[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 35 (Friday, February 24, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3076-S3080]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        A REGULATORY MORATORIUM

  Mr. NICKLES. Mr. President, I think it is vitally important, when we 
are engaged in debates that we have the facts on legislative issues 
that come before this body. I am concerned about a statement that was 
made by President Clinton on Tuesday, February 21, dealing with the 
issue of a regulatory moratorium, a moratorium which is cosponsored by 
35 or 36 Senators.
  The President stated--and I will quote, ``The House will be voting on 
an across-the-board freeze on all Federal regulations.'' Mr. President, 
that is not correct. Neither the House bill nor the companion bill in 
the Senate freeze all Federal regulations. Our bills contain a lot of 
exemptions, so the President's statement is factually incorrect.
  He said, ``For example, it would stop the Government from allocating 
rights to commercial fishermen.'' That is not true.
  He said, ``It would stop the Government from authorizing burials at 
Arlington Cemetery.'' That is not true. It was not true in the House 
bill, and it is not true in the Senate bill.
  Mr. President, both bills have exceptions for routine administrative 
action. Certainly burials at Arlington Cemetery are routine 
administrative actions,
 as well as the Government allocating rights to commercial fishermen. 
These are routine Government actions. Actually, we have given the 
President eight exceptions to the regulatory moratorium. The 
President's statement says that it would stop good regulations, bad 
regulations, and in-between regulations--all regulations. Again, that 
is totally, completely factually misleading and inaccurate. I am 
bothered by that.

  I think it is fine to be engaged in the debate, and the President has 
the option to veto this legislation if he chooses, but when he speaks 
against it he has the obligation to the American people and to the 
Congress to give the facts. Clearly, his statements are not accurate. 
The President even said our moratorium would cancel the duck hunting 
season. Clearly, again that is not the case. It will not cancel duck 
hunting season. The establishment of a duck hunting season is clearly a 
routine administrative action.
  I ask unanimous consent that a list of all the exceptions that we 
have in the moratorium legislation be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

     SEC. 5. EXCEPTIONS.

       (a) Section 3(a) or 4(a), or both, shall not apply to a 
     significant regulatory action if--
       (1) the head of a Federal agency otherwise authorized to 
     take the action submits a written request to the President, 
     and a copy thereof to the appropriate committees of each 
     house of the Congress;
       (2) the President finds, in writing, the action is--
       (A) necessary because of an imminent threat to human health 
     or safety or other emergency;
       (B) necessary for the enforcement of criminal laws;
       (C) related to a regulation that has as its principal 
     effect fostering economic growth, repealing, narrowing, or 
     streamlining a rule, regulation, administrative process, or 
     otherwise reducing regulatory burdens;
       (D) issued with respect to matters relating to military or 
     foreign affairs or international trade agreements;
       (E) principally related to agency organization, management, 
     or personnel;
       (F) a routine administrative action, or principally related 
     to public property, loans, grants, benefits, or contracts;
       (G) requested by an agency that supervises and regulates 
     insured depository institutions, affiliates of such 
     institutions, credit unions, or government sponsored housing 
     enterprises; or
       (H) limited to interpreting, implementing, or administering 
     the internal revenue laws of the United States; and
       (3) the Federal agency head publishes the finding and 
     waiver in the Federal Register.

  Mr. NICKLES. Mr. President, maybe somebody from the administration 
will read those exceptions and realize that we have given the President 
a great deal of flexibility and opportunity to exempt those regulations 
that he deems are important or necessary to protect public health and 
safety.
  I hope he will reconsider his opposition to this moratorium. I hope 
my colleagues will support it because I think we have gone to great 
lengths to try to make sure that we would give flexibility where needed 
but also to stop unnecessary and expensive regulations and give us a 
chance to pass real regulatory reform with cost-benefit analysis to 
make sure benefits exceed costs.
  I mention my concerns about the President's statements on the 
regulatory moratorium because he has also made misleading statements in 
regard to the budget and budget items.
  The President of the United States a couple of days ago mentioned in 
an article that he had trimmed the Federal bureaucracy by 100,000 
workers, and cut the deficit by $600 billion in his first 2 years in 
office.
   [[Page S3077]] I see similar claims by administration officials 
reported every day in the Washington Post and elsewhere. The public 
assumes these claims are correct.
  Again, I think it is vitally important that we know the facts. I 
would like to point out to the President and our colleagues what the 
facts are. These numbers are also pointed out in a recent Wall Street 
Journal editorial because they check up on the President too. Have we 
reduced Federal employment by 100,000 since the President came into 
office? No. Since 1993 we have reduced FTE employment by 86,100. It is 
only if you use the baseline going back to the previous year that you 
can claim to have reduced it 102,500.
  However, more importantly, what the President did not say is 63,500 
of those 86,100 job cuts are in defense.
  By 1996, projections are that we will reduce FTE employment by 
156,900. Eighty-four percent of those cuts are reductions in defense. 
Six percent are in the Resolution Trust Corporation and FDIC because 
they have worked through the savings and loan mess. Therefore, 90 
percent of the President's claims of Federal job cuts comes from 
Defense and RTC. That means we are only cutting about 15,000 in 
nondefense Government agencies.
  So is the President really cutting the size of the Government? No. 
Has he cut the size of defense? Yes.
  I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record an editorial by 
the Wall Street Journal entitled ``Numbers Game.''
  There being no objection the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                     [From the Wall Street Journal]

                              Numbers Game

       It's the season to cut government, or at least to claim to, 
     so we perked up when we heard President Clinton declare in 
     his State of the Union address that he had cut ``more than 
     100,000 positions from the federal bureaucracy in the last 
     two years alone.''
       As they say in detective work, interesting--if true. So we 
     decided to pull out the new federal budget to check. What we 
     discovered is that Mr. Clinton isn't lying, but he isn't 
     telling the whole truth either. His speeches need an 
     asterisk.
       From 1993 to Fiscal Year 1996, the Clinton Administration 
     will in fact have cut the federal government by 157,000 full-
     time positions. But there's a catch: 131,000 of those 
     positions are civilian Defense jobs. Those cuts reflect the 
     inevitable post-Cold War decline in military spending, not 
     some brave retrenchment in the overall size of government.
       There's another catch: Of the 26,000 positions to be cut 
     from the non-Defense side of Leviathan, 9,500 come from the 
     Resolution Trust Corp. and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. 
     Those two banking agencies grew like Topsy to manage the 
     savings and loan debacle, but are now cutting back as the 
     bailout ends. The RTC is even supposed to go out of business 
     this year. The bottom line is that over the course of the 
     Clinton presidency, the non-Defense, non-S&L part of the 
     government will cut a measly 16,500 full-time positions out 
     of some 1.2 million. In essence the domestic government is 
     conducting business as usual.
       Mr. Clinton also says he's making the federal establishment 
     ``the smallest it has been since John Kennedy was 
     President.'' But again, excluding Defense, total executive 
     branch employment will be 1,181,000 in 1996. Back in 1963, 
     when JFK was President, total non-Defense employment was a 
     mere 861,000. Maybe that should be the 1996 goal for 
     Republican budget-cutters; they could say they got the idea 
     from the President.

  Mr. NICKLES. One final comment, the President's statement also claims 
that he cut the deficit by $600 billion in his first 2 years in office. 
That sounds very nice. It reminds me of another quote of the President 
during the State of the Union where he said:

       We cut over a quarter-trillion dollars in spending, more 
     than 300 domestic programs, more than 100,000 positions in 
     Federal bureaucracies in the last 2 years alone.

  Have we cut $1 trillion in spending? That bothers me because I do not 
think we have seen spending decline.
  The President's statement said that we cut spending over a quarter-
trillion dollars. He said that in the State of the Union Address.
  I would like to share with my colleagues the facts. In 1992, the last 
year of the Bush administration, we spent $1.380 trillion. In 1993, we 
spent $1.4 trillion. In 1994, we spent $1.46 trillion. Spending went up 
every year.
  I think we too often get into this discussion of baselines, and 
people get lost and their eyes fog over. Spending has gone up every 
year. The President says he cut spending from a baseline which is 
projected to be higher. Did he actually cut spending? Did the President 
cut spending in his first 2 years? Will he cut spending in his first 4 
years? Have we seen any spending cuts?
  The answer according to CBO is no. The President's statement was that 
he reduced the deficit by $600 billion in his first 2 years of office. 
Where did that come from?
  I will show you where it came from. CBO projected in 1993, just when 
President Clinton was elected--what they thought deficits would be for 
the next 6 years. If you add these years together, it totals $1.848 
trillion.
  Two years later, January 1995, CBO projected deficits of $1.287 
trillion. You subtract the two and you get a little less than $600 
billion. That is why the President said he reduced the deficit by $600 
billion.
  So we know the deficit is less than previously projected, but where 
did the reduction come from? Did it come from $250 billion in spending 
cuts? No. According to CBO--and these are not Don Nickles' figures, 
they are CBO figures--if you add up all the tax and fee increases they 
total $262 billion. The President deserves credit for that--he did 
enact the largest tax increase in history. Spending reductions total 
$88 billion, and $213 billion in deficit reduction comes from technical 
reestimates, economic reestimates, and debt services.
  With regard to spending reductions, in 1993 we had no spending 
reductions, we actually spent more than the baseline. In 1994, we had 
no spending reductions, we actually spent $9 billion more than the 
baseline. In 1995, we are going to have no spending reductions, we 
actually will spend $3 billion more than the baseline. In 1996, 1997, 
1998, it is projected that we are going to go have some spending cuts, 
primarily from an extension of the freeze on discretionary spending.
  So the President ends up with a total of $88 billion in spending 
cuts, primarily from the last two years by extending the discretionary 
freeze. My guess is he probably will not be President for these last 2 
years, so that is an easy thing to do--that is, putting the spending 
cuts off until the last 2 years.
  If you add the first 4 years together, you see more spending 
increases than you see in spending cuts in his Presidential term. We 
have spending increases of $9 billion and $4 billion and $3 billion, 
for a total $16 billion in spending increases, and we are projected 
next year to have spending cuts of $15 billion.
  So spending actually went up under President Clinton's first term, if 
we give him credit for everything in his budget. He has presided over 
no spending cuts whatsoever--not a dime of spending cuts. This is 
according to CBO.
  What about the balance of this $600 billion? Well, it is made up of 
technical, economic, and other assumptions. These are reestimates 
caused by lower than expected inflation or unemployment. If you add 
those things together--and the RTC spending less money than anticipated 
because we do not have as many bank failures--the technical number is 
$213 billion.
  In the first 4 years, we have all tax increases and technical 
changes. That is all the deficit reduction. I am glad that we have it. 
I am glad that the deficit is not as bad as it was projected to be in 
1993, but it is not because we cut a quarter of a trillion dollars in 
spending, as stated in the President's State of the Union.
  We have to be factual in these debates. These numbers are taken 
directly from the CBO budget books. Why did they have a different 
baseline in 1993 and 1995? Here is the difference. I will submit this 
table for the Record so my colleagues can look at it. I do not mean to 
get too technical, but it is important to be factual. When you hear 
people talk about spending cuts we really need to be factual and give 
the American people the facts. I know my colleague from New Jersey said 
we are not cutting defense so much and that we need to keep more money 
in social programs. I respect that position, I just do not agree with 
it. I will include the chart to show what we have done in defense in 
the last 3 years. We cut defense in 1992 by 5 percent; in 1993 by 3 
percent; in 1994 by 4 percent; in 1995 by 4 percent. So we have cut 
defense spending.
  Mr. President, we have not cut domestic spending. Domestic spending 
[[Page S3078]]  has increased every single year. For the last 3 years, 
domestic spending has gone up. In 1991, it was 7 percent; in 1992, 10 
percent; in 1993, 7 percent; in 1994, 5 percent; in 1995, 5 percent. We 
have mandatory programs exploding in cost. The only spending category 
that has gone down every year is defense. Programs like the earned 
income tax credit have been exploding in cost. In 1991, it cost $5 
billion; in 1994, it cost $11 billion; in 1997, it is supposed to cost 
$23 billion--almost 5 times what it cost a few years ago.
  We read in the papers where the IRS is not processing tax returns 
because they found that the EITC is just ripe for abuse. People are 
filing fraudulent claims. The growth rate on the earned income tax 
credit, for example, was 11 percent in 1991; 55 percent in 1992; 18 
percent in 1993; 22 percent in 1994; 55 percent in 1995; 18 percent is 
the projection for 1996. It is just exploding in cost.
  I ask unanimous consent for an additional 2 minutes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. NICKLES. Medicaid. People are concerned about Medicaid. Look at 
the growth rates. In 1990, Medicaid's total cost to the Federal 
Government was $41 billion. In 1994, it was $82 billion; it doubled. 
Between 1990 and 1994, the cost of Medicaid doubled to the Federal 
Government, with growth rates of 19 percent, 28 percent, 29 percent, 12 
percent. It has been exploding in cost.
  Some people want to keep those costs climbing. That is not 
acceptable. We cannot afford it and the States cannot afford it. So we 
need to change it. When we reduce that growth rate, I am sure that we 
are going to have people saying that we cannot afford it. We cannot 
afford not to slow the growth rate of a program like that. Food stamps 
in 1990 cost $15 billion, and in 1994 they cost $25 billion. The growth 
rate since 1990 in food stamps went up 17 percent, 25 percent, 21 
percent, 11 percent. That is not sustainable.
  I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record all of these 
tables on spending.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                    Civilian FTE Cuts Under Clinton


                    compared to ``base year'' levels

       The Federal Workforce Restructuring Act of 1994 established 
     a ``base'' level of civilian employment from which the Act's 
     272,900 FTE reduction is to be measured.
       61% of the workforce cuts through 1994 have come from 
     defense, and by 1996 defense will account for 75% of all 
     workforce cuts. Plus, an undetermined but probably large part 
     of these workforce ``cuts'' are gained by contracting federal 
     work at the same or higher cost.
       Through the end of FY94, employment has been reduced from 
     the ``base'' level by 102,500 as follows:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                Percent 
                      Agency                         Jobs cut   of total
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Defense...........................................     63,000         61
Treasury..........................................      8,800          9
Agriculture.......................................      5,800          6
All other.........................................     24,900         24
                                                   ---------------------
    Total.........................................    102,500        100
------------------------------------------------------------------------

       By the end of FY96, employment will have been reduced from 
     the base level by 173,300 as follows:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                Percent 
                      Agency                         Jobs cut   of total
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Defense...........................................    130,800         75
FDIC/RTC..........................................      9,300          5
Agriculture.......................................      7,600          4
All other.........................................     25,600         16
                                                   ---------------------
    Total.........................................    173,300        100
------------------------------------------------------------------------

                     compared to actual 1993 levels

       74% of the workforce cuts through 1994 have come from 
     defense, and by 1996 defense will account for 84% of all 
     workforce cuts. Plus, an undetermined but probably large part 
     of these workforce ``cuts'' are gained by contracting federal 
     work at the same or higher cost.
       Through the end of FY96, employment has been reduced from 
     the 1993 actual level by 86,100 as follows:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                Percent 
                      Agency                         Jobs cut   of total
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Defense...........................................     63,500         74
Agriculture.......................................      4,600          5
Treasury..........................................      3,800          4
All other.........................................     14,200         17
                                                   ---------------------
    Total.........................................     86,100        100
------------------------------------------------------------------------

       By the end of FY96, employment will have been reduced from 
     the 1993 actual level by 156,900 as follows:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                Percent 
                      Agency                         Jobs cut   of total
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Defense...........................................    131,200         84
FDIC/RTC..........................................      9,600          6
Agriculture.......................................      6,300          4
All other.........................................      9,800          6
                                                   ---------------------
    Total.........................................    156,900        100
------------------------------------------------------------------------


                                           EXECUTIVE BRANCH EMPLOYMENT                                          
                  [Changes from ``Base'' Levels--Numbers are in thousands, except percentages]                  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                         Base*       1993        1994        1995        1996   
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                    FTE Employment                                                                              
                                                                                                                
Defense..............................................      931.3      931.8       868.3       834.1       800.6 
Veterans Affairs.....................................      227.0      229.1       227.7       224.4       224.4 
Treasury.............................................      166.1      161.1       157.3       161.4       162.2 
Agriculture..........................................      115.6      114.4       109.8       108.9       108.1 
Interior.............................................       79.3       78.1        76.3        76.3        76.2 
Transportation.......................................       70.3       69.1        66.4        65.2        64.4 
Health and Human Services............................       64.5       65.6        62.9        62.3        61.4 
NASA.................................................       25.7       24.9        23.9        23.3        23.2 
Tennessee Valley Authority...........................       19.1       17.3        18.6        16.6        16.4 
GSA..................................................       20.6       20.2        19.5        16.9        15.5 
FDIC/RTC.............................................       21.6       21.9        20.0        16.3        12.3 
All other............................................      414.1      405.3       402.0       412.1       417.2 
                                                      ----------------------------------------------------------
    Total executive branch...........................    2,155.2    2,138.8     2,052.7     2,017.8     1,981.9 
                                                      ==========================================================
                                                                                                                
             Cumulative Change From Base                                                                        
                                                                                                                
Defense..............................................  .........        0.5       (63.0)      (97.2)     (130.8)
Veterans Affairs.....................................  .........        2.1         0.7        (2.6)       (2.7)
Treasury.............................................  .........       (5.0)       (8.8)       (4.7)       (3.9)
Agriculture..........................................  .........       (1.2)       (5.8)       (6.7)       (7.6)
Interior.............................................  .........       (1.2)       (3.0)       (3.0)       (3.2)
Transportation.......................................  .........       (1.2)       (3.9)       (5.1)       (5.9)
Health and Human Services............................  .........        1.1        (1.6)       (2.2)       (3.1)
NASA.................................................  .........       (0.8)       (1.8)       (2.4)       (2.5)
Tennessee Valley Authority...........................  .........       (1.8)       (0.5)       (2.5)       (2.7)
GSA..................................................  .........       (0.4)       (1.1)       (3.7)       (5.1)
FDIC/RTC.............................................  .........        0.3        (1.6)       (5.3)       (9.3)
All other............................................  .........       (8.8)      (12.1)       (2.0)        3.1 
                                                      ----------------------------------------------------------
    Total executive branch...........................  .........      (16.4)     (102.5)     (137.5)     (173.3)
                                                      ==========================================================
                                                                                                                
        Agency Cuts as a Percent of Total Cuts                                                                  
                                                                                                                
Defense (in percent).................................  .........         -3          61          71          75 
Veterans Affairs (in percent)........................  .........        -13          -1           2           2 
Treasury (in percent)................................  .........         30           9           3           2 
Agriculture (in percent).............................  .........          7           6           5           4 
Interior (in percent)................................  .........          7           3           2           2 
Transportation (in percent)..........................  .........          7           4           4           3 
Health and Human Services (in percent)...............  .........         -7           2           2           2 
NASA (in percent)....................................  .........          5           2           2           1 
Tennessee Valley Authority (in percent)..............  .........         11           0           2           2 
GSA (in percent).....................................  .........          2           1           3           3 
FDIC/RTC (in percent)................................  .........         -2           2           4           5 
All other (in percent)...............................  .........         54          12           1          -2 
                                                      ----------------------------------------------------------
    Total executive branch (in percent)..............  .........        100         100         100        100  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*The Federal Workforce Restructuring Act of 1994 established a ``base'' level of civilian employment from which 
  the Act's 272,900 FTE reduction is measured.                                                                  


                       EXECUTIVE BRANCH EMPLOYMENT                      
   [Changes from 1993 Actual Levels--Numbers are in thousands, except   
                              percentages]                              
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                     1993     1994      1995      1996  
------------------------------------------------------------------------
          FTE Employment                                                
                                                                        
Defense..........................    931.8    868.3     834.1     800.6 
Veterans Affairs.................    229.1    227.7     224.4     224.4 
Treasury.........................    161.1    157.3     161.4     162.2 
Agriculture......................    114.4    109.8     108.9     108.1 
Interior.........................     78.1     76.3      76.3      76.2 
Transportation...................     69.1     66.4      65.2      64.4 
Health and Human Services........     65.6     62.9      62.3      61.4 
NASA.............................     24.9     23.9      23.3      23.2 
Tennessee Valley Authority.......     17.3     18.6      16.6      16.4 
GSA..............................     20.2     19.5      16.9      15.5 
FDIC/RTC.........................     21.9     20.0      16.3      12.3 
All other........................    405.3    402.0     412.1     417.2 
                                  --------------------------------------
    Total executive branch.......  2,138.8  2,052.7   2,017.8   1,981.9 
                                  ======================================
   Cumulative Change From 1993                                          
                                                                        
Defense..........................  .......    (63.5)    (97.7)   (131.2)
Veterans Affairs.................  .......     (1.4)     (4.7)     (4.7)
Treasury.........................  .......     (3.8)     (0.3)     (1.1)
Agriculture......................  .......     (4.6)     (5.5)     (6.3)
Interior.........................  .......     (1.8)     (1.8)     (1.9)
Transportation...................  .......     (2.7)     (3.9)     (4.7)
Health and Human Services........  .......     (2.7)     (3.3)     (4.2)
NASA.............................  .......     (1.0)     (1.6)     (1.7)
Tennessee Valley Authority.......  .......      1.3      (0.7)     (0.9)
GSA..............................  .......     (0.7)     (3.3)     (4.7)
FDIC/RTC.........................  .......     (1.9)     (5.6)     (9.6)
All other........................  .......     (3.3)      6.8      11.9 
                                  --------------------------------------
    Total executive branch.......  .......    (86.1)   (121.0)   (156.9)
                                  ======================================
Agency Cuts as A Percent of Total                                       
               Cuts                                                     
                                                                        
Defense (in percent).............  .......       74        81        84 
Veterans Affairs (in percent)....  .......        2         4         3 
Treasury (in percent)............  .......        4        -0        -1 
Agriculture (in percent).........  .......        5         5         4 
Interior (in percent)............  .......        2         1         1 
Transportation (in percent)......  .......        3         3         3 
Health and Human Services (in                                           
 percent)........................  .......        3         3         3 
NASA (in percent)................  .......        1         1         1 
Tennessee Valley Authority (in                                          
 percent)........................  .......       -2         1         1 
GSA (in percent).................  .......        1         3         3 
FDIC/RTC (in percent)............  .......        2         5         6 
All other (in percent)...........  .......        4        -6        -8 
                                  --------------------------------------
    Total executive branch (in                                          
     percent)....................  .......      100       100       100 
------------------------------------------------------------------------


                                                                        
[[Page S3079]]
     SOURCE OF DEFICIT DECLINE, SINCE PRESIDENT CLINTON TOOK OFFICE     
 [Details may not add due to rounding. Amounts which reduce the deficit 
                       are shown in (parenthesis)]                      
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                  Clinton term                     Out years--          
------------------------------------------------ 105th Congress         
                         104th Congress                           Total 
 103d Congress  ------------------------------------------------        
                  1993    1994    1995    1996    1997    1998          
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CBO deficit                                                             
 baseline (Jan.                                                         
 1993).........    310     291     284     287     319     357    1,848 
    Tax and fee                                                         
     increases.      0     (28)    (46)    (56)    (66)    (66)    (262)
    Spending                                                            
     increases/                                                         
     (cuts)....      4       9       3     (15)    (36)    (53)     (88)
    Technical,                                                          
     economic,                                                          
     and debt                                                           
     service*..    (59)    (70)    (65)     (9)      5     (15)    (213)
CBO deficit                                                             
 baseline (Jan.                                                         
 1995).........    255     203     176     207     224     222    1,287 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
*=Includes technical re-estimates, economic changes, and debt service   
  savings.                                                              
                                                                        
Sources: CBO Reports (March 1993, September 1993, January 1994, April   
  1994, August 1994, January 1995)--Prepared by the Office of U.S.      
  Senator Don Nickles.                                                  


                       FEDERAL SPENDING CATEGORIES                      
              [In billions of nominal dollars--Source: CBO]             
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                             Dollar    Percent   Percent
              Year                 Outlays   growth    growth    of GDP 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
            Mandatory                                                   
                                                                        
1980............................       292  ........  ........        11
1981............................       341       49         17        11
1982............................       373       32          9        12
1983............................       412       39         10        12
1984............................       406       (5)        -1        11
1985............................       450       44         11        11
1986............................       460       10          2        11
1987............................       470       11          2        10
1988............................       494       24          5        10
1989............................       526       32          6        10
1990............................       567       41          8        10
1991............................       634       67         12        11
1992............................       712       78         12        12
1993............................       762       50          7        12
1994............................       789       27          4        12
1995............................       845       56          7        12
1996............................       899       54          6        12
1997............................       962       63          7        12
1998............................     1,026       64          7        12
1999............................     1,097       71          7        13
2000............................     1,173       76          7        13
                                                                        
                                                                        
            Domestic                                                    
                                                                        
1980............................       129  ........  ........         5
1981............................       137        7          6         5
1982............................       127       (9)        -7         4
1983............................       130        3          2         4
1984............................       135        5          4         4
1985............................       146       10          8         4
1986............................       148        2          1         3
1987............................       147       (0)        -0         3
1988............................       158       11          8         3
1989............................       169       11          7         3
1990............................       183       14          8         3
1991............................       195       13          7         3
1992............................       214       19         10         4
1993............................       229       15          7         4
1994............................       242       13          5         4
1995............................       253       11          5         4
1996............................       262        9          4         4
1997............................       274       12          5         3
1998............................       284       10          4         3
1999............................       295       11          4         3
2000............................       304        9          3         3
                                                                        
                                                                        
          International                                                 
                                                                        
1980............................        13  ........  ........         0
1981............................        14        1          6         0
1982............................        13       (1)        -5         0
1983............................        14        1          5         0
1984............................        16        3         20         0
1985............................        17        1          7         0
1986............................        18        0          2         0
1987............................        15       (3)       -14         0
1988............................        16        1          3         0
1989............................        17        1          6         0
1990............................        19        3         15         0
1991............................        20        1          3         0
1992............................        19       (1)        -3         0
1993............................        22        2         12         0
1994............................        20       (2)        -7         0
1995............................        21        1          5         0
1996............................        22        1          5         0
1997............................        22        0          0         0
1998............................        22        0          0         0
1999............................        23        1          3         0
2000............................        24        1          6         0
                                                                        
                                                                        
             Defense                                                    
                                                                        
1980............................       135  ........  ........         5
1981............................       158       23         17         5
1982............................       186       28         18         6
1983............................       210       24         13         6
1984............................       228       18          9         6
1985............................       253       25         11         6
1986............................       274       21          8         6
1987............................       283        9          3         6
1988............................       291        8          3         6
1989............................       304       13          5         6
1990............................       300       (4)        -1         5
1991............................       320       20          7         6
1992............................       303      (17)        -5         5
1993............................       293      (10)        -3         5
1994............................       282      (11)        -4         4
1995............................       270      (12)        -4         4
1996............................       270        0          0         4
1997............................       278        8          3         4
1998............................       285        7          3         3
1999............................       295       10          4         3
2000............................       304        9          3         3
                                                                        
                                                                        
         Social Security                                                
                                                                        
1980............................       117  ........  ........         4
1981............................       138       21         18         5
1982............................       154       16         12         5
1983............................       169       15          9         5
1984............................       176        8          5         5
1985............................       186       10          6         5
1986............................       197       10          5         5
1987............................       205        9          4         5
1988............................       217       12          6         4
1989............................       230       14          6         4
1990............................       247       16          7         4
1991............................       267       20          8         5
1992............................       285       18          7         5
1993............................       302       17          6         5
1994............................       317       15          5         5
1995............................       334       17          5         5
1996............................       352       18          5         5
1997............................       371       19          5         5
1998............................       390       19          5         5
1999............................       411       21          5         5
2000............................       433       22          5         5
                                                                        
                                                                        
          Net interest                                                  
                                                                        
1980............................        53  ........  ........         2
1981............................        69       16         31         2
1982............................        85       16         24         3
1983............................        90        5          6         3
1984............................       111       21         24         3
1985............................       130       18         17         3
1986............................       136        7          5         3
1987............................       139        3          2         3
1988............................       152       13          9         3
1989............................       169       18         12         3
1990............................       184       15          9         3
1991............................       195       10          6         3
1992............................       199        5          3         3
1993............................       199       (1)        -0         3
1994............................       203        4          2         3
1995............................       235       32         16         3
1996............................       260       25         11         3
1997............................       270       10          4         3
1998............................       279        9          3         3
1999............................       294       15          5         3
2000............................       310       16          5         3
                                                                        
                                                                        
    Earned Income Tax Credit                                            
                                                                        
1980............................         1  ........  ........         0
1981............................         1        0          0         0
1982............................         1       (0)        -8         0
1983............................         1        0          0         0
1984............................         1        0          0         0
1985............................         1       (0)        -8         0
1986............................         1        0         27         0
1987............................         1        0          0         0
1988............................         3        1         93         0
1989............................         4        1         48         0
1990............................         4        0         10         0
1991............................         5        1         11         0
1992............................         8        3         55         0
1993............................         9        1         18         0
1994............................        11        2         22         0
1995............................        17        6         55         0
1996............................        20        3         18         0
1997............................        23        3         15         0
1998............................        24        1          4         0
1999............................        25        1          4         0
2000............................        26        1          4         0
                                                                        
                                                                        
            Medicaid                                                    
                                                                        
1980............................        14  ........  ........         1
1981............................        17        3         20         1
1982............................        17        1          4         1
1983............................        19        2          9         1
1984............................        20        1          6         1
1985............................        23        3         13         1
1986............................        25        2         10         1
1987............................        27        2         10         1
1988............................        31        3         11         1
1989............................        35        4         13         1
1990............................        41        7         19         1
1991............................        53       11         28         1
1992............................        68       15         29         1
1993............................        76        8         12         1
1994............................        82        6          8         1
1995............................        90        8         10         1
1996............................       100       10         11         1
1997............................       111       11         11         1
1998............................       123       12         11         1
1999............................       136       13         11         2
2000............................       149       13         10         2
                                                                        
                                                                        
          Unemployment                                                  
                                                                        
1980............................        17  ........  ........         1
1981............................        18        1          8         1
1982............................        22        4         21         1
1983............................        30        8         34         1
1984............................        17      (13)       -43         0
1985............................        16       (1)        -7         0
1986............................        16        0          2         0
1987............................        16       (1)        -4         0
1988............................        14       (2)       -12         0
1989............................        14        0          2         0
1990............................        18        4         26         0
1991............................        25        8         43         0
1992............................        37       12         47         1
1993............................        35       (2)        -4         1
1994............................        26       (9)       -27         0
1995............................        22       (4)       -15         0
1996............................        23        1          5         0
1997............................        24        1          4         0
1998............................        26        2          8         0
1999............................        27        1          4         0
2000............................        28        1          4         0
                                                                        
                                                                        
           Food Stamps                                                  
                                                                        
1980............................         9  ........  ........         0
1981............................        11        2         24         0
1982............................        11       (0)        -3         0
1983............................        12        1          7         0
1984............................        12       (0)        -2         0
1985............................        12        0          1         0
1986............................        12       (0)        -1         0
1987............................        12        0          0         0
1988............................        12        1          6         0
1989............................        13        1          4         0
1990............................        15        2         17         0
1991............................        19        4         25         0
1992............................        23        4         21         0
1993............................        25        2         11         0
1994............................        25        0          0         0
1995............................        26        1          4         0
1996............................        27        1          4         0
1997............................        29        2          7         0
1998............................        30        1          3         0
1999............................        32        2          7         0
2000............................        32        0          0         0
                                                                        
                                                                        
            Medicare                                                    
                                                                        
1980............................        34  ........  ........         1
1981............................        41        7         21         1
1982............................        49        8         19         2
1983............................        56        6         13         2
1984............................        61        6         10         2
1985............................        70        9         14         2
1986............................        74        5          6         2
1987............................        80        6          8         2
1988............................        86        6          7         2
1989............................        94        9         10         2
1990............................       107       13         14         2
1991............................       114        7          6         2
1992............................       129       15         13         2
1993............................       143       14         11         2
1994............................       160       17         12         2
1995............................       176       16         10         2
1996............................       196       20         11         3
1997............................       217       21         11         3
1998............................       238       21         10         3
1999............................       262       24         10         3
2000............................       286       24          9         3
                                                                        
                                                                        
              AFDC                                                      
                                                                        
1980............................         7  ........  ........         0
1981............................         8        1         12         0
1982............................         8       (0)        -2         0
1983............................         8        0          5         0
1984............................         9        1          6         0
1985............................         9        0          3         0
1986............................        10        1          8         0
1987............................        11        1          6         0
1988............................        11        0          3         0
1989............................        11        0          4         0
1990............................        12        1          9         0
1991............................        14        1         11         0
1992............................        16        2         16         0
1993............................        16        0          3         0
1994............................        17        1          6         0
1995............................        18        1          6         0
1996............................        18        0          0         0
1997............................        19        1          6         0
1998............................        19        0          0         0
1999............................        20        1          5         0
2000............................        20        0          0         0
                                                                        
                                                                        
       Farm Price Supports                                              
                                                                        
1980............................         3  ........  ........         0
1981............................         4        1         43         0
1982............................        12        8        193         0
1983............................        19        7         62         1
1984............................         7      (12)       -61         0
1985............................        18       10        142         0
1986............................        26        8         46         1
1987............................        22       (3)       -13         0
1988............................        12      (10)       -46         0
1989............................        11       (2)       -13         0
1990............................         7       (4)       -39         0
1991............................        10        4         55         0
1992............................         9       (1)        -8         0
1993............................        16        6         68         0
1994............................        10       (6)       -36         0
1995............................        10        0          0         0
1996............................         9       (1)       -10         0
1997............................         9        0          0         0
1998............................         8       (1)       -11         0
1999............................         8        0          0         0
2000............................         8        0          0         0
                                                                        
                                                                        
  Veterans Benefits & Services                                          
                                                                        
1980............................        14  ........  ........         1
1981............................        15        1         10         1


                                                                        
[[Page S3080]]
                 FEDERAL SPENDING CATEGORIES--Continued                 
              [In billions of nominal dollars--Source: CBO]             
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                             Dollar    Percent   Percent
              Year                 Outlays   growth    growth    of GDP 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1982............................        16        0          3         1
1983............................        16        0          1         0
1984............................        16        0          1         0
1985............................        16       (0)        -1         0
1986............................        16       (0)        -1         0
1987............................        16        0          0         0
1988............................        18        2         12         0
1989............................        18        0          1         0
1990............................        16       (2)       -10         0
1991............................        17        1          9         0
1992............................        20        2         13         0
1993............................        21        1          7         0
1994............................        18       (3)       -14         0
1995............................        17       (1)        -6         0
1996............................        17        0          0         0
1997............................        18        1          6         0
1998............................        19        1          6         0
1999............................        20        1          5         0
2000............................        21        1          5         0
                                                                        
                                                                        
 Fed. Retirement and Disability                                         
                                                                        
1980............................        32  ........  ........         1
1981............................        37        5         17         1
1982............................        41        3          9         1
1983............................        43        3          6         1
1984............................        45        2          3         1
1985............................        46        1          2         1
1986............................        48        2          4         1
1987............................        51        3          7         1
1988............................        54        3          7         1
1989............................        57        3          6         1
1990............................        60        3          5         1
1991............................        64        5          8         1
1992............................        67        2          3         1
1993............................        69        2          3         1
1994............................        72        3          5         1
1995............................        75        3          4         1
1996............................        77        2          3         1
1997............................        81        4          5         1
1998............................        85        4          5         1
1999............................        90        5          6         1
2000............................        96        6          7         1
                                                                        
                                                                        
         Other Mandatory                                                
                                                                        
1980............................       160  ........  ........         6
1981............................       187       27         17         6
1982............................       196        9          5         6
1983............................       208       13          6         6
1984............................       219       10          5         6
1985............................       241       22         10         6
1986............................       233       (8)        -3         5
1987............................       235        2          1         5
1988............................       255       20          8         5
1989............................       270       15          6         5
1990............................       288       18          7         5
1991............................       314       26          9         5
1992............................       336       23          7         6
1993............................       352       16          5         6
1994............................       368       16          4         5
1995............................       394       26          7         6
1996............................       412       18          5         6
1997............................       431       19          5         5
1998............................       454       23          5         5
1999............................       477       23          5         5
2000............................       507       30          6         6
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mr. NICKLES. Mr. President, these are just facts. These are not 
altered, these are not gamed in any way to try and make any particular 
point, except to show that spending has been exploding. We cannot 
continue to increase spending. That is why I believe we have to pass a 
constitutional amendment to balance the budget. I hope my colleagues 
will vote for it. I hope my colleagues will pass it. I know it is going 
to force us to make difficult decisions. And if we do not, Congress 
will unfortunately continue to find excuses not to make the tough 
decisions, and we will see the deficits continue to climb. I hope we 
will take the responsible action on Tuesday and pass a constitutional 
amendment to make us balance the budget.
  I yield the floor, and I thank my friend from Arkansas.
  

                          ____________________