Wendell Ford

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. They would not go back to the calendar because the will of the body has been that the legislation would be that motion proposed by the majority whip.

Mr. FORD. I yield the floor until we hear from the Parliamentarian.

Mr. FORD. Mr. President, I would like to have the opportunity to ask----

Mr. FORD. Will the Senator yield?

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. I announce that the Senator from South Carolina [Mr. Hollings] is absent because of attending a funeral.

Mr. FORD. I announce that the Senator from South Carolina [Mr. Hollings] is absent because of attending a funeral.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. I announce that the Senator from Illinois [Mr. Simon], is necessarily absent.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. I announce that the Senator from Florida [Mr. Graham] is necessarily absent.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. I announce that the Senator from Florida [Mr. Graham] is necessarily absent.

Mr. FORD

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

Mr. FORD. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, I am not trying to stop the Senator from offering his amendments. But those who have a vital interest in this particular part of the legislation that we are debating here this afternoon are not available. I am caught in the position of protecting this side without having the advice and counsel of those Senators that are now negotiating to try to work something out. I am not trying to prevent the Senator from introducing amendments. But pretty soon we will have three or four amendments out here, and I am not sure where we are going to be. That will be the pending amendment when they come back, and they may want to go back to the original amendment. There may be a unanimous consent agreement which can be reached. Will the Senator give me an opportunity to check before he offers his amendment and let me see if there is any disagreement with what he is trying to do?

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. Mr. President, for several days in the last few weeks, we have attempted, as a bipartisan group, to develop an agreement, which we have been able to come close to on lobbying reform, but not very close on the so-called gift ban. One of the insistences we had from the other side was that we start at 9 o'clock this morning--that we start at 9 o'clock this morning. Here we are at 9:35, and we see no one here, and they are refusing to come, do not want Members to lay anything down, do not want Members to talk, unless we do it in morning business. Now, Mr. President, it seems, if you are going to insist on something, you ought to be part of the agreement. We find that this is happening too much of the time. I do not like to be here at 9 o'clock on Monday morning any more than anyone else. We are here. We are prepared. We are ready. So, where is the other side? Mr. President, I think it behooves all Members, if we are going to start, if we want to start, we ought to do it at the time we agreed upon. I have already had my cup of coffee, as I am sure the Presiding Officer has. He did his swims this morning, his pushups, and he is here ready to go, but we are sitting here. My statement has brought both doors open on the other side. That delights this Senator very much. So, after 35 minutes of pleading that we want someone here to start debate, which was insisted upon, I hope that we can start and not force this side to come when the other side does not appear. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. FORD

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

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. I thank the Chair. Mr. McCONNELL addressed the Chair.

Mr. FORD. Mr. President, the distinguished Senator from Colorado [Mr. Brown] and I have been working on amendment No. 1838. We now have arrived at an agreement. I ask unanimous consent to modify amendment No. 1838.

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

Mr. FORD. I announce that the Senator from North Dakota [Mr. Dorgan] and the Senator from Louisiana [Mr. Johnston] are necessarily absent.

Mr. FORD. Regular order.

Mr. FORD. As amended.

Mr. FORD. May we have order, Mr. President?

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. I announce that the Senator from Hawaii [Mr. Inouye], the Senator from Georgia [Mr. Nunn], and the Senator from Arkansas [Mr. Pryor] are necessarily absent.

Mr. FORD. I announce that the Senator from Hawaii [Mr. Inouye], the Senator from California [Mrs. Feinstein], and the Senator from Georgia [Mr. Nunn] are necessarily absent.

Mr. FORD. Mr. President, I join my cochairman of the State National Guard Caucus, Senator Bond of Missouri, and our colleagues in opposing the Bingaman amendment. The military construction funds this amendment seeks to delete are not frivolous. They are necessary to the very backbone of our military. In my State alone, these funds go to build barracks to move our soldiers out of the World War II clapboard barracks. Why is it not a Pentagon priority to replace these barracks and provide a better quality of life for our soldiers? The citizens of this country are well aware of the military drawdown in this country, but they have not asked our young men and women to stop volunteering their services, whether it be full-time active duty or part time as a reservist or guardsman. Mr. President, I have watched them leave our communities, and many of them do not come back. I watched the best surgeons in my State and scrub nurses go to the Persian Gulf, and they did their job. Let us not turn our back on these people now. Vote to table this amendment.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. I announce that the Senator from Hawaii [Mr. Inouye] is necessarily absent.

Mr. FORD. I announce that the Senator from Hawaii [Mr. Inouye] is necessarily absent.