May 8, 1980
Page 10584
Mr. WEICKER. Mr. President, this amendment is the same as the printed amendment No. 1698 with certain minor technical adjustments.
Mr. President, I see the majority leader and the minority leader in the Chamber.
Several Senators made inquiry as to the matter of the swearing in of our colleague, Ed Muskie.
If it would accommodate the situation I would be more than delighted to go ahead and have one of my amendments come up and discuss it. In other words, I would hold the floor so that Senators could get to that swearing in without the majority leader having to go ahead and recess or delay the proceedings, if that will be of help. And it is not going to waste any time because I am going to be talking anyway. I am more than delighted to help.
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. Mr. President, I will respond if the Senator will yield.
Mr. WEICKER. I yield.
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. Mr. President, it is not the intention of the leadership to recess, and I am sure Mr. Muskie will understand, but if the Senator wishes to proceed to talk on several of his amendments and then have back-to-back votes it would be perfectly agreeable. I would like for the managers to respond if I am not expressing their viewpoint.
Mr. WEICKER. What I am trying to say here to the distinguished majority leader is that I believe that my voice is of sufficient strength to assure my colleagues that between, let us say, the hours of 6:30 and 7:30 nothing is going to happen except for the fact I am going to talk which certainly would allow everyone time to get down to Ed Muskie's swearing in. I know that the majority leader does not want to delay anything.
But the fact is I have five amendments here and they are going to take certainly in total maybe 4 to 5 hours as the case may be with votes on each amendment. In other words, I am more than willing and delighted to go ahead and do my talking when it is less disruptive to those who care to go ahead and attend the swearing in.
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. Mr. President, the Senator is generous and considerate of his colleagues, but I do not think we should proceed on the basis that Senators might expect to be away for the swearing in and they would be protected against roll call votes in the meantime.
I suggest that the distinguished Senator just proceed. He has made this offer. It is very courteous. But I am afraid that it might create some problems and I think we should just take the amendments as the Senator calls them up.