[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 3 (Friday, January 5, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S73-S74]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           THE RIPPLE EFFECT

  Mr. WARNER. Also, Mr. President, I wish to inform my colleagues that 
throughout my State, and in many other parts of the United States, this 
problem is now working its way by ripple effect into the private sector 
such that many, many gainfully employed persons in an infrastructure 
supporting not only the Government but other private sector support are 
beginning to feel most severely this situation.
  This morning on television here in the Nation's Capital was a picture 
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[[Page S74]]
an entrepreneur who runs a small business--simply a bakery--which 
provides food for individuals, and they had to furlough three-quarters 
of their work force today. But that is by the tens of thousands 
throughout Virginia in the private sector.
  The tragedy, Mr. President, is that there is no back pay coming to 
those private sector employees who are being laid off as a consequence 
of this partial shutdown of the U.S. Government.
  So I extend to my colleagues here in the U.S. Senate a most fervent 
plea that they allow the Senate leadership, most particularly the 
majority leader, to pass today those matters that will be coming from 
the House by a voice vote such that they can become law after the 
President's signature.
  It is my fervent hope that the President will recognize the problems 
throughout this Nation today and that he will come forward with a 
balanced budget, as is his obligation, so that we can quickly come to 
closure on this matter.
  I yield the floor.
  Mr. BINGAMAN addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The distinguished Senator from New Mexico.
  Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, before the Senator from Virginia leaves 
the floor, I wanted to just ask in a very straightforward way if he had 
any more information than I have been able to get about what might be 
in the bill which would be coming to the Senate from the House of 
Representatives on several different issues. And I would ask the 
President pro tempore at this time if the Senator from Virginia would 
be able to respond to my question on this issue.

  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, the answer to that rests in a meeting that 
is now taking place by the Speaker of the House together with the 
Republican colleagues. I would not want to venture any speculation as 
to what might emerge. I think the reports today in the press are 
reasonably accurate as to the framework of what would come about by 
this.
  So I have been in consultation with the Republican Members of the 
greater metropolitan area of Washington, primarily Congressmen Davis 
and Wolf and Congresswoman Morella, this morning. As yet, I would not 
want to try to speculate as to the final action.
  I know essentially it is in two parts. One is to try to restore the 
Government across the board in terms of people returning to their work 
with pay for the future and backpay, and then the possibility of 
coupling another provision which would be contingent on the President 
of the United States being forthcoming with a balanced budget, which 
has always been the bottom line. It seems to me that it is a very 
reasonable request by the Republican leadership of the House and the 
Senate.
  Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, I appreciate that response.
  I guess what caused me to come to the floor today was an article 
which came out in our paper in New Mexico today saying that ``The 
Federal budget deadlock has caused depleted drug cupboards at the 
Veterans Administration hospital in Albuquerque. The hospital's 
procurement division has warned pharmacists that drug stocks soon will 
be exhausted.''
  Then they go on to say, ``What is the Government thinking about these 
people who fought for their country?''
  I was wondering if the funding in the bill that would come from the 
House would provide money to the Veterans' Administration to buy drugs 
for the VA hospital in our State. I have a one-page summary of what 
might be passed by the House. It says here veterans' compensation, 
pensions, and education programs would be covered. But it does not say 
anything about the VA hospital functions and the expenses for drugs for 
veterans. I do not know if the Senator from Virginia has any 
information on that.
  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, at this time I do not have the specific 
answer to my distinguished colleague, who, by the way, serves with me 
on the Senate Armed Services Committee, and I, like the Senator from 
New Mexico and, indeed, the Presiding Officer, feel very strongly about 
this Nation's obligation to its veterans. I will try to get a very 
prompt answer.
  Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, if the Senator would be able to get 
answers to two other questions, I will just pose those and then yield 
the floor.
  One pertains to our Department of Labor in New Mexico. This is 
another article that was in our papers there. It says that the 
Department of Labor employs State workers but they use Federal funds to 
pay their salaries. I gather that is a normal practice all around the 
country in the Department of Labor. They operate the unemployment 
compensation program and a variety of programs there, and the State 
workers are paid with Federal funds.
  Does the bill which is being considered in the House contemplate that 
there would be funds to pay the State workers who are paid with Federal 
funds as well as the Federal workers, or does the Senator from Virginia 
know?
  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I do not have the specific answer. I will 
get it and provide it to the Senator. But I hope that this measure 
would cure that situation because a great many State workers are 
dependent on some Federal source as a means of being able to continue 
with the performance of their duties.
  Mr. BINGAMAN. I thank the Senator very much.
  There is a similar article about the Bureau of Indian Affairs 
activities in our State and how that agency has had trouble buying 
food, heating oil, trucks, and other equipment in order to perform 
their responsibilities on the reservations.
  I hope we can get information as to whether or not those items would 
be covered by this kind of a bill which is coming to us.
  I say to my colleagues, the information that I have been given is 
that there would not be funds made available for anything other than 
the salaries of the Federal workers. Obviously, that becomes a problem 
if your job as a Federal worker requires you to drive a vehicle and you 
have to have funds to buy gasoline for that vehicle.
  The other issue on which I hope we can get an answer relates to an 
article I saw that the Government shutdown has delayed the construction 
of a fence at the United States-Mexican border. I had the occasion a 
few weeks ago when I was in Dona Ana County in my State near El Paso to 
get a tour of the area for the planned construction of a fence that 
would go along the southern part of the Anapra area between the United 
States and Mexico. This is a priority for the law enforcement officers 
of that region. It is a law enforcement issue. They feel the incidence 
of crime across the border has increased very dramatically and they 
need to get this fence up. The article I saw indicated that because 
contract officers responsible for obtaining building materials have 
been furloughed, work on that project has had to stop.
  I hope very much that when we get the bill from the House of 
Representatives it will contain funds, authorization and appropriation 
of funds, for those items as well. So I will not delay the Senate 
further at this point, Mr. President. I do think that there are a great 
many activities going unattended, a great many needs going unaddressed 
which I hope this House action today will correct.
  Again, I have spoken several times on the Senate floor this week 
commending the majority leader and other Senators, all Senators, 
Republican and Democratic Senators, for the continuing resolution that 
was passed earlier this week and sent to the House. In my opinion, that 
was the correct and responsible way for us to proceed. It demonstrated 
and reflected the recognition that the Congress as well as the 
President have a shared responsibility to maintain a functioning 
Government. I think that is the essential issue: Do we agree that we in 
Congress share in that responsibility to maintain a functioning 
Government? I feel very strongly that we do. I think all Senators 
indicated their belief that we do by agreeing to that continuing 
resolution. I hope the action by the House reflects the same 
recognition of that responsibility.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.

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