Tim Johnson

Mr. JOHNSON

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. JOHNSON

Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I now ask unanimous consent that amendments Nos. 2741, 2759, 2760, 2740, 2752, and 2746, which are pending, be considered and agreed to en bloc and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table; that amendments Nos. 2737, 2745, 2747, and 2771 be modified with the changes at the desk, and that, as modified, the amendments be agreed to and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table.

Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that it be in order for the following amendments to be considered en bloc: 2759, 2760, 2741, 2752, 2738, 2746, 2773, 2740, 2749, 2751, 2743, 2771, 2737, 2747, 2745, 2734, 2753.

Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, on behalf of various Senators I now call up en bloc amendments Nos. 2734, 2738, 2773, 2753, 2749, 2751, 2743. I ask unanimous consent that the amendments be considered and agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table en bloc.

Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that on Tuesday, November 17, following a period of morning business, the Senate resume consideration of H.R. 3082, and that the following list of amendments be the only amendments remaining in order, with no second-degree amendments in order to any listed amendments: Johnson amendment No. 2733, Feingold amendment No. 2748; Cochran amendment No. 2763, Inhofe amendment No. 2774, Inouye amendment 2754, McCain second-degree amendment No. 2776; that the previous order regarding a managers' amendment remain in effect; that the vote with respect to the Inhofe amendment occur when the Senate resumes consideration of the bill at 2:15, and that upon disposition of the Inhofe amendment, the provisions of the previous order with respect to disposition of the substitute and passage of the bill be in effect; that there be 2 minutes of debate prior to each vote, except that prior to the Inhofe vote there be 5 minutes of debate, with all debate time equally divided and controlled in the usual form; further, that amendment No. 2779 be withdrawn once this agreement is entered into this evening, with any relevant provisions of the order of November 10 in effect.

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

Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, as in executive session, I ask unanimous consent that on Tuesday, following the disposition of H.R. 3082, the order with respect to the Hamilton nomination be executed.

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

Mr. JOHNSON

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

Mr. JOHNSON. How much time is remaining on both sides?

Mr. JOHNSON. I thank the Chair.

Mr. JOHNSON. Madam President, I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. JOHNSON. I have a parliamentary inquiry.

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

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

Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, as we come back from the Veterans Day recess, the Senate resumes consideration of the MILCON-VA appropriations bill. As I have stated several times on the floor during this debate, this is a vital piece of legislation that needs to be passed as quickly as possible. As I speak, the VA is operating under a stopgap funding measure. Funding the VA in that manner is far from ideal and interrupts planning and hiring at VA hospitals. The bill before the Senate today protects against this sort of problem in the future by providing $48.2 billion in advance appropriations for VA medical care. This is something that is supported by both sides of the aisle. In fact, this bill is one of the most bipartisan measures that we take up every year. That is why it mystifies me that we seem to be in a holding pattern. One of the most critical parts of this bill is medical care for our Nation's vets. The VA is expecting to treat almost 6.1 million patients in fiscal year 2010, an increase of 2.1 percent over last year. Moreover, the Department estimates it will see the number of Iraq and Afghanistan war vets rise to 419,000 this year, a 61-percent increase in patient load since 2008. With these facts in mind, the bill targets the vast majority of discretionary funding for vets' medical care. The bill provides a total of $44.7 billion for medical care. Additionally, it provides $580 million for vital medical and prosthetic research. This is one of the many reasons why we need to get this bill passed and sent to conference as soon as possible. In addition, hundreds of urgent military construction projects are on hold awaiting passage of this bill. Under a unanimous consent agreement entered into last Monday, there are 27 amendments in order to this bill and one motion. As I understand it, we will soon be voting on one of the amendments and the motion to commit. Between now and the time of the vote, I wish to try to clear some of the other amendments that are in order to the bill. I have read all these amendments, and the vast majority are not controversial. It seems to me we should be able to clear them. If there are objections to any of these amendments, I urge my colleagues to come to the floor and express what objections they may have. Taking care of our vets and our military troops and their families is one of the most important tasks of this body. Surely, we can all work together and pass this bill quickly. Amendment No. 2781 to Amendment No. 2779

Mr. JOHNSON. Madam President, as I have indicated before, I strongly oppose the motion to commit this bill with instructions. This bill funds programs that are vitally important to America's military troops and their families and to our Nation's veterans. Most of these programs were funded in the budget request but not all. This bill includes additional funding for such programs as housing for homeless veterans, rural clinics for veterans in underserved areas, mortgage relief for military personnel under orders to move during the current mortgage crisis, and for wounded veterans and surviving spouses and funding for an array of regionally needed military construction projects not included in the budget request. The MILCON-VA bill before the Senate is a good piece of legislation. Likewise, the veterans caregiver assistance authorization bill is important legislation. The two bills should not be confused. Congress should pass both the MILCON/VA appropriations bill and the caregivers assistance authorization bill without further delay. Madam President, I yield the floor.

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

Mr. JOHNSON. Madam President, the MILCON-VA bill before the Senate today funds critically important programs for our Nation's military forces and their families and for our vets. Most of the funding was requested by the President, but certain programs were enhanced or augmented by the committee after careful consideration and evaluation of the budget request. Let me give two examples of the funding in this bill that was not requested by the President that would be stripped out under the mandate of the motion to commit: $50 million for community- based outpatient clinics for vets in rural areas underserved by VA medical centers. These clinics serve as medical lifelines for vets in rural areas who do not have ready access to a VA Hospital. There is $50 million in a pending amendment to renovate excess buildings on VA medical campuses for homeless vets shelters and services. An estimated 131,000 vets are homeless on any given night. Secretary Shinseki has made it a priority to eliminate homelessness among vets, and this bill supports that effort. There is $300 million to complete the funding requirement for the expanded Homeowners Assistance Program for military personnel, to protect military families under orders to move during the current mortgage crisis from disastrous losses on home sales and to shield wounded warriors and surviving spouses from the financial ravages of the mortgage crisis. There is $7.5 million for a chapel center at Dover Air Force Base, DE, to replace a wood-frame chapel built in 1956. The existing chapel has asbestos in the ventilation system, the roof is too unstable for maintenance personnel to walk on, and the Chaplain Command has rated the current chapel as the worst in the command. Yet this decrepit facility serves as the primary site for hosting families waiting to view the dignified transfer of the fallen from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This project was not included in the President's budget request but was added by the committee. These are but a few examples of the types of programs and projects funded in the bill that were not requested by the President. They are not, as this motion would suggest, less urgent or unnecessary simply because they were not requested by the President. They are the product of careful analysis and evaluation by the committee of jurisdiction and developed in close consultation with the authorizing committees. I urge my colleagues to support the committee-passed version of the MILCON-VA bill and reject the motion to commit it to the committee. I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. JOHNSON. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that no amendments be in order to the Coburn amendment or motion.

Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, on behalf of Senator Durbin, I send a second-degree amendment to the desk.

Mr. JOHNSON. Madam President, I note the absence of a quorum.

Mr. JOHNSON. Madam President, I support the amendment from the Senator from Oklahoma, amendment No. 2757, disclosure of reports. Our side was willing to agree to this amendment by unanimous consent or voice vote. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. I yield back my time.

Mr. JOHNSON. Madam President, I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. JOHNSON

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