Making Emergency Supplemental Appropriations For Fiscal Year 2010 - Continued

Floor Speech

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Mr. WYDEN. Reserving the right to object, I would like to ask the leader if he would be willing to modify his request this evening to include the bipartisan amendment No. 4183 that would once and for all eliminate secret holds here in the Senate.

Senator Grassley and I, as part of a large, bipartisan group, have come to the floor of the Senate again and again simply seeking to abolish secrecy, not holds, in the way business is done in the Senate. These secret holds are an indefensible violation of the public's right to know.

I ask the leader at this time if he would be willing to modify his request to include this bipartisan amendment No. 4183 to finally eliminate secret holds in the Senate?

Mr. REID. I appreciate the exemplary work of my friend from Oregon. I, of course, would accept the modification, but my accepting the modification would take the concurrence of the Republicans.

Mr. COCHRAN. Reserving the right to object, I am constrained to advise the leader and the Senator from Oregon that on behalf of the Senator from South Carolina, Mr. DeMint, I would be forced to object to that.

Mr. WYDEN. Further reserving the right to object, I would inquire at this point of the majority leader--and I appreciate the graciousness of the leader and Senator Cochran as well--if he would agree to a consent agreement this evening that would provide for the consideration of a bipartisan resolution eliminating secret holds at a later point but prior to the July 4 recess and that that debate be limited to 2 hours, with no amendments in order to the resolution, and that upon the use or yielding back of the time, the Senate would then proceed to vote adoption of the resolution?

Mr. REID. I say to my friend, he knows how much I support his efforts. But I haven't had the opportunity to speak to Senator McConnell. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to agree to something without consulting with him. I can't consult with him now. I will do everything within my abilities here to work this out so that prior to the end of our next work period, we will get this done.

Mr. WYDEN. Further reserving the right to object--and I will be brief--I thank the leader, the distinguished Senator from Nevada. His desire to finally end secret holds is clear. All Americans should understand that the Senator from Nevada has worked very closely with Senator Grassley and me on this. I appreciate the Senator's statement tonight that he will try to get an up-or-down vote on this matter before the end of the next work period.

With that, I withdraw my reservation.

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