[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 135 (Friday, December 8, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S11645]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     MAKING FURTHER CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2007

  Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of H.J. Res. 102, which was 
received from the House.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the joint resolution by 
title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A joint resolution (H.J. Res. 102) making further 
     continuing appropriations for the fiscal year 2007, and for 
     other purposes.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the joint 
resolution.
  Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I deeply regret that we will soon adjourn 
having adopted only 2 of the 12 fiscal year 2007 appropriations bills.
  This year, the Senate Appropriations Committee reported all of the 
bills under its jurisdiction by July 20, the earliest that has been 
done in 18 years. These bills were all within the budget allocation, 
and the total funding appropriated was lower in real dollars than last 
year. I regret that the Senate was not allowed to consider these bills 
in time to complete action before the beginning of this fiscal year.
  In this continuing resolution, which is now before the Senate, we 
have made sure that the Department of Veterans Affairs has sufficient 
resources to provide all the benefits veterans are entitled to receive 
under the law and that no veteran will be denied any benefit or receive 
anything less than the finest care available.
  I urge the Senate to approve this bill.
  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, we are now 69 days into the fiscal year and 
only 2 of the 12 appropriations bills are public law. The Senate now 
has before it a third continuing resolution that funds 13 of the 15 
executive branch Cabinet departments through February 15.
  When it comes to funding bills for domestic agencies, the majority 
leadership is apparently satisfied with a restrictive continuing 
resolution. Eight of the 12 bills were never even debated in the 
Senate. When it comes to caring for our veterans, the education of our 
children, the health of our elderly, and the ability of our 
deteriorating infrastructure to sustain a growing economy, the majority 
leadership is satisfied with a rubberstamp continuing resolution, 
kicking the decisions down the road to the next Congress. This dismal 
performance is not the result of the work of the Appropriations 
Committee. The Appropriations Committee did its work and, on a 
bipartisan basis, reported all 12 of its bills by July 26. Chairman 
Cochran did an outstanding job in leading the committee.
  Sadly, the appropriations process, once again, has fallen prey to 
politics.
  Next year, the 110th Congress will have to complete the 2007 
appropriations bills, a war supplemental, and the 2008 bills.
  This will be a huge challenge. However, in the bipartisan tradition 
of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I am committed to working with 
my colleagues to meet this challenge.
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, the continuing resolution we are 
considering here today has a 6-week moratorium on a cost-of-living 
adjustment for Members of Congress. I support this provision because we 
should not give ourselves a raise until we pass legislation raising the 
minimum wage.
  It has been a decade since Congress last increased the minimum wage 
to $5.15 an hour. Since then, the real value of the minimum wage has 
eroded by 20 percent, since--unlike Congress's pay raise--we did not 
increase the minimum wage to keep pace with inflation.
  Twenty-nine States have answered the call and raised the minimum 
wage. Illinois is one of those States--it has a minimum wage of $6.50, 
and in December the Governor is expected to sign recently passed 
legislation raising the minimum wage to $7.50 in July.
  But there are still 6 million Americans making $5.15 an hour.
  We have been trying for nearly a decade to get the attention of the 
Republican leadership that there are millions of Americans who go to 
work every single day and can't make enough money to provide decent day 
care for their kids, pay medical and utility bills, and provide food 
and other essentials that are just a part of every family's daily life.
  A Low Income Housing Coalition study shows that, for the first time, 
there was not one county anywhere in America in which a minimum wage 
worker could afford a one-bedroom apt. On average, workers have to make 
three times the minimum wage to afford a one-bedroom apartment in this 
country. So people who are working full time for minimum wage literally 
can't afford to keep a roof over their children's heads.
  These hardworking Americans who work full time and make the minimum 
wage earn just $10,700 per year--$6,000 below the poverty level. In 
Illinois, $6.50 minimum wage workers currently earn $13,520. And now 
there are 37 million Americans in poverty--a 5.4 million increase since 
President Bush took office.
  While the Republicans in this town refuse to raise the minimum wage 
to help millions out of poverty, Congress has seen its pay increased by 
$31,600. Something is wrong here.
  We hope to send a message to the Republican leadership in Congress 
that these hardworking families deserve a raise too, because it's time 
for a Congress that truly is sensitive to real family values.
  Because one of those real family values is when you get up and go to 
work every morning, doing your best for your kids and your family, you 
deserve a decent pay check.
  Democrats believe that, and that is why we support passing 
legislation raising the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour over 2 years 
before we allow Members to receive a roughly $3,000 increase.
  While some people may say that the amount of the automatic raise 
Members are foregoing--$350--is only symbolic, keep in mind that 
minimum wage earners only earn $206 per week. To them, $350 isn't 
symbolic, it is the equivalent of 68 hours worth of hard work.
  Therefore, on behalf of 6 million Americans making the minimum wage, 
I urge Republicans to join with Democrats in passing a clean minimum 
wage bill in January before any automatic pay adjustment for Members 
takes effect.
  Mr. COCHRAN. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be read the 
third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, 
and that any statements relating to the bill be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The joint resolution (H.J. Res. 102) was ordered to a third reading, 
was read the third time, and passed.