macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 1981-11-19
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. Presldent. It is my intention to support Mr. BAKERS amendment if my amer.dment to the amendment is agreed to. Let me say. however. that this does not commit any other Senator. I do not attempt to do that. It Is my personal position. The reason I do that is because I believe it is vitally important that we not subvert the appropriations process by setting the precedent. for the first time that I can recall. of a least potentially wrapping all aopropriations bills. with the exception of the legislative appropriation bill. in one continuing resolution that will extend throughout the entire fiscal year. through and including September 30. We offered this amendment a day or so ago. It was defeated on a very. very close vote. almost a partyline vote. I think it is vitally important that we draw the date back to March 30. I would prefer December 18. but March 30 Is the date that Is addressed. I will support Mr. BAKERs amendment if my perfecting amendment Is agreed to. in this respect. let me pay tribute to Mr. LzviN who has put the Senate on notice. I understand. In my absence earlier today. that he intends to speak extensively if the September 30 date Is not changed to March 30. 1 want to commend him for the position he took. He would not be alone. let me stay. I admire his dedication to his principles.
Date: 1981-11-19
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. I am not sure I have made myself clear in my statement. I have been in West Virginia meeting with a group. I want to make It Indubitably clear that If the amendment I have offered is agreed to. then. of course. I will support the majority leaders amendment. as amended. Furthermore. may I ask the distinguished majority leader if he Is in a position to state. if his amendment. as amended. is agreed to. or to give any assurance that the conferees on his side of the aisle will hold firm to that March 30 date in conference?
Date: 1981-11-19
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. I ask unanimous consent that it be in order to reconsider the vote by which my amendment was agreed to.
Date: 1981-11-20
Speaker: JOHN L. BURTON (democrat)
Chamber: H

This would be a continuation and a guarantee of the present program of forward funding. That would come out of the Appropriations Committee. What the Senate Appropriation Committee did is eliminated the forward funding potential. which means that the jobs program will stop and that the jobs will become unavailable. The actual dollar amounts I do not knowv. but it affects 54.000 lowincome elderly people who depend on this program for wages. It Is not a new action. It has always been a forward funded program.
Date: 1981-11-20
Speaker: JOHN L. BURTON (democrat)
Chamber: H

The gentleman from Kentucky says it is $277.9 million. I say that this does have the support of the gentleman from Ohio . because It would just totally disrupt the program If we do not have this provision.
Date: 1981-11-20
Speaker: JOHN L. BURTON (democrat)
Chamber: H

It would allow the forward funding which Is consistent with the bill that passed this House. It Is consistent with the Budget Act. Without my amendment it would mean that 54.000 eligible elderly would be taking unemployment. Their jobs would be eliminated. and assuming the other body had a change of heart. they would have to start It up all over again. It Is supported by all the elderly groups. by a bipartisan group on the Aging Committee and the ranking Republican on the full committee. the gentleman from Ohio . Mr. Chairman. I would ask for a loud "aye" vote when the time comes. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 1981-11-20
Speaker: JOHN L. BURTON (democrat)
Chamber: H

I would like to say to my good friend. the gentleman from Illinois. that this amendment does not affect the authorization levels from being in concert with the Budget Act.
Date: 1981-11-20
Speaker: JOHN L. BURTON (democrat)
Chamber: H

This program has been the only program that has always been forward funded. so we are continuing the practice on the Jobs program. Of all the programs In the act this has always received forward funding. It Is not being singled out this year for special treatment. I just wanted to make that point and I thank my friend.
Date: 1981-11-20
Speaker: ST GERMAIN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. as I told the House earlier this week. the Banking. Finance and Urban Affairs Committee has heard some 259 witnesses in 4 cities as it continues its grassroots hearings on the economy. We have heard from people from all walks of lifeminers. lumbermen. owners of sporting goods stores. senior citizens. construction workers. auto workers. mill operators. farmers. Mr. Speaker. !n Chicago on November 9 we heard from three farmers. one each from Illinois. Indiana. and Ohio. Let me quote from the testimony of Virgil Thompson who operates a farm with his son near Payne. Ohio. Mentioning that his note at the bank had jumped from a 7% percent Interest to 18 percent on renewal. Mr. Thompson compared current economic policies to "slamming a car In reverse going 90 miles an hour. 4* We have aready torn the guts out of the transmission * *" He told the committee: Yes. I have been impacted by thi s complete reversal of policy. I have three sonsinlaws working for the automobile industry who have been laid of f. They have little children ... Im Just as concerned about the automobile and the tractor industry as my Industry. It all is going together. They have home mortgages and skyrocketing utility bills to pay . .. I know of five families who have filed for bankruptcy in the last week. all In one farming operation alone. It is said that the sheriffs in Ohio are doing more business on the courthouse steps than the real estate people. We have 31 farm machinery dealer bankruptcies in Ohio this year. They estimated we are going to have an average of one a week when the year. is through. I am not sure that your committeeand I want 1 emphasize this very strongly. the same thing the automobile people told youI am not sure that your committee even has time to complete the series of hearings you have scheduled before this tidal wave of farming and business for~eclosures burst upon us ...e
Date: 1981-11-20
Speaker: WON PAT (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I am today introducing legislation which seeks to correct a situation whereby the U.S. Government has locked uip a third of Guam from commercial development and. In the process. denied the local government valuable tax revenues. The measure I Introduce today will correct this condition by providing for an annual Federal payment to the government of Guam which can be considered In lieu of taxes that normally would be gained from such property. I have given this problem great attention. We. on Guam. are proud to have major U.S. military facilities on our- Island andi we want them to feel E 5460 free to use the land presently under Federal control for this Nations defense. It must be noted. however. that Guam is a small island. We have a total area of less than 212 square miles. The United States owns 31.5 percent. or roughly 42.750 acres of land. on Guam. Much of Guams most useful land Is in Federal hands. as Is our only major source of fresh water. our harbor. and most of our flat arable lands. Our Inability to utilize these areas for commercial development has b9Al1y hindered the islands economic dt. opment. We are further constr. 1ied by Federal laws and regulations. some of which arise from the presence of military bases on the Island. which also hamper our ability to generate local taxes. My bill offers a solution to this problem by calling for payment of $3.5 million next year and thereafter to Guam. This money Is essentially going to offset the lack of tax revenue from the sizable Federal presence much in the same way that the United States provides the District of Columbia with over $300 million each year. Several years ago. I was pleased to cosponsor legislation which provided States and the territories with a payment in lieu of taxes for taxexempt Federal lands within their boundries. Guam received only $230 for fiscal year 1981. hardly an amount sufficient to offset the loss of revenues from federally owned taxexempt property. While we welcome the Federal Government as our neighbor. we want Washington to recognize that good neighbors do their fair share of maintaining roads. schools. and other facilities. This is not currently the case. It is unfair for the Federal Government to tie up thousands of acres of valuable lands and not expect to compensate the local government In any way. This measure is an important step in this direction and I hope that it will receive fair consideration by the Congress. Thank you.*
Date: 1981-11-21
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. on Wednesday of this week. the United Nations once again voted overwhelmingly in Opposition to the Soviet Unions continued occupation of Afghan-
Date: 1981-11-21
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. the energywater conference report is ready on this side and we are presently working to see If the HUD conference report is ready.
Date: 1981-11-22
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. does any Senator wish to have me yield at this time under the standing order? Mr. President. I yield to the distinguished Senator from New York.
Date: 1981-11-22
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

I have not been privy to what the President has said. The distinguished majority leader has very kindly told me from time to time that the President was going to veto this measure. but I have not been told what his reason will be. I have heard that he has spoken on the radio and television. I have not seen this. Can the distinguished majority leader state on what the President bases his prospective veto?
Date: 1981-11-22
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. If the majority leader will Yield. I congratulate the chairman of the committee and the conferees who worked long and hard to resolve the differences be.
Date: 1981-11-22
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

The distinguished chairman put it Into the context of a war between computers. a confrontation between computers. A computer only puts out what Is put into it. If incorrect Information Is put Into the computer. then the computer results are not going to be accurate. I would not say a confrontation between the computers. It would be perhaps the persons who are feeding the data Into the computers -are feeding the kind of data that will give them the results that they want to see. We understand that to have been the case. those of us who read the Atlantic Monthly article containing Mr. Stockmans astonishing revelations. May I ask. if it is a foregone conclusion that the President is going to veto this measure. then why do we call It up and seek to adopt It? I would assume that If the conference report is voted down. the Speaker of the House would be In a position. then. I would think within a half hour. to call. his People together and send over another resolution extending the time for the continuing resolution that expired as of midnight on the day before yesterday. That should not take very long. The conference report could lbo In this body within an hour at least and we could vote on that and go about our business. But if this measure Is voted up and goes to the President and the President vetoes It. with the. Presidents veto message that would be sent up. it would appear to me that that would require hours. And I would strongly suspect that it would be 10 oclock tomorrow mornIng or after before we would then vote on what we would otherwise have to vote on In any event. and expect over. this evening. We could adopt that and go about our business. If we vote this out and If we adopt it and the President vetoes it. then hours are going to transpire. And I have no way of knowing that the Speaker will keep the House in tonight. I would assume he would simply recess the House over until 10 oclock tomorrow morning and we will be tomorrow Afternoon votIng on what we would otherwise vote on tonight. Will the distinguished chairman respond to that?
Date: 1981-11-22
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. I have been inclined to vote for this conference report. but I am utterly confounded by the astonishing statement that the distinguished Senator just madenamely. that he will vote for this conference report. but only because the President has said he will veto It. I cannot understand the Senators rationale. and I am truly shaken In my own judgment. which I thought I had arrived at pretty firmly. that. I would probably vote for this conference report. Now I am confounded 10 times over. Will the Senator explain to me his rationale as to why he will vote for this conference report. after he so solemnly condemned It. and only on the basis that the President is going to veto it?
Date: 1981-11-22
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

May I say to the distinguished majority leader. most respectfully. he misrepresented what I had said. but he misrepresented it because he misunderstood it. Let me clarify what Isa id earlier. If the Senate rejects this conference report. It does not mean that we do go back and forth with the conference again and again and Just extend the work on it. That Is not the case. If we reject this conference report. that is the end of the conference report. period. It Is dead. Now. If that happens. the Speaker will send over another resolution. the House will send over another continuing resolution extending the date 15 days or a month or 6 weeks or whatever. and then the Senate will have an opportunity to vote that up or down. And I assume that the Speaker could call the House together and get another resolutionover here.
Date: 1981-11-22
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

In rejecting the conference. report. that is the end. The House conferees have already been disbanded. When this conference report Is voted down. it is as dead as last years Christmas turkey. But I am sure that the Speaker would immediately initiate the action on a new resolution making an extension.
Date: 1981-11-22
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

May I say that this has not been cleared on this side of the aisle. This request has not been cleared on this side of the aisle.
Date: 1981-11-22
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

I personally have no objection. If other Senatorswish to reserve the right to obiect. they now have the onvortunity to do so.
Date: 1981-11-23
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. the continuing resolution which the President vetoed this morning". passed the Senate last night because 44 Republicans voted for it and only 6 Republicans voted against it. Two Democrats voted for it. Another salient fact: Senator BAKERS amendment which included a 4percent acrosstheboard cut to certain programs was supported by the President. Senator BAKER told the Senate that the President would sign the continuing resolution If it included Senator BAKFRS Cuts. Senator BAKERS cuts amounted to $3.2 billion. By OMBs own estimates. the conference report cut $2 billion. Therefore. this entire dispute hinges on $1.2 billion out of a bill providing funding for approximately $430 billion. In other words. this entire socalled crisis. with the tremendous inefficiencies in Government Which it has created. is over a cut amounting to onequarter of 1 percent of the bill. This should suggest something about the nature of the dispute. It is clearly a tempest In a teapot. It is a manufactured shootout at the OK Corral. It is an attempt to divert attention from the real pressing issues of the daya tremendous slowdown in economic activity. anid a possible deficit In excess of $100 billion In fiscal year 1082. The budget cut which the President says he wants from this bill will barely be a drop In tife bucket. The -source of the problem is not Governent spendIng. but a KempRoth tax cut which was both irresponsible and unfair. Another salient fact: The conference report contained a funding level of $10.1 billion In foreign assistance. The administration has let It be known that it prefers the level of foreign assistance fundIng contained in the Sena~e bill. approximately $11.5 billion. So. while on the one hand the President is talking about deeper domestic budget cuts. his administration is also advocating significant increases In foreign military assistance. How can we explain to the American people that fewer kids will get school lunches. college loans become more and more difficult to obtain. our roads and bridges will continue to fall in disrepair. and. yet. we want to Increase the amount of money we send to foreign countries. principally to buy arms?
Date: 1981-11-23
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. does the distinguished Senator from New Mexico wish to have some of my time? Mr. SCH{MITT. That will not be necessary. Mr. President. I can speak In morning business. I thank the minority leader for his courtesy. S 1.3966
Date: 1981-11-23
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. reserving the right to object. will the distinguished majority leader clarify as to What he meant when he said that this agreement Would be sub~ect to vitiation? He does not mean the time agreement. does he?
Date: 1981-11-23
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. further reserving the right to object. is it clear. I ask the majority leader. that there will not be a DavisBacon amendment?
Date: 1981-11-23
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. I listened to the President of the United States this morning with admiration and with Interest and with amazementadmiration because the President was able to put the matter in a very simplistic context. focusing on a somewhat irrelevant aspect of the whole problem and of course leaving the viewing audience for the most part. I suppose. with the idea that here the President was battling to veto a bill that constituted budgetbusting figures. Mr. President. let us Bee If we can take a look at this picture in its proper context. The country is faced with a drain on the Treasury. resulting from the KempRoth tax cut. of $38 billion this year. $93 billion next year. $150 billion the third year. $199 billion the fourth year. and $268 billion the fifth yearmaking a total of about $749 billion. We are faced with a recepsion. We are faced with high interest rates. We are faced with unemployment that Is now at 8 percent. We are confronted with bankruptcies that are running 41 percent or 42 percent above last yearroughly 15.000 bankruptcies to date. We are faced with massive deficits down the road. as a result. in large part. of the enactment of the multiyear KempRoth tax cut. Now the administration realizes that it is up against these prospective massive deficits. but It wants to make people believe that those deficits will have been caused by an uncooperative Congress. by a Congress that Is passing "budgetbustIng" bills. and that the President Is savIng the country by having vetoed a budgetbusting continuing resolution that was $2 billion above what he wanted. The President referred to the continuing resolutions that have been passed from time to time. He refers to those as "budget busters." He stated that Congress ought to pass the appropriation bills. He refers to them as budgets. The previous Presidents had the same problem. but they. from time to time. also had to accept continuing resolutions. but in this case. the President was not going to accept It. Now. was it a budget buster? The amendment that was offered by Mr. BAKER. which called for a 4percent cut. exempting defense and certain other categories. would have saved. In the words of Mr. BAKER. $3.2 billion. The President stated that the conference report that had been passed by Congress and sent to him would not save enough to meet his requirements. What was the difference? The amendment by Mr. BAKER would have save $3.1 billion. The conference report that was agreed to by Congress would have saved $2 billion. So there is a difference of $1.2 billion. What is $1.2 billion when we are talking about $428 billion. which was involved in the whole conference report? It Is onefouth of 1 percent or the total$1.2 billion as against $430 billion. So what the President was doing here was vetoing a measure because It was $1.2 billion under what he said he would acceptmeaning the Baker proposal. He said he would accept that amendment. Now he vetoes the measure because it Is $1.2 billion below that figure and yet represents only onefouth of 1 percent of the total.
Date: 1981-11-23
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. I thank the distinguished majority leader. I hope we can do that because I do not think that Congress should continue to be blamed for not having sent these measures down to the President. The House of Representatives has acted on all but one of the appropriation bills. The Senate Appropriations Committee. under the leadership of the very able chairman. Mr. HATFIELD. has acted dutifully on all the appropriations bills. and reported them all to the calendar.
Date: 1981-11-23
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. r It seems to me that if we were to finish action on these appropriations bills. at *an early date. it would go a long way toward relieving all of us of the problem of a continuing resolution.
Date: 1981-11-23
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

I thank the c. distinguished Senator. ly Mr. HATFIELD. Mr. President. what igIs the time situation? r. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Benry ator has 15 minutes and 40 seconds. S 13992 CM~
Date: 1981-11-23
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. may I say that the conferees on both sides of the aisle worked hard and In good faith. I would not want anything I have said to be construed as applying to the conferees. and particularly those who led the fight. Senator HATFIELD and others on both sides. I think they fought hard for the resolution. They voted for the continuing resolution last night in good faith. They thought it was a good conference report. I understand there was a lot of consternation and a considerable amount of anger among Republican conferees when they heard that the President was going to veto the Conference report after they had worked so diligently. so long. so patiently. and so dedicatedly in behalf of it. Last night. I indicated r was Inclined to support the conference report until I heard an argumnent on the part of a Senator or so across the aisle who were not conferees. but who said they were going to vote for it because the President was going to veto It. Mr. PERCY has put his finger on one Item when he says that he regrets the conference report last night did not go far enough on foreign assistance. I think that wvas probably one of the things that the President had against the conference. report. I understand he wanted another $1.5 billion for foreign assistance. and was willing to cut the domestic programs in order to get It. although he left that out of his speech this morning. I thank the distinguished Senator from Illinois for stating that for the RECORD.
Date: 1981-11-23
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. I ask unlanimous consent that on tomorrow. after the recognition of the two leaders under tile standing order. the Senator from Kentucky be recognized on special order for not to exceed 15 minutes.
Date: 1981-11-23
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. I move to lay that motion on the table. Tihe motion to lay on the table was agreed to.
Date: 1981-11-23
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. bloc I move to lay that motion on the table. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without The motion to lay on the table was objection. the nominations are considagreed to. ered and confirmed en bloc. (Later the following occurred:) The nominations considered and con-