[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 143 (Wednesday, October 24, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10922-S10924]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            WORKING TOGETHER

  Mr. DOMENICI. Madam President, I come to the floor today to talk 
about history, but strangely enough, short history--the last 3\1/2\ to 
4 weeks. Because so much has happened in that period of time, I am 
firmly of the opinion today that while we will return to some level of 
normalcy and we will all begin to understand what has changed in the 
world, we all found out in a short period of time what kind of people 
terrorists are and what they will do. Americans can hardly understand 
how somebody would organize people--having no country, no real habitat, 
with no concern except to wreak havoc on those they do not like. We 
live in that new bubble.
  I rise today to urge that we continue one other important thing. I 
believe we have a long-time reputation of being the body wherein issues 
are argued, debates can even go on forever. What we did immediately 
after that New York disaster, when the terrorists showed their true 
light to the Americans, was we decided in the Congress we would not 
conduct business as usual. Something rather magnificent happened. The 
public perceives us completely differently. We, too, have changed in 
their opinion because we lock arms on big issues, we work very hard 
behind the scenes with experts. We come to the floor and, with a 
minimum of debate, we pass important measures.
  That has been one of the most significant signals to our own people 
and to the terrorists of the world, that we can adjust this great 
Republic to the modern problems, the problems we never, ever, 
anticipated, even 2 years ago, much less when our Constitution and Bill 
of Rights were written.
  I think something is going awry, that maybe this unity is falling 
apart or breaking. I am hearing leadership offer their own proposals. 
Just yesterday I heard the majority leader, who I thought was doing a 
magnificent job joining with Republicans, introducing a reconciliation 
package. I thought we were going to work the big issues together.
  I urge that we return to that mode and during the next 4 to 6 weeks, 
or however long we want to spend, we complete some very fundamental 
work and we get on with a few packages that will indicate we need to do 
something new and different. That way, we would not have either the 
tremendous buildup and pressure of not being able to get things done, 
nor would we have a cantankerous partisan debate over matters that 
could easily be resolved, as we resolved the first four or five bills 
of importance when New York was still on fire and the Pentagon was 
still steaming because we hadn't put out the fires deep inside the 
beaten-upon building that was a symbol of our strength.
  I also want to say something else is happening which makes this a 
very difficult burden for our President, for us, and for the American 
people. First I commend the President. I think he has done a tremendous 
job. I believe he leads not only us but I think right-minded people 
everywhere, although they all have different political problems. They 
are seeing America, now, under his leadership, presenting a real 
opportunity for the world to get rid of terrorism. They are joining us, 
not one or two a day, but in flocks; the countries of the world are 
joining us.
  Maybe from this will come a new world order. Who knows? I said that a 
few weeks ago. The father of this President came into office saying he 
wanted to work for a new world order. Things got out of hand. The new 
President did not claim that. But, because of the courage, tenacity, 
faith, he is leading the Nation to a whole new set of alliances, all of 
which I see as very positive.
  It seems to me Russia and America may come out very differently as a 
result of this incident. It also seems to me that a number of countries 
that were not willing to join us are looking around and saying: We 
would like to help America.
  Most of what I have just said indicates a desire to unite and work 
together. What a joy to see all Members, Democrat and Republican--mayor 
Republican, Governor Republican, Senators Democrat--go to New York 
City. There wasn't anybody there trying to get their way. They were 
trying to get together and get something going for the people of New 
York and for our country. Again, unity paid off in really big 
dividends.
  We don't usually think of our leaders, under our evolved two-party 
system, in a way that says, if you will just unite, you will do the 
best thing you can for our people. But I think that is happening. That 
has taken a back seat because today we are talking about anthrax, and 
we are learning. I want to compliment all the professionals who worked 
on it. I really believe they did the very best they could under the 
circumstances. I compliment them all.
  We are learning brand new things even about this particular 
microorganism. We are learning that maybe it is spread easier than we 
had learned in the textbooks and that the scientists said. Maybe you 
can aerosol it much easier than we thought. We thought that was a very 
difficult thing. We thought it required very efficient kinds of 
equipment and tremendous resources. It still may. We don't have the 
answer yet. But I don't believe we ought to start arguing among 
ourselves about this particular problem. I think we ought to also join 
together, listen to our experts, and if we need to do some more things 
quickly, let's do them. Let's not run to see who is going to get 
credit. Let's not try to put bill upon bill just to spend money.

  I want to remind everyone we are down to about $50 billion in surplus 
from $176 billion just 5 or 6 weeks ago, and this is the surplus we 
didn't even want to touch. It is the accumulated surplus that was all 
going to go on the debt. We are down to $50 billion or so, but we see 
the bills people are proposing under the rubric of stimulus plus 
expansion of social welfare programs. I trace our longer history, not 
just 3 weeks, and find we never did try to expand those programs in our 
serious recessions before. They were taken up in due course, not as a 
stimulus, not as an emergency. That has to do with COBRA and other 
programs at which we are looking.
  But I think we have to face up to the reality that every night we are 
looking at Afghanistan on the television, trying to figure out how are 
we doing, whose side is winning, what is happening, and here at home we 
are engaging our best scientists in this dread illness. This illness 
comes from a product that is very common. I think the Senator in the 
chair knows that out west, where we have a lot of cows and pens for 
cows and the like, these spores are prevalent everywhere. In my State, 
in northern New Mexico, there are many

[[Page S10923]]

of them. We treat them properly, give them their proper respect, and 
they don't go anywhere because people either take antibiotics or take 
treatment, and we go on with our lives.
  But the overhanging problem is the American economy. When it is 
flourishing, we can do almost anything. When it is coming down and in 
recession, it has a tendency to harm an awful lot of people. The cycle 
in American capitalism, which nobody has cured yet, when it starts 
coming down and unemployment goes up and the other things that we know 
about come about--obviously, productivity is not growing like it was, 
many people are put out of work, many businesses go bankrupt, many 
families have to ask the Government to help because, through no fault 
of their own, they can't be employed. We can't order them to be 
employed, if we want to use the great system that has built this 
country to its enormous material powerhouse status.
  I want to say the third thing we have on our platter makes it a very 
big platter. Three big things sit there, straining America: There is a 
war that is different from any we had, and there is a human commitment 
by the American people, in spite of its difference, despite its 
ferocity, despite the risks we have to take--it is amazing, the 
American people, in excess of 90 percent, say stay with it; go get 
them. It is amazing that they say America is on the right path.
  We always ask, are we on the right path or the wrong path? This is 
one time we have been united and they know we are on the right path 
when it comes to this war. Americans, given the facts, although they 
are a little more frightened than they have been in the past, will 
support an appropriate, righteous cause.
  We are not without fault. But certainly we do not deserve, either 
from our own citizens or from people in the world, some of the things 
said about America. We are flourishing because we have a great system. 
And we have not destroyed our own system. We have lived with it, made 
it grow, and when things had to change, they changed peacefully and 
parties got new agendas for their candidates and we established new 
things to make America grow. When America grows, we can do much more 
for education, we can do more for all the things that we cherish, and 
we can give our taxpayers a little bit of the empathy they need so they 
can grow and prosper.

  So far, as I look at it, it seems to me we are going to wake up in 3 
or 4 weeks when we get some new economic numbers. I regret saying I 
think there will be a new headline. The headline will be: America In 
Recession. Those speaking about it are saying we don't know quite how 
to fix it. I have sensed that for quite some time. I added my own 
economics that I do, having worked with a lot of these people, had 
conversations, and then we look for some big facts. I just want to 
share one that is very startling, and that has to do with a very 
important characteristic of our economy--industrial production.
  The problem is that industrial production figures that were released 
just 1 week ago yesterday morning--we are down 1 percent in the month 
of September. This year alone, that great measure of our productivity, 
and of our production, will be down 6 percent. That is as much as it 
went down in the entire 1990-1991 recession.
  Put another way: This is the 12th consecutive month of that kind of 
decline. This is the longest decline in industrial production since 
World War II. I understand it doesn't have all of the significance it 
had during this period since World War II. It has been pushed aside as 
a major indicator by some other things. But it is still a major one.
  I believe our mission is simple: Get together on the appropriations 
bills, no excuses, unite, have our leaders unite, and let's get them 
done. Let's just say it ought not be an excuse big enough to deny our 
desire to work together in a unified way to get the ordinary business 
done. I think when we were beginning to move, our buildings were closed 
down. Who would have thought of that? Nonetheless, that is the case.
  We are trying to find ways to work even though the buildings are not 
quite accommodating. We are getting there. We are forcing some 
accommodations so we can do our work.
  In addition, we have to finish up the work of an appropriations bill 
that appropriates money which we put in, in the early days for New York 
and for defense. Remember that we passed that to send a signal and to 
appropriate the money, but we said it is subject to a new 
appropriations bill. That has to be done. That requires unity. That 
requires Senators and Congressmen to give up some things and get on 
with a package with consensus, and then unite together and say let's do 
it. Some say it was too big a package. We will have to add a lot. Let's 
just say that considering America's future and what we are, the worst 
thing would be for us to not do what we have promised to do. The second 
worst is to not continue on with evaluations and then pass laws and 
appropriations to fill some very serious holes we have--clearly in the 
medical area, biomedical, and chemical.
  In terms of our country, we were at war in a sense, but we really 
didn't understand the significance of biological and chemical warfare. 
We weren't as well prepared. But whom do you want to blame for that? 
Some people are now beginning to ask. There have been Senators, House 
Members, and Presidents who have spoken to terrorism. They have spoken 
to the issue of biological and chemical warfare. But I can tell you 
from our own experience on one bill. We passed a bill that is commonly 
known as Nunn-Lugar-Domenici which is now in 126 cities with $670 
million a year. It takes the first responders, fire, policemen, and 
medical teams; it organizes them so they move in harmony again, in 
unity.
  It was very hard during the first 2 or 3 years to get cities to 
willingly participate. There is no criticism, but they did not like the 
idea because they did not want to let their people think they were 
subject to any real problems from outside. It took 3 years to get the 
program implemented. It took the U.S. Government's executive branch to 
divide it into three parts instead of in unity. It is implemented by 
three different Departments of our Government. Obviously, we learn 
about that now. We are in trouble. We are going to seek unity of 
purpose with reference thereto.
  I also suggest that the economy needs an economic stimulus plan. I 
remind everyone, this economy is faltering. I don't believe we should 
be the first as Senators from different States that may have problems 
to run and say we need to pay for a new program. Every program and 
every tax proposal ought to be subject to that. Let's consider it. How 
does it help the economy grow? I think if it doesn't, it ought to be on 
another calendar. We don't know with precision, but we know pretty well 
that a bridge construction program that comes into effect 3 or 4 years 
from now may be a good program because we need bridges, but it is not 
an economic stimulus package. I think we have come to the conclusion 
that highway bridges and like programs, if we need them, are good 
programs, but for the most part they are not programs that will 
accelerate the growth in this economy. Instead of everybody going to 
the wall on that, that can be organized and talked about.
  We can get on with doing what we don't do so well. But we have done 
marvelously well for the last 5 or 6 weeks to commit to the American 
people that until we finish our business, including a stimulus package, 
if we can do it, we are going to lock arms and finish on an upbeat note 
that says we are united to do what we can about this terrible new 
enemy. We are absolutely committed to give our President what he needs 
militarily, and we encourage him to follow them to their demise.
  To the extent we have additional stimulus ideas, we ought to take a 
good look to see if we can do them together. If it is OK, we can then 
come in the next year. We don't have to do everything in the next 3 or 
4 weeks. We will learn a lot about this problem in the next 5 or 6 
weeks. Instead of passing bills, we will have some very refined 
examinations and appraisals of our problems.
  For instance, everybody always hears me talk about the laboratories 
that do our nuclear work. The people who visit them say they are crown 
jewels in terms of research capacity. I think it still shocks people to 
know that, for instance, in this area that has to do with this 
biological enemy that we are

[[Page S10924]]

fighting now, those two laboratories combined in expertise, if not the 
paramount source of evidence, are the paramount source of definition 
about these spores. That happens to be a program they have in place, 
and they are being called upon now to be some of the experts to resolve 
some of these unknown issues. We have to help put all of those together 
to work in unison under our new manager of domestic problems, a 
wonderful former Governor, Governor Ridge.

  I close by saying to the Senators from both sides of the aisle, House 
Members and those who are in close contact with our Members, let's get 
back to where we were and seek unity; let's try to lock arms and get 
our basic job done, the extraordinary work done, and do it in such a 
way that Americans can continue to feel what they feel about this 
Government. They totally support our President. They think we are 
better than we have ever been. I don't think we need to fight when we 
have an enemy that will just capitalize on anything going on in our 
country that is tearing at us. They think they are going to cause that. 
We ought to do just the opposite.
  Thank you for the privilege of speaking today. I yield the floor.

                          ____________________