[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 180 (Tuesday, November 14, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H12199-H12200]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    GET THIS GOVERNMENT BACK TO WORK

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of May 
12, 1995, the gentleman from West Virginia [Mr. Wise] is recognized 
during morning business for 3 minutes.
  Mr. WISE. Madam Speaker, I rise today; the sun has come up over the 
United States again, and yes, the Government continues, although in a 
truncated fashion.
  In West Virginia, over 17,000 Federal employees face furlough, many 
of whom will be furloughed or are furloughed today. Many of these 
Federal employees live in my district, in the Second Congressional 
District.
  We also in our own office, we furloughed half of the congressional 
employees that work for the Second District. The offices in Charleston 
and Martinsburg have been reduced to one person answering telephones 
for emergency services only. The mobile office which visits a different 
country every day during the month, of course, is not operating. So the 
congressional office, as well, is complying with this.
  I think this is a very, sad state of affairs, Madam Speaker. The only 
cautious or the good news. I guess, is despite their fact we have so 
many Federal employees in West Virginia furloughed, so many services 
cut back, our own congressional services significantly cut back, the 
only good news is negotiations are taking place.
  I predict that something could take place in the next 12 hours. If it 
does not, then I fear that this standoff is going to last for a long 
time.
  What is really at issue, Madam Speaker? What is at issue is whether 
the President signs simple legislation that says the Government can 
continue for 3 more weeks or however long while the Republicans and 
Democrats, the White House, negotiate, and that simple legislation is 
about two pages long. I hold this up. It is proportionate in scale. 
However, what the President was sent was about this big in size. So 
this is what is needed to keep the Government functioning; this is what 
the President was sent. He was sent a lot of riders, special interest 
provisions, budget provisions that ought to be negotiated, a whole lot 
of strings attached.
  This keeps the Federal Government operating. This is what the 
President was sent. And so what ought to be done is obviously send a 
single legislation that is necessary.
  Unfortunately, had I voted for the continuing resolution or had the 
President signed it in this form, he would have been signing a Medicare 
increase, 25 percent, for 300,000 West Virginia senior citizens, 
costing West Virginia taxpayers even more, because they would have also 
been supplementing the 40,000 low-income seniors that cannot even 
afford that monthly premium increase of roughly $7 a month. He would 
have been signing other significant changes as well.
  What he would have been doing is signing the very budget agreement in 
many ways that has yet to be negotiated. I have not agreed with the 
President in every instance, but is this case I happen to think he is 
correct. When some say he is not doing his job, it is the Congress that 
has not sent him 11 of the 13 appropriation bills that are necessary 
for the Government to function. Eleven of their 13 still have not gone 
to the President 6 weeks after they were due.
  We heard a lot of talk about the budget. The House and the Senate 
only last night finished the budget, well over 6 weeks late. There was 
nothing 

[[Page H 12200]]
for him to sign; but send him the simple continuing resolution and get 
this Government back to work.

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