Trent Lott: “I say again I would like that to happen. I am hopeful, and I believe we can get a clean bill through this week but it…”

“I say again I would like that to happen. I am hopeful, and I believe we can get a clean bill through this week but it will not be $8.6 billion. It would be only--the only chance we have to do that, what you are suggesting at this point, would be the truly emergency portions of the bill. Now, we may also get an agreement on the bigger package and language that would be attached to it, but based on what I have experienced during the last 4 days, I think that is going to take a little longer. Keep in mind now, I have not been up in Minneapolis, MN, or the delta of Mississippi and not thinking about this. I have been on the phone. I have been probing. I have suggested a variety of ways to solve these problems. I did it on Friday. I did it on Monday. I did it last night. I am trying to find a way to solve this problem, and I am open to suggestions with regard to the census language, for instance. I confess this openly here because I am not ashamed of it at all. I went to the Democratic leader, and I said I think you see what our concerns are. Is there some language that you all could live with? This is not insignificant. When you talk about changing the way the census is done, this is not without major implications. We do have language in the Constitution with regard to the census. I talked to the Secretary of Commerce this very morning. I am not sitting over in a corner just trying to outlast you guys. I have talked to FEMA, the head of FEMA.…”