Thomas Daschle: “I only have two final points, Mr. President. The first is that this is the 6-month anniversary of the passage of this…”

“I only have two final points, Mr. President. The first is that this is the 6-month anniversary of the passage of this legislation in the House of Representatives. We cannot afford to wait any longer. We must pass this bill. The urgency is recognized by this agreement. I appreciate that very much. The final point is that there are a number of Senators who, in good faith, will be offering amendments they truly believe are relevant. I don't know how one defines the relevance of amendments, but I hope we can work with our Parliamentarian and with the Presiding Officers to accommodate our colleagues, as relevance is contemplated and defined. This is a very important matter for a lot of Senators. This is a rare vehicle that they will have to offer legislation. I am hopeful we can accommodate as many Senators as possible with relevant amendments. Again, I thank all cooperating Senators and appreciate, once more, the chance to resolve this matter with the majority leader. I yield the floor.”