[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 2 (Thursday, January 4, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S39-S40]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         LIVELIHOODS DISRUPTED

  Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, I wanted to comment on two major items 
today. First--this is a somewhat new item. I believe it is a new 
example of the abrogation of responsibility by the House Republican 
leadership. For 20 days we have been holding three-quarters of a 
million Federal civil servants hostage in this effort to exercise what 
Speaker Gingrich calls his right not to pass spending bills.
  He has referred to that many times in interviews. As a result, as the 
Senator from Virginia was just pointing out, many Americans--contract 
workers, those planning to travel, those seeking export licenses, those 
seeking federally insured mortgages--have had their livelihoods 
disrupted.
  Now the leadership in the House has added the military personnel of 
the country to the list of those whose livelihoods are being disrupted.
  Yesterday, the House failed to override the President's veto of the 
Defense authorization bill. And when they did that, Congressman Dellums 
sought to bring up S. 1514, which is a bill that the Senate passed last 
Saturday to ensure that our troops get their full January pay raise, 
both their basic pay and subsistence pay, which are to increase 2.4 
percent, and their quarters pay, which is to increase 5.2 percent.
  When the Senate passed the bill last Saturday, the Presiding Officer, 
Senator Stevens, made the statement: ``Mr. President, this bill should 
not be controversial. The President asked that it be passed and has 
said that he will sign it as soon as he receives it.''
  Congressman Dellums yesterday tried to bring it up in time so that 
the Pentagon could ensure that troops receive their full pay in their 
first January paycheck. He was refused.
  Mr. President, when we have troops in Bosnia and when our troops are 
proudly around the globe in other potential hot spots--South Korea, the 
Middle East--the House Republicans should not be adding them to the 
list of people who are being inconvenienced and whose livelihoods are 
being disrupted by inaction in Congress. This is yet another example of 
where Senate Republicans have acted responsibly in carrying out their 
duties under the Constitution; House Republicans have not. The Senate 
acted last Saturday on the Stevens-Thurmond bill as soon as the 
President vetoed the Defense authorization bill. I am sure many Senate 

[[Page S40]]
Republicans do not agree with the President's veto of that Defense 
authorization bill, but they were not going to allow their differences 
with the President on that larger issue to adversely affect our troops.
  Mr. President, I can only hope that the House Republican leadership 
will reverse course today. Their refusal to take up and to pass that 
military pay bill yesterday was inexcusable. I hope they will do our 
military personnel and all Americans a service by bringing it up and 
passing it today.

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