John Warner

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. Madam President, I thank my colleague for his remarks. I believe we would be able to say to the Senate, having consulted with the distinguished majority leader and Republican leader, that in due course they may come to this Chamber with regard to certain procedural situations which would address our return to this bill on Monday. I do not want to prejudge their final statement, but I am optimistic they will be forthcoming and we can reach resolution procedurally on some of our matters.

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Amendment No. 1683

Mr. WARNER. At this time I indicate we have no objection to the amendment.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, parliamentary inquiry, I believe the Feingold amendment is the pending amendment.

Mr. WARNER. No objection.

Mr. WARNER. I reserve the right to object. Can we stipulate some time period?

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, perhaps we can just go into morning business for a period of time.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, if we can hold.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, the amendment has been cleared.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, the chairman of the committee and I will confer on what matter we next have at hand.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, frankly, there is no Senator in this Chamber, on either side of the aisle, who has worked more conscientiously on this extremely complex issue than our distinguished colleague from Oklahoma, Mr. Inhofe. I had indicated to him I felt his amendment was one that certainly merited my support, and my support remains. I wonder if we laid his amendment aside, perhaps in further consultations we could come up with some affirmation of a position that fostered, No. 1, the current obvious willingness among responsible people in Puerto Rico to recognize the extenuating circumstances in which our American servicemen are now preparing to embark, as we speak, for various points worldwide in response to an issue taken by a very courageous and bold President of the United States. I wonder if we could lay it aside, enabling the Senator from Oklahoma to counsel with our colleague from New Jersey in the hopes that perhaps he could reach a position again that would foster the strengthening of this opportunity to continue the use of this base as the Puerto Ricans at the present time are doing.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, will the Senator yield for a question?

Mr. WARNER. On behalf of Senators Collins and Landrieu, I send an amendment to the desk.

Mr. WARNER. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Amendment No. 1685

Mr. WARNER. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Amendment No. 1687

Mr. WARNER. I ask unanimous consent the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. I move to reconsider the vote.

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

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I object.

Mr. WARNER. 12:30.

Mr. WARNER. I ask the Senator from Texas, is that agreeable? We would now ask unanimous consent that a vote would occur on the tabling motion which I, together with the Senator from Wyoming, will make at 2:15, subject, however, to a continuation of this debate up until, should we say, no later than 1 o'clock.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, the Senator's remarks are welcome even though they might be contrary to the views of the Senator from Virginia. But I arranged this debate. It is quite unusual to put on a fellow Senator's amendment, but it was necessary to keep this bill moving. We welcome the debate. I shall be voting against it eventually. My distinguished colleague from Wyoming will be seeking recognition for purposes of a tabling motion in due course.

Mr. WARNER. I thank my colleague. I think it is important that debate take place on this amendment, and at the appropriate time the Senator may seek recognition for that purpose.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, we need to have some debate, I think.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, this is an unusual step, but as a manager of the bill I have the responsibility to keep this bill moving. We have exercised good-faith efforts on both sides to reconcile an issue which is deserving of the attention of the Senate. The amendment of the Senator from Virginia would strike from the bill that language referred to generically as the prison issue of materials made by prisoners and sold to the Department of Defense. I support the bill, and I am going to vote against my own amendment, but in order for the Senate to move expeditiously, to continue to have this bill go forward, because at the moment we cannot hope to achieve finalization of this bill--the desire of both the majority leader and the Republican leader--by tomorrow unless we get finalization on the list of amendments. I do not, in any way, disparage my distinguished colleague who is exercising, perfectly within his rights, certain procedures. But I think this will enable the Senate to address this issue now and to come to some resolution on it so that we can move on with this bill. Several Senators addressed the Chair.