[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 16620]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                       PLANNING THE SENATE AGENDA

  Mr. THOMAS. Mr. President, we enter into our second week of this 
fall's session after the recess, and we are faced with much to do. I 
think that is not unusual. It is often the case things pile up towards 
the end of the session, of course, but it seems to me we have a great 
many items to consider.
  There are 13 appropriations bills to be passed in order to have this 
Government operate in the next fiscal year. The fiscal year begins 
October 1, which is only 3 weeks away. In the course of those 3 weeks, 
there are several days which, for various reasons--the Jewish holidays, 
and so on--there will not be votes. So we have really a relatively 
short time.
  Obviously, what we will be doing is passing a continuing resolution 
before this is over, but nevertheless we have a great deal to do. None 
of these bills has yet gone to the President. Some of them have been 
passed in both Houses and are waiting now on the conference committees.
  To be sure, it is difficult. It is always difficult. This year we are 
seeing some more difficulties because of the change in conditions with 
regard to the surplus, because of the difficulty I think we are finding 
now in staying within the budget we passed some time ago. Nevertheless, 
those are the items before us.
  It does not seem to me perhaps that we are moving ahead quite as 
rapidly as we might. It does not seem to me we have a very well 
designed plan to accomplish these things within a certain period of 
time.
  I understand it is very difficult to bring together a group of this 
kind with different views and properly argue those views. On the other 
hand, the role of leadership is to have a plan. It is the role of 
leadership to cause things to happen. Even though they are difficult 
issues, they must be done. Unfortunately, as I noticed particularly 
this weekend on public media, and so on, rather than seeking to find a 
plan to move forward, we seem to be spending more time blaming one 
another, particularly the President and the administration, for the 
difficulties in which we find ourselves.
  We can have different points of view about whether that is valid or 
whether it is not, but even if it is, the fact is we have things to do 
and we should be moving ahead with the plan to do them. Instead of 
that, we seem to be spending more of our time complaining about the 
administration's plan. The fact is, we do have indeed the second 
largest surplus in our history. We also have a budget that we passed 
that is about a 4-percent increase, which is a fairly low increase, 
which is what we need compared to what we have spent in the past 
several years. Our challenge is to stay within the budget we passed and 
to continue to move forward in doing that.
  We hear a great deal of complaint about tax relief--too much tax 
relief. As a matter of fact, we are in the process of passing that 
relief back to the people who own the money, and that is as it should 
be, I believe, particularly as we find ourselves in a time with a very 
slowing economy. What else is more important than to return more money 
to the taxpayers if we indeed have a surplus? And we are doing that.
  The question, of course, is one of not reaching into Social Security, 
which I happen to agree with, although we have done that for how many 
years and those dollars are accounted for in the Social Security fund, 
even though for years they have been spent for other things without a 
great deal of complaint, I might add.
  However, I do not think that is really the issue. The issue is 
holding down spending to comply with the budget that we passed. It 
seems to me that ought to be our challenge.
  There is, of course, in my view, no real threat to the beneficiaries 
of Social Security. Those obligations are there. They are going to be 
there. We have paid down more debt because of the surpluses over the 
last several years than in years past. So what we really need to do is 
address ourselves to the issues we have before us. The turndown in the 
economy, of course, is the thing most of us are very concerned about, 
all of us, whether we are here, whether we are in Casper, WY, or 
wherever, and to do what we can to seek to play the Government's role 
in doing what we can to change that.
  A reduction in taxes, the return of taxes, is designed to help do 
that. Hopefully, it will. We are not through with that yet. We are in 
the process with, I believe, seven reductions in the last year in 
interest rates designed hopefully to stimulate the economy. We need to 
do that.
  Limiting our spending in the budget is another aspect we are seeking 
to help pick up and strengthen the economy. There are some other things 
we ought to be doing. We ought to be doing something with giving the 
President the opportunity to have trade agreements that are then 
brought to the Senate for approval. They are all brought to the Senate 
for approval, but the world economy and our involvement in trade, 
particularly in agriculture, in which I am involved, was the difficulty 
in the Asian currency a year ago which brought a good deal of problems 
to our economy. So we are a part of that, of course.
  There are a number of things we can do, and I cannot think of 
anything more important for us to talk about collectively than what is 
appropriate for the Government in helping to strengthen this economy.
  Yesterday, again on the TV, there were some questions about that: Oh, 
no, it is up to the President to do that. I do not agree with that. Of 
course, the President is the one who brings up the suggestions to the 
Senate. The President is not in control of the Senate, and the Senate 
has some responsibilities to take leadership as well. The idea of 
saying it all began since this President became President is not true. 
It has been here for a year, and then to say it is up to the President, 
I do not agree with that.
  Each of us in this body has some responsibility to give thought to 
what we can do to help strengthen this economy, which everyone in this 
country wants us to do.
  In addition to that, of course, it seems to me we ought to be moving 
on an energy bill. This is very important to us, not only to the 
economy, but we are going to see some more impacts of it, of course, in 
the winter. We can do that. We started to work on pharmaceuticals. The 
budget contains opportunity for that. We can do that. Education has 
been passed by both Houses of Congress and still remains in conference.
  I know many in the leadership on both sides are very anxious to work 
together and show evidence of working together and want to work 
together. I certainly encourage that be done so we can do what we are 
here to do, which is to solve the problems before the country, the 
legitimate problems for the Federal Government.
  I yield the floor.


  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Nevada.

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