[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 17]
[Senate]
[Page 24260]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                           ECONOMIC STIMULUS

  Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, before we are finished with the 
appropriations bill that will be before the Senate shortly and the 
economic stimulus package that someday will come up--I do not know 
when--I am very hopeful this will not end up being a partisan charade, 
but I can cite a couple items that do bother me.
  I was reading Roll Call a couple days ago. I understood the majority 
leader made a statement that whoever was on that committee to produce a 
stimulus, they had gotten the message from the leadership and the 
Democrats that unless two-thirds of the Democrats were for the package, 
they could not take it out of this conference committee. It would not 
come out. That is an interesting statement. I assume it is pretty 
partisan, too.
  Things operate in the Senate on a majority basis. We do not need two-
thirds of Democrats and Republicans to produce a stimulus package. In 
any event, I hope that is not a sign that it is going to be partisan 
because we do have a chance to produce a stimulus package that will be 
worthwhile.
  From my standpoint, I think I am going to put together a stimulus 
package--what would go this with that, that with this. I might do that 
in the next couple days and at least come to the Chamber and talk about 
a stimulus package and why it is a stimulus package.
  It is important to not just work on what we choose to call a stimulus 
package. The occupant of the chair would like to know that it produces 
new jobs, that it puts people to work, along with the other issues, 
such as unemployment compensation, perhaps some health care activity.
  Clearly, we have to put some provisions in the bill that will 
encourage this economy in a realistic way. I will be watching. Everyone 
else will be watching. I hope we can get it done in due course.
  I yield the floor.




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