[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 1 (Wednesday, January 3, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5-S7]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               THE BUDGET

  Mr. WARNER. Now, Mr. President, I would like to make reference again 
to the problems here. They are all well 

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known to Members of the Senate, particularly those of us who have been 
here the last few days as the Senate and the House began to resume 
activities.
  We are still hopefully waiting for the President's budget message 
showing us the balanced budget. We are at an impasse because we do not 
have an agreed-upon budget, but a 7-year balanced budget with the 
Congressional Budget Office numbers seems to be agreed upon by both the 
President and the leadership of Congress. So I am hopeful that will be 
forthcoming.
  I think the American people are looking to the Congress now for 
leadership. I again commend the leadership of the Senate and many 
others who are participating.
  I hope--and I say this with a long pause--but I hope that the same 
leadership can come from the Speaker of the House and others to realize 
today the need to pass a continuing resolution for these employees 
governmentwide. In addition, we have a crisis here in the Nation's 
Capital, the District of Columbia. That also requires a continuing 
resolution which I hope will be acted upon favorably today.
  But the Federal Managers Association newsletter which arrived in the 
Senate offices this morning graphically portrays the ripple effect of 
this problem. I am reading from a paragraph of that letter.

       Social Security Administration: On a normal day the SSA's 
     1-800 telephone number receives about 250,000 calls. Today, 
     the SSA expects to receive 2 million calls.

  I repeat, Mr. President: 2 million calls.
  Managing this task is that volunteer group of Federal employees who 
are coming to work without pay.
  It is interesting, but tragic to note, that a number of the managers, 
the senior executives of the Social Security Administration, and indeed 
the Veterans' Administration, are making loans from their own budgets 
to some of the lower paid employees to enable them just to meet 
transportation costs to come in, and to work with this volunteer group.
  Some of the lower paid Social Security Administration workers are 
telling their managers they can no longer afford transportation costs 
to get to work to answer the 2 million calls.
  I wish to commend the can do spirit that is prevailing throughout the 
Federal Government to try to provide these services to needy people.
  Back to the Veterans' Administration.
  They are caring for those who serve this Nation in the time of our 
greatest need. And now the managers again are working with the lower 
paid employees, the local banks, guaranteeing loans to secure the 
needed funds just to get these employees over this period which I hope 
will come to a conclusion today. And from my own State the switchboard 
is off the hook. We are there in my office together with other Senate 
offices taking these calls. I wish to pay special tribute to those in 
my office, Anna and Patty and Todd and Doreen, all of whom have been by 
the phones throughout the day and well into the evening to take calls 
such as the following:

       My name is Brian Rothermel, a heart transplant recipient. I 
     am a member of a 7-person team from the United States 
     scheduled to go to France to participate in the ``2nd Winter 
     World Heart Transplant Games'' along with participants from 
     38 other countries. I have been unable to get my passport due 
     to the Government shutdown. My flight is to leave out of New 
     York on a chartered trip to France on January 5. Please give 
     me help.

  From the Handicapped Placement Service--this is a volunteer 
organization which helps handicapped persons obtain jobs and work in 
the Federal Government--dated December 28:

       Dear Senator: Many of our employees are being hammered by 
     the budget impasse. Because our employees are contract staff 
     rather than Federal employees, they received no wages during 
     the last furlough. The impact from that stoppage was over 
     $11,000 in wages lost to our employees. As you know, over 80 
     percent of our employees are people with disabilities and 
     most cannot afford lost wages.

  This story goes on and on, Mr. President. I ask unanimous consent 
that I may have printed in today's Record other communications from 
people seeking help from my office as well as other Senate offices.
  There being no objection, the letters were ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                              Fairfax Opportunities Unlimited,

                                                December 28, 1995.
     Hon. John W. Warner,
     Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Warner: Many of our employees are being 
     hammered by the budget impasse. Because our employees are 
     contract staff rather than Federal employees, they received 
     no wages during the last furlough. The impact from that 
     stoppage was over $11,000 in wages to our employees.
       As you know, over 80% of our employees are people with 
     disabilities and most cannot afford to lose wages. They are 
     not paid at the same level of pay and benefits as Federal 
     employees, and so the impact is very real and significant. 
     Our organization, as a non-profit, is obviously not in a 
     position to be able to protect people financially as the 
     impasse drags on.
       We currently have people out of work at EPA, FBI, Commerce, 
     and GSA and we received notification yesterday that 10 people 
     at a second EPA site are being sent home today. The impact 
     for all of these folks is potentially far greater than the 
     first shutdown (which affected more people but was resolved 
     relatively quickly).
       I know that you and other members of our Northern Virginia 
     delegation have been very active in protecting the interests 
     of our local Federal employees. If there is any way that 
     contractor staff, most of whom are at greater financial risk 
     because of wage and benefit differentials, can be protected 
     in this round of reviews, please help make that happen. In 
     any case, anything that can help speed resolution of the 
     current differences will help minimize the significant 
     financial losses that our employees are in the midst of 
     trying to cope with.
       Thanks so much and a happy new year!
           Sincerely,
                                                  Janet Samuelson,
     President.
                                                                    ____

                                                  January 2, 1996.
       Dear Senator Warner: We are two federal employees who 
     believe in the Republican values of individual 
     responsibility, family responsibility, and service to 
     country. Accordingly, one and five years ago respectively, we 
     left lucrative private employment to return to federal 
     service. We have a home, just completed putting one daughter 
     through college, and now have two attending college. This 
     week a mortgage and two sets of tuition, room and board, and 
     textbook bills had to be paid. In short, we gladly go in each 
     weekday to work hard in federal service, then return each 
     night to family life with its rewards, responsibilities and 
     financial obligations.
       In the private sector it was a given that one's employment 
     and financial welfare were directly related to performance 
     and output: work hard and produce, and you are rewarded. In 
     the federal workforce, however, we are reliant on the 
     President and Congress for our employment and financial 
     compensation. We depend on you and your colleagues. 
     Consequently, we ask you to stop the shutdown and allow us to 
     go back to work with pay.
       We believe a balanced budget is important for the country, 
     but we believe reasonable people can accomplish this and 
     allow the government to work at the same time. In the next 
     pay period, we will embark on serious financial problems 
     through no fault of our own. We hold the President and 
     Congress responsible and we ask you to put us back to work 
     now. Anything else will undoubtedly result in an anti-
     incumbent bias within the federal workforce, regardless of 
     past party affiliation.
                                    Vern and Mary Ann Bettencourt,
     Burke, VA.
                                                                    ____

                                  Yorktown, VA, December 29, 1995.
       Dear Senator Warner: I am writing you to express my concern 
     with what is happening or not happening in the Congress 
     concerning passage of the federal budget. First, let me state 
     that I agree with trying to balance our budget. It has gone 
     for too many years in the red and something should have been 
     done years ago! Get rid of unnecessary costs, and there 
     appear to be many, but keep what is necessary to keep our 
     country the great nation it has become.
       Next, I'll let you know that I have been employed for 
     twenty years by the federal government as a medical 
     technologist either with the Department of Defense or 
     currently with the Veterans Administration. I have always 
     been proud to serve our military and now our veterans. 
     However, it is a disgrace to our country the behavior of 
     those in power in Congress. It has been difficult working 
     under the conditions you expect us to work under, not knowing 
     whether there is money to order necessary supplies to cover 
     testing for our veterans. Now, I have learned that we will 
     not be paid for one of the weeks we have already worked!! I 
     will continue to work until it is necessary because of 
     financial constraints to seek employment elsewhere. I was not 
     furloughed, I worked. The ones who were furloughed should be 
     allowed to take their leave, not cost the government more 
     money by being granted authorized absence as occurred 
     previously. This nonsense occurring in Congress is supposedly 
     for my best interests! I wish you could witness the havoc 
     occurring in the time keeping departments and payroll at the 
     Veterans Administration, not to mention other federal 
     agencies. How many millions of dollars are being wasted 
     because of furloughs and shut downs? 
     
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       I urge you and other Congressmen to settle this dispute 
     about our budget. Do what is best for our country, pass a 
     balanced budget, but do it promptly!
           Sincerely,
     Cecelia J. Genge.
                                                                    ____

                                                   Alexandria, VA.
       My name is Brian Rothermel, a heart transplant recipient. I 
     am a member on a seven person team from the U.S. going to 
     France to participate in the ``2nd Winter World Transplant 
     Games'' along with participants from 38 other countries.
       I have been unable to get my passport due to the Government 
     shutdown. My flight is to leave out of New York on a 
     chartered trip to Pro-Loup, France, on January 5, 1996. I 
     have been actively raising money through donations from 
     companies, organizations and individuals to help defray the 
     cost of the trip.
       The National Kidney Foundation out of New York is the U.S./
     organizer of the event and all of the money raised goes to 
     them as a tax deduction.
       I am a key member on the team and will be severely 
     devastated if I am unable to go. Please help me in my ``quest 
     for gold'' and let me get my passport. Thank you for any 
     assistance or consideration you can give me.
                                                  Brian Rothermel,

  Mr. WARNER. I thank the Chair. I close by once again commending the 
leadership in the Senate and other Members who are actively working 
today and tomorrow and right on into this week to try to resolve this 
tragic impasse.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maryland is recognized.

                          ____________________