Pete Domenici

Mr. DOMENICI

Mr. DOMENICI. What we would like to do is ask, on our side, if we might see if there are any Republicans that want to offer amendments, and they ought to be able to be worked into that.

Mr. DOMENICI. In some order. Let me just say to the Senator, I understand what you have agreed to among yourselves, but the Senate hasn't agreed to that.

Mr. DOMENICI. The first votes we have decided upon, the three that the Senator asked me for.

Mr. DOMENICI. He will be joined in that 5 minutes, 2 minutes that you requested of me.

Mr. DOMENICI. I do not know whether we would do that tonight or not. But Senator Hutchinson would like to follow that with 5 minutes. I would ask consent that he be allowed 5 minutes following that amendment.

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I wonder if when the Senator is finished, obviously, we will not have used any time--we haven't yet, have we?

Mr. DOMENICI. It was cut in half by unanimous consent.

Mr. DOMENICI

Mr. DOMENICI. OK. Then the Republicans will appropriately assign their amendments. We will make our own arrangements on this side as to which ones go when.

Mr. DOMENICI. Could you tell us what the second one is?

Mr. DOMENICI. So when that is finished, when they have completed the pending amendment, then I ask unanimous consent that the next six amendments be alternatively spread between Democrat and Republican and that the three Democrat amendments, when they are supposedly to be called up, will be first----

Mr. DOMENICI. I am going to. Sometimes it takes a little while. I am getting tired and sleepy. The only amendment that could be ahead of all of this would be Senator Specter's amendment. And if you have not used all your time tonight, you will get some in the morning.

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, let's try that. When we convene in the morning----

Mr. DOMENICI. So how would we do that? Whatever we take tonight would be set aside in any event, and then we would say when they are finished they would be set aside and the first three amendments to be taken up for votes tomorrow would be----

Mr. DOMENICI. But we will offer in between, ours, also.

Mr. DOMENICI. We are not going to have any votes before 11. And you are suggesting if we are making a list in the morning, those are the three that your side wants?

Mr. DOMENICI. Do that tonight?

Mr. DOMENICI. Sure.

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, let me just say, according to the unanimous consent agreement, we are going to stay here so long as Senators want to offer amendments. They can either offer them and/or pull them, set them aside, or they can offer them and debate them tonight. I am going to have to leave shortly, but I will have somebody in my stead. We were not finished with the Specter amendment. I assume it is the regular order. It is not?

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I wish to call to the attention of the Senate technical corrections to certain descriptions contained in Senate report 106-27, which accompanies the Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for FY 2000. On page 266, the description of the Conrad amendment should read: (3) Conrad amendment to increase revenues relative to the Chairman's mark by $320 billion, to require that any revenue reduction be offset with spending reductions or revenue increases, to create a Medicare Surplus Reserve, and to create a new 60-vote point of order in the Senate against legislation that would reduce that reserve. On page 273, the description of the Lautenberg amendment should read: (27) Lautenberg amendment to increase revenues relative to the Chairman's mark by $320 billion, to require that any revenue reduction be offset with spending reductions or revenue increases, and to create a Medicare Surplus Reserve.

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I ask that Senators Specter, Jeffords, Hutchinson, Murkowski, and myself be made original cosponsors. Mr. President, while there is no assurance that veterans' health care is going to be increased by $2 billion, we already increased it $1.1 over the President's budget. I believe everybody should vote for this amendment, nonetheless.

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, there is no one in opposition. So I am going to speak.

Mr. DOMENICI. I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. DOMENICI. Madam President, this amendment is an anti-tax-relief amendment, plain and simple. Compared to the chairman's mark, which is before you, this amendment increases taxes by $320 billion over 10 years. As to Medicare, let us get it straight once and for all. What is really incredible is that there is no lockbox for Medicare. There is a wish box. All we do with the money that is claimed for Medicare is apply it against the debt so that it can be spent by anyone anytime. As a matter of fact, if it is done to reduce the debt so as to strengthen the economy, our budget does more than the President plus this amendment by way of deficit reduction. There is not one nickel in it that is spent on Medicare. It is a wish and a hope. We don't even know we need $320 billion over 10 years. It violates the Budget Act because it is not germane to the budget, and the vote will be on a motion to waive, which I recommend Senators vote no on.

Mr. DOMENICI

Mr. DOMENICI. I think anybody who wants to join this amendment ought to join it. We are going to let you have a vote, but not without my making an observation about it. I have been asked not to use strange words to describe amendments. So I will try to be very accurate. This is a feel-good, do-nothing amendment, and the veterans of the United States ought not think that they are getting $2 billion. As a matter of fact, there is $1.1 billion more than the President in this budget. But, for some, whatever you put in--I should have put $4 billion in. Then we want $7 billion. The truth of the matter is, this amendment is a do-nothing, feel-good amendment because it requires that we cut some other programs, following the format of the budget. That would mean we would have to cut education, environment, NIH, international affairs, housing, WIC-- all of which we heard complaints all day long have been cut too much already. Nonetheless, this amendment chooses to cut none of them and just says we will find it in an allowance, which means all these programs will be cut for this $2 billion. I do not think that is right. But neither do I want Senators to vote against veterans. So let us all vote ``aye'' and have a great big hurrah about the amendment. I ask for the regular order. Vote On Amendment No. 145

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I want to ask the distinguished Senator, Senator Johnson--Senator Specter is on the floor--has he joined as a cosponsor of the amendment?