Can you imagine McDonald's spending $60 million or $80 million a year on advertising and us giving them $3 million to advertise Big Mac in Russia or wherever? What kind of nonsense is this?
This is one of those issues that if every single American were required to listen to the debate on this issue, I promise you, this $110 million would be torpedoed in a megasecond. People would be appalled if they knew this sort of thing went on and particularly in light of the people we are cutting.
I still believe in helping people. I believe in what de Tocqueville talked about, an enlightened self-interest. I said it on this floor a hundred times. We ought to help people who want to make it and are reaching for the first rung on the ladder. We are passing a lot of legislation here that guarantees a lot of people who would like to have a chance, for example, to go to school on the GI bill like I did. I would not be standing here if it were not for the GI bill.
I ask unanimous consent for an additional 2 minutes.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection? Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. BUMPERS. My brother made it pretty big in the corporate world. He would never have made it. We came from very poor circumstances. So, yes, I believe in helping people. I do not believe in helping people who do not want to help themselves. But I can tell you a little help from time to time from the Federal Government pays rich dividends,
and we ought to be spending where it pays rich dividends. We ought not to be spending it on dancing raisins in Japan that scared half the children of Japan out of their wits. It was in English, and they did not understand any of it. Little shriveled raisins--they thought they were aliens. That was $3 million worth of scaring Japanese children. I could go on with the horror stories. I am not going to belabor it. About everything that needs to be said has been said.
I want to point out again that we are spending $2 billion on export enhancements right now. Why are we adding this piddling amount for the biggest corporations in America? If the people on this list right here--which is a lot longer than that list--cannot fend for themselves, this country is in more trouble than I thought it was. I am here to help people who cannot fend for themselves and who need and deserve help. This $110 million--I am not asking you to put it anyplace else. Put it on the deficit. You could not find a better place to put it.
I yield the floor.
Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I think we have discussed this issue fully tonight, and we will have an opportunity to conclude debate tomorrow morning before voting on the amendment. I am prepared to move on to other subjects.
I yield the remainder of my time.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. All time is yielded back.
Mr. BUMPERS. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, in connection with the unanimous-consent agreement, in which we listed all amendments that were in order to the bill, I need to add an amendment for Senator Bennett of Utah, which would be a relevant amendment.
I ask unanimous consent that the Bennett amendment be added to the list of amendments in the agreement.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, we understand that there is now an agreed-upon list. We will consider these amendments as they are called up tomorrow. Some have agreements on them in terms of time available for debate and time for recorded votes that will occur, and the yeas and nays have been ordered on some of the amendments. On others, we hope we can work them out as they are called up. We may be able to agree to some of these. We hope Senators will be here tomorrow and be prepared to work quickly as we try to wrap-up consideration of this bill.
I understand that no other Senators intend to come to the floor tonight to offer amendments.