Bill Frist

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, tomorrow we will be in session for a very brief period of time, but we will not have any votes to accommodate those Senators who wish to celebrate Rosh Hashanah. Senators are reminded that we have 1 more week of session and we have a lot of work to do, a lot of important legislative and executive items to wrap up. Senators should be forewarned that there are going to be very busy days throughout the week, and they should plan their schedules accordingly. Thus, our next vote will be at 5:30 on Monday, and that vote will be on the confirmation of a U.S. district judge.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, today, we will begin a 30-minute period of morning business, which will be equally divided between the two sides. Following that morning business, we will return to the motion to proceed to the border fence act. Cloture on the motion to proceed was unanimously invoked yesterday. The postcloture time will expire at 5:45 this afternoon. We will be on the bill at that time, or if an agreement is reached with the Democratic leader, we hope to proceed to it at an earlier time. Senators will be alerted as to the prospects for rollcall votes as we determine what the rest of today's schedule is.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, we have a lot of activity going on, both on the floor and also off the floor. We have several conference reports, in terms of appropriations bills--Homeland Security and Department of Defense. We are making real progress. We will address those next week. An issue which I am constantly asked about by press and constituents is what progress is being made and how much progress is being made on the legislation surrounding terrorist camps and terrorist military tribunals and terrorist surveillance. There is a lot of activity at the committee level. Negotiations are underway and, hopefully, we will be able to report back more on that later this afternoon. Today, I believe most of the debate postcloture time will be used on border security and on the issues surrounding immigration. We will have votes on Monday and, I would say, they are likely Friday. As I have said each day this week, we may have to be in next Saturday. I urge our colleagues to focus on accelerating their work at the committee level so we can finish at a reasonable time next week.

Mr. FRIST. Monday afternoon around 5 o'clock to 6:30. There have been several questions about that.

Mr. FRIST. Next Friday or Saturday.

Mr. FRIST. It is very important, Mr. President, that we keep everybody's schedules clear because there are campaigns going on. People need to get back to their States. It is our intent that we are going to stick with it. Unless there is an unforeseen emergency of some sort, we will finish next week. We will be out this month. My intention is to finish Friday, working with the Democratic leader in that regard. There is very important business for us to do, and that should send a signal that we have to keep our committees and conferences working for the rest of today, tomorrow, and over the course of the weekend and into next week. Unless there is something very surprising, I expect we will be out this month. I would like for it to be Friday, but it may be Saturday.

Mr. FRIST. The following week.

Mr. FRIST. Right. It is clear that over the next 8 or 9 days, we have unfinished business we absolutely must do. Looking at the calendar, either that Monday or Tuesday of the week following the elections, we will be back in. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I now ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I send a second-degree amendment to the desk.

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

Mr. FRIST

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

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate immediately proceed to executive session to consider the following nominations on today's Executive Calendar: Calendar Nos. 737, 831, 905, 906, 909, 910, 911, 912, 913, 914, 915, 916, and all nominations on the Secretary's desk. I further ask unanimous consent that the nominations be confirmed en bloc, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action, and the Senate then return to legislative session.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, following the 30-minute morning business period today, we will begin a 1-hour block of time related to the secure fence bill. When that 1 hour of debate is concluded, we will proceed to the vote on invoking cloture on the motion to proceed to H.R. 6061, the Secure Fence Act of 2006. That vote is likely to begin shortly after 11 a.m. this morning. It is my hope that cloture will be invoked. Once cloture is invoked, we would like to reach an agreement to proceed to the bill as quickly as possible. I remind everyone that we will be finishing our business at the conclusion of next week; therefore, it will require everyone's cooperation in order to finish all of the must-do items before we depart.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, many Members have asked where we are with regard to the terrorist military tribunal and the terrorist surveillance legislation. With regard to the terrorist tribunal, as I have said repeatedly and restated yesterday, the legislation that leaves this Senate floor absolutely must achieve two goals: first, preserve the intelligence programs that we know have saved American lives; second, protect classified information from terrorists who could exploit it to plan another terrorist attack against the United States-- preserve intelligence programs that are lifesaving and protect classified information from terrorists who can use that information against us. As many of those watching know, after a lot of back and forth last week, Senators Warner, Graham, and McCain have engaged with the administration and have sent an offer to the White House that moves toward the President to meet the goals of a program that keeps information flowing from these terrorists who want to destroy our country and kill our citizens. Without passing their plan through the Senate, these Senators have been good enough to sit down with the administration. Discussions are underway to find common ground and to move toward those stated goals. I am hopeful that very soon an agreement can be reached with the President and with the majority of Republicans who know that we need an effective interrogation program that can get information from terrorists so we can make America safer. As well, we need a law that allows us to put these terrorists on trial for the crimes they have planned and executed against our country. Right now, we cannot do that. That is why this legislation is so important. But we need to do it in a way that we are not sharing classified information with those terrorists, who clearly will pass it on to others around the world to be used against us. With continued cooperation, it is possible that in the next few days a resolution can be arrived at that satisfies the vast majority of Senate Republicans and the President, so that together we can all move forward in making this country safer.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, in May of this year, this body passed comprehensive immigration reform. We are a nation of immigrants, but we are also a nation of laws. We must honor both of those heritages. Accordingly, we pursued in this body a four-pronged approach to reform: first, fortify our borders; second, strengthen worksite enforcement; third, develop a strong temporary worker program; fourth, develop a fair and realistic way to address the 12 million people here already who entered our country illegally, but under no circumstances would we offer amnesty. Unfortunately, at this point it is pretty clear to everyone that we will not reach a conference agreement on comprehensive immigration reform before we break in September. While I have made it clear that I prefer a comprehensive solution, I have always said that we need an enforcement-first approach to immigration reform--not enforcement only but enforcement first. We share a 1,951-mile border with Mexico, and it doesn't take too much creativity to imagine how terrorists might plot to exploit that border. It is time to secure that border with Mexico. As a national security challenge, that is absolutely critical to fighting a strong war on terror. That is the approach of this bill, the Secure Fence Act of 2006, a bill on which we will shortly vote. Earlier this year, with passage of the supplemental appropriations, we provided almost $2 billion to repair fences in high-traffic areas, to replace broken Border Patrol aircraft for lower traffic areas, and to support training for additional Customs and Border Patrol agents. In addition, we deployed more than 6,000 National Guard troops to our southwest border, and subsequently--and this is tremendous news--we saw a 45-percent drop in border apprehensions. But we have to do more. The Secure Fence Act picks up where that supplemental left off. It lays the groundwork for complete operational control over our border with Mexico, and it will go a long way toward stopping illegal immigration altogether. Customs and Border Protection will take responsibility for securing every inch of our border with Mexico. Engineers and construction workers will erect two-layer reinforced fencing along the border. Hundreds of new cameras and sensors will be installed. Unmanned aircraft will supplement existing air and ground patrols. We are enhancing and fortifying our borders to entry so we will have better control over who enters the country, how they come, and what they bring. We know this approach to enforcement works. We saw a drastic downturn in illegal immigration when Congress mandated a 14- mile stretch of fence in San Diego, from 200,000 border violations in 1992 to 9,000 last year. The Secure Fence Act is a critical component of national security. It is an essential first step toward comprehensive immigration reform. So we can't afford to demean it with partisan political stunts. Mr. President, very shortly we will have a vote to bring this bill to the floor. But the vote isn't just about this bill. It is about bolstering national security. It is about keeping America strong. It is about ensuring the safety of each and every American. With action here to secure our border, Congress and the Nation can turn to resolving the challenges of worksite enforcement, of a strong temporary worker program, and the challenges of the 12 million illegal aliens who live among us, with respect and care and dignity. Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be authorized to meet in executive session during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, September 20, 2006 at 10 a.m. in SD-430.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on September 20, 2006, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing on ``Calculated Risk: Assessing Non-Traditional Mortgage Products.''

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to hold a committee hearing on the nomination of Mary Peters to be Secretary of Transportation on Wednesday, September 20, 2006 at 2:30 p.m.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session on Wednesday, September 20, 2006, at 10 a.m., in 215 Dirksen Senate Office Building, to hear testimony on ``Our Business Tax System: Objectives, Deficiencies, and Options for Reform''.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, September 20, 2006, at 10 a.m. to hold a hearing on nominations.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President: I ask unanimous consent that on Wednesday, September 20, 2006 at 2:30 p.m. the Committee on Environment and Public Works be authorized to hold a hearing to examine approaches embodied in the Asia Pacific Partnership.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs be authorized to meet on Wednesday, September 20, 2006, at 2:30 p.m. for a hearing titled, ``Critical Mission: Assessing Spiral 1.1 of the National Security Personnel System.''

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Indian Affairs be authorized to meet on Wednesday, September 20, 2006, at 9:30 a.m. in Room 485 of the Russell Senate Office Building to conduct an Oversight Hearing on the Tribal Self Governance: Obstacles and Impediments to Expansion of Self Governance.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet to conduct a hearing on ``Reporters' Privilege Legislation: Preserving Effective Federal Law Enforcement'' on Wednesday, September 20, 2006 at 9:30 a.m. in Dirksen Senate Office Building Room 226. Witness List Panel I: The Honorable Paul J. McNulty, Deputy Attorney General, Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Panel II: Theodore B. Olson, Partner, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, Washington, DC; Bruce A. Baird, Partner, Covington & Burling LLP, Washington, DC; Victor E. Schwartz, Partner, Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP, Washington, DC; Steven D. Clymer, Professor, Cornell Law School, Ithaca, NY.