Byron Dorgan: “I am asking the Senator from Washington to yield for a question. Frankly, I am surprised, and I think it is a travesty…”

“I am asking the Senator from Washington to yield for a question. Frankly, I am surprised, and I think it is a travesty that you are not able to offer your amendment. I do not understand on what legislation this would be relevant if not this legislation. I know you have offered it previously on the Defense authorization. I have voted for it on the Defense authorization on previous occasions. And this seems to me to be the same kind of trap we have discovered now with respect to the amendment dealing with concurrent receipts for retired veterans who also have been disabled who are prevented from collecting both. We are told that is not relevant. My amendment to scrap the 2005 base closing round, we are told that is not relevant. I wonder if there is any legislation on which these kinds of amendments would be more relevant than the Defense authorization? It is where they should be offered. It is the location of this debate. It is where this debate must be held. Somehow we have gotten into this trap of being told this is not relevant. Clearly, it is relevant. So can the Senator from Washington tell me, is there another piece of legislation where this would be more appropriately offered? I cannot think of one.”