[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 206 (Thursday, December 21, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S19080]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          THE LEADERSHIP OF SENATOR CHAFEE AND SENATOR BREAUX

  Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I would like for just a moment to single 
out two of my colleagues who, I think, are showing real leadership at a 
time of gridlock in Washington. I want to single out Senator Chafee, 
the Senator from Rhode Island, and Senator Breaux, the Senator from 
Louisiana, who have led our bipartisan effort to put together a budget 
plan that would merge the differences, that would find common ground, 
that would break the gridlock, and that demonstrates that the two sides 
can work together here to achieve a result that is important for the 
country.
  Mr. President, earlier today we were able to hold a news conference 
and indicate that last night we reached agreement between 19 Senators--
10 Republicans and 9 Democrats--on the outlines of a plan to balance 
the budget on a unified basis over 7 years using CBO scoring, and that 
we were able to do it in a way that is fair and balanced.
  Mr. President, I must say I have been very proud to participate in 
this effort because we did it without raised voices, we did it without 
hurling brick bats across the barricades, we did it by sitting 
together, by reasoning together, and by working together to achieve a 
result that is important to the country.
  I think the leadership of Senator Chafee and Senator Breaux should 
serve as an example to others who are negotiating on this budget matter 
because I think our group has blazed the trail showing others how we 
could achieve a result that will get the Government back to working and 
break the gridlock.
  Mr. President, every day in this town there is a news conference that 
puts a spotlight on the differences between the two parties. This was 
the first news conference in many days in this city in which we were 
not talking about differences but we were talking about the ability of 
people of good will on both sides to get together, to reason together, 
and to achieve a breakthrough.
  Mr. President, we just had an opportunity to make a presentation on 
that plan to the negotiators from both sides. I was pleased by the 
reaction.
  I am just hopeful now that in the hours ahead cooler heads will 
prevail and that both sides will understand that to achieve an 
agreement neither side can get precisely what it wants but that we can 
have a principled compromise and one that advances the interests of 
this Nation.
  Mr. President, I want to end as I began by saluting the leadership of 
Senator Chafee and Senator Breaux. It takes courage to compromise.
  Mr. President, as in the words of the ``Liberty Song'' by John 
Dickenson, ``By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall.''
  This is an example of Senators working together to unite, of Senators 
reasoning together to unite, and I hope our colleagues will begin to 
focus on the need for uniting. That is what has made America strong--
pulling together, working together, and uniting in order to achieve a 
result.
  I thank the Chair. I yield the floor.
  Several Senators addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nevada has the floor.
  Mr. MOYNIHAN. Mr. President, will the Senator allow me 30 seconds on 
the subject of Bob Dole?
  Mr. REID. I am happy to yield without losing my right to the floor.

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