Richard Shelby

Mr. SHELBY

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

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

Mr. SHELBY. Madam President, I join with Senator Mikulski. She is telling our colleagues--and I join with her--that we have accepted and are working through a lot of amendments on both sides of the aisle. There are a number of amendments that have been filed. We, as she pointed out, need to know if people are going to insist on amendments or if there is some way we can accommodate Senators, if they would come to the floor and meet with us, because in a few minutes we are going to vote. The leaders will be on the floor and they are going to want a report from us as to what is pending, because tomorrow we want to move this bill. This is a very important bill, as the Presiding Officer knows. We need to move on with it and not delay it more. We are back now in a new week and I think we can make some progress. If my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will meet with us and tell us if they want a vote, we will debate it and vote. If they want to see if we can work out something with them, we will do that. But it is our intention again to move this bill tomorrow. Thank you, Madam President.

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

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

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

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

Mr. SHELBY. I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. SHELBY

Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, I think this is a very good amendment that Senator Mikulski has proposed. We are checking with some of our colleagues and hope they will not object. They are on their way to the Senate floor now, I understand. I believe the amendment has merit. But I did tell them that I would check with them. If we can, let's set this aside temporarily until they get to the Senate floor and we see where we are.

Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 3231 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, Senator Mikulski and I have cleared this amendment on both sides. This will provide $10 million for upgrades to the DC Superior Court Moultrie Courthouse for the U.S. Marshal space. It is badly needed and long overdue.

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

Ms. SHELBY

Ms. SHELBY. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. SHELBY

Mr. SHELBY. I tend to agree with Senator Mikulski. We are trying to check with a couple of people to clear this amendment. I hope we can move it soon. We are checking with somebody right now. I think it makes sense.

Mr. SHELBY. Madam President, I join with my colleagues, Senator Mikulski, Senator Hutchison, and Senator Nelson from Florida, in asking all Senators to support this amendment. Senator Mikulski and I have worked hard with the others to craft a bill that addresses the priority of our Members, but despite our generous allocation, the funding necessary for NASA to aggressively pursue the President's ``Vision for Space Exploration'' cannot be accommodated without this amendment. Since the tragedy of the Space Shuttle Columbia breaking up during reentry in February of 2003, NASA has spent $2.7 billion to make the shuttle program as safe as possible to ensure our Nation continues to be the leader in space exploration. Unfortunately, as has been pointed out by Senator Mikulski and Senator Hutchison, the NASA budget requests have not adequately restored the necessary resources in their subsequent requests. Instead, the costs have been absorbed from within NASA. Science funding has been cut significantly, and programs not directly associated with the exploration vision are being deferred, delayed, or canceled. By slowing down the cutting-edge science carried out by NASA, we are mortgaging our future. The foundation for technological leadership and the successes of tomorrow are built on the investments that we make in NASA today. NASA's research in cutting edge technological advancements have driven science and innovation in this country since the dawn of the space age. We are shortcoming our future by not fully funding science innovation and space exploration. This critical knowledge will be needed in the years to come to make human exploration of the Moon and other planets a reality. These effects cannot be ignored any longer if we are to maintain our leadership and our presence in space. With the burden of correcting the dramatic Presidential budget cuts in critical justice programs and in NOAA, it is increasingly difficult for the committee to find the resources necessary to keep NASA on the right track. In order to balance the lack of support for NASA's science and aeronautics programs in the budget requests, there are few options left to consider. The adoption of this amendment, offered by Senator Mikulski and Senator Hutchison, will not only respond to the pressing needs brought about by a tragic accident, but will also send a clear signal that Congress is serious about ensuring that the U.S. retains its leadership position in space exploration. I would urge all my colleagues to vote for this amendment. It is sorely and direly needed now. Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, I commend Senator Mikulski for offering this amendment. I am a cosponsor of it, and many of us believe what she is doing is the right road to go down. I believe we should adopt this amendment as soon as possible.

Mr. SHELBY. I move to reconsider the vote.

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

Mr. SHELBY. I move to reconsider the vote.

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

Mr. SHELBY

Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, I move to table amendment No. 3243 and ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. SHELBY. I move to reconsider the vote.

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

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

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