Pete Domenici

Mr. DOMENICI

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, there are a number of Senators who want us to tender amendments on their behalf. We will start to accumulate them. When the next vote is over, we will get them in. Mr. McCAIN addressed the Chair.

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, what is the next order of business?

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

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, the pending amendment is not germane to provisions of the Budget Act. Pursuant to section 305(b)(2) of the Budget Act, I raise a point of order against the pending amendment.

Mr. DOMENICI. I have 2\1/2\ minutes--it was 5 minutes equally divided. Mr. President, this is a very simple proposition. Do you want to start and create five new entitlement programs or do you want to save Medicare? It is a very simple proposition. We suggested, as Republicans, that Social Security and Medicare are the two most important American programs to save, reform, and make available well into the next century. We put our money where our mouth is, and we put whatever is left of the cigarette settlement on the highest priority health expenditure of this Nation: the salvaging and reforming of the Medicare system. In contrast, my good friend who offers this amendment says, ``Let's create five new entitlement programs.'' Even though the money will run out someday, we will have some permanent programs. Everyone knows this Nation should not have new entitlement programs, and everyone knows that there are many high-priority items in the American budget. We have said in our budget that we have made room for high-priority expenditures, and I will tell you quickly what they are: $15.5 billion increase in the National Institutes of Health. We have taken Presidential reductions and said we will spend them here; $825 million for a smoking cessation program, twice the size of the President's; And then we have said in our settlement of the tobacco fund, if it ever occurs, we pay the States their share and the rest of it goes to the program most in need--Medicare. Let me tell you, there is no relationship between some of the new entitlement programs that some want to create out of this tobacco settlement, but there is a direct relationship between the insolvency of the Medicare fund and tobacco smoking. As a matter of fact, in 1995 there was $25 billion of costs in the Medicare system that came from smoking. So if you are going to get money from the tobacco settlement, put it where the damage to the senior citizens is occurring, and it is occurring by virtue of their fund for medical care going bankrupt. I believe the issue is very simple--very simple: Do you want a budget that begins to help with Medicare, or do you want a budget that says not one nickel for Medicare; let's take care of that later with money from somewhere else.

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I gather I have 5 minutes to respond?

Mr. DOMENICI. Senator, there is a unanimous consent agreement, so we will not disagree. We will give you the minute. I am not objecting.

Mr. DOMENICI. I thank the Senator for reminding us.

Mr. DOMENICI. That is the current unanimous consent situation in the Senate, is it not, Mr. President?

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that at 2 p.m. the Senate resume consideration of the Coverdell amendment and there be 5 minutes equally divided for debate on the Coverdell amendment; following that, there be 5 minutes equally divided for closing debate on the Conrad amendment. I further ask a vote occur on or in relation to the Conrad amendment at 2:10, to be followed by a vote on or in relation to the Coverdell amendment, with 2 minutes of debate equally divided between the votes.

Mr. DOMENICI. We have not used any time in opposition?

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, might I inquire, where are we on the amendment of the distinguished Senator from Illinois?

Mr. DOMENICI. Is that possible?

Mr. DOMENICI. Would it be possible that we could agree then that if you are going to withhold until the following events occur, that Senator Roth be permitted to speak for 15 minutes? But he would be preceded by two Senators who want to just offer amendments.

Mr. DOMENICI. That is fine with me. I thought the minority leader had asked me to call her amendment up and then go ahead and yield this time. But if you want to do it another way--Senator Roth, are you satisfied?

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I thank the distinguished majority leader and the minority leader for helping with this. Obviously, this is a much more orderly process, and I think it has a chance of working to the enhancement of the Senate's ability to do this work right. I understand that the distinguished Senator from Illinois is going to call up an amendment, after which she is going to yield promptly so that Senator Roth might speak for a few minutes, and then it will return to her for control of her time and we will have time on our side.

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, might I just ask--everybody might want to know this--if in fact we don't complete all the amendments under the prescription we have just agreed to, then if there are remaining amendments, this agreement does not pertain to this at all, that will be looked at by the Senate; we will get it done one way or another?

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

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I am going to yield the floor, but I want to make a parliamentary inquiry. Would the regular order bring the Kyl amendment now to the Senate?

Mr. DOMENICI. We could stay in here very late tonight, into the morning and that would put us on a path to where we could start voting and we could see some daylight. Amendment No. 2169

Mr. DOMENICI. I would like to just tell Senators that we now have about 29 amendments that are pending, for all intents and purposes. I consider that everybody wants a vote on them, although I hope not. And we still have about 18 hours, so there is plenty of time for more amendments. And, frankly, I just hope everybody understands that today is Wednesday, tomorrow is Thursday, the next day is Friday. I think that everybody should share with me some concern about whether we can finish this resolution unless there is some cooperation with reference to amendments. I do not ask anything of anyone specifically at this point, but I hope and I urge that, if there are more amendments, you start getting them in to us. There is no time by which you are bound, but I urge that, if you have additional amendments or second-degree amendments, you let us see them. I am sure my friend from New Jersey will join me in that. At some point we have to try to make a little sense of the process on this to see if we can get this work done in a timely manner. Mr. LAUTENBERG addressed the Chair.

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I wonder if Senator Lautenberg would join me in just a discussion of where we are. And, obviously, I will yield the floor. I understand the distinguished chairman of the Finance Committee wants to speak. I yield myself time off the budget resolution. Mr. President, fellow Senators, I understand we have one vote scheduled on or in relationship to the Kyl amendment at 12 o'clock. The distinguished Senator is here. He would like to speak for 1 minute, and there will be 1 minute in opposition. I make that request and ask unanimous consent.

Mr. DOMENICI. I move to reconsider the vote on the two amendments, en bloc.

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, there is pending an amendment No. 2178 by Senator Burns. There is no objection on this side and, I understand, no objection on the Democrat side.

Mr. DOMENICI

Mr. DOMENICI. I yield 5 minutes of the opening remarks to Senator Sessions with reference to this amendment.