Watson Coleman: “I yield 2 minutes to the majority whip. Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, I thank my friend from Minnesota. While we are…”

“I yield 2 minutes to the majority whip. Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, I thank my friend from Minnesota. While we are talking about poorly drafted amendments, listen to this. Under the Reid amendment, it imposes a standard of strict liability so that a civil servant who loses his wallet would lose his security clearance. A civil servant who loses his wallet under the Reid amendment would lose his security clearance. What is the point of all this? We ought not to be, as Senator Collins pointed out, having these political debates on this bill. But if our colleagues on the other side insist on trying to offer these kinds of amendments, I think the point needs to be made clearly that there will be amendments offered on this side. In other words, this kind of political gamesmanship on the Senate floor will not stand, will not be yielded to, will not succeed. In the end, the public will only get the impression that we are playing games here when we should be dealing with their business. Their business, the underlying bill, is the Homeland Security bill, of extraordinary importance to our country. Hopefully, shortly the time will run out, and we will get back to doing the people's business. I yield the floor. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Minnesota.”