[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 79 (Monday, June 9, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5405-S5406]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  THE SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS BILL

  Mrs. HUTCHISON. Thank you, Mr. President. I thank the distinguished 
Senator from Georgia, because I do want to respond and make sure that 
everyone is singing from the same page.
  I appreciate very much what the distinguished Senators from North 
Dakota are feeling right now, and what they must feel every time they 
go home. I, too, have visited disaster areas in my home State in the 
last week, and it is a devastating situation.
  Mr. President, I want to make it clear that all of us are going to 
make sure that the victims of disasters in all the 35 States that are 
covered will have all of the help they need, and they will have it in 
the absolute minimum time it takes to get that to them. In fact, the 
disaster victims in North Dakota and Minnesota and South Dakota are 
getting help right now. They are getting the SBA loans, they are 
getting the agriculture help, they are getting the assistance that they 
need, and it is there now, and we have $2 billion in the pipeline 
waiting to come in to them, not waiting for us to act. That is in the 
pipeline now. So the money is there, make no mistake about it.
  But it is very important that everyone know that this is a 
supplemental appropriations bill. It is the first appropriations bill 
that has gone through this year. There are many items that must be 
covered. We are covering the replenishment of FEMA funds, the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency funds, because they are being depleted 
right now as we speak, going to the victims of North Dakota, South 
Dakota, Minnesota, California and other States. We are giving that 
money to them, and we are going to replenish it with this supplemental 
bill.
  But there are many other things covered in this bill. It is not as if 
this is just a disaster relief bill for those areas. It is also a $1.9 
billion expenditure for overseas peacekeeping, to replenish the funds 
that have gone into the protection of Bosnia. There is $928 million for 
veterans compensation and pensions, $29.9 million for plane crash 
investigations, $6.4 million to the FBI to reimburse New York State and 
local jurisdictions for assisting in the investigation of Flight 800, 
$197 million for the National Park Service, $103 million for the Fish 
and Wildlife Service, $67 million for the Forest Service, $20 million 
for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, $585 million for the Army Corps of 
Engineers, $510 million for the U.S. mission in Southwest Asia, $58 
million for the Women, Infants, and Children Program. Mr. President, it 
goes on.
  This is a supplemental appropriations bill. These are funds that are 
to replenish funds that have already been spent. In addition to that, 
we are setting the process by which we do appropriations this year. 
That is why we have the Government Shutdown Prevention Act. That is why 
we are saying if we do not come to agreement on October 1 for all of 
the appropriations bills, that Government will continue to function, 
that people will not have to worry about their paychecks, that veterans 
will not have to worry about their pensions, that people going on 
vacation will not have to worry about it. We are saying right now, here 
is how we are going to proceed.
  I think it has been portrayed that Congress is playing games. 
Congress has passed a bill. It is not absolving the President of all 
responsibility to veto anything he wants to veto, and then say, well, I 
didn't like it and it's your responsibility.
  He has a responsibility. The President can sign this bill. I would 
like for the President to explain why he wants the ability to shut down 
Government. I would like the President to explain what is unreasonable 
about providing for the ongoing Government expenditures at today's 
levels while Congress and the President might continue to negotiate on 
an appropriations bill that has not been passed by September 30.
  Mr. COVERDELL addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Georgia.
  Mr. COVERDELL. Will the Senator yield for just a moment?
  Mrs. HUTCHISON. I will be happy to yield.
  Mr. COVERDELL. Is it not the Senator's understanding that the 
emergency appropriations Congress passed and sent to the President last 
week was voted for by the Senate majority leader?
  Mrs. HUTCHISON. I think that is correct, Mr. President.
  Mr. COVERDELL. It was voted for by the Senate minority leader?
  Mrs. HUTCHISON. Absolutely.
  Mr. COVERDELL. Voted for by a majority of the Republican Senators?

[[Page S5406]]

  Mrs. HUTCHISON. In fact, the majority of the Republican Senators and 
two-thirds of the whole U.S. Senate.
  Mr. COVERDELL. And a majority of the other side of the aisle?
  Mrs. HUTCHISON. That is correct.
  Mr. COVERDELL. My point is, how much more bipartisan? We don't see 
that happening here very often. So the emergency relief and all of its 
provisions, the guarantee you talk about to keep the Government from 
shutting down, was voted for by the leadership, Republican, Democrat, 
by the majority of both sides of the aisle, and the President says the 
Congress is playing games with emergency relief? It seems a little 
incongruous to me.
  Mrs. HUTCHISON. I can certainly understand why the Senator from 
Georgia would be a little confused, when Republicans produced a bill 
that gave the President everything he asked for the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency, for Bosnia, and for all these other programs that 
are being replenished for the administration. I can understand why he 
would be confused that the President would veto the bill and accuse 
Republicans of playing political games. That is confusing.
  In fact, I have to say I think the President needs to step up to the 
line and say what is unreasonable about providing for the orderly 
process of Government, the orderly appropriations process, telling 
people what to expect if there is not an agreement on September 30 
between the President and Congress. There are no hammers, there is no 
fear on the part of Government employees or veterans or people who are 
counting on paychecks coming on time. What is wrong with providing for 
that? We are not cutting back on what people are getting now. We are 
just saying, let's provide a level playing field here. Let's negotiate 
in good faith. And if the President does not want to do that, if the 
President wants to shut down Government or wants to have a hammer over 
Congress' head, wants to have some artificial shutdown of Government at 
his disposal, I would like for the President to explain to the American 
people why. Why? Because if we do not pass this now, then people will 
not know what to expect. Government employees will not know what to 
expect, veterans will not know what to expect. We may not pass an 
appropriations bill on which this could be put, as a matter of process, 
for months to come.
  I think this is the responsible approach to take so everyone 
understands. If the President disagrees, tell us why. Tell us why you 
want to shut down Government, Mr. President, or you want people to be 
in fear of shutting down Government, or you want a hammer over 
Congress' head in order to have some sort of advantage. I mean, what is 
it? What is it that would cause you to veto a bill that you say is so 
important to you, for disaster relief and other supplemental 
appropriations, when, in fact, all you have to do is sign the bill?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The time of the Senator has expired.
  Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I think the responsibility lies in the 
White House. The Congress has done its job. I would appreciate the 
President stepping up to the line and saying what is so bad about 
having a process which everyone knows, right now, and can plan for, an 
orderly, responsible transfer between fiscal years. I would just like 
the President to step up and say what's wrong with that. We ask him to 
do that today.
  We want him to provide the relief he has asked for. And, Mr. 
President, Congress has done its job.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Georgia.
  Mr. COVERDELL. Mr. President, I thank the Senator from Texas. I think 
she is absolutely on point. Getting the emergency relief where it needs 
to go, protecting its ability to do its work, is in the President's 
hands now because Congress--particularly here in the Senate, but the 
House as well--has sent a broadly based, broadly agreed-to document to 
the President. So, if it doesn't move on to the people who need it, the 
President will have to accept that responsibility.

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