[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 202 (Sunday, December 17, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S18788-S18790]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   UNANIMOUS-CONSENT REQUEST--S. 1410

  Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
now proceed to the consideration of calendar No. 240, S. 1410, a clean 
continuing appropriations bill, that the bill be read a third time and 
passed, as amended, with the date changed until December 22, and with 
language that will permit the expenditures of funds for low-income 
energy assistance.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I object.
  Let me indicate, of course, that the appropriations bill originates 
in the House. This does not have any standing in any event, but it 
would have standing if done in the way I prescribed because it would be 
attached to the bill. It would go to the House.
  I want to make the record very clear because I think sometimes people 
fail to understand why certain things happen. The Labor-HHS 
appropriations was reported, and it has been on the Senate calendar 
since September 15. Senator Hatfield, chairman of the Appropriations 
Committee, has been prepared every day since that time--along with 
Senator Specter, chairman of the subcommittee--prepared to bring that 
bill to the floor, and so has, I might add, the Senator from Iowa, 
Senator Harkin, the ranking Democrat on the subcommittee. The 
leadership on the Democratic side, because of striker replacement--in 
other words, if we repeal the President's Executive order--will not let 
us bring the bill up. They are not willing to take their chances in a 
debate and are not willing to try to strike that provision on the 
Senate floor. So we have been stymied.
  So I would say to all of the people at the Labor Department, Mr. 
Reich, Secretary of Labor, and the Secretary of HHS, and others who are 
nonessential--they are not nonessential--but the nonessential workers 
who will not be going to work tomorrow, to just take a look at the 
record--do not listen to the press--and take a look at the facts. The 
facts are that since September 15 that bill has been on the calendar. 
We have tried to get it up three or four times by unanimous consent. 
That has been objected to by my colleagues on the other side.
  We have had two cloture votes. We failed on cloture votes because of 
striker replacement. We failed along party-line votes. We only have 53 
Republicans. We need 60 to shut off debate, and we will have another 
cloture vote on Tuesday.
  So what I suggest--and we want to keep the Government open until the 
22--is to bring that bill up, pass it by unanimous consent, and add a 
5-day additional continuing resolution to it so the Government will be 
open until December 22, which will be next Friday at midnight.
  It seemed to me that was a good way to dispose of two items that are 
still here that should have been disposed of weeks and weeks and weeks 
ago. And I regret that because of one provision, because of the 
President's allegiance to the organized labor leaders--not the working 
people--because of his allegiance to the labor leaders and all the 
money they pump into the Democratic Party, that because of this one 
little provision that deals only with an Executive order made by the 
President, we are going to keep 150,000 workers from their jobs 
tomorrow and maybe the rest of the week and a lot of other things, 
funding for NIH, a lot of other programs, including the Low-Energy 
Assistance Program in the Labor, HHS appropriations bill.
  So the public ought to know that when the labor leaders speak, my 
colleagues listen. They will not let this bill come up because the 
labor leaders are opposed to one provision--one provision. I know it is 
difficult for the media to print the facts and report the facts, but 
these are the facts. Do not 

[[Page S18789]]
take my word for it. It is all in the Congressional Record.
  Where is the calendar that will show how long it has been on it, to 
make certain I have it right? I think it is September 15.
  Reported by the committee September 15. So it has been around 
September to October, October to November, November to December. It has 
been around 3 months, 90-some days, and we cannot pass it because my 
colleagues on the other side will not let us pass it because of one 
provision--one provision and we could have opened up the Government. 
The Speaker said if we would get consent to do this, he would try to 
pass it tomorrow. So we have made an effort again, I hope in good 
faith. We tried before to bring this bill up.
  Let me also include in the Record, because I know I read today in the 
Washington Post how the tourists were frustrated and there may be some 
in the--the zoo is closed but the Senate is open. That ought to tell 
you something. I know what it tells you. But we are here. The bears are 
resting. In any event, maybe it ought to be the other way around. Close 
this up and open the zoo. If you cannot get into the zoo, this may be 
the next best choice.
  We wrote the President yesterday. We suggested to the President that 
he ought to sign the three bills that have been on his desk--Commerce, 
Justice, State, the Judiciary, which employs 194,000 Federal workers; 
the Interior bill, which employs 103,800 workers; and the VA-HUD bill, 
which employs 293,000 workers.

  Now, that is a total of 620,900 workers. All these bills have been on 
the President's desk. With all the stories today about the parks being 
closed and people came all the way here, it is an unfortunate thing 
that they came back here to see certain sights and participate in some 
of the holiday period festivities and all the buildings are closed.
  The President can take care of that with a stroke of the pen. He can 
do it right now. It is a little late for the weekend. But they would be 
open tomorrow morning.
  The bill is there, Mr. President. All you have to do is sign it, sign 
the other bills, and a lot of people will go back to work.
  So, again, I would like to include in the Record the list of the 
bills. If he would sign these bills, it covers the following agencies: 
Justice, Commerce, the Judiciary, State, Small Business, USIA, the 
Interior, Indian Health, Forestry, Energy, NASA, National Science 
Foundation, Veterans, Housing and Urban Development, EPA. In all these 
different agencies, people would be back to work, and we think that is 
important. So I would like to include that information along with a 
copy of the letter that the Speaker and I sent to the President 
yesterday indicating that we hoped that he would sign those bills.
  We also advised the President we could pass the DC appropriations 
bill tomorrow evening. We hope we can get consent to deem that passed 
in the Senate after it passes the House. And we also suggested to the 
President, I might add, the Labor, HHS bill and pointed out to the 
President that we have made repeated efforts to bring up the Labor, 
Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill but the 
Senate Democrats have prevented the bill from moving forward. We asked 
for the President's help. We asked him yesterday to help us get the 
bill passed so that we can send it to him for his consideration and 
another 150,000 workers could continue working. So I ask unanimous 
consent that those be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                                                U.S. Congress,

                                Washington, DC, December 16, 1995.
     The President,
     The White House,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. President: The best way to avoid sending federal 
     workers home from work on Monday morning, December 18, is for 
     you to sign the appropriations bills that Congress has 
     already sent to you. You have on your desk right now three 
     bills that would allow 620,000 workers to remain on the job. 
     We urge you to sign those bills before Monday. You can keep 
     them on the job with a stroke of your pen.
       The Interior Appropriations bill would let 133,800 workers 
     remain on the job. The Veterans Affairs, HUD, and Independent 
     Agencies bill would keep 293,000 employees on the job. And 
     the Commerce, Justice, State, Judiciary bill would let 
     194,000 workers stay on the job. You should approve those 
     three bills for the sake of those federal workers and to fund 
     the federal programs included in those bills for the rest of 
     the fiscal year.
       We also hope on Monday to deliver to you the appropriations 
     bill for the District of Columbia so that the D.C. Government 
     can continue to operate.
       Since September 15, we have made repeated efforts to bring 
     up the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education 
     Appropriations bill for consideration on the Senate Floor, 
     but Senate Democrats have prevented that bill from moving 
     forward. We ask for your help with members of your party so 
     that we can move that bill to you for your consideration. 
     Upon your approval, another 150,000 workers could continue 
     working.
       Your prompt approval of the remaining appropriations bills 
     is in the best interest of the Nation and will ensure 
     continued operation of the government.
           Sincerely,
     Bob Dole,
       Senate Majority Leader.
     Newt Gingrich,
       Speaker of the House.
                                  ____


                   Bills Awaiting Clinton's Signature

                     What's Shut Down If He Vetoes


                  Departments (major related functions)

     Commerce:
       (National Oceanic & Atmospheric Admin.)
       (Maritime Administration)
       (Federal Communications Commission)
       (Small Business Administration)
       (National Weather Service)
     Justice:
       (Federal Bureau of Investigation)
       (Drug Enforcement Administration)
       (Immigration & Naturalization)
       (Federal Prisons)
     State
     Veterans
     Interior:
       (Forest Service)
       (Indian Health Service)
       (Smithsonian)
     Housing & Urban Development


                           Independent Agencies

     Consumer Product Safety Commission
     Environmental Protection
     Federal Emergency Management
     National Aeronautics & Space
     National Science Foundation

                  The Ball's in the President's Court

       The following bills have been sent or are on their way to 
     the President's desk. If the President signs these bills, the 
     following employees can head back to work.

Commerce, Justice, State, Judiciary:
Justice.........................................................102,000
Commerce.........................................................25,000
Judiciary........................................................28,000
State............................................................25,000
SBA...............................................................5,800
                                                             __________

USIA..............................................................8,000
                                                               ==========
_______________________________________________________________________

    Total.......................................................194,000
Interior:
Interior.........................................................76,000
Indian Health....................................................15,500
Forest...........................................................38,000
Energy............................................................2,300
Misc..............................................................2,000
                                                             __________

    Total.......................................................133,800
                                                               ==========
_______________________________________________________________________

VA-HUD:
NASA.............................................................20,000
Nat'l Science Found...............................................2,000
Veterans........................................................240,000
HUD..............................................................11,000
EPA/misc.........................................................20,000
                                                             __________

    Total.......................................................293,000
                                                               ==========
_______________________________________________________________________

    Overall total...............................................620,900

  Mr. DOLE. Tomorrow, if we can renew our request, maybe by that time, 
if we have some word, if we could do this tomorrow morning, we could 
still get it over to the House; they could still act tomorrow. And 
again it would extend the Government to December 22, the partial 
shutdown would be lifted until December 22. Perhaps at that time there 
could be some agreement on the budget.
  Mr. DORGAN addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from North Dakota.
  Mr. DORGAN. I understand why the majority leader characterized the 
circumstances of the shutdown in the appropriations bills, but I would 
say to him that it is not the lack of passing the Labor, HHS bill that 
will cause a shutdown tomorrow morning. It is the lack of passing a 
clean CR for 5 days. We could pass a clean CR and in 30 minutes the 
Government shutdown will end, and that is what we ought to be doing.
  For those who listen to this process and watch this process, they 
ought to understand what is at work with respect to an appropriations 
bill that the majority leader described in some detail. There is a 
discussion about the process in the system here in Congress where 
somebody sticks something on a piece of legislation that has nothing at 
all to do with the legislation. It has no relationship at all. And then 
it just moves along.
  Well, some people objected to that on the Labor, HHS bill, a 
provision that has nothing at all to do with that bill. If it were 
taken off, it would pass very quickly. But because it was not taken 
off, that piece of legislation is not advanced. But it seems to me, at 
6 o'clock on Sunday evening, the question of whether the Government 
will be shut down tomorrow is a question that can be answered 
affirmatively in terms of our intent to keep it open by passing a 5-day 
continuing resolution. 

[[Page S18790]]

  Whether it originates here or in the House is irrelevant to me. What 
is relevant is that it does originate. I hope that one body or the 
other would originate a continuing resolution to say let us not hold 
anybody hostage, let us not make anybody pay a price at this point for 
our failure. Let us continue to negotiate around the clock and let us 
not have the Government shut down while these negotiations continue.
  I know that the Democrats were meeting today in the Capitol. I was a 
part of those meetings most of the day. I am sure that Republicans were 
meeting in the Capitol. I hope that people of good will on both sides 
want to find a way to solve this problem. The American people expect 
this problem to be solved. But the failure to provide a CR for a very 
short time and to have a Government shutdown remain in effect tomorrow 
morning is, in my judgment, an approach that simply penalizes both the 
American taxpayers and also Federal workers. I guess I hope that the 
way we would decide the issue at 6 o'clock on Sunday night is to pass a 
continuing resolution without clauses and without conditions--just do 
it, get the Government up, operating and open for the American people, 
and then let us in the next day or two or three or four solve this 
problem of the balanced budget with the right priorities and do it for 
our country. That is what I hope the majority leader will consent to. 
And if he does not consent now, I hope that one way or the other very 
soon we will find a way to consent to a clean 5-day CR to avoid the 
continuation of the Government shutdown.
  Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I am not a shutdown advocate. I think the 
Senator knows that I am not one of those who advocates it. I think the 
Federal workers become pawns in this exercise, which is not fair to 
them. And I have held that view. They are sort of caught in the middle. 
It is a very, very difficult issue that we are trying to bring 
together. The American people want us to balance the budget. They have 
wanted us to do that for a long time. They want a balanced budget 
amendment. We failed by one vote in the Senate.
   They want a 7-year--I think they would rather have a quicker one, 
but a 7-year balanced budget makes a lot of sense to many Americans 
because they see their interest rates lowering when they go out to buy 
a car or home loan or student loan. It will be much less expensive. It 
is like a tax cut for particularly middle-class Americans.
  So the American people are on the side of a balanced budget. They 
want welfare reform. They want us to preserve and strengthen Medicare. 
I think most Americans with children want tax cuts for families with 
children.
  So there are a number of very important matters that we need to 
resolve. We are not going to do it here this evening, obviously. But I 
say again, it seems to me that if people look at the record--and 
understand that this Labor-HHS bill, striker replacement, affects 
labor. It is on an appropriations bill, but it certainly is not the 
first time. I bet there are a dozen other measures on that bill that 
probably should be in an authorization bill.
  But in any event, there has been an objection. I regret there has 
been an objection. We could have sent it to the House where they could 
have taken it up tomorrow and maybe removed the partial shutdown.
  I have just been notified that Mr. Panetta, the chief of staff of the 
White House, indicates that the President will call Republican leaders 
tomorrow and apparently discuss a temporary spending authority bill. I 
hope that in addition to that, the President would discuss, how do we 
resolve the dilemma, how do we get together a balanced budget for 7 
years?
  Again, I think it is time for adult leadership. It is time for the 
principals to be principals. We are prepared to do that. This is not an 
exercise that we want to take up through the rest of this week and all 
next week. But if necessary, I think the American people, once it is 
done and once they see the benefits, will thank us for staying here and 
getting our work done. That is what we get paid for.

                          ____________________