Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2006

DEPARTMENT OF STATE, FOREIGN OPERATIONS, AND RELATED PROGRAMS APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2006 -- (Senate - July 20, 2005)

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Mr. REED. Mr. President, I commend Senator Dodd for his leadership on this issue, not just today but for many days, along with Senator DeWine and others, and to say how precisely, accurately, and eloquently he has characterized the terrible situation in Haiti. It is one that requires a plan, requires purpose, and requires commitment by the United States. I hope we can carry this amendment.

I yield the floor.

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Mr. REED. Mr. President, I note the majority leader indicated we will move to the Defense authorization bill. I think that is an appropriate legislative initiative to take up. We are in war. We have troops who are being threatened every day. We have the need to move to this bill. We concluded the committee deliberations weeks ago, and we are ready to move to the bill.

But I am concerned because there has been a suggestion that in the middle of that process, we might take up a bill to grant liability protections to the gun industry. Stopping the Defense authorization bill to take up a special interest bill would be inappropriate. Moving from the national interest to a very special interest is the wrong thing to do.

If we do proceed to a bill to give liability protection to the gun industry, it would require full and intensive debate within the confines of the rules of the Senate. I would hope that we could offer amendments, which we didn't last time, because there are important issues that touch upon the issue of guns in this society that should be debated also. I would hope, once we get on to the Defense authorization bill, we would be able to pursue that until we conclude it. We owe it to the troops in the field who are defending us today. We owe them much more than the special interest lobbies in this country.

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