[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 140 (Thursday, October 9, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S10777]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




DISAPPROVING THE CANCELLATIONS TRANSMITTED BY THE PRESIDENT ON OCTOBER 
                                6, 1997

  Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, we have a bill at the desk.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The bill will be introduced and referred to 
the appropriate committee.
  Mr. STEVENS. I wish to have it read.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will read the bill by title.
  The bill clerk read as follows:

                                S. 1292

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled, That 
     Congress disapproves of cancellations 97-4, 97-5, 97-6, 97-7, 
     97-8, 97-9, 97-10, 97-11, 97-12, 97-13, 97-14, 97-15, 97-16, 
     97-17, 97-18, 97-19, 97-20, 97-21, 97-22, 97-23, 97-24, 97-
     25, 97-26, 97-27, 97-28, 97-29, 97-30, 97-32, 97-33, 97-34, 
     97-35, 97-36, 97-37, 97-38, 97-39, and 97-40, as transmitted 
     by the President in a special message on October 6, 1997, 
     regarding Public Law 105-45.

  Mr. STEVENS. That is cosponsored by the Senator from West Virginia 
and a series of other Senators, Mr. President. I do wish to have it 
referred.
  I had it read because I think the Senate and those who are watching 
this proceeding should know how sanitized this process is. Those 
projects listed by the simple numbers in the President's message were 
denied the use of $287 million for the men and women of the armed 
services. As was pointed out by Senator Faircloth of North Carolina, 
that is approximately the amount of money we are spending per month in 
Bosnia. Yet, each one of these projects was very much sought after by 
the Department of Defense, was reviewed by eight committees of the 
Congress, was reviewed on the floor of the House and here on the floor 
of the Senate and in conference, and once again brought back to each 
House.
  I say again, the Senator from West Virginia makes a compelling case 
for his position, if this is to be the policy of this administration, 
if there is to be an indiscriminate use of the line-item veto without 
regard to waste, without regard to the necessity of the money that 
Congress says must be spent.
  So, I look forward to this bill being referred to our committee. When 
we return from the coming recess we shall proceed expeditiously. 
Senator Byrd and I have agreed these matters will be kept in full 
committee so we will not have to go through the subcommittee process. 
And we will return this bill to the Senate as quickly as possible.

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