Date: 1981-11-23
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

I will i5leld In a. moment. Mr. President. what we have is what I said this morning was a manufactured shootout at the OX~ Corral. and that is What it was. Last night. we witnessed on this floor the adoption of a conference report that was supported by 44 Republican Senators. They had worked bard in conference. they had acted in good. faith in conference. All the conferees on the Republican side. except one. signed the conference report. and all the Republicanl Senators who voted lnat night. with the exception of six. voted for the conference report. So the President then vetoed that measure. which had been supported by the overwhelming majority of Republican Senators. What is the real problem confronting the country? The real problem 16 the recession that has been brought on by the IXempRoth tax cut. the high interest rates. *and the looming prospective budget deficits down the road that will result In large meaure. from the enactment of the KempRoth tax cut which was rammed through Congress by the administration. The administration is in trouble because of the high interest rates. because of the sluggish economy. and because of the recession. So now It seeks to distract the attention of the people away from. the recessin unemaployment. and high interest rates and make the people believe that the $1.2 billion by which the conference report fell short of what the President said he would accept in the form of the Baker amendment was a "budget buster" and that a veto of that measure is some big deal. The President blames Congress be. cause the appropriations bills have nol been passed and sent to him. Mr. President. I hone that we wi focus on the real problem. The admin. istration needs to get its economic housi in order. It is in disarray. The Repubili can majority in the Senate yoted over whelmingly for the conferenc repor that the President vetoed. Why? We ol this side said last nlitht In this Chanibe that if -the conference report were re jected. the other body would Inimedi ately initiate another continuing resolu tion providing for an extension of th date and the Government would iic begin shutting down this morning at cost to the taxpayers of something Ilk $1 billion. I am told. So where we are now Is where we wet last night. We have a continuing resc lutlon that has a date of December I! only 3 days short of the date of Deceni. ber 18 which this Senate rejected whe It was offered as an amendment by Ir on behalf of the Democratic minoril a few days ago. Vi a sought then to e3 tend the date to December 18. We wer defeated on a party lins vote. Now ti resolution before us calls for a Decen ber 15 date. Mr. President. we could have had tb same resolution last night If the R Publican. majority had joined with t]1 Democratic minority anid voted dov the continuing resolution. The House of Representatives wou have sent over another resolution it mediately. The House of nepresentativ stayed in session until after the Senate went out last night. The House of Representatives was still in session. No. we heard the cry from some on the other side of the aisle that "I do not like this conference report. it is all bad. but the President is going to veto it and I am going to vote for it so the President can veto it." What kind of reasoning is that? I think it was clear that the stage was set for a Presidential veto and that was the way the script ran. The vote was for the continuing resolution which the President had pledged to veto. Flying in the face of that threat from the President. the majority of the Senate voted for the continuing resolution. The President vetoed it. The President went on televl1sion and he presented himself now as having saved the country from a "budgcetbusting" measure foisted on him by "the Congress." Mr. President. I hope that the American people will see through this charade. We could have had this same resolution last night bufore we went home. and the Government workers today would not be calling In on the telephone asking whether or not they are going to get their pay checks. Mr. President. I Intend to vote for this continuing resolution extending the date. but I wish to ask the distinguished majority leader a question.