On the recordNovember 20, 2013
Of course, while reserving the right to object--I will not, but I will say this. I can't tell everybody in this body how disappointing it would be if we do not finish this bill tomorrow or Friday, because the issue is this, and we all ought to face it: There is only 1 week left where both the House and the Senate are going to be in session. If we don't finish this bill this week, there cannot be a conference report; and then, for the first time in 52 years, there will not be a Defense authorization bill in the absence of some miracle. I would plead with our colleagues, let us vote on this amendment. The alternative was a list of 13 amendments which we were willing to then move to. That wasn't satisfactory. We have got to do this a step at a time, and we have done it that way before. We can't even get cleared amendments agreed to where both sides have cleared them into a manager's package. If Senators want to vote tomorrow or Friday against the cloture motion because their amendments haven't been reached, they are free to do so. That is plenty of ``leverage,'' which I guess is the currency around here, tragically. But I plead--and Senator Inhofe and I have worked so hard on this bill and I think he feels this same way--we need to get this bill finished this week or else we are not going to get a conference report.
