Cord Byrd: “I compliment the managers of this bill. They have put an enormous amount of time and effort and work into bringing the…”

“I compliment the managers of this bill. They have put an enormous amount of time and effort and work into bringing the bill to the floor, marking it up in committee, and conducting hearings on it. I believe the Senate is in their debt. This is a bill that is needed. It has important appropriations in it for our country and it is a bill that comes to the floor in a situation in which we are very constrained for time. We have the August recess fast approaching. We have already reported from the committee seven appropriations bills in addition to the supplemental appropriations bill. The committee will be meeting this afternoon to report two additional appropriations bills. Thus, we will have nine appropriations bills reported by the committee, in addition to the supplemental, which has already been signed into law. Here we are, with only a week remaining before the August break. Presumably, we will go home and not tackle this enormous task before we return. We have all these conferences that have to take place on these bills. I have talked with the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee just this morning. He agrees with me that we need to move ahead with these conferences. I have urged we at least get our staffs to work on the preliminary differences that exist between the two Houses, especially on my own bill, the Interior appropriations bill. So the two Houses, through the chairmen, are working together, not just the chairman.”