Arlen Specter: “I made an opening statement on Friday morning and I intend to yield in a moment or two to my distinguished colleague…”

“I made an opening statement on Friday morning and I intend to yield in a moment or two to my distinguished colleague, the ranking member, Senator Harkin. I urge all Senators to come forward with their amendments. So far staff has contacted every Senator's office to find out if there are amendments which the Senator intends to file. We have been made aware of approximately 15 amendments identified so far where there is an intention to file. We have had a fair number of other comments from staffers of other Senators who do not know what their Members intend to do. We have a very complicated bill, in excess of $145 billion, three of the most important Departments of the Federal Government: Education, Health and Human Services, and Labor. We are in the closing days of this session. After the passage of this bill, we are going to have to go to conference and resolve many difficult matters. So it is important that this bill be completed as early as possible. We also have many Members who are involved in this bill who are engaged in the preparation of the confirmation hearings on Ms. Harriet Miers for the Supreme Court of the United States. That is weighing very heavily on my mind, but this is an important bill which comes first. Senator Harkin and I are determined, and Senator Frist, the leader, as well as Senator Reid, the Democratic leader, will back us up.…”