[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 65 (Friday, April 7, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5527-S5528]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           THE FIRST 100 DAYS

  Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, it's been 40 years since a Republican-
controlled Congress had the opportunity to mark any milestones. But 
when Republicans became the majority party after all those years, we 
wasted no time in making history.
  As we approach the end of the first 100 days of the Republican 
Congress, I want to take a moment to offer my congratulations to House 
Speaker Newt Gingrich and the House Republican majority for their 
spectacular success with the Contract With America. In his 1992 
campaign, Bill Clinton promised to start his administration with ``an 
explosive 100-day action period.'' Obviously, he had not met Newt 
Gingrich or a Republican Congress.
  Last November, the American people sent a powerful message to 
Washington. They told us they wanted a Government defined by its limit, 
not by its reach. They demanded a return to freedom and a renewal of 
opportunity. And they told us they were tired of Government promising 
too much, and
 delivering too little.

  From day one, the new Republican Congress demonstrated its commitment 
to something all too rare in this town--keeping our promises to the 
American people. On January 4, we rolled up our sleeves, and started 
turning the message from the people into action.
  They gave us the message on last November 8, and now we are turning 
it into action.
  Action is precisely what House Republicans provided with the Contract 
With America. They can be proud that they did what they said they would 
do--all ten initiatives were put to a vote, with dramatic, and often 
bipartisan, results.
  If people didn't already know that the Senate is a far different 
institution with different rules, they know now. At times, it seemed 
like the Democrat minority wanted to spend 100 days on every bill. But, 
despite all the filibusters and delays, the Senate also achieved what I 
believe will be seen as remarkable success.
  Instead of taking most of January off, we got right down to business. 
Like the House, we acted immediately to lead by example, forcing 
Congress to live under the same laws we apply to everyone else. 
President Clinton quickly signed this long overdue initiative. With a 
strong bipartisan majority, we approved S. 1, to stop Congress from 
passing unfunded mandates on to States and local governments, unless we 
send the money to pay for them. I'm proud to say that the unfunded 
mandates bill is now the law of the land, and has been signed by 
President Clinton.
  Again, leading by example, Senate and House Republicans put our 
budget cutting zeal to the test right here on Capitol Hill. Senate 
Republicans cut staff and overhead, reducing committee budgets by 15 
percent.
  We voted to give the President the line-item veto, a long overdue 
tool in our efforts to rein in Government. To bring real discipline to 
Federal spending, the House approved the balanced budget amendment to 
the Constitution. Regrettably, the Senate fell one vote short. But, 
we're not giving up,
 and we hope one of our colleagues, 
 [[Page S5528]] somebody out there, wherever, who may have voted ``no'' 
will understand, if we are going to have the discipline and force the 
Congress to make these tough decisions, the balanced budget amendment 
is very, very important.
  And I must say I welcome anyone who wanted to be converted on that 
issue because I think it is critical. To me it is sort of the 
centerpiece of all the efforts we are making on both sides of the 
aisle. It is not a partisan issue. There is a new poll out today 
indicating that 78 percent of the American people support the balanced 
budget amendment. I believe they understand probably better than we do 
that we need the discipline. We need to be able to say to people, Oh, 
we cannot do that. It is a great idea, but we have a constitutional 
amendment now for a balanced budget and we cannot start a lot of new 
programs, which start low and end up in the millions and billions of 
dollars.
  So it is my hope that, before this Congress ends, the balanced budget 
amendment will be before the States for ratification. It seems to me 
that is very, very important.
  Then just last night, we made a very important downpayment on deficit 
reduction by cutting $16 billion in unnecessary Government spending--
not over 5 years. The President advocated $16 billion over 5 years. 
This year it is $16 billion in the Senate bill and $17 billion in the 
House version. They will go to conference when we return after the 
recess. My view is that we will have a very tough but a very fair 
spending reduction proposal to send to the President. I hope that he 
will see fit to sign it.
  We acted swiftly to ease burdens on working Americans, and those who 
create jobs and opportunities. We restored the tax deduction for more 
than 3 million self-employed Americans for the cost of health insurance 
premiums. We eased burdens on job-created businesses by approving the 
Paperwork Reduction Act. And we took an important first step in 
regulatory reform by approving a 45-day congressional review of 
excessive regulations which cost America money and jobs.
  The Republican Congress' first 100 days stand in stark contrast to 
the first 100 days of the Clinton administration. Instead of an 
explosive action period, President Clinton's first 100 days in office 
will be remembered for big Government policy bombs, such as the biggest 
tax increase in American history, including retroactive tax increases 
and tax hikes on Social Security recipients, and a misguided, unpaid-
for stimulus package that would have added billions to the deficit 
Americans are demanding we control.
  And in 1995, while Republicans were reining in Government during our 
first 100 days, the Clinton administration was at it again, producing a 
budget that gave up on trying to ever balance the Nation's books. And 
the President protected Washington's chronic wild spending by fighting 
the balanced budget amendment, and the will of the American people.
  The good news is, during the next 100 days, the Republican Congress 
is determined to protect our children, grandchildren, and future 
generations of Americans by producing a budget plan that will lead to 
balance budget by 2002. It would be a lot easier if we had that one 
more vote on the Democratic side, and I do not think anyone in this 
Chamber would think that it would make it much easier for us to do that 
if we had that discipline. I really believe that someone will see the 
light, I hope.
  Mr. President, while the focus during the past 100 days has been on 
the House--and rightfully so--I believe the next 100 days will belong 
to the Senate,
 probably maybe the next 100 nights, too. There will be fewer recesses 
on the Senate side. The House is going out for 3 weeks. We are going 
out for 2 weeks. We have to catch up.

  I do not quarrel with that because the Founding Fathers realized that 
they needed one body that could move very quickly. They wanted another 
Chamber where they would be more deliberate and certainly nobody can 
argue the point that we are very deliberate.
  In fact, we deliberate and deliberate and deliberate sometimes. We 
are not setting any deadlines. And no one expects the Senate to be a 
rubberstamp for the House. But we will continue to be guided by the 
common principles of reining in Government, returning power to the 
people and expanding opportunity.
  It is my hope that the Senate will address many of the following 
issues, putting the budget on a path to balance: welfare reform. That 
is a big issue, not partisan. It is bipartisan, as it should be. The 
President says he supports welfare reform; cutting taxes for families. 
There will be a tax cut, a substantial tax cut measure passed in the 
Senate; reforming our legal system, regulatory reform, tough anticrime 
measures, voting on term limits and protecting U.S. interests in U.N. 
peacekeeping.
  Mr. President, on January 4, I walked across the Capitol to the floor 
of the House because I had never had the privilege of seeing a 
Republican Speaker. Now I have, and I know I speak for all of my 
Republican colleagues when I say I like the change. Tonight, Speaker 
Gingrich will report to the Nation on the historic first 100 days of 
the Republican Congress. I look forward to watching, and I look forward 
to tackling the important work that remains ahead.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.

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