Bill Frist

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. This is the TANF extension.

Mr. FRIST. That is correct.

Mr. FRIST

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

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate insist on its amendment, request a conference with the House and the Chair be authorized to appoint conferees.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, let me take a moment to review where we are. On Wednesday afternoon, on a bipartisan unanimous basis, we passed the Santorum amendment to address the funding shortfall, the surprise funding shortfall, of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Based on the very best information we had 48 hours ago, the amendment was passed at an appropriated $1.5 billion to address the critical health care needs at the Department that had been underfunded as a result of some erroneous calculations of the use and need by our veterans. This money is available to be spent in this fiscal year as well as the next. In the interim, the administration, working aggressively, refined that estimate for the Department in this fiscal year, fiscal year 2005, and this morning or about 12 hours ago, Thursday morning, informed the House of Representatives that it would be best to appropriate $975 million for these veterans' health care needs for this fiscal year now on an emergency basis. Tonight, not too long ago, the House passed that request, which was one of the quickest actions on a spending need since the Budget Act became law now 30 years ago. However, and this is important, the administration has not yet been able to adequately define and hone the specific estimate of the extra need for the year 2006. I have been informed that this work for ensuring an accurate report for Congress for money in fiscal year 2006 is ongoing right now by the Department and by OMB, the Office of Management and Budget. Therefore, it is my expectation that within the next few weeks the administration will give us, will transmit a budget amendment to Congress, which will accurately detail the precise amount of money that the administration needs, or believes that they need, for funding these veterans' health care needs for fiscal year 2006. That request, I understand, is likely to be large and could be even larger than what we approved now on Wednesday. Once we have that information in hand and know that it is accurate, we can call up the House bill which contains funding for this fiscal year and then add that necessary funding for the next fiscal year and then send it back to the House. That would be a very quick course of action. Or we could take that accurate number, once determined, and in conference with the House, adjust the amendment that we passed yesterday. Finally, we could take that accurate number, incorporate it into the appropriate subcommittee fiscal year 2006 legislation. I mention these options--and there may be even other options as well--to cure the problem. I look forward to working with the distinguished chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee to ensure that the administration gives us accurate information for next year, as well as the appropriations subcommittee chairman, as well as the leadership of the House and the administration. So before the Chair asks again if there are any objections to the unanimous consent, let me just turn to the chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee to see if there is a comment.

Mr. FRIST. I object.

Mr. FRIST. I object.

Mr. FRIST. Reserving the right to object, and I will be brief, just listening to the conversation, I ask the minority leader's unanimous consent agreement be modified to simply clear the House legislation for 975, and that the House bill be considered read three times, passed, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, it is 1 o'clock in the morning. We have had a very productive month. It is time to wrap up. We will be in session tomorrow, as well, but no rollcall votes.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. I understand there is a bill at the desk due for its second reading.

Mr. FRIST. In order to place the bill on the calendar under rule XIV I object to further proceedings.

Mr. FRIST. I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed to executive session; provided further that the Foreign Relations Committee be discharged from further consideration of the following nominations: Marie Yovanovitch, PN 566; John Beyrle, PN 569; Ronald Spogli, PN 606; Robert Tuttle, PN 607; provided further that the Agriculture Committee be discharged from further consideration of Reuben Jeffery III, PN 519 and PN 520; Walter Lukken, PN 534; provided further that the Senate proceed to their consideration and the following nominations on the calendar en bloc: No. 188, 190, 191, 194, 196 through 201 and all nominations on the Secretary's desk. I further ask that the nominations be confirmed and the motions to reconsider laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action and the Senate resume legislative session.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, tomorrow, we will be in a period of morning business throughout the day. There will be, as I mentioned earlier, no rollcall votes tomorrow. Senators who wish to speak prior to the recess should come to the floor tomorrow morning. When we return from the recess, we will begin consideration of the Homeland Security appropriations bill. I will have more to say on the post-July Fourth recess schedule tomorrow, but I would inform all Senators that the next rollcall vote will occur on Monday, July 11.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate stand in adjournment under the previous order.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that following the vote, Senator Allard be recognized for the purpose of proceeding to the Legislative Branch appropriations bill under a consent agreement that there be 10 minutes equally divided for debate prior to the vote; finally, that this amount of time count against the majority's time under CAFTA. We have cleared the Legislative Appropriations bill and this would allow us to consider that bill quickly, without a rollcall vote. Then we can begin the debate on CAFTA. Debate on the CAFTA legislation is under a statutory 20-hour time limit. Therefore, I expect the next vote to be the last vote of the evening.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, for the information of colleagues, this will be the last vote of the evening. We will be proceeding with CAFTA tonight.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I now ask unanimous consent that the Senate begin consideration of S. 1307, the CAFTA legislation.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I move to proceed to S. 1307.

Mr. FRIST

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

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that there now be a period for morning business with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that with respect to the previously passed Interior appropriations bill, the Senate insist on its amendment, request a conference with the House, and the Chair be authorized to appoint conferees on the part of the Senate.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I understand there is a bill at the desk, and I ask for its first reading.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask for its second reading, and in order to place the bill on the calendar under the provisions of rule XIV, I object to my own request.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand in adjournment until 9 a.m. on Thursday, June 30. I further ask that following the prayer and the pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved, and the Senate then resume consideration of S. 1307, the CAFTA legislation; provided further, that there then be 16 hours remaining under the statute with the time equally divided; provided further, that of the 8 hours of remaining Democratic time, 5 hours be under the control of Senator Dorgan and 3 hours under the control of Senator Baucus.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, tomorrow we will resume the CAFTA bill. Although there are 16 hours remaining, we do not anticipate either side using all of that time. Half of that time is controlled by this side of the aisle, and we expect to yield back as much of that time as reasonable in order to complete this bill at some time early enough in the afternoon--hopefully, not evening--so that we can continue with the two additional appropriations bills we had discussed completing prior to our recess. We want to complete the CAFTA and two appropriations bills before we leave for the recess. I do forewarn Senators that we are going to have a very busy day tomorrow with votes tomorrow, into tomorrow evening, possibly into Friday. There is a possibility we can finish tomorrow night. I think it will be late tomorrow night, but we will finish CAFTA and two more appropriations bills.