Date: 1982-12-19
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. we Democrats have consistently felt that the Senate ought to get on with the business of passing the continuing resolution. We do not feel that the Government ought to be brought to a screeching halt tomorrow. We have cooperated in every way to facilitate the passage of the continuing resolution. We were asked by the President to come back here after -the election to pass appropriations bills. and we came back with the thought that that was what the business was going to be. namely. to pass appropriation bills and the continuing resolution and adjourn Now. of course. we have seen all kinds of other measures brought up. including the gas bill which will put another burden on the already overly burdened taxpayer. And so we on this side of the aisle. in the face of the fact that many of us do not support that tax measure. have sought to substitute a different method of paying for repairing the infrastructure. We have sought to substitute a method whereby the more wealthy citizens of this country would be deprived for 3 years of their 10 percent cutthe third year of the KempRoth tax cut which will occur in July. And that delay would more than pay for the program of infrastructure that is laid out in connection with the gas tax. We Democrats offered the amendment and that was turned down on a party line vote. Now. even though we lost that amendment. we have not sought. to delay the passage of the gas tax bill. We have cooperated in every way. There has been no filibuster on this side. The filibuster has occurred on the other side of the aisle by a handful of Members. So I want to make it clear for the record. clear for the press. and clear for the public. that the filibuster that has been engaged in and that will be engaged in is not a filibuster by Democrats. even though many of us do not agree with a gas tax. and do not think it ought to have been brought up during this post election session. We do not think it had to be brought up. Many of us think it could have been brought up early next year. It is not a jobs bill. But. nevertheless. we have not yet in any way interposed any obstruction to the passage of that legislation. Just 3 days ago. I believe it was. we offered to pass it within 30 minutes without any further amendments on either side. We did that in order to expedite the passage of the continuing resolution. which is absolutely necessary if this Government is not going to be brought to a halt beginning tomorrow. with great cost to the taxpayers. So I want to make it perfectly clear that there is no filibuster and there has not been any filibuster on this side of the aisle by Democrats with respect to the gas tax. That is on the other side of the aisle. and it is by a small minority on the other side of the aisle. I do not denigrate the reasons for the opposition to the bill by the minority that is doing the filibuster. But. I want to make it clear that this side of the aisle has not engaged in any filibuster. has sought to expedite passage of the gas billnot because all of us necessarily support it. not because all of us necessarily believe that it ought to be passed. not because we necessarily believe that it should have been brought up in this postelection session. but. in order to.expedite the action on the continuing resolution. we have tried to cooperate on the gas tax bill. I am glad that we are going to be voting on the continuing resolution at 2:15. I support the majority leader in his unanimousconsent order that was agreed to last night. with my approval. I hope that we will get on with the business of passing the continuing resolution. I further hope the President will not veto this continuing resolution so that the Government will not come to a halt and people will not see their checks delayed. And it does cost taxpayers millions of dollars for the Government or any portion of the Government to shut down for a little while and then have to start up again. As I understand it. unless- this con. tinuing resolution is passed. 85 percent of the functions of the Government will not be funded by tomorrow or Tuesday. I simply want to urge the Senate to get on with the passage of the continuing resolution. I hope that we can have a conference report in the early evening. I hope the President will sign that conference report. In the mean- I time. I intend to support the invoking of cloture on the Baker substitute amendment on the infrastructuregas bill. I do not want to see this thing dragged on and on and on and on forever. I hope we did not come here to stay until January 3 to act on legislation that is not imperative at this moment. The one important piece of legislation right now is the continuing resolution. I hope we will do everything we can to expedite action on that.