I ask further if I could ask a question of the Senator from Nevada through the Chair. Is it my understanding the Senator from Nevada came to the floor and gave the Republican leader his assurance that these amendments would be considered…

I would like to clarify what we face at this moment. If I understand what the minority leader has said to the Senate, we have pending amendments before the Senate on the Department of Defense authorization bill which will not survive, are…

as I noted earlier when the majority leader offered this amendment, I support the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and other youth organizations. The Frist amendment seeks to ensure that government resources are not arbitrarily denied to youth…

it is amazing how we have reached this point in Senate business today. We started this day debating the Department of Defense authorization bill. It is hard to imagine a more important bill for this Senate to consider and conclude this…

I ask through the Chair one last question. How often do we have an opportunity to change the law and to help these soldiers and their families? How many times do we get a chance in the Senate during the course of the year to consider the…

I would like to address to the chairman the following. I have two pending amendments which I would like to call up. I will do this briefly.

this amendment is not new to this Senate. We have considered it several times and passed it. It has not survived conference committees, but I hope this time it will be successful, we will be successful in our effort in passing it. It is…

earlier this month, America celebrated the 41st anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Next month, we will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, one of the most important civil rights victories in our Nation's…

I say in closing to the Senator from South Carolina, I thank him for his leadership, along with Senators Warner and McCain. I know better than most in this Chamber this is a very delicate issue, and I think they have handed it in a…

Does the Senator have remaining time? The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator's time is expired.

I might ask the Senator from Florida, through the Chair, so the benefit the soldier receives depends on rank and salary?

I ask that amendment be set aside and we call up amendment No. 1571. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The clerk will report. The legislative clerk read as follows: The Senator from Illinois [Mr. Durbin], for…

and to the chairman and ranking member of the committee, I hope this is an amendment which will be accepted because it is noncontroversial and important to my State and to the protection of our country. The amendment authorizes the…

seventy-five years ago today, President Herbert Hoover created the Veterans Administration by signing Executive Order 5398 for the ``Consolidation and Coordination of Governmental Activities Affecting Veterans.'' Of course, the commitment…

If I may say, I know the Senator has a pending unanimous- consent request. I would like to amend that request to allow language to be added to amend this particular section stating that if you have a youth organization that is guilty of…

I further ask--I have no objection to the Boy Scouts gathering at a jamboree or using the facilities. I have no objection to the appropriation of money for that purpose. But are we truly saying that you could never, ever reduce the amount…

I would say to the chairman, that is exactly what I would like to do. I ask unanimous consent that these two pending amendments be set aside strictly for the purpose of introducing an amendment and speaking no more than, say, 10 minutes…

I report to my colleagues that my amendment has been endorsed by the American Medical Association, the American Dietetic Association, the American Osteopathic Association, Consumers Union, Center for Science in the Public Interest, the…

this is the Department of Defense authorization bill, and included in here are funds for those base exchanges where members of the Armed Forces and their families go to buy the necessities of life. They turn there for groceries…

I ask one last question of the Senator from Nevada. It is my understanding today we have had two votes on this bill.

It is my understanding if we go through this with the motion for cloture, it is the hope that we would spend the rest of next week finishing this bill? Is that the game plan?

Another question to the Senator from Nevada, and I think I know the answer: Is there anything more important than finishing the Department of Defense authorization bill in an orderly fashion when a nation is at war and men and women are…

And there would still be amendments? I ask through the Chair, Members could still offer amendments?

We have all learned that bitter lesson. Let me ask the Senator. It is not a carefully guarded secret that part of the reason they want to move this bill off the Senate is so they can bring to the floor the National Rifle Association bill…

I might ask the Senator, it is my understanding there are many amendments pending right now that we could debate.