[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 131 (Friday, September 20, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11082-S11084]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              A SAFETY NET

  Mr. COVERDELL. Mr. President, we understand on our side that we are 
drawing near the most intense period of the 1996 elections, but we feel 
very strongly that we should set the politics aside for the election 
process, and here on the floor of the Senate and in the Halls of 
Congress create a safety net from politics for our soldiers in Iraq and 
in Bosnia or wherever they may be, for our disaster victims that have 
just suffered the ravages of the hurricane coming out of the Caribbean 
in the Atlantic and tearing its way through North Carolina and other 
regions of our country, and, obviously, for our children and our 
seniors.
  In other words, Mr. President, this is a time to put the people 
first, the people's business first, to not raise anxiety among the 
Nation but go ahead and get our business done, get the politics out of 
these Halls, out of the city, and let those questions be settled by the 
American people in the actual election process. Once again, we should 
create a safety net from the political era for our soldiers in Iraq, 
our disaster victims in the United States, our children, and our 
seniors.
  Mr. President, in that regard, I commend the leaders on our side, the 
Speaker of the House, Speaker Gingrich, and the Senate majority leader, 
Trent Lott of Mississippi. Yesterday, they came before the American 
people, having met with the Republican leadership of the Appropriations 
Committee, and released the following statement:

       We have already made substantial progress on appropriations 
     bills for the 1997 fiscal year, with action completed or 
     virtually completed on nine separate bills. We are committed 
     to reaching an agreement with the administration on the 
     remaining bills and completing congressional action by 
     September 27th.
       It is clear that Senate Democrats are using delaying 
     tactics and political stunts designed more for the upcoming 
     election than for the completion of the people's business. We 
     have approached the consideration of these bills in good 
     faith, but we have been met at every turn by gridlock, 
     apparently coordinated by the White House. We refuse to be a 
     part of this game. We believe Congress should complete its 
     business and adjourn.
       Given the Democrats' strategy to tie up the Senate floor, 
     House and Senate leaders have decided that the Defense 
     appropriations conference report will be the vehicle for 
     final consideration of all uncompleted appropriation issues. 
     The remaining issues will be resolved through bipartisan 
     negotiations between congressional leaders and the White 
     House.
       In addition to reaching agreement with the administration 
     on shared priorities like education and antiterrorism, we 
     are determined to ensure that we quickly provide critical 
     funding for our troops, for coping with recent disasters, 
     and for those who are fighting the critical war on drugs.
       While we are committed to reaching an agreement with the 
     administration, we are concerned that we have not yet 
     received complete information on their requests for 
     additional spending. We look forward to active negotiations 
     over the next days leading to final legislation that will 
     complete the work of the Congress and stay within the limits 
     of this year's budget.

  Again, it is our goal to put a safety net under our troops, our 
disaster victims, our children, our seniors, and all the families that 
represents across our land.
  Mr. President, on the other side, White House Chief of Staff Leon 
Panetta has admitted that some Democrats would like to force 
Republicans to stay in Washington longer. That sounds like it is 
designed strictly for political purposes. Now the other side uses a 
slogan, ``Putting Families First,'' but if the White House allows these 
Democrats to force extended legislative days here and confusion and 
chaos, moving you to a point you would have Government gridlock, they 
are engaged in politics at the ultimate.
  Mr. President, I am reminded that last year was a very difficult 
period here between the Congress and the President. The President likes 
to blame the fact that Government came to a close on the Republican 
Congress. He tends to forget, Mr. President, that he vetoed 
appropriations bill after appropriations bill. At least, Mr. President, 
at that time, we were fighting over an absolute core issue in America, 
whether or not to balance the budget, something that virtually 80 
percent of the American people are wanting and demanding--very 
substantive.
  Of late, Mr. President, we have heard--and I will read from an 
editorial in the Washington Times--that shutdown may have had more to 
do with politics than substance, too. Everybody

[[Page S11083]]

is aware of the trials and tribulations of Dick Morris, former 
confidant of the President of the United States, but this woman that 
apparently shared a relationship with him, Sherry Rowlands, said, ``He 
asked if I would like some cognac, and we talked about how it tasted 
and then we talked about the Government shutdown, and that he said he 
planned this for 5 months ahead of time to show the President as a 
leader with no weakness.''

  So now we have suggestions that that tumultuous period in the 
Congress may have, indeed, been nothing more than a political plan to 
increase one's fortunes in the political polls. Well, that may or may 
not be the case. We will be, sometime, adjudicating that. But we 
certainly know, Mr. President, that at this point the interests of the 
American people are that we conclude this fundamental decision, that we 
don't create new anxiety in the country, that we come to terms and 
settle our differences, that we protect our troops, that we protect our 
disaster victims, our children, our seniors, and all the families 
associated with that. Let the political stuff get settled out across 
the land in the elections. Don't put the people last. Put them first. 
Let's get this business done and do it in such a way that the American 
people can be comforted, and that all these systems upon which they 
depend will continue without interruption.
  Mr. President, we have been joined by my good colleague, the 
distinguished Senator from Tennessee. I yield up to 5 or 10 minutes, as 
he may need, to comment on this issue.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Tennessee is recognized.


                         Legislative Priorities

  Mr. THOMPSON. I thank my good friend from Georgia, who expresses some 
very valid concerns, and I share those concerns.
  Mr. President, as we approach the end of this session of Congress, I 
think it is imperative that we get our priorities in order.
  The elections are only 6 weeks away. As we all know, this is a highly 
charged time. There is much at stake. And right now, there are some 
vague rumblings out there that my colleagues on the other side of the 
aisle may wish to use this tension to partisan advantage.
  Mr. President, I submit that the leadership has gone the extra mile 
toward accommodating the concerns of the party in the minority. This 
consideration of interests is as it should be.
  But I also want to make it clear that if this session stretches out, 
it will largely be for political reasons--and caused by the minority in 
the Senate.
  It appears entirely possible that some of my colleagues are prepared 
to stall the final legislation we are now considering in order to play 
raw politics.
  First off, I believe that the Members of this body should be above 
that sort of thing. The American people are cynical enough about the 
character of the Congress without its Members handing them more 
ammunition. We need to raise the level of discourse here.
  Second, we should keep in mind that we are not talking about trivial 
matters. We are here to conduct the people's business. To hold up the 
work of the Senate for partisan advantage is outrageous. And I will 
tell you something else, the folks back home will see through it. The 
people who elected us know pious posturing when they see it.
  If there is a stall to keep us in session, the people are going to 
figure out who's doing it, and pretty fast.
  It is one thing to work through honest differences of opinion. It is 
quite another to offer trifling, divisive amendments and stalling 
tactics at the end of an election-year session to wring out every last 
political advantage.
  I call on my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to put this 
sort of maneuvering aside, so that we can finish the business that the 
people elected us to conduct.
  To prevent playing politics with the lives of Americans, and to 
prevent even the charge that anyone might be playing politics, we must 
make certain that the President has legislation on his desk that 
finishes out the business we need to close in this term.
  There are several basic issues we must address before we adjourn. I 
am certain that when we keep in mind how important it is to conduct the 
people's business with the dignity it commands, that we will find it in 
ourselves to work our way through these pending matters to a swift and 
proper outcome.
  Right now, we have troops in Bosnia and the Middle East. These men 
and women are out there on our behalf, and they deserve our unyielding 
support. Let us make sure they have whatever they need, and let's do 
that immediately.
  At home, even as we vigorously debate the Federal role in domestic 
affairs, we need to uphold the commitment we now have to maintain those 
services we have promised--and to do so at the levels to which we are 
committed. This is of vital importance, most especially to our 
veterans, students, senior citizens, and their families.
  As Senators, we are obliged to set the highest moral example, and in 
that, we must keep our word to the people who elected us.
  While we may disagree on the very best way to implement solutions to 
the problems we face, I trust that we do not disagree that some action 
is vital to keeping our country strong, and to enabling the Nation to 
conduct business. We have a basic obligation to the people who elected 
us, to maintain the services of the Federal Government at a high level 
of efficiency and responsiveness.
  We can do this if we put our minds to it. All that is required is 
that we decide to finish the people's business, and work toward 
agreement on the outstanding issues we face.
  This Congress has achieved a great deal. We should be proud. We've 
passed many reforms which will not only save money for the taxpayers, 
but that also will make Government more efficient and more positive in 
the lives of Americans.
  We have passed the line-item veto. We have passed the Congressional 
Accountability Act. We have ended unfunded mandates. And these are just 
a few of the achievements we have to show for our efforts when we agree 
to get the job done.
  Let us end this session of Congress on a high note by doing what we 
were elected to do. Let us work out our differences and pass 
legislation along to the President that will keep this country open for 
business.
  I hope that as we move through these legislative decisions, that we 
keep in mind that we cannot jeopardize the important elements of our 
Government that enable this Nation to be strong, safe, and free.
  We want to preserve the safety of our troops. We want to preserve the 
ability of the Nation to conduct its business, and to maintain the 
services that our children, our families, and our seniors have come to 
depend on. Let us not play politics with these matters.
  Traditionally, the Members of this body have come together for the 
best interests of the Nation. This Congress has been up to that task, 
and I am certain that it still is. My colleagues on both sides of the 
aisle are strong enough in their resolve, and they care enough about 
the way we conduct our lives in America, that we can all come together 
to find agreement on the Nation's business.
  Let us concentrate on where we agree, not where we differ.
  Let us focus on the issues that bring us together, not those that 
take us apart.
  Let us find a way to work together, and get this job done.
  I trust that we can find a common path as we have in the past, and in 
cooperation with the White House, to reach a consensus without delay.
  But make no mistake, the majority has done its part. If we are 
detained in Washington to keep Congress in session, it will not be over 
differences in ideas or for honest disagreements. We have met our 
colleagues more than halfway. It's time to wrap things up, and we ought 
to be doing that right now.
  The people's business should be above partisan posturing, and I 
sincerely hope that we can maintain a level of effort and dignity--
commensurate with the history of the Senate--so that we can complete 
our work on a high note as we finish out the 104th Congress.
  I yield the floor.
  Mr. COVERDELL. Mr. President, I appreciate very much the Senator from 
Tennessee making himself available for a very cogent statement on this 
subject. I know he is trying to get home. I appreciate his taking time 
to visit

[[Page S11084]]

with us about this very important matter of getting the people's 
business done, getting a safety net here so we can lower the 
anxiousness of what gridlock will produce in our country at this time.
  As I said a little earlier, we are now speculating about whether the 
last gridlock that occurred in the country was an actual political 
plan. I am made uncomfortable when the White House Chief of Staff 
admits that some Democrats would like to force Republicans to stay in 
Washington longer. This article, which appears in the National Journal 
Congressional Daily, says:

       Some Democrats, Thursday, warned that finishing the funding 
     bills may not be as easy as Republican members are saying. 
     Senate minority leader Daschle warned there may be pitfalls 
     in trying to pass the bill.

  Well, what we are hearing is that you are laying a political strategy 
because it is thought to be politically useful to have the Congress 
appear to be tied up in knots. But I would like to step back from that 
and just remind my colleagues on the other side of the aisle that, 
currently, because of decisions that the President of the United States 
has made, there are 15,000 American soldiers, men and women, in Bosnia. 
There are 1,500 of them in Croatia.
  There are 29,500 American armed services men and women in the gulf. 
There are 200,000 U.S. troops on duty abroad. There are 54,000 involved 
in 13 operations around the globe while 146,000 are stationed at 
permanent bases abroad. We have literally--quick math--over 50,000 in 
harm's way today. And the prospect of this kind of posturing is 
completely out of place. It leaves everyone of the families here at 
home in support of these troops wondering, and it increases their 
worry.
  I remember in 1990 my good friend and colleague, former President 
Bush, confronted with a Congress that was exacting and demanding tax 
increases, and priorities that were not his but he had 1.5 million of 
America's men and women in the gulf, and simply would not accept 
allowing our Government to come to a gridlock. He would not accept it. 
It may have been the decision that ultimately lead to his failed 
election. But he was not going to leave those American men and women 
overseas at risk. He was not going to do it. So he accepted the 
Congress--that was controlled by the other side of the aisle--he 
accepted it, and he paid an enormous price for it because people 
thought that he had reneged on a pledge. But he first and foremost 
stood behind those men and women in uniform in harm's way. We do not 
have as many, fortunately, in harm's way today. But we have 50,000. I 
think it is just as incumbent upon this Congress and this President to 
get that safety net under these men and women, and remove the anxiety 
and get the politics out of here. Get it done. Let them feel secure and 
move on.
  I could read a long litany as we move from troops. We often hear the 
Families First agenda about children as if they were the only 
legislators that were concerned about children. I would like to remind 
them that in the legislation that we are calling upon to get settled we 
have 20,000 families in crisis who would not know where to turn for 
help for temporary child care, for crisis nurses that serve thousands 
of families with children who have disabilities, or serious illnesses. 
And the families that are under stress--including families affected by 
HIV, homelessness, violence, and family crisis in drugs and alcohol--
over 20,000 families were served in the last 2 years alone. For these 
families are we going to put them first, as they are asking, or last, 
to fulfill a political objective?
  Will you shut down 2,000 school districts who benefit from impact 
aid, or put in question the financing of all of those systems? Impact 
aid provides financial assistance to school districts for the cost of 
educating children when enrollments and the availability of revenues 
from local sources have been adversely affected by the presence of 
Federal activity. That means military impact by and large across our 
country.
  Mr. President, the list goes on. You could cite the issues and 
problems that will be compounded ad infinitum as you go through this 
huge appropriations process that we are saying we should just announce 
to the entire country is going to be settled; lower the stress; our 
troops don't have to worry; the systems are going to stay intact and we 
are going to take politics out of the Halls of Congress, and we are 
going to put them in the election where they properly belong.
  Mr. President, I have been quoting this National Journal rather 
extensively. It is interesting reading. I notice that my good friend, 
the Senator from Connecticut, Senator Dodd, who is chairman of the 
Democratic National Committee, suggested that our party wants to go 
home because they realize--we realize--that this Congress, the 104th 
Congress, is a ``disaster.'' I just could not leave that unchallenged. 
I remind my good friend from Connecticut that in the last Congress, the 
103d Congress, it was dominated by two massive events:

  First, the passage by one vote in the House and the Senate, at their 
encouragement and by the President's demand, of the largest tax 
increase in American history;
  Second, by the suggestion that we should grow Government to the 
largest level it had ever been, and that we should put in place for 
America a Government-run health system, which would have meant for the 
first time that over 50 percent of the U.S. economy would be run by the 
Government and not by our private sector and citizens.
  Those are the two most singular marking events of the last Congress.
  Now we come to this Congress that the Senator from Connecticut 
characterizes as a ``disaster.'' We have had no tax increase. We have 
had not expanded the Government. As a matter of fact, we have saved the 
American taxpayers in this Congress $53 billion in the last 2 years, 
marking the first time in 25 years that Congress has reversed the trend 
to increase discretionary spending; in other words, the first time we 
have responded to the American people's request that we get spending 
under control.
  We adopted a tax--an adoption tax credit. We secured tax relief for 
small business. We passed the line-item veto after a 200-year debate. 
We made Congress--you and I--live under the same laws as the rest of 
America. We passed legislation that would stop unfunded Federal 
mandates. We passed, after years of debate, welfare reform. We passed 
tax deductions for long-term care expenses. We passed targeted health 
care reform, lobbying reform, food safety, safe drinking water and 
Everglades restoration.
  And the list really is much longer.
  More importantly, we secured at least an interim transition in our 
President, Mr. President, because in his State of the Union he said 
that the era of big Government is over. I would call that a rather 
substantive success.
  The agenda in this city has been changed. The era of big Government 
is over. Welfare reform is in place. Health care reform is in place. We 
are not raising taxes. We are saving taxpayers billions upon billions 
of dollars.
  Mr. President, I think this is exactly the kind of change that 
America has been asking for.
  I am going to conclude, Mr. President, by simply saying that I think 
it is incumbent upon all of us--both sides of the aisle, given the 
nature of this political season, and the intensity of it, to come to 
terms--to get a safety net under our troops, our families that are 
victims of disaster, our children, and our seniors. Take the elections 
and our differences out of these halls and into the elections 
themselves.
  With that, I yield back any time remaining under my designation.
  Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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