Date: 1982-09-10
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. I will be very brief. I will be followed by the majority leader and I hope that we can then vote. The distinguished Senator from Kansas has rightly said that the President has a great reservoir of strength. But. Mr. President. there Is a greater reservoir of strength that lies with the American people who are going to be directly affected by this vote. Mr. President. this bill is not a "budget buster" as the President has called it. It Is $1.9 billion under the administrations budget request and it spends $110 million less for foreign aid than was requested by the administration. It does adjust the priorities. And the Senate. as an independent branch of Government. along with the House. has not only the right but the duty and the responsibility to take such action and to readjust priorities. This legislation provided help. for the elderly in the community services Jobs program. It provides help for the handicapped. It provides help for the disadvantaged. It provides help for those students in middle- and lowincome families who need money with which to go to college. Mr. President. I hope that the Senate will assert its independence of the White House. The other house has done so on yesterday.This legislation was put together in a bipartisan fashion. It has been supported on both sides of the aisle in both houses. We have heard the distinguished Senator. who is chairman of the Appropriations Committee. Mr. HATFIELD. and we have heard the distinguished Senator. who is chairman of the Budget Committee. Mr. DoMENcI. who have spoken out in support of the bill and in support of an override of the Presidents veto. So. Mr. President. I hope that the Senate will take a stand today for the elderly. for the disadvantaged. for the handicapped. and do not forget that there is money in this bill to pay for the administration of the unemployment compensation program. It is my hope that the Senate will take a stand. asoert its independence. use its own good conscience. use its own mind and heart and vote to override the Presidents veto. vote to save $1.9 billion. vote for spending less money for foreign aid and more money at home. Mr. President. this supplemental appropriations bill provides necessary funds for many programs and projects which are important to the people of the Nation and West Virginia in particular. This bill includes language which would assure that the administration continue work on the Tug Fork flood control project in the manner and at the pace intended by Congress. This bill also provides funds for jobs for older Americans. for education for the handicapped. and for student loans. Funds are also included for reclamation of abandoned mine lands and for a program to demonstrate technology which may permit the controlled burnout of coal mine fires. The supplemental appropriations bill also includes language which would stop the administration from eliminating certain programs including coal research and development. in the. Department of Energy. and other language which would require the Department of Defense to burn American coal at U.S. bases in Europe. Mr. President. I am pleased to have sponsored these amendments to this supplemental appropriations bill. and I urge my colleagues to join the 301 Members of the House of Representatives who voted yesterday to support this bill.