Carl Levin

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk on behalf of Senator Cleland, which would extend the temporary authority for recall of retired aviators to active duty to September 30, 2008.

Mr. LEVIN. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Amendment No. 3946

Mr. LEVIN. I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, on behalf of Senator Warner and myself, I send an amendment to the desk which will transfer funding for the Compass Call aircraft between two lines within the aircraft procurement Air Force account. This is a technical correction that the Air Force has asked we make in the budget request.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk on behalf of myself and Senator Warner. It will establish a pilot program allowing the Secretary of Defense to authorize the Defense Logistics Agency to provide logistics support and services for weapons systems contractors when it is in the best interest of the Government. I ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. LEVIN. I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. LEVIN. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I offer an amendment on behalf of Senator Warner and myself that would authorize the Department of Defense to cancel longstanding debit and credit transactions that cannot be cleared from the Department's books because they have been misrecorded in the wrong appropriation. I believe this amendment has been cleared.

Mr. LEVIN. The amendment has been cleared, and we support it.

Mr. LEVIN. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Amendment No. 3942

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I send an amendment on behalf of Senator Cleland to the desk. This amendment would strike section 344 of our bill which added logistics support functions, acquisition logistics, supply management, system engineering, maintenance, and modification management to the core functions the Secretary of Defense must consider when making determinations about what capabilities should be retained by Government workers in Government-owned/Government-operated facilities. I understand the amendment has been cleared.

Mr. LEVIN. I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. LEVIN. The amendment has been cleared.

Mr. LEVIN. The amendment has been cleared.

Mr. LEVIN. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Amendment No. 3944

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk on behalf of Senator Landrieu. This amendment would delete a requirement in the bill that any waiver or deviation from a test and evaluation master plan be approved by the director of operational test and evaluation. I believe the amendment has been cleared.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senator from Virginia be given 6 minutes, if this is all right with Senator Dorgan, and then Senator Dorgan be recognized to proceed as in morning business.

Mr. LEVIN. For 10 minutes, as in morning business.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, first, I thank our leaders. It is a very difficult and challenging job to be leaders in this instance. They have proven so many times over the years and proven it again this afternoon the importance of taking a very difficult step, but it is a necessary step if we are going to get the bill passed. I heard Senator Warner with his commitment, and I join him in making that commitment that we will move to table or otherwise make a point of order against amendments which are not relevant to this Defense bill. It is a better approach than a cloture approach because at least relevant amendments which are not technically germane but are relevant to defense will be offered and will not be tabled because of any agreement between us. I also thank our whips. Senator Reid, as always, is right there helping to make the wheels move and to grease those wheels, as well as Senator Nickles. I thank the two of them, but again thank our two leaders for taking this very difficult step and committing to either table or make a point of order against amendments which they may very strongly support. That will go for Senator Warner and myself. I know of a bunch of them already that I very strongly support but because of the need to get this bill passed I will be constrained to move to table or make a point of order.

Mr. LEVIN. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. LEVIN. Madam President, we require an awful lot from our service men and women. First of all, we urge them to volunteer to serve in the military. Then, we send them all over the world to serve our Nation's interests. When we ask them to serve in foreign countries, the least we can do is ensure that they receive medical care equal to what they would receive in the United States. Servicewomen and dependents who are fortunate enough to be stationed in the United States and who make the difficult decision to have an abortion can, at their own expense, get a legal abortion performed by an English speaking doctor in a modern, safe American medical facility. Military women stationed overseas do not have the same opportunity. They can seek the permission of their commanders to return to the United States to obtain an abortion, or they can seek an abortion in foreign hospitals by foreign doctors, many of whom don't speak English, and who may have different medical standards. These choices are not acceptable. I can only imagine how difficult it would be for a female officer or enlisted person to have to go to her commander and ask for time off to travel to the United States to get an abortion. This is a very personal and difficult decision even under normal circumstances. The alternative of seeking an abortion from a host nation doctor, who may or may not be trained to U.S. standards, in a foreign facility, where the staff may not even speak English, is an equally unacceptable alternative. Our servicewomen deserve better. Our laws recognize the right of women to choose. This amendment would restore the ability of our female service members stationed overseas to exercise their constitutional right to choose safe abortion services at no cost to DOD. The amendment to be offered does not require the Department of Defense to pay for abortions. All expenses would be paid by those who seek the abortion. The abortions would be performed by American military doctors who volunteer to perform abortions. Military women should be able to depend on the military for quality health care, no matter where we may ask them to serve their country. This amendment gives service women stationed overseas the same range and quality of medical care available in the United States. We owe them at least that much. I hope soon there will be a unanimous consent agreement entered into that would allow Senator Murray then to offer her amendment on this subject. I hope tomorrow morning we can expect a vote on this amendment and that the Senate will adopt the amendment. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.