Richard Lugar

Mr. LUGAR

Mr. LUGAR. Let me respond to the distinguished Senator from Pennsylvania by saying, we will have a hearing on Syria in the Foreign Relations Committee. We take the issue seriously, as the Senator does, and Senator Boxer, who is a member of our committee. We look forward to that hearing.

Mr. LUGAR. Mr. President, I oppose the Reid amendment. I ask Members to vote no. I do so mindful of the fact that Mexico is our friend and that we are going to have $67.5 million of foreign assistance in the budget as we now have it that may be of assistance to our friends. The ideas presented by the distinguished Senator from Nevada are good ones, but they are ones that I believe require further discussion either in committee or on the floor. Clearly, $100 million, which is the request for authorization in his amendment, is well outside the budget we have adopted. That $100 million must be subtracted from some other part of State Department foreign assistance at some other point. The Senator has made the point the appropriators might very well do that. Indeed, they might. But I believe it is irresponsible to push that responsibility onward knowing the $100 million is not there, is not a part of the parameters of our foreign assistance. Therefore, I ask Senators to oppose the Reid amendment.

Mr. LUGAR. Is the order now to have a rollcall vote on the Murray amendment?

Mr. LUGAR. I yield to Senator Nickles.

Mr. LUGAR. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to set the pending amendment aside.

Mr. LUGAR. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk.

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

Mr. LUGAR. Mr. President, I yield back the remaining time that I have, and I commend the amendment to Senators. I hope there will be strong support.

Mr. LUGAR. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. LUGAR. Mr. President, at this point I wish to send to the desk a packet of agreed-upon amendments and ask for their consideration.

Mr. LUGAR. These amendments include a chairman's amendment regarding Pakistani debt reduction; a chairman's amendment that will provide technical fixes of the State Department's Fellowship of Hope Program; an amendment by Senator Frist to authorize the United States-Russian Interparliamentary Group; an amendment by Senator Frist to authorize the United States-China Interparliamentary Group; an amendment by Senator Warner to strike section 206 of the pending State Department authorization bill relating to security capital cost sharing; an amendment by Senator Ensign regarding the level of U.S. funding for the United Nations peacekeeping operations; an amendment by Senator Voinovich to require the Annual Report on Religious Freedom to include a section on anti-Semitism; an amendment by Senators Inouye and Akaka to authorize additional appropriations for the Center for Cultural and Technical Interchange Between East and West. I ask unanimous consent these amendments be agreed to en bloc.

Mr. LUGAR. Very well, I will withdraw my motion. I will attempt to consult with the Senator.

Mr. LUGAR. That is correct. I would like to amend my proposal to eliminate an amendment by Senator Warner to strike section 206, and an amendment by Senator Ensign regarding the level of U.S. funding. I had listed eight of these. These two should be omitted from that list.

Mr. LUGAR. Mr. President, if the Senator would yield for just a moment, if I could complete the action with regard to the six amendments.

Mr. LUGAR. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that those six amendments be agreed to en bloc.

Mr. LUGAR. I thank the Chair. I thank the Senator.

Mr. LUGAR. Mr. President, could I inquire of the Senator if he would be prepared to modify his amendment in two ways? In the-sense-of- Congress section, the second sentence, ``the President should request formally and expeditiously,'' would the Senator use the word ``consider,'' ``the President should consider formally and expeditiously,'' and in the second one, ``the President should consider calling on the United Nations''? I modify it in that way in that the Senator has suggested the President is weighing these options. We have offered at least some ideas as to what he ought to weigh, clearly for the reasons stated earlier. My own view is if the Senator would be prepared to modify his sentences in that way, to use the word ``consider'' rather than ``request,'' I would be prepared to accept the amendment and proceed with the Senator at least in a bipartisan statement with which I generally agree.

Mr. LUGAR. In response to the Senator, my preference would be that we would not have a rollcall vote; that it could proceed by voice vote. I say this advisedly, but I presume many Members on both sides will generally agree with this. This is very complex language and analysis. I think there is general feeling that the chairman and ranking member have been through this experience, have gone through this together, and our opinions are fairly well understood. I do not want to see a result in which there are a fair number of people who feel constrained because it is requesting the President to consider these things that it might be considered criticism of him or undermining in any way his consideration of this amendment.

Mr. LUGAR. That would be appropriate. I respond further, part of my thought, likewise, is the hope we might finish the bill.

Mr. LUGAR. But, at the same time, the additional debate and the vote will be time consuming.

Mr. LUGAR. I am hopeful we will be able to proceed.

Mr. LUGAR. Mr. President, before a quorum call is placed, let me ask that the amendment be temporarily laid aside in order that I propose an amendment on behalf of Senator Ensign on which there has been agreement on both sides.

Mr. LUGAR. I send the amendment to the desk.

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

Mr. LUGAR. Mr. President, I ask that the amendment be agreed to.