Arlen Specter

Mr. SPECTER

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I had suggested setting aside the amendment to move to Senator McCain on the theory a little more time might find some resolution. But if the Senator from Oklahoma thinks not, it is his prerogative to proceed with his amendment.

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the pending amendment be set aside so that the Senator from----

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Senators Stevens and Grams be added as cosponsors to amendment No. 1079 to S. 1061.

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent I be permitted to speak for up to 3 minutes on the pending D'Amato amendment.

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I support the amendment by Senator D'Amato to add funding for the support services for seniors to the additional funding. They perform a very vital service as places for seniors to gather and to have their meals and to carry out the purposes of the legislation to improve the quality of life in the golden years; and especially in the context where senior benefits have come under such attack, so much concern that I heard, for example, in my travels through Pennsylvania, where there is concern about the solidity of Social Security and what is happening with Medicare. I believe it is a wise course to make an allocation from administrative costs across the board, to add the funding in the D'Amato amendment. We have funded, last year, some $300,556,000. The administration made a request to cut that funding to $291,375,000. Our Senate markup, agreed to by Senator Harkin and myself in our committee and in the full committee, was $305,556,000. So, instead of dropping the amount by more than $9 million as the administration had requested, we put an additional $5 million in. On reflection, hearing the arguments of the Senator from New York, Senator D'Amato, I think that the addition of this $40 million is well placed, so I lend my voice in support of the pending amendment. Mr. President, I note the presence of the Senator from New York on the floor. I see him reaching for the microphone.

Mr. SPECTER. I believe Senator McCain is prepared to offer an amendment.

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, the issue now pending exists on complexity on a number of levels. I agree with the remarks just made by our distinguished majority leader that the American people ought not to pay for union elections. It is an open question as to how the consent decree was entered into when it was, and why the U.S. Government entered into that consent decree. But that is what we face at the present time. My view is that we have a question of judicial authority here which is paramount, and it is a matter for the court to decide under our doctrine of separation of powers. We are very premature in what we are doing here on two scores. One is there has been a recommendation for a new election, which, as I understand the record, has not yet been approved in the court. This is a complicated matter. There are lots of complexities on it. But my understanding is that it has not been approved by the court. And then the court under any expected interpretation would come to the conclusion that this is a new election, and not to be paid by the Treasury of the United States under the preexisting arrangement. That election has already been paid for. But essentially this a matter for the court to decide. And there would be ample time for the Congress to turn down an appropriation in the future on the basis that is not an appropriate matter to be paid for by taxpayers' money. But on this state of the record, it is my view that it is a judicial matter, and not a matter of the Congress. Several Senators addressed the Chair.

Mr. SPECTER. If I may have the attention of my colleague.

Mr. SPECTER. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Amendment No. 1071

Mr. SPECTER. I thank my colleague from Massachusetts.

Mr. SPECTER. And perhaps agree to limit speeches to 5 minutes, if that is acceptable.

Mr. SPECTER. I make an inquiry as manager of the bill to see if we can move it along. We have quite a number of amendments. I would like to speak for 5 minutes. If the Senator from Minnesota wishes to speak for 5 minutes, he can get a sequencing. It would be helpful.

Mr. SPECTER. Could we enter into a time agreement, say, with the vote at 6 o'clock?

Mr. SPECTER. For the Senator from Arizona to present his amendment.

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I think we are ready to proceed now to the vote.

Mr. SPECTER

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

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

Mr. SPECTER

Mr. SPECTER. Madam President, I think it may still be possible to have a time agreement, but we could not get that determination. Rather than await that determination to get back-to-back votes, I decided we ought to get the vote set at 7 and perhaps we could have a time agreement entered into after that. We will decide when to have the vote, but perhaps we can have a time agreement. We have a great many amendments pending, and to the extent we can have limited time agreements, we ought to try to do that. I thank my colleague from Indiana. Mr. COATS addressed the Chair.

Mr. SPECTER. I agree with that modification, Madam President.

Mr. SPECTER. Madam President, parliamentary inquiry as to whether it precludes a second-degree amendment.

Mr. SPECTER. Madam President, we have been checking with various Senators to see if we could reach a unanimous-consent agreement, and it now appears that we will not be able to make that determination very fast. Senators are waiting to find out what is going to happen with respect to the vote and we had earlier talked about stacked votes at 7. It now appears we cannot have stacked votes. So we will set the vote at 7 o'clock by agreement with the other side of the aisle on the Wellstone-McCain, McCain-Wellstone amendment so we will at least proceed with that vote at that time, and by 7 we should be in a position to know what we will be able to do about a unanimous-consent agreement here and further scheduling. I thank my colleague from Indiana for yielding.

Mr. SPECTER. If the distinguished Senator will yield for a moment.

Mr. SPECTER. I think that arrangement is acceptable. Why do we not proceed on that basis, with the Senator from Indiana proceeding with his argument, and we will try to solidify that time agreement as we hotline it or allow Members to know what we are doing generally.

Mr. SPECTER. I think we will be able to work out a time agreement, 20 minutes equally divided, but we have to check on the other side of the aisle. Why do we not proceed at this time, and then we will work on that time agreement. I suggest my colleague from Indiana proceed with his 10 minutes at this time.

Mr. SPECTER. I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.