Arlen Specter

Mr. SPECTER

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 2291 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, it would be my preference to stack the votes, unless the Senator from West Virginia would like to have a vote now.

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, one more reminder. This is a 20-minute vote. I yield the floor.

Mr. SPECTER. We would be glad to accommodate the senior Senator from Oklahoma. We can handle that amendment.

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, we will find a time which is convenient to the senior Senator from Oklahoma. On to the pending amendment, it is always difficult in the floor debate when we talk about facts to know what the facts are. My training is that we want to find out the facts, so we have a trial and present witnesses, the witnesses testify, and then we find out what the facts are. I do know this about CDC because I visited the facility about 5 years ago and found it in shambles. I have seen a lot of Federal installations. I have never seen one as ramshackle as the Centers for Disease Control. We saw premier scientists with their desks in the corridors. We were advised that there were many toxic substances which were not properly secured. It was a mess. I then consulted with the Secretary of Health and Human Services--this goes back a few years, as I say--and no attention had been paid to it. Senator Harkin later made a similar visit, and that year, on an immediate basis, my recollection is we appropriated $175 million. Then we took a look at their plans for very extensive renovation when we had appropriated seriatim substantial sums of money. When the Senator from Oklahoma says that monies have not been spent, it is represented to me that contractors will not contract with the Federal Government unless they know the money is in hand. Understandably, unless there is authorization and appropriation, nobody wants to do business with some Federal employee who makes representations without having the cash in hand. That is the advice which is coming to me. The landscaping is said to be very modest, which would not include a Japanese garden. I would like to inquire more to find out about it. From what I have seen of the officials at the Centers for Disease Control, Dr. Julie Gerberding is an extraordinary public servant. I know that when I have wanted some information on the problems of pandemic flu, I had to find her in Bangkok, where she was making an international survey. I know when we had a deadly botulism in western Pennsylvania a couple of years ago, I called her up and she came on a weekend to Beaver County, Pennsylvania. I do not think it was just because the chairman of the appropriations subcommittee was calling; that is the kind of service they perform. They wrestle with HIV, SARS, and hurricanes, and now they are wrestling with pandemic flu. Among the many people in the Federal Government whom I have dealt with--and there have been quite a few in the course of my time--I would rate Dr. Gerberding, who is the head of it, very highly. Having mentioned Japanese gardens, I have just been handed a note from my staff that says it does have a Japanese garden. Well, I wish to inquire further. Maybe there could be a less expensive exotic garden than a Japanese garden. I do, at my risk, commend the Senator from Oklahoma for his tenacity and for his sharpness in digging up wasteful spending. I do believe that on this one, he is on the wrong track, but the Senators from Georgia are present, and I know they want to be heard. I think the distinguished ranking member wants to be heard. So I will yield the floor.

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I do.

Mr. SPECTER. Of course. The Senator and his staff are welcome to whatever information we have. We want the Senator to know what it is every step of the way. I believe in full disclosure. Let us find out what the facts are. It has always been a point of mine that if one comes to an agreement on the facts, they can almost always come to an agreement on policy that flows from the facts. We will set up a meeting jointly.

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, in the absence of any Senator seeking recognition, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. SPECTER. I thank the Senator from Oklahoma.

Mr. SPECTER. I do.

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

Mr. SPECTER. I would think it mandatory that the Senator's staff be present.

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, we have a request from Senator DeMint for 15 minutes of morning business. This would be a good time to accommodate that request.

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, my colleague and I were just discussing the amendment. I believe it is acceptable. I yield to my colleague.

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, the Department of Health and Human Services opposes this amendment saying that they are important for their work and best practices. I note that a similar amendment was offered on the Transportation, Treasury, and HUD appropriations bill and that it was agreed upon by a voice vote. Before taking a definitive position, I would like to conduct a further inquiry with HHS. In preparation for this bill being on the floor, we have an idea of the amendments which are going to be offered, and we have information provided by the administrative agency. I understand the logic of the position of the Senator from Oklahoma. I do not want to abandon the agency without giving them an opportunity to present in a fuller way their ideas. We will consult with them and come back to the Senator from Oklahoma.

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the pending Coburn amendment be set aside and we proceed with another amendment.

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 2260.

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, the amendment as outlined by my colleague from Pennsylvania provides for 1 million HIV oral rapid tests. The funds are provided for within the amounts already in the bill. These tests are essential. He correctly states my agreement and acquiescence. I join my colleague in urging agreement.

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, this is an amendment which would delay the implementation of the Medicare reimbursement for all power mobility vehicles for a period of 6 months. It has been cleared by Senator Harkin. I ask for its adoption.

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I think the idea offered by the Senator from Oklahoma, that all of the earmarks be specified in the conference report, is a very sound idea. The earmarks from this bill have traditionally and always have been properly identified. I am very pleased to accept the amendment.

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I raise a point of order under section 302(f) of the Congressional Budget Act that the amendment provides budget authority and outlays in excess of the subcommittee's 302(b) allocation for fiscal year 2006 and, therefore, is not in order.

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

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, the purpose of the advertisements, I have one in my hand, is to set the stage for recruiting people, as represented to me, to use the vaccine when it is developed. This ad, for example, pictures a man which says: I'm fighting to stop a killer. HIV is a killer. I'm a witness. I have buried babies, I have buried old people and young people, people like me, people like you. HIV is serious. So my life's work is helping others learn about it and prevent it. Today, thousands of research, medical professionals, and volunteers are committed to discovering a vaccine that prevents HIV and stopping this epidemic. To them I say, I'm with you. This ad tries to stimulate awareness of what is being done, an ultimate tool in finding people who will be volunteers. NIH has run this ad. What I suggest to the Senator from Oklahoma is that we set the amendment aside and take a closer look at the purposes NIH has in mind in using it. Then we can revisit it and decide whether to accept it or whether to contest it and have a vote on it.

Mr. SPECTER. All right. In deference to the Senator from West Virginia, we will accede to his request. It would be my hope--I talked to Senator Harkin about this--that to the extent we can, while we have people here ready to offer amendments--we have just worked out a time agreement with Senator Dodd, 45 minutes equally divided for his amendment--while we have Senators in the Chamber ready to proceed, we do so to the extent we can, unless there is a circumstance which requires a different outcome. I understand Senator Alexander may have a related issue. I have just been informed about that. May I suggest to the Chair that we hear from Senator Alexander to see how it impacts on the vote before we move ahead with the vote?

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