[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 204 (Tuesday, December 19, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S18905-S18906]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         UNANIMOUS-CONSENT REQUEST--HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 132

  Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, let me advise there will be no more votes 
today because the weather is lousy out there and the roads are going to 
be difficult if you live in the suburbs. But I would propound a 
unanimous-consent request. I assume there will be an objection, and 
there might be someone, a couple on this side who would like to speak 
briefly.
  Yesterday, the House passed by an overwhelming vote House Joint 
Resolution 132, which relates to balancing the budget, and so forth, 
over 7 years. So I would ask unanimous consent that the Senate now 
proceed to the consideration of House Joint Resolution 132, a 
resolution affirming that budget negotiations be based on the most 
recent technical and economic assumptions of the Congressional Budget 
Office, and shall achieve a balanced budget by fiscal 2002 based on 
those assumptions.
  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, I would 
inquire of the majority leader whether the resolution includes all of 
the priorities that we listed in the continuing resolution which passed 
about 3 weeks ago?
  Mr. President, it is my understanding that the priorities that were 
listed in the continuing resolution are not included in this specific 
draft, and because they are not we would be compelled to object at this 
time. I hope that perhaps we could work out some language that would 
include those priorities, and then there would be no objection on this 
side.
  Mr. DOLE. I thank the Democratic leader.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  Mr. DOLE. I think we can work it out because we have already passed 
those priorities once, talking about veterans, Medicare, agriculture. 
There are I think six or seven. So let us see what we can do, or if the 
minority would like to propose an amendment, we could modify it. I 
think there are some who would like to speak even though there has been 
objection, if that is satisfactory.
  Mr. DASCHLE. Sure.
  Mr. DOLE. Let me indicate to my colleagues who are in the Chamber and 
those who may be in their offices that we have had, as I have said 
earlier, a very constructive discussion with the President and Vice 
President and Chief of Staff with reference to achieving a balanced 
budget over the next 7 years. There will be a meeting going on tonight 
with Mr. Panetta, Senator Domenici, Congressman Kasich, and others, and 
then, depending on what happens in that agreement, there may be another 
agreement of the principals either tomorrow morning or early afternoon, 
depending on everyone's schedule.
  I think it is fair to say that at least I am optimistic about getting 
something done here that will satisfy a great majority of Americans and 
probably most people on both sides of the aisle--not everyone but most 
of my colleagues on each side of the aisle. There are certainly areas 
of difference, and we will not go into those at this time, but I think 
there was an agreement that there are at least five or six or seven 
categories where the leaders are going to have to be directly involved 
and the President is going to be directly involved, and he has agreed 
to be directly involved.
  We hope to give you more detailed information as soon as it is 
available and as soon as we have something that we can really say this 
is it; we are serious; we are going to go to work; we are going to stay 
here today, tomorrow, whatever. It is our hope--and we have not worked 
out the schedule because I know some have some difficulties with it, 
but hopefully if we have, if we put it together tomorrow morning, then 
there will be a CR passed that would extend at least until December 27 
or December 28 and perhaps an adjournment resolution to extend from 
this Friday until December 27.
  We have not worked out those details. But in any event, I think the 
important point I should make is that I really believe we are going to 
start the process.
  Now, will we finish the process and when will we finish the process? 
We would like to say we could put together the framework this year, by 
the end of the year, and then take some days for drafting, come back a 
couple days in January and finish the product. Some would like to do it 
all before New Year's Eve. I am not certain that is possible. But in 
any event, I think there is reason for optimism, bipartisan optimism 
and I hope it continues.
  Mr. DASCHLE addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Democratic leader.
  Mr. DASCHLE. I share the views expressed by the majority leader. I 
think there is reason for optimism tonight. I think the meetings held 
at the White House have been very productive. The President has 
committed to become personally involved in these negotiations. With a 
good-faith effort on both sides, there is renewed hope that we can 
reach an agreement. As the majority leader said, I do not know that 
there is any timeframe within which we can realistically reach that 
agreement tonight. We certainly know that these are difficult issues.
  We agreed to reach an agreement in three areas. First, on the 
continuing resolution; second, on the schedule; and third, on the 
framework within which these negotiations would take place.
  Leon Panetta will be talking with our Budget Committee people on both 
sides to discuss all three of those and hopefully reach an agreement 
sometime tomorrow, which then would allow us to go to our caucuses to 
discuss in detail what that agreement may entail. But there is no 
agreement tonight. There is simply an agreement to work out in three 
areas what that agreement might look like. If we can reach that 
tomorrow morning, I hope our caucuses could be informed and we will 
begin to go to work. But I again share the optimism expressed by the 
majority leader, and hopefully it will lead to even more optimistic 
developments in the days ahead. With that, I yield the floor.
  Mr. HARKIN addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Iowa.
  
[[Page S18906]]


                      PAYMENT OF FEDERAL EMPLOYEES

  Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, here we are now in the fourth day of 
another Government shutdown.
  I do not know how many more days it is going to go on. I hope there 
is some reason for optimism. But I want to point out, once again, as I 
have with the Senator from California, that over 200,000 Federal 
employees are not at work and, as a matter of fact, no Federal 
employees are getting paid for these 4 days. Right before the holiday 
season, right before Christmas, Federal workers all over this country 
are unsure of just how much money they are going to be paid or when 
they are going to be paid.
  This is grossly unfair, Mr. President, grossly unfair that Congress 
would act so cavalierly toward decent, hard-working people. I know it 
is fun to point fingers at bureaucrats and that type of thing, but just 
keep in mind, many of those Federal workers who are now not being paid 
are the same Federal workers, or the same type of Federal workers, who 
were killed in the Oklahoma City bomb blast--our hearts went out to 
them--people doing their job, working for their country, doing the best 
they can to make sure our Government operates fairly and justly and in 
the best interest of our people. And yet now, right before Christmas, 
they are told, ``We don't know if we can pay you.'' Some are told to go 
home, not come to work. But what is so grossly unfair about this, Mr. 
President, is that Members of Congress who caused this whole thing are 
getting paid. Senators continue to get paid. Members of the House 
continue to get paid.
  Earlier this year, one of the first bills that we passed was the 
Congressional Accountability Act. As a matter of fact, here is the so-
called Contract With America that Members of the House of 
Representatives put out. The first item in that Contract With America 
says: ``It requires all laws that apply to the rest of the country also 
apply equally to Congress.''
  That was the first bill we picked up this year, and we passed it. I 
happen to have supported it. I thought it was long past time when 
Members of Congress should be covered by the same laws that apply to 
the people around the country. But the country found out during last 
month's partial Government shutdown that when it comes to paychecks, 
Congress gets special treatment. Congress is not covered by the same 
laws as other Federal workers. They do not get their pay, but Congress 
continues to get its pay during periods of shutdown.
  We have passed three times this year a no-budget/no-pay bill or 
amendments that say if Congress shuts down, Members of Congress do not 
get paid or that we get treated exactly like the most adversely 
affected Federal worker.
  It has been passed three times, but what happened? It just sort of 
got lost when it went to conference. In fact, I am told that the no-
budget/no-pay amendment which was attached to the ICC bill was dropped 
in conference--just dropped in conference. It is still a part of the 
D.C. appropriations bill that is now languishing in the House. Let us 
see if the House has the courage to live up to its own Contract With 
America to make the laws that apply to Federal workers also apply to 
Congress, so that in periods of shutdown, Members of Congress will be 
hit in the pocketbook just as well as other Federal workers.

  I have heard from my constituents. I know that people around the 
country have now been alerted to this, and they know we are getting 
treated differently. What difference does it make to the Speaker of the 
House if the Government shuts down? He gets his paycheck. What 
difference does it make to anyone in this body or the House? It does 
not make any difference. If the Government shuts down, Congressmen and 
Senators still get their pay.
  So for those of us in the Congress, we do not have to worry about 
making the house payment or the car payment or buying presents for the 
kids, because we know that paycheck is going to be there. But for over 
200,000 Federal workers, many of whom live in Virginia and Maryland, 
many of whom live in my State of Iowa and across this land, they do not 
know.
  I saw an interview on television last night with some of these 
Federal workers. One after the other was saying, ``We just don't know 
what kind of Christmas it is going to be. We don't know whether to buy 
presents or not because we don't know when and if we are going to get 
paid, we don't know when and if we are going to go back to work.''
  What a terrible thing to do to people. It is unconscionable that we 
would allow this to happen. I, for one, think we should have gone on a 
continuing resolution until January or February, keep these people on 
the job and let us work out this budget arrangement. Let the people go 
to work, but at least have enough decency and kindness and compassion 
that Federal workers can at least enjoy their Christmas. That is, 
unless you just absolutely do not care about them. Maybe there are some 
who do not care. But I care about them. I care very much about them, 
because they are doing a good job for our country in carrying out the 
mandates of Congress and this Government, and it is not right that we 
treat them differently than we treat ourselves.
  So we should have no exemptions for Congress, no special deals. We 
should say that we are like the most adversely affected Federal worker. 
If we have a Government shutdown, Members of Congress and the Senate 
should not get their paycheck.

  So, Mr. President, I will speak about it again tomorrow and every day 
that the Government remains shut down, pointing out the unfairness of 
it. I just hope that the House of Representatives will finish their 
work on the District of Columbia appropriations bill. We will see if 
they have the guts to leave on the no-budget/no-pay amendment that was 
adopted in the Senate. Send it to conference and let us get it acted on 
once and for all. I daresay, if Members of the House and the Senate 
were treated like the most adversely affected Federal worker, I just 
wonder how many days we would shut down the Government. I bet the 
number would approach zero.
  So, Mr. President, I think it is time Members of the House and Senate 
be treated just like other Federal workers. With that, I yield the 
floor.
  Mrs. HUTCHISON addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Texas.

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