Ted Stevens

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Today, the Senate approved $70 million for disaster assistance and $25 million for refugee assistance, a total of $95 million to Sudan. This is an amount the House approved and the level the State Department informed our staff was necessary to carry the much needed food and other support for Darfur through spring of next year. This is the amount they efficiently execute and use in this year. In the spring, the State Department, with USAID and the U.N., will reassess the situation and determine if additional emergency funds are requested. We have already declared an emergency for Sudan for $95 million. If we approved Senator Biden's amendment, this will be above the $188 million that State and USAID have already pledged for the 2005 funds. These funds will be allocated in the 2005 Foreign Operations bill, not this bill. In other words, we have added $95 million for disaster assistance from this Defense appropriations bill on an emergency basis to the Sudan. There already are requests before our Appropriations Committee under the Foreign Operations bill, a request for $188 million, which will come before the Senate in due course. It is my request to our colleagues to stand by the $95 million we have added to the disaster assistance and refugee assistance provisions of our basic funding for the State Department. We have added to it already in the Defense bill. We approved that today. That is the amount that is in the House bill, and I do not believe we should go beyond the emergency level we have already agreed to, which was supported by both of our leaders. I point out further that the U.N. appeal for Darfur for 2004 has led to $307 million as of June 3 of this year. That is now being revised upward to an estimated $349 million available. Excluding the U.S. Government, other donors pledged $134 million in Geneva. The U.S. Government pledge was for the remainder of fiscal year 2004 and 2005, and we have already exceeded that pledge. There is $245 million pledged from all the above donors, in addition to the contribution of the United States. We have an enormous program going on on behalf of our Government. We have added $95 million to the $188 million. We are already ahead of the rest of the world, and we think we should not go further on this bill. If there are further emergency funds that are necessary, they should be added to the foreign assistance bill or the State Department bill when those bills come before the Senate but not to the Defense bill. This Defense bill is already amended at the request of both the majority leader and minority leader, the Senator from Ohio, and many others, to add $95 million. It is my position that we should not go further at this time. We should wait for the consideration of the other bills as far as additional emergency funds, if they are needed. These funds cannot be needed before we will consider the supplemental after the first of 2005. Besides that, we still have to consider the 2005 regular bill for both State-Justice-Commerce and the foreign assistance bill. This is no place for this item. It is not an emergency to go beyond $95 million. Does the Senator from Hawaii wish to make any statement? I yield the floor.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I move to table the Biden amendment, and I ask that we have a time for other Senators to become aware of the fact that we will have a vote. I ask unanimous consent that the vote commence at 5:30.

Mr. STEVENS. I ask unanimous consent that it be in order at this time for me to have the yeas and nays on my motion to table this amendment.

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

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

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I have been informed there is another amendment that has been cleared. This is an amendment on behalf of Senator DeWine, pertaining to a report on mental health services available to the armed services. I ask this amendment be considered at this time.

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

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask no second-degree amendments be in order to the Biden amendment.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I have another amendment. It is on behalf of Senator Feinstein. I ask unanimous consent that the pending amendment be set aside temporarily so we might consider Senator Feinstein's amendment.

Mr. STEVENS. This pertains to the earmarking of funds for pathogen research. We support that amendment and ask that it be adopted.

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

Mr. STEVENS. I am familiar with this amendment. We are prepared to accept the amendment.

Mr. STEVENS. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Amendment No. 3545 Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, I send to the desk an amendment and ask for its immediate consideration.

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

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

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

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that following the vote on the Biden amendment, no further business other than a colloquy or colloquies that I have to offer for the Record be in order, and that the Senate immediately go to third reading and final passage of this bill.

Mr. STEVENS. Very well, I will amend that request: Unless there are other matters offered based on unanimous consent approved by both managers, that we immediately go to third reading and final passage of the bill following the Biden amendment.

Mr. STEVENS. I ask it be in order to get the yeas and nays on passage of the bill.

Mr. STEVENS. I suggest the absence of a quorum for 3 minutes.

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

Mr. STEVENS. It has been requested I ask this vote commence immediately. I ask unanimous consent that we start the vote on the Biden amendment. This is a motion to table the Biden amendment.

Mr. STEVENS. I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Senator Burns be removed as a cosponsor of amendment No. 3490.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I have a list of the members of the subcommittee staff for the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee who have worked so hard on this bill. So often, Senator Inouye and I as the cochairmen of the committee get credit for what is done, but I think we have the hardest working staff in the Congress. They have done an admirable job, and we have a fair and balanced bipartisan bill. I ask unanimous consent that the list of their names be printed in the Record.