Ted Stevens

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. The Senator is absolutely correct. What is more, Senator Inouye and I went to the CIA and we talked to the Director, and he informed us that he sent a stack of material this high to the committee already for its review. It is going to take some time to review all that. It is ongoing. This would have us appoint a commission to review the same thing that we are already investigating in the Senate Intelligence Committee and that the House is investigating. I presume the Armed Services Committee has some jurisdiction on this matter, also. The Foreign Relations Committee has jurisdiction. Why should we appoint a commission to do what we should do--to do our work, particularly when it is not on a timely basis? As the Senator from Arizona stated in his question to me, the time may come when the public will question the results of our activities as Members of Congress. If they do, then the right thing for us to do--or the time may come when they develop such a conflict within Congress that it cannot be resolved, and that would be an appropriate time to perhaps look at a commission outside of the Congress. But right now is not the time.

Mr. STEVENS. Yes, I am happy to yield.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask that the Chair lay before the Senate the Defense appropriations bill.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I do not mean to be disrespectful and interrupt the distinguished leader, but I wonder if the Democratic leader knows that I am responsible for not having more money for Iraq in this bill. We met with the President and the Secretary of Defense and pointed out the enormous amount of money we had provided in the supplemental passed earlier this year for that action in Iraq. We had to have money to meet some of the problems caused by my interpretation of the budget resolution in not having enough money for some of the other subcommittees. We worked out the arrangement whereby we took $3.1 billion out of this bill and allocated it to other subcommittees with the understanding that if additional moneys are needed in Iraq because of our actions there, beyond what we have already provided, that we will have a supplemental in the spring. We anticipate the moneys we provided in the massive supplemental, $62.6 billion, is sufficient to carry them forward. As a matter of fact, there are not only sufficient funds, but in this bill we actually rescinded about $3 billion of the supplemental to make it available to other areas of defense, not having it totally earmarked to Iraq. We are trying to manage this money. The distinguished Democratic leader is exactly right. The costs are running somewhere around $4 billion to $5 billion a month. We expect that to start tapering down as this involvement in Iraq continues. It is certainly not the same as when we were building up forces and transmitting personnel and material to Iraq. We have tried to manage this situation and keep a firm hand on the expenditures in Iraq. In doing so, we made more money available to other subcommittees because they have problems related to homeland security and other matters. While I am honest in the fact that I do not think we have enough money yet for some of those subcommittees, I do think we have more money available for nondefense matters, for homeland security matters, than we would have had had we continued with the approach that was in the budget to start. I congratulate the Democratic leader for stating frankly his feelings about the overall involvement in terms of our being in Iraq almost alone. We do have support from other nations, but we do not have the involvement of other troops to the extent I, too, would like to see take place. I hope that will occur. But I hope the leader will understand, one of the reasons the money is not there now, in terms of asking for more money for Iraq, is that I pleaded with the President and the Secretary to give us a little running room on those other bills and to realize that we thought there was adequate money to carry us through this calendar year--that means at least the first quarter of this next fiscal year--for the involvement in Iraq. It is my hope that by the time we get to January and February, we will find the amount of money we are spending in Iraq is much less than it is right now, and that we can, in fact, shift gears a little bit as far as that involvement. Iraqis should have, I am told, somewhere around $7 billion of income from oil by the end of this year. If that cashflow starts going into their economy and into their own local security rather than into the military budgets, as it was in the past, I think we will achieve the constraints we need in terms of the expenditures of Federal U.S. dollars in Iraq. I hope the Senator understands that point. I just happened to be here at the time the Senator made his statement. I do, as a matter of fact, take pride in the fact the President and his people did listen to us. Chairman Young and I explained the problems of this budget resolution and its impact on the other subcommittees which, as the Democratic leader knows, the budget resolution was less than the President had requested in this year's appropriations process. I hope we will await the developments in Iraq and we can all see whether the administration will ask for more money in 2004, starting some time after the first of next year, if that is necessary.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. I thank the Senator for bringing this matter to my attention. He has my assurance that we will consider this matter in conference.

Mr. STEVENS. It is my understanding that the contract with the jointly-owned firm was to have been awarded on June 2 of this year, but that DoD officials are now expressing some reluctance to allow the jointly-owned firm to pass the digitization work through to the Native firms because the customary practice is to have the prime contractor perform the majority of the work. I am also told, however, that there is an exception to this practice provided for in regulation, particularly when the Government had directed or identified a specific source for the provision of services, as we did in the fiscal year 2003 Department of Defense Appropriations Act.

Mr. STEVENS. This is the intent. This new program is already proving to be a highly-efficient means of addressing the Department's needs for the digitization of DoD manuals, and we would expect the Defense Department to employ every legal authority at its disposal to implement the program as Congress intended it to be implemented air force advanced power transformation office

Mr. STEVENS. If the Senator from Georgia would yield for a question, I have learned that the Energy Policy Act authorizes the APTO to enter into public-private collaborative agreements to encourage the development and deployment of alternative fuel vehicles and alternative hydrogen fueling infrastructures. Does the Senator know whether the transformation office in Georgia has taken advantage of this opportunity?

Mr. STEVENS. The committee also notes the importance and value of the efforts of the Advanced Power Transformation Office and encourages the Air Force to continue funding and support for this important initiative.

Mr. STEVENS. I was not. But I certainly believe the committee should look into it.

Mr. STEVENS. We would be willing to look at that possibility.

Mr. STEVENS. I yield to the Senator from Mississippi.

Mr. STEVENS. Yes, that is right. The language clearly foresees that the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs will work closely with the service Surgeons General and the Institute of Medicine to develop and conduct a sensible, objective, and fair analysis of cost- sharing options for future medical research programs.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to a period for morning business.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and that any statements relating to this measure be printed in the Record.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 195, S. Res. 140.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, July 15, at 2:30 p.m. to receive testimony regarding the compact of free association with the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of the Marshall Islands. THE PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objeftion, it is so ordered. committee on finance

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session on Tuesday, July 15, 2003, at 10:00 a.m., to receive testimony on An Examination of U.S. Tax Policy and Its Effect on the International Competitiveness of U.S.-Owned Foreign Operations.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Commission on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, July 15, 2003 at 10:00 a.m., to hold a hearing on Successes and Challenges for U.S. Policy to Haiti.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Commission on Governmental Affairs be authorized to meet on Tuesday, July 15, 2003, at 9:30 a.m., for a hearing entitled ``Nowhere to Turn: Must Parents Relinquish Custody in Order to Secure Mental Health Services for Their Children?, Part One: Families and Advocates.''

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Commission on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, Subcommittee on Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services be authorized to meet for a hearing on Reauthorization of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, July 15, 2003, at 10:00 a.m.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Veterans' Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, July 15, 2003, for a hearing to receive a report by Ronald F. Conley, the National Commander of the American Legion. The hearing will take place in room 418 of the Russell Senate Office Building at 2:30 p.m. THE PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. subcommittee on immigration and border security

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that William Greer and Ryan Pratt of Senator Lott's office be granted the privilege of the floor for the remainder of the day.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand in adjournment until 9:30 a.m., Wednesday, July 16. I further ask that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and the Senate then begin a period of morning business, with the first 15 minutes under the control of the majority leader or his designee and the next 15 minutes under the control of Senator Mikulski or her designee, provided that following that time, the Senate proceed to consideration of H.R. 2330, the Burma sanctions bill, as provided under the previous order.