[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 109 (Friday, June 30, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9480-S9481]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      THE SECOND RESCISSIONS BILL

  Mr. GORTON. Mr. President, at 10 o'clock, I understand, the Senate 
will take up a second rescissions bill, that bill having passed the 
House of Representatives last night. This is good news for the people 
of the United States, following on the even better news of the passage 
of the budget resolution yesterday, a budget resolution which will lead 
to a balanced budget in the year 2002. That path will be made markedly 
easier by the passage and hoped-for signing of a rescissions bill 
designed to save somewhere between $12 and $15 billion of spending 
already authorized and appropriated. In fact, next year's 
appropriations would be extremely difficult without the passage of this 
rescissions bill.
  Regrettably, it will allow somewhat more spending, at the insistence 
of the President, than was the case with the earlier proposal. But even 
so, it will represent a major step forward, a significant commitment on 
the part of this Congress to a leaner, tougher, more efficient and more 
effective Federal Government with a reduction in spending which, in 
some cases, would simply be wasteful--in other cases, which might have 
been significant, but not of a high enough priority to borrow in order 
to do it and then to send the bill to our children and to our 
grandchildren.
  One of the last matters, perhaps the last matter settled in 
connection with this rescissions bill, was a proposal of mine and the 
distinguished Senator from Oregon [Mr. Hatfield] with respect to 
salvage timber and to certain other rules related to timber harvesting 
in the Pacific Northwest--the salvage provisions applying all across 
the United States.
  Negotiations with the administration on this subject were intensive 
and were lengthy. The net result, from the perspective of this Senator, 
is that the changes in the earlier bill are only slightly more than 
superficial. Both the provisions in the earlier bill and those in this 
bill, I wish to emphasize, were aimed solely at permitting the 
President and the administration to do what they claim they want to do 
anyway, to keep their own commitments. Neither in the field of salvage 
timber nor in connection with so-called option 9 in the Pacific 
Northwest, do I believe this administration proposes a balance between 
its environmental concerns and the very real, human needs of the people 
who live in timber communities and supply a vitally important commodity 
for the people of the United States.
  I wish to emphasize this. I do not believe the administration's plans 
are appropriately balanced or that they give due weight to human 
concerns. But they are something. They are more than people in timber 
country across the United States have today. This amendment is simply 
designed to remove the frivolous and endless litigation which seeks to 
obstruct even the 

[[Page S9481]]
modest relief which the administration proposes.
  So the President is not required to do anything that he does not want 
to do. He is enabled to do what he does wish to do, or says that he 
wishes to do. He is enabled to keep his own commitments, and the people 
of the United States, and especially those in timber country, can then 
determine whether or not those commitments are indeed adequate; are, 
indeed, balanced.
  I trust that later on this year we will be dealing with legislation 
that will create that balance. But in the meantime, this significant 
though modest relief will be available. For that I am most grateful.
  Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  

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