J. Exon

Mr. EXON

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, this removes instructions to the Rules Committee that repeals spending limits and public financing for Presidential campaigns, returning to pre-Watergate rules for those campaigns. Offset approximately $250 million over 7 years, of reduced overhead and administrative costs spread across Government by the Appropriations Committee.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 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. 1153 (Purpose: To maintain public funding for Presidential campaigns)

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays on the motion.

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

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, pursuant to section 904 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, I move to waive section 305(b) of that act for consideration of the pending amendment.

Mr. EXON

Mr. EXON. The Senator was not recognized to offer an amendment. I want to make that clear to the Senator. You can reserve the right to offer an amendment.

Mr. EXON. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Mr. EXON. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Amendment No. 1150 (Purpose: Deficit neutral amendment that would prohibit including revenues in the budget resolution based on oil and gas leasing within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge)

Mr. EXON. I shall not object. It seems that we cannot agree on anything around here. Let me set the stage. We are making a change here under unanimous consent, or attempting to, to change the rules. Now, for good reason, we set a 50-hour limit for debate on the budget resolution and you cannot filibuster. Now, we have been here through a very difficult process, as we always do go through. I would simply say that I happen to feel in this particular case the majority has come a long way to make some changes which benefit us. The fact is we have far more amendments that can be offered under the rules and it turns out there is not time to have debate. Now, certainly I feel we should recognize that we have gone through a lot of effort, give and take, trying to work out something that is reasonable. It has been agreed to by the minority leader. It has been agreed to by the majority leader. I would simply say that any Democratic Senator who has an amendment, if he wants to write out what he wants to say on his amendment, he can give it to me, and I can read it just as well as he or she can without going through the folderol that we are going to find ourselves in, as we always do, to start recognizing people back and forth--where are they? Are they not here? It would seem to me that we have a reasonable process which people can pick to pieces but can we agree after a lot of effort to come to an understanding that I think should be acceptable to our side?

Mr. EXON

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, on behalf of Senators Boxer, Murray, Lautenberg, and Feinstein, I send an amendment to the desk and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, let me be very brief and concise. This amendment by Senator Bingaman expresses the sense of the Senate regarding the importance of research, technology, trade promotion, and trade law enforcement programs all very important to America. This particular amendment is cosponsored by Senators Lieberman, Rockefeller, Biden, Hollings, Byrd, Kerry, Dodd, and Pryor.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote by which the motion was agreed to.

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

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

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, a majority vote point of order against this legislation will cause children currently receiving health care insurance under Medicare to lose their insurance. What this does is simply requires a majority vote if such an event would take place.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, we will temporarily set aside the Pell amendment. Amendment No. 1166 (Purpose: To repeal the ex-patriots billionaires tax loophole and put the money into veterans programs to assist American patriots)

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

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, pursuant to section 904 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, I move to waive that act for consideration of the pending amendment. 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. President, I ask unanimous consent that reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mr. EXON. Would the Senator please state how he would like to have it amended? It has been agreed to and Senator Pell has authorized it. He is [[Page S7362]] right here. He has authorized me to agree to the changes you had suggested, Senator.

Mr. EXON. This is sense of the Senate on impact aid, to recognize the fact that the Federal Government has a financial obligation to schools in our communities adversely affected by some of the proposed activities, and that we should not reduce or eliminate funding for these responsibilities.

Mr. EXON. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Amendment No. 1165 (Purpose: To express the sense of the Senate regarding student loan cuts)