John Warner

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, June 21, 2006 at 2:30 p.m. The purpose of the hearing is to review the Government Accountability Office Report entitled ``Wildland Fire Suppression--Lack of Clear Guidance raises concerns about cost sharing between Federal and Nonfederal entities'' (GAO-06-570).

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine be authorized to meet on Wednesday, June 21, 2006, at 10 a.m. on Economics, Service, and Capacity in the Freight Railroad Industry.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Technology, Innovation, and Competitiveness Subcommittee be authorized to meet on Wednesday, June 21, 2006, at 2:30 p.m. to hold hearings to examine accelerating the adoption of health information technology.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Special Committee on Aging be authorized to meet tomorrow, June 21, 2006, from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. in Dirksen 106 purpose of conducting a hearing.

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I compliment our distinguished colleague from Georgia for his remarks. I hope throughout the day colleagues on both sides will address this critical issue with regard to our future policies in Iraq and in Afghanistan. I yield the floor.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I thank the Senator for his contributions to this debate. I simply would add this one very important thought I have had all along. This has been a struggle of a nation to achieve its place in the world of governments of democracy. They have had--if there is one sign of courage amongst the Iraqi people, and today regrettably there is so much strife and killing, but these people have gone to the polls in record numbers three consecutive times. You need only look at history and the difficulty of forming a government to say that the newly elected government, a permanent government now, at long last, is a unified government, and it has been achieved in a matter of months. They were tough months, to wait them out. It is interesting that it took 8 years in a way for this great Nation of ours to achieve the final form of government that we have today. So the Iraqi Government is in place, and we must recognize it is a sovereign nation, and they have to make decisions on their own. The Iraqi people cannot perceive that we are dictating how they will exercise their sovereignty. We are committed to stay there with our forces and the coalition forces to enable them to exercise their choice and the means by which to provide sovereignty for their people. So I thank my distinguished colleague, and I think this will, in the hours and days to come, unfold into a very strong and vigorous debate on these issues. But in the end, always allow the beacon of sovereignty, which we have enabled through enormous sacrifice to allow them to achieve, to be the beacon that we must follow. Mr. President, I understand that my distinguished colleague from Rhode Island is prepared to address the Senate for a period of 20 minutes or so is my understanding, and if that is in accordance with the wishes of my ranking member, he may so state.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, we are fully in concurrence as managers, but I would like to have the benefit of our leaders and the respective staff working up a unanimous consent agreement precisely outlining that. Then, as I further discussed with my colleague from Michigan, we had hopes that the matter raised by the Senator from Florida, Mr. Nelson, in which he had an amendment relating to the issue of amnesty, be addressed together with the side-by-side amendment by the Senator from Kentucky, Mr. McConnell. So I hope that while hearing from our colleague from Rhode Island addressing the Senate, we can have a formalized UC agreement. I yield the floor.

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. The Senator is quite correct, quite correct. We will remain on the bill for the purpose of debate on such amendments relative to minimum wage that may be brought forward, correct. Senator Kennedy's is at the desk and you wish to speak to it?

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I would have to object.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I presume that the request is as read and that there have been no changes, and we will then have the sequence of recognition of Senators Levin and Kerry; and I add to it that thereafter the Senator from Virginia would be recognized for the purpose of submitting whatever amendment. I ask for recognition for the purpose of offering the amendment from our side on whatever subject that comes up at that time at the conclusion of these two.

Mr. WARNER. I said it could be on anything.

Mr. WARNER. We have been going back and forth.

Mr. WARNER. We will try and do our very best.

Mr. WARNER. If the Senator would yield just for a moment, I would like to ask my two colleagues, for the knowledge of my two colleagues on this side, how soon may we start the debate on the Guantanamo amendments?

Mr. WARNER. We will certainly accommodate the Senator from Iowa. I have two colleagues who withdrew from their schedules to come over here tonight because we were told that we would start this debate.

Mr. WARNER. All right, 7 p.m.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, my understanding is that we will have two amendments introduced by the other side with regard to Guantanamo. They will be debated tonight. We are going to work toward making certain they get a vote on those amendments. I ask my ranking member.

Mr. WARNER

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I thank my colleague from Rhode Island. I appreciate his remarks, a Senator with a very distinguished military record of his own, and quite modest about it. But at some point I would love to have a colloquy with the Senator on why Rhode Island--we are talking about sovereignty and the formation of governments--about why did they hold out those many years before ratifying the Constitution? At some point, could the two of us have a colloquy about that?

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, will the Senator kindly yield for me to make a unanimous consent request so Senators can arrange their schedules?

Mr. WARNER. This is a cleared unanimous consent request on both sides. I ask unanimous consent that at 11:15 the Senate proceed to a vote in relation to the Dorgan amendment No. 4292 and that no amendments be in order prior to the vote. I further ask unanimous consent that Senator Dorgan be recognized to speak for up to 10 minutes between now and the time before the vote.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senator from North Dakota be recognized for 10 minutes, after which time the Senator from Virginia be recognized for 5 minutes, and the Senate then vote immediately thereafter.

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I thank the Presiding Officer. Mr. President, I wish to say to our colleague from North Dakota that he feels very strongly about this issue. That comes through in the debate on this issue that we have had now for 3 days, on and off. But I bring to the attention of my colleagues that three times the Senate has addressed this issue and has rejected it. It is not a rejection in the sense that the Senator doesn't raise points that should be addressed to the Senate. But there is a clear record that the Senate is addressing these issues. The Committee on Armed Services had a number of hearings. The Committee on Foreign Relations had a number of hearings. And most importantly, the Senate is structured whereby issues of this type are within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. In that committee, and it has been for many years, there is a subcommittee entitled ``The Permanent Subcommittee on Investigation'' with subpoena power. In the colloquy we had on the Senator's bill on Thursday, my distinguished colleague, Senator Levin, and I, both commented, since we serve on that committee--he serves on the Special Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations--that this is a matter we should take up with the chairman and ranking member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Before the Senate tries to restructure the framework of how it performs its work, we should focus on what is and what has been that framework for these many years now. It is for that reason I suggest strongly this amendment not be accepted. It would, in effect, be overruling what we are doing on the Permanent Subcommittee. Second, Congress should be stepping into the role that is now being performed by inspector generals, being performed by the General Accountability Office and, indeed, an inspector general specially designated by the Congress and the Secretary of Defense for Iraq and other nations. With that, I will not move to table this because I feel very strongly the Senate should address it in the same manner we have addressed it on previous occasions three times and rejected it. I ask for the yeas and nays.

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

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, the managers are working with our respective leaders on the remainder of the schedule for the next few hours, but in the meantime I understand our distinguished Senator from Iowa wishes to speak. I certainly have no objection. I ask unanimous consent that at 2:15 p.m., the Senate proceed to 30 minutes of debate equally divided in the usual form relative to the McConnell and Nelson amendments; provided further, that following the use or yielding back of time, the Senate proceed to a vote in relation to the McConnell amendment No. 4272, as modified, to be followed by a vote in relation to the Nelson amendment No. 4265, and that no amendments be in order to the amendments prior to the votes.

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