John Warner

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. If I could have a brief colloquy, the leadership needs to focus on working with Senator Levin and myself, as we always do each year on this bill. We are hopeful to finish this bill this week. I think that is shared by the other side of the aisle. Our Members are going back for the Memorial Day weekend, and the provisions in this bill are provisions that relate to so many of the men and women in the Armed Forces with whom they will undoubtedly be associating over the course of this weekend. It is definitely in the interest of Members to move forward on this bill. While we have a hearing in the Armed Services Committee tomorrow morning on the questions related to prison abuse, the bill is going forward. Members of our committee will be in the Senate intermittently as the hearing is going on. That will not in any way, I hope, be viewed as an impediment to forward progress. I, personally, am willing to stay here as long into the evenings as desired by our leadership to get this done. In years past, my distinguished colleague from Nevada has been most helpful in moving this piece of legislation.

Mr. WARNER. I thank my distinguished colleague. I emphasize tomorrow morning's hearings will not interfere with progress on the bill. We have three of our combatant commanders, coincidentally, in Washington for a variety of reasons. The letter Senator Levin and I sent to the Secretary of Defense scheduling additional witnesses offered the option of a teleconference hearing, thinking they would not be back, but we are fortunate they have returned for not only this hearing but a wide range of additional duties they are performing in Washington by way of consultation. That will not be an impediment. We will move forward tomorrow as scheduled with our work on the committee. Mr. President, we are prepared to move ahead.

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

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I thank my good friend and leader for bringing up this amendment at this time. I approached him on the floor saying we are anxious to get the bill moving, and he accepted the challenge. I am not sure If I am going to support him on this amendment, but, nevertheless, we will have a good and thorough debate. My distinguished colleague, Senator Levin, and I conferred earlier this morning. We are both of a frame of mind that we want to move with tremendous momentum. Today is a good day to move on. I urge Senators to bring their amendments to the floor. We are willing to stay here into the evening and participate in the process. During the hearing of the Armed Services Committee tomorrow morning at 8:30 to sometime midday, we will have members of the committee on the floor. We will not lose a step in moving forward on this bill. It is important to have this hearing tomorrow. We are fortunate that the Department of Defense brought back commanders for a variety of reasons, not just our hearing. Senator Levin and I had made the offer to do it by telephone conferences. It is important we continue the continuity of the hearings of our committee. The point of this is, I would hope, if I can frankly say to our leadership, that perhaps we could get a unanimous consent agreement later tonight to lock in those amendments that we know are out there on this bill. I hope we can do that. I have seen a list of 50 amendments. Yet I think it is an incomplete list. Perhaps within the course of the day we can explore that option with our leadership.

Mr. WARNER. Yes.

Mr. WARNER. This is a very significant amendment, in light of the history of the Senate now for consecutive years, deciding to go forward with the BRAC process that is well underway. I share the viewpoints expressed by Senator Lott, Senator Snowe, and the Senator from North Dakota, the need to address the overseas situation. When time permits later on, I will explain what has been done to date by the Department of Defense in conjunction with the ongoing BRAC Commission regarding these bases. It is very significant. The Department of Defense has moved forward. I think shortly they will submit to the Congress drawing down forces and bases in both the areas referred to by Senator Lott and others; I might add also significant drawing down of forces inside Korea. That is underway. Part of this proposed legislation in this amendment is the 2-year delay. I draw on the very comment made by my distinguished colleague, the Senator from Mississippi, Mr. Lott, of the turbulence in the communities engendered by the existing law as they are struggling to get high-powered assistance and expert advice from every possible source, depending on the community budget, to try to preserve their military installation. That process is now continued for another 2 years. This is a somewhat heavy burden on many of these small communities to try to do the best they can to fight the existing law. That is the key question Members have to consider: Are they going to extend these hardships under the existing law for 2 more years as we address the overseas situation, which I can assure Members later this afternoon is being thoroughly addressed by the Department of Defense in the context of the existing law. I yield the floor.

Mr. WARNER. I simply add that right in this letter, and I ask unanimous consent this letter be printed in the Record at this point, a comprehensive overseas basing review is nearly complete. It is significant.

Mr. WARNER. First, Mr. President, I yield back all time on our side. I believe that completes the debate, at this point, on this side.

Mr. WARNER. I yield the floor.

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. Reserving the right to object, might I suggest, and I ask my good friend--and the Senator knows I will support him--could you withdraw that at this time so Senator Levin and I, together with the leaders, can determine the order in which we will take amendments?

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I yield myself such time as I may take. I ask my distinguished colleague from Maine, have you had an opportunity to examine the letter that was sent by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and all of the other Chiefs in which they say ``a comprehensive overseas basing review is nearly complete.'' I have other documentation. They have done a conscientious job on the overseas base structure. They are coming forward with a very balanced program to work with the existing law. My concern is, if we dislodge the existing law by adopting this amendment, it would have the effect of delaying the process another 2 years and putting on to the Department of Defense the added cost of continuing to maintain structure that they simply do not need for today's and the foreseeable military strength of our country. I have to tell my distinguished colleague, in the course of the lunch period, I talked with a number of individuals. They said: John, the most persuasive case to me is that I have called home and talked to several of the communities that have hired the lobbyists, and they pleaded with me: We can't afford this infrastructure that we felt necessary to defend our base under the existing 205 BRAC procedure. You add another 2 years, you are going to draw down those precious small amounts of tax dollars in those communities by another 2 years. Is the sentiment in your State to go on for another 2 years with all of the uncertainty? A lot of communities cannot attract new business for fear that the base may leave. They have to have a decision and get on with this.

Mr. WARNER. I yield the floor.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I thank my distinguished colleague. Yes, we are very proud of our base structure. Almost every one of our communities now has engaged the lobbyists, and so forth. Listen to this, I say to the Senator. Delaying BRAC benefits one group; and that is, the lobbyists and the consultants paid by these communities and, indeed, State taxpayers. The Congressional Research Service has estimated over $23 million will be spent in fiscal 2004 to pay lobbyists and consultants for services to defend installations. A delay of BRAC by 2 years will cost the taxpayers of one State, that is paying a firm $50,000 a month, over $1.2 million. There is the debate.

Mr. WARNER. Will the Presiding Officer kindly advise the Senate as to the time allocation remaining?

Mr. WARNER. And the Senator from Virginia?

Mr. WARNER. Of course; whatever time our distinguished colleague wants.

Mr. WARNER. Yes. We better check on the time. Mr. President, how much time, please, does the Senator from Virginia have?

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I say to my good friend, he has correctly described how this operates, but the reality is, by killing the domestic BRAC program and putting it in abeyance subject to a future vote by the Congress--and mind you, any Member of Congress can trigger that vote; am I not correct?

Mr. WARNER. Let's ask Senator Lott, who authored it. As I read it, there is a 2-year delay.

Mr. WARNER. There is 6 minutes. My distinguished colleague from Mississippi?

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, some colleagues have represented that this BRAC, which is law today, preceded September 11. The record is very clear: Congress authorized BRAC in December of 2001. After careful discussion with DOD as to whether we still require and should proceed, eight former Secretaries of Defense wrote Congress in 2002 that support for another round is unequivocal in light of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. I hope that is right in the Record. I hope it does not influence the earlier statements some of my colleagues made. This situation is extremely serious. If we were now to virtually repeal that law in many respects and thrust upon these communities the enormous expense to continue to try and work their cases such that BRAC does not take their case, I commend them for it. It is essential they do that. But the cost is enormous to so many small communities. This question of the overseas bases, we all recognize that structure has to be brought down. Our Nation's basic defense policy for years has been to engage our adversaries beyond our shores. To do that, we had to have a base structure. We are now addressing how with terrorism there are no boundaries to the threats. This country no longer is protected by two mighty oceans. It is a one-world terrorist threat, and every single American citizen is on the front line in the war on terrorism. No one is behind any barricade anymore. The Pentagon recognizes this and is beginning to restructure our overseas base forces in such a way as to reduce and bring the forces back home and to have fewer and fewer installations. But they have to integrate that into the various procedures now going on, consistent with the law of the land, the BRAC that we passed. For instance, General Jones and General LaPorte testified before the Armed Services Committee this year on their plans in Europe and South Korea, respectively, to draw down and consolidate forces at each location. The committee has also received testimony from department heads to submit their Global Posture Review to Congress within the next 3 weeks. It is on target. I wish to accord the opportunity for other Members to speak, including the Senator from Alabama, a valued member of our subcommittee.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I thank all Senators for their cooperation today. We made some progress on the bill. But at this time, on behalf of the leader, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each.

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

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

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