues on the other side of the aisle saying they intend to ``slow the train down''--those were the words used on the Senate floor--on a bill to provide funding for defense, for homeland security, and for New York City, we have no choice but to accelerate the debate and bring this bill to a successful close. I am hopeful that, on a bipartisan basis, my colleagues will support cloture and that we can get this bill done this week. I, very regrettably, announce that there are no more votes tonight. But those Senators who are concerned about amendments are invited to come to the floor early tomorrow and proceed with offering, considering, and voting on their amendments prior to the cloture vote on Thursday. I know that on both sides there are amendments to be offered. Let's get on with that debate, get these amendments on the floor, and let's have these votes. Let's complete our work so we can move to the other pieces of legislation that I know so many colleagues anticipated we would consider this month and next. I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Madam President, I commend the distinguished Senator from Michigan for coming to the Chamber, and I know she is prepared to talk about an issue that is of great importance to our caucus. She has shown remarkable leadership in addressing the issue of prescription drugs. I very much wish to participate in a colloquy with her on that matter in a moment.

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Madam President, I wish to address another issue. Today we are going to be completing our work on the trade adjustment assistance legislation, the trade promotion authority bill, as well as the Andean Trade Preference Act. My expectation is we will finish that work by sometime midafternoon. It was then my intention to bring up the Senate version of the appropriations supplemental that has just been reported out of the Appropriations Committee. I have had a number of conversations with Senator Byrd about the need to address this matter expeditiously. The bill includes $14 billion for defense, as we continue to wage our war on terror; there is $1.8 billion in contingency defense funds that are directly connected with our efforts at homeland defense; an additional $8.3 billion, substantially more than what the House has committed for other needs in homeland defense; plus $5.5 billion for the recovery efforts in New York. This is a very important bill. It was our hope, our expectation that we would be able to complete our work on this bill prior to the time we recess. I am told now that our Republican colleagues are going to object to moving that bill. I find that especially disconcerting given the comments made a couple of weeks ago by the House majority leader, who criticized me and Senator Byrd for the inaction in what he called the Democratic-controlled Senate in its unwillingness to take up what he termed to be the war supplemental prior to the Memorial Day break. He said he is discouraged; that, in his view, this should not be an acceptable state of affairs. The package he indicated included some critical matters relating to our efforts in carrying out the war on terror and responding to the needs of New York. He said he not only was not optimistic, but he said there was a dearth of leadership in the Senate. If there is a dearth of leadership, perhaps we can see some leadership shown on both sides in addressing that dearth. I am prepared to offer a unanimous consent request today to take up a bill and complete it before we leave. I do not see any reason why we cannot do it. It passed unanimously out of the committee. There is no question we send exactly the wrong message if our Republican colleagues object to taking up this bill. There is a very disconcerting message that sends to New York, to those who are concerned about homeland defense, especially with the new warnings that are emanating from the Departments of Government, as well as from our effort in the war in Afghanistan. On April 22, President Bush said: I ask the Congress to pass the supplemental that we have submitted as quickly as possible. It's emergency funding for defense and homeland security and economic security, and we need to get it done by Memorial Day. It's time the Congress passed the supplemental. Those are words from the President himself. I hope he will pick up the phone from wherever he is in Europe and call the leadership and tell those who are blocking this legislation that he wants it done just as badly today as when he articulated his views on this issue a few weeks ago. There is no reason we cannot take it up. There is no reason we have to delay until after we get back. There is no reason we cannot make the most of this week. We can get this done. If it can pass out of the committee unanimously, it can pass on the floor overwhelmingly. We need to address it. Madam President, I put my colleagues on notice that we will have a discussion about this later in the day. I was not made aware of the opposition on the part of our Republican colleagues until this morning, but I will say we will press to complete our work. We will try to respond to the request of the President of the United States that we get it done before Memorial Day. We will address the criticism of the House majority leader who complains of a dearth of leadership. Let's show leadership on both sides of the aisle. Let's show a commitment to the people of New York, to the people in Afghanistan, to our effort at addressing the needs of homeland defense more effectively than we would be were we to say: No, we will wait; no, somehow, it is not that important; no, we want to go home before we get this job done. There is no reason to go home until we have gotten this job done, and we are going to press it all day long if we need to, to see if that is possible.

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. I move to reconsider that.

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, this will be the last vote of the evening.

Mr. DASCHLE. I ask that the following votes be limited to 10 minutes each.

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I rise in support of my colleague's interpretation. It seems quite clear to me. This is important to the meat and livestock industry. For example, TPA addresses eliminating the practices of foreign governments that adversely affect the trade of perishable and cyclical products, and the elimination of such practices in the livestock and meat sector would be to the advantage of U.S. producers. No reasonable person would suggest that the definition of perishable and cyclical agricultural products would fail to cover livestock and meat production. TPA also calls for improving import relief mechanisms to recognize the special characteristics of perishable and cyclical products, which would include livestock and meat. Such improvements to import relief mechanisms could include faster and more effective time frames for imposing import relief measures as well as improved means of determining industry support in import relief investigations. Along the same lines, TPA provides that U.S. import relief measures for perishable and cyclical agricultural products should be as accessible and timely as those of other countries. TPA also states that the U.S. Trade Representatives, prior to commencing negotiations concerning agriculture, shall work to develop a position on perishable and seasonal products that will lead to an international consensus on the treatment of these products in dumping and safeguard investigations ``and in any other relevant areas.'' I understand that livestock and meat production would be included in these negotiations as they are clearly covered under the definition of perishable and cyclical agricultural products.

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

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I compliment the distinguished chairman and ranking member of the Finance Committee for their outstanding work on getting to this point. This has not been easy. We have spent a lot of time. Obviously this is a very difficult measure. We have accomplished it. It is something I think we can look back on with great satisfaction and great pride. It would not have happened were it not for the leadership of the Senators from Montana and Iowa. I must say, even though he doesn't want me to--he is embarrassed and gets frustrated when I do this--I thank the Senator from Nevada. As with so many pieces of legislation, this simply would not have happened without his masterful work on the Senate floor as well. I congratulate him. I thank all of the staff involved, my staff, Chuck Marr, and the staff of the committee and others. We now must turn to the schedule when we return. There will be no further votes this evening, and we will not be in session tomorrow.

Mr. DASCHLE

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

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Madam President, again I thank my colleague from Michigan. As all of my colleagues know, this is an issue on which she made a commitment to her people before she got elected. She reminds me every day of that commitment and her absolute determination to address this issue soon. I was in Maine a couple of days ago and was reminded again of what an emotional issue it is for seniors who have no other recourse but to go to Canada to get help, who pay bills and have to decide whether it is drugs or groceries, drugs or rent, drugs or car payments, drugs or fuel. That kind of a decision in this day and age for people vulnerable as they are economically and in so many other ways is a matter that simply cannot rest until we have addressed it. I thank the Senator from Michigan for her willingness to keep coming to the floor and reminding us of how important it is to keep organizing and effectively pressing for action in the Senate. I know she wishes to make her statement at this time, and so I yield the floor.

Mr. DASCHLE. Will the Senator yield?

Mr. DASCHLE. I thank the Senator for her poignant story and for again reminding us of the human face behind this issue. Those faces come so effectively to mind when one reads the words and listens to the extraordinarily difficult, agonizing decisions these older Americans have to make as they make their choices, as the Senator has indicated. Has the Senator ever thought of the irony we find in our country today where those people most vulnerable, those people who need prescription drugs the most, are the very ones who have no access to prescription drugs through the health plan to which they subscribe? Those of us who are younger, those of us who have private health plans today, have plans to which we can subscribe that have all kinds of prescription drug coverage available to us. I can go to a drugstore and have many of my drugs paid for, if I would ever find the need, but my mother cannot. She is part of Medicare. My relatives and my constituents cannot if they are in Medicare because they are in a program that has never adopted a prescription drug benefit program, in spite of the need that has been clearly demonstrated given the trends in health care delivery out of hospitals and into the more outpatient treatment care that is provided today. I know the Senator from Michigan hears the same stories----

Mr. DASCHLE. About the ironic state of circumstances we face. I wonder if she could comment on that.

Mr. DASCHLE. The Senator from Michigan points out another irony. We often hear about people voting with their feet. We hear it in another context generally. A lot of times immigrants vote with their feet as they leave their countries to come to a safer place, a place with a better future. I find it ironic--and I am interested in the comments of the Senator from Michigan--that our seniors today appear to be voting with their feet in driving in large buses and caravans to Canada to get health care today. What does that say about the American health care system? What does that say about Medicare? What does that say about their own satisfaction with a system that appears to be so broken, so incapable of providing them the care they need, they have to go to another country to get it in order to afford it? That, too, is voting with one's feet. I find that whether it is in letters to the Senator, or letters to any of us, or in the expressions of dismay, the current circumstances they face, more and more of our seniors are voting with their feet, going to Canada, to another health care system, to get what they cannot get here. Could the Senator from Michigan comment on that?

Mr. DASCHLE. Again, I compliment the distinguished Senator from Michigan. One day, hopefully in this session of Congress, you and I and all of our colleagues will be on the floor voting on a bill that will rectify that situation. We should not have to wait through another election. We should not have to wait for any other development. We know the facts. We know the people are going to Canada. We know the people are making these tough choices. We know heartfelt letters such as these are written, pleading for the Congress to respond. The only thing we do not know is how long it will take for the Congress to do what it needs to do; that is, to respond effectively with a comprehensive approach to universal access to good prescription drug coverage with cost containment as part of that coverage. That will happen someday as a result of the leadership shown and the extraordinary persistence of the Senator from Michigan. I thank the Senator again for that effort.

Mr. DASCHLE

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

Mr. DASCHLE. Madam President, we are about to begin a series of votes on amendments that have been pending on the trade package. I urge Senators to stay on the floor and to respect the need to discipline ourselves in regard to the amount of time allocated for the votes. Oftentimes, 10- or 15-minute votes turn into half-hour votes. So, please, stay on the floor. We have at least 8, perhaps as many as 10, rollcall votes that will be occurring momentarily.

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Madam President, let me respond briefly, because I know the distinguished Republican leader would like to make a comment as well. With regard to the House action, of course, we wouldn't complete our work on the bill until the House has done its work. We expect that will be done shortly. We have done similar appropriations work on many occasions in the past. We need to move forward. As I said, there is an urgency to many of the provisions of this legislation. We are talking about defense and homeland security in particular. I would also note that this bill is subject to amendment. Senators wishing to offer amendments would be entitled to do so. I am disappointed we were not able to get the unanimous consent agreement. I think it does again delay our chances to complete this work and to get it done in a way that accommodates the President's request and our appreciation for the urgency of addressing this work. I yield the floor.

Mr. DASCHLE. Prior to that, I urge our colleagues to consider the final piece of business. I am pleased the distinguished chair of the Appropriations Committee is on the floor. He and I have had many conversations with regard to the need to pass the supplemental. The President has admonished the Senate to complete our work on the supplemental before Memorial Day. I have indicated to Senator Byrd that that would be my desire, to complete our work on the supplemental prior to Memorial Day. And I indicated on the Senate floor earlier today it would be my hope that we could complete our work. Obviously, there are many pieces of legislation that await us when we return. So for a lot of reasons, the fact that this money is going primarily to defense and homeland security--we have seen warnings now issued in the last couple of weeks with regard to the need to respond even more consequentially to our homeland security requirements--I think the urgency of the bill is very much in evidence. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that immediately following the disposition of the trade bill, the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. 2551, the Senate supplemental appropriations bill; that there be 10 hours for debate on the bill, equally divided between the chairman and the ranking member of the Appropriations Committee; that all amendments be relevant to the bill and limited to 30 minutes of debate, equally divided in the usual form, with the amendment debate time counting toward the 10-hour cap; and that upon the disposition of the amendments, the bill be read a third time and passed, without any intervening action or debate.

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Madam President, I object, for two reasons. First, it seems to me the whole issue is urgency. We are talking about defense and homeland security. If there is any urgency to making the commitment to getting the work done, it ought to be now, not a week or 10 days from now. Secondly, we don't know when the House will produce the bill. Perhaps the House will complete its work; perhaps it will not. We know we have a job to do. As we have done on so many other occasions, we have done our work and waited for the House to act. If the House completes its work, perhaps that is something we can do. But we are not in a position to know what the House is going to do. Obviously, it would be very difficult for us to build a consent agreement around House action that may or may not take place. I do object. I do recognize, as the Senator from Mississippi, the distinguished Republican leader, has noted, we will have to reach some agreement. If it can't be done now, it will have to be done soon. It is disappointing that it cannot be done now.

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I have been in consultation with the distinguished Republican leader during the course of these votes. We have reached agreement on proceeding to the supplemental and then to the hate crimes legislation when we return. I know of no objection. So I will propound a unanimous consent request. I ask unanimous consent that on Monday, June 3, at 2 p.m., the Senate proceed to the consideration of H.R. 4775, the supplemental appropriations bill; that after the reporting of the bill, the text of the Senate companion, S. 2551, be substituted in lieu thereof and considered original text, provided that no points of order be considered as having been waived by its adoption; that upon the disposition of H.R. 4775, the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. 625, the bill to assist local jurisdictions to prosecute hate crimes; further, that if on Monday, June 3, the Senate has not received from the House the supplemental appropriations bill, the Senate proceed to S. 625 and it remain the pending business until the Senate receives H.R. 4775, at which time it be temporarily laid aside, the Senate begin consideration of H.R. 4775, and that no call for the regular order serve to displace H.R. 4775.

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I thank my colleagues and the distinguished Republican leader for his help in working through this procedural arrangement. I also thank the chairman of the Appropriations Committee and the ranking member. This will afford us the opportunity, at the earliest possible date, even though we are disappointed we are not able to take it up now, to take it up as soon as the House completes its work, hopefully, on the Monday we return from the Memorial Day recess. I yield the floor.