[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 74 (Tuesday, June 14, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 14, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                         THE WORK OF THE SENATE

  Mrs. BOXER. Madam President, we have a great deal of work to do in 
this Senate. The Senator from Minnesota has just given us an example of 
that work. How many of our citizens have been exposed to harmful toxins 
throughout our history, and what are we going to do about it? What are 
we going to do about the gulf war syndrome, so many of our veterans 
coming home sick.
  We have work to do, Madam President, and this is just one example of 
work we have to do that involves the health and the safety of our 
people.
  Now, no one believes that the Federal Government can or should solve 
every problem facing our people. But most Americans agree, and I 
certainly know most Californians agree, that the Federal Government 
should act on a strategy of cooperation with the private sector, with 
other levels of Government, and with our citizens to make life better 
for our people.
  That is why, Madam President, it is so distressing to me to see the 
Senate grind to a halt because my Republican friends and colleagues 
want to hurt the only President we have.
  Madam President, I have had the privilege of serving in the Congress 
for almost 12 years now, 10 years on the House side, and now the 
deepest of honors to serve in the Senate representing 31 million 
people, the people of California. I was sent here to work for 
Californians, to fight for a better economy, for good jobs, for a 
decent education for our children, for a clean environment, to fight 
for an opportunity for every child in our Nation, to fight for a health 
care system that does not walk out on our people after they get sick, 
that does not artificially cap benefits at a certain number.
  Madam President, 80 percent of our people face those caps in their 
insurance policies, so when they get sick, if it is a serious illness 
and they use up that cap, they are no longer covered by health 
insurance.
  I wish to fight to make sure that our workers can move to new jobs, 
and they do not have to stay in jobs they do not like because they fear 
losing their insurance. Twenty-five percent of our citizens are in job 
lock today. They are afraid to leave their jobs even though they do not 
like it. Even though they want to do something new and exciting in 
their life, they are afraid they will not have health insurance so they 
are stuck in a job they do not want. We do not want to continue a 
health care system that keeps people on welfare and costs an absolute 
fortune because the emergency room too often substitutes as the first 
line of care.
  Madam President, we have a lot of work to do here. Is it complicated? 
Yes, it is complicated work. Is it difficult work? Yes, it is difficult 
work. Will there be give and take and compromise and arguments and 
debates? Yes. But, Madam President, let us work. Let us have the 
debate. Let us not sit around here while our Republican friends stop us 
from voting on their own resolution on Whitewater.
  They offer an amendment to the airport bill. Is it relevant to that 
bill? No. No, not at all. Airports around the Nation need their Federal 
grants, for safety, for expansion, for other purposes, but we have a 
Whitewater amendment on this bill. OK, so let us vote on it and get on 
with the airports bill. And let us vote on the alternative offered by 
the majority leader.
  But let us vote and let us work. I was waiting since Thursday to vote 
and get on with the airport bill. Well, our Republican friends--not all 
but many--are trying to hurt this President, the only President we have 
in this Nation.
  I have to tell my friends, we have one President at a time. I served 
with three Presidents. I disagreed with President Reagan's trickle-down 
economics because I thought it was unfair to the middle class and I 
thought it was unfair to the poor. I disagreed with President Reagan's 
proposed budget cuts because they hit children's programs, 
environmental programs, education programs. I disagreed with President 
Bush's economic policies, which failed to create any jobs whatsoever 
and led to stagnation and recordbreaking deficits.
  I disagreed with these two Presidents as much as my Republican 
friends disagree with President Clinton. I respect their disagreements. 
I know they want to return to the priorities that prevailed before 
President Clinton and the Democratic Congress passed family medical 
leave to help our families so they do not have to choose between a sick 
kid and a job. I know they want to go back to those days of vetoes on 
every domestic program. I know they do not like the motor voter bill, 
which extends voter participation. I know that. They said it. I 
understand it, and I respect them. I know they did not like the deficit 
reduction plan. Oh, they said it would lead to higher deficits and lead 
to job losses. Well, we have lower deficits, and we have job creation 
because of the Clinton plan for which this Senate stood up and voted.
  The fact is they want to go back to the days when domestic 
priorities, priorities of this country took a back seat. But I have to 
tell you, I understand my colleagues' frustration; I had it for a long 
time myself, but I never tried to stop the work of the Congress, 
because I knew the people elected those Presidents with whom I happened 
not to agree. But it was my job to be the loyal opposition, to point 
out the problems and move on.
  Whitewater is being addressed by a Republican special counsel who has 
been widely praised for his thoroughness and his skill; by a team of 
Federal agents; it will be addressed by the Senate in hearings. We 
voted 98 to nothing to address it in the Senate, and the amendment of 
the majority leader follows along that route. Let us vote on it and let 
us vote on the Republican idea, which I will oppose because it 
interferes with the prosecution.
  I am not going to go home to my people in California and say I stood 
up to Mr. Fiske and allowed Senators to make political points in 
committees by going into issues that are under investigation, at which 
the special counsel told us not to look.
  So, as I said earlier, I served under two Presidents with whom I did 
not agree. But I respected the office, I respected this country, I 
respected my Republican colleagues, and I respected the people who sent 
me to Congress enough to know that there is a difference between doing 
your work in Congress and getting out on the campaign trail. We have 
Presidential elections every 4 years, not every 4 days. Let us get the 
politics out of here, and let us do the work we were sent here to do.
  We have one President, a President who stepped up to issues long 
before. Even if you do not agree with him, you have to admire the guy. 
Health care, welfare, voter participation, the deficit, the information 
superhighway, trade, education--these are the issues this President is 
addressing with this Democratic Congress, issues long ignored. For the 
sake of the country, let us debate these issues. Let us be tough in 
these debates.
  Sure, I love a tough debate. Let us get on with our work. We should 
be respectful of each other as we find our way. We should respect the 
Presidency as we find our way. We were sent here to work. Let us work.
  Madam President, I yield the floor.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. In the interest of being respectful 
to one another, the Senator from Idaho had requested recognition before 
the Senator from California spoke.
  I now give recognition to the Senator from Idaho.
  Mr. CRAIG. Thank you very much, Madam President. I will be brief. 
Others wish to come to the floor to speak in morning business.
  I appreciate the comments of my colleague from California. We all 
recognize the importance of the U.S. Senate voting, and that is all 
that we are asking for here, an up-or-down vote on whether this 
Congress, in a reasonable time, is going to convene open and thorough 
hearings to see whether this Presidency or any part of it is involved 
in the obstruction of justice.
  That is a simple request. That is what the American people want. Most 
assuredly, that is what all Senators want. But I am not here today to 
speak of Whitewater.

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