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Senate the Senate Met at 9:45 A.M 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, SEPTEMBER 14, 2004 No. 109 Senate The Senate met at 9:45 a.m. and was U.S. SENATE, ple to come in late. In order to finish called to order by the Honorable LIN- PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, the bill, especially as we want to pay COLN D. CHAFEE, a Senator from the Washington, DC, September 14, 2004. appropriate respect to the Jewish holi- State of Rhode Island. To the Senate: day tomorrow, I plead with our col- Under the provisions of rule I, paragraph 3, of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby leagues that they come as soon as they PRAYER appoint the Honorable LINCOLN D. CHAFEE, a are notified there will be a vote. We The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- Senator from the State of Rhode Island, to give everyone a heads-up when there fered the following prayer: perform the duties of the Chair. will be a vote. Come and vote and leave Let us pray. TED STEVENS, and efficiently use that time. O Lord, our rock, hear our praise President pro tempore. Mr. REID. Will the Senator yield? today, for Your faithfulness endures to Mr. CHAFEE thereupon assumed the Mr. FRIST. I am happy to yield for a all generations. You hear our prayers. chair as Acting President pro tempore. question. Mr. REID. Mr. President, I am so Surround us with Your mercy. You are f gratified to hear the leader speaking on our strength and our shield. Listen to RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY this topic. the melody of our gratitude, for You LEADER Yesterday, we had a vote that took 45 are the center of our joy. Thank You minutes. I suggested to the floor staff for illuminating our paths with Your The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- pore. The majority leader is recog- maybe we should do away with the 15- precepts, dispelling the darkness of minute limitation and wait until the nized. doubt and fear. last person shows up. It is unfair to Today, guide our lawmakers. Be their f this body. I don’t think the leader shepherd in these dangerous times. SCHEDULE should plead with people to come. They Help them to not trust solely in human would come very quickly if we start Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, today we wisdom but to follow Your revelation. cutting off the votes. It is unfair to have a period of morning business for Lead them beside still waters and re- this body to wait around here while up to 60 minutes, with the first 30 min- ward their faithfulness. May they find somebody is finishing a phone call or a utes under the control of the Demo- their refuge in You. workout in the gym while the rest of cratic leader or his designee and the Lord, You are our song. Thank You us are waiting to get work done. for the gift of this day. Empower us to final 30 minutes under the control of Also, if I could, through the Chair, be doers of Your will and not simply the majority leader or his designee. we want to finish this Homeland Secu- hearers. Deliver us from evil as we Following morning business, the Sen- rity appropriations bill. We have been keep our eyes on You. ate will resume consideration of the working through these numerous We pray with grateful hearts. Amen. Homeland Security appropriations bill. amendments. We are at a point where I As I understand, there are approxi- f believe we could finalize this bill. mately five pending amendments the Finally, as the leader knows, we PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE chairman will review to determine wanted to have a cutoff on this. I un- when we will be disposing of them. derstand the leader decided yesterday The Honorable LINCOLN D. CHAFEE Therefore, Senators should expect nu- to take a look at it to see if there is led the Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: merous rollcall votes over the course of something we could do to help the situ- I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the the day as we move toward completion ation in Florida through this bill. I United States of America, and to the Repub- of that bill. said yesterday—and still say this—let’s lic for which it stands, one nation under God, We do have our recess between 12:30 indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. finish this bill. We want to help Florida and 2:15 for the weekly party lunch- as much as we can, but I think, by try- f eons. ing to tie these two things together, it While I mentioned we will have nu- is not going to work very well. APPOINTMENT OF ACTING merous rollcall votes, and I see the as- I respectfully submit to the leader, PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE sistant Democratic leader, one thing let’s try to push forward and have a The PRESIDING OFFICER. The we must do over the course of today timeline when we can finish this bill. It clerk will please read a communication and tomorrow is limit the amount of is an important piece of legislation. We to the Senate from the President pro time for Senators to vote in the speci- understand that. But it would set such tempore (Mr. STEVENS). fied time. We have Senators who strag- a good tone if we could finish that The legislative clerk read the fol- gle in. Everyone has an excuse. We prior to the holiday beginning tomor- lowing letter: have been too liberal in allowing peo- row. ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S9155 . S9156 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE September 14, 2004 Mr. FRIST. I thank the Senator. Mr. FRIST. Yes, when I finish. Let Mr. President, at this juncture, I am Mr. President, I do again restate and me try to get through the announce- happy to yield for a question. reemphasize the importance of fin- ments, the statements. Let me go Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, I thank ishing this legislation, either this through the material, and then I will the majority leader for yielding for a evening or early Wednesday morning, be happy to yield for a quick question. question. so Senators can observe the Rosh Ha- f f shanah holiday appropriately. We want ROSH HASHANAH AND ANTI- REIMPORTATION OF to allow people to have travel time to- SEMITISM PRESCRIPTION DRUGS morrow as well. But we must finish this bill. Again, the plea for efficiency, Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, tomorrow Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, this for amendments to be brought forward, is the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah, morning, again in a Congress Journal, and that we vote on time is all to re- and it is also called the Jewish New it says: ‘‘Frist Decision to Delay Re- state the importance of dealing with Year. It is one of the holiest days of importation.’’ This is the issue of the this very important bill and com- the year in the Jewish faith for the reimportation of prescription drugs, in pleting this bill in a timely way. Jewish people. Rosh Hashanah marks order to put downward pressure on We may well have, in addition to a the anniversary of the creation of the drug prices, as I mentioned to the ma- busy session today, a busy session to- world. It is a day for contemplation jority leader last week on the floor of night in order to complete the bill. I and prayer, to look forward to the year the Senate. I harken back to about midnight, know the Members continue to make ahead, to reflect on past deeds, and to March 11, in the Senate, on the floor of inquiries as to whether we will finish ask for God’s forgiveness. the Senate, when we were in session tonight or in the morning. All I can As our friends prepare to celebrate very late, to a statement put in the say is we have to finish the bill. The their holiday, I think it is appropriate Senate RECORD by the majority leader holiday starts tomorrow, late after- for us to take time to reflect on our saying ‘‘the Senate will begin a process noon, but it means, to give people ap- own deeds and the state of tolerance for developing proposals that would propriate travel time, we need to finish or, as I am pained to say, the rise of in- allow for the safe reimportation of it, and we have time to finish it to- tolerance toward the Jewish people. A number of Senators will be speaking on FDA-approved prescription drugs.’’ night or tomorrow. But I think how I say to the majority leader, I hope things go today and tonight will deter- the topic this morning, and I do urge my colleagues to listen and follow the very much that his decision on what mine the schedule over the course of the remaining schedule will be for this the day, tonight, and tomorrow. I will issue closely. A sampling of anti-Se- mitic incidents just this summer really Senate will include an opportunity for have further updates on that as we us to, on the floor of the Senate, con- progress on the bill. does paint a disturbing picture. In Paris, anti-Semitic inscriptions sider legislation dealing with the re- f were found stamped into a dozen books importation of prescription drugs.
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