Bill Frist

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, yesterday was a remarkable day in many, many ways. Private First Class Lynch returned to her home after so many weeks and months away. She is a true American hero. We had Ambassador Jerry Bremer brief 65 Senators yesterday on the real progress being made in Iraq and on the reconstruction and reconstitution that is going on there. Then we had the news that began late in the morning, and was confirmed in the afternoon, that Saddam's two sons, Uday and Qusay, have been eliminated as threats to Iraqi freedom. It was truly a remarkable day. We are driven by headlines so much. They influence us in such a direct way. As we looked at these three sequences of events, you could not help but feel pride and optimism as we move forward in this fight for freedom around the world. We do greet the news yesterday, with the elimination of Saddam's two sons, with pride and with respect--respect for our troops, for our military men and women who have devoted their lives and demonstrated an unmatched professionalism and maturity. It is clear--we have no doubt-- that we have waged a just war, that the bloody tyrant Saddam Hussein has been defeated; that Iraq is better without Saddam and his diabolical offspring terrorizing and murdering the Iraqi people; and indeed America is better off without Saddam Hussein and his murderous cabal that had been in power, which clearly sat back and had plans and carried out terror and domination and mass murder. It is a tough road. In talking to Ambassador Bremer, it is clear that our reconstruction and capturing what we know this is all about, which is in the words ``Operation Iraqi Freedom''--it is freedom that we have fought for and that we continue to fight for. This will continue to take time and patience. It will continue to take resources from this body. But for the first time in 30 years, the Iraqi people are free to live without fear and without tyranny. They are participating for the first time in 30 years in the planning and the future of their own government. Indeed our hearts go out to the families who have lost loved ones on the battlefield and who continue to lose them in this effort. Each day it seems we are greeted with another distressing story of a Baathist attack. We are entitled to feel this grief and, indeed, this frustration. But in honor and respect for the individuals who have given their lives, and who continue to give their lives to protect our freedom, we must remain resolute. We must keep pressing forward. We cannot let that headline of the day dictate our overall policy. Our President and our troops are out protecting the security of our Nation, and we are leading at the same time another nation in a systematically planned, strategic, organized way to freedom. In so doing, we are making ourselves and future generations more secure. We will succeed. It will take patience. It will take determination. It will take resolve. It takes all of that to bring our enemies to justice. It takes all of that to free the Iraqi people. It takes all of that to help protect the American people. Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I would rather talk to Senator Cochran before making decisions about this afternoon. As the Democratic leadership wants to do, I want to progress in an expeditious way but at the same time give people the opportunity to do policy lunches and debate. We also have an all-the-Senate briefing this afternoon. But before locking down any understanding, I will first check with the floor managers on the particular bill. That would be appreciated.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I rise to speak to an issue we will be addressing next week, as I mentioned earlier, and that is the Energy bill. As I mention daily, or almost daily, on the floor, I am very pleased with the productive debate we have had to date on this very important bill and want to take this opportunity to commend the chairman of the Energy Committee, our distinguished colleague from New Mexico, Chairman Domenici, for his work on moving this Energy bill forward because it is important to every American. We have made solid progress. We have locked in an agreement which limits the number of amendments to the Energy legislation. We have reminded people, again almost on a daily basis, to continue working, even though we have other activity on the floor, to narrow those amendments, to continue the discussion, to work out agreements so that we can use the time most efficiently on the floor next week. I am confident that because of that, we will be able to pass this crucial legislation next week. It is imperative that we do so. America's economic future is at stake. It is our responsibility to pass this bill. The House of Representatives has already passed an energy bill. The President has clearly stated he wants the Congress--specifically the Senate--to address this issue, and now is the time for us to act. I mentioned the economic interests because when a lot of people think energy, they think directly about whether it means gasoline or whether it means paying their utility bills, but it also--and this is why I mentioned it--has a real impact on our economy. Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan came to the Hill last month specifically to talk about the energy policy. The price of natural gas for July delivery is 150 percent what it was just a little over 2, almost 3, years ago. Meanwhile, natural gas storage levels are at their lowest in almost three decades. In these meetings, Chairman Greenspan warned that the volatility in the price of natural gas could eventually affect and contribute to erosion in the economy. We simply cannot afford that. We have a responsibility to respond, and indeed we have that opportunity next week. American industry is caught between regulations limiting the supply of natural gas and regulations encouraging its use. The result: Rising gas prices, with some industries cutting jobs or being priced out altogether, and consumers getting hit with rising electric bills. We simply must diversify our sources of energy, and we must do so in a way that lessens our dependence on foreign sources for this energy. The fact that almost 60 percent of our energy sources come from overseas is simply too much. It is unacceptable today. America's energy policy should be consistent with our foreign policy in that it has the principles of independence and security at its foundation. By increasing America's domestic production of clean coal, oil, gas, nuclear, solar, and other renewable energy sources, we increase not just our energy supply but also our national security. By passing a comprehensive energy package, we will be creating the needed jobs. The Energy bill will create at least 500,000 jobs and will save even more. The Alaskan pipeline, for example, will create at least 400,000 jobs. The hundreds of millions of dollars in research and development of all sorts in new technologies will not only benefit the environment but will create new jobs in fields such as engineering, math, science, and physics. I am committed to getting a comprehensive national energy bill passed. While some people are talking of a weak economy, warning of a weak economy and increasing unemployment, we are taking action on the Senate floor to make our economy strong. We will do so in this Energy bill, as we did with the Jobs in Growth Act, which indeed provides immediate tax relief to millions of American families, to businesses, and to our States. As we all know, checks of up to $400 will soon be sent to 25 million taxpayers starting even later this week. A family of four making $40,000 will see their taxes reduced by over $1,100 this year, and of the overall $350 billion stimulus and growth package, nearly $200 billion, fully 60 percent of it, will be injected into the economy in the next 18 months. This injection of money and resources is the input we need to grow our economy, to create jobs, to create investment, to provide States with the resources they need to maintain essential government services and to reduce unemployment. We will be able to amplify that legislative success by securing our energy supply. A strong, productive energy policy is crucial to our efforts to strengthen our economic and national security. As I mentioned, we will return to that Energy bill on Monday. I look forward to addressing the remaining amendments over the course of that week. We will be able to deliver to the American people energy that is cleaner, more abundant, and more secure. Energy is fuel for our economy, as well. Together with other issues we will be addressing--tax reform, medical liability reform, and many other issues we are addressing in the Senate--we will secure and strengthen our economy and protect its future growth. I make these comments only as a prelude to what will be a very important week next week as we address energy policy for fulfilling our responsibility. I yield the floor.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, this morning the Senate will be in a period for morning business until 11 a.m. Following morning business, the Senate will resume consideration of H.R. 2555, the Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill. One amendment is pending. It was offered by Senator Byrd during yesterday's proceedings. I anticipate further debate on that amendment today, and then it is hoped that a consent will be reached for a time certain to vote in relation to that amendment. There will be no votes prior to the policy luncheons. In addition, this afternoon, there will be an all-Senators briefing, and therefore I will be discussing with the Democratic leadership the best timeframe for the scheduling of votes today. It is hoped that once debate is complete on the Byrd amendment, we can set that aside and consider other amendments. We will make further progress on the bill throughout the day and stack rollcall votes for later this afternoon. We will stay in session this afternoon and early evening to dispose of as many amendments as possible. As I indicated last week, we hope to complete this important Homeland Security bill during Wednesday's session of the Senate. That would enable us to proceed to other appropriations bills that are available this week. The end of the fiscal year is fast approaching, and the Senate should continue to work through the constitutionally required appropriations process as expeditiously as possible. Next week is the final week of legislative work prior to the August recess, and that will be devoted to finishing the Energy bill. I would therefore ask for all Senators' consideration as we continue through this last week and a half. I should add that it would be helpful to both Senator Cochran and Senator Byrd if Members would come forward today with their amendments so that we could schedule the debate and votes in an orderly way. I thank all Members for their attention.

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: Nos. 300 and 301. I further ask unanimous consent that the nominations be confirmed, 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, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Governmental Affairs' Subcommittee on Financial Management, the Budget, and International Security be authorized to meet on Monday, July 21 at 2 p.m. for a hearing titled, ``Oversight Hearing on Government Sponsored Enterprises: The Risks and Benefits to Consumers.''

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I understand that S. 1434, introduced by Senator Lincoln earlier today, is at the desk. I ask for its first reading.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I now ask for its second reading and object to my own request.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I want to comment on an opportunity I had on Saturday to meet with Ambassador Bremer shortly after his arrival from Iraq. And we met, for a short period of time, with Senator Warner and Representatives Lewis and Murtha to talk a little bit about what is going on on the ground in Iraq, specifically with coalition provisional authority, what their role is, how much progress is being made in rebuilding Iraq. It is so difficult for all of us, in our briefings, where we are getting information secondhand, thirdhand--we are watching the news on television and reading it in the papers, and you get slivers of information--it is very tough to put in perspective what is actually going on in this vast country, where we know we are rebuilding not just from the war several weeks ago but from 10 years of neglect--indeed, 30 years of neglect. It is hard to assess, in terms of health care and water and schools and roads, where we are. You really see very little in terms of progress being made based on the information that filters through to us. That is really why, as a prelude to some of the things we will hear tomorrow, Ambassador Bremer is going to come and visit with us in the Senate, where we will have a discussion. He is briefing the administration today, and he had several very public addresses on Sunday. But what he has to say is astonishing in lots of different ways, but mostly I think because of the relative silence in the press about the conditions on the ground in terms of progress, in terms of improvement. After talking to Ambassador Bremer, it is clear to me that we are making real progress, demonstrable progress, day to day, week to week, in Iraq. Just as one example, I very specifically asked about food and asked about health care. Today, based on all objective measures, and as reinforced by Ambassador Bremer, there is no food crisis in Iraq. Indeed, there is no health care crisis in Iraq right now, today. The provision of basic utilities is improving daily, as is the overall public health situation. Indeed, I believe the Ambassador said that next week there will be a second immunization day nationwide scheduled. When I asked about basic health care services, the Ambassador replied that they have been restored to about 90 percent in the north and 80 percent in the south and about 75 percent in the mid region around Baghdad. When I asked about specific hospitals, I was told that over 200 hospitals--I don't know the exact number; there are over 200 hospitals in Iraq--all of those hospitals are now operational, in service. Much of Iraq is near the prewar service conditions for water. When I speak of water conditions, I include sewage and the like. But what is interesting, and what we have to constantly remind ourselves, is that the country has been in a state of deterioration over the last 15 years, with no money invested in clean water, servicing that water, getting water to the people, and sewage plants. So even prewar conditions were very poor. But then we had the impact of the war. We have some sabotage going on right now. But now we are just about up to the prewar service conditions. We still have a long way to go to get back to the sort of conditions we would say are acceptable. In terms of security, while lawlessness and entrenched Saddam loyalists continue to obstruct and hinder recovery efforts, progress has been made on the security front as well. Large-scale looting has stopped, has come to an end. Where there were once, not that long ago, empty roads, empty streets, and deserted markets, there are now bustling sidewalks with all sorts of items being sold, from shoes to satellite dishes to basic utensils. Now you see traffic back on the streets and even traffic jams. Except for the small, central area--an important area but a small area--encompassing Tikrit and Baghdad, security throughout the rest of Iraq has improved. Indeed, more than 80 percent of the country is living in a more secure environment than they were before the war. Mr. President, 34,000 Iraqi police have been rehired, and 30,000 are on duty right now. Additionally, over 1,000 guards have been hired to protect 87 sites just in Baghdad alone. Also, we hear, again: Is it just the United States? Ambassador Bremer will share with us the participation and cooperation we are receiving from around the world. We are not going it alone. He has mentioned, and continues to mention, the international constabulary teams that are from Italy and Spain that will serve as a bridge between the combat forces and the police. The one distressing area we hear about every morning when we wake up or late at night is the distressing news of guerrilla activity and attacks on our troops. Indeed, our hearts go out to the families who have been affected and continue to be affected by this loss of loved ones. But it is important for us to understand we are not fighting a large-scale insurgency at this point in time. We are fighting the dead- enders from the old regime, the former Baathists. They have no popular support in Iraq. They will not return to power. In addition to improving the security of the country, the coalition is also working hard to generate a thriving Iraqi economy. Again, we have to mention, however, that the Iraqi economy has been grossly mismanaged for more than 30 years. By his own estimates, Iraq suffered from employment levels at 50 percent before the war. Before the war, at least 30 percent of the GDP was spent just on the military--not on building infrastructure or refurbishing infrastructure, not on water supply or sewage plants or health or education. Saddam Hussein had run the country into the ground: 50 percent unemployment; 30 percent of the GDP, the gross domestic product, spent on the military. Saddam's government spent zero on capital goods. And, yes, there were lavish palaces. There were manmade lakes, luxury yachts, and cars. Saddam spent untold billions on himself and his regime, but for the Iraqi people, for the people themselves, he left them a country with an infrastructure, as we witness today, that is brittle, that is antiquated, and, indeed, is susceptible to breakdown. I mention this because, at least in my conversations with the Ambassador, it is clear we need for us and the American people to understand that part of this reconstruction is going to be reconstruction from the war but mainly reconstruction from the last 10, 15, 20 years of this tyrannical, oppressive regime. As we look at the economy, I am fascinated by the dispensing fund which has been set up that is financing and will continue to finance construction projects and reconstruction projects that are carried out by the Iraqis themselves. It is currently employing Iraqi construction firms to carry out the restoration of that national infrastructure. The coalition is paying salaries, paying pensions. It is paying the army and buying crops from farmers. And these are the first steps toward building and rebuilding that economy, a functioning economy, and indeed they are vital steps. And they are under way. Freedom is coming to the Iraqi people. Freedom is coming to support their economy. In terms of democracy itself, the coalition is leading Iraq toward a functioning democracy. It was just a little over a week ago, just 8 days ago, that the governing council of Iraq was established. The council comprises 25 political leaders from across Iraq. Its immediate responsibilities include the appointment of ministers, the creation of a 2004 budget, and a constitutional process. It is remarkable that these 25 will be charged with sitting down and writing a constitution really from scratch. The governing council will be responsible for creating a constitutional process, not just the writing but the actual debate as to what should be in the constitution. Once the constitution is drafted, then free elections will take place. That will create a sovereign Iraqi government. When that government is created, the coalition provisional authority's work is essentially done, but it does take time. It does take patience. It does take time to rebuild the economy, to establish the security that the people of Iraq deserve. I welcome the ambassador to the Senate tomorrow to hear of his firsthand experiences and to help paint that perspective which makes it much easier for us both to view the news and the information that is given to us so we can make appropriate policy decisions. It is vitally important that we have that complete perspective and that full view of the Iraqi situation. We will stay the course. The Iraqi people, of course, depend on us to stay the course. It will take time. It will take patience. It will take determination. It is astounding to me that even in defeat Saddam has the power seemingly to turn the free world against itself and divert the media's attention from his monstrous crimes. For the last week and a half we have had a glossing over of the atrocities this man had committed. I appeal to my colleagues to look at the Iraqi people, at this crucial turning point in their history, and allow the Iraqis for the first time in 30 years to really taste what freedom is all about. We talk all the time in this Chamber about helping, reaching out to help the oppressed and helping the downtrodden. Now is the time to ask: Are Iraqis in some way unworthy, are 300,000 missing people in Iraq merely a statistic? Every day our soldiers are turning up mass graves full of the bones of men, women, and children who have been hacked down literally by Saddam's men. We are beginning to see these images. We in this body have had the opportunity to talk to our Senate colleagues who have visited Iraq recently. There are literally tiny skeletons strewn in the dust alongside these once-adored little plastic baby dolls. The images are coming back to us to demonstrate the atrocities committed by Saddam Hussein. We cannot, we should not look away. We will not look away. We know this will take time. On the question of weapons of mass destruction, we know, and indeed we have those horrifying pictures, that Saddam used chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction against his neighbors and his own people. Last week on the floor I talked about my opportunity to visit directly in my office with Kurdish physicians, who are still practicing today, who talked about the thousands of Kurds, Saddam's own people, who were killed by the chemical weapons of Saddam Hussein. Indeed, these Kurdish physicians tell me they are still taking care of people today who suffered the morbidity of having been exposed to chemical weapons, those who were fortunate enough to survive. Furthermore, Saddam's quest for nuclear weaponry is well known. It is indisputable. One only need ask the most elemental question: For what purpose were nuclear scientists on Saddam's payroll? Indeed, the Senator from Florida, Mr. Graham, told Fox News Sunday: What we're concerned about with Iraq is its intention and capabilities to develop weapons of mass destruction, and the merger of that capability with terrorist groups. That is the ultimate nightmare scenario. The nightmare is over. A bloody tyrant no longer rules in Iraq. A man who without qualm or regret murdered members of his own family and tens of thousands of his own citizens has been removed from power. The perpetrator of one of the past century's most gruesome crimes against humanity, the use of chemical weapons on thousands of innocent Kurdish civilians, is no longer free to pursue such weapons. The aggressor in the gulf war who a decade ago invaded his neighbor only to be driven out by a mighty coalition no longer threatens the volatile region of the Middle East. Iraq is no longer a playground for Saddam and his demented offspring. Iraq is finally and thankfully on the road to liberation. Yes, it will be a bumpy road. It will take time. Even America was not built in a day. We are rebuilding, not just from the war but from 30 years of neglect. Today we should be celebrating the historic opportunity before the Iraqi people to build a democracy that respects the rule of law, that values life, that protects the God-given rights of every Iraqi citizen. We should lend them our strength and our competence as they face the difficult journey ahead. There can be no other course of action. I believe that when all is said and done, Iraq will proudly stand among the nations of free people.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I would like to move to another subject, one that is brought to my attention on a daily basis. In fact, every time I turn on my computer, it is there, staring me in the face. It is this whole issue of spam. One of my sons had not answered his e-mails; he had been away, in Bartlett, back in Tennessee. He came and turned his computer on and there were 300 e-mails waiting for him. He said only 40 of the 300 e- mails--this was just last night--40 of the 300 e-mails were e-mails actually sent to him by somebody he knew in the sort of discussion that we know e-mail is all about; that is, to stay in touch with family and friends and communicate effectively. The other approximately 250 or 260 e-mails were unsolicited e-mails that had been sent to him. It reminded me of a letter I received from a constituent, a 73-year- old grandmother from Vonore, TN. That letter reads as follows: Dear Senator Frist: My niece gave me a computer in 2001. It has been a delight to e-mail. At age 73, there is a tendency to feel the world has moved ahead of you, and no one wants to be left behind. Now I wonder if left behind would not be better. I started getting e-mail titles that horrified me. I have been unable to find out where it comes from or how to stop it. I communicated with my niece, who is Executive Assistant to the only female Judge in Alabama, and she tells me they also have had the experience. She sent me an article from the Mobile paper that would indicate many people are becoming outraged at the practice. I urge you to be one of them. Mary's letter continues. There are two more paragraphs. Third paragraph: I do understand the need for free speech, but this goes way beyond the bounds of decency. I am appalled to think our young people are subjected to such an onslaught of trash. There is no way they can be protected at this point if a grandmother, whose e-mail address clearly identifies her as such, is not. If a child buys alcohol, tobacco, Playboy or Hustler at the local market, it is a crime. Yet in their own home they are not being protected. Could you craft a law that would prosecute anyone who sent unsolicited indecent or vulgar mail into our homes?--Sincerely, Mary K. Barnwell. This letter is just one of many that I could have read which constituents have sent me. I mentioned my own son's experience, experience we all have had, the inconvenience, and the offensive nature with which these e-mails are sent and received. The answer to Mary's question clearly is, yes; we can craft a law that will punish individuals who flood our homes with indecent, unsolicited, and endless streams of spam. International Magazine reports in its most current issue that the millions of spam e-mails that are clogging up our computers are sent out by only a handful of individuals. These spammers call e-mail addresses from chat rooms, from Web pages, from news groups, from message boards, and from e-mail service directories to set up their spamming operations. They even sent out e-mails to random number and letter combinations to look for hits. When they get a hit, it is a matter of minutes before the spam starts pouring in. Spammers, as we all know, often deliberately target children. They capture e-mail addresses from sites that are typically used by kids, and then they inundate these young victims with offers of free toys, of video games, and contests. But when the child clicks to enter, they are again rerouted to a 900-number modem connection. A dialer is automatically loaded onto the child's system, and unbeknownst to the child they are racking up $3.99 per minute until they sign off. You can imagine the parents' shock and anger when that phone bill arrives. In other instances, the child might click on the free toy offer. They might get rerouted through a pornography site. When they try to exit, pornography screens pop up to block their retreat. Some spammers send e-mail in the old-fashioned way. The perpetrator sends an enticing e-mail--an offer, for example, for action figures. The hook? The child has to enter a credit card to get the toy. Mom and dad's credit card information goes in and thousands of credit card dollars go out. As we all know, as parents it is hard to keep close tabs on a child's Internet activity. Many kids have multiple e-mail addresses among various free Web sites. Multiple e-mail addresses means multiple routes for spam, not to mention the unsavory and dangerous Internet communication. That is why in this body we need to address the problem and start helping parents filter out this irritating and indeed potentially financially ruinous junk. Indeed, in the Senate, we will take action to protect the millions of Americans who have used the Internet the positive way for which it was intended--to talk, to communicate, to stay in touch with loved ones, to shop and to talk to families and friends with good intent. We simply should not be hassled by fraudulent sales pitches. We simply should not have to put up with being pelted with pornographic material when we simply sign on to read e-mail. Aggressive spamming is a menace. It is threatening an otherwise miraculous and indeed revolutionary form of communication. We simply cannot and should not let a few nefarious individuals spoil it for us all. I bring this issue up in part because my son mentioned last night what happened to him when he turned on his computer and there was the spam laid out in over 250 e-mails sent to him over a period of several weeks, and in part because we all see it each and every time we turn on our computer. I look forward to working with my colleagues to address this problem, and indeed to help America's families and Internet users put a stop to this spam. I yield the floor.

Mr. FRIST

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

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, today the Senate will be in a period of morning business until 1:30 p.m. At 1:30, the Senate will begin consideration of the Homeland Security appropriations bill. As I mentioned--I think it was Thursday night of last week--this appropriations bill will for the first time be considered on this floor. So this is a new initiative for us. I look forward to handling that expeditiously this week in a thoughtful and deliberate way. These are very important issues before this body. I announced previously we will not have rollcall votes today. Having said that, I encourage Members to come to the floor and proceed with their opening statements on the Homeland Security bill. Any amendment that is offered today can be debated throughout the day with a vote to occur during Tuesday's session at a time determined later. Once again, I encourage Members who desire to offer amendments to the Homeland Security bill to contact Senator Cochran or the ranking member. I hope we can pass this legislation early this week and then continue with the other appropriations bills. With only 2 weeks remaining prior to the scheduled recess, we need to address as many of the appropriations bills as possible this week. As previously stated, during the last week, which is next week, we will be addressing and completing action on the Energy bill. Last week, I discussed with the other side of the aisle the possibility of having a filing deadline for amendments to the Energy bill. I continue to hope that the objection on the Democratic side will be lifted and that we can allow Chairman Domenici and the ranking member to look at the legislative language of these amendments. We first brought Energy to the floor now several months ago. It was May 6. We have had 12 days on the floor. We have a list of amendments by title. Now is the time to narrow that list, to look at the legislative language. One of the purposes of setting aside this week at the end of this month so far in advance was that those actions and deliberations could be taken by our colleagues so we could best use the time on the floor of the Senate in a focused way and in a way that respects people's time broadly but allows adequate discussion, debate, amendment, and completion of this bill. I do want to take a moment to congratulate the chairman of the Appropriations Committee. Last week, he made significant progress on the appropriations process, but obviously there is a lot of work to be done. I am confident that Senator Stevens will continue along this road. He is clearly up to the task and will complete these bills in a timely fashion. In addition to the three appropriations bills that the Senate passed last week, we were also able to continue to work on a number of other important issues. Senator McConnell helped in ensuring that the Senate passed H.R. 2330, the Burma sanctions bill. That bill has now been cleared for the President's signature. The Senate also passed S. 764, Senator Campbell's bill to extend the authority for the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program. The Senate was also able to act on a number of Energy Committee bills, including S. 470, which extended the authority for the construction of a memorial for Martin Luther King, Jr. I look forward to a productive couple of weeks before our recess as we address the appropriations bills, energy bills, and other legislative and executive items that can be cleared.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, for the information of all Senators, tomorrow the Senate will be in a period of morning business until 11 a.m. Following morning business, the Senate will resume consideration of H.R. 2555, the Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill. The chairman and ranking member made their opening statements on the bill and one amendment was offered during today's session. Tomorrow, we will continue the amendment process. Any Senators who wish to offer an amendment are encouraged to contact the two managers. Rollcall votes will occur tomorrow and Members will be notified as to when the first vote is scheduled. It is my intention to complete action on this vital appropriations bill early this week. Upon completion of the Homeland Security bill, the Senate will take up other appropriations bills as they become available. I also inform my colleagues that rollcall votes are possible each day this week. In addition, as I mentioned in opening this morning, the plan for next week is to take up, once again, the Energy bill. I expect to complete that bill before our recess. We will be spending all of next week on the Energy bill.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand in recess until 9:45 a.m. Tuesday, July 22. I further ask that following the prayer and the pledge, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and the Senate then begin a period of morning business until 11 a.m., with the time equally divided between the two leaders or their designees; provided that at 11 a.m. the Senate resume consideration of Calendar No. 192, H.R. 2555, the Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill. I further ask consent that the Senate recess from 12:30 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. for the weekly party lunches.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 1435. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the concurrent resolution and preamble be agreed to en bloc, that the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements relating thereto be printed in the Record, without intervening action or debate. The concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 53) was agreed to.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, this morning the Senate will immediately resume consideration of the Defense appropriations bill. Last night, we locked in an order of amendments to be offered over the course of the day. Although we have not locked in time agreements on these amendments, we expect to be voting on a couple of them as early as 11 or 11:30 this morning. The chairman is here and is prepared to work through the remaining amendments to the bill. It is our expectation to complete this bill today or tonight. As I stated yesterday, and as stated by the chairman as well, if--it is an ``if''--we complete the Defense bill today and we are able to begin with the Homeland Security appropriations bill on Monday, there will be no rollcall votes during Friday's session. Again, that is if we complete the bill today. If not, we will go into tomorrow and have rollcall votes tomorrow. Monday is a no-vote day. However, as has been mentioned on the floor, we would expect Members to be present on Monday to offer amendments to the Homeland Security bill. As a reminder to all Senators, at 4 p.m. today the Prime Minister of Britain, the Right Honorable Tony Blair, will deliver an address to both Houses of Congress. Senators have been notified--but I will remind them--that they are asked to gather in the Senate Chamber no later than 3:40 this afternoon in order to proceed to the Hall of the House of Representatives. As we look ahead to next week, we will continue on the appropriations bills that are available. We will continue to have busy sessions throughout. I remind Members that the last week prior to the recess will be devoted to completion of the Energy bill. I have been hoping to reach an agreement so that Members will file their amendments on the Energy bill no later than Wednesday of next week. That would enable the chairman and the ranking member to begin to work through the amendments prior to that final week of consideration. I remind my colleagues that we began consideration of the Energy bill on May 6 of this year. I believe there has been more than adequate time to draft amendments, and therefore I hope we can set this reasonable filing deadline. I know at this time there are objections on the other side of the aisle. However, I will continue to work with Senator Daschle and the assistant Democratic leader in an effort to reach this consent. I thank all Members. As always, we will notify Senators as votes are scheduled throughout the day.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I appreciate those comments. As I mentioned, we started on the Energy bill on May 6. We had 12 days of consideration on the floor of the Senate. The bill was marked up prior to that. I have tried to lay this out from the outset recognizing that we are going to address the bill--and we spent 12 days on it--during the last week of this month so we can plan, so we can get amendments considered and get the list down to a manageable number. The reason I come to the floor every day is that I want to encourage Members on both sides of the aisle to focus on this right now. I get this feeling and sense that people are going to say we are going too fast and we are running out of time. That is the only reason I stress this in just about every other statement and in every meeting. I think everybody understands that and is working. But I do want to complete this bill. We are setting adequate time to do that. If we can come to some sort of agreement by midweek next week as to what amendments we will be looking at, it will be hugely helpful. That is what we are working for on both sides of the aisle.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that after the next vote, which we are going to go ahead and do now, and we want to encourage everybody to come and vote as soon as possible, that after the next vote is completed, the Senate will stand in recess subject to the call of the Chair.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, the next vote will be the last vote of the evening. The Senate will not be in session on Friday. We will reconvene on Monday and begin consideration of the Homeland Security appropriations bill. As I previously announced, there will be no rollcall votes on Monday, although we hope Members will be prepared to give opening statements and offer amendments during Monday's debate. The next votes will occur on Tuesday. We will alert all Senators as to the timing of those votes when they are scheduled. I will have more to say on the schedule when we close the evening.

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

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, we have had a full week, a complete week, though it is Thursday evening, and almost 9 o'clock. We will not be in session tomorrow, and we will not have votes on Monday but will proceed to the Homeland Security bill Monday during the day and, hopefully, make progress. As we look over the course of the week, it has been a full and complete week, with a number of amendments and a lot of debate, a lot of issues. I congratulate members from the Appropriations Committee, the leaders on both sides of the aisle for their leadership, in bringing us to the point that we have now passed three of the appropriations bills. We will have a busy week next week. We will proceed as far as we can in addressing, hopefully, a number of appropriations bills next week. And then, that following week, which will be the last week we are in session, we will address Energy and, hopefully, complete the Energy bill, which is my intention, before the August recess.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I appreciate the comments from the assistant Democratic leader and understand that the task before us is a large one. One of the advantages we have is that we began to address the Energy bill on May 6 of this year. We have spent 12 days on the floor debating the bill. We made good progress on the Energy bill, and by saying we would spend a week, or the last week of this month, focused entirely on that bill, we have given all of our colleagues the opportunity to work--both members on the committee and our colleagues not on the committee--the opportunity to develop amendments, to discuss those amendments, to work in a bipartisan way across the aisle to come to agreement--and not necessarily consensus but agreement--in lots of different areas. One of the good things about, at least 6 weeks ago, saying and making very clear to our colleagues we are going to spend the last week on it is that it has given us the opportunity to work together and to look at the various potential amendments as well as the underlying bill. It is a huge challenge, I recognize, but one I personally look forward to working with the leadership on the other side of the aisle to accomplish as we go forward. Mr. President, tonight we passed the Defense appropriations bill. I am very pleased with the progress today. Now we have passed three of the 13 appropriations bills for the new fiscal year that begins in just under 3 months. In many ways, it is ironic because at the beginning of this year we had 11 appropriations bills we had to pass, and now we have passed three; so indeed we have passed 14 appropriations bills this year, which is remarkable. But, in truth, we have three appropriations bills of the 13 for the new fiscal year that we have passed. And now, well over an hour ago, that third one being passed is a benchmark in many ways. I am hopeful that over the course of the next week we will pass as many as three more appropriations bills. I am confident we will be able to pass two. I would like to be able to pass three, which would mean six appropriations bills passed before the August recess. On Monday, as I mentioned a few minutes ago, we will begin debate-- for the first time, I might add, in this Chamber--on a brand new appropriations bill; and that is the Homeland Security appropriations bill. A lot of my colleagues have not thought about it in those terms, but because of our response and reorganization--our response to, in some part, 9/11, but our reorganization of the Homeland Security Department--we now have a Homeland Security appropriations bill, and we will be addressing that beginning Monday. And, yes, each time I either open or close the Senate it seems people say it is a challenging schedule. It is a challenging schedule. Indeed, to complete all the appropriations bills, and to send them to the President before the beginning of the new fiscal year, will be a real challenge. But it is our responsibility to do so. As the distinguished ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Committee reminds us on a regular basis, one of our most basic responsibilities of the Congress under article I of the Constitution is that ``No money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law.'' Thus, we take this fundamental responsibility seriously. And thus the discipline and the focus, the patience, the collegiality, the cooperation must all be reflected in order to accomplish that task. There is reason to be optimistic that for the first time in almost a decade we can complete action on all of the 13 appropriations bills and have them signed into law before the new fiscal year begins October 1. Again, when we accomplish that--if we accomplish it--but when we accomplish that, it will be for the first time in almost a decade. That optimism stems from a number of facts: first, from the fact that having adopted a budget resolution earlier this year, we now at least begin this appropriations process with a defined top-line spending level for all the appropriations bills next year, that top line being $784.6 billion. That optimism is also a result of the hard work of the chairman of the committee and the ranking member of that committee, as well as others, to establish very early a general understanding with the administration how the President's priorities and the congressional priorities will be considered. That optimism that we can accomplish completion by the end of the fiscal year also stems from the fact that of the 13 appropriations bills, the Senate and House's initial allocations are identical for 7 of the bills, and these 7 bills, with identical allocations, represent three-quarters of all the appropriations for next year. A lot of this is made possible by a very close working relationship with the House of Representatives. Speaking of the House, I am optimistic that before they recess in about a week or 7 days from today or possibly tomorrow, they will have completed 11 of the 13 bills. That will have been a major accomplishment and one that will expedite going to conference quickly to resolve any differences with the Senate bills in September. Finally, that optimism is further strengthened by the fact that because we have a budget in place this year, because we passed a budget and we have a budget in place right now, we also have the tools to enforce the spending levels that are assumed in that budget. Over this week we have made much progress on the appropriations process. We have begun the process in earnest. We have achieved a good first step. Even with this optimism, I know it will not be easy. After the August recess, we will need to complete action on the remaining bills in the Senate and then conference those with the House. We also recognize that in discussion of these appropriations bills, there are many demands--we saw a number of them play out today--in the bills that come before us. We will see many very good programs, many very worthy programs that require funding. But we will also see programs--and will be talking about that on the floor--that were simply created at a different time in our history. Or we will be talking about programs that simply were created but have not met their goals, programs where continued funding is simply not the most effective use of taxpayer dollars. As we saw the deficit figures come out over the course of the last week, again and again we said, there are certain things that can be done. It is to grow the economy. It is to reap the benefits of the jobs and growth package that we passed on the Senate floor with those midterm and long-term effects of growing the economy, creating jobs. Thirdly, there is the fiscal discipline that does demand tough choices, that does demand tough decisions. We are committed in this body to slowing rates of Government spending, and indeed, if you exclude the spending in the war supplemental last spring, the appropriations for next year will represent less than a 3-percent increase over the current year. Spending will be tight. Many worthy programs and initiatives may not see the increases they have enjoyed in many recent years. Recent years' appropriations have grown at an annual rate of over 7 percent. That simply cannot be tolerated. It is unacceptable today, growing at 7 percent. That is faster than the economy. That is faster than families' paychecks. We simply will not do that. We cannot do that. We need to engage that fiscal discipline. Again, if you take out that war supplemental from last spring, the appropriations for next year will be less than a 3-percent increase over the current year. It is that type of fiscal discipline that we will demonstrate. I do know we can live within our budget that we adopted earlier this year. I look forward to working with the Democratic leader and the leadership of the Appropriations Committee to fulfill our responsibility under the Constitution to enact appropriations bills and to do so in an orderly and timely manner. Our work this week demonstrates that disciplined, orderly manner again in a timely way. I thank my colleagues for their cooperation, for their patience as we, under the leadership of Chairman Stevens, proceed in this disciplined manner.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to a period for morning business.