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[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 78 (Thursday, May 11, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6476-S6477]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

                               THE BUDGET

  Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, we have all been receiving phone calls and 
getting letters about the proposed budget that is being recommended now 
or being talked about and marked up in the respective committees in the 
Senate and House of Representatives. We have had time to talk to the 
chairmen of those committees and get copies of the proposal that they 
have put forth. In other words, the great debate has started on this 
year's budget.
  I think we have to applaud the chairman of each committee because 
they have come forward with very daring proposals. I applaud the 
chairmen, especially Senator Domenici of the Senate Budget Committee. 
When you look at our deficit spending we see, yes, that the deficit did 
become lower last year. It went down. But it now continues to climb. 
The deficit this year alone stands at $175 billion, and for a while. 
But, nonetheless, it is growing at the outrageous rate of $482 million 
a day. That sounds like a lot of money to me.
  So, consequently, it is time for this body and this Government to do 
something responsible and to deal very frankly with the budget, to be 
up front about it, and to try to address some of the problems that we 
have because I think most Americans are wanting something done to rein 
it in.
  It is absolutely necessary if we are to continue the economic 
viability and the leadership in this world for our Nation. We cannot 
continue to stand by and conduct business as usual, and in so doing 
allow the national debt to increase by $1 trillion every Presidential 
term.
  So the time has come for bold initiatives to look at getting spending 
under control, and Senator Domenici's budget right now does exactly 
that.
  The chairman of the Budget Committee slows the annual growth of most 
lines. Every line in that budget, with the exception of a few, grow 
every year. We have heard a lot of attention brought to the Medicare 
line, growing 10 to 11 percent every year. Now we want to slow that 
growth because already the trustees of that trust fund have told us 
that by the year 2002 it will be broke and they will pay no bills at 
all.
  Also it transforms Medicaid into block grant funds to the States 
where they will have the responsibility to do something responsible to 
get spending under control.
  It further calls for the establishment of a bipartisan congressional 
committee to represent policy changes needed to maintain the short-term 
solvency of the Medicare system. Such measures would generate the 
savings needed to put the system on a financially sound footing for the 
next 7 years while we work together to develop a long-term solution for 
Medicare solvency gap. There can be no getting around the fact that, if 
we continue on the path that we are presently on, Medicare will lapse 
into bankruptcy within 7 years and then it will be too late, or too 
expensive, to solve the problem.
  The chairman's budget proposes the elimination of spending for the 
National Biological Survey. I have long said that we had the resources 
within the organizations of the Fish and Wildlife, the Park Service, or 
in the Department of the Interior to do that without creating another 
bureau or the money that goes with it. We also want our policy 
decisions based on sound science and we start dealing with the 
biological makeup of this country or this world. And I think we can do 
it without the National Biological Survey.
  The chairman's budget proposes the reduction in the Agricultural 
Research Service by 10 percent which would reduce the total outlays in 
this program by $1 million.
  It is true that we all will not agree with this budget. This is one 
area where I do not agree. This is one area where we cannot pull back 
on any investment in the research and development in agriculture. I 
will stand on this floor and maintain until I can draw my last breath 
that the second thing everybody who lives in this Nation does every 
morning is eat. I do not know what the first thing is that they do. 
They have a lot of options there. But I know the second thing they do 
is eat.
  We still have an obligation to feed this Nation and this society.
  So when it comes time to talking about budgets, basically that is 
what a balanced budget amendment would have done; make us talk about 
the most important things and to set our priorities where we think 
those important things are.
  We have to look to the necessities of life, not to the frills but the 
necessities of life and also the individual responsibility that each 
one of us has at just being a citizen of this great country.
  You might be surprised to know that for the first time in the history 
of agriculture our yields in wheat are going down, because we are just 
not getting enough money for research, plant breeding, developing those 
strains of wheat that are disease resistant because that is a constant 
thing; it goes on all the time. And so we must, if we are going to feed 
this Nation--and right now, 1 farmer feeds 145 other people. Also, one 
of our greatest exports is agriculture. In fact, it has been in the 
black forever. We have to continue with our ability to produce 
foodstuffs, food and fiber for this society.
  The chairman of the Budget Committee also proposed the privatization 
of the PMA's, the power marketing administrations. They are making 
money for the Treasury. They also generate and produce power for our 
REA's. In rural America, we would not have electricity yet if it was 
not for REA's. My father served on an REA board. I have often said if 
it was not for REA on the farms, we would be watching television by 
candlelight.
  We have to be very cautious in the way we set our priorities in this 
budget. So consequently I think we have to take a very hard look at 
long-term revenue implications that would happen, that is, if WAPA, 
western area power marketing, and the Southwest and the Southeast are 
moved into private hands.
  And this is nothing new. We will argue about different parts of the 
budget. Where we set our priorities is what is really important for 
this Nation and the people who live in it. That is what this budget 
will do. But it will be a responsible budget that I am sure, after 
America looks at it, we will have the confidence in its integrity to do 
what we have to do, and that is to balance the budget by the year 2002.
  I do not think there is anything that will come before this body that 
will be any more important than the issue of this budget and the 
roadmap, the blueprint to get us where we want to be as 
[[Page S6477]] not only an economically free and viable leader of the 
world but also that keeps us free.
  In conclusion, I wish to again praise the chairman. He presented a 
responsible budget resolution, and I pledge to work with the Budget 
Committee and all my colleagues to make sure we do those things that 
are necessary and do away with those things, those frills at this time 
in our history that we cannot afford just because we like to say we 
have them.
  So I wish to work with the chairman and this body in producing a 
budget that will work for all Americans.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor and I note the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. CHAFEE. 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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