Arlen Specter

Mr. SPECTER

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, we are still working on a modification. I am advised that it is a minor modification, but until we get it, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, have the yeas and nays been ordered?

Mr. SPECTER. I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I have no objection to proceeding to consider the amendment, as modified. There are still Senators on this side of the aisle reviewing it. We are not yet prepared to take a position. I think it is entirely appropriate to consider the discussion. I believe, as I said to Senator Obama privately, that we will work it out. I yield to the Senator from Illinois for further debate.

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, that is agreeable. Vote on Amendment No. 3963

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I think we are ready to go on the amendment.

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, we are ready to have a voice vote on the pending Leahy-Stevens amendment.

Mr. SPECTER. I move to reconsider the vote, and I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Amendment No. 4000

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I will now ask for consideration of the Santorum amendment, amendment No. 4000, which has been cleared on both sides.

Mr. SPECTER. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

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

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I am talking about changing the order. When the Senator from Oklahoma and I last talked, Senator Kyl had asked for more time and there were discussions. It is my understanding that we were trying to work through to simplify the action once it got to the floor. My interest is finding an amendment which I can bring to the floor and debate and vote. I am prepared to go any direction practicable to achieve that. We now have Senator Vitter on the floor who has another amendment. But may we hear from the Senator from Oklahoma as to what his concerns are?

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, do I understand the Senator from Massachusetts to mean he would be prepared to go, if we revert to the original schedule, with Senator Inhofe and take the Inhofe amendment now under a time agreement?

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

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, it would be my suggestion, if we can't work out a time agreement on the Inhofe amendment, subject to an agreement on all sides, that we try to get the side-by-side before the afternoon is up so we can take up the Inhofe amendment first thing tomorrow morning, hopefully, on a limited time agreement. Would that be acceptable?

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, is there a unanimous consent agreement setting up the Inhofe amendment?

Mr. SPECTER. Will the Chair repeat that?

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

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

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I ask consent that the vote in relation to the Cornyn amendment occur at 6 o'clock this evening; provided further that the amendment be temporarily set aside to allow Senator Inhofe to offer an amendment; and finally, I ask consent that Senator Cornyn be recognized for up to 2 minutes on his amendment prior to the vote.

Mr. SPECTER

Mr. SPECTER. The Senator from Arizona is correct.

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I appreciate the gracious comment by Senator Kyl. We will proceed with Kyl-Cornyn first thing tomorrow morning. Now we will proceed with the Bingaman amendment under a unanimous consent agreement of 1 hour equally divided, with no second-degree amendments in order, with the time evenly divided.

Mr. SPECTER. I yield to the Senator from New Mexico.