Trent Lott

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. If the Senator will yield.

Mr. LOTT. Sure.

Mr. LOTT. It doesn't look very thick.

Mr. LOTT. I asked unanimous consent that we proceed to executive session to consider the Federal Reserve nominations on the Executive Calendar. I know the Senator from Iowa has been discussing these nominees already this afternoon, and I am advised that he is going to oppose a time agreement to get a vote on these nominations, so I was going to make note of the fact that my intention is to set the votes on these nominations for later today. If it is not possible, if there is objection to that, then I would have to say it would appear to me that these nominees could not get confirmed this session. We have a number of nominations we are trying to get cleared on both sides of the aisle. I had indicated to Senator Daschle we would try to move these nominees. We also have similar holds on the FCC nominees. But if we can't get those cleared in the next couple of days, it would be my intent to try to move those to a vote in the same manner tomorrow. So I am trying to emphasize that. I think these are important nominees. It would seem to me we need to have nominees to the Federal Reserve Board confirmed. These are the President's choices and his recommendations. This is, obviously, a very critical board. While I might agree with the Senator about some of his reservations and disagree with some of the actions they take and a number of things that have occurred over the years, I do think that unless there is a major objection to one or both of these nominees on the qualifications basis or experience or something of that nature, I feel an obligation to try to move them forward.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate immediately proceed to executive session to consider the following Federal Reserve nominations on the Executive Calendar: Calendar No. 305 and Calendar No. 306.

Mr. LOTT

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to executive session to consider Executive Calendar No. 318, Wyche Fowler, and Executive Calendar No. 320, Thomas Foley. I further ask unanimous consent that there be 10 minutes for debate, equally divided in the usual form on these nominations; and that, finally, at 6:15 p.m. tonight, the Senate proceed to a vote on Calendar No. 318, to be followed by a vote on Calendar No. 320.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I send a cloture motion to the desk.

Mr. LOTT. For the information of all Senators, I have just filed the last cloture motion to the highway bill. This cloture vote will occur on Tuesday. If cloture is not invoked on Tuesday, I will have to ask the Senate then to move on to other items. Needless to say, I hope cloture will be invoked on Tuesday. I know there are some Senators who have voted against cloture three times who intend to vote for it if this is going to be the last one. I have, as majority leader, basically given 2 weeks to opening statements and a preliminary discussion about the highway bill while we tried to see if other issues could be resolved. But unless we can get cloture invoked and I can unstack the tree of amendments and allow us to go forward with full debate and amendments on ISTEA, if this matter is going to continue to be held up at the insistence of Senator McCain and Senator Feingold because of the campaign finance reform issue, then I have no alternative but to stop. I really think that is unfortunate. I think the Senate was showing leadership by moving on to the ISTEA highway bill. The Environment and Public Works Committee came up with a good bill. It was reported unanimously from the committee. I think we would show leadership to pass the 6-year bill whereas the House had only passed a 6-month extension. I think it would be better for the country if we did this bill now. I think it would be better for the Senate if we did it now. I think that next spring or next summer or, heaven forbid, next fall, if we are still working on the highway bill, it will get tougher and tougher and tougher as more problems are developed, more amendments are written and as we get closer to elections. Every State is going to believe it has to have a little bit more, a little bit more for highways and bridges. That is fine. We all need that. But we need some kind of closure on how we deal with the formula and what funds are going to be available to our States. I think this is very unfortunate. I do not see there is any process now for there even to be a short-term extension. Everything seems to be tied to something on campaign finance reform that we have not been able to develop yet. I want to emphasize to all Senators that yesterday I believed Senator Daschle and I had come very, very close to having an agreement worked out whereby we would consider this other, unrelated to the highway bill, campaign finance issue next March, by the end of the first week in March, and that amendments would be in order and that there wasn't going to be an effort to fill up the tree and that Senators could offer amendments, first degree, second degree, and motions to table would be in order. Everything would basically go the regular order. But for some reason, at the last minute, interested Senators could not agree to that, but a very good-faith effort was made by Senators on both sides of the aisle and on both sides of the issue, and it did not come about. I am willing to have the Senate have this issue before it and have one more cloture vote, but then we will have to move on. I also want to emphasize that next Monday we do intend to take up some important issues, including the Interior appropriations conference report we have finally completed action on. If we have to, we are going to call for a vote on the Federal Reserve nominees that the President has sent to the Senate and the Senate committee has now reported to the full Senate for action. And we are going to have to take up legislation dealing with the threatened Amtrak strike. So we will have a full plate of things to do Monday and Tuesday, and we hope other appropriations bills will be ready in short order next week. In fact, we had meetings this morning on two of them, the Labor, HHS appropriations bill--we think maybe some good progress was made there, I say to the Senator from West Virginia--and we are getting closer, I believe, on the foreign operations appropriations bill. So we have other business that we need to do and must do, and we cannot give the balance of our time to the delay of the ISTEA bill based on the campaign finance reform issue.

Mr. LOTT. I now ask the Senate resume the highway bill.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. I now ask for its second reading and would object to my own request on behalf of the other side of the aisle.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I understand that Senate Joint Resolution 37, which was introduced earlier today by Senator Jeffords, is at the desk, and I ask for its first reading.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. I now ask for its second reading and object to my own request on behalf of the other side of the aisle, Mr. President.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I understand that H.R. 2646 has arrived from the House, and I ask for its first reading.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate stand in adjournment under the previous order.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, if I could respond to the distinguished Senator from West Virginia, I would need to consult further with Senator Stevens, the chairman of the Appropriations Committee, and the Senator from West Virginia. But if they would agree, I think we should look for a time on Tuesday or Wednesday to take that matter up, because we are not sure exactly what will be our final days in session this year but it could be just the next 2 weeks. So I would like to go ahead and take this up at the earliest possible time. I yield the floor.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. As I just indicated, on Monday I hope the Senate will be able to take final action on the Federal Reserve Board nominees. We may still give some additional time to consideration of the pending highway bill. It is our intent to have the Interior appropriations conference report voted on following the vote on Judge Marbley at 5 o'clock. Also, the Senate could be asked to consider Amtrak reform legislation in conjunction with the strike legislation. Under a previous order, at 5 o'clock, we will conduct the one rollcall vote on Judge Marbley. Then it could be followed by as many as three other votes, and we will have to determine that during the day Monday. But a minimum of one and possibly a maximum of five votes. Another cloture motion was filed today, of course, on the highway bill, and that vote would occur on Tuesday.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read three times, passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements relating thereto appear at the appropriate place in the Record as if read.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 2013.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Now, Mr. President I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand in adjournment until the hour of 12 noon on Monday, October 27. I further ask that on Monday, immediately following the prayer, the routine requests through the morning hour be granted and there then be a period of morning business until the hour of 1:30 p.m. with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each with the exception of the following: Senator Thomas for 30 minutes, Senator Feinstein for 30 minutes, and Senator Dorgan for 30 minutes.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I now ask unanimous consent that the Senate resume morning business with Senators permitted to speak up to 5 minutes each.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, as in executive session, I ask unanimous consent that at 5 p.m. on Monday, October 27, the Senate immediately proceed to executive session and a vote on the confirmation of the nomination of Calendar No. 329, Algenon L. Marbley, to be U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Ohio. I further ask unanimous consent that immediately following the vote the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table and the President immediately be notified of the Senate's action and the Senate then return to legislative session. I emphasize this is a vote that would occur at 5 p.m. on Monday. This is for Judge Marbley in the Southern District of Ohio. I believe Senator Daschle and I have talked about this vote on this judge occurring on Monday. So I make that request.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I have said I know this issue will come up again, rightly or wrongly, and I would like to schedule it in a way for everybody to know when it is coming up. I think Senator Daschle and I can agree on that. What I can't guarantee the Senator from Massachusetts is a process that would match or fit his word ``proper'' or ``adequate.'' It is in the eye of the beholder. What you think might be proper may not be what some other Senator thinks is proper as to how it should be considered. And also, if you are talking about setting up a process where at the end you win on the McCain-Feingold version, whether it is the first or second one, we don't think that is proper. So if the idea is you have to have a process where we can have a great big fight, after which nothing happens, or whereby you can be relatively assured you are going to be able to win the issue, we can't agree to that.

Mr. LOTT. Don't bet on that? The Senator from Kentucky will make sure that doesn't happen. I yield the floor so Senator Daschle can comment on his own time, and then I will move to stand in recess after that.

Mr. LOTT. If you will yield, it is ISTEA, it is fast track, it is Amtrak, it is juvenile justice, it is foster care and adoption, even maybe the Endangered Species Act--I have not had a chance to meet with the interested parties there--product liability. We have a lot of stuff we can do here in the next 2 weeks if we can get a process to achieve that.