Robert Dole

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that at 10 a.m. the Senate begin a 15-minute cloture vote on the State Department reorganization and the mandatory quorum under rule XXII be waived.

Mr. DOLE. I further ask that following the first cloture vote the Senate resume consideration of the State Department reorganization bill.

Mr. DOLE. I further ask unanimous consent the Senate stand in recess between hours of 12:30 p.m. and 2:15 p.m. for the two party luncheons, and following the recess at 2:15 p.m, the Senate proceed to a second cloture vote on the State Department reorganization and the mandatory quorum under rule XXII be waived.

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent when the Senate completes its business today it stand in recess until the hour of 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, August 1, 1995; that following the prayer the Journal of proceedings be deemed approved to date, the time for the leaders be reserved for their use later in the day; and that there then be a period for the transaction of routine morning business until 10 a.m. with Senators permitted to speak for up to 5 minutes, with the following exceptions: Senator Feinstein, 10 minutes; Senator Glenn, 15 minutes.

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. So, let me just summarize here for all my colleagues. For the information of all Senators, if cloture is not invoked either time on the State Department reorganization, it will be the majority leader's intention to either resume consideration of the energy water appropriations bill--but probably we will not do that unless some of the problems have been worked out--or begin consideration of the DOD authorization bill. Therefore, votes can be expected to occur throughout Tuesday's session with the first vote occurring at 10 a.m. Also, Senators should expect late sessions this week and the possibility of a Saturday session, if necessary, to make progress on the items needed to pass prior to the August recess, which will begin sometime in August.

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. Also, Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the first- degree amendments may be filed up to 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday and second- degree amendments may be filed for the first cloture vote by 10 a.m. and for the second cloture vote by 2:15 p.m. in order for them to qualify postcloture.

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I understand the Senator from California wishes to speak, and the Senator from Rhode Island. So, if I can just take a few minutes and I will sort of put us on automatic.

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. I thank the President pro tempore. Let me explain to my colleagues, leaders' time has been reserved, and there will be a period for morning business until 1:30 p.m. At 1:30 p.m, we will begin consideration of H.R. 1905, the energy and water appropriations bill, for opening statements until 2 p.m. today. It may be possible, unless there is an objection, to proceed on that for a little bit beyond 2 p.m, depending on whether or not we are prepared or ready to resume consideration of S. 908, the State Department reorganization bill. Cloture was filed on that bill on Friday. A cloture vote will occur tomorrow. I think perhaps it will be tomorrow morning sometime prior to the policy luncheon of both sides of the aisle. First-degree amendments must be filed by 1 p.m. in order to qualify under the postcloture. There will be no votes today before 6 p.m. There could be votes depending on what happens with S. 908. There will be no votes on anything with reference to H.R. 1905.

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, let me take a minute or two of leader time to say I have just returned from Burlington, VT, where I was privileged to attend the National Governors' Association meeting and talk about welfare reform. I outlined what I felt could be an agreed-upon package on the Republican side, pointing out there were still some differences among some Republicans. We explained our program in detail to the Republican Governors. There are now 30 Republican Governors out of 50. The 30 Republican Governors represent about 70 percent of the American people in the United States; or 70 percent live in those 30 States. I wanted to report that of the 30 Republican Governors, 26 were present. Governor Wilson of California was not present, Governor James of Alabama was not present, Governor Racicot of Montana and the Governor of South Dakota were not present, and one Governor had to depart the meeting early, Governor Weld of Massachusetts. The other 25 Governors, Governor Leavitt of Utah, Governor Engler of Michigan, Governor Whitman of New Jersey, Governor Allen of Virginia, Governor Rowland of Connecticut, Governor Fordice of Mississippi, Governor Voinovich of Ohio, Governor Bush of Texas, Governor Geringer of Wyoming, Governor Keating of Oklahoma, Governor Almond of Rhode Island, Governor Schafer of North Dakota, Governor Graves of Kansas, Governor Sundquist of Tennessee, Governor Thompson of Wisconsin, Governor Symington of Arizona, Governor Pataki of New York, Governor Branstad of Iowa, Governor Merrill of New Hampshire, Governor Edgar of Illinois, Governor Beasley of South Carolina, Governor Carlson of Minnesota, Governor Johnson of New Mexico, Governor Ridge of Pennsylvania, Governor Batt of Idaho, all endorse the Republican alternative. I just passed around a little sheet of paper. They all signed it after we had gone over it. I am certain the other five Republican Governors will also endorse what we think would be a strong Republican package. They like it. It returns power to the Governors, power to the States, and does not contain a lot [[Page S 10912]] of strings. In their view, whether liberal or conservative strings, they are still strings. We know there may be some areas where we may not be able to accommodate the Governors. By and large, they are looking forward to designing their own plan when it comes to welfare. We also have a provision where you can opt out of the Food Stamp Program. What the Governors would like, of course, is more block grants. We are not able to do that because we do not have the votes. I asked the Democratic Governors, when I spoke to the full session of the National Governors' Association at 9:45, to take a look at this proposal. We believe it can be approached on a nonpartisan, bipartisan basis. It is what the Governors have been telling us for years, in both parties, that they wanted--more power to the Governors, power to the States, power to the people. This is all sort of patterned after the 10th amendment to the Constitution, which is part of the Bill of Rights. It is only 28 words in length, which says, in effect, that unless the power is vested in the Federal Government, it ought to be with the people and with the States. Most Governors, regardless of party, believe that should happen, whether it is welfare reform, whether it is Medicaid, whatever it is. They believe they can better implement and rate the programs at less cost, less redtape, less bureaucracy, and provide better service to the people who must rely on Medicaid, food stamps, welfare, and AFDC-- whatever the welfare program might be. I was very encouraged after the meeting with the Republican Governors. They know there are some differences on the Republican side. They will be weighing in very heavily on the proposal this week. We hope to take it up either Friday or Saturday of this week and finish it sometime next week or the following week. I hope that before we conclude, we will have broad bipartisan support.

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I reserve the remainder of my leader's time.

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, on another matter, I want to again thank my colleagues, Senator Lott and Senator McConnell, as well as Senator Levin, Senator Wellstone, Senator Feingold, and many others on both sides of the aisle who worked together on the gift ban proposal. As I said on the floor on Friday, I think we made a lot of progress. I read the editorial in the New York Times which indicated many fought it to the bitter end, which was not true. Editorial writers are entitled to their opinion, but they are not entitled to lie. If they had followed the debate, they would have known there was a lot of work going on all week long, in good faith, by Democrats and Republicans, by the leader, by the Democratic leader. What we finally did was say, ``OK, we agree on this. We cannot agree on three things. We will agree on what we agree on and vote on what we cannot agree on.'' That is precisely what we did. So, to the editor, whoever wrote that in the New York Times--I do not normally read it, but Sunday was a slow day--I hope that they will try to at least stick with the facts, maybe once a year, twice a year. We do not want to overdo it for the New York Times, but every little bit would help. They are entitled to facts, they are entitled to opinions, but understand what the facts are. And it is supposed to be the paper of ``all the news that is fit to print''--some say a 10th, but I say all the news fit to print. We hope for more responsibility from the editorial board of the New York Times. The primary purpose was to thank my colleagues for all the work they did and the good-faith effort. I think we made a giant step forward, and, hopefully, we will ease the concerns of many of our constituents when it comes to Members of Congress and gift rules. Also, lobbying reform was another bipartisan effort on the floor. I thank my colleagues who were engaged in that.

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. I will seek the yeas and nays, and I think the Senator will seek the yeas and nays on the second-degree amendment.

Mr. DOLE. If I could speak to the second-degree amendment. I thank the Senator from North Carolina. I see on his desk a story that appeared in the Washington Times, and that is the purpose of the amendment offered by the Senator from North Carolina. Mr. President, there are many problems in the U.N. system but today's front page story in the Washington Times is another outrageous example of the lack of accountability in the United Nations. More than $9 million in overdue debts have been accumulated by foreign diplomats and foreign missions in New York. Bills for landlords, hospitals, banks, stores, and restaurants all go unpaid while the diplomats hide behind the U.N. blue flag. The U.N. Secretary General issued a report recognizing the problem was serious. For example, some missions have not paid rent for 2 years; property owners were in danger of losing properties but diplomatic tenants cannot be evicted. The Secretary General, however, refused to name names. Instead, he suggested a working group to study the problem. I think we all know how to solve the problem. Don't form yet another layer of bloated bureaucracy--just get the bills paid. This second-degree amendment offered by Senator Helms is very simple. It withholds $20 million--roughly double the amount owed by deadbeat diplomats--until the Secretary of State certifies two things: First, the identities to the deadbeat diplomats by name; and second, that the U.N. Secretary General is addressing the problem and getting debts paid. The money we appropriate for the United Nations is not an entitlement. And, yes, the administration may have committed our Government to more money that we are willing to appropriate. But Congress does not have to sit by while the United Nations provides cover for deadbeat diplomats getting special treatment. I certainly urge my colleagues to support the second-degree amendment of the Senator from North Carolina. Several Senators addressed the Chair.

Mr. DOLE

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

Mr. DOLE. Will the Senator yield?

Mr. DOLE. After this discussion, we will have morning business and there will be no additional action on this bill tonight.

Mr. DOLE. Has the Senator from Texas finished?

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent there now be a period for the transaction of routine morning business with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. DOLE

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

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Senate immediately proceed to executive session to consider all the nominations placed on the secretary's desk in the Marine Corps. I further ask unanimous consent the nominations be confirmed en bloc, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table en bloc, that any statements relating to the nominations appear at the appropriate place in the Record, the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action, and the Senate then return to legislative session.

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, in describing the State of Michigan, the author John Steinbeck wrote, ``It seemed to me that the Earth was generous and outgoing here in the heartland, and perhaps the people took a cue from it.'' One person who Steinbeck may have been thinking of when he wrote those words was George Romney. And today Governor Romney's family and friends [[Page S 11039]] gathered in Bloomfield Hills, MI, to pay a final tribute to one of America's most generous and outgoing public servants. An innovative businessman, an effective Governor, a dedicated Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, a committed members of his church, a loving husband and father. George Romney was all of this and more. But perhaps the title that Governor Romney cherished above all was the simple title of American. During his remarkable life and career, George Romney was always fighting for his country, and for the values that make it great. He knew that the free enterprise system was the engine that moved our economy forward, and, as a pioneering businessman, he introduced the compact car to Americans. George Romney also believed in democracy, and he chose to leave a very lucrative career for the opportunity to make a difference for all Michigan citizens. And some three decades before ``Reinventing Government'' became a national fad, George Romney fought to reduce the bureaucracy, and to see that Government remained close to the people. George Romney also was an advocate for the uniquely American tradition of neighbor helping neighbor, and after leaving public service, he founded The National Center, which was devoted to increasing voluntarism in America, and which will stand as one of his legacies. Another legacy is his family. Governor Romney understood that there is no institution more vital to America's survival than the family. He fought for policies that strengthened all America's families, and he took geat pride in the many accomplishments of his. I know all Senators join with me in sending our condolences, to Lenore, his wife of 64 years, and to his four children, 23 grandchildren, and 33 great-grandchildren.

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed to immediate consideration of H.R. 2017, just received from the House.

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, as I understand it, the Senator from California wishes to speak for 10 minutes and the Senator from Rhode Island for 10 minutes. So I ask unanimous consent that if there is no further business to come before the Senate, the Senate stand in recess under the previous order after the completion of the remarks by the Senator from California, Senator Boxer, and the remarks of the Senator from Rhode Island, Senator Pell.

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that there now be a period for the transaction of morning business not to extend beyond the hour of 1 p.m. with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 5 minutes each.

Mr. DOLE

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