I firmly believe that alone it will not provide the funding for modernization and sustainment of our military.

Congress and the DOD must reduce the complexity of the process by removing the multiple layers of oversight.

I support the overall efficiency initiative begun by DOD, I also have several concerns.

DOD needs accurate cost estimates.

We cannot sustain our military when programs are running 8 years behind schedule and 150 percent over budget.

This level of spending will guarantee our qualitative and technological superiority.

The President's fiscal year 2011 budget request provides for continuing the Secretary of Defense initiative to grow the acquisition workforce by 20,000 positions by 2015.

The earlier statements of this will solve the problem, but yet we are not going to find the money. It should be 100 percent that we are going to find the money to do this.

Mr. President, what is unfair in this country is the fact that we label bills to fix things and fix a lot of the symptoms, but we do not fix the underlying problem. We are going to spend several hundred million dollars when the bill…

Mr. President, I object and ask unanimous consent to be recognized after the majority whip finishes. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection? Without objection, it is so ordered. And the objection is heard.

Madam President, again, if I truly felt this bill was going to solve those problems, I would be out here supporting it. I do not think so. We have an inherent disagreement. The Senator from Illinois can file a cloture motion any time he…

Madam President, I appreciate the Senator's offer, but I cannot do that. I also want him to know that this bill is not going to solve the problem of that gentleman from Owasso, OK. This bill is not going to solve that situation because we…

I will allow that in a few minutes. If this bill is that important, and the majority whip says we will fund it if we can find the money, rather than saying we are going to fund this because this is a priority--and he has the power to make…

Madam President, if the Senator will yield, I would just say that I think we ought to fix the real problems. By fixing the symptoms, we delay the time in which we fix the real problems, and I think that is what we are doing. I thank the…

I want to continue my point, if you don't mind. You have always been courteous to me and I will be courteous to you, but I wish to continue for a few minutes and then I will give my colleague the chance to respond.

Mr. President, reserving the right to object, and I will not object if the Senator changes the proposed agreement to say that the only amendments in order, other than the committee-reported substitute, will be these three: Harkin-Enzi…

Mr. President, there is nobody in this country who doesn't want our food to be safe. There is no question, we all rely on the intent that the vast majority of food is safe in this country. There is no question that we have some problems…

I thank the leader. I ask unanimous consent to be recognized for 15 minutes. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The unanimous consent request is withdrawn. The Senator from Oklahoma is recognized.