[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 180 (Tuesday, November 14, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S17036-S17038]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          BUDGET NEGOTIATIONS

  Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, as we speak, they are meeting now in S-207. 
The President's Chief of Staff, as I understand; the Secretary of the 
Treasury; and the OMB Director, Alice Rivlin, are meeting with 
Republicans and Democrats, members of the Budget Committee, in an 
effort to see if there can be some resolution.
  I am not an advocate of Government shutdowns. I have been here when 
they have been shut down when we had Republican Presidents in the White 
House and a Democratic Congress and the Democrats were insisting on 
certain things, and the Government shut down. So this is not without 
precedent. But I have never thought it was the best way to do business, 
and I hope it can be resolved very quickly.
  I hope that while they are trying to negotiate, hopefully, some 
agreement, that we would not engage in debate on the Senate floor that 
might drive us apart. I do not have any quarrel with what the 
distinguished Democratic leader has said. I do not share every view he 
has expressed. And, again, I would say that when the President talks 
about Medicare, I hope that the people understand we are talking about 
part B; we are talking about that part of Medicare where the persons 
out there working every day making $15,000 $20,000, $30,000 a year are 
putting money into the general revenues to pay 68.5 percent of 
someone's part B premium, whether they are worth $50,000, $100,000, $1 
million or $1 billion. If the President is trying to protect those 
people, then I fail to understand why in this case.
  All we want to do is just freeze that until we have a negotiated 
settlement, because sooner or later we are going to have to address 
Medicare in order to save it, protect it and strengthen it. That is 
what it was about, and that issue will not go away.
  But I think, as I watched the President today very carefully, he 
shifted his stance today. Yesterday it was Medicare, Medicare and 
Medicaid. Today it was balance the budget, balance the budget, balance 
the budget.
  I would again say, if the President wants to balance the budget, I am 
prepared to call up the motion to reconsider the constitutional 
amendment for a balanced budget. I just need one vote. One of those 
Senators, one of the six who voted ``no'' who voted ``yes'' previously, 
could change their vote at this moment and send a message across 
America that we want a balanced budget. And I call upon the President 
to get the six of his colleagues together and see if he cannot persuade 
one or two to vote for a constitutional amendment for a balanced 
budget. That, I think, would let the American people know that this is 
a bipartisan effort and that we do search for a balanced budget.
  Failing that, I think the only recourse we have on this side, and one 
we are certainly going to pursue, is to balance the budget by the year 
2002, balance the budget by the year 2002. Eighty-three percent of the 
American people want to balance the budget. You cannot balance the 
budget by adding new programs. We are going to spend more, even with 
the balanced budget by the year 2002, spend more for Medicare, more for 
Medicaid, and more for all these programs.
  But I happen to believe that we are on the right track. We are doing 
the heavy lifting now. We are taking the hits on this side of the 
aisle. We know it is easy--we read the numbers-- it is easy to say, 
``Let's keep hammering those Republicans.'' But sooner or later the 
President must recognize that he is the President, he has to provide 
leadership, he has to make tough choices. The tough choices are not to 
say, ``I'm not going to tolerate any tinkering with this program or 
that program or that program.'' That may be the political easy choice, 
but it is not going to solve our problem.
  Unless we balance the budget, we are not being fair to children, 
children who are 1 year old or 2 years old or 5 years old, who have to 
look at the future, where they are going to be when they are 20 years 
of age or 25 years of age. I really believe that it is in our mutual 
interest to try to work this out. We are talking about an 18-day CR. It 
is not the end of the world. I hope we can find some resolution.
  I am also sympathetic with reference to extension of the debt 
ceiling. I have seen that over the years used as a vehicle for riders. 
I remember managing a debt ceiling when I was chairman of the Finance 
Committee many years ago. We had foreign policy amendments offered and 
adopted by my colleagues on the other side. We had all kinds--I think 
we ended up with 19 amendments on the debt ceiling that we had to take 
to conference with the Ways and Means Committee. And most of it was, of 
course, completely outside the jurisdiction of the Ways and Means 
Committee.
  So, I do not want anybody to misunderstand this has never happened 
when we had Republicans in the White House and a Democratic Congress. 
It has happened. And it probably will happen in the future. Maybe it 
should not happen. Maybe we ought to do something to prevent it from 
happening, but we have not done that yet.
  I think on that basis, since they are, right within 20 yards of here, 
trying to reach some agreement, I hope that we will be permitted to 
stand in recess subject to the call of the Chair. And if we cannot 
reach some agreement--well, if we hear no agreement can be reached, 
then we will have to decide what to do for the rest of the evening. But 
if an agreement can be reached, I hope the House would take it up and 
send it over here tonight and pass it, and then do precisely what the 
Democratic leader wishes to do, and that would be to end the shutdown 
and get people back to work.
  Mr. DASCHLE. Would the distinguished majority leader yield?
  Mr. DOLE. Yes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The distinguished minority leader is 
recognized.
  Mr. DASCHLE. Let me say that I am disappointed that we could not get 
agreement on this resolution. I think the colloquy we have just had, 
Mr. President, demonstrates, regardless of what may have happened in 
the past, why it is so important to have a clean continuing resolution 
so that we can negotiate a balanced budget, so that we can negotiate 
whatever it is we may do with regard to Medicare.
  We recognize that Medicare is going to have to be reformed. But to 
single 

[[Page S 17037]]
out Medicare and tell seniors that they are the ones who are going to 
have to be the first to sacrifice before we come to any other 
conclusion does not make a lot of sense to most Democrats, and that is 
why we object to having it in the continuing resolution. To say that 
somehow we cannot resolve these matters one by one in an overall 
negotiation is to admit failure before we have begun. We are not 
prepared to do that.
  That is why having a continuing resolution that is clean, as we call 
it, is so important, so that we can get the business of negotiation 
underway and do it in a much more comprehensive and meaningful way. 
Sooner or later we are going to have to come to that conclusion. As we 
deliberate, 800,000 Federal employees continue to wonder what will 
happen to them next. Taxpayers pay $150 million a day, according to 
estimates, that is unnecessary. The creditworthiness of the United 
States is being debated. So we are acquiring additional costs. We are 
facing additional uncertainty, simply because we have no continuing 
resolution today.
  That can be avoided, Mr. President. We want a balanced budget. We 
want a date certain by which the budget is balanced. We can negotiate 
that. We can come to some conclusion on all of that. But we have to 
deal with first things first. And the continuing resolution is the 
issue that we have to face if we are going to resolve the short-term 
crisis for so many Federal employees and the taxpayers.
  I have no reservations at all about the continued negotiations that 
are going on right now. I hope that the majority leader might be 
willing to allow us to stay in morning business so that we might 
discuss these and other matters. I know that there are people on our 
side of the aisle who would like very much to have the opportunity to 
debate and discuss some of these issues, and, for that reason, Mr. 
President, I would have to object to going into recess at this time.
  Mr. DOLE addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The distinguished majority leader is 
recognized.
  Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, as the Senator knows, we had a meeting last 
night at the White House. We all agreed when we left there, at least I 
thought we had, that it had been a good meeting, some progress was 
made, and we had not reached an agreement. And I, along with the 
Speaker, went out and dutifully reported that to the press. Then I 
later heard we were getting dumped on about Medicare. Then I watched 
``Nightline,'' and we were getting dumped on about something else.
  Then the President this morning, right after negotiations ended, was 
saying it was all the Republicans' fault. It makes it rather difficult, 
to be very frank about it. I know people want to get up and speak and 
hammer away for another 2 hours. That will not happen. We will have a 
quorum call. I was trying to save from keeping the staff here. But if 
that is the desire of the other side, we will have a quorum call, a 
very slow quorum call, that may take hours.
  But my view is this: I have made the same speech that the Democratic 
leader made when we had Republican Presidents in the White House. I 
never prevailed, but I made the same speech, I made the same request. I 
asked unanimous consent that it be extended. Never got it; but I tried. 
So I am going to commend the Democratic leader for doing what he should 
do. And if he finds out a way to do it, then I missed something when I 
was trying to do the same thing.
  But the bottom line is that, if we cannot work it out--and this is a 
confrontation between a Republican Congress and a Democratic White 
House, and it has been reversed many times. We have stood on the floor 
while things were going back and forth. In fact, we have had Medicare 
proposals on CR's before.
  But I guess if the President wants to protect the rich, those who 
only pay 31.5 percent of their premiums even though they are 
millionaires, that is his prerogative. If he wants to sock somebody to 
pay it who is making $25,000, that is his prerogative. That is his 
prerogative. We are trying to make Medicare fair. I think once the 
American people understand he is talking about part B, part B, which is 
not means tested, and we just keep shoveling money out of general 
revenues, taking somebody's money out there making $25,000 or $30,000 
and paying 68.5 percent of the premium for somebody who might be well 
off, it does not make any sense to me.
  We ought to means test part B premiums. I think everybody agrees. 
Just use the word ``Medicare,'' cut Medicare. Do not tell them that you 
are cutting, because they are going to find out you are not cutting 
anything.
  So I just suggest if the President wants to balance the budget, boy, 
he is right on track. He said balance the budget in 5 years when he was 
running. Since then, he has said balance it in 10, 9, 8, or none of the 
above. So take your pick. He is for 5 years when he is running; he is 
for 10 years when he is thinking about running for reelection; and he 
has been for 9 years, for 8 years, for 7 years, or for never.
  We are going to find out. The President said he wanted to balance the 
budget about 10 times in a press conference. We ought to give him that 
opportunity. We ought to send him a CR, and it ought to say in the CR 
we will balance the budget in 7 years--7 years--the year 2002, using 
updated CBO numbers which he asked us to use in 1993, as I recall, when 
he addressed the joint session of Congress, and then send that to the 
Congress. Then he can have the CR, and he can also tell the American 
people he is serious about a balanced budget amendment.
  But until that time, I do not know how we are going to resolve it, 
unless they can figure out something in the other room, because you 
have a question whether you use the CBO numbers, OMB numbers, whether 
it is going to be 7 years, 8 years, 9 years, 10 years.
  Most Americans do not understand why we are waiting 7 years. They 
think we ought to do it in a year, 2 years, or 3 years. We believe 
seven is the right number. In fact, we will have on the floor, 
hopefully on Friday, a balanced budget called the reconciliation 
package. We call it the Balanced Budget Act of 1995, which does balance 
the budget in 7 years. He will have a clean CR in it. He will have a 
clean debt ceiling in it. It will all go to the President of the United 
States, and he can get everything he talked about this past week: He 
can get a clean debt extension; he can get a clean CR; and he can get a 
balanced budget; and he only has to sign once. One time--not three 
times, but one time--and he gets the whole package.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Brown). The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. In my capacity as a Senator from the State of 
Colorado, I object. The clerk will continue to call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk continued to call the roll.
  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  Mr. GORTON. I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard. The clerk will continue to 
call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk continued to call the roll.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Faircloth). The chair, in his capacity as 
a Senator from North Carolina, objects and the clerk will continue to 
call the roll.
  The legislative clerk continued with the call of the roll.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the quorum call 
be rescinded.
  Mr. HELMS. I must object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from North Carolina objects and 
the clerk will continue to call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Kyl). Without objection, it is so ordered.
  
[[Page S 17038]]


                  MEASURE READ THE FIRST TIME--S. 1410

  Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I understand that S. 1410, introduced 
earlier by Senator Daschle, is at the desk.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator is correct.
  Mr. DOLE. I ask for its first reading.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will read the bill for the first 
time.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 1410) making further continuing appropriations, 
     1996.

  Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I now ask for its second reading, and I 
object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.

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