[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 214 (Tuesday, January 2, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S19332-S19333]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        A CONTINUING RESOLUTION

  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, before my distinguished colleague from 
Virginia leaves the floor, I wish to express my appreciation to him for 
the references he made about me while I was the Presiding Officer. I 
know that my fellow Senator from Virginia has worked very diligently on 
the question of trying to resolve this budget impasse.
  But, Mr. President, I would also like to suggest in his very careful 
comments about the Federal employees, which I do share, we should also 
bring to the attention of the Senate the severe suffering that has been 
placed upon the Nation's Capital, the Greater Metropolitan Washington 
area, composed of the District of Columbia, Virginia, and Maryland, 
because this area not only houses the Federal Government in large 
measure, but it also houses so many of the private organizations and 
institutions that have, as a consequence of this shutdown, been closed. 
That is bringing about a severe financial crisis here in the Nation's 
Capital because, as my distinguished colleague knows, tourism is one of 
the major sources of income in this region. The Commonwealth of 
Virginia, together with Maryland, provides the facilities for so many 
of these tourists to stay for whatever period, overnight, or, hopefully 
several days. It provides the meals and quality of life. That industry 
is virtually at a standstill.
  So the distinguished colleague of mine from Virginia, and I, together 
with those colleagues from Maryland, have a very special desire to see 
that the Government returns to work.
  Mr. ROBB. Mr. President, I ask my distinguished senior colleague to 
yield for a comment?
  Mr. WARNER. Yes, I yield.
  Mr. ROBB. Let me join with my colleague and say I fully understand 
the point he was making. Indeed, perhaps less eloquently, I tried to 
make the same point. But it is not just in the Nation's Capital. It is 
not just in our Commonwealth of Virginia. I think people would expect 
it of us, representing a disproportionate number of those who are 
directly affected, but it is all over this country and indeed all over 
the world in terms of Federal employees and people who depend on the 
Federal Government. Many of those small businesses, people who depend 
on the national parks and other facilities for their living, when those 
parks are shut down, when those visitor attractions are shut down all 
over this country, small business men and women who make their living 
being accessible to 

[[Page S19333]]
those who come to those institutions are going through the same kind of 
a shutdown. They do not have any guarantee. Indeed, they are not going 
to be paid back whatever they lose after the shutdown is over. That is 
why this makes so little sense.
  If everybody who has been laid off or furloughed in this process is 
going to be ultimately made whole, it is an enormous waste of taxpayer 
dollars. But those individuals after the inconvenience and the trauma, 
in many cases, of not being able to pay their bills on time, are going 
to be made whole. Many others, who are directly related to those, are 
not going to be made whole. The impact is a little bit like a cancer. 
It is corrosive and it continues. And I thank my senior colleague for 
yielding on that particular point. It is clearly important to those of 
us who represent the States contiguous to our Nation's Capital, but 
it affects everyone throughout this country and many, many small 
businesses and others who are simply not on anybody's radar screen are 
wondering right now whether or not they are going to make it.

  With that I thank the Chair and I yield.
  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I thank again my distinguished junior 
colleague. A day or so ago, as a matter of fact I think it was on 
Saturday, the distinguished majority leader, Mr. Dole, together with 
others, passed legislation here in the Senate to enable the military to 
receive their pay raise, which was in the defense authorization bill. 
My distinguished colleague and I, since we both serve on the Armed 
Services Committee together with the Presiding Officer, the Senator 
from Idaho, recognize that there was at least some recognition of the 
urgency to move on with this.
  I would like to add also, Mr. President, I thank the distinguished 
Senator from North Dakota, Mr. Dorgan, for his kind remarks about the 
majority leader today, Senator Dole. Indeed, the leadership of the 
Senate, I think, has been working diligently to bring this impasse to 
resolve.
  I am very pleased to hear this morning, by and large, constructive 
comments about this problem. I think it is not in the interests of the 
Senate, indeed the Congress as a whole, to have a blame game going on, 
sort of passing the football back and forth to each other as to who is 
at fault. It seems to me certainly America saw this weekend, over a 
period of 72 hours, enough football, some 12 magnificent games played 
across our Nation. I think it is time for the Congress to recognize 
maybe we better put the football of blame on the 50-yard-line and blow 
a timeout so the President, together with the distinguished majority 
leader, Mr. Dole, and others can work with the leadership of this 
institution, the Congress of the United States, again, today, to try to 
resolve this problem.
  I am going to be joining with the distinguished majority leader, Mr. 
Dole, on a continuing resolution which I hope will be offered at the 
earliest opportunity, and that will provide the restoration of the pay 
and full benefits for a period of time here, into January, such that 
these negotiations can continue.
  Mr. SARBANES. Will the Senator yield on that point?
  Mr. WARNER. Yes, Mr. President, without yielding the floor.
  Mr. SARBANES. I commend the Senator from Virginia for that statement. 
I know how hard he has been working at this issue. I think it is very 
important that we pass a clean continuing resolution.
  People should be put back to work and they should be paid. If you 
bring them in but do not pay them, you still are creating a financial 
crisis in their lives. I know the Senator is most sensitive to what 
people are going through and I appreciate his efforts.
  Mr. WARNER. I thank the Senator from Maryland. We have worked 
together these many years in this Chamber on behalf of the Greater 
Metropolitan Washington area. I listened very carefully, as I was 
privileged to preside this morning, to his comments, and particularly 
the reference to the hardship being thrust upon the innocent persons, 
some 500,000 who are basically working without pay, and another 260,000 
remaining at home, in all close to 800,000 individuals. They are indeed 
hostages. I am hopeful with this CR we can stop that at the earliest 
possible time and restore them to work. And, in a sense, restore 
America's confidence in the ability of the Congress of the United 
States to work with the President to resolve such problems.
  No Senator feels more strongly about the balanced budget and the 7-
year stipulated timeframe within which to resolve this problem than the 
Senator from Virginia. Indeed, I would say both Senators from Virginia 
have stood steadfast on that principle.
  As my colleague from Maryland stated this morning, and, indeed the 
Senator from Virginia, who has taken a very active role in negotiations 
with a group of Senators over here on, should we say, a third 
proposal--neither the President's nor that being pursued primarily by 
the leadership of the House and Senate--this third proposal, all of 
those have to be melded together to see what we can do.

  With the majority of both the House and the Senate under the control 
of the Republican Party, America put that power into the hands of the 
Republicans, such that we have the responsibility to redirect, in a 
major way, the course on which this Nation has been embarked for so 
many years, and such a tragic deficit that is being rolled up each year 
together with a mounting national debt now at some $5 trillion.
  I commend my colleagues who are working on this situation. I am very 
hopeful we can resolve it here in the near future and that, today, we 
can pass, or at the earliest tomorrow, given that the House of 
Representatives, as I understand it, although subject to call is not in 
session today--that we can put a stop to the question of the Federal 
employees.
  Mr. President, I see on the floor the distinguished Senator from 
Alaska who, likewise, has been a tower of strength with respect to the 
Federal employees all through these many years that I have been 
privileged to serve with him in the Senate.
  Therefore, I ask, at the request of the majority leader, unanimous 
consent that the Senate stand in recess subject to the call of the 
Chair, following a period for the remarks by the distinguished senior 
Senator from Alaska.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The Senator from Alaska is recognized.

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