Judd Gregg

Mr. GREGG

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I ask that the previously agreed-to Bayh and Gregg amendments be modified with the modifications which are at the desk.

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be dispensed with.

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

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the amendment by Senator Kohl dealing with juvenile accountability block grants, No. 217, be agreed to.

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be dispensed with.

Mr. GREGG. I thank the Senator. That is very helpful. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. GREGG. That is correct.

Mr. GREGG. Yes.

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I list the following amendments which have been agreed to. We will ask they be accepted en bloc by unanimous consent: the Gregg-Clinton-Kennedy flu reserve amendment, No. 155; the Snowe-Kerry SBA, as modified, No. 216; the Bayh sense of the Senate on a GAO study of debt, No. 157; the Santorum amendment No. 163, a sense of the Senate on charitable activity; the Chafee clean water, Baucus- Grassley SSA--Social Security Administration--No. 167; the Clinton comparative effectiveness sense of the Senate, No. 154. I ask unanimous consent those amendments be agreed to.

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 President, I ask unanimous consent the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. GREGG. We can in probably just a few minutes, yes.

Mr. GREGG. I would suggest that this be a 10-minute vote since we had a break in the voting.

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, this amendment would add $74 billion in spending and would increase taxes by $74 billion. It comes in the context of the fact that it would actually exceed the authorized level of IDEA as just reauthorized. In addition, it ignores the fact that this President has made a stronger commitment to IDEA than any President in history, especially in comparison to the prior President. This President has increased IDEA funding by 74 percent in his first 4 years in office, and he has made a commitment in this budget to add another $500 million in IDEA. It is obviously a classic tax-and-spend amendment, and I certainly hope my colleagues would defeat it. I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I recognize that there is a lot going on right now and I apologize for a touch of confusion, but if Senator Dayton has been yielded 1 minute as a result of a unanimous consent, we ask unanimous consent for 1 minute on our side in opposition.

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I suggest a voice vote on this amendment.

Mr. GREGG. I suggest we have a voice vote on this amendment.

Mr. GREGG. Why don't we reserve action on the Senator's amendment until we have a couple seconds to talk about it? Mr. President, I would like to clarify that the Allen amendment has been adopted.

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I reserve my time.

Mr. GREGG. I yield myself a minute off the managers' time. I was under the impression that the Senator's amendment took the funds from 920. Are you saying the Senator's amendment pays for this with an increase in taxes?

Mr. GREGG. That amendment was agreed to by unanimous consent, as modified, in a tranche of amendments we did earlier this evening. We will get this clarified, Mr. President.

Mr. GREGG. Is this the Allen amendment relative to NASA?

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, the next amendment will be offered by the Senator from Pennsylvania.

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I suspect under the rules adopted earlier this evening, with the way things are going to be accounted for in the Appropriations Committee, the point of this amendment will be moot. I suggest a voice vote.

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, the next amendment is an amendment from the Senator from Vermont.

Mr. GREGG. I suggest a voice vote on this amendment.