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House of Representatives the House Was Not in Session Today E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 107 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 147 WASHINGTON, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2001 No. 113 House of Representatives The House was not in session today. Its next meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 5, 2001, at 2 p.m. Senate TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2001 The Senate met at 10 a.m. and was We express our profound sympathy to RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME called to order by the Honorable HARRY the family of former House of Rep- The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. DUR- REID, a Senator from the State of Ne- resentatives Chaplain, James Ford. BIN). Under the previous order, the vada. Comfort and bless them in this time of leadership time is reserved. grief and loss. You are our only Lord f PRAYER and Saviour. The Chaplain, Dr. Lloyd John Amen. MORNING BUSINESS Ogilvie, offered the following prayer: The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under Gracious Father, You are the source f the previous order, there will now be a of strength when we trust You, the period for the transaction of morning source of courage when we ask for Your business not to extend beyond the hour help, the source of hope when we won- PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE of 11 a.m. with Senators permitted to der if we can make a difference, the The Honorable HARRY REID led the speak for up to 10 minutes. Under the source of peace in the stresses and Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: previous order, the time until 10:30 strains of applying truth to the forma- a.m. shall be under the control of the tion of public policy. Bless the Sen- I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Repub- Senator from Wyoming, Mr. THOMAS, ators as they return from the August lic for which it stands, one nation under God, or his designee. recess to a heavy and demanding fall indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. f schedule of the ongoing challenges and RECOGNITION OF THE ACTING opportunities in this 107th Congress. f Help them to reaffirm the basic abso- MAJORITY LEADER lutes of faithfulness and obedience to The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- You: Remind them that they are here APPOINTMENT OF ACTING ator from Nevada. by Your permission; rekindle in them a PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE holy passion for social righteousness; The PRESIDING OFFICER. The restore a profound patriotism for this clerk will please read a communication SCHEDULE Nation You have blessed so magnifi- to the Senate from the President pro Mr. REID. Mr. President, today the cently; and refract the eyes of their tempore (Mr. BYRD). Senate will be in a period of morning minds to see Your plan for America The assistant legislative clerk read business until 11 a.m. as has been an- spelled out in the specifics of the legis- the following letter: nounced by the Chair. At 11 a.m. today, lation to be debated and decided in the Senate will begin consideration of U.S. SENATE, these next weeks. PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, S. 149, the Export Administration Act. We ask for Your encouraging pres- Washington, DC, September 4, 2001. There will be at least one rollcall vote ence and enabling power for TOM To the Senate: today that will occur at 5 p.m. DASCHLE and TRENT LOTT, HARRY REID Under the provisions of rule I, paragraph 3, ORDER FOR RECESS and DON NICKLES as they exemplify of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby I ask unanimous consent that the re- greatness in cooperative leadership of appoint the Honorable HARRY REID, a Sen- cess scheduled for 12:30 to 2:15 p.m. the Senate. All of us—Senators, offi- ator from the State of Nevada, to perform today be vitiated and the Senate recess cers, and the over 6,000 people who the duties of the Chair. tomorrow, Wednesday, September 15, form the Senate family—humble our- ROBERT C. BYRD, from 12:30 to 2:15 p.m. for the weekly selves to receive Your inspiration and President pro tempore. party conferences. dedicate our work to serve You as the Mr. REID thereupon assumed the The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without only sovereign of this land. chair as Acting President pro tempore. objection, it is so ordered. ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S9011 . VerDate Mar 15 2010 03:10 Dec 20, 2013 Jkt 081600 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0637 Sfmt 0634 J:\ODA425\1997-2008-FILES-4-SS-PROJECT\2001-SENATE-REC-FILES\RECFILES-NEW\S mmaher on DSKCGSP4G1 with SOCIALSECURITY S9012 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE September 4, 2001 The Senator from Wyoming. When we first started talking about question about that. Some in this Mr. THOMAS. Mr. President, I re- energy 6 or 8 months ago, California body, of course, want more govern- quest the opportunity to speak in was undergoing an energy shortage. It ment. Some want more spending. Some morning business. certainly seemed that it was a crisis. are very sorry about tax relief because The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- Then we got over that a little bit; some it may reduce the spending. ator is recognized. of the gas prices began to go down I have to tell you that I think we f some, although they are coming back really ought to stay within the budget THE SENATE AGENDA up again now, but the problem still re- we passed, which is about a 4-percent mains. We have not resolved the energy increase. I hope we don’t go back to Mr. THOMAS. Mr. President, all of us problem at all. I hope that will be a last year’s history and increase it by 14 are pleased to be back, able to go on high priority for us during these clos- or 15 percent. I think that is a mistake. and finish the business we have yet to ing weeks. Some of us had hoped it Certainly, things are a little different do. There is a lot of it, of course. I have would have been a priority before now, now when we are faced with this slow- read from time to time that we have but it has not been. Now I think it is ing of the economy. been on vacation. I have to tell you, it clear it needs to be. Speaking of the political issue, back is scarcely a vacation. All of us spend One of the other things I heard a in April, for example, there was a lot of this time, as we should, traveling in great deal about, which I suppose is a talk about tax relief. There was a Dem- our States and visiting with the people little different in a State such as Wyo- ocrat amendment to increase the we represent. Frankly, it is a real ming where 50 percent of the State be- amount of tax relief to $85 billion. It pleasure and honor to travel about Wy- longs to the Federal Government, is was defeated by 94 to 6. In July there oming this time of year. It is impor- that this administration has indicated was another Democrat amendment tant that we reflect on what we have and is beginning to demonstrate that that would repeal the immediate tax heard, some of the issues laid before us, they are willing and anxious to have rebate. It failed 91 to 3. some of the notions of the people at more local input into the decisions The idea that there is now an effort home. After all, it is our responsibility that affect public land and affect the to move some responsibility to the to be here to represent those people. people who live by and depend on pub- White House for added tax reduction There are a number of things we all lic land. That is not saying it is going and so on is just not the case. It is just hear about and hear about repeatedly to protect the environment. It says a political kind of issue. We hear all while we are in our States. One of them that each area, each park, and each kinds of political views in the Senate, is the tax issue, the idea of tax reduc- forest is unique, and to try to set na- and various Senators on the other side tion, and specifically the returns that tionwide standards from Washington, have been made during this period of of the aisle have said it should have as has been done in the recent past, is been larger and kicked in sooner. Some time. Many people have received their not a workable situation. Our folks are $600 or $300. I heard a great deal about are using radio programs to say to very pleased about that. their constituents that this was a great that. I heard a great deal of praise and Finally, I will take a moment to say, support for tax relief, having an oppor- thing to do. Indeed, it was. as someone who feels some responsi- We are going to have a lot of talk tunity to receive those dollars that bility, that I like the idea that we are about the surplus, of course, and about were deemed to be surplus. They were paying down the debt. That is good. not dollars that belonged to Wash- the differences between OMB and the We have a number of things to do.
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