Pete Domenici

Mr. DOMENICI

Mr. DOMENICI. Let me just say that I believe, after talking to Senator Lautenberg, the staffs can work together on this and that the sense-of-the-Senate part of this amendment, advocating the kind of tax cuts that were referred to by the Senator in his sense-of-the-Senate paragraph, might be acceptable to Senator Lautenberg, and we can then accept it without a vote. But I would just like to make an observation while we wait to see whether that will happen. I hope it doesn't make the Senator from New Jersey change his mind. I don't think it will. Frankly, I said a while ago it is easier to manage a budget when we are not in surplus. I am almost prepared to say it is easier for the taxpayer to get a tax cut when we do not have a surplus than when we do. Now, I haven't checked the history of the last six or seven tax cut bills, but obviously we were not in balance because we just got in balance. We gave tax cuts because we thought they were necessary, prudent. To the American people, our businesses, large and small, others--maybe those who have their businesses at home--ought to be able to deduct their health care like everyone else. We come around and say those things ought to be done. Now we have a surplus, and I will be darned; it is tougher to get concurrence that we ought to give some of it back to the people than when we borrowed it to give it back to them. So I was thinking as the debate occurred, who has been forgotten by this Government? Who is looked upon as sort of a silent partner in all this but shouldn't be terribly worried about it? It seems to me it is the taxpayer. Asked on our side, we would say reducing taxes, making sure Social Security is fixed--and we have done that. Everybody is now joining us on 100 percent of the surplus when held for that --Medicare; we have had a bipartisan approach here saying let's get it done--and that leaves the taxpayer. I kind of say, poor taxpayers. We ought to put them right up at the top, and that is sort of what the intention of my friend from Minnesota was. Whatever the language, laudatory or, as Senator Nickles said the other day, precatory--if you want to look it up in the dictionary, it is pretty much like laudatory. And if you don't know what that means, I don't know what to tell you. But there is a lot of that. In any event, the sense of the Senate at the bottom says we recognize the taxpayers are very important and we ought to look at them just as we look at new programs. I certainly say it is important that we do that. I yield back whatever of the 2 minutes I did not use.

Mr. DOMENICI. I don't think they have any time left.

Mr. DOMENICI. We have no objection and we have no time remaining.

Mr. DOMENICI. There is no time left on the amendment.

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

Mr. DOMENICI

Mr. DOMENICI. We would like to proceed, if we can, with the Kennedy amendment. I ask the Senator, you are on that same amendment, are not you?

Mr. DOMENICI. Let me just say, we can leave time for more debate on this. The problem is, we are going to run out of time, and people are not going to get any time on a score of amendments that they think are very, very important, also. From my standpoint, you have control of plenty of the time. If we can get on with the next one, you can reclaim time and use it off the bill if there is somebody who wants to discuss this issue.

Mr. DOMENICI. Let me ask, in terms of time, we still have how much time on the bill? Something like 8 and a half hours?

Mr. DOMENICI. How much time?

Mr. DOMENICI. Has the time been yielded on the amendment itself?

Mr. DOMENICI. I am not going to ask them to yield back their time. I ask unanimous consent that we set this aside temporarily while the Kennedy amendment proceeds.

Mr. DOMENICI. I say to the Senator, we will not take it off yours, but take it off the bill. We will charge it equally. How much time, I ask the Senator?

Mr. DOMENICI. Fifteen minutes.

Mr. DOMENICI

Mr. DOMENICI. I thank the Senator, but I would not do that at this point.

Mr. DOMENICI. I do not choose to speak at this point.

Mr. DOMENICI. I did not hear the Senator.

Mr. DOMENICI. How much time does the Senator want?

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to put the amendment aside and allow the Senator from Indiana to speak.

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, let me say I don't have any objection. Obviously, even if I did, probably I couldn't do anything about it. But I do want to ask Senators if they would be somewhat helpful. I know, now that Senator Kennedy has a chart up that describes the Democrat plan that doesn't exist, and a Republican plan that doesn't exist, that everybody wants to come to the floor and talk about this. I remind everyone and ask their indulgence and help: We have about 35 to 40 amendments that people want to be heard on. They are legitimately as interested as are colleagues on this issue, which we have already debated three times on three amendments. I am not going to argue about it. I say go ahead, we will give you 10 minutes, but when you take it off the bill, it means it is not available for anyone at the end of this bill. So I ask we be a little bit helpful in that regard. I yield the floor.

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent, on behalf of the leader, that at 12 noon today the Senate proceed to vote on or in relation to the following amendments, the first vote limited to 15 minutes and other votes to 10 minutes each, with 2 minutes equally divided prior to each vote and no second-degree amendments in order prior to the vote--this has been cleared on both sides--Specter amendment No. 157; Robb amendment No. 176; Kennedy amendment No. 177. Is that the pending amendment?

Mr. DOMENICI. I thank the Chair.

Mr. DOMENICI. I say to Senator Kennedy, I am just going to use a couple minutes. Did the Senator want the floor?

Mr. DOMENICI. Sure. I believe the sequencing is, after the Kennedy amendment, we are going to do a Republican education amendment, and then we are going to return to your side for your amendment. If you would like to send it to the desk now, I ask unanimous consent that that be in order. We are not going to debate it now; right?

Mr. DOMENICI

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, Graham No. 164, as modified. We ask that it be accepted. We send the modification to the desk.

Mr. DOMENICI. Graham of Florida, No. 165, with a modification.