[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 18]
[Senate]
[Pages 26445-26447]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



             TRIBUTE TO DEPARTING SENATORS AND NEW SENATORS

  Mr. TORRICELLI. Mr. President, in the days and hours that remain in 
this session, many of us on each side of our respective aisles will say 
a great deal about the colleagues we have worked with and admire from 
our own political parties. Indeed, I am no exception. For years, the 
contributions of the Moynihans, or the Bob Kerreys, or the Dick Bryans, 
or the Frank Lautenbergs have been extraordinary in the life of our 
country and in the workings of this Senate. I will join those voices in 
praising each of them. But at this moment I wish to say a word as well 
about our colleagues from the Republican Party who are leaving this 
institution.
  Having chaired the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee for these 
years, I have known some of these Senators as friends and colleagues 
but also as adversaries. It is a peculiar and even awkward thing in the 
American political process that with people you like and admire, you 
can nevertheless have philosophical differences; you can have a 
political contest but nevertheless deal with them civilly.
  I admire many of these men and rise today to praise their 
contributions to the Senate and the country; and, as many other 
Americans, to thank them for their service even though it was my 
responsibility to help wage campaigns against them. That is our system. 
It is not personal. It is borne only in the struggle of ideas, the 
competition of proposals, and the free market of American politics that 
have served our country so well.
  I would like to say a word about several Members of the Senate who 
are not of the Democratic Party.
  Senator Abraham of Michigan, with whom I worked on the Judiciary 
Committee, is a respected Member of the institution, a very fine 
Senator who has left his mark on the great issues of law enforcement, 
who I have come to know and admire.
  Senator Roth of Delaware, who I did not know well personally but who 
cleverly served this institution with distinction for a long time, 
changed many of our laws and much for the better.
  Senator Ashcroft, who as well served with me on the Judiciary 
Committee, is a gentleman, is a fierce advocate for his point of view, 
and is a skilled man who dealt in a campaign in extraordinary 
circumstances, I believe with considerable distinction.
  Senator Grams of Minnesota, I believe, too, worked hard gaining the 
respect of his colleagues.
  Senator Gorton of Washington State, who served his State for so very 
long and so ably, I believe, was a tremendous Member of this 
institution. Although he did lose an election and is also leaving this 
institution, he is one of my favorite members of the other party.
  Connie Mack, who I served with in the House of Representatives, is an 
extraordinary Senator and a great gentleman who has made enormous 
contributions to the Congress and to the United States.
  People who I have also come to meet as adversaries through the 
electorate process I want to join in welcoming to the Senate. They are 
both fierce advocates and great campaigners, who defeated my party in 
the fields of political contest.
  Former Congressman Ensign, who joins us as a Senator from Nevada, 
will be a fine Senator. He is a great advocate for his State, and is an 
impressive individual who I believe will serve with distinction in the 
Senate.
  Governor Allen, who was engaged in one of the most competitive Senate 
contests in the country, has served with distinction as a Governor, and 
I believe he will be an extraordinary Senator.
  I welcome them to the institution. Despite an evenly divided Senate, 
there are real differences on fundamental issues as to how the Nation 
should approach education and health care, gun safety, and the use of 
the budget surplus. These issues are real. Our differences have 
meaning. Sometimes differences are deep. But our objectives are common; 
that is, to serve the country, to have the Senate act with distinction, 
and ultimately--simply the most obvious goal of all--to help ordinary 
people in our country who live sometimes quiet lives, usually content 
to have the Government not be a part of all that they do but every so 
often look for help, guidance, or certainly the simple need to be able 
to look upon their Government with pride.
  I welcome these individuals to the Senate, and I say farewell for the 
moment to those who are leaving. I congratulate those who won and those 
who lost on having done what our Nation is dependent upon; that is, 
people of good meaning and integrity going out every day saying the 
things they believe in, fighting for the causes they hold dear,

[[Page 26446]]

and asking the public to render judgment.
  Senators Abraham, Roth, Ashcroft, Grams, and Gorton did just that. 
Senator Mack did for a long time. Now Senators Ensign and Allen have 
joined them.
  We will have a chance in the coming days to welcome each of our 
Democratic colleagues, as well as thank those who are leaving.
  There are few who are finer or served with more distinction than 
Senator Bob Kerrey. Indeed, in so many avenues of American life, he has 
served our country with distinction. There are probably few who have 
served here for which it can genuinely be said this is a better Senate. 
We are all the better having been in the Senate in his presence. That 
is certainly true with Senator Kerrey.
  Senator Moynihan as well contributed to our country in so many 
different endeavors--a giant of the institution, who in his wake 
clearly made it a better place. There is not a finer or more revered 
Senator.
  But equal in their contributions in their own way are Senator Bryan, 
Senator Lautenberg, and Senator Robb--all of whom tirelessly worked for 
our country and devoted themselves to the Senate. We can all feel the 
better because they were here.
  Thank you for allowing me to share these words. I hope when the years 
pass we can all remember the distinction with which they served, but 
also the grace with which some of our colleagues accepted the voters' 
judgment and their defeat. They did so humbly, and they did so civilly; 
and, how some of the victors have also come here humbly as well 
understanding they have a lot to contribute and a great deal to learn 
with the grace of the public having given them the opportunity.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Illinois.
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to be recognized 
in morning business.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator is recognized.
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I would like to associate myself with the 
remarks of the Senator from New Jersey, paying tribute to colleagues on 
both sides of the aisle who for a variety of reasons are leaving this 
institution.
  I think it goes without saying that those of us who have been 
involved in putting ourselves in battles for elections understand that 
it takes some courage and maybe some foolhardiness to put your name on 
a ballot and submit your fate to the neighbors and friends with whom 
you live. Those leaving this institution have done that time and again. 
I respect them. Although we disagree on issues and on philosophy, we 
respect them so much for the courage they have shown and for their 
dedication to public service.
  One of the most important lessons I ever learned in politics was my 
first one. I was a college intern on Capitol Hill working in the office 
of the U.S. Senator, Paul Douglas. I had no sooner met the man in 
February than I fell in love with this life and decided to work in 
Government. A few short months later, he lost his election in an effort 
to be reelected to the State of Illinois.
  It really came crashing down on me--that a man who served for 18 
years, because of the decision of the electorate, could see his 
political career come to an end that bluntly.
  A constant reminder in my public life is the fact that this is a 
fickle business, and no one can ever take for granted the next 
election. But I believe that the men and women who have served have 
done so honorably, and I salute those on both sides who will not be 
with us in the next Congress.
  I say on a positive note that we had our organizational caucus of the 
Democratic Senators a few days ago in the Old Senate Chamber. We had a 
chance for each of the 10 new Democratic Senators to stand and speak 
for a moment about their feelings concerning their elections and 
service in the Senate. One word that was used most frequently by these 
new Senators was ``humility''--how humbled they were to be part of this 
institution.
  I have always felt that. I think it is such an exceptional 
responsibility but also an exceptional privilege to serve in this great 
body. I have believed that representing a State as diverse and 
interesting as Illinois gives a special meaning.
  The new Senators coming on both sides of the aisle will add something 
to this Chamber, as each new class of Senators does. I hope before we 
begin anticipating the next Congress and what it might mean, we take 
care of the business of this Congress.


                      Passing Appropriations Bills

  Mr. President, we are required by law, as of each October 1st, to 
pass spending bills, appropriations bills for the function of 
government. Most Congresses fail to meet the deadline of October 1st. 
Some miss it by a few days, some by a few weeks. Sadly, this Congress 
will miss it by a few months.
  We still have major spending bills which have not been passed by this 
Congress. Frankly, we have run out of excuses. It is time to pass those 
bills which will continue the functions of government. The Labor-HHS 
bill is one that deals with education and health and labor standards in 
America. Is there any greater responsibility? How can we explain the 
fact that we still haven't done it? There is no excuse left. We need to 
pass that legislation and do it quickly.
  Secondly, the bill related to the Commerce, Justice, and State 
Departments not only deals with the administration of justice and law 
enforcement but the representation of the American Government overseas, 
the representation of American business in an effort to create new jobs 
in this country. Yet we haven't passed that legislation.
  I hope we won't fall on the easy solution suggested by some that we 
somehow postpone this for months or another year. That would truly be 
humiliating to this Congress, if it should fall into that trap. It is 
better to face four square our responsibility. I hope leaders on both 
sides of the aisle and the White House can come to an agreement as 
quickly as possible.
  There is one special issue, though, that I hope we can address before 
we leave. It affects my State and the State of the Presiding Officer, 
the State of Illinois, the question of hospital care and reimbursement 
from the Federal Government. More and more, our hospitals across 
Illinois and around the Nation depend on the Medicare and Medicaid 
programs to adequately reimburse them for quality health care which 
American families expect. In an effort to balance the budget, we made 
cuts in reimbursement under the Medicare program. We had hoped to save 
a little over $100 billion over some years. We cut too deeply, and now 
we know unless we reverse that policy, the actual savings or cost 
cutting will be well over $200 billion.
  On its face, it may sound like a good reason, that we are reducing 
the deficit even more, and that is a very valuable thing. But the price 
we are paying is too high because in hospital after hospital, in 
nursing homes and those agencies providing home health care services, 
they are inadequately reimbursed by the Federal Government and they are 
forced to cut back time and again on the services the people have come 
to expect.
  Yesterday we had an interesting informal hearing on the Senate side. 
I hope it is a portent of good things to come. A bipartisan hearing 
with Senator Specter, Senator Hutchison, as well as Senator Collins on 
the Republican side, joined with Senators Kennedy, Rockefeller, 
Wellstone, and myself to talk about this issue and to say that before 
Congress adjourns, we need to address what is known as the Balanced 
Budget Act reform as it relates to Medicare and Medicaid. I believe 
there is a genuine sentiment on the floor of the Senate, a strong 
bipartisan Senate, that we do this before we go home.
  In my conversations with hospital administrators and doctors, those 
who are managing nursing homes, those who are providing valuable health 
care services, there is nothing more important to them than getting 
this done before we leave. No excuse will do. It was part of the 
general tax relief bill that was pending before Congress, a 
controversial bill that involved over $250 billion in tax relief over 
the next 10

[[Page 26447]]

years. That bill is caught up in controversy and is going nowhere. The 
President has said he would have to veto it. The provision in there 
relative to Medicare and Medicaid would be lost in that process.
  It has been reported in the newspapers, and I think it is probably 
accurate, that the leadership has pulled away from that tax bill now 
and believes it cannot pass. But we would make a serious mistake if we 
backed off from our commitment to deal with Medicare and Medicaid 
before we adjourn this Congress. I think there is a will and there is a 
way.
  I have spoken with the representative from the White House, Mr. Lew, 
who heads up the Office of Management and Budget, and my colleague and 
friend, the Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, who understands the 
importance of this issue to the State of Illinois. I have talked to my 
colleagues on this floor. We clearly can achieve this. In achieving it, 
we can send back a message not only to rural hospitals, which frankly 
are facing the ruin of declining revenues at a time when they are 
trying to keep their doors open, but also hospitals in the inner cities 
and hospitals across America, teaching hospitals, and others that rely 
on these reimbursements.
  I urge my colleagues, as we consider the next Congress, let's not 
forget the remaining agenda of this Congress. It is not enough to pack 
our bags, wish everyone a happy holiday, and head home. There are 
important items still to be resolved. We were elected and took an oath 
of office to resolve this. No excuse will do at this point. Let us pass 
those pending appropriations bills, make the compromises necessary to 
do so, and not forget our responsibility under Medicare and Medicaid 
across the United States to seniors, the disabled, and the 
disadvantaged, who rely on those programs for quality health care.
  I think it can be done. I hope my colleagues join me in making 
certain we make that effort as we close this session of the Congress.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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