Date: 1981-10-15
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. I have listened with great interest to the very eloquent statements that have been made by Mr. DOLE and Mr. DomElixci. Each of them Is performing his duty as a very faithful and loyal and dedicated Senator. I can understand how Mr. DOLE would defend the measure before the Senate against amendments. But. the old song "Almost Persuaded" does not apply hlere and now. My question still has not been answered. Where are the unidentified cuts coming from? The distinguished Senator from New Mexico said: How can we expect to ask the President. 21/2 Years ahead of time. to tell us in detail how lie Is going to cut the budget? As a matter of fact. we are asking Mr. Stockmnan to do thisthe 0MB whiz kid. We are asking him not the Presidentto tell us. How can he arrive at a figure of $82 billion In fiscal year 1984 if he does not know the components of that $82 billion figure? He must already know. And If the administration can send us up here. 21/2 years ahead of time. a socalled balanced budget which shows the figure In it of $82 billion in unidentified cuts. then It seems to me that It Is not asking too much of the administration to require it to present the details now as to what makes up the $82 billion in unIdentified cuts. We are not asking the administration to send up the cuts now. We are simply asking for information now as to what is included in the "unidentified" cuts. Now. I think we also have the right tn know whether or not there Is included In those unidentified cuts any cuts In social security. We all know the track record of the administration on that subject. It was said during the campaign and after the campaign was over and after the Inauguration that there would not be any cuts in social security. The old folks could Just sit back in their easy chairs and watch television. They could Just forget anycuts. No problem. nothing to be afraid of. The President said that those people up there on the HIl are being cynically demogogicthey are creating fear among the old folks. But It was Mr. Stockman who said that: on or about November 8. 1982. there will be the greatest bankruptcy that the world has ever seen. That is what sent the shock waves of fear throughout the elderly community of this country. But then. after all of those pledges. after all of those assurances. after all of those promises that the old folks had nothing to be concerned about. no cuts In social security. what did the administration do? In May of this year. they sent up a package to the Hill of cuts in social security amounting to $bs8 billion over a 6year period. $88 billion. What were some of those cuts that were being proposed? One was that anyone who elected to retire at age 62 would take a 40percent cut In his social security payment. In other words. instead of receiving 80 percent of what he would ordinarily receive if he waited until 65 to retire. he would only get 55 percent. this cut combined with other cuts proposed by the administration would mean a 40percent cut immediately. Well. we all know what happened in that case. Mr. DOLE offered an amendment that we on this side of the aisle Joined in supporting. That vote was bipartisan. after my friends on the other side had voted down an amendment that Mr. MOYNIrHAN and I joined In offering to do the same thing. by a 1vote margin. But we all joined together in a bipartisan way to send a message out to the people in the elderly community that that proposal by the President was not going to be supported in- this Congrdss. I think the vote was about 94 to 0. or some such. Then there was the proposal to cut out the social security mInIniurai payment. Five times In this Senate there was an amendment offered to destroy the socal security minimum payment. Five times that amendment was defeated with the support of the 0MB. on virtually a party line vote. five times. But then the herht in the kitchen began to get a little too intense and we heard. to our pleasant surprise. the President of the United States address the Nation by television to say that that would be restored. So we have heard these promises and all of these assurances to the effect that social security will not be touched. the old folks can just rest assured about that. "Go on to bed. Go to sleep. Do not waste any time worrying about it. There will not be any cuts in your payments." Then. bingo. 2 days later someone at the White House said there will be a cut In the COLA payments or a delay in the COLA payments. How can we be assured that In these figures. $82 billion in fiscal year 1984 in unidentified cuts. and $51.4 billion in 1983 in unidentified cuts. there will not be further cuts In social security? What is wrong with telling us. What is wrong with letting the American people know what is under the lid of that Pandoras box? That is all we are asking. We want to know now. Let the American people know now. We should know what makes up the unidentified cuts amounting to $82 billion. The administration must know. How can they put down $82 billion? Why not $80 billion or $79 billion? It Is $82 billion. What makes up the $82 billion? That Is all we are asking. We are not asking the President to tell us. but we are asking the Director of OMB to tell us. Let himn tell us. He Is the one who plays. with these figures. This Is Mr. Stockmans budget. not mine. I think he should tell us what Is In the $82 billion. People have the right to know. I should think that all Senators who feel that under this system of Government the American people have a right to know what is in the unidentified cuts. because the American people are going to be affected. would want to support this kind of amendment. I yield the floor.