Bill Frist

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, what we have just done is significant in many ways. We have addressed for the first time in a comprehensive way one of the greatest humanitarian, moral, and public health challenges this country has ever seen, and, I would argue, the greatest humanitarian challenge we have had to face in the last 100 years. We addressed this health challenge in a comprehensive way. We addressed it with an authorization for $15 billion over 5 years. It was just a few years ago we were spending a total of $100 million a year, and now it is going to be approximately $3 billion a year. As has been stated again and again over the course of the evening, the afternoon, and around lunch when we first began talking on the bill, what we have done is shown that the United States is not just a good nation but is indeed a great nation, that we will lead in the global fight against this destructive virus that has killed 23 million people, that is affecting the lives of over 45 million people today, and that, as we have said today, will likely take the lives of 60 million others and will create probably another 40 million orphans over the next two decades. This is our first step. I congratulate the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee for bringing us to this point. Many of us have been working for 3, 4, and 5 years even to bring us to this point. I thank him for his tremendous leadership in accomplishing this goal. I will be happy to yield to my colleague, Senator Enzi.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read three times, passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and that any statements relating to the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Judiciary Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. 459 and that the Senate then proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. For the information of all Senators, on Monday the Senate will be in a period for morning business until 2:30 p.m. Following morning business, the Senate will begin consideration of the Department of Defense authorization bill. At 5:30, the Senate will proceed to executive session and vote on Executive Calendar No. 172, the nomination of Maurice Hicks to be a district judge for the Western District of Louisiana. Therefore, the next vote will occur on Monday afternoon at 5:30 p.m. I wish all of my colleagues a well-deserved and restful weekend, after approximately 18 hours of consecutive debate and votes on amendments. Today we voted on a total of 36 amendments--I say today, but over the last 18 hours--in what we have called a vote-athon, and that is a lot of work as we proceed. Thus, it is indeed a well-deserved weekend before us.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill, as amended, be read a third time and passed; that the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate; and that any statements relating to the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand in adjournment until 2 p.m., Monday, May 19. 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 for their use later in the day, and the Senate then begin a period for morning business with the time until 2:30 p.m. equally divided between Senator Hagel and the Democratic leader; provided that at 2:30 p.m. the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. 1050, the Department of Defense authorization bill, as provided under the previous order.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, we really only have 35 minutes to speak on the bill itself, now that we are officially on the bill. My colleagues can tell from the comments today that this initiative is a huge bipartisan initiative that is supported strongly by Democrats and Republicans. I think they will see as the debate goes forward that nobody thinks the bill is absolutely perfect in the sense that they don't as individuals agree with everything in the bill itself. Again, reflected in the comments we have just heard, if we step back, we are seeing an unprecedented commitment on behalf of this institution, the Senate, the House of Representatives, the Congress, with passage of a bill that follows the leadership of President Bush of $15 billion over a 5-year period. I especially appreciate the comments of the Senator from Massachusetts because, indeed, Senator Kerry and I have been working on this issue for years, in an apolitical way, in working with CSIS, which is a nonprofit group that all of us know, and we have brought in the experts from all over the world. They have done a beautiful job. We have sent delegations to China to look at the issue and broadly support it. I think that is what this bill is all about. So much of what we do appears so partisan and, indeed, we will disagree on dollars and how much should go to the global fund. Some people feel passionately it needs to be more. Others say: Let's give a little more time to the fund. At the end of the day, when we pass this bill, this bipartisan bill--it comes from the House, but it is an assimilation of all the ideas we have been working on--it is something of which we can be quite proud. The chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Lugar, his made comments I especially appreciate because it walked through the challenges we face in addressing an issue that is very difficult for a lot of people because it involves stigma, a virus that wasn't even around 23 years ago. The HIV, when I was doing medical school and the internship and the early years of residency, had never been heard of, not talked about in the textbooks until 1981, when we saw the first three or four viruses. That virus has now killed 23 million people, has 40 million people infected, and will kill, in the best of all worlds, another 60 million people. As history looks back at this day or at this year or at these Senators in this body, it will be able to say we did everything possible to reverse the course of that destruction. At the end of today we will say, yes, for this point in time--we have lots of other steps to take--this is the first major step. This is what I wanted to say to my colleagues on both sides of the aisle. This is not going to cure the virus. We have no cure. We have no vaccine. We can reverse that trend, but this is the first major step. The President took the lead in the State of the Union Message. It is very complementary to the work I have worked with Senator Kerry and Senator Lugar and Senator Biden and Senator Durbin on over the years. That is most important. This little HIV virus is only about 100 nanometers. That is tiny. It is microscopic. It is invisible to the naked eye. A meter is about that big. It is a billionth of a meter in terms of size, 12,000 times smaller than a human hair. So it is amazing. We are just entering this era where we understand viruses and how we can fight them to the point that we can effectively combat them, but something that small can cause so much destruction. In terms of process, which people have referred to, we will begin legislation later today on this $15 billion 5-year effort to combat the worldwide HIV/AIDS epidemic. The bipartisan support is reflected in the fact that the bill that I, in talking to the leadership on the other side of the aisle, said, how can we best immediately begin the response to the destruction of this virus, meaning not put it off 6 months or 12 months or 3 months or a year, and it is using this piece of legislation which will come to the floor later today. Some have suggested, you kind of knock out the deliberative process by going to the House bill. I disagree. We have put together various bills. If you look at the House bill, while not everybody agrees with everything in it, it really is an assimilation of the proposals put forward that looks at prevention, care, and treatment. That is what is beautiful. It is the amount of money, $15 billion, about $3 billion a year for 5 years, the money, but also it is the first time in legislation that we have linked a public health approach, which you need, to this greatest of all humanitarian and public health tragedies--challenges, as Senator Kerry has just said on the floor, that you link prevention, care, and treatment. With that, over time, we will be able to reverse the course of this virus. The treatment strategies themselves have to do with antiretroviral drugs. Some people say, let's put all the money there. We don't have a cure yet, so to put all the money there doesn't make sense. We have to go back and look at both prevention, which we know is 100-percent effective, the prevention strategies--I refer back to Uganda, and what is being done there--and also the care. How do you manage people with HIV/AIDS? It could be other antibiotics. It could be nutrition. It could be care. That is why the overall planning and the comprehensive nature of this bill is so important. The bill before us does represent a lot of coming together into a focus of agreement and consensus on a range of issues--not all of the issues, but on, I would say, most of the issues. That is why we can't let the perfect be the enemy of what the good is in this particular bill. It is true that in less than 3 weeks the President of the United States, if we pass this bill, will be able to go to the G-8 conference, and that is important. That is not necessarily the driving reason to do it, but it does give us an additional reason to do it--in addition to the fact it will save lives, which is the most important issue to all of us--that the President of the United States can show that we are a caring nation, we are not just a good nation but we are a great nation in terms of reaching out, the caring, the compassion as we go forward. We will be able to lead--yes, we are a powerful nation--and get other nations to participate because we can't solve this problem by ourselves. The United States can't do it. We don't know the answer. We don't have enough money to do it. But when we can bring the family of nations, contributing both commitment and money, we will be able to cure this little virus as we go forward. There are lots of issues in the bill we will talk about later. One of the most important is that we can start immediately. We will have a skilled coordinator--that is part of the underlying package--will be able to move forward, begin the planning, begin the implementation. Then through the appropriations process we will be able to add the appropriate money. Let me close as I opened: Again, we will have the opportunity to talk later tonight at greater length. History, ultimately, will judge how we respond. We have done a pretty good job through study, committees, through bills, through proposals, through debates, through the appropriations process, but this gives us the first disciplined, dedicated, focused, comprehensive response which links the public health with the scientific. That is what this is about. History will look back on this day as the first major step in reversing this greatest of humanitarian challenges of the 21st century. We do have a choice. We could put it off for later or we could choose to do it now. I believe we will choose to act tonight, ultimately pass this bill, and, with that, it will be a demonstration of why we are not just a good Nation but a great nation. I yield the floor.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. I ask unanimous consent when the Senate resumes consideration at 9:15 of S. 1054, on Thursday, May 15, that all time under the statutory limit be expired; I further ask consent that the Senate then proceed to a series of stacked votes on or in relation to the pending amendments in the order offered, beginning with the Bunning amendment, provided that there be 2 minutes equally divided for closing remarks prior to vote in relation to any of the amendments pending from Wednesday's session. I further ask consent that following the disposition of the pending amendments and any other offered amendments, the bill then be read a third time, the Senate then proceed to the consideration of H.R. 2, all after the enacting clause be stricken and the text of S. 1054, as amended, if amended, be inserted in lieu thereof, the bill then be read a third time and the Senate then proceed to a vote on passage of the bill, with no intervening action or debate. I further ask consent that following that vote, 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 with a ratio of 3 to 2. Finally, I ask consent no points of order be waived by this agreement.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, we are now on the jobs and economic growth package. By statute, the clock is running and we will have a very healthy and productive debate in the next 14 hours, as the assistant minority leader said. It is critically important that we do this in a disciplined and organized way. The rules are different than on the usual debate. They are very clear. What it means is that we need to have participation as early as possible with the two leaders who will be managing this bill. I want to reiterate what the assistant leader said. The legislation that we will be discussing--and, ultimately, I believe will pass--will clearly lower tax burdens, increase jobs, and expand and grow the economy in the short term, midterm, and in the long term. That is an objective I think both sides of the aisle share-- expansion of the economy. With that, you have job creation and an increase in savings and investment. The House has done its work on the bill, and now it is time for the Senate to do the same, to send a very clear message to the American people that we are serious as a body, as an institution, as a Government, as the Congress, about creating jobs. When you say creating jobs, you are really saying to give job security to the people who have jobs, and also to those people across America who don't have jobs but who want jobs and are willing to work, to have that opportunity. Growing the economy is sort of a surrogate of what we say because if you look at the economy and you make that pie larger and larger, in truth, you are creating jobs and growing our gross domestic product in a way that is consistent with the increased productivity of individuals that has occurred over the last 15, 20 years. A lot of people ask how much. It is hard to give an exact number. We all look for those exact numbers. How much will the Senate Finance Committee jobs and tax package grow the economy? We make references to other proposals, and the other side of the aisle put a package on the table and quantified it. The President's proposal has been quantified, and those numbers have been used. People are asking: What about the package that passed out of the Finance Committee last night? How many jobs will it create? The Heritage Foundation's Center for Data Analysis specifically studied the Senate Finance bill, and the results paint a very clear picture of growth--growing the economy. The study shows that the Finance Committee package will raise the economy's growth rate in 2004 from 3.3 to 3.6 percent. That six-tenths of 1 percent may not seem to be much, but what it does do is translate into an additional 437,000 jobs in 1 year, in 2004 alone, and an increase in gross domestic product that year of more than $42 billion. I want to remind my colleagues that outside of the White House, the Senate is perhaps the only place in Washington where one person literally can make the difference. We have seen that play out in many of the votes thus far this year in our very closely divided Senate. One vote makes a difference. So I say to each of my colleagues, please remember that the people back you, and how you participate in this debate and in growing the economy is important to our constituents--constituents in your State but indeed people all across the country. We will, through this bill, make a difference in the lives of each and every one of our constituents. Our constituents want to feel good again about the economy. They want to be able to find a job or get a better job. They want to be able to grow their businesses, most of which are small businesses, as we all know. They want a fighting chance to grab a piece of that American dream. In closing, I urge my colleagues to move this jobs and growth package through the Senate quickly over the course of today. We can complete our job in this body in preparation for a final vote in the conference committee before we leave for the Memorial Day recess. In the form that is created over the next really 24 to 36 hours, building upon the very solid package put forth by the Finance Committee, we will be able to create jobs and we will be able to put Americans to work. I yield the floor.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, we understand that. That is correct.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that immediately following passage of H.R. 2, the Senate proceed to Calendar No. 86, H.R. 1298, the Global AIDS bill. I further ask unanimous consent that only relevant first-degree amendments be in order; further, that only second-degree amendments which are relevant to the first-degree amendment to which they are offered, when offered, be in order; that upon disposition of all amendments the bill, as amended, if amended, be read a third time and the Senate then vote on passage of the bill without further intervening action or debate.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, just to summarize very quickly, let me restate what the assistant Democratic leader said. A lot of discipline and organization has taken us very successfully to this point. We encourage people who are going to be offering amendments either tonight or tomorrow to report that and discuss that with the two managers of the bill. At 9:15 tomorrow morning, all time will have been exhausted and we will start at 9:15 with our voting on whatever pending amendments there are based on what has been carried out so far today and tonight. We will be looking at those amendments starting at 9:15 in the morning. If additional amendments arise, they will be considered after the disposition of all of the pending amendments. We will have final consideration and passage of this bill tomorrow at the conclusion of that sequence of votes. Immediately following passage, we will go to the global HIV-AIDS bill, and I intend to complete that bill this week as well. Thus, tonight we expect no further rollcall votes and our voting will begin at 9:15 sharp tomorrow morning.

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

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that following my remarks, Senator Bunning be recognized to offer an amendment for himself, Senator McConnell, and others, regarding taxation of Social Security benefits; provided further that there be 1 hour equally divided in the usual form. I further ask consent that following the conclusion of time, the amendments be set aside and the Senate proceed to vote in relation to the Bunning amendment, to be followed by a vote in relation to the Dorgan amendment, No. 556, at a time determined by the majority leader, after consultation with the Democratic leader; further, that no amendments be in order to the amendments prior to the votes.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, this morning the Senate will begin consideration of the jobs and economic growth package which was reported by the Finance Committee. Under the agreement reached yesterday, there are 14 hours remaining for consideration of the bill. I again ask that all Senators who intend to offer amendments contact the chairman and ranking member of the committee to facilitate their structuring of consideration of this bill for today and tomorrow morning. As I indicated last night in closing, I expect a very busy day today and, indeed, a busy day tomorrow and on Friday. We will have a busy day and likely a busy night tonight as we address this important jobs and economic growth package. When we complete this measure tomorrow, we will proceed directly to the bipartisan global HIV/AIDS bill. The Senate will complete both of these important issues this week. A number of Senators do have engagements planned Saturday, a number of commencement addresses and interaction with their constituents, so we will not be in on Saturday, but we will likely be voting late into Friday. I urge them to make appropriate arrangements but to be here Friday. We will clearly be voting through tomorrow as well. Mr. President, I made a few statements yesterday on the fact that this HIV/AIDS bill will be addressed this week. The focus today and much of tomorrow will be on the jobs and economic growth package. I hope we can go to the HIV/AIDS bill tomorrow afternoon. This virus, HIV/AIDS, casts a shadow of death that reaches across oceans; it knows no borders, and it is sweeping across continents. It goes to remote villages and countries all across the globe. It has killed 23 million people, and 42 million people are living with this virus. Of those 42 million people, most don't know they have the virus. Another 60 million people will likely die of HIV/AIDS by 2020. We have an opportunity to reverse this moral, this humanitarian tragedy. The work has been done by the House of Representatives, by the President of the United States, and now it is up to this body. As I have mentioned before, history will judge whether America has led in the fight against HIV/AIDS, which has caused the greatest destruction in human life in recorded history, and whether we stood up in a timely fashion and performed heroic rescues. President Bush opened the door to that possibility, the House acted, and we will act this week to pass legislation and get this program established without further delay.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, the size of HIV is about 100 nanometers. That is tiny, microscopic, and invisible to the naked eye. A nanometer is one-billionth of a meter. If you divide 3 feet, into 1 billion parts, and take 100 of those parts, that is the size of HIV. That is 2,000 times smaller than a human hair. Yet that little virus casts a long shadow of death. Reaching across oceans sweeping across continents, burrowing deep into even the most remote villages on Earth, AIDS--the disease that virus causes--has killed 23 million people since it was discovered in 1981. Forty two million people are living with the HIV virus right now. And another 60 million people could die by 2020. Those are daunting statistics. They paint a dark landscape. But they do not reveal the individual rays of light that have been dimmed by HIV/AIDS. The loving mother who left her child to fend on the streets. The caring husband who left his wife to support their family. The innocent newborn who left the womb facing not a bright future, but an early death. Nowhere is there a greater threat to life today than in the AIDS- ravaged parts of the world: Africa, the Caribbean, and soon China, India, and Russia. Millions of lives have already been lost. Millions of more lives will be lost unless we act. But if we do act, if we summon the moral courage to shine light into the long shadow of this little virus, we will change the course of history. HIV/AIDS has a tremendous impact on a society and an economy. In Zimbabwe, AIDS will wipe out 20 percent of its workforce by 2005. Kenya has reported in recent years as many as 75 percent of the deaths in law enforcement are AIDS-related. In countries with HIV prevalence rates of 20 percent or higher, economic growth, GDP, drops by an average of 2.6 percentage points per year. Economies are shrinking solely because of this little virus. That, my friends, causes hopelessness to prevail. But we are still losing the battle against the virus. The problem is getting worse, not better. The virus is spreading like wildfire. By 2010, China will have 10 to 15 million cases of HIV/AIDS, and India is likely to have 20 to 25 million cases--the highest estimate for any country. Every 10 seconds brings 1 AIDS-related death and 2 new HIV infections. For every 1 person who has died over the last 20 years, 2 more will die in the next 20 years. We have a moral duty to lead the world in this fight, . . . to devote more resources and manage those resources so they get where they need go and help the people who need help. At the end of the week the Senate will take up H.R. 1298 authorizing the President's emergency plan to fight AIDS. The House passed this bill with overwhelming support, 375 to 41. All but one of the House Democrats voted for the bipartisan compromise. This bill is not perfect. But we must not let the perfect be the enemy of the good. The President will sign this bill as it currently stands. We will defeat HIV/AIDS. As a Senator, as a doctor, as a medical missionary, I have committed to this cause. The President has committed to this cause both in word and deed. History will judge whether a world led by America stood by and let transpire one of the greatest destructions of human life in recorded history--or performed one of its most heroic rescues. President Bush has opened the door to that latter possibility. We must pass this legislation now and get this program established without further delay. The President's Global AIDS Initiative is a rare opportunity to enact legislation that will save hundreds of thousands--millions--of lives. This is our moment.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. As soon as we complete the list, we will go to the energy bill.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 142, which was submitted earlier today.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table and that any statements relating to this matter be printed in the Record.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I appreciate the assistant Democratic leader making the request and stressing the importance of dealing with the extension of the debt ceiling. It is an issue we have to address. We have a number of issues that are pending, that are underway, and one is the energy bill introduced last week, with an amendment that is currently on the floor that I would like to come to this morning and continue. It is business that is underway. Secondly, the jobs and growth package is an issue that, at the end of last week, we committed to go to very early. I very much want to get this out of the Congress before the recess, if at all possible. That means we do need to go to that as soon as possible. The third priority I have set and laid out last week is the HIV/AIDS bill. I will make a few comments on that shortly, why I believe it is urgent for us to pass that particular legislation. Then, in this order, the fourth is the debt ceiling which has to be dealt with before we leave. I will be in consultation with the Department of the Treasury in terms of the exact timing of that. The sequence of events will be as I outlined as we go forward.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, this morning the Senate will be in a period of morning business to allow speakers to discuss and introduce legislation or to speak on the topic of their choice. It had been our expectation that the amendment process on the jobs/growth bill would begin this morning; however, that will be delayed until later today. Today, we do have a Senate delegation out of town attending the funeral of former Senator Russell Long, and that delegation will not return until early this evening. In addition, the Finance Committee will need to meet this evening to report out the reconciliation measure. The Senate will then immediately begin its consideration. This will allow us to begin to use time under the statutory time limit as well as begin the consideration of germane amendments this evening. I say to my colleagues, we will have to work late each night this week. At the end of last week I mentioned it was going to be a very busy week, and due to the delays which we are experiencing, it means we will be working late each night this week and through Friday. Following morning business today, we will resume consideration of the energy bill. Pending to the energy bill is the bipartisan Frist-Daschle ethanol amendment. I understand there are additional speakers on that amendment. Also, as I mentioned last week, there are a number of pressing issues that the Senate must address prior to the Memorial Day recess. First, we will finish the jobs/growth package this week. We have the statutory time interval of 20 hours of debate which will begin as soon as the Finance Committee reports out the reconciliation bill tonight. Also, as I mentioned last week, this week the Senate will consider the bipartisan global HIV/AIDS legislation. This measure has broad support across both sides of the aisle, and it is my hope that we will be able to work out an agreement this morning or over the course of the day that will allow the Senate to pass this bill after a reasonable period of consideration later this week. Third, we also have an order to consider the debt limit extension bill with a limited number of amendments. My colleagues on the other side of the aisle have indicated they would not delay this bill once we bring it up. I hope it will not be necessary for all of the 12 Democratic amendments to be offered once we do bring up that bill. I believe everyone does understand the need for fiscal continuity and the importance of getting a debt limit bill to the President's desk before the Memorial Day recess. As for next week, we will be considering the Department of Defense authorization. The chairman and the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee have done yeoman's work to get the Department of Defense authorization bill ready for floor action. We will proceed to full Senate consideration of that bill early next week. Needless to say, again, as I mentioned at the end of last week, we have a very busy 2 weeks really with 9 legislative days prior to the recess. I do ask for all Members' cooperation in the coming weeks as we move through these important issues.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand in adjournment until 9:15 a.m., Wednesday, May 14. I further ask consent that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and that the Senate then immediately proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 97, S. 1054, the jobs and economic growth bill, as provided under the previous order.

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 provisions of S. Res. 142, as a mark of further respect of the life and accomplishments of Senator Russell Long.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, for the information of all Senators, tomorrow morning the Senate will begin consideration of the jobs and economic growth bill. Under the previous order, 14 hours remain for debate under the statutory time limit. Amendments are expected throughout the day and, therefore, rollcall votes will occur during Wednesday's session. At this time, I remind my colleagues that reconciliation procedures limit debate time on both the underlying measure and all amendments. I encourage all Senators who wish to participate in the economic growth debate to contact the Finance Committee so that we may ensure an orderly, disciplined, and efficient process. We will complete action--we will complete action--on the jobs and economic growth bill this week. Following the jobs bill, the Senate will consider the bipartisan global HIV/AIDS bill. In order for the Senate to complete action on these measures, late nights and rollcall votes will occur throughout the week. I, therefore, advise my colleagues to make the necessary scheduling arrangements. Mr. President, does the assistant minority leader have any comments?

Mr. FRIST

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