September 9, 1977
Page 28446
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. Mr. President, I would urge that Senators on both sides of the aisle who have amendments to the concurrent resolution come to the floor and offer those amendments.
The time agreement on this resolution provided for an overall time limitation, out of which would come the time on any amendments, debatable motions, appeals, or points of order. At this point we have 209 minutes left overall. We understand that there are three amendments, one by Mr. HAYAKAWA, one by Mr. ROTH, and one by Mr. HATCH, on each of which there is 1 hour time limitation. So on those three amendments, that would mean that 180 minutes would be allotted if all time is taken on each of the amendments, and that would come out of the 209 minutes.
This means that there are 29 minutes left for any other Senator who wishes to call up an amendment. I urge that Senators come to the floor and call up their amendments.
Mr. MUSKIE is here. He is chairman of the Budget Committee. He has been here patiently waiting, and I know that the leadership on the other side has been attempting to get Senators to come to the floor to call up their amendments. I would hope that Mr. HAYAKAWA, Mr. ROTH, or Mr. HATCH would present themselves and call up their amendments, because time is running. We made special allowance of time for their amendments, but we have to protect other Senators who may also want to call up amendments, and by virtue of the fact that the three Senators whose amendments have been protected are not on the floor to call up their amendments, it is impinging upon the time of all other Senators, any one of whom may wish to call up more amendments. So in fairness to all Senators, I ask those Senators who are protected on their amendments to please get to the floor and call them up.
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, will the Senator yield?
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. Yes.
Mr. MUSKIE. I know there is at least one other amendment under consideration that is of great interest to Senators in farm States, especially farm States that have suffered from the drought.
That amendment is under consideration; it may or may not be offered. I do not know. I cannot speak for those Senators. I know there is at least one other Senator who may wish to take some time to express some views from the point of the Finance Committee on the second budget resolution. With this quorum call, we are squeezing those Senators out.
We went out of our way to insure the protection of these three Senators who have amendments. They did not want to bring them up yesterday, for reasons that they advance also today.
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. Mr. President, will the Senator yield?
Mr. MUSKIE. Yes, I do.
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. The leadership on the majority side protected those Senators on yesterday. The leadership knew that those Senators would not be prepared to call up their amendments yesterday, and the leadership in presenting its request limiting time protected those Senators on yesterday. We just cannot go on and on waiting for Senators to come to the Chamber. I urge Senators to come to the Chamber.
I ask unanimous consent, Mr. President, that the time on the last quorum call not be charged to anybody.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection? Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, will the majority leader yield for another observation?
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. I yield.
Mr. MUSKIE. Under the law, action by the Congress on this budget resolution must be completed by September 15. The House completed action last night. The Senate Budget Committee is prepared to go to conference with the House. We cannot go to conference with the House. We had hoped to do so today, so that we might have ample time to do justice to the conference. The delay we have had makes it impossible to go to conference today. We will not be able to go until Monday. With that deadline, which is a statutory deadline, staring us in the face, I would join the majority leader in urging Senators to come to the floor to present their amendments.
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. May I say in justice to one or two of these Senators, I know they were in committee meetings and they considered those committee meetings important. I recognize that. But so was Mr. MUSKIE supposed to be in a committee meeting, which is being conducted by Mr. RIBICOFF at this time in connection with the Lance matter. The chairman of the Budget committee is here. He, too, should be in that committee meeting. The time is running. We have to call up some amendments.
I have noted the presence on the floor for quite some time of Mr. HAYAKAWA and I feel sure he is ready to go. For some reason, apparently, he is being inhibited by someone else from proceeding at this time. I am not sure of this.
I am not interested in arguing with anyone. I just want someone to call up an amendment. We cannot continue to fiddle-faddle and waste our time, the time agreement being as it is.
Mr. HATCH. Will the Senator yield?
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. I yield.
Mr. HATCH. I am not quite sure what the Senator is talking about. I have been prepared to come here for 2 days.
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. What did the Senator say?
Mr. HATCH. I have been prepared to be here. I came over as soon as I was notified. As I understand, Senator ROTH is going to offer an amendment to this resolution. My amendment is third to his.
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. It is not third. The Senator can call up his amendment now. There is no sequence of amendments in the order.
Mr. HATCH. Senator ROTH wanted to present his amendment first.
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. I am very agreeable for him to do that, but why does he not come to the Chamber?
Mr. HATCH. He is in a committee hearing.
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. He is in the same committee hearing that the chairman of the Budget Committee is supposed to be attending also.
Mr. HATCH. I cannot speak for Senator ROTH. All I can do is speak for myself. I am honoring a commitment to him that he can go ahead with his amendment before I present mine. I think that is something that should be respected here in the Senate.
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. It is respected, but we have to respect the Senate.
Mr. HATCH. I respect the Senate. Nobody does more than I do, as the Senator knows. I have always been very courteous.
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. Is the Senator prepared to call up his amendment?
Mr. HATCH. As soon as Senator ROTH appears.
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. Is Senator HAYAKAWA prepared to call up his amendment?
Mr. HATCH. I would be happy to call up Senator ROTH's, if I had a copy of it and could speak for it. I do not know where he is. I cannot account for him.
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. Is his amendment next?
Mr. HATCH. I would be happy to call up the Roth amendment to accommodate the distinguished majority leader.
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. The Senator is not just accommodating the majority leader.
Mr. HATCH. To accommodate the Senate.
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. Time is running, the time allotted for the Senator's amendment, the Senator who is now on his feet.
Mr. HATCH. And prepared to go, except for my commitment.
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. And the time allotted for Mr. HAYAKAWA's amendment and Mr. ROTH's amendment is coming out of the overall time.
Mr. HATCH. I understand.
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. The more theSenate waits for certain Senators to call up their amendments, the more other Senators are shut out from offering their amendment.
Mr. HATCH. Will the distinguished Senator yield?
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. I yield.
Mr. HATCH. I believe the Senator understands there are committee meetings. I believe he understands Senator ROTH is in one, the same one that Senator MUSKIE should be attending. I cannot understand why Senator ROTH is not here, or why Senator MUSKIE can be here and Senator ROTH cannot be here. The only point I am making is that I gave my word to Senator ROTH. I would be happy to call up my amendment after his. To accommodate anybody concerned, I would be happy to call up his amendment and speak for it, if I could get a copy of it, and do so to accommodate him.
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. I appreciate the Senator's willingness to do that. Will he get in touch with Senator ROTH and see if he can proceed?
Mr. HATCH. As I understand, efforts are being made to get in touch with Senator ROTH.
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. Very well.
Mr. MUSKIE. If the Senator will yield, may I point out that I have obligations on the committee concerning Mr. Lance. That committee is not going to take any action today. It is not going to vote today. I consider my first obligation on the floor when a matter of this importance is here. I did not attend yesterday's session of the Governmental Affairs Committee. I am not speaking to the Senator, but I am only speaking for the record. I simply want to make the point that I did not attend yesterday's meeting of the Governmental Affairs Committee because the Senate as a whole said I should be here managing the second budget resolution. I cannot attend the committee meeting today for the same reason.
It seems to me that Senators have that obligation.
What the Senate is confronting is the need for action on a budget resolution which the law says we must complete by the 15th of September. That is my only point. If the time runs out, the entire 209 minutes which remain, then no amendments will have been considered. We could run through that time very rapidly while the Governmental Affairs Committee finishes its session for the day.
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. What the distinguished Senator from Maine and I are both saying is for the protection of the Senator from Utah, for the protection of the Senator from California, and for the protection of the Senator from Delaware,because the 1 hour allotted to each amendment of those three Senators is coming out of the overall. When we get down to where we have less than 180 minutes, then each of those three Senators, on a proportionate basis, will have his own time reduced.
Mr. HATCH. Will the Senator yield?
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. Yes.
Mr. HATCH. I cannot speak for Senator ROTH. I know Senator ROTH very well and there is no man with more integrity in this body, nor a man more desirous of fulfilling every obligation he has in this body, nor a man who cares more for the procedures and protocols of the Senate. I have to assume there is some valid reason why he is having difficulty getting here. I have been waiting for at least a day and a half and have been prepared at any time to come over here. I believe the same is true of Senator ROTH and Senator HAYAKAWA. All I can say is I would be willing to yield part of my time during the time we are waiting for Senator ROTH. That will decrease time available to me on this resolution, which would also save time on the overall resolution, and I will cut down any speeches or comments I have to make with regard to my amendment accordingly. However, I would have to have a minimum. We have 1 hour reserved, so I would have to have as a minimum, I would say, 15 minutes. That would give us 15 minutes. During that time, we will make every effort to have Senator ROTH come to the chamber. Is that a reasonable suggestion?
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. What will Senator MUSKIE and Senator BELLMON do in the meantime?
Mr. HATCH. I say to the distinguished majority leader and the distinguished Senator from Maine, I have just been handed the Roth amendment. I would be happy to speak for this amendment at this time and to utilize some of Mr. ROTH's time.