[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 32 (Friday, March 4, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S1250]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       THE CONTINUING RESOLUTION

  Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, the continuing resolution we introduce 
today, which is $51 billion below the President's budget request, 
imposes responsible cuts and terminations across a wide variety of 
programs. In contrast to the House bill, the Senate proposal will allow 
the government to continue operating at reduced levels without major 
disruptions that would set back our economic recovery and eliminate 
countless American jobs.
  The House-passed CR would cut $51 billion more than the Senate 
measure, with the vast majority of cuts coming from nondefense 
spending. The House bill would jeopardize our economic recovery at a 
critical time, and severely disrupt the ability of Federal agencies to 
carry out even their most basic functions. If enacted in its current 
form, the House bill would lead to furloughs and to premature 
termination or postponement of contracts that will end up costing 
taxpayers additional dollars in the future. The House bill would cause 
backlogs in Social Security claims, undermine nuclear weapons safety, 
remove more than 200,000 children from of Head Start, and close poison 
control centers across America. These are just a few specific examples 
of the irresponsible nature of the House Republican bill as a whole.
  The Senate has put forward a reasonable, fiscally responsible bill 
that will reduce funding at a rate that is $51 billion below the 
President's budget request. This bill is a good faith effort to meet in 
the middle. It is now time to end political gamesmanship and stop 
gambling with people's lives and livelihoods. I urge our counterparts 
in the House to engage in a constructive dialogue with us that will end 
the current budget stalemate.

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