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Wednesday, June 02, 2004 |
The Senate voted 95-0 to approve the Warner amendment.
6:28:42 PM 
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The Senate is now voting a Warner amendment to the Defense Authorization bill. This amendment would authorize appropriations for a contingent emergency reserve fund for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
6:03:59 PM
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Senator Hollings, a World War II veteran, in speaking about a visit to the new World War II memorial, said that he mentioned to former Senator Dole, who played a key role in the creaing the memorial, that they should rename it Viagra Falls in honor of Senator Dole. Senator Hollings has continued to speak, changing focus to the war in Iraq and the decisions that lead up to the war.
5:39:31 PM
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Senator Lautenberg is speaking about his service in the military and the service of his colleagues in the Senate. He is speaking specifically about Senator Inouye, who lost his arm while fighting and received the Congressional Medal of Honor.
5:16:52 PM
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Senators Daschle, Stevens, Reid, and Murkowski have taken a few moments to pay tribute to many of the members of the Senate who served in World War II. This afternoon a reception is being held to honor these members.
4:58:34 PM
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Senator Frist is paying tribute to those who served in World War II and the creation of the new memorial on the National Mall. He is reading the names of Senators who served in the war and where they served. The new World War II memorial was dedicated this past Memorial Day weekend.
4:20:12 PM
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The Senate voted 70-25 to adopt the Daschle amendment.
4:20:11 PM
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The Senate is now voting on a Daschle-Graham amendment that would expand certain authorities to provide health care benefits for Reserves and their families.
3:48:56 PM
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Senator Leahy is speaking about the Daschle Amendment regarding health benefits. The Senator noted that he just returned from the funeral of a Vermont National Guardsmen who was killed in Iraq. Senator Leahy said that the National Guard are a sophisticated twenty-first century fighting force that only receive twentieth Century benefits.
3:44:39 PM
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Senator Nickles is speaking against the Graham-Daschle amendment because he believes it is too expensive and a serious mistake. He said that he can see why many Senators would support the amendment because they want to support the National Guard. Senator Nickles said that the government already supports the Guard and as a former guardsmen he doesn't believe this spending is necessary.
3:24:02 PM
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Senator Levin is speaking about the Administration's budget priorities and requests for funding for the war in Iraq. He said that the budget request from the President for the war in Iraq was a request for a blank check. Senator Levin said that he is offering an amendment that would limit the Administration's ability to move funds around, so that Congress maintains its appropriate roll in oversight of government spending.
3:07:13 PM
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Senator Graham of South Carolina is speaking about the pending Daschle amendment. He is saying that this amendment would help more than 300,000 families of reservists at a cost of $5.4 billion over 5 years and this amendment more than pays for itself in its positive benefit for reservists. Senator Graham has compared the amount that would be spent by this amendment with the $400 billion that will be directed towards the Medicare prescription drug bill. He continued by saying that the government does not contribute a dime to the health care costs of the reservists when they are called to active duty and that is wrong.
2:45:36 PM
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Senator Warner is speaking about the benefits that are provided for reservists who are called up to active duty. He has said that an amendment to the Defense Authorization bill that would increase pay for reservists may jeopardize the Defense Department's ability to continue modernization of the military.
2:33:31 PM
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The Senate now stands in recess until 2:15 for the weekly policy lunches.
12:46:27 PM
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Senator Warner came to the floor to respond to Senator Daschle's comments, saying that a law already exists that allows reservists military health care coverage for 30 days while they are on active duty. Senator Daschle countered that he believes that reservists should be accommodated for before and after those 30 days and that their families should be covered as well.
12:44:59 PM
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Beginning with thanking Senators Graham, Leahy, Clinton and DeWine for their hard work concerning TRICARE legislation, Senator Tom Daschle is speaking passionately about the need for the government to provide members of the National Guard and Reserves with health care since they are sacrificing their lives for our country. Senator Daschle is outlining the issues that he sees as dividing members concerning the TRICARE amendment: coverage, cost, reimbursement, and deductibles and copayments for doctor visits. Concerning coverage, the amendment passed out of committee would require reservists to gain consent from their employers to participate in the program. He is stating that it does not make sense for reservists to have to get consent to get health care insurance from the government. Concerning the cost of the TRICARE amendment, Senator Daschle is saying that it would only be 0.2% of the defense budget. He is stating that his colleagues should support this amendment because it is the right thing to do, especially since he feels that the tremendous demand that has been placed on reservists recently could lead to a dwindling number of those who join.
12:31:29 PM
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Reminding his colleagues of his own service in the armed forces, Senator John Warner is saying that he understands the tremendous job our troops are doing. He is mentioning his reservations that Senator Graham's amendment concerning TRICARE costs $700 million and is not offset in any way.
12:17:37 PM
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Senator Lindsey Graham is talking about his amendment, S.Amdt.3258, to the Department of Defense Authorization bill that would provide full time access to National Guard and Reserves members and their families to military health care called TRICARE. He is stating that 25% of those called to active duty are unable to go because of health care problems. The version of this amendment that passed in Committee had the Guard and Reserve members paying a premium and their employers matching that amount. Senator Graham is saying that the Guard and Reservists are honorably serving our country and risking their lives and feels that it is the responsibility of the government to match the amount they pay for the premium. This amendment would affect roughly 300,000 families.
12:13:24 PM
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With the Senate now finished with morning business, Senator John Warner, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, is discussing the Department of Defense Authorization bill and the outstanding amendments associated with the bill.
11:43:11 AM
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Senator Bill Nelson of Florida has come to the floor to pay tribute to the men and women of the National Guard Reserve who have been called up to serve in Iraq and is thanking them for their honorable service.
11:40:19 AM
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Senator Tom Daschle of South Dakota came to the floor to voice his frustration about the way in which the Senate has been performing lately, pointing out that members on the other side of the aisle are preventing legislation from being considered so that they may use the inaction of the Senate as a political tool in the upcoming elections.
11:02:38 AM
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Having recently returned from a NATO conference, Senator Gordon Smith is talking about the relationship between the United States and Europe and how we have "parted ways." Reading from Robert Kagan's "Paradise and Power: America and Europe and the New World Order," he is discussing a number of the new challenges that are facing NATO today.
10:48:41 AM
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Senator Domenici has come to the floor to talk about the need to pass an energy bill and is claiming that his energy bill would help make a secure future by creating a broader portfolio of resources and an improved supply of natural gas and oil.
10:32:47 AM
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Claiming that the new Medicare law needs to be completely overhauled, Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan is talking about the many flaws of the Medicare prescription drug card program. She is stating that this new bill will result in $139 billion in profits for the prescription drug companies but will not result in lower prices for seniors for drugs. She is urging her colleagues to pass strong bipartisan legislation that would allow for the reimportation of American-made and FDA- approved drugs.
10:26:27 AM
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After Senators Kyl and Reid came to the floor to discuss today's schedule, Senator Mark Dayton has begun the period of morning business. Claiming that Americans are being gouged by prescription drug prices, he is stating that research done by his own staff found that the prices of some prescription drugs were as much as eight times the prices of the exact same drugs in Canada. Saying that he comes from a retail family in which his great-grandfather opened a department store in 1903, Senator Dayton is claiming that he understands competition and would like to see it with regards to the price of prescription drugs. Discussing Congress' ban on the reimportation of prescription drugs, he is saying that is a little misleading since a lot of the drugs are manufactured outside of the U.S. In addition, he is pointing out that more than $14 billion worth of prescription drugs are imported and sold legally in the United States already.
10:06:21 AM
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The Senate reconvenes this morning at 9:45 for a period of morning business after which time consideration of S.2400, the Department of Defense Authorization Act, will resume.
9:32:21 AM
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