Mark Hatfield

Mr. HATFIELD

Mr. HATFIELD. Mr. President, I would like to yield 3 minutes to the Senator from California. Mr. President, in yielding to the Senator from California, she was facing the same issue, I understand, in her committee work, and I wish to thank the Senator for laying the foundation at that time.

Mr. HATFIELD. I thank the Senator. Mr. President, I have a list. My other chief cosponsors are Senator Kassebaum, Senator Boxer, Senator Kennedy, Senator Mack, and others. As soon as we complete those, I would be very happy to consider yielding back the time. I would like at this time to yield to the Senator from Kansas.

Mr. HATFIELD. Mr. President, I yield 2 minutes to the Senator from New Mexico.

Mr. HATFIELD. Two minutes to Senator Kennedy from Massachusetts.

Mr. HATFIELD. Mr. President, again I am going back to the list of those who have made their request to be heard. I would yield 2 minutes to Senator Kennedy, 3 minutes.

Mr. HATFIELD. I thank the Senator.

Mr. HATFIELD. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk and ask for its immediate consideration.

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

Mr. HATFIELD. I thank the Senator from Oregon.

Mr. HATFIELD. Mr. President, the offsets are coming from nondefense discretionary funds and accounts. I have pages of tables here on each precise account that would indicate where they are coming from. We have excluded within that Medicare, and the health services, but they are then from all other remaining of the nondefense discretionary accounts.

Mr. HATFIELD. I have 17 minutes and other Senators are asking to be heard. I would agree, say, to a quarter after 10, provided this time is not charged against my allotment.

Mr. HATFIELD. Does that include this period of colloquy?

Mr. HATFIELD. I will be very happy to yield.

Mr. HATFIELD. Mr. President, I have a number of comments I wish to close with, but if there are questions pending, I would like to respond.

Mr. HATFIELD. Mr. President, I will respond by saying I wholeheartedly agree. In fact, at the beginning of my time allocation today, I sent to the desk a proposal that would take these funds, offset these funds from everything in the discretionary area, including military. Having shopped that proposal around the Senate, I calculated we would have had about 20 votes. So we would have ended up with the dismantling, what I call this proposal, which is a prelude to disaster, of the medical research infrastructure we have developed in this country, the greatest in the world. By taking a second-degree or withdrawing the first and offering the second proposal, which was to exclude the military, by that action, we have salvaged, at the expense of a fewer other agencies than my first proposal, but we at least have salvaged the future of NIH. It is a matter of robbing Peter to pay Paul, I suppose would be the most succinct way to do it. Not my preference, but with the political reality I face on this floor, it was the only way I could find to salvage and save NIH.

Mr. HATFIELD. Yes.

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

Mr. HATFIELD. I yield 3 minutes to the Senator from Vermont.

Mr. HATFIELD. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays on my amendment.

Mr. HATFIELD. I have no preference. Parliamentary inquiry. I am trying to get to the real part of the amendment, which is to restore the money to the NIH by offsets in all the other accounts, with the exception of defense. The one I have sent to the desk includes defense. That is my personal preference, but the votes are not there. So I am trying to protect the essence of the real amendment, which I want to debate, which is my second-degree amendment that excludes defense.

Mr. HATFIELD. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk and ask for its immediate consideration.

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

Mr. HATFIELD. Yes.

Mr. HATFIELD. Mr. President, I would be very happy to work out an arrangement. I have a list here of about a dozen Senators who have asked for a few minutes to express themselves on this amendment. Once I fulfill that obligation to my colleagues, I will be very happy to consider that.

Mr. HATFIELD. Mr. President, I thank the Senator for his comments. I yield 2 minutes to the Senator from New Hampshire.