Septemeber 13, 2006: More Port Security Act

Yesterday was a full day of offering up, debating, and voting on amendments to the Port Security Act.  Today, more amendments, with a sense that the Bill was beginning to get bogged down.  First, Republicans rejected a Reid (NV) amendment that would implement what the Democrat honchos are calling the "Real Security Act."  The amendment purports to, "Provide real national security, restore United States leadership, and implement tough and smart policies to win the war on terror."  Among other things, it assigned money to improve rail security and search more cargo containers than would the underlying bill.  Nonetheless, the Real Security Act went down along party lines.  The Republicans also nixed a Biden Amendment which would have, "Establish[ed] a Homeland Security and Neighborhood Safety trust Fund and refocus[ed] Federal priorities toward securing the Homeland, and for other purposes."  A Menendez Amendment also fell.  A Coleman Amendment succeeded.

The Senate will vote on passage of the final bill tomorrow.

[15:01]
Sen. Collins has objected to Sen. Menendez's offer of an amendment because the Democrats are offering too many amendments and the two sides were supposed to trade off amendments.  Sen. Patty Murray, managing the bill on the Democrat side, said that he just wanted to offer it up and that there weren't any Repubs on the floor anyway.  Collins has a look of consternation.  She says that until she knows what the amendment is about and what the Senator from New Jersey hopes will come of the amendment (full debate, a mere offering up, etc.) she must object.  Sen. Murray suggests the absence of a quorum and Sens. Murray and Collins talk on the floor.

[15:14]
After the quorum call, Sen. Menendez is allowed to bring up his Amendment, which appears to require closer inspection of the cargo containers entering our country.  The Democrats are not letting up on this issue.  The underlying bill would scan only 5% of containers entering our country at its ports.  Menendez says this is unacceptable.  He wants an international inspection system and wants 100% of containers entering the country to be inspected.  Technology can make this easier, he says, through types of scanning that do not require opening the containers themselves.  He is not calling for all containers to opened up and examined, he says, but all should be scanned using non-intrusive technology.  His concern is that we don't know what is entering our ports.  We divert airplanes because someone has a Blackberry on board, yet we don't know whether chemical or biological weapons might be coming in through our ports.

[15:21]
Sen. Collins listened carefully and wants to respond.  She asserts that the system in place right now is adequate.

[16:16]
Coleman (MN) amendment  is passing almost unanimously.  It would, "Require the Secretary of Homeland Security to ensure that all cargo containers are screened before arriving at a United States seaport, that all high-risk containers are scanned before leaving a United States seaport, and that integrated scanning systems are fully deployed to scan all cargo containers entering the United States before they arrive in the United States."  This sounds like what the Menendez  Amendment would do, although it seems that the Menendez Amendment would be more strict, and therefore more burdensome.  Kerry (MA) has voted against it.  Wait, no, Kerry's vote is now an "Aye."  Perhaps a miscommunication with the clerk.  Schumer votes against it, so does Biden.  It passes with 95 votes.

As for the Menendez Amendment, Collins says it is too burdensome, because it would scan all out-going containers and require sanctions against other countries not complying with its provisions, possibly leading to retaliation.  It falls, receiving only 43 votes, pretty much along party lines ALTHOUGH Jim Talent (MO) voted with the Democrats, which is highly unusual.  Sen. Ben Nelson (NE) voted with the Repubs.  Recall that this is Sen. Collins's bill.  Because Collins is a moderate Republican, it is not surprising that other moderates would be voting with her and the rest of the party.  As for Talent, that's two votes within a week against the party line.  I would bet that's the most votes against the party line during any MONTH he's been in office.  He is feeling the McCaskill heat.

[19:11]
Sen. Stevens (AK) is winding things down.  It looks like more votes on amendments tomorrow as well as the vote on the final bill.  He suggests the absence of a quorum.