Monday, June 14, 2004

6:21 Passage of the Dodd Amendment The Senate has just finished voting on the Dodd Amendment to the DoD Authorization bill, approving it with a vote of 91-0.  There will be no more votes this evening in the Senate.  6:21:35 PM

4:40 Senators Warner and Dodd on the Dodd Amendment Senator Dodd and Senator Warner are debating the affect that the Dodd amendment would have.  Senator Warner said that he is concerned that the Dodd amendment would prevent any contractors from entering a dangerous area.  Senator Dodd countered by saying that this is not the intent of the amendment, and that he is open to reasonable modification.  4:40:23 PM

4:17 Senator Dodd on Civilian Contractors in Iraq Senator Dodd is speaking about civilian contractors in Iraq.  He said that many have suffered horribly, some even being killed or injured.  The Senator noted that it also appears that some of the contractors in Iraq may have participated in the abuse of prisoners.  A recent amendment introduced by Senator Dodd would prohibit the participation of contractors in the interrogation of Iraqi prisoners.  The Senator also quoted a civilian interrogator who said that private contractors were able to interrogate detainees at will.  4:18:11 PM

3:37 Senator Wyden on Oversight of Iraq Contracts Senator Wyden spoke on his amendment and how he has been working with colleagues on both side of the aisle to get more oversight on the contracts that are being offered to rebuild Iraq.  He said that instead of having federal employees keep oversight over the contracts, that the government is outsourcing oversight to private companies.  The Senator from Oregon said that what he is trying to establish with this amendment that oversight, the protection of the taxpayers interest, must be a government function, and not something that can be outsourced.  Senator Wyden said we must ensure that those doing oversight have a financial stake in the cause.  3:37:25 PM

3:05 Senator Dodd on Body Armor for Troops in Iraq Senator Dodd is speaking about an amendment he has introduced to the Defense Authorization bill.  The Senator told a story of a soldier in Iraq who wrote to his parents and asked them to send his company bullet proof vests so that they could use them to reinforce their humvees.  Senator Dodd's amendment would require the DOD to reimburse families who have provided troops with body armor and other gear that the DOD should have provided so that troops could appropriately do their jobs. 3:04:17 PM

2:55 Senator Reid on Iraqi Prisoner Compensation Senator Reid is speaking about the Secretary of Defense's testimony recently where he spoke about plans to compensate Iraqi prisoners that were tortured.  He noted that this might be necessary, but that we should not forget the 17 American prisoners of war that were captured during the Gulf War and tortured and never compensated.  One of these POWs lives in Nevada. 2:56:47 PM

2:41 Senator Warner on Defense Authorization Senator Warner said that he would like to congratulate the Majority Leader on his comments about his recent visit to Iraq.  That he found his words very reassuring and honest about the current situation in Iraq.  The Senator from Virginia announced that work will proceed on the Defense Authorization bill this afternoon and throughout the week.  Senator Allard also took a moment to introduce an amendment that would allow for collaboration with other countries on a national missile defense system.  2:42:03 PM

2:21 Senator Allard on Lt. Gen. Kadish Senator Allard of Colorardo is paying tribute to Lieutenant General Kadish, USAF, who will be retiring this September.  Lt. Gen. Kadish is Director for the Missile Defense Agency at Department of Defense.  The agency is presidentially-chartered and mandated by Congress to develop and acquire highly effective ballistic missile defense systems for defense of U.S. allies and deployed forces.  Senator Allard said that he wishes Lt. Gen. Kadish all the best as he begins his well earned retirement.  2:28:09 PM

2:07 Senator Pryor on the Service Act for Care and Relief Initiatives Senator Mark Pryor is introducing a bill, the Service Act for Care and Relief Initiatives, which would help those serving in the Armed Services as well as their families, including a tracking provision which would allow family members to be able to have better access to information when a family member serving is seriously or very-seriously injured. 2:08:41 PM

1:55 Senator Kyl on Funding for Missile Defense Systems Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona has come to the floor to talk about the United States still not being prepared for strategic defense, stating that we would not be able to counter a missile attack. He is asking for his colleagues to support allowing for missile testing so that we could be ready should we need to be. He is saying that not only is it necessary to have operational testing but is claiming that the U.S. having this capability may deter enemies from using missiles against us. He is concluding with urging his colleagues not to support an amendment to the Deparment of Defense Authorization bill which would take away funding from the missile defense program. 1:58:06 PM

1:40 Senator Thomas on the Role of the Federal Government Beginning with thanking Senator Frist for his comments on the state of Iraq, Senator Craig Thomas is commenting that it sounds as though quite a bit of progress has been made since he was in Iraq. Changing subjects, he is now talking about role of the federal government. He is mentioning that this is an appropriate subject to discuss in light of the recent death of President Reagan, who was an advocate for more efficiency and less government. Holding up a rather large binder, Senator Thomas is saying that was a list of all of the federally-funded programs and is saying that it is necessary to take a step back and review the size of the federal government. He is saying that is necessary that we focus more on being fiscally responsible and is pointing out that last year alone we spent $826 billion in discretionary spending. 1:40:38 PM

1:21 Senator Frist on Iraq Having stated that the Senate will resume debate on the Department of Defense Authorization bill this afternoon after an hour of morning business, Majority Leader Bill Frist is talking about a recent trip he took to Iraq and about the updates he received while he was there on the state of Iraq and on the transition of power. He is praising the reconstruction projects he saw and is claiming that these projects are so important because they give hope to the people of Iraq. Senator Frist is also praising the new Prime Minister, Dr. Ayad Alawi, who thanked the United States for the sacrifice our country has made. He is concluding with mentioning the resolution recently passed by the United Nations Security Council concerning the transfer of sovereignty. 1:27:52 PM

1:00 Senate Reconvenes The Senate will convene this afternoon at 1:00 for a period of morning business prior to resuming consideration of S.2400, the Department of Defense Authorization bill. 9:00:47 AM