Dan Coats: “It is true that the Senator spoke to me about offering the amendment. In the context of what we are doing here, a time…”

“It is true that the Senator spoke to me about offering the amendment. In the context of what we are doing here, a time limit is reasonable. It is just that I cannot speak for other Senators who I know would want to speak in opposition to the Senator's amendment. I would be happy to check with those Senators and try to get an answer back to the Senator from California and announce to the Senate a reasonable time agreement. In answer to the Senator's other point, it appears to me that the Senator's amendment attempts to extend the rights that our States, 50 States do not have to the District of Columbia. This Senator is not prepared to do that. I do not know if other Senators are prepared to do that. I think that question has to be addressed in the Chamber as well as the viability of the commingling, of extending the full abortion rights to the District of Columbia when we are not really certain how the funds are commingled between District funds and Federal funds. Everybody knows that the District of Columbia is bankrupt. We do not know how they are applying the funds or what Federal funds they are going to be getting or how the services would be funded or how the funds would be separated. I think there a number of questions that have to be asked.”