Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2007

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2007 -- (Senate - July 12, 2006)

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. DURBIN. I would like to ask the Senator, in the spirit of full disclosure, when we considered the asbestos bill, which the Senator supported, there was one corporation that would have benefited to the tune of more than $1 billion by that asbestos bill. In the interest of full disclosure of special interest groups and who is pushing legislation, would the Senator from Oklahoma also demand that kind of disclosure so we know if there is a change of a word or two, and one corporation, one lobbyist, or one special interest group is a big winner in a bill that is not an appropriations bill? Is the Senator from Oklahoma going to demand the same disclosure?

Mr. COBURN. Certainly, in answer to the Senator's question. On the trust fund, we never got to know who was going to give the money. It was same thing. So there are big problems everywhere. I believe in sunshine everywhere. You won't see me fighting sunshine. The people of this country deserve to know what is in the bills, what is in the reports, and what is in the requests and the justifications.

Mr. DURBIN. Will the Senator yield?

Mr. COBURN. I only have 45 minutes to get through three other amendments. I don't want to put this into a political game. What I want to do is talk about what the American people ought to be getting from us. This language ought to be changed so that we accept the Appropriations Committee getting the reports early, but then the Department of Homeland Security making it available to the rest of the American public, provided it doesn't have a security implication within it. It is a very straightforward amendment. I hope the committee will accept it and keep it in in conference.

http://thomas.loc.gov/