Dick Lugar: “I rise to update the Senate on where we stand on the State Department authorization bill. We were successful in working…”

“I rise to update the Senate on where we stand on the State Department authorization bill. We were successful in working through many issues yesterday. In fact, we came to a conclusion on three of the most difficult issues that we expected in the bill, the structure of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, support for Iranian democracy, and the Mexico City policy. This morning, by action of the Senate, we have cleared and passed 14 amendments. We have passed about 20 amendments in less than 24 hours. In addition, 15 to 20 amendments that were mentioned as possibilities will either not be offered or will be worked out. This leaves a declining list of foreign policy amendments that we believe we can resolve today. I want to encourage Members to come to the floor to offer their relevant amendments. We are in range of finishing the bill. I thank Senator Biden again for all he has done to advance the Senate's foreign policy agenda. I likewise thank the majority and minority leaders, and Senator Reid especially for his cooperation.”