Trent Lott: “if I can respond to the comments, first, I want to make very clear I feel strongly we should try to find a way to pass…”

“if I can respond to the comments, first, I want to make very clear I feel strongly we should try to find a way to pass this very important Department of Defense authorization bill. It has a lot of provisions in it, changes in the law we have to get done. We need to do this for our national security and for our men and women who serve in our military. Senator Daschle and I have talked about the fact we want to work together to move it forward. That is one of the many reasons we tried to find a way to conclude the disclosure requirements of the section 527 issue. We have achieved that. That is why I have been working with Senator Brownback to find a way to deal with an issue that is very important to him, NCAA gaming. We want to get it done. What I had in mind was for the managers to continue to work and clear as many amendments as they can, and the week we come back--again, I have not discussed the details of this with Senator Daschle, so I will not agree to anything without us both having a chance to check on both sides and clear it. But I was thinking in terms of asking the managers, who have done yeoman's work, to be prepared to work on Monday night, Tuesday night, or Wednesday night while we do other issues during the day. I am hoping one night will do the job but work a couple or three nights and complete this bill the week we come back. We are glad to work with them toward that goal. We want to get this bill in conference.”