Cord Byrd: “Mr. President, I want to be sure that Senators understand the parliamentary situation in the Senate at this point. Last…”

“Mr. President, I want to be sure that Senators understand the parliamentary situation in the Senate at this point. Last Thursday, the Senate voted on a motion to table the Thompson amendment to strike Titles II and III of the Lieberman substitute. Title II would establish a new National Office for Combating Terrorism within the Executive Office of the President whose Director would be confirmed by the Senate and made accountable to the Congress. That is incredibly important. The National Office for Combating Terrorism was viewed by our good colleague, Senator Lieberman as a central part of his homeland security bill. Title II was carried over from his original bill that was introduced last May, before the White House endorsed the idea of creating a new Department of Homeland Security. But the motion to table the Thompson amendment to strike Title II failed by a vote of 41-55 last Thursday. Senator Lieberman conceded the victory to Senator Thompson, and urged the Senate to accept the 'the next best idea.' Senator Lieberman offered a scaled down version of Titles II and III as a second degree amendment to the Thompson amendment. It was at that point that I gained the floor and have held it until today. So I find myself in a position that I had not intended--and not an easy position.”