[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 70 (Friday, May 23, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5100-S5101]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   DISASTER ASSISTANCE APPROPRIATIONS

  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I deeply regret that the other body has 
chosen to stand in recess for the Memorial Day break without having 
passed disaster assistance appropriations for the hundreds of thousands 
of victims of natural disasters in 33 states throughout the country. As 
all members are aware, yesterday afternoon the House

[[Page S5101]]

of Representatives, by a vote of 278-67, rejected an adjournment 
resolution. Immediately following that vote, according to press 
accounts, the distinguished chairman of the Appropriations Committee, 
Mr. Livingston, sought recognition for the purpose of attempting to 
bring up a clean disaster assistance supplemental appropriation bill 
intended to provide sufficient and necessary assistance for a number of 
programs to ensure that there will be no delay in getting assistance to 
the victims of these natural disasters. As I understand it, the total 
amount of that proposal was approximately $1 billion. Had the House 
taken it up and passed this interim disaster assistance bill, I am 
certain the Senate could have done the same and the President had 
indicated that he would have signed it.
  The larger disaster assistance supplemental bill that is in 
conference contains some very controversial and difficult issues which 
have nothing to do with providing the necessary funds for disaster 
victims, or with the nearly $2 billion contained in the bill for aid to 
our men and women in uniform around the world--particularly Bosnia--
engaged in peacekeeping operations, or with the $750 million in funding 
for veterans compensation and pension. The conferees are in agreement, 
to a large extent, with the funding issues in the bill. But, these 
contentious, extraneous issues have slowed the progress of the 
conference despite the skillful and patient manner with which the 
distinguished chairman of the conference, Mr. Livingston, has conducted 
each meeting of the conferees. He has shown the ability to proceed as 
expeditiously as possible, while at the same time protecting all 
Members' rights to fully air their views on each matter before the 
conference. I have nothing but high praise for his leadership, as well 
as that of the distinguished ranking member, Mr. Obey, or of our 
chairman, Senator Stevens, as well as for all of the chairmen and 
ranking members of this conference who have worked many hours to 
resolve most of the differences in the bill. I would have preferred, as 
I am sure all of the conferees would have preferred, to be able to 
stand here today urging the Senate to adopt a completed conference 
agreement on H.R. 1469, the emergency disaster assistance supplemental 
appropriation bill.
  Since, for the reasons I have stated, that was not possible, I 
express to the American people and particularly to the hundreds of 
thousands of disaster victims throughout the country, my deep regret 
that their elected representatives in Congress have chosen to recess 
for the Memorial Day holiday without having taken any action to address 
their desperate need for Federal assistance. At the same time, I urge 
them not to despair and pledge my efforts to do all that I can to work 
with the distinguished chairman of the committee, Mr. Stevens, and the 
distinguished chairman and ranking member of the House Appropriations 
Committee, Mr. Livinston, and Mr. Obey, to complete final action on 
H.R. 1469 as quickly is as humanly possible when the conference next 
convenes, hopefully during the first week of June.

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