Thursday, September 07, 2006

6:10 Senate agrees to Reed Amendment #4911 to the Defense Appropriations Bill The Reed amendment was agreed to by a vote of 98-0.  The Senate will now proceed to a roll call vote on H.R. 5631, the full Fiscal Year 2007 Defense Appropriations bill. 6:15:23 PM

5:35 Senate Now Voting on the Reed Amendment #4911 The Senate is now voting on an amendment to the Defense Appropriations bill introduced by Senator Jack Reed to provide $65.4 million for the procurement of Predators, an unmanned aerial vehicle, to be used by U.S. special operations forces.  This amendment is co-sponsored by Senator Bayh of Indiana.  Senator Ted Stevens spoke in support of this amendment as well. 5:39:51 PM

4:50 Senator Boxer Discusses Amendment #4913 to the Defense Appropriations Bill Senator Boxer introduced this amendment to require that the Secretary of Defense submit a report on the government’s plan to protect U.S. military and civilian personnel in the event of further sectarian violence in Iraq. 5:38:02 PM

3:10 Senator Kennedy Discusses the Kennedy/Hatch Amendment #4857 Senator Kennedy asked for the consideration of his amendment to the Defense Appropriations bill.  This amendment would discourage the government from awarding federal contracts to companies that do not offer retirement benefits for their workers.  Senator Kennedy argued that companies which do not provide retirement benefits to their employees have an advantage when bidding for contracts because their labor costs are lower.  This amendment requires the government to take into consideration whether companies provide their workers with retirement benefits when comparing their bids.  Senator Kennedy hopes that this will encourage more companies to provide retirement benefits. 5:34:42 PM

2:55 Senate Agrees to the Schumer Amendment A motion to table the Schumer Amendment failed by a roll call vote of 45-51.  Following the roll call vote, a voice vote was called and the Senate agreed to the Schumer Amendment without objection. 3:32:40 PM

2:30 Senate Now Voting on a Motion to Table the Schumer Amendment The Senate is now voting on a motion to table the Schumer Amendment, #4897, to the Defense Appropriations bill.  This amendment would increase counter-narcotics funding in Afghanistan by $700 million.  Senator Schumer is concerned that opium production fuels the heroin trade around the globe, and that this trade funds terrorists. 2:38:42 PM

2:30 Senate Votes to Table the Menendez Amendment The Senate voted to table the Menendez amendment by a vote of 51-44. 2:37:32 PM

2:00 Senate Now Voting on a Motion to Table the Menendez Amendment The Senate is now voting on a motion to table the Menendez Amendment, #4909, to the Defense Appropriations bill.  If the Senate votes to table, the amendment is permanently killed without a direct vote on its substance, and further debate is ended. 2:30:40 PM

12:40 Senator Menendez Introduces Amendment to Defense Approps bill Senator Menendez of New Jersey introduced amendment #4909 to the FY 07 Defense Appropriations bill.  This amendment limits funds for future public relations campaign designed to promote positive news about the war on terror.  This will not limit the Defense Department’s ability to gather and analyze information as they do now.  Senator Menendez argued that the current Administration does not need a new public relations campaign, but instead, it needs a new policy in Iraq. 12:55:28 PM

12:33 Senate agrees to Conrad Amendment to the FY 07 Defense Appropriations bill The Conrad amendment was agreed to by a vote of 96 to 0. 12:33:53 PM

12:00 Senator Stevens Calls for Roll Call vote on Conrad Amendment # 4907. Senator Stevens urged Senators to take his word that there is sufficient funding already in the Defense Appropriations bill to find and capture Osama bin Laden, but he understands that no Senator wants to be seen voting against this amendment. He said that if other senators had the classified briefings that he and Senator Inouye had, they would not support this amendment due to the fact that it is superfluous.  The Senate is currently in a roll call vote on the Conrad Amendment. 12:16:25 PM

10:30 Senate Resumes Consideration of HR5631, the Defense Appropriations bill Senator Conrad introduced amendment #4907 to the Defense Appropriations bill.  This amendment is co-sponsored by Senators Dorgan, Salazar, Mendendez, Lincoln, Kerry, and Obama.  Senator Conrad spoke about the September 11, 2001 attacks. He would like to bring back the sense of unity between political parties that followed the attacks. Senator Conrad argued that the capture of Osama Bin Laden is the most important aspect of the war on terror, and we cannot be successful without the capture of bin Laden and the other al Qaeda leadership.  This amendment would focus on capturing the top al Qaeda leadership and require a classified status report every 90 days.  10:49:45 AM

9:30 Senate Convenes and Resumes Consideration of FY07 Defense Approps bill The Senate convened at 9:30 this morning, and will be in a period of morning business for 30 minutes, equally divided between the majority and minority.  Following this period, the Senate will resume consideration of the Defense Appropriations bill, with a vote on passage expected today.  Senator Frist said that after the vote on the Defense bill, the Senate will take up consideration of pending port security legislation. 9:46:27 AM