J. Exon

Mr. EXON

Mr. EXON. We agree. I think that is a good suggestion.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, the Senator from Nebraska made a suggestion a few moments ago that is now being seriously considered. I would simply ask, since we are moving so rapidly, and since we are near completing this in the next 2 hours if we hang on, I would just suggest once again that we have a voice vote on the proposition that we take $100 out of the defense budget and $100 out of the swine research facility in Iowa. I suggest that be agreed to on a voice vote. I would like to know. We will put it in proper form if we can get approval of it on both sides. Informally, I would ask if anyone would object if the Senator would put it in written form, what I have just orally stated? Mr. HARKIN addressed the Chair.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, we are at a critical moment here. I would suggest that if the Senator from Iowa wishes to take $100 out of defense, the second degree-amendment, as I understand it, would take $100 out of swine research. I would suggest to both sides, why do we not agree to sensibly take $100 out of defense and $100 out of the swine program, and move the Senate ahead.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

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

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

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, this amendment simply strikes section 207 in order to keep all of our options open to avoid imposing costs on college students and their families. The amendment has no cost impact. The amendment strikes budget scoring rules in the budget resolution that single out a particular program. This amendment will allow committees of jurisdiction to look at these issues in a comprehensive manner. First, last, and always, this amendment protects students. I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. EXON

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote by which the amendment was rejected, and I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Mr. DOMENICI addressed the Chair.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, this amendment received some debate, although limited. I think most Members of this body understand the proposal very, very well. I do not have enough time to explain it in great detail. Let me try to sum up very briefly. The fair share alternative offered by Senator Conrad and others makes some very hard and necessary choices in the whole area of budget fairness. The Republican plan makes the wrong choices. This alternative gives us a plan that asks everyone to contribute. The fair share plan balances the budget by the year 2004 without counting the surpluses in the Social Security trust fund and achieves more deficit reduction in 2002 than the Republican plan. The fair share plan freezes discretionary spending but restores $190 billion in public investment. The fair share plan restores funding to Medicare, Medicaid, student loans, and other high priorities. It rejects the tax [[Page S7420]] cut targeted to wealthy and instead asks them to contribute by limiting the growth of tax loopholes that benefit the wealthy. The alternative does not balance the budget on the backs of the middle class, children, college students, and our elders. finally, a ``real'' balanced budget

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, on behalf of Senator Conrad, I send an amendment to the desk and ask for its immediate consideration.

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

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. EXON. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Amendment No. 1180 (Purpose: To express the sense of the Senate regarding the essential air service program of the Department of Transportation)

Mr. EXON. This is the Levin-Simon amendment. The budget resolution assumes the 15 percent reduction in overhead for nondefense agencies. The Levin-Simon amendment is a sense-of-the-Senate resolution which calls on the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Appropriations Committee to make at least a 3-percent reduction in overhead in defense agencies without reducing programmatic activities. I believe that, after a lot of discussion, this can be accepted by a voice vote.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I say to all Senators we are making great progress. There has been great progress on both sides. We have two amendments that I think we have tentatively agreed to accept by voice vote. Amendment No. 1179 (Purpose: To express the sense of the Senate regarding reducing overhead expenses in the Department of Defense)

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, unless it was previously ordered, I ask unanimous consent that Senators Wellstone, Moseley-Braun, and Exon be included as cosponsors of the amendment that was just agreed to.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, the yeas and nays have been ordered on the underlying amendment. In view of the vote on the motion to table, I ask unanimous consent that the yeas and nays be vitiated.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, the amendment that I have just offered proposes a sense of the Senate that the budget resolution not include language to sell the power marketing administrations except for Alaska; that offsetting revenue be found in the Department of Energy programs. This amendment recognizes that the production marketing associations contribute an annual $240 million a year in revenue to the Treasury while providing affordable, reliable power to 32 rural States. The PMA's are a vital part of this Nation's infrastructure and should not be sold to net an estimated $165 million. I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. EXON

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

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I move to waive the Budget Act for consideration of the pending amendment, and I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, on behalf of Senator Sarbanes and the other cosponsors I previously announced, I propose this amendment to restore water infrastructure grants to assist the State and local governments in meeting clean water and drinking water standards. As the amendment draws the funding from the $170 billion fiscal dividend, it would not increase the deficit.

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

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk on behalf of Mr. Sarbanes, for himself, Senators Lieberman, Mikulski, and Kerry, and ask for its immediate consideration.