[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 102 (Wednesday, July 21, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8532-S8534]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                             Appropriations

  Mr. HARKIN. I was watching on the monitor when Senator Byrd was 
recently on the floor talking about the lack of considering 
appropriations bills. In 2 days, we are going to adjourn for recess. 
What do we have to show for it? By this point, the Senate should have 
passed most, if not all, of the 13 appropriations bills, but this year 
under the Republican leadership we have only passed one, the Defense 
bill. We have not even debated the 12 others, much less put them to a 
vote.
  Why is that? Is it because we are so busy in the Senate that we 
cannot debate these? Hardly. We spent days talking about judges who 
stand no chance of being confirmed; days on an amendment to ban gay 
unions that everyone knew would not pass, could not even get a majority 
vote, let alone 67 votes needed for a constitutional amendment. We 
spent weeks on a class action bill because Republican leadership did 
not want to consider amendments on which they thought they might lose.
  Meanwhile, the Senate leadership has taken no action on increasing 
the minimum wage or extending unemployment benefits that could really 
make a difference for hard-working Americans.
  The highway bill, which would create thousands of jobs, is now almost 
a year overdue, hung up by a veto threat of the White House. The bill 
to authorize Corps of Engineers projects that are important to farmers 
in my State was passed by the committee a month ago. There is no sign 
of any consideration in the Senate.

[[Page S8533]]

  According to the Senate leadership, there is no time to take up 
appropriations bills that provide funding for critically important 
Government services. Passing the appropriations bills ought to be one 
of our top priorities. These bills pay for everything from roads and 
veterans health to homeland security and education. But here it is, 
July 21, with only 21 legislative days remaining in the fiscal year, 
and we have passed one appropriations bill.
  That is all.
  As the ranking Democrat on the Labor, Health, Human Services and 
Education Appropriations Committee, I find this very troubling. It is 
not the committee chairman's fault. I know Senator Stevens is anxious 
to pass these bills. The same goes for the chairman of the Labor, 
Health, Human Services and Education Appropriations Subcommittee, 
Senator Specter. Our staffs have worked together closely on a bill. We 
are ready to mark it up on a moment's notice, but the White House and 
the Republican leadership in the Senate seem to have no interest in 
moving any appropriations bill other than Defense.
  The reason is simple when one thinks about it. If these 
appropriations bills get debated on the Senate floor, everyone will see 
what the Republican Party's priorities are. It will be very clear. The 
Republican Party is out of touch with middle-class and low-income 
Americans. Education is a case in point. Two and a half years after 
President Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act, it is obvious he 
has no intention of providing the funding to make it work. President 
Bush's budget for next year shortchanges the No Child Left Behind Act 
by a whooping $9.4 billion.
  No wonder we hear from school boards, teachers, and principals all 
over our States complaining about the No Child Left Behind Act. It is 
an unfunded Government mandate, the biggest of all, telling our local 
schools what they have to do, and yet we do not provide the funding 
that was promised by the President, $9.4 billion less than what he 
promised, and it is shortchanging our schools.

  Look at title I in education. That is the Federal program that 
specifically serves disadvantaged children who are at the most risk of 
falling behind and being left behind. The President's budget 
shortchanges this program by more than $7 billion. Now we are up to $16 
billion in two cases of education.
  It is the same story with kids with disabilities. The President's 
budget provides less than half of the level Congress committed to 
paying when the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act was passed 
in 1975. Meanwhile, Mr. Bush continues to oppose the bipartisan 
legislation Senator Hagel and I have offered to fully fund this law.
  On higher education, the President offers virtually no help to low- 
and middle-income students who cannot afford to go to college. Under 
President Bush's budget, the maximum Pell grant award would be frozen 
for the third straight year while college tuitions continue to rise 
through the roof.
  The level of Pell grants in the President's budget next year will be 
lower than it was in 2002. One wonders why so many students cannot 
afford to go to college now or why they are borrowing more money and 
graduating with these big debts. Well, maybe that is the 
administration's goal: Get these kids to borrow more money from the 
banks, pay these big interest rates, pay it back, rather than making 
Pell grants, which they should be providing.
  Meanwhile, President Bush's budget eliminates funding entirely for 
programs like school counselors, arts and education, gifted and 
talented programs, and dropout prevention, all zeroed out in the 
President's education budget.
  The administration says there is no money to do this, no money to 
make good on the pledges made only 2 years ago.
  Well, I am sorry if I strongly disagree. Bear in mind that in this 
same budget with all of these cuts to education, the President calls 
for another $1 trillion in tax cuts.
  It seems to me if there is room for $1 trillion in tax cuts, surely 
there is room for $9.4 billion to fund the No Child Left Behind 
education bill. That would be less than 1 percent of the proposed new 
tax cuts.
  Time and again we hear this administration say, well, education 
reform is not about money. It is true, education reform is not only 
about money, but let's be real: If we are going to modernize school 
buildings, it costs money. If we are going to buy up-to-date textbooks 
and school technology, guess what. It costs money. If we are going to 
reduce class sizes, it costs money. If, under the No Child Left Behind 
Act, we want highly qualified teachers in the subjects in which they 
teach, guess what. It costs money. And if we want to ensure all kids 
with disabilities are learning at the proficient level as required by 
the new law, guess what. It costs money. If we want to ensure all young 
people, regardless of income, have a shot at going to college, guess 
what. It costs money. Unfortunately, money is something we do not get 
very much of in the President's education budget.
  If they want a tax break for the wealthy, they get $1 trillion. If we 
want to fund education, forget it in the President's budget.
  We Democrats tried to increase funding for education during the 
debate on the budget resolution in March. We offered amendments on the 
No Child Left Behind Act, on afterschool centers and Pell grants, but 
the Republican majority rebuffed us every time. Now the Republican 
leadership in the Senate will not even give us a chance to debate an 
education appropriations bill and offer amendments on the floor of the 
Senate. They will not even give us a chance to do that.

  A couple of years ago when the President signed the No Child Left 
Behind bill, he seemed to think that education was an important Federal 
responsibility--Federal, not local. The President signed the No Child 
Left Behind Act, a Federal mandate to local schools. If the President 
thought 2 years ago that education was an important Federal 
responsibility, why is the President so reluctant to have us take up an 
appropriations bill that would fund this law?
  I believe I know why. The Republicans have backed themselves into a 
corner. They are doling out so many tax cuts for the rich that they do 
not have any money left to fund our Nation's schools. They know if they 
offer an education bill with the limited amount of money they are 
willing to spend on students, there is going to be a huge outcry across 
the country. The American people would see what the President really 
stands for. They would see, in black and white, that this 
administration has no real interest in leaving no child behind.
  Four years ago we were looking at over $5 trillion in surpluses over 
10 years, with the Federal Reserve talking about the great economic 
effects of completely paying off the Federal debt by 2009. That was 4 
years ago.
  Four years later, now, this year, we are facing a record deficit of 
over $400 billion just this year. There are many reasons for that 
turnaround, but the biggest by far is the tax cuts. About half of the 
tax cuts we have passed here go to people averaging an income of over 
$1 million a year. Let me repeat that: Over one-half of those tax cuts 
that we have passed here go to people averaging an income of over $1 
million a year.
  This administration's misguided tax policies are undermining our 
Nation's fiscal strength; they are weakening our economy, jeopardizing 
Social Security, and reducing our ability to provide for the needs of 
our children and our Nation's education. It is no wonder that the 
Senate Republican leadership wants to avoid the issue of education 
funding. They do not want to bring the education funding bill out on 
the floor for open debate and amendments. They just want to sweep it 
under the rug and hope that no one notices.
  The Republican Party controls the Senate schedule, so they have that 
power. But I urge them to reconsider. Let's mark up the bill in 
subcommittee, to the full committee, and bring it to the floor.
  As I said, Senator Specter has done his job. My staff worked with his 
staff. We have a bill that is ready to go. Bring it out here. Let's 
have a good debate about how much we want to fund education. Give the 
public a chance to weigh in and see an open debate. Let's have 
amendments. Let's vote on them. I thought that was the way the process 
was supposed to work.
  Maybe my friends on the other side of the aisle are right. Maybe 
people

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really do care more about tax cuts for the rich than about funding 
education. I don't think that is so, but there is only one way to find 
out. That is to bring the education appropriations bill to the floor in 
open debate and let Senators on both sides of the aisle offer their 
amendments. Let's vote on those amendments, and let's see how the 
elected Representatives of the people of this country feel about 
funding education after those debates and after those votes. As I said, 
it seems to me this is the way our democratic system is supposed to 
work.
  Again, I urge the Republican leadership: Bring out our appropriations 
bills. I focus on education because I happen to be the ranking member 
on the appropriations subcommittee dealing with education, health, and 
labor. There are so many more, as I mentioned, such as the highway bill 
and homeland security, that we need to get through on the Senate floor. 
There are 21 days left, and we have passed only one appropriations 
bill.
  The Senate is not doing its business. It is time we do.
  I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be dispensed with.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to be recognized 
to speak as if in morning business for 15 minutes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. DURBIN. Thank you, Mr. President.