[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 83 (Friday, June 7, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S5964]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       BALANCED BUDGET AMENDMENT

  Mr. THOMAS. I thank the Chair. I will only take 5 minutes. I wanted 
to do a couple of things. I want to thank the Senator from Georgia for 
bringing some discussion today as a follow-up to this vote on the 
balanced budget amendment. I am very disappointed that that balanced 
budget amendment to the Constitution did not pass. I think there are 
obviously reasons that it should have passed. Obviously, it was very 
close to passage. The reasons, of course, have to do with 
responsibility, with morality of Government, with fiscal 
responsibility.
  Everyone accepts the idea that we should not be continuously spending 
more than we take in. It has to do with the historic performance of the 
Federal Government for 25 years, or more, since we have balanced the 
budget last. Everybody gets up, and the first thing they say is, ``Yes, 
I am for balancing the budget''--the same people who have been here for 
25 years and have never balanced the budget. They say, ``We do not need 
an amendment; we will just do it.'' Well, we have not just done it.
  So I am very disappointed in that. I suspect that we will have some 
more opportunities to do that.
  I come from a State where the constitution provides for a balanced 
budget. Frankly, it works very well. It is a discipline, and the 
government works within that discipline. It is one of the elements of 
good government--one of the elements that says, ``All right. We want a 
program. Here is what it will cost. Are you willing to pay for it?'' If 
you are not, if we are not, if I am not, then we should not do it. That 
is what this fiscal responsibility is all about.
  I think the best instance of that, of course, is a property tax where 
we live. The school district says, ``We need a new science building. 
Here is what it will cost.'' Is it worth it? You vote. Are you willing 
to pay for it, or are not you?
  I want to talk about a change that needs to take place in the budget 
process. Last year we took the whole year and deferred getting the 
budget finished. Now we are in a year of budgeting, and we are spending 
such a large amount of our time on the budget. Congress has more 
responsibilities than simply the budget. Indeed, the budget is very 
important. The budget is sort of an outline of what we are going to do. 
But the Congress also has, and the Senate also has, many other 
responsibilities, such as oversight, such as seeing if bills that have 
been passed and are up for renewal have, indeed, been effective, 
whether they need to be changed, whether they need to be renewed. This 
is a big job, and we are supposed to be doing that. But instead, we are 
going back and forth spending the whole year practically every year on 
the budget.
  I have a bill that has bipartisan support that asks for reform in 
budgeting and doing a biennial budget. I think there is a great deal of 
merit in a biennial budget. No. 1, it is better for the Government. It 
is better for the agencies. They at least have 2 years of planning for 
what they can do in their expenditures; 2 years in which they can plan 
how to manage their dollars. It is much better for the Congress. It is 
done in most legislative bodies--biennial budgeting. It has been 
supported by both sides of the aisle.
  The resolution that we introduced this year is supported by Senator 
Domenici, who is head of the Budget Committee, and we think we can make 
this reform next year. I think, as we spend all of this time on 
budgeting, we spend the whole year practically on budgeting rather than 
some of the other things that we ought to be doing in addition to 
budgeting, it makes it more clear that there needs to be some reform. 
We need to have a biennial budget.
  So, Mr. President, obviously, we are not going to get to that this 
year. There are relatively few working days left. That will not be one 
of the issues. I am not naive to think that. But I do say to you that I 
do not think there is anything more important in terms of restructuring 
our process than to take a look at biennial budgeting. I intend to 
bring it up again next year. I have been promised support by those who 
are much more knowledgeable than I about budgeting.
  I recognize that there is always resistance from the appropriators. I 
was on the Appropriations Committee when I was in the legislature. 
Appropriators have a great deal of influence over all kinds of things 
because they control spending, and everybody is interested in how 
spending is done and how it affects their State. So appropriators are 
reluctant, of course, to lose the authority that they have every year 
by going through this process. I am sorry for that, but I think they to 
do a better job if they do it on a biennial basis.
  Mr. President, I appreciate the time. I hope we will continue to talk 
a little bit about how we might change some of the processes in this 
Congress; that we talk about results rather than procedure; that, 
instead of saying we have been doing it for 200 years, maybe so, but we 
ought to see what the results have been for having done that for 200 
years. There are some things that should not be changed. There are some 
fundamentals that should not be changed. But there are some processes 
that are not producing the results that we want, and one of them is 
budgeting. The result is a $5 trillion debt, the interest on which is 
the largest single line item in the budget.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor. 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. DORGAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent I be allowed to 
proceed under the 1 hour that has been reserved by the minority leader.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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