[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 89 (Tuesday, June 22, 1999)]
[House]
[Pages H4709-H4710]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             FUNDING FOR NIH, AND THE ANNUAL BUDGET IMPASSE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Gekas) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GEKAS. Mr. Speaker, later on this evening we plan to conduct a 
full special order of 1 hour on the subject of funding for the National 
Institutes of Health, an important budget item every year but 
increasingly important as we move closer to many discoveries and 
preventive disease matters that require the attention of the Congress. 
So we will be developing where we are and some of the plans that are in 
action towards that funding mechanism for that NIH.
  In the meantime, though, I do want to bring the attention again of 
the Members to the pending year-end perennial budget impasse that we 
reach no matter what we try to do. The fiscal year ends September 30, 
and rarely, if ever, are we prepared on the next day to face a fully 
enacted new budget for the next fiscal year. What we have tried to do 
over the last 10 years, with some success but with increasing 
frustration that we are not able to complete the job, is to put in 
place an instant replay mechanism to prevent government shutdowns 
forever. That is to say that the appropriation bills that are 
incomplete on September 30 will be re-enacted automatically with the 
previous year's numbers for the next fiscal year until such time as the 
appropriations process brings about a new fiscal plan for the ensuing 
year.

[[Page H4710]]

  This makes so much common sense that I fear that that is the one 
ingredient that makes it almost impossible for us to come together to 
pass it. But we will make another effort this year to demonstrate the 
necessity for such a mechanism. We cannot, I repeat, we cannot tolerate 
a government shutdown.
  Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. GEKAS. I yield to the gentleman from Alabama.
  Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Speaker, with respect to the earlier part of the 
gentleman's statement, when he mentioned his debate that will take 
place tonight, I fully intended to join with him, however, I cannot 
join with the gentleman tonight. But I fully support the funding for 
the research projects that the gentleman is talking about and I have 
submitted comments for the record. Hopefully, they will be inserted 
sometime during the gentleman's statements tonight indicating my 
support for that.
  As to the CR, we will debate that at a later time. I would suggest to 
the gentleman, however, that we ought to look seriously at bienniel 
budgeting, which would accomplish the same thing. If we ever got to 
biennial budgeting, I think we would see surpluses growing that second 
year at record levels, as was the experience of the Alabama 
legislature.
  So I just wanted to tell the gentleman that I support what he is 
doing with respect to adequate funding for research and for all of the 
institutions that do this research, and that we will debate the 
continuing resolution at a later time.
  Mr. GEKAS. Reclaiming my time, Mr. Speaker, we will make certain the 
gentleman's comments are placed in the record with respect to the NIH, 
and then I will quarrel with him wherever and whenever I meet him, in 
the cloakroom or anywhere else, on the benefits that we can derive from 
an automatic CR on a year-to-year basis.
  Mr. CALLAHAN. If the gentleman will continue to yield, far be it from 
me to match intelligence levels with the gentleman, because the 
gentleman is known for his knowledge of the institution. I just happen 
to have a greater depth of knowledge, I think, on the appropriation 
process, because I serve on that committee. But I thank the gentleman 
anyway.
  Mr. GEKAS. Mr. Speaker, I am available to the gentleman and he can 
try to convince me of that. But I warn the gentleman, he will have a 
tough battle on his hands.
  Mr. CALLAHAN. I look forward to that.

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