Congressional Record United States Th of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 108 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 108 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION Vol. 150 WASHINGTON, TUESDAY, MARCH 23, 2004 No. 37 Senate The Senate met at 9:45 a.m. and was first half of the time will be under the Magically, when it came back after called to order by the President pro control of the majority leader or his the conference, it was stricken, even tempore [Mr. STEVENS]. designee, and the remaining time will though it had passed both Houses of be under the control of the Democratic the legislature by a large margin. PRAYER leader or his designee. The point is, having had a vote on The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- Following morning business at 11, the overtime bill should not take away fered the following prayer: the Senate will resume consideration the fact that it was stripped in con- Let us pray. of S. 1637, the JOBS bill, also known as ference with Democrats not partici- Eternal Lord God, who illuminates the FSC/ETI bill. The bill managers pating in the conference. We believe our paths with love and laughter, hal- were able to make some progress dur- that overtime is important. lowed be Your Name. Lord, thank You ing yesterday’s session by working On my trip home last week, I visited for life’s clouds and storms that posi- through several amendments. As a re- fire stations and police stations. The tion us to receive Your deliverance. minder, a cloture motion was filed with first thing they talk about is: What is Thank You also for refusing to move respect to the FSC bill. That vote will happening to our overtime? People in our mountains but instead giving us occur tomorrow. We hope, if cloture is America are concerned by the hundreds strength to climb them. Give us the invoked, we can finish the bill this of thousands, if not millions. That is wisdom to see spiritual things in life’s week. It is still possible we could con- why we demand a vote on overtime. commonplace happenings. May a sider related amendments during to- The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The baby’s cry or a falling leaf or the day’s session. Therefore, rollcall votes Senator from Kentucky is recognized. gentle dew or a golden sunset whisper are possible throughout the day, al- Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, to us about the sacred. though we do not anticipate any vote very briefly, my good friend from Ne- Today, bless our dedicated law- prior to our respective policy lunch- vada and I discussed this last night and makers and each member of their staffs eons. If there are votes, obviously Sen- I listened carefully to what he just who routinely deliver excellence in the ators will be notified. said. I want to make one adjustment as midst of the frenetic. May they never f we get the facts before our colleagues. forget Your promise to always be with On the amendment to prohibit the them. Guide them today with fresh in- RECOGNITION OF THE ACTING Labor Department from going forward sights on living abundantly. Supply all MINORITY LEADER with the 541 regulations, that was ap- their needs, for the kingdom, the The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The proved in the Senate. We voted on it power, and the glory belong to You. minority whip. earlier. It was not approved in the Amen. f House. That is why it was a matter in f conference. VOTE ON OVERTIME PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE As my good friend from Nevada Mr. REID. Mr. President, last night pointed out, it was subsequently not The PRESIDENT pro tempore led the there was an exchange between the dis- agreed to in the conference. There was Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: tinguished Senator from Kentucky and an additional vote in the House on a I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the myself, pleasant as it always is be- motion to instruct conferees, which United States of America, and to the Repub- tween the two of us, regarding the came out the way my friend from Ne- lic for which it stands, one nation under God, overtime vote that we believe is essen- vada suggests; but on the vote that indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. tial to moving forward on this legisla- counted, the House of Representatives f tion that will be before the Senate at did not approve the effort to block the RECOGNITION OF THE ACTING 11 o’clock today. My friend, the senior Department of Labor from going for- MAJORITY LEADER Senator from Kentucky, said we had ward with the overtime regulation. The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The voted on this once before. As my friend from Nevada conceded, acting majority leader is recognized. I wanted to make sure what the facts we have voted on this once and I am were. There is no question that I was rather confident, given the persistence f right. We did vote on it once before. We of Members on that side of the aisle, at SCHEDULE voted on it in the Senate and it passed some point we will probably vote on it Mr. MCCONNELL. Good morning, Mr. by a nice margin. It was voted on in again. But this underlying bill is a bill President. the House and passed by a nice margin. that is widely supported on both sides The Senate will be in a period of It was on the Omnibus appropriations of the aisle. Sanctions have already morning business until 11 a.m. The bill. been imposed on March 1 on American ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S2947 . VerDate Mar 15 2010 22:23 Jan 29, 2014 Jkt 081600 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\2004SENATE\S23MR4.REC S23MR4 mmaher on DSKCGSP4G1 with SOCIALSECURITY S2948 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE March 23, 2004 businesses. I would like to see, and I Ambassador Joseph Wilson also The people around the President know the majority leader would like to learned that lesson. Ambassador Wil- don’t seem to believe that. They have see, and the vast majority of the Sen- son, who by all accounts served bravely crossed a line—perhaps several lines— ate would like to see this bill approved under President Bush in the early that no government ought to cross. so we can move on with other matters 1990s, felt a responsibility to speak out We shouldn’t fire or demean people that will come before the Senate. on President Bush’s false State of the for telling the truth. We shouldn’t re- f Union statement on Niger and ura- veal the names of law enforcement offi- nium. When he did, the people around cials for political gain. And we RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME the President quickly retaliated. With- shouldn’t try to destroy people who are The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Under in weeks of debunking the President’s out to make our country safer. the previous order, leadership time is claim, Ambassador Wilson’s wife was I think the people around the Presi- reserved. the target of a despicable act. dent have crossed into dangerous terri- Her identity as a deep-cover CIA tory. We are seeing abuses of power f agent was revealed to Bob Novak, a that cannot be tolerated. MORNING BUSINESS syndicated columnist, and was printed The President needs to put a stop to in newspapers around the country. The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Under it, right now. We need to get to the That was the first time in our history, truth, and the President needs to help the previous order, there will now be a I believe, that the identity and safety period for the transaction of morning us do that. of a CIA agent was disclosed for purely The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The business until 11 a.m., with the major- political purposes. It was an uncon- ity leader in control of the first half of Senator from Pennsylvania is recog- scionable and intolerable act. nized. the time, and the Democratic leader or Around the same time Bush adminis- his designee in control of the remain- tration officials were endangering Am- f ing time. bassador Wilson’s wife, they appear to THE CARE ACT Does the minority leader seek rec- have been threatening another Federal ognition? Mr. SANTORUM. Mr. President, I employee for trying to do his job. In re- rise to offer a unanimous consent re- Mr. DASCHLE. I do, Mr. President. cent weeks Richard Foster, an actuary quest having to do with the CARE Act. The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The for the Department of Health and I noted that a week ago the Senator minority leader is recognized. Human Services, has revealed that he from South Dakota, the Democratic was told he would be fired if he told f leader, sent a letter suggesting we Congress and the American people the should move forward on this legisla- DISTURBING PATTERN OF real costs of last year’s Medicare bill. CONDUCT Mr. Foster, in an e-mail he wrote on tion. I wanted to take him up on his suggestion. I believe, as he says in his Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I want June 26 of last year, said the whole epi- sode had been ‘‘pretty nightmarish.’’ letter, it is important for us to take a to talk this morning about a disturbing piece of legislation that passed with pattern of conduct by the people He wrote: ‘‘I’m no longer in grave dan- ger of being fired, but there remains a over 90 votes, has passed the House of around President Bush.