[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 38 (Wednesday, March 4, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2723-S2724]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         OMNIBUS APPROPRIATIONS

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, yesterday we had votes on a handful of 
amendments which were aimed at reducing the overall size of the Omnibus 
appropriations bill. Many of us who are concerned about the spending 
binge we have been on thought it would be responsible to bring it back 
in line with the appropriations bills we passed last year. That was 
obviously before the economic crisis.
  As the junior Senator from Indiana put it this morning in an 
insightful op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal, this bill was 
drafted last year.

       Since then, economic and fiscal circumstances have changed 
     dramatically, which is why--

  As he put it--

     the Senate should go back to the drawing board. The economic 
     downturn requires new policies, not more of the same.

  That is Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana.
  I ask unanimous consent to have the article, in which Senator Bayh 
calls on his colleagues to vote against the omnibus or for the 
President to veto it, printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

              [From the Wall Street Journal, Mar. 3, 2009]

                    Deficits and Fiscal Credibility


      A Democratic senator says no to a huge federal spending bill

                             (By Evan Bayh)

       This week, the United States Senate will vote on a spending 
     package to fund the federal government for the remainder of 
     this

[[Page S2724]]

     fiscal year. The Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009 is a 
     sprawling, $410 billion compilation of nine spending measures 
     that lacks the slightest hint of austerity from the federal 
     government or the recipients of its largess.
       The Senate should reject this bill. If we do not, President 
     Barack Obama should veto it.
       The omnibus increases discretionary spending by 8% over 
     last fiscal year's levels, dwarfing the rate of inflation 
     across a broad swath of issues including agriculture, 
     financial services, foreign relations, energy and water 
     programs, and legislative branch operations. Such increases 
     might be appropriate for a nation flush with cash or 
     unconcerned with fiscal prudence, but America is neither.
       Drafted last year, the bill did not pass due to Congress's 
     long-standing budgetary dysfunction and the frustrating 
     delays it yields in our appropriations work. Since then, 
     economic and fiscal circumstances have changed dramatically, 
     which is why the Senate should go back to the drawing board. 
     The economic downturn requires new policies, not more of the 
     same.
       Our nation's current fiscal imbalance is unprecedented, 
     unsustainable and, if unaddressed, a major threat to our 
     currency and our economic vitality. The national debt now 
     exceeds $10 trillion. This is almost double what it was just 
     eight years ago, and the debt is growing at a rate of about 
     $1 million a minute.
       Washington borrows from foreign creditors to fund its 
     profligacy. The amount of U.S. debt held by countries such as 
     China and Japan is at a historic high, with foreign investors 
     holding half of America's publicly held debt. This dependence 
     raises the specter that other nations will be able to 
     influence our policies in ways antithetical to American 
     interests. The more of our debt that foreign governments 
     control, the more leverage they have on issues like trade, 
     currency and national security. Massive debts owed to foreign 
     creditors weaken our global influence, and threaten high 
     inflation and steep tax increases for our children and 
     grandchildren.
       The solution going forward is to stop wasteful spending 
     before it starts. Families and businesses are tightening 
     their belts to make ends meet--and Washington should too.
       The omnibus debate is not merely a battle over last year's 
     unfinished business, but the first indication of how we will 
     shape our fiscal future. Spending should be held in check 
     before taxes are raised, even on the wealthy. Most people are 
     willing to do their duty by paying taxes, but they want to 
     know that their money is going toward important priorities 
     and won't be wasted.
       Last week I was pleased to attend the president's White 
     House Fiscal Responsibility Summit. It's about time we had a 
     leader committed to addressing the deficit, and Mr. Obama 
     deserves great credit for doing so. But what ultimately 
     matters are not meetings or words, but actions. Those who 
     vote for the omnibus this week--after standing with the 
     president and pledging to slice our deficit in half last 
     week--jeopardize their credibility.
       As Indiana's governor, I balanced eight budgets, never 
     raised taxes, and left the largest surplus in state history. 
     It wasn't always easy. Cuts had to be made and some 
     initiatives deferred. Occasionally I had to say ``no.''
       But the bloated omnibus requires sacrifice from no one, 
     least of all the government. It only exacerbates the problem 
     and hastens the day of reckoning. Voters rightly demanded 
     change in November's election, but this approach to spending 
     represents business as usual in Washington, not the voters' 
     mandate.
       Now is the time to win back the confidence and trust of the 
     American people. Congress should vote ``no'' on this omnibus 
     and show working families across the country that we are as 
     committed to living within our means as they are.

  Mr. McCONNELL. Today, Republicans are going to continue bringing up 
our amendments, amendments that we think are better and more 
responsible ways to use the taxpayers' money today.
  Unfortunately, it has become increasingly clear that most of our 
Democrat colleagues here in Congress--Senator Bayh notwithstanding--are 
perfectly comfortable with the breathtaking rate of spending we have 
been on since the beginning of the year. They want it to continue, 
without restraint and without any end in sight.
  Amazingly, in the midst of an economic crisis, congressional 
Democrats want to increase the annual spending included in this omnibus 
by 8 percent, which, compared to last year, is twice the rate of 
inflation.
  At a time when Americans are learning to cut back, Democrats in 
Congress are suggesting we double up. As Senator Bayh put it in the 
same op-ed:

       The bloated omnibus requires sacrifice from no one, least 
     of all the government. It only exacerbates the problem and 
     hastens the day of reckoning. Voters rightly demanded change 
     in November's election, but this approach to spending 
     represents business as usual in Washington, not the voters' 
     mandate.

  Nobody wants an open-ended recession. But so far the only solution to 
the economic crisis that Democrats in Congress are offering is open-
ended spending without any end in sight. And let's be clear about 
something: we cannot end a recession by digging the country into deeper 
and deeper debt any more than one can pay off a credit card by using it 
more often. And we can't tax our way out of a recession.
  February was an expensive month for American taxpayers. In the month 
of February, Congress spent more money than we did in 7 years on the 
war in Iraq, the war in Afghanistan and Hurricane Katrina relief 
combined.
  All of this spending is reason to carefully consider and pare back 
this massive spending bill, particularly in these areas which contain 
funding for 122 programs already funded in the stimulus bill.
  Remarkably, even Senator Hutchison's amendment, which sought to find 
$12 billion, or just 1 percent, in duplicative spending from two bills 
totaling $1.2 trillion, was struck down.
  I hope our friends across the aisle will join Republican efforts to 
ensure every taxpayer dollar is spent with care, and support amendments 
to protect taxpayer dollars.
  This current spending bill is only one step in the spending process. 
It doesn't include the President's budget, the housing proposal, or 
untold trillions to stabilize financial markets and other programs
  Our children and grandchildren can't afford this level of spending. 
They will be the ones left to pay off the Federal Government credit 
card that Democrats in Congress are busy maxing out.

                          ____________________