Congressional Record United States Th of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 104 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION
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E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 104 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION Vol. 142 WASHINGTON, TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 1996 No. 33 Senate The Senate met at 9:30 a.m. and was SCHEDULE The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. called to order by the President pro Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, there will CAMPBELL). Without objection, it is so tempore [Mr. THURMOND]. be a period for morning business until ordered. the hour of 10 a.m. today, with Sen- f PRAYER ators permitted to speak for up to 10 COMPLETE THE APPROPRIATIONS minutes each, except for the following: The Chaplain, Dr. Lloyd John PROCESS Senator FEINSTEIN of California for 15 Ogilvie, offered the following prayer: minutes. Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I was Gracious Father, we thank You for At the hour of 10 a.m., the Senate shocked last week to read a headline in all of our faculties. But today, we will resume consideration of the con- one of the local publications that the praise You especially for the gift of tinuing resolution and the pending President was threatening to shut hearing. Help us never to take for amendment offered by Senator down the Government again. That was granted the amazing process by which DASCHLE. Under the previous order, at the headline: ‘‘Clinton Threatens Gov- sounds are registered on our eardrums, 2:15 p.m. today, there will be two con- ernment Shutdown.’’ and carried through the audio nerve to secutive rollall votes. The first will be It shocked me because I knew that, our cerebral cortex to be translated on invoking cloture on the D.C. appro- at that very time, the Senate Appro- into thoughts of recognition, com- priations conference report, to be fol- priations Committee was working on prehension, and response. Through this lowed by a vote on cloture on the mo- this omnibus appropriations bill, and it wondrous gift we can hear the spring tion to proceed to the Whitewater ex- was reported out of committee by a songs of robins returned, majestic tension resolution. Following those broad bipartisan vote with only two music of a sonata, loved one’s words of votes, the Senate will resume consider- Senators voting against the action by love and hope, and the truths of Your ation of the continuing resolution. the Appropriations Committee. own Word in the Bible as they are read Therefore, additional votes are ex- This legislation does include funds or proclaimed from across the reaches pected throughout the day. Also, the for the rest of the year for the five ap- of time. But most importantly, You Senate will recess from the hours of propriations bills that have not yet have given us listening hearts to hear 12:30 to 2:15 p.m. for the weekly policy been signed into law, two of which have what You have to say to us through the conferences to meet. not yet passed the Senate. Those two guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is still hoped we can reach agree- are the Labor-HHS-Education bill and Today, we dedicate our physical and ment for consideration of the small the conference report on the District of spiritual hearing systems to listen regulatory relief bill during the session Columbia appropriations bill, which is more attentively to You and to each today. We will make an effort to pro- being held up because some Members other. Forgive us when we are so occu- ceed on that legislation. We hope we do not want poor students in the Dis- pied with what we want to say that we can consider it before the week is out. trict of Columbia to have access to do not listen. Often we do not hear It has broad bipartisan support. I be- vouchers. The omnibus bill also in- each other because we have prejudged lieve it was reported unanimously from cludes three other appropriations bills what he or she will say. And there are the Small Business Committee. I have that have been vetoed by the Presi- times when we are so intent on doing had indications from Senators on both dent. our own will without consulting You sides of the aisle that they would like So there are five of them. Obviously, and listening to Your whisper in our to see this legislation moved, although everybody from the District of Colum- souls. We say with Samuel, ‘‘Speak there is some resistance to it, still bia to the Interior Department would Lord, Your servant is listening.’’ In the holding out hope we can move on the like to get this process completed. name of Him who taught us both to lis- broader regulatory reform. That would In the Appropriations Committee, ten and to pray. Amen. be ideal. But I still do not see much they also included emergency funds for real hope that can be accomplished, so the disasters that we have had in the f I would not want us to further hold up past few months across this country, good legislation on which we do have and they included funds for the United States peacekeeping effort in Bosnia. RECOGNITION OF THE ACTING agreement. So we will be seeking to All in all, the bill goes more than half- MAJORITY LEADER move that legislation before the week is out. way to meet the requests by the Presi- The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Mr. President, I ask unanimous con- dent for additional funds. Keep in able acting majority leader, Senator sent that I be heard as in morning busi- mind, the President continues to ask LOTT. ness for the next 5 minutes. for more money. That is what is at ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S1789 . VerDate Aug 31 2005 05:07 Jun 20, 2008 Jkt 041999 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 J:\ODA16\1996_F~1\S12MR6.REC S12MR6 mmaher on MIKETEMP with SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS S1790 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE March 12, 1996 stake here: He wants more money to RESERVATION OF LEADERSHIP Franklin D. Roosevelt aboard the USS Quin- spend—always more money to spend. TIME cy on the Great Bitter Lake. We celebrated While we are trying to impose some this as the occasion that launched the spe- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under cial relationship between the Kingdom of reasonable restraints on the spending the previous order, leadership time is Saudi Arabia and the United States of Amer- of the Federal Government in the non- reserved. ica. That meeting, however did not occur in defense discretionary areas, he con- a vacuum. More than a decade before, King f tinues to ask for more money, $8 bil- Abdulaziz had signed the first oil concession lion more than was included in our ear- MORNING BUSINESS with an American oil company. The ensuing activities, culminating with the discovery of lier legislation. But this omnibus ap- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under propriation includes a $4.7 billion move oil in commercial quantities in 1938, began to the previous order, the Senate will now lay the foundation of friendship and coopera- toward what the President has asked proceed to a period for the transaction tion that made the historic meeting between for, in the form of a contingency fund of morning business until 10 a.m., with the two great leaders possible. that the President could spend after Senators permitted to speak for up to The Saudi-American relationship began agreement is reached for counter- 10 minutes each, with one exception: with commerce and, more than six decades later, commerce remains one of the binding vailing savings in entitlement pro- Senator FEINSTEIN will be recognized grams. More than half a loaf in any forces that tie our two countries together. to speak for up to 15 minutes. American companies were there in the begin- process is a major concession. And yet, f ning, helping to build not only the world’s we are being told that is still not good largest oil industry, but the infrastructure, enough. THE UNITED STATES-SAUDI support systems, and educational institu- ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP tions that go with it. This legislation includes approxi- Over the years, the business and economic mately $166 billion for these five bills Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, the relationship between our two countries has and the nine departments that are cov- economic and security partnership be- broadened and strengthened in parallel with ered by the bill. I repeat, $166 billion. tween the United States and Saudi the political friendship. The United States And yet, for an additional $3 billion, Arabia is vital to both nations. Strong has been Saudi Arabia’s number one trade the President says he will veto the business ties are a key element of this and investment partner for most of the past whole thing. I do not think that makes partnership. forty years. Even in more trying times, Saudi Arabia is America’s leading American business has stayed true to this sense. When the Senate is offering $166 partnership. More recently, even at personal billion, is the President really going to supplier of oil, while American tech- risk, American companies and their employ- veto this legislation and shut down the nology is important to the efficient de- ees stood together with us as we faced a Government to force us up to $169 bil- velopment of Saudi oil reserves. Amer- grave challenge from Iraq during Desert lion? ica’s substantial imports are offset by Shield and Desert Storm.