Robert Dole

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. I ask the yeas and nays be vitiated.

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak out of order.

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, earlier today, the Department of Health and Human Services released the results of its 1994 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse. According to the survey, marijuana use among teenagers has nearly doubled since 1992, after 13 straight years of decline. This troubling fact confirms what we already know: Today, our children are smoking more dope, smoking and snorting more cocaine, and smoking and shooting up more heroin than at any time in recent memory. Unfortunately, while drug use has gone up during the past 2\1/2\ years, the Clinton administration has sat on the sidelines, transforming the war on drugs into a full-scale retreat. The President has abandoned the moral bully pulpit, cut the staff at the drug Czar's office by nearly 80 percent, and appointed a surgeon general who believes the best way to fight illegal drugs is to legalize them. He has presided over an administration that has de-emphasized the interdiction effort, allowed the number of Federal drug prosecutions to decline, and overseen a source-country effort that the General Accounting Office describes as badly managed and poorly coordinated. Mr. President, illegal drug use declined throughout the 1980's and early 1990's, so we know how to turn this dangerous problem around. It means sending a clear and unmistakable cultural message that drug use is wrong, stupid, and life-threatening. It means beefing up our interdiction and drug enforcement efforts. It means strengthening our work in the source countries by making clear that good relations with the United States require serious efforts to stop drug exports. And, yes, it means leadership at the top, starting with the President of the United States. Today's survey is yet another warning for America. We must renew our commitment to the war on drugs, with or without President Clinton as an ally. I yield the floor.

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. I further ask that following disposition of the Conrad amendment, there be 4 minutes equally divided in the usual form on the Feinstein amendment No. 2469, to be followed immediately by a vote on or in relation to the Feinstein amendment.

Mr. DOLE. I further ask that following disposition of the Feinstein amendment, Senator Breaux be recognized to offer his amendment concerning maintenance of effort; that the time prior to 12:30 p.m. be equally divided in the usual form and a vote occur on or in relation to the Breaux amendment at 2:15 p.m. on Tuesday.

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, let me indicate to my colleagues on both sides, I think there are a couple hundred amendments pending. We did not dispose of very many today. It is my understanding there are about 19 cleared on this side. And we hope we might be able to dispose of those this evening if they can be cleared on the other side. They are both Democratic and Republican amendments, and not controversial, as I understand it. I have not seen the amendments myself. But I think we have indicated--at least I have indicated, and I think the Democratic leader, the distinguished Senator from South Dakota, Senator Daschle, agrees--we ought to complete action on this bill Thursday, that on Friday take up the State, Commerce, Justice appropriations bill, and either complete action on that Friday--the chairman would like it Friday or Saturday, that bill, because we do need to complete action on the remaining appropriations bills and go to conference and send them down to the President before October 1. And so there is a lot of pressure on us to get the work done. We still have the six appropriations bills to do. Two or three will take some time. A couple of them may go rather quickly. So I would suggest that we have got a lot of work to do in a rather short time. I know that some of my colleagues will have problems in the first week in October because of religious holidays. And we want to accommodate everybody, try to accommodate everybody, as we should. But hopefully we will have the appropriations bills done, so it will be easier to accommodate those who have particular concerns in that area. So I would urge my colleagues to cooperate with the managers on each side so we can complete action on this bill on Thursday evening. I will be sending a cloture motion to the desk. In fact, I will do it right now.

Mr. DOLE. I will be happy to yield to the Senator from Illinois.

Mr. DOLE. I ask unanimous consent that at 9 a.m. there be 10 minutes for debate on the pending Conrad amendment No. 2529, to be followed immediately by a vote on or in relation to the Conrad amendment.

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

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

Mr. DOLE. For each one?

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I will ask unanimous consent as to how we may proceed. It has been worked out and cleared by the Democrats. There will be no more votes tonight. Unfortunately, we could not get anybody to offer an amendment, but we do have an agreement the Senator from California and the Senator from North Dakota will offer amendments and votes will occur tomorrow. Orders for Tuesday, September 12, 1995

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

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand in recess until 9 a.m. Tuesday, September 12, 1995, and the Senate immediately resume consideration of H.R. 4, the welfare bill.

Mr. DOLE. I also want to say, as I indicated earlier, since the leader is on the floor, there are a number of amendments that have been cleared on this side, and if they can be cleared on the other side--I think there are a total of 19--that would be a sign of progress, too. As I understand, they are amendments from Republicans and Democrats. They are not controversial. They probably would not have been cleared. That would be a sign we are making progress, too.

Mr. DOLE. Following the Graham-Bumpers amendment, how much time?

Mr. DOLE. They may want to check that. I can seek agreement but not give a time agreement. I ask unanimous consent that Senator Domenici be sequenced in after Graham-Bumpers, but we cannot get an agreement on time.

Mr. DOLE. No. But it is my hope, and I hope the hope of the Democratic leader, that we finish it Thursday. Otherwise, I think we will go the reconciliation route. We could be here on this for the next 3 weeks, and we have six appropriations bills to pass. We have got some people pressing for a recess in October. And we want to try to accommodate people, but sometimes we have to accommodate the work at hand. And there is a lot of work at hand. For 49 hours we have been on this bill. It is a very important bill. But this will take us into tomorrow evening, even this agreement--one, two, five, six, seven, eight, nine amendments, which will get us to sometime tomorrow evening. That would still only leave 200 left. That may be progress; not in my book. I will send a cloture motion to the desk. First, I will yield the floor. Mr. DASCHLE addressed the Chair.

Mr. DOLE. Yes.

Mr. DOLE. Any time agreements?

Mr. DOLE. I would ask the following sequence: Following disposition of the Breaux amendment, Senator Ashcroft be recognized to offer an amendment on food stamps; following disposition of that amendment, we hope to get a time agreement, and that the Senator from Alabama, Senator Shelby, be recognized to offer an amendment on food stamps; following disposition of that amendment, the distinguished Senator from Illinois, Senator Moseley-Braun, be recognized to offer three amendments with a 2-hour time agreement, 1 hour on each side; followed by the Graham-Bumpers amendment on formulas, as I understand it.

Mr. DOLE. I think the only point I would make--I am not certain we could do that. We do not want to get to one amendment at 5 o'clock tomorrow and be on it for the rest of the day. If I could get consent, before I move to the Graham amendment, on the previous three amendments, Ashcroft, Shelby--no time agreements.

Mr. DOLE. That is OK. Mr. President, I will just modify my request.

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I send a cloture motion to the desk.