[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 35 (Thursday, March 14, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H2311-H2312]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          SHORT-TERM FUNDING OF OUR GOVERNMENT IS SHORTSIGHTED

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Stupak] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. STUPAK. Mr. Speaker, just one word before I talk about the 
continuing budget resolution we passed earlier today. My friend from 
the other side of the aisle, the gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Upton], 
who I have great respect for, and I did sign his letter, when we fight 
drugs, and being a former law enforcement officer myself, the 
responsibility is with everyone from Judge Baer, to President Clinton, 
to the Speaker of the House, and that is why I am disturbed about the 
continuing budget resolution that was passed today in which the money 
for drug-free schools zones was deleted from the budget, so there will 
be no money for drug-free school zones. So, when the Speaker points to 
this as an example of merely words, I would have to remind the Speaker 
that his budget priorities have encouraged the use of drugs in drug-
free school zones in schools across this country and not fight them. 
So, while we may ask for Judge Baer to resign, maybe we should ask the 
Speaker to renew the funding for drug-free school zones.
  But, Mr. Speaker, funding of our Government on a week-to-week basis 
is shortsighted, destructive, and an irresponsible way that we could 
possibly manage the risks and the tasks of running the greatest country 
in the world.

[[Page H2312]]

Shortsighted has more than one meaning here. In the near term, we are 
being destructive and wasteful by forcing Government agencies to limp 
along on partial funding, continuing to operate, but unable to give 
full service to the American public. In the long term we are hurting 
our investment in that most basic and important of all services, public 
education.
  Today we voted on an 11th continuing budget resolution to keep the 
Government going. This resolution was for 7 days, it was for 1 week. 
Underneath the new majority we have become a government by the week, 
for the week, and of the week. I voted ``no'' on this continuing 
resolution because of the drastic cuts in education, not only title I, 
not only Head Start, but also, as I said earlier, the drug-free safe 
school zones have been cut.
  Here are some facts I would wish that the majority will remember:
  A recent Gallup Poll showed two-thirds of all Americans ranked the 
quality of education as their top priority over such issues as crime, 
health care, and the deficit.
  A January Wall Street Journal poll says 9 of 10 Americans favor the 
same or increased spending on education.
  The January Washington Post poll says 8 out of 10 Americans oppose 
cutting education. Yet the current budget resolution, which was 
continued today, if extended for the year, will cut $3.1 billion from 
education, the largest education cut in our Nation's history.
  Are such cuts in step or out of step with the will of the American 
public? The polls I cited would indicate that such cuts could not be 
more out of step.
  If we extend this continuing budget resolution to the year's end, 
more than 1 million young people will be deprived of services in the 
title I program alone.
  Here are some other ways to view the problem:
  Failure to have assured funding in place is affecting the operations 
of America's 110,000 elementary and secondary schools that serve 
roughly 50 million students. State legislators and school 
administrators in all 50 States and in more than 14,000 school 
districts are unable to develop detailed financial plans for the coming 
year. Without these plans in place, this affects the hiring of 
teachers, the signing of contracts. Impact aid districts are squeezed 
by partial payments. This will affect roughly 2,000 school districts, 
including those in my home State of Michigan, and 1.3 million children. 
The Brimley School District in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is 
looking at a $600,000 shortfall because title I has not been completed. 
Antrim County stands to lose $100,000; Benzie County schools, $58,200; 
Charlevoix schools, $77,700; Cheboygan schools, $140,200.

                              {time}  1615

  Crawford County will be over 70,000, Emmet County over 67,000, Grand 
Traverse, over 200,000.
  Mr. Speaker, unless the Department of Education can make full 
payments, many schools will receive impact aid or run out of funds 
later this spring and will be unable to pay teachers' salaries. People 
with disabilities will not receive rehabilitation services. Vocational 
rehabilitation programs prepare some 1 million individuals each year to 
get a hold of and to hang onto their jobs.
  This is only a partial look at the problem, but it lets us draw some 
sad conclusions. One of the tragedies of this Congress is that we have 
gotten away from rational discourse and debate. We have gotten away 
from the notion of agreeing to disagree, while completing the basic 
business of the people of the United States. There certainly can be 
rational debates over the long-team or long-range value of programs 
like drug resistance education, drug-free school zones, title I, and 
other specific education programs. In fact, having a debate over these 
programs is an excellent opportunity to restate their value and their 
importance to the American people.
  However, Mr. Speaker, this process of destruction by attrition, of 
week-to-week continuing budget resolutions, of the slow wearing down of 
those who struggle in the field of education, is not rational, and it 
is not a debate. It is irrational, and the American people recognize it 
as the wrong way to do business.
  Mr. Speaker, we would ask that when we come back next week and work 
on a continuing budget resolution, that we take into consideration the 
cuts we have made in education, the cuts we have made in the 
environment, in the enforcement of the Clean Water Act, the Safe 
Drinking Water Act, the gutting of the Clinton COPS Program. We ask 
that these be put forth in a continuing budget resolution, and we stand 
ready to work with the minority and the majority to work together to 
find the $8 billion we need to cut.

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