Congressional Record United States Th of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 109 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 109 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION Vol. 152 WASHINGTON, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2006 No. 119 Senate The Senate met at 9:30 a.m. and was Senator from the State of Georgia, to per- way and, hopefully, we will be able to called to order by the Honorable JOHN- form the duties of the Chair. report back more on that later this NY ISAKSON, a Senator from the State TED STEVENS, afternoon. of Georgia. President pro tempore. Today, I believe most of the debate The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- Mr. ISAKSON thereupon assumed the postcloture time will be used on border fered the following prayer: chair as Acting President pro tempore. security and on the issues surrounding Let us pray: f immigration. We will have votes on Eternal and Almighty God, we have Monday and, I would say, they are like- RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY lived long enough to know that we can- ly Friday. As I have said each day this LEADER not escape Your presence or Your love. week, we may have to be in next Satur- Teach us Your way of salvation and The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- day. I urge our colleagues to focus on show us the path that leads to a mean- pore. The majority leader is recog- accelerating their work at the com- ingful life. nized. mittee level so we can finish at a rea- Today, use our lawmakers to accom- f sonable time next week. plish Your will. Stretch their under- Mr. REID. Mr. President, has the ma- SCHEDULE standing so that they will have the jority leader made a decision as to right priorities. Give them a creativity Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, today, we when we are going to vote Monday? to devise strategies which will make will begin a 30-minute period of morn- Mr. FRIST. Monday afternoon our Nation and world better. Enter ing business, which will be equally di- around 5 o’clock to 6:30. There have their hearts and make them Your vided between the two sides. Following been several questions about that. faithful servants. Equip them to relieve that morning business, we will return Mr. REID. The other question is, I suffering and to serve sacrificially. to the motion to proceed to the border recognize that other than delaying Make their highest motivation be not fence act. Cloture on the motion to things, if the majority wants to go to win over one another but to win proceed was unanimously invoked yes- home, that is what we do because we with one another by doing Your will. terday. The postcloture time will ex- have fewer votes than they have. But We pray in Your awesome Name. pire at 5:45 this afternoon. We will be my Senators are asking, and staff is Amen. on the bill at that time, or if an agree- asking, is this Friday and Saturday the ment is reached with the Democratic date that the majority is going to go f leader, we hope to proceed to it at an home? earlier time. Senators will be alerted Mr. FRIST. Next Friday or Saturday. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE as to the prospects for rollcall votes as Mr. REID. The reason I say that, if The Honorable JOHNNY ISAKSON led we determine what the rest of today’s there is some anticipation that if the Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: schedule is. things don’t work out, we are going to I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the f go beyond next week, our folks should United States of America, and to the Repub- know that. lic for which it stands, one nation under God, ACTIVITY IN THE SENATE Mr. FRIST. It is very important, Mr. indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, we have a President, that we keep everybody’s f lot of activity going on, both on the schedules clear because there are cam- floor and also off the floor. We have paigns going on. People need to get APPOINTMENT OF ACTING several conference reports, in terms of back to their States. It is our intent PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE appropriations bills—Homeland Secu- that we are going to stick with it. Un- rity and Department of Defense. We are less there is an unforeseen emergency The PRESIDING OFFICER. The making real progress. We will address of some sort, we will finish next week. clerk will please read a communication those next week. An issue which I am We will be out this month. My inten- to the Senate from the President pro constantly asked about by press and tion is to finish Friday, working with tempore (Mr. STEVENS). constituents is what progress is being the Democratic leader in that regard. U.S. SENATE, made and how much progress is being There is very important business for us PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, made on the legislation surrounding to do, and that should send a signal Washington, DC, September 21, 2006. To the Senate: terrorist camps and terrorist military that we have to keep our committees Under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, tribunals and terrorist surveillance. and conferences working for the rest of of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby There is a lot of activity at the com- today, tomorrow, and over the course appoint the Honorable JOHNNY ISAKSON, a mittee level. Negotiations are under- of the weekend and into next week. ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S9859 . VerDate Mar 15 2010 23:56 Feb 05, 2014 Jkt 081600 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\2006SENATE\S21SE6.REC S21SE6 mmaher on DSKCGSP4G1 with SOCIALSECURITY S9860 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE September 21, 2006 Unless there is something very sur- I am deeply concerned that after the We know from a recent survey con- prising, I expect we will be out this election we may or may not have the ducted by the AMA that if the sched- month. I would like for it to be Friday, focus in order to be able to get that uled cuts go into effect, 45 percent of but it may be Saturday. done before the end of the year. It is doctors will decrease the number of Mr. REID. The majority leader and I vital not just to physicians but to the Medicare patients they accept. Fifty have had private conversations. It is people we represent—the seniors, peo- percent of doctors will defer the pur- my further understanding that the ma- ple with disabilities—that we get this chase of health information technology jority leader is planning on coming done. Eighty Senators out of 100 have which, I might add, is an area where back the following Monday after the sent a letter to our two Senate leaders we, under our budget jurisdictions for elections? and have urged that we act now. Sen- Medicare and Medicaid and other Mr. FRIST. The following week. ator REID has indicated his support for health care programs, will reap huge Mr. REID. Monday or Tuesday? doing that. We need our Senate leader savings, hundreds of billions of dollars Mr. FRIST. Right. It is clear that to bring this to the floor so we can get with health information technology. over the next 8 or 9 days, we have un- it done. But you cannot tell a physician who is finished business we absolutely must I joined these 80 Senators in sending trying to make ends meet to be able to do. Looking at the calendar, either that letter in July because we know continue to serve people that, by the that Monday or Tuesday of the week that if we don’t provide even a min- way, we are going to cut your pay- following the elections, we will be back imum update, we destabilize the Medi- ments coming in, but we want you to in. care system and put all patient access buy new hardware and software and Mr. President, I suggest the absence to health care at risk. That is not an train people and do all of these other of a quorum. understatement. things so that the Federal Government The PRESIDING OFFICER. The There needs to be a tremendous sense can save dollars. It doesn’t make any clerk will call the roll. of urgency about this issue. What has sense. The legislative clerk proceeded to happened since July 17 when we sent We also know that 37 percent of doc- call the roll. the letter? Nothing. There has been no tors practicing in rural communities— Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, I ask committee hearings, no markups—de- and in my great State of Michigan, we unanimous consent that the order for spite 80 Senators agreeing that we have have a huge, beautiful rural part of our the quorum call be rescinded. a need to provide a minimum update State. I grew up in one of those small The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- for physician services. There has been towns, in Clare, in the northern low pe- pore. Without objection, it is so or- no effort by the majority leader to ninsula. dered. bring this issue to the floor. We have I understand about access to physi- had no willingness to bring up an issue cians and access to health care. We f that has incredible significance to tens know that 37 percent of doctors prac- RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME of millions of Americans all across our ticing in rural communities will be The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- country.