[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 134 (Wednesday, September 30, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11185-S11186]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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  CONFERENCE AGREEMENT ON H.R. 4060, THE FISCAL YEAR 1999 ENERGY AND 
                       WATER APPROPRIATIONS BILL

 Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I applaud my colleagues on both 
sides of

[[Page S11186]]

the aisle in forging a conference agreement which will provide funding 
for important energy and defense related programs in this year's Energy 
and Water Appropriations bill. As we will not likely complete all of 
the individual 13 appropriations bills, I compliment the managers for 
completing their respective conference bills and reports.
  I did not object to the conference report's passage yesterday by 
unanimous consent. However, I do take exception to the continuing 
practice of overloading an important spending bill such as this one 
with wasteful and unnecessary spending for unrequested, unauthorized or 
member-interest projects. I examined the Senate bill and report during 
our consideration earlier this year and counted more than $920 million 
in earmarks. I am disappointed that the conferees chose not to cut back 
on this wasteful spending, but rather took the opportunity to indulge 
and attach even more erroneous earmarks for projects which were not 
considered by either legislative body.
  Mr. President, I will not dwell on the details, for I have compiled 
an extensive list of objectionable provisions which clearly reflects an 
outrageous spending binge by our federal government. This conference 
report is shamefully overridden with $1.6 billion of pork-barrel 
spending. Many members will come out of this process as winners with 
spending for their own special interest projects. Unfortunately, the 
losers are the American taxpayers who will have to shoulder this fiscal 
burden.
  The complete list of objectionable provisions is available through my 
office.

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