[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 129 (Friday, August 4, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11480-S11481]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION FOR FISCAL YEAR 1996

  Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, with all due respect to the majority 
leader, last year I remember standing on this floor about this time 
when we had one of the most important measures ever to confront the 
American people before the Senate on whether or not we would have a 
health care bill to address the real needs of people in this country. 
And my colleagues on the other side would not permit us to vote on it. 
Last year we were here trying to pass a health care bill of extreme 
importance to the American people, trying to hammer it out, trying to 
work out our differences. A lot of people here had travel plans to take 
their families on vacation.
 It got canceled.

  Our colleagues on the other side of the aisle would not permit us to 
reach a conclusion of that health care bill. Amendment after amendment 
after amendment after amendment--they would not let us reach a final 
conclusion on the health care bill.
  Oh, but now, now when the Pentagon bill is before us, when we want to 
abrogate the ABM Treaty, when we want to throw more lard, as my 
colleague from North Dakota said the other day--he said he cannot call 
it pork, that does a pig a disservice--putting in $7 billion more than 
what the Pentagon wanted.
  Oh, no, now we have to reach a conclusion on this. We cannot have the 
time to debate our amendments in full and open debate. Rush to 
judgment. Close it off. And threats that somehow we are going to be 
here until the 19th, 20th, or whatever.
  I say to the distinguished majority leader, we heard that last year 
when the shoe was on the other the foot.
  Mr. DOLE. We were here, too.
  Mr. HARKIN. And the other side would not let us vote on the health 
care bill. They kept rolling out those amendments one after the other. 
Oh, but now there is something wrong with our side if we want to 
legitimately debate and amend this pork barrel bill, this bill that 
puts up walls that says you cannot take any money out of the Pentagon 
to help educate our kids, to help care for the elderly, to help put a 
little heat in the homes of our elderly people. No, we cannot do that, 
we put a wall around it.
  Now they tell us we cannot debate it fully and fairly? I have 
amendments on this bill that I want to debate, having to do with space-
based lasers and Star 

[[Page S 11481]]
Wars and, yes, I want to debate the amendment offered by the Senator 
from Colorado with whom I happen to agree. But, no, we are told we have 
to close it down or we are going to be held here all during August.
  Well, Mr. President, this Senator canceled his vacation with his 
children last year because the other side kept us here and would not 
let us pass the health care bill. If this Senator has to cancel this 
August because we need to make a better bill for the defense of this 
country, to save our taxpayers some billions of dollars, to make sure 
we do not go off on some insane path of abrogating the ABM Treaty, of 
building more missiles, if that is the price we have to pay, then let 
us stay here and let us debate this bill and let us amend it and let us 
have a better defense bill for this country than this pile of lard that 
we have before us.
  I yield back my time if I have any left.

                          ____________________