Robert Dole

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Post Office and Civil Service, Committee on Governmental Affairs, be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, August 2, 1995, to receive the Annual Report of the Postmaster General of the United States.

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the full Committee on Environment and Public Works be granted permission to meet to conduct a business meeting to consider pending business Wednesday, August 2, at 10 a.m.

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. I make that request, that the Wellstone amendment plus any second-degree amendments be the only amendments in order.

Mr. DOLE. I am happy to yield to the Senator.

Mr. DOLE. Whatever the disposition is----

Mr. DOLE. If it is all right with the Democratic whip, who is on the floor, Senator Ford, I announce there are no more votes this evening. If there is a vote required on the Wellstone amendment, maybe 9 o'clock in the morning.

Mr. DOLE. Madam President, we are down to one amendment on this bill. It seems to me that rather than call everyone back for one vote, if there is a vote on this, we could have that vote tomorrow morning. There is no request for a vote for final passage, as long as we have one on the conference report-- either one on the bill or one on the conference report. If that is satisfactory with the Senator from Minnesota, then I am willing to say--and the managers, of course--that there will be no more votes tonight, but we would have opening statements on DOD authorization yet tonight.

Mr. DOLE. That was in the original list. We could make that request.

Mr. DOLE. In the event there is a vote, we request it be put over until tomorrow. In the event we complete action without it, obviously that is desired.

Mr. DOLE. That would be understood. Obviously, if we finish tonight without a vote, I am sure the managers would be happy to do that.

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, what is the pending business?

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, let me indicate that we are going to try to finish this energy and water appropriations bill today. I have been advised by the managers that they think that can be done. They have resolved one of the contentious issues.

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. There will be a Saturday session. I appreciate the Democrat leader mentioning that.

Mr. DOLE. Let me indicate to my colleagues now what we would like to do between now and the 12th of August--hopefully by the 12th, if not beyond the 12th; that is, to complete action on the energy and water appropriations, to complete action on the DOD authorization bill, to complete action on welfare reform, to complete action on the DOD appropriations bill, and I am advised by Senators Stevens and Inouye-- we had a meeting in my office this morning--that could be done in one day. Marty was there, I might add, the Democratic leader's representative. It was not a party meeting. They said what we could do. And there is also a hope, because we have had some conversations that there may be renewed interest in getting some agreement, if possible, on reg reform, that we can either finish it before we leave for the recess, or finish it when we are back. So I would just say in the spirit of everybody trying, I know there are going to be important amendments, and I know they want them to be debated. Everybody has that right. According to the appropriators, the DOD appropriators, many of these amendments that are going to be taken care of in DOD authorization we will treat the same in the appropriations bill. It might speed up the process. So that would be very helpful. I say to the Democratic leader, I do not think we have tried to pile up too much here if everything goes well and if we all cooperate on both sides. Most of these issues involved are not partisan issues. They are policy issues where you have Republicans and Democrats, particularly in DOD, maybe in this energy and water, you have Republicans and some Democrats on each side of the issues, so they are not partisan issues. There should not be any partisan roadblocks that I know of. I am not as familiar with the bills as obviously the managers are. So we will now move to energy and water. And I will be very happy to yield to the distinguished Democratic leader if he wanted to make any comments.

Mr. DOLE

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

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. Again, let me say to my colleague from North Carolina that we have indicated to him that this would be back up again. We discussed that with the distinguished Senator from Massachusetts, and the Senator from Rhode Island. It is an important bill. But I think in the spirit of trying to get some things done--we can get on hopefully with part of the recess--this is the best course to follow. So I thank my colleague from North Carolina for his agreeing with that procedure. There will be votes throughout the day. Mr. KERRY addressed the Chair.

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I have indicated at our policy luncheon that this bill will probably be brought up at a later time. But I would now ask unanimous consent that the Department of State reorganization be placed back on the calendar.

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the bill be considered and deemed read a third time, passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements relating to the bill be placed at the appropriate place in the Record.

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, this is for funding for international conferences. S. 908 is an important piece of legislation. It provides for a massive reinvention of our foreign affairs bureaucracies. Because of this, I am fearful that many of my colleagues on the other side, in fact, maybe all of my colleagues, will not let us complete action on this bill. Chairman Helms and the subcommittee Chairperson Snowe deserves credit for bringing this landmark bill to the floor. I signed a letter in support of this earlier today, and ask that it be printed in the Record at the conclusion my statement.

Mr. DOLE. I signed the letter, along with Senator Helms and Senator Snowe. Regardless of what happens on the cloture vote tomorrow, there is an issue we should address today: The United States plan to attend the fourth U.N. Conference on Women, scheduled for September in Beijing, China. My amendment would withhold $3.5 million--50 percent of the total account--unless the Secretary of State certifies no United States funds were expended to finance a United States delegation to the women's conference while Harry Wu is detained in China. As you know, since June 19, Harry Wu has been detained in China. Consular access to him, guaranteed under the terms of our 1982 agreement with China, was originally delayed. Last week, a suspicious tape was released by Beijing with Harry Wu confessing that his past exposes on human rights abuses in China were untrue. On July 9, Harry Wu was charged with offenses which could carry the death penalty. In light of his years of experience in the Chinese gulag, there is ample reason to fear for Harry Wu's safety. Our relationship with China is at a crucial crossroads. We have many disputes with Beijing including trade, proliferation, human rights, and Taiwan. We must, however, choose our course of action carefully. As Dr. Henry Kissinger said before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee earlier this month. ``The danger of the existing rollercoaster toward confrontation to the United States and China is incalculable.'' I share Dr. Kissinger's concern over the dangers of a full-scale confrontation. However, the most fundamental duty of a government is to protect the rights of its citizens--and Harry Wu is an American citizen. I urge the Chinese to release him. No improvement in relations will be possible as long as he is detained. Mr. President, there are many problems with the fourth U.N. Conference on Women. I share the view recently expressed by Senator Kassebaum and Congressman Hamilton on U.N. conferences: The United Nations is in Peril of becoming little more than a road show traveling from conference to conference. If an issue is serious, a conference will not solve it; if it is not serious, a conference is a waste of time. In my view, the United States should stay away from any U.N. conference with goals and agendas which do nothing to promote American interests--whether they are held in Beijing, Brusslels, or Boston. There are many reasons to stay away from the U.N. Women's Conference--from the systematic exclusion of certain nongovernment organizations to the irony of holding a human rights conference in a country with a poor human rights record. The tilt toward anti- Americanism and radicalism--always present in lowest common denominator U.N. conferences--was particularly pronounced for the Women's Conference. There was even a controversy over the definition of gender in the preparatory meetings of the conference. There should be no doubt that China will use the Women's Conference to enhance its prestige and international image. It is our view that the United States should not be a party to what will surely be a propaganda exercise as long as Harry Wu is detained. It would be wrong to attend a human rights conference when an American citizen is unjustly detained. We should be realistic. The administration can use already appropriated funds to go to Beijing. We cannot stop that today. However, we can make our position clear. For the administration, the choice in this amendment is simple--stay away from the Women's Conference while Harry Wu is detained or lose 50 percent of your ability to fund such conferences in the future. I urge my colleagues to support the amendment. Exhibit 1 U.S. Senate, Washington, DC, July 26, 1995. Dear Colleague: Six weeks ago, with the support of every Republican member, the Foreign Relations Committee passed S. 908, the Foreign Relations Revitalization Act. This legislation is the first authorization measure to reach the Senate floor within budget targets, fulfilling the mandate the American people gave us last November. This bill is a promise kept: Money is saved, bureaucracy eliminated, and the ability of our nation to conduct foreign relations enhanced. This reorganization of the U.S. foreign policy apparatus saves $3.66 billion over four years. A similar measure has already passed the House. Three agencies, the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, the Agency for International Development and the United States Information Agency are abolished and their functions rolled into the Department of State. The core functions of these agencies are not lost. Despite propagandizing to the contrary, independent broadcasting is protected; arms control and non-proliferation will be strengthened; and assistance programs which support national interests will be liberated from a convoluted AID bureaucracy. This consolidation plan has been endorsed by five former U.S. Secretaries of State: Henry Kissinger, George Shultz, Alexander Haig, James Baker and Lawrence Eagleburger. And as Henry Kissinger recently said, if given a truth serum, Secretary Christopher would endorse it too. There is, however, an alternative to this reorganization plan. It is called the status quo. Earlier this year, Secretary of State Christopher suggested a similar reorganization of the foreign affairs structure of this country, only to be beaten back by Washington bureaucrats protecting their fiefdoms. Attempts to engage the Clinton Administration were rebuffed consistently; repeated offers to find common ground have been rejected or ignored. The Administration has offered no alternatives and no savings. President Clinton's second budget calls for a 20 percent cut in all non-defense accounts. S. 908 delivers on that call. But there is only one way to meet budget targets and still preserve the core elements of U.S. international operations: Consolidation of our foreign affairs agencies. This should not be a partisan battle. A vote to sacrifice desk jobs for programs that support U.S. national security and humanitarian goals should be an easy one. But the Administration and the Democrats cannot accept that sacrifice, which means partisanship may rule the day. Their plan, detailed in an AID memo, is to ``derail, delay and obfuscate'' the process. Let us move this bill quickly, defeat efforts to preserve the bureaucratic status quo, and prove that we, at least, are serious about cutting spending. We need your vote. Sincerely, Bob Dole, Olympia Snowe, Jesse Helms. Amendment No. 2026 to Amendment No. 2025

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, the pending business is the State Department revitalization?

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk.

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mr. DOLE. We could set them aside with the understanding somewhere around 6 or 6:30 we would have a vote. We would not want to set them aside and have someone say we will never vote on them.

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. The Senator from Texas had the floor, so I will yield the floor and then I will ask for the floor on the completion of her remarks.