[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 54 (Wednesday, April 24, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4047-S4048]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               FURTHER CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS FOR 1996

  Mr. SIMPSON. Mr. President, this has been cleared with the Democratic 
leader. I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the 
immediate consideration of House Joint Resolution 175 regarding a 1-day 
extension of the continuing resolution.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
  The bill clerk read as follows:

       A joint resolution (H.J. Res. 175) making further 
     continuing appropriations for the fiscal year 1996 and for 
     other purposes.

  The Senate proceeded to consider the joint resolution.
  Mr. SIMPSON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the measure 
be considered read the third time and passed, the motion to reconsider 
be laid upon the table, that any statements relating to the measure be 
included in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The joint resolution (H.J. Res. 175) was read the third time and 
passed.
  Mr. SIMPSON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Senator 
Graham now be recognized for up to 15 minutes for debate on the 
continuing resolution.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Florida.
  Mr. GRAHAM. Mr. President, I wish to be recorded as voting no on the 
continuing resolution.
  Mr. President, nearly 1 month ago, after passing the 12th continuing 
resolution, we are now enacting the 13th continuing resolution. At the 
time we passed the 12th extension of the budget for fiscal year 1995, I 
said it was the last one that I would support.
  Mr. President, I am here to keep my word. Frankly, the lack of 
leadership by this Congress is a national embarrassment. It is nearly 7 
months into the fiscal year 1996, and we still do not have five budgets 
for five of the most important agencies of the Federal Government. This 
is no way for the world's largest economic entity to manage its 
resources.
  It is almost as if the Congress has become addicted to this form of 
Band-Aid budgeting. When you think about it, there is a correlation 
between a drug addict's action and those of this Congress. We began 
this process on September 30, 1995, when we passed the first continuing 
resolution.
  I analogize that action on September 30, 1995, as a casual, 
occasional user of marijuana. As we have proceeded over the days, 
weeks, and months since then, we have continued to become more and more 
addicted to this approach, to this avoidance of difficult decisions, to 
the willingness to say we failed to do it today so we will put it off 
until tomorrow.
  Today, Mr. President, we are mainline injecting heroin as we sell 
ourselves: ``Oh, we only need one more day and we will be able to 
resolve this impasse.'' We have heard that ``one more day'' so many 
times. I remember distinctly when we voted on the 12th continuing 
resolution that the leadership of the appropriations process in the 
House of Representatives said they were so close to reaching a final 
resolution that would have carried us through the balance of the fiscal 
year and avoided the necessity of the 12th continuing resolution, and 
that failing that small increment to close on a final agreement, now we 
were going to have to use the period made available by the Easter-
Passover recess. That certainly would be a period of time in which we 
could come to closure on this matter.
  We failed again. Now, again, we are taking the heroin of a temporary 
extension of a budget that is more than a year old as a means of 
avoiding difficult decisions. We are acting, also, Mr. President, like 
the drug addict who is in a state of denial. We are denying that our 
failure to reach decisions was having serious effects on Americans. I 
believe that clearly our actions are having serious effects. They are 
not just the serious effects on the faceless bureaucrats under which we 
often wish to assign our failures to act.
  The fact is that the Band-Aid approach to budgeting has broad 
ramifications. Just last month when we voted on the 12th continuing 
resolution, I used examples that have been

[[Page S4048]]

brought to my attention from my State of Florida. As an example, the 
Salvation Army in Fort Myers, FL, when I last discussed this case a 
month ago, I explained that the Salvation Army used funds which were 
provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to promote food and 
housing to the homeless.
  In February 1996, the Salvation Army received its first installment 
for the fiscal year. In a normal year, that first installment would 
have been made available in October 1995. This is anything but a normal 
year. The Salvation Army was expecting they would receive their final 
allotment of Federal funds in early March. True to form, these funds 
have not yet been provided. There is only one thing consistent about 
this year, and that is total inconsistency.
  On April 10, I visited the Florida State Legislature in its session. 
The question that many members of the legislature asked me is: When are 
you going to make up your mind? The less charitable members of the 
legislature asked the question: Have you lost your mind? Here is our 
State legislature, trying to prepare a budget for the fourth largest 
State in the Nation, with many of their important decisions based on a 
partnership with the Federal Government in health, education, job 
training, and many other areas. Yet, they do not know what their 
Federal partner's policy, what the Federal partner's commitment will be 
to that program halfway through the fiscal year.

  Mr. President, we have had almost a month to work out this 
appropriations bill. When I was speaking to the legislature, I 
apologized for the fact we were so negligent in performing our work. I 
gave them hopeful assurances that we would soon end this too long 
impasse. Again, today, for the 13th time we are passing a continuing 
resolution putting off the decisions, putting off the commitment to 
shape up and get sober, put it off until another day, until we need 
another injection.
  Mr. President, this continuing resolution is passed by a voice vote. 
This Congress has reasserted its addiction and that it cannot be 
expected to go cold turkey. The 13th continuing resolution will pass 
with one less vote than the 12th, and I hope if we have a 14th, I hope 
it will pass with substantially fewer votes than the 13th, and finally 
we will end this process of procrastination, delay, indecision, and 
pass the consequences on to the American people.
  We cannot deny that this Congress is addicted to Band-Aid budgeting 
and that there are not serious ramifications to these actions. We must 
stop this cycle of dependency and face up to the difficult decisions 
which are ours.
  Thank you, Mr. President.
  I ask unanimous consent to be recorded as voting ``no'' on the 
continuing resolution.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The 
Record will so indicate.
  Mr. SIMPSON. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Abraham). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I further ask unanimous consent that I 
may proceed for up to 10 minutes as if in morning business.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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