Date: 1982-12-21
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

If the majority leader will indulge me just this much. We have been here now 125 hours since Monday a week ago. and here it is on Tuesday of the week of Christmas. We have had very little time with our families. We are all tired. I know the distinguished majority leader Is tired. I can understand his problem in the situation and his desire to get on with the legislation and his feeling of responsibility to do that. But. there comes a time. Mr. Presidentand I say this most respectfully to the majority leaderwhen we ought to either have a showdown on this measure or we ought to go home. because it is only going to be a short time until we are back here. We were asked by the President to come here and pass appropriations bills and -a continuing resolution. We have done that. I just think that it is about timeand I am willing to work with the majority leader for a while yet in an effort to bring an end to this billbut I think we ought to bring an end to the agonizing of this Congress over a matter which was not asked for by the President when he requested us In September to come back and on a matter which could wait until the Senate is back in session and the House is back in session within 2 weeks. virtually. It just does not seem to meit is an important matter. but it is not so imperative. I would saythat it be enacted by continuing to run the clock. continuing to keep the Senate in session for hour after hour and day after day when we would like to be with our families. The Congress is not looking very well as long as we continue to stay here and wrangle. I just say this in the utmost kindness to the majority leader. knowing what his problems are and knowing what his sense of duty is. But we all feel we all have a sense of duty to our families. as well. And we have worked with the majority leader. We have offered.to pass the bill several days ago. The offer was rejected. We have assisted with cloture. we delivered the cloture votes. And we have waited all day long now for this conference report. I would just hope that we would not have to continue this agony for too much longer until we know what the plans are as to whether or not we are going to be asked to come back for cloture or whether or not we are going to have a vote on this conference report up or down. or whether or not we are going to quit and go home and come back in January and start all over again. when our patience has not been strained to the limit. our tempers are not frayed. and our ability to exercise the kind of careful and thoughtful judgment that the people expect of their elective representatives is not impaired. It has gotten to the point where ve pass bills. and we do not know what is in the bills. We do not know what is in the conference reports. And. if one has listened to the television reports tonight and yesterday this is the way the country is viewing the Congress. We have already accomplished what the President asked us to do. Now we are still here. we are still tied up in knots. we are still agonizing. It has about gotten to the point where clear minds are difficult to find in this body. I think when we legislate we ought to legislate in an atmosphere that is devoid of emotion and strained patience and frayed tempers. So I would just say to the majority leader. do not run us through this mill too much longer.