Trent Lott: “obviously I had hoped we would be making a lot more progress this week on appropriations bills and other issues. That…”

“obviously I had hoped we would be making a lot more progress this week on appropriations bills and other issues. That has not transpired yet. But we have been filing cloture motions, and we will be getting votes. In some way we will deal this week with the Treasury-Postal Service appropriations bill. I hope we can find a way to proceed on the energy and water appropriations bill. We will get to a vote at some point on the intelligence authorization bill. So, hopefully, we can still go forward. I do not feel as if we are proceeding appropriately, but in spite of that, I think it generally was interpreted or understood that I would try to begin the discussion on the China PNTR bill. Even though it will be difficult to get through the maze of clotures we have had to file this week, I still think it is the appropriate thing to do to begin this process because we do not know exactly how long it will take to get to a final vote on the China trade issue. I am still going to do my best to find a way to have the Thompson- Torricelli legislation considered in some manner before we get to the substance of the China trade bill because I think Chinese nuclear weapons proliferation is a very serious matter. We should discuss that and have a vote on it. I think it would be preferable to do it aside from the trade bill itself. In the end, if we can't get any other way to get at it, these two Senators may exercise their right to offer it to the China PNTR bill.”