[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 2 (Thursday, January 4, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S64-S65]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  THE BUDGET DILEMMA--A TWO-WAY STREET

  Mr. NUNN. Mr. President, my friend from New Mexico talked about the 
rights of the Congress regarding the purse strings, and the rights of 
the President regarding the veto. And he emphasized that this is a two-
way street. I agree that the budget dilemma, the budget challenge, the 
effort to balance the 7-year budget, is indeed a two-way street. The 
American people should hold all of us accountable for that.
  But this continuing tactic to keep the Government closed down is not 
a two-way street. There are a group of people who believe--I think 
erroneously so--that it gives them leverage. In effect they are saying 
that the President should care more about the health of the American 
people, about the workers out there, than the Congress does. Otherwise, 
why is it leverage? Is it leverage for you to hold somebody hostage if 
both have an equal stake in returning that innocent victim without 
being harmed? If it is not leverage, then why do it? If it is leverage, 
that means that the Congress does not have an interest in the workers 
and does not have an interest in the people who are being affected in 
this country, and indeed abroad.
  Mr. President, I do not understand any logic behind the House 
Republicans' position. And I again am gratified that the leadership of 
the Senate on both sides of the aisle recognize that this is 
counterproductive, and recognize that the wrong people are being held 
hostage in this high-level game of Russian roulette.
  Mr. President, one closing thought again in response to the thoughts 
voiced by my good friend from New Mexico, Senator Domenici.
  This effort to get the budget under control is indeed a two-way 
street. As I think we have set forth in the Chafee group composed of 
about 10 Democrats and about 10 Republicans, there is no reason the 
parties cannot come together. It is not easy. It is not something that 
can be done in an or hour or two hours but over a 2-, 3-, 4- or 5-day 
period should be able to be done.
  I do not think there is any question about the responsibility of 
keeping the Government closed. That is a tactical decision made by 
House Republicans. But all of us are involved in the effort to try to 
get the budget under control. It is very clear what has to be done. The 
administration and Democrats have to be willing to save more on 
entitlements, to restrain the growth of entitlements more than has thus 
far been indicated. Republicans have to be willing to come down some on 
what they are doing in terms of the cuts in Medicare and Medicaid which 
are too severe. That is very apparent.
  It is also apparent that both the Republicans and the White House 
need to take another thorough look at tax cuts. It is to me almost 
unbelievable that we can be starting a quest to get the budget under 
control by declaring a very large dividend at the very beginning before 
we have implemented anything. That is what large tax cuts do. So I am 
hoping that the tax cuts will come down, and that the Republicans will 
agree to that.
  I am hoping that those of us on the Democratic side will recognize 
that we have to restrain the entitlement growth. That is the heart of 
what has to be done. It is apparent for all of us to see. There are a 
lot of complexities in doing it. But we will have to make those 
movements.
  In the final analysis, there is a right of the President to veto, and 
there is a right of Congress not to appropriate. There also is a right 
of the American people to say, ``We have had enough; a plague on both 
your houses. We send people to Washington to be able to reach 
reasonable compromises to govern this Nation effectively and both 
political parties are failing at that task.''
  At some point the American people are going to come to that 
conclusion, 

[[Page S65]]
and they are going to come to the conclusion that both parties are to 
blame. I hope everyone recognizes that because that day, if it has not 
already arrived, is fast approaching.
  I believe it is up to all of us to put aside some of the harsh and 
unreasonable rhetoric and some of the incivility that has gone into 
this debate and to recognize we all have an obligation to the American 
people and to our children and grandchildren to get this Nation's 
fiscal house in order and to do it in a responsible way, a way that 
will not be looked back on in a year or two as an absolute march of 
folly but a way that is fair and effective for the American people.

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