[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 111 (Thursday, August 11, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 11, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                             THE CRIME BILL

  Mr. GRAMM. Mr. President, I will try to be brief, because I know it 
is a very important debate that is going on here.
  I remember the first speech that President Clinton made to a joint 
session of Congress. He talked in that speech about getting tough on 
criminals. And I led the standing ovation on that speech.
  Then I got back to my office and discovered the President has cut 
funding for prisons and the DEA and FBI. Immediately, the President and 
the Attorney General started working to try to overturn minimum 
mandatory sentencing for drug felons. While the administration was 
talking about grabbing criminals by the throat and getting tough, they 
were working to overturn minimum mandatory sentencing.
  And when we debated the crime bill and passed a tough crime bill in 
the Senate, the administration, working with Members of the House, 
adopted an incredible provision that repealed minimum mandatory 
sentencing for drug pushing retroactively, and that would let 10,000 
drug felons currently in the Federal penitentiary back out on the 
streets.
  When our bill was adopted and the House bill was adopted, the bill 
went to conference. And in a game that is now quite old, the House 
dropped our get-tough provision and adopted the House provision with 
its get-out-of-jail-free card that would let 10,000 drug felons back 
out on the streets. Then the bill went back to the House. And today, 
miraculously, the House of Representatives voted down the rule on the 
crime bill.
  Now my office received 1,700 calls yesterday, all worried about the 
fact that Congress was not listening to the American people.
  Well, Mr. President, I thought it was important to note today that on 
the crime issue, the House did listen to the American people and they 
said very clearly: Do not try to let 10,000 drug felons out of prison 
and call it a get-tough provision on crime.
  I know the American people got the message. I hope the President did.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator's time has expired.
  Under the previous order, the junior Senator from Texas is 
recognized.

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