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SECRETARY FRANK CARLUCCI, AND
FROM FORMER SENATORS BILL FRIST
AND CHUCK ROBB TO BE ENTERED
INTO THE RECORD.
I THANK YOU, MR. PRESIDENT.
AND I THANK MY CLEESMGHTS.
WITHOUT
OBJECTION.
THE SENATOR FROM TENNESSEE.
I WANT TO THANK
THE DISTINGUISHED SENATOR FROM
MAINE AND FROM CONNECTICUT FOR
THEIR COMMENTS, NOT JUST FOR
TODAY BUT FOR THEIR WORK FOR
NEARLY A DECADE ON THIS ISSUE.
THE UNITED STATES SENATE.
THIS IS HARD SLOGGING WORK IN
IT IS NOT EASY TO DO.
IT IS NOT ONE BIT GLAMOUROUS.
BUT IT MAKES THE SENATE A MORE
EFFECTIVE INSTITUTION.
AND IF WE'RE MORE EFFECTIVE,
THEN WE CAN DEAL BETTER WITH OUR
DEBT RS THEN WE CAN DEAL BETTER
WITH LIBYA, THEN WE CAN DEAL
BETTER WITH CREATING JOBS, THEN
WE CAN EARN MORE RESPECT FROM
THE PEOPLE WHO ELECT US.
LEADERSHIP.
SO I THANK THEM FOR THEIR
I THANK SENATOR McCONNELL,
SENATOR REID FOR CREATING THE
ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH THIS CAN
HAPPEN.
AND I THANK ALL OF THE
COLLEAGUES, MANY OF WHOM DID NOT
EXERCISE ALL OF THEIR RIGHTS,
AND ALLOWED THE BILL TO COME TO
THE FLOOR IN THIS AGREEMENT BY
UNANIMOUS CONSENT.
WE HAVEN'T HAD THIS PRIVILEGE
VERY OFTEN IN THE SENATE.
IT IS A GOOD WAY FOR THE SENATE
TO WORK, IT IS THE RIGHT WAY FOR
THE SENATE TO WORK.
WHAT IT MEANS IS THAT OVER THE
NEXT DAY OR TWO, HOWEVER LONG IT
TAKES, SENATORS MAY BRING THEIR
RELEVANT AMENDMENTS TO THE FLOOR
AND THEY MAY CALL THEM UP
WITHOUT ASKING UNANIMOUS CONSENT
TO SET ASIDE A PENDING
AMENDMENT.
AND THEN WE'LL HAVE A DEBATE AND
THEN WE'LL VOTE ON THEM.
WHEN WE'RE THROUGH VOTING, WE'LL
VOTE ON THE BILL.
I WOULD ENCOURAGE MY COLLEAGUES
TO PREPARE TO BRING THEIR
AMENDMENTS TO THE FLOOR.
I'M GOING TO DEFER MY REMARKS
UNTIL THIS AFTERNOON WHEN
SENATOR SCHUMER, THE CHAIRMAN OF
THE RULES COMMITTEE, WILL COME
TO THE FLOOR AT 2:40.
AND I'LL SPEAK FOLLOWING HIM,
AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT THE
RESOLUTION, WHICH IS THE OTHER
HALF OF THE BILL.
BUT THIS IS LEGISLATION ABOUT
MAKING SENATE OVERSIGHT, SENATOR
LIEBERMAN SAID MORE EFFECTIVE,
NOT LESS EFFECTIVE.
IT'S ABOUT PUTTING A STOP TO THE
TRIVIALIZING OF OUR
CONSTITUTIONAL DUTY FOR ADVISE
AND CONSENT.
IT'S ABOUT ENDING THE PHENOMENON
OF INNOCENT UNTIL NOMINATED
WHICH IS WHAT HAPPENS TO
DISTINGUISHED CITIZENS OF THIS
COUNTRY WHO ARE ASKED TO SERVE
FOR THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, TO
THEIR GREAT HORROR DISCOVER
THEY'RE HEADING THROUGH A MAZE
OF CONFLICTING FORMS AND
QUESTIONNAIRES UNTIL FINALLY
THEY'RE DRUG BEFORE A TRY
PWHAOEURPBL IN THE SENATE AND --
TRIBUNAL IN THE SENATE AND MADE
OUT TO BE A CRIMINAL, WHEN THEY
THOUGHT THEY WERE AN UPSTANDING
CITIZEN HAVING SERVED IN THEIR
HOME TOWNS FOR A LONG TIME.
WE SHOULD STOP THAT BUSINESS.
AND EVERY ADMINISTRATION IN
IT.
RECENT YEARS HAS ASKED US TO DO
DO.
SO THIS IS THE RIGHT THING TO
IT'S A MODEST STEP BUT AN
IMPORTANT STEP.
IT'S A SIGNAL THAT WE CAN DO OUR
BUSINESS WELL AND THAT WE CAN
TREAT AMERICAN CITIZENS WITH
RESPECT AND THAT WE CAN FOCUS
OUR ATTENTION WHERE IT NEEDS TO
BE FOCUSED AND NOT FOCUS OUR
ATTENTION WHERE IT'S NOT.
SENATOR COLLINS MENTIONED THERE
ARE SEVERAL THOUSAND PUBLIC
HEALTH OFFICERS AND OTHERS WHO
ARE NOW CONFIRMED BY THE UNITED
STATES SENATE.
THAT'S THE ROUGH EQUIVALENT OF
CONFIRMING FOREST RANGERS OR
STAFF MEMBERS OF THE SENATE OR
AGRICULTURE EXTENSION OFFICERS.
THEY'RE ALL VALUABLE POSITIONS,
BUT DID OUR FOUNDERS EXPECT THAT
WE WOULD BE SENDING THE F.B.I.
TO ASK WHETHER THEY LIVE BEYOND
THEIR MEANS OR NOT BEFORE THEY
GET THEIR JOB?
OF COURSE NOT.
SO WE'RE GOING TO END UP WITH
REALLY ABOUT 1,200 NOMINATIONS
OF THE PRESIDENT TO WHOM WE NEED
TO DEVOTE ADVISE AND CONSENT,
ONE INDICATION OF WHY IT'S SO
NECESSARY TO DO THIS IS NOBODY
CAN REALLY TELL US HOW MANY
PRESIDENTIAL APPOINTMENTS THERE
ARE THAT NEED ADVISE AND
CONSENT.
THE CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH
SERVICE FIRST SAID 1,200.
THEN WHEN OUR STAFFS BEGAN
LOOKING AT IT, IT'S MORE LIKE
1,400.
AND THEN THE LAST CONGRESS, HOW
MANY OF THESE ADVISE AND CONSENT
IMPORTANT POSITIONS ACTUALLY
DESERVE A ROLL CALL VOTE?
3%.
SO WE ONLY HAD TIME TO GIVE A
ROLL CALL VOTE TO 3% OF THE MEN
AND WOMEN WHOM WE HAVE DECIDED
NEED THE EXTRAORDINARY
CONSTITUTIONAL PROCESS OF ADVISE
AND CONSENT.
WE NEED TO ELEVATE THE ADVISE
AND CONSENT PROCESS BACK TO
WHERE IT OUGHT TO BE, DO OUR
JOBS CORRECTLY, TREAT PEOPLE WHO
ARE NOMINATED BY THE PRESIDENT
WITH DIGNITY, HOPE THAT THE
PRESIDENT CAN STAFF HIS
GOVERNMENT APPROPRIATELY SO WE
DON'T HAVE, AS SENATOR COLLINS
SAID, SIX MONTHS WHILE WE WAIT
TO GET THE PRESIDENT'S DEFENSE
TEAM IN PLACE.
THAT'S PARTLY THE PRESIDENT'S
OWN FAULT, BUT IT'S PARTLY OUR
FAULT.
WE NEED TO WORK TOGETHER AND
HAVE A PROCESS IN THIS BILL
WHERE WE WILL WORK TOGETHER TO
TRY TO SPEED THAT UP.
I'M GLAD I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY
TO HEAR SENATOR LIEBERMAN AND
SENATOR COLLINS.
THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME
THEY'VE TRIED TO DO THIS, BUT
THEY WILL SUCCEED IN DOING THIS
BECAUSE THEY HAVE BROAD
BIPARTISAN SUPPORT IN AN ERA OF
COOPERATION WITHIN THE SENATE.
WE'LL HAVE SOME DEBATES.
WE STILL HAVE SOME DISAGREEMENTS
ABOUT WHICH POSITION SHOULD BE
IN AND WHICH POSITION SHOULD BE
OUT.
AMENDMENTS.
BUT THAT'S WHY WE HAVE RELEVANT
THAT'S WHY WE BRING THEM UP.
THAT'S WHY WE VOTE ON THEM.
THAT'S WHY WE'LL EVENTUALLYDOM A
FINAL -- EVENTUALLY COME TO A
FINAL VOTE ON THE BILL.
MR. PRESIDENT?
THE
SENATOR FROM CONNECTICUT.
I THANK OUR
FRIEND AND COLLEAGUE FROM
TENNESSEE FOR HIS STATEMENT.
EVEN MORE FOR THE HARD WORK HE'S
DONE ALONG WITH SENATOR SCHUMER;
THE HARD WORK, THE STEADFAST
WORK, WITHOUT WHICH WE WOULDN'T
BE ON THE FLOOR RIGHT NOW.
AND SENATOR COLLINS AND I BOTH
AGREE THAT THIS, THIS IS ONE OF
THOSE RARE CASES WHERE I
WOULDN'T SAY WE GAVE UP, BUT WE
WERE BEGINNING TO GROW
PESSIMISTIC ABOUT OUR CAPABILITY
TO ACHIEVE THESE REFORMS.
AND IT'S UNUSUAL FOR US BECAUSE
WE'RE USUALLY SO STUBBORNLY
PERSISTENT.
BUT SENATOR ALEXANDER, YOU AND
SENATOR SCHUMER WORKING WITH THE
ENCOURAGEMENT AND BLESSING OF
THE TWO LEADERS -- SENATOR REID
AND SENATOR McCONNELL -- HAVE
REALLY PUT US IN A POSITION TO
GET THIS DONE.
IT WOULD BE A REAL STEP FORWARD.
SO I THANK YOU FOR IT.
OBVIOUSLY THE WORK BEGINS NOW.
THE FLOOR IS OPEN FOR DEBATE.
AND AS OF 3:00 FOR AMENDMENT.
IF EITHER OF MY COLLEAGUES DON'T
HAVE ANYTHING MORE TO SAY,
MR. PRESIDENT, I WOULD SUGGEST
THE ABSENCE OF A QUORUM.
THE
CLERK WILL CALL THE ROLL.
QUORUM CALL:
RECOGNIZED.
A SENATOR: I ASK THE QUORUM CALL
BE DISPENSED WITH.
WITHOUT
OBJECTION.
POLITBURO HOEVEN: THANK YOU,
MR. PRESIDENT.
I RISE TO SPEAK TODAY TO CALL
ATTENTION TO MY HOME STATE OF
NORTH DAKOTA WHERE WE HAVE