Judd Gregg

Mr. GREGG

Mr. GREGG. I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. GREGG. As I understand it, when we go into the vote to come after the first vote, it will be a hard 10-minute vote on each one.

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I have no problem with this amendment, obviously. It extends tax cuts. I think it is a poster child for the ``fudge-it budget'' because last year the same amendment was offered. Actually, after that budget was adopted, none of those taxes cuts were extended. So now we are doing it again. It is sort of like the gift that keeps giving, reoffering this amendment when it has no actual impact or nothing comes from it. We are for it because it reduces some of the tax burdens in this bill, but it still leaves in place, by our calculation, hundreds of billions of dollars of new taxes on working Americans, which will lead to significant tax increases for working Americans because this doesn't relieve all of the tax burdens in this bill.

Mr. GREGG. I look forward to the Senator's opposition.

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I believe it is the practice of the Senate, under the 2-minute rule, that one person speaks for their time, the other person speaks for their time, and there isn't a tradition that you reserve 10 seconds or 15 seconds. If that is going to be the situation, we are going to go back and forth and everybody has to have a last word, we are going to be here for a long time.

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, the Senator from North Dakota has made an exceptional case regarding the failure of the Indian health program, especially as it relates to his citizenry and other citizenry throughout this country. He has pointed out that it involves rationing, poor medical care, and that it involves inconsistent and spotty medical care. I think he has probably made one of the best cases you could possibly make for why we do not want the Federal Government running health care. The Indian health care system is a Federal system. So however people vote on this amendment, I think we should understand that this vote is a condemnation of the idea of nationalizing our health care system.

Mr. GREGG. Madam President, as I understand it, Senator Sununu and Senator Kerry are discussing this amendment. I suggest we move to the next regular order item, if there is no objection, which is Senator Lincoln's amendment.

Mr. GREGG. Madam President, I believe we are back to the Sununu amendment. We have a side-by-side, I understand, with Senator Kerry. Amendment No. 4221

Mr. GREGG. I ask unanimous consent that the Sununu amendment pass.

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

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I believe the next amendment was my amendment, but we have agreed to pass over it.

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I understand we are going to Senator DeMint next. Amendment No. 4328

Mr. GREGG. I urge adoption of the amendment and ask unanimous consent that it be agreed to.

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senator from Kansas be recognized to change a vote.

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

Mr. GREGG. I ask unanimous consent that the amendment be agreed to.

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I believe the Senator from North Dakota, the chairman of the committee, is going to make a request as to schedule. But I will simply say we are trying to develop a final finite list, and anybody on our side who has an amendment who has not contacted us--I believe everybody has; I believe we know what all the amendments are that people want--it is very important they tell us about them because we are developing a final finite list. And we will even accept amendments from your side if you want to tell us about them. That is OK too. As a practical matter, I would encourage people on the Republican side to tell us what they want so we can pull up this final finite list.

Mr. GREGG. I stress, Mr. President, when we come out of this break, we hope to have a finite list and hope to lock it in, so we need to hear from folks. We are, as the Senator from--the junior or senior Senator, I never know--from North Dakota suggested, Senator Dorgan, we will be working on a group of amendments that everyone can agree to and doing those as just a package.

Mr. GREGG

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I understand we are now proceeding to the Boxer amendment.

Mr. GREGG. Senator Kyl.

Mr. GREGG. I ask unanimous consent that the Senator be given 30 seconds to discuss this very important amendment.

Mr. GREGG. I ask unanimous consent that Senator DeMint get an additional 30 seconds so he can be heard.