[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 180 (Tuesday, November 14, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S17035-S17036]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      COST OF GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, 800,000 Federal workers were furloughed 
without pay today as a result of our inability to resolve our 
differences on the continuing resolution. It could have been avoided. 
It is as unnecessary as it is unfortunate.
  Morale among Federal employees is at one of the lowest points ever. 
They face great uncertainty, while many are being told they are not 
essential. It is sad but avoidable. It represents not only a cost to 
families working for the Federal Government but a huge cost to 
Government itself. It may cost the Federal Government as much as $150 
million a day, costing taxpayers as well.
  While it may have been avoidable, it was also predictable, given 
statements by the Speaker of the House throughout the year. It was on 
April 3 when the Speaker pledged to ``create a titanic legislative 
standoff with President Clinton by adding vetoed bills to must-pass 
legislation.''
  It was on November 8 that the Investors Business Daily reported that 
the Speaker would force the Government to miss interest and principal 
payments for the first time ever to force the administration to agree 
to his 7-year deficit reduction.
  While failure to pass a continuing resolution costs a great deal, 
failure to pass a debt limit is costing even more. Officials at 
Standard & Poor's recently noted, ``The willingness of American 
officials to talk about the possibility of default has already done 
lasting harm to the United States international image as a country 
willing to pay back what it borrows.'' Standard & Poor's President Leo 
O'Neill argued, ``Even if the issue is resolved in the 11th hour, the 
59th minute, in some respects the damage has already been done.''
  Mr. President, we can resolve these matters now. In fact, we must do 
so. 

[[Page S 17036]]
 Let the negotiations continue. Let us resolve our differences. If the 
Medicare premium increase is taken off the resolution and addressed in 
the overall context of reform, there is no reason we cannot find 
agreement on a balanced budget by a date certain.
  That will take some time. We are not going to do it today; we are not 
going to do it tomorrow; but we are going to do it. In the meantime, we 
ought to agree to a clean continuing resolution for several more days 
to reduce the real harm to Federal employees, to reduce the harm to the 
U.S. taxpayer, to allow us to do our real work and resolve our 
differences on reconciliation and the budget.

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