Trent Lott

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I think probably at this point I would be well-advised to yield the floor and let the Senators talk directly to each other. Mr. President, I yield to the Senator from California.

Mr. LOTT. I thank Senator Coats very much. I yield the floor.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I want to commend the chairman of the Treasury, Postal Service Subcommittee, the distinguished Senator from Colorado, for the good work he has done today on this legislation and the cooperation he has received from the ranking member, Senator Kohl. I want to thank the Senate for the work that has been done this week. We have completed four appropriations bills and we are down to an identifiable, finite list of amendments on the Treasury, Postal Service bill. It has taken cooperation from all the Senators and a lot of support from the leader on the Democratic side of the aisle. I think we should commend each other when we do good work like this. I appreciate the support we have had. In recognition of that, I think rather than trying to drive on to conclusion tonight and perhaps having votes later on tonight, we will go forward tonight with debate on all remaining amendments, and then we will ask unanimous consent to stack the votes beginning at 5:15 on Monday. Also, on Monday, we will begin the HUD-VA appropriations bill. For those that are interested, on two other subjects, at the request of a number of Senators on both sides, so that we can try to continue to see if we can work out an agreement, we have moved the tuna-dolphin issue off until next week. We hope an agreement can be worked out, or a compromise. If it cannot be, we will probably have a cloture vote on that on Friday of next week. With regard to FDA reform, we have a very good bill that was reported from the education-labor committee. Senator Jeffords has been working with other interested Senators on both sides of the aisle and on both sides of the issue. We are hoping that a time agreement can be worked out on that. If we get a time agreement, we will try to take that bill up, perhaps, Tuesday or Wednesday. If we get the unanimous-consent request, there would be no further votes tonight or Friday. The next recorded votes would be at 5:15 on Monday. We will resume consideration of the treasury, postal appropriations bill. Earlier today, the managers were able to reach an agreement to limit amendments to that bill--first-degree amendments, I believe. Therefore, the Senate will remain in session this evening until the amendments have been debated. The votes, then, will be postponed to occur until 5:15 on Monday. Mr. President, I believe that is all we need to announce at this point, Mr. President. So we can go back to the Treasury, Postal Service bill.

Mr. LOTT. If I could just say, Mr. President, that I appreciate the suggestion that a good compromise could be worked out. And that is why I have not forced the issue this week. I originally planned to have a cloture vote on Friday, probably. But there were requests that we not do that both from the Senator from California and others. I am not interested in trying to make an issue here. This is not an issue I am directly involved in, although it came out of the Commerce Committee, which I serve on. I think it is an important issue, an important conservation issue. It is an issue that affects jobs and fishing areas. Senator Daschle and I both have been receiving calls from the President of the United States saying, please get this legislation up and get it to a conclusion. So my desire is to try to be helpful on this one. At the request of the administration, I am looking for a compromise that will allow us to get it completed in a reasonable period of time. But, if we can't do that, then we will just go with the alternative. I yield to the Senator from Arizona.

Mr. LOTT. Yes.

Mr. LOTT. I yield to the Senator from California.

Mr. LOTT. That would be my preference.

Mr. LOTT. The Senator may not have heard. I announced that in deference to the request of a number of Senators who are trying to work out a reasonable compromise, we have pushed that issue off. But it is our intent that if we don't get a compromise worked out, we would have a cloture vote on that on Friday of next week. I want it understood by Senators that we should expect to be in session next Friday. So please don't be planning on leaving Thursday night.

Mr. LOTT. And there will also be considerable work done tomorrow in the two conferences that are pending, as we communicate between the Congress and administration on that. I don't believe a unanimous- consent request is required on this issue, announcing when the next votes would occur.

Mr. LOTT. I tried to tell you. I would be glad to yield to the Senator from Indiana any time. I appreciate his comments. Mr. President, I have a unanimous-consent request.

Mr. LOTT. Good.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I take this opportunity to recognize and say farewell to an outstanding Army officer who has served our Nation with distinction for the past 27 years. It is a privilege for me to recognize his many outstanding achievements and commend him for his service. A native of Brandon, MS, Colonel Owens attended High School in Byram, MS. He graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi, where he was commissioned as a regular Army second lieutenant in June 1970. This foundation, provided by his education and training in Mississippi, began his distinguished national career. Colonel Owens has served throughout the world in defense of our Nation's freedom. He served three tours in Europe during the Cold War against the Communist block countries. These tours were served with renowned units including, VII U.S. Corps, 2d Armored Division and 8th Infantry Division (Mechanized). While stationed in the United States, Colonel Owens served with the elite XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He served in Desert Storm with XVIII Airborne Corps, receiving a Bronze Star for his dedicated service. Colonel Owens' current and final assignment has been with the U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida as Chief of Personnel. Colonel Owens' magnificent work has ensured our Special Operations Forces personnel who are deployed throughout the world in more than 50 countries are always taken care of and put in the right place at the right time. The common thread throughout his 27 years of service has been Colonel Ownes' selfless sacrifice in doing everything he could to take care of the young men and women who served under him as a platoon leader all the way through Brigade Commander. Mr. President, we owe a debt of gratitude to Col. Tom Owens, his wife, Ulrike, son, Steve, and daughter, Audrey, for their many sacrifices during his 27-year Army career. He is a great credit to both the Army and the country he has so proudly served. On behalf of the great State of Mississippi and our Nation, I wish him, as a paratrooper and distinguished soldier, ``calm winds and soft landings, while keeping his feet and knees into the breeze'' as he transitions into life as a civilian. He is a soldier's soldier. Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. I further ask there be 10 minutes equally divided for debate relative to the Bingaman and Hutchinson amendments prior to each vote with respect to the amendments that are pending.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, this is a very straightforward amendment. It requires a modest amount of funds be dedicated to supporting NATO integration costs for Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. Earlier this month at Madrid, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization made a historic decision: to invite three former members of the Warsaw Pact to join NATO. Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic have made tremendous progress since the fall of the Berlin Wall. Their economies are free, their militaries are under civilian control, their disputes with their neighbors have been resolved. The invitation to join NATO is not a gift--it has been earned by the hard work and sacrifice in each of these three countries. Including them in NATO will change the course of history--no longer will they be at the mercy of stronger neighbors. I led a delegation to Europe just before the Madrid summit. We met with NATO officials in Brussels and we went to Budapest, Hungary for a firsthand assessment of that country's progress. We all left convinced that Hungary--like Poland and the Czech Republic--has earned the invitation to become members of the most successful alliance in history. In the coming months, the Senate will consider all the issues associated with NATO enlargement. One of the key issues will be the costs--the total cost of enlargement, the U.S. share of that cost, and how that overall cost will be shared with existing and prospective NATO members. I believe the costs of enlarging NATO will be manageable. I believe there will be greater costs if we do not enlarge NATO. But the concern over the cost is legitimate. Much of the concern is based on a fear that NATO enlargement will drain a defense budget already under siege-- already stretched too thin from humanitarian interventions that have little to do with U.S. national security. I believe we should look at ways to finance NATO enlargement from non-defense sources. My amendment today helps pave the way for that approach by earmarking foreign aid funds for Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. There is a lot of money in this bill for programs that, in my view, are a lower priority than NATO enlargement. For example, the bill contains $950 million for the International Development Association to make concessional loans to countries like India and China. The bill contains $1.3 billion for development assistance, much of it going to countries where United States strategic interests are far less than in Central Europe. My amendment is designed to give maximum leverage to the managers in conference to ensure adequate funds are made available for the three countries invited to join NATO--funds to finance language training, communications modernization, and equipment interoperability. Much has been done by Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic to prepare their military forces for admission into NATO, but much more needs to be done. Meeting these needs will be a major share of the cost of NATO enlargement. Chairman McConnell has long been a leader in supporting enlargement of NATO to include new democracies in Central and Eastern Europe. His report points out the importance of keeping the NATO enlargement door open, and his bill takes a number of steps to provide reassurance to those not invited in the first wave of enlargement--especially for the Baltic States. Adoption of this amendment--with the other provisions in the bill on NATO related issues--will send a strong signal of Senate support financing a key element of enlargement preparation for the Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. I thank the managers for their cooperation and I thank Senators Lieberman, Smith of Oregon, Hollings, Shelby, Roth, Biden, DeWine, Coats, Hagel, and Frist for cosponsoring the amendment. I urge support for the amendment.

Mr. LOTT. There will be no further votes this evening. The next votes will occur at 10 a.m. on Thursday. I yield the floor. Amendment No. 902 (Purpose: To express the sense of the Senate on the European Commission's handling of the Boeing McDonnell Douglas merger)

Mr. LOTT. The foreign ops bill.

Mr. LOTT. It does not in any way prevent that.

Mr. LOTT. I further ask that when the Senate receives the House companion bill, the Senate immediately proceed to its consideration and all after the enacting clause be stricken, the text of S. 955, as amended, be inserted in lieu thereof, the bill be read for a third time and passed and the Senate insist on its amendment, request a conference with the House on the disagreeing votes and the Chair be authorized to appoint conferees on the part of the Senate.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Dodd amendment be withdrawn.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the vote occur on or in relation to the Bingaman amendment No. 896 at 10 a.m. on Thursday, to be followed immediately by a vote on or in relation to the Hutchinson amendment No. 890, to be followed by third reading of the bill and final passage occur all without further debate or action.

Mr. LOTT. If I could, I appreciate the Democratic leader's efforts. His effort has been about like mine--not too good yet. [Laughter.] Let's have the vote and work on this during the vote and try to get a UC after the vote. I believe we have the yeas and nays on this amendment. Vote on Amendment No. 901

Mr. LOTT. I didn't hear any objection. I think it is unfortunate we are not going to be able to get a unanimous-consent agreement now. By not doing so, we may have a proliferation of amendments, and we may have to go on later tonight. We have really been working very well across the aisle to avoid this sort of problem, but I don't think we can resolve it right now. So, we can proceed with this vote and see if we can work out an understanding as to how we will proceed later on tonight or in the morning, and we can try the unanimous consent request again after the vote. We cannot assure Senators at this point that there will be no further votes tonight.

Mr. LOTT. Madam President, I amend the UC to ask consent that we have 10 minutes equally divided on both the Bingaman amendment and the Hutchinson amendment if that time is required, with the debate on those to begin shortly after we come in at 9:30, and then the vote to begin at 10 a.m.

Mr. LOTT. Tonight.

Mr. LOTT. There will be debate on that issue further tonight. The question was, would there only be 2 minutes for debate on the Bingaman- Graham amendment. I believe there would be further discussion on that.