I ask unanimous consent that both on the Corker amendment and the amendment I have offered, we have an additional 5 minutes for a total of 20 minutes. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 4071. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report. The legislative clerk read as follows: The Senator from Delaware [Mr. Carper], for himself, Mr. Bayh, Mr. Johnson, and Mr. Warner, proposes an…

Mr. President, I would like to state to the manager of the bill, if I could ask a question of Senator Dodd, one of Senator Reid's right-hand lieutenants asked me to ask for an additional 5 minutes on both the Corker and Carper amendments…

Mr. President, how much time do I have remaining? The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator has 3 minutes 27 seconds.

As a Vietnam veteran, I remember all too well the exposure not just to folks in Vietnam, but to our military personnel, the exposure to Agent Orange and the unanticipated consequence of health damages really to both groups.

It is always nice to see you. Thank you for coming today.

I think there has been a proposal to lift that $1 billion to $1.5 billion.

They are not going to access the oil spill fund, nor will they take advantage of the $75 million liability cap.

The impacts of this oil spill on our ocean and our ecosystem may well be devastating.

Last week, you announced your intention to restructure MMS in order to establish a separate and independent safety environmental enforcement entity for oil drilling.

My heart goes out to the folks impacted by this accident in the Gulf--to the families of the workers that were injured or died and to the fishermen that may lose everything.

I support the Administration's decision to pause any new offshore drilling efforts until the Administration and Congress can investigate this incident fully.

It is my understanding, however, that under current law that any amount that BP spends over that $75 million is eligible for reimbursement from the Federal Government's Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund.

We are going to pay all claims that are legitimate.

Unfortunately, the devastating spill in the Gulf has raised serious questions in my mind about our ability to safely drill offshore.

I think in your testimony you said that BP is committed to paying legitimate claims.

Today I am asking the General Accountability Office to examine how the Federal Government is protecting against fraudulent claims to the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund.

Vice President Joe Biden raced to the hospital today, where his son was treated for what doctors called a mild stroke.