[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 92 (Wednesday, July 10, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6522-S6523]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  COMMISSION ON THE ACCOUNTABILITY AND REVIEW OF FEDERAL AGENCIES ACT

  Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, I rise to spend a few minutes talking 
about a growing fiscal and budgetary problem we have in the Senate, 
something I am not joyous about bringing up, but we have a problem. We 
are quickly sliding into it, if not falling into it, and we need to get 
it addressed. We need to address it before we get completely caught up 
in the fiscal and budgetary track.
  Time is growing short. This body has yet to pass a budget resolution. 
We have not passed a single 1 of the 13 annual appropriations bills 
yet. Here we are in the middle of July; no budget resolution, not 1 of 
the 13 annual appropriations bills. We are quietly moving into position 
for a fiscal train wreck. Many Members of the body expressed grave 
concern and doubt in 1998 when we did an omnibus appropriations bill. 
The course currently being charted by the Senate leadership will make 
that train wreck look like a fender bender.
  We need to first consider the budget resolution created by the Budget 
Act of 1974. The budget resolution, which the Senate is legally 
required to pass by April 15--nearly 3 months ago--established caps on 
total annual discretionary spending. To waive the limits requires a 60-
vote point of order. Without the mechanism in place, amendments to 
increase spending can be passed in the appropriations bills, regardless 
of their impact on Social Security, by a simple majority. So we are 
subjecting the Social Security surplus to simple majority movement by 
this body.
  It is astounding, but despite the legal requirements for passage of 
the budget resolution by April 15, the leadership of the Senate has 
failed to even bring up the measure for consideration. And in the 27 
years since the Budget Act of 1974, the Senate has had a budget.
  To further put our current situation in perspective, consider the 
fact that just a year ago this body was composed of the exact 100 
people here today, and we passed a budget resolution offered by Senator 
Domenici with the support of 65 Members.
  Regardless of how the votes stack up, at the least, the Senate should 
pass a budget resolution so we have the fiscal caps in place that would 
take 60 votes--not just a majority, but 60 votes--to be able to raid 
the Social Security surplus. That is just prudence on our part that we 
ought to put the budget mechanisms in place.
  I think we are sliding quickly into a situation where we are going to 
be spending ourselves into a bigger hole and not have any of these 
restraints or the mechanisms in place to help hold us back.
  On the appropriations bills I mentioned at first, when the Senate 
should have passed 4 or 5 of these at least by this point in time, of 
the 13, we have passed none. These bills can take weeks to debate and 
pass. Then there are conference committees to work out the differences 
between the House and the Senate bills.
  When considering these factors, coupled with the finite time 
remaining on the legislative calendar, it seems evident that a super-
omnibus bill, larger than the 1998 omnibus, may very well be necessary 
to break the inevitable logjam.
  Most of us in this Chamber have been privileged enough to serve 
during the recent period of historic, large federal surpluses. While 
large surpluses can be

[[Page S6523]]

an indicator of a robust economy, they are not necessarily an indicator 
of good fiscal management. Large surpluses, as I think we have seen, 
can lead to complacency with, and in some instances even misuse of, 
taxpayer dollars. While we should always be dedicated to ensuring the 
maximum benefit of every tax dollar that comes to Washington, we are 
now faced with the real possibility of a $100 billion deficit in fiscal 
year 2002--a $100 billion deficit.
  Between increased funding for both the War on Terrorism and other 
domestic programs, our federal surpluses have vanished, and we are 
reentering the realm of deficit spending. We need to exercise fiscal 
restraint in our spending, and yet we appear to be headed for another 
omnibus appropriations bill at the end of this congressional session. 
Surely, Members on both sides of the aisle can understand that if this 
is the case, it means that there will be even more pork-laden measures 
tucked inside of these bills. Whether you are conservative or liberal, 
surely, it is an unacceptable strain on hard working Americans and our 
economy to have that type of pork barrel spending. The bottom line is 
that an omnibus appropriations bill prevents the proper individual 
consideration of spending measures, and it is bad for America.
  Now more than ever, we should take steps to assure taxpayers that 
their hard-earned tax dollars are being well spent. Two months ago, I 
introduced the bipartisan Commission on the Accountability and Review 
of Federal Agencies Act--or CARFA Act for short. As in any bureaucracy, 
inefficient or low priority use of taxpayer's dollars are often serious 
threats to the credibility of an agency or program. We must be certain 
that the money we spend is not just allocated that way because we have 
historically spent it this way. Priorities change and our spending must 
change with it.
  The CARFA Act would create a commission that is modeled on the 
successful Base Realignment and Closure BRAC Commission. Whereas the 
BRAC Commission examined military bases and the Department of Defense, 
CARFA would review Federal domestic agencies, and programs within 
agencies using a narrow set of criteria, which should produce 
significant results. The three areas of review are duplicative 
programs, wasteful or inefficient spending, outdated, irrelevant or 
failed programs.
  If this legislation is enacted, the Commission, upon completion of 
its two-year review, would submit to Congress both its recommendations 
for the realignment and elimination of domestic agencies and programs, 
and proposed legislation to implement these recommendations. The 
Congress would then consider the Commission's proposed legislation in 
an expedited manner, with input from the committees under who's 
jurisdiction the affected agencies or programs fall. Following the 
committee's comment period, the proposed legislation would be brought 
to the floor of each Chamber for debate and a vote. Like BRAC, the 
Commission's proposed legislation would be voted up-or-down without 
amendment.
  The Commission on the Accountability and Review of Federal Agencies 
Act is about maximizing the benefit of Federal funds. Like BRAC, which 
directed that all funds saved be placed back into the DOD budget, any 
funds saved by implementation of CARFA's recommendations would be 
directed to support other more efficient domestic programs and 
agencies. In other words, any money saved would be put right back into 
other, higher priority domestic programs. That would be the best way we 
could spend the money.
  The CARFA Act is about fiscal responsibility, and the Federal 
Government is accountable to the hard-working Americans who foot the 
bill. Personally, I think it would be wonderful if we were able to 
further increase the research budget for the National Institutes of 
Health, or IDEA--Individuals w/Disabilities Education Act--because 
funds saved through the work of the CARFA commission would be more 
money available there. Priority spending would be done. This Commission 
has the potential to help us truly root out inefficiency, in the 
Federal Government in such a way that we can more fully realize the 
benefit of all Federal funds.
  The CARFA Act is a good measure, and its enactment would send a 
positive signal to the American people that the Senate is attempting to 
exercise sound fiscal policy. I urge my colleagues to support it.

  I urge my colleagues to look at the fiscal situation we are setting 
up right now with the spending and the lack of a budget bill, the lack 
of passing any appropriations bill, the $100 billion fiscal deficit we 
are looking at for this fiscal year. We cannot afford this train wreck, 
and it is not wise at all for us to allow ourselves to slip into it. We 
really need to show the leadership to pass a budget resolution, to pass 
appropriations bills, to put caps in place, and to pass this CARFA 
bill.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Minnesota.
  Mr. WELLSTONE. My colleague from Indiana wanted to speak for 5 
minutes, so I ask unanimous consent he be allowed to speak for 5 
minutes, after which I have the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. BAYH. Mr. President, I thank my colleague, the Senator from 
Minnesota, for his courtesy.
  Mr. President, it is good to see you in the chair again. You have had 
the misfortune of being in the chair the last few times I took the 
floor, and I appreciate your forbearance as well.

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