Kent Conrad

Mr. CONRAD

Mr. CONRAD. I see the Senator has that chart that shows in the year 2006, which is 5 years into this 10-year forecast, we could have anywhere from a $50 billion deficit to over a $1 trillion surplus. That is the uncertainty of their forecast, according to them.

Mr. CONRAD. That is just 5 years out in a 10-year forecast. They are warning, I take it--I would be interested in the Senator's reaction----

Mr. CONRAD. That we should not bet the farm on a specific number with a 10-year forecast because of the failure of previous forecasts to be accurate over such an extended period.

Mr. CONRAD. Isn't that the upshot of their testimony?

Mr. CONRAD. The Senator may recall when we had the Congressional Budget Office personnel before us, they were the ones who made this forecast of the surplus, and yet they themselves warned us of the uncertainty of their projections.

Mr. CONRAD. Will the Senator yield for a question?

Mr. CONRAD. The Senator attended the Budget Committee yesterday in which we heard from the Comptroller General of the United States, the head of the General Accounting Office. He warned us of precisely what you are talking about. He warned us that this near-term outlook has improved, but the long-term outlook has gotten worse. Does the Senator remember that testimony?

Mr. CONRAD

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I supported the nomination of Gale Norton to be Secretary of the Interior. As Secretary of the Interior, Ms. Norton will be responsible for the management of nearly half a billion acres of Federal land. She will assume the responsibility of overseeing our Nation's public land treasures--namely our national parks and wildlife refuges. She will also be responsible for enforcing the laws that protect threatened and endangered species. The Secretary is in charge of many agencies that directly affect North Dakota, including the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Geological Survey. I met with Ms. Norton in my office earlier this month to discuss some of the critical issues facing my State and found her receptive to working together to address these challenges. Water development is critical in my State and has been among my highest priorities as Senator from North Dakota. Last year Congress passed the Dakota Water Resources Act, which will redirect the Garrison Diversion Project to meet North Dakota's contemporary water needs. The Bureau of Reclamation, working under the direction of the Secretary, will be responsible for implementing that act, and Ms. Norton indicated her desire to help ensure the DWRA is implemented responsibly. Ms. Norton will also face significant responsibilities and challenges in maintaining government-to-government relations with tribal nations. The Department of the Interior, which includes the Bureau of Indian Affairs, is the entity most directly responsible for federal policy in Indian country. I know she has worked with Colorado tribes in the past and therefore has an understanding of many of the diverse and complex issues that tribes face. The tribes in my State anticipate building a productive relationship with Ms. Norton and the new head of the Bureau of Indian affairs. I hope she will take time early in her tenure to meet with the United Tribes of North Dakota and listen to their concerns and goals for the future. I was also pleased that during her confirmation hearings she was given the opportunity to explain her beliefs on public land management and to respond to some of the criticisms that had been leveled against her. I hope Ms. Norton will continue to follow the moderate stands she identified during her confirmation hearing. Public land management issues are often very controversial locally as well as nationally, and Ms. Norton will have to work very carefully to balance local interests with the Nation's interests when resolving these conflicts. Ms. Norton will face tremendous challenges as Secretary of the Interior, and I look forward to working with her on those issues.

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I supported Elaine Chao's nomination to be Secretary of Labor. I am confident that her experience and intellect will serve her well as she considers issues relating to our Nation's workforce and workplaces. Elaine's career exemplifies her dedication to public service and commitment to leadership. Elaine served as deputy transportation secretary under former President Bush and later became director of the Peace Corps in 1991. She headed United Way of America between 1992 and 1996, and she currently serves as a Heritage Foundation fellow. Additionally, many of us in this body also know her as the distinguished wife of our colleague, Senator Mitch McConnell. As a member of the new Administration, I hope that Elaine will be able to build coalitions and work effectively with groups holding a wide range of political views. These skills will be essential as we consider many of the important labor-related issues during the beginning of the 21st Century.

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I supported the nomination of New Jersey Governor Christie Whitman to serve as Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. As one of the organizers of the first Earth Day more than 30 years ago, I understand the importance of protecting and improving our Nation's environment. The Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, and other major environmental statutes have helped this Nation significantly improve our air and water quality. We have made significant progress over the past three decades, and North Dakota has done well to maintain its clean environment. However, our Nation still has too many areas that have dirty air and unclean water. Too many of our citizens develop diseases as a result of pollution in our environment. We need to continue the progress of the past three decades without sacrificing the tremendous economic growth of the past eight years. I met with Governor Whitman in my office last week to discuss some of the differences between rural western States and more urban, industrialized eastern States. I emphasized the need to develop different solutions to environmental problems in different areas, and also indicated my support for incentive-based approaches to improving our environment. I have been pleased to hear some of Governor Whitman's preliminary statements on that subject. However, I also believe we cannot abandon enforcement efforts to improve compliance with our Nation's environmental laws. Governor Whitman will have to strike an appropriate balance between the two. It will be a difficult task, but after meeting with her and reviewing her record, I believe she is up to the job. President Bush made a good selection when he asked Governor Whitman to head the EPA. She assumes a tremendous new responsibility, and I look forward to working with her in her new role as Administrator.

Mr. CONRAD

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I am very pleased to join my distinguished colleagues, Senator Susan Collins and Senator Judd Gregg, to introduce the Rural Education Initiative (REI). We introduced similar legislation, S. 1225, during the 106th Congress to respond to a number of challenges facing small, rural schools, and I am pleased that we were successful in incorporating some of the major the provisions of S. 1225 in the FY 2001 Omnibus Appropriations bill. This Congressional action will provide flexibility for school officials from small, rural schools to make better use of Federal education funds for critical educational needs at the local level. Under Public law 106-1033, Congress authorized school districts with fewer than 600 students, and a Department of Education (DOE) Locale Code designation of 7 or 8 to combine funding from four Federal education programs (Titles, II, IV, VI and Class Size Reduction) and use that funding to supplement Federal education programs under Titles I, II, IV, and VI. Congress also authorized, although was not able to fund, supplemental grants of up to $60,000 to assist small, rural school districts develop programs to improve academic achievement and the quality of instruction. Funding the supplemental grants program in the Rural Education Initiative is a major priority during consideration of the Elementary and Secondary Reauthorization in the 107th Congress. Today, we are re-introducing legislation to extend the authority under the Rural Education Initiative in P.L. 106-1033 for a five-year period to permit small, rural school districts to continue to have flexibility in the use of funds from a limited number of Federal education programs. This bill will also authorize $150 million for supplemental grants of up to $60,000 to rural schools to improve student achievement, provide professional development opportunities for educators or undertake education reform activities. School districts with fewer than 600 students and with a DOE Locale Code of 7 or 8 will be eligible to participate in the REI program. I am particularly pleased that the Rural Education Initiative has received bipartisan support and is cosponsored today by Senators Collins, Gregg, Hagel, Enzi, Hutchinson, Dorgan, Roberts, Burns, Johnson, and Thomas. The Rural Education Initiative is also being endorsed by the American Association of School Administrators, the National Education Association, the National Rural Education Association, and the Association of Educational Service Agencies. Mr. President, small rural schools face a growing number of unique challenges because of declining school age populations, aging facilities, and significant distances and remote locations for many rural school districts. While increased Federal education funding and targeting of these funds has been very helpful for rural school districts, these efforts alone are not responding sufficiently to the needs of many small, rural schools. Many rural schools, for example, while recognizing the importance of new initiatives like Class Size Reduction, are already at the levels recommended under the Class Size Reduction Initiative. Under current law, rural schools have only limited flexibility to use Class Size funds to meet other local education priorities. In many instances, the Class Size funds and allocations from a number of other Federal formula programs are not sufficient to permit effective use of the funds by the rural district. Additionally, although rural schools are able to apply for DOE competitive grant programs, rural schools are not able to compete as effectively as some urban and suburban schools because limited resources do not permit many smaller, rural districts to hire specialists to prepare grant applications to compete for these funds. In some cases, the only option for a smaller district is to form a consortium with other schools to qualify for sufficient funding. The difficulties accessing DOE competitive grant funds by rural schools are summed up well by Elroy Burkle, Superintendent of the Starkweather Public School District, a district with 131 students. Burkle remarked, ``schools districts have lost their ability to access funds directly, and as a result of forming these consortiums in order to access these monies, it is my opinion, we have lost our individual ability to utilize these monies in an effective manner that would be conducive to promoting the educational needs of our individual schools.'' Mr. President, the Rural Education Initiative responds to many of the concerns of Elroy Burkle and thousands of other school officials from smaller, rural school districts. The REI authorizes flexibility for local schools officials to more effectively use certain DOE formula funds. The legislation also authorizes supplemental grant funding for rural school districts who are not in a position to apply for some DOE competitive grant programs and in need additional funds for programs to improve student achievement or provide professional development opportunities for educators. As we begin our debate in the 107th Congress on the education proposals recently presented by President Bush and reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, it's very important that we consider the Rural Education Initiative as part of this debate. No issue is more important for rural America than the future of our schools. We must make certain that Federal education dollars are available to assist small, rural schools to provide the best education opportunities for children in rural America. I commend Senator Collins for taking the lead again in the 107th Congress on this important education issue. I also congratulate the American Association of School Administrators and the National Education Association for their leadership on rural education issues and the development of this important rural education initiative. I strongly urge the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions to carefully examine the many concerns of schools in rural America and to support reauthorization of the Rural Education Initiative that was adopted during the 106th Congress. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the endorsements of the Rural Education Initiative from the American Association of School Administrators, the National Education Association the National Rural Education Association, and the Association of Educational Service Agencies be printed in the Record at the conclusion of my remarks.

Mr. CONRAD

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I am very pleased to join my distinguished colleagues, Senator Susan Collins and Senator Judd Gregg, to introduce the Rural Education Initiative (REI). We introduced similar legislation, S. 1225, during the 106th Congress to respond to a number of challenges facing small, rural schools, and I am pleased that we were successful in incorporating some of the major the provisions of S. 1225 in the FY 2001 Omnibus Appropriations bill. This Congressional action will provide flexibility for school officials from small, rural schools to make better use of Federal education funds for critical educational needs at the local level. Under Public law 106-1033, Congress authorized school districts with fewer than 600 students, and a Department of Education (DOE) Locale Code designation of 7 or 8 to combine funding from four Federal education programs (Titles, II, IV, VI and Class Size Reduction) and use that funding to supplement Federal education programs under Titles I, II, IV, and VI. Congress also authorized, although was not able to fund, supplemental grants of up to $60,000 to assist small, rural school districts develop programs to improve academic achievement and the quality of instruction. Funding the supplemental grants program in the Rural Education Initiative is a major priority during consideration of the Elementary and Secondary Reauthorization in the 107th Congress. Today, we are re-introducing legislation to extend the authority under the Rural Education Initiative in P.L. 106-1033 for a five-year period to permit small, rural school districts to continue to have flexibility in the use of funds from a limited number of Federal education programs. This bill will also authorize $150 million for supplemental grants of up to $60,000 to rural schools to improve student achievement, provide professional development opportunities for educators or undertake education reform activities. School districts with fewer than 600 students and with a DOE Locale Code of 7 or 8 will be eligible to participate in the REI program. I am particularly pleased that the Rural Education Initiative has received bipartisan support and is cosponsored today by Senators Collins, Gregg, Hagel, Enzi, Hutchinson, Dorgan, Roberts, Burns, Johnson, and Thomas. The Rural Education Initiative is also being endorsed by the American Association of School Administrators, the National Education Association, the National Rural Education Association, and the Association of Educational Service Agencies. Mr. President, small rural schools face a growing number of unique challenges because of declining school age populations, aging facilities, and significant distances and remote locations for many rural school districts. While increased Federal education funding and targeting of these funds has been very helpful for rural school districts, these efforts alone are not responding sufficiently to the needs of many small, rural schools. Many rural schools, for example, while recognizing the importance of new initiatives like Class Size Reduction, are already at the levels recommended under the Class Size Reduction Initiative. Under current law, rural schools have only limited flexibility to use Class Size funds to meet other local education priorities. In many instances, the Class Size funds and allocations from a number of other Federal formula programs are not sufficient to permit effective use of the funds by the rural district. Additionally, although rural schools are able to apply for DOE competitive grant programs, rural schools are not able to compete as effectively as some urban and suburban schools because limited resources do not permit many smaller, rural districts to hire specialists to prepare grant applications to compete for these funds. In some cases, the only option for a smaller district is to form a consortium with other schools to qualify for sufficient funding. The difficulties accessing DOE competitive grant funds by rural schools are summed up well by Elroy Burkle, Superintendent of the Starkweather Public School District, a district with 131 students. Burkle remarked, ``schools districts have lost their ability to access funds directly, and as a result of forming these consortiums in order to access these monies, it is my opinion, we have lost our individual ability to utilize these monies in an effective manner that would be conducive to promoting the educational needs of our individual schools.'' Mr. President, the Rural Education Initiative responds to many of the concerns of Elroy Burkle and thousands of other school officials from smaller, rural school districts. The REI authorizes flexibility for local schools officials to more effectively use certain DOE formula funds. The legislation also authorizes supplemental grant funding for rural school districts who are not in a position to apply for some DOE competitive grant programs and in need additional funds for programs to improve student achievement or provide professional development opportunities for educators. As we begin our debate in the 107th Congress on the education proposals recently presented by President Bush and reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, it's very important that we consider the Rural Education Initiative as part of this debate. No issue is more important for rural America than the future of our schools. We must make certain that Federal education dollars are available to assist small, rural schools to provide the best education opportunities for children in rural America. I commend Senator Collins for taking the lead again in the 107th Congress on this important education issue. I also congratulate the American Association of School Administrators and the National Education Association for their leadership on rural education issues and the development of this important rural education initiative. I strongly urge the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions to carefully examine the many concerns of schools in rural America and to support reauthorization of the Rural Education Initiative that was adopted during the 106th Congress. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the endorsements of the Rural Education Initiative from the American Association of School Administrators, the National Education Association the National Rural Education Association, and the Association of Educational Service Agencies be printed in the Record at the conclusion of my remarks.

Mr. CONRAD

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I supported Governor Tommy G. Thompson's nomination to be Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) because he is a proven leader in reforming welfare, health care, and other important social policies. As the steward of the Department of Health and Human Services, he will be involved in managing more than 300 separate programs and the largest budget of any cabinet agency, more than $400 billion per year. In this position, it is my hope that he will make providing affordable, universal prescription drug coverage to every Medicare beneficiary, and reforming the Medicare program to ensure its long-term fiscal solvency at the top of his agenda. Also, I would hope that under his leadership, HHS will take an active role in working to address continued funding and access shortfalls in the rural health care system, particularly as they relate to Medicare reform. This is especially important in my state of North Dakota, where health care providers are struggling to offer quality services to seniors living in rural areas. In addition, we know that Governor Thompson has fought hard to expand health care coverage for low-income parents and children in the state of Wisconsin. It is my hope that he will continue this effort at the federal level, with a firm commitment to retaining a strong federal role in important programs such as Medicaid and the State-Children's Health Insurance Program. I look forward to working with Governor Thompson in the coming years to improve health care and income security for all Americans. Confirmation of Mel Martinez

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I supported Mel Martinez as Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. I believe that Mr. Martinez will contribute both his knowledge of housing policy and personal experience toward increasing home ownership among all Americans. During his confirmation hearing, Mr. Martinez said that he knows the value of home ownership, because he has witnessed its great power throughout his entire life. It is true that the foundation of community involvement and prosperity is built upon home ownership, which is a critical element of the American Dream. I am pleased that Mr. Martinez has voiced his support for the President's proposal to provide $1.7 billion in tax credits over five years to build and renovate single-family homes in poor communities and to allocate another $1 billion in tax credits to assist up to 650,000 families attain their dreams of becoming homeowners. Having emigrated to the United States at the age of 15 and successfully risen to the post of Chairman of Orange County, Florida, Mr. Martinez has proved his mettle and displayed his commitment to public service. I look forward to working with Mr. Martinez in his capacity as our nation's newest Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Norman Mineta to be Secretary of Transportation

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I was very pleased to support the nomination of Norman Mineta to be Secretary of Transportation. Mr. Mineta has had a long and distinguished career in public service. Most recently, he served with distinction as Secretary of Commerce. Before that, he served for many years in the House of Representatives, where he rose to become Chairman of the Transportation Committee. With that background, Mr. Mineta could not be better prepared for the challenges he will face. One of this country's great competitive advantages in the global economy has been our transportation infrastructure, which allows us to move raw materials to processing plants and finished products to markets around the world with great efficiency. However, our infrastructure is starting to show its age. Our roads and airports, in particular, are increasingly congested, and delays are costing our economy tens of billions of dollars annually. In recent years, the Congress has dramatically increased our national commitment to highway and airport funding to make sure our infrastructure is up to the standards and challenges of the twenty-first century. Our next Secretary of Transportation will have the important task of implementing these legislative initiatives as well as helping to negotiate the next highway bill. As he takes on these challenges, I hope Secretary Mineta will keep in mind some of the concerns of primarily rural states like North Dakota. In my state, Essential Air Service is critically important to preserving air service to mid-size communities and helping to foster economic development in those communities. More generally, federal funding is essential to maintaining the hundreds of miles of highways that bridge the distances between population centers. Finally, I had the opportunity to talk with Mr. Mineta the other day about the unique situation in the Devils Lake region in my state and the need to come up with an innovative solution that will maintain the road network in the face of continued flooding of Devils Lake. I look forward to working with Secretary Mineta on these many issues and wish him well in his new position.

Mr. CONRAD

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I am very pleased to support the nomination of Anthony Principi to serve as Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Mr. Principi is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, and a combat-decorated veteran who commanded a River Patrol Unit in the Mekong Delta during the Vietnam War. Since completing his service in the U.S. Navy, Mr. Principi has had a distinguished career in public service serving as staff director of the Senate Committee on Armed Services and Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs for several years until he was appointed Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs by President Bush in 1992. Now, as Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Anthony Principi will have responsibility for a $48 billion budget in the Federal Government's second largest department, coordinating a nationwide system of health care services and benefits to serve America's more than 25 million veterans. As we begin the 107th Congress, there are few challenges we face more important than ensuring that America's veterans receive the health care and benefits that they so justly deserve. The challenges include providing adequate funding for veterans health care services, ensuring access to VA health care for homeless veterans and veterans living in rural areas, providing timely access to specialized medical care, and responding to the many concerns of Persian Gulf Veterans as well as veterans with service in the Balkans. Secretary Principi, as a combat veteran in Vietnam, is well aware of these challenges. He has been a strong advocate on behalf of veterans during his service in the Senate and as Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs. As ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, I look forward to working with Secretary Principi to ensure that the FY 2002 budget for veterans health care services and benefits are sufficient to meet the growing needs of our veterans population, particularly our aging veterans. We must also make certain that the Department of Veterans Affairs is equipped to meet the many new challenges that are emerging as a result of the activities of our military personnel in peacekeeping operations and more non-traditional assignments around the world. I congratulate Secretary Principi on his appointment and commend him for his commitment to serve our Nation's veterans. No individual has a more solemn responsibility than the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

Mr. CONRAD

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I supported the nomination of Donald Evans to be Secretary of Commerce. Don Evans has a distinguished background in private business as head of a large, independent energy firm. In addition, his experience as chairman of the Bush campaign and as Chairman of the Board of Regents of the University of Texas system have helped prepare him for overseeing the wide-ranging programs of the Department of Commerce. As Secretary, Don Evans' first mission will be to promote U.S. exports. With a record trade deficit of more than $300 billion last year, I can think of few tasks more urgent than this one. As he takes on this responsibility, I urge him to remember the critical role that small businesses and agriculture play in our export successes and not concentrate solely on the role of the largest corporations. We also cannot forget the other side of the ledger. Mr. Evans will also be charged with enforcing our trade laws, another vital task to ensure that U.S. farmers and businesses are not competing against unfair imports. I am also very concerned about the so-called digital divide in the development of the communications infrastructure and the new e-economy. As Senator for one of the most rural states in the nation, it is critically important to me that our next Secretary aggressively work to close this digital divide to make sure rural North Dakotans get full access to the benefits of information technology. Finally, I would note that the Department of Commerce is responsible for collecting a range of statistics on our population and economy that are critical to informing the choices that we, as elected officials must make. The accuracy and accessibility of this data are essential to making the right choices for America's future. In short, Don Evans faces a host of challenges. I am confident that he will approach them with the same vigor and success with which he ran the Bush campaign, and I look forward to working with him in the months and years ahead. nomination of ann veneman

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I am pleased to have supported the nomination of Spencer Abraham to be Secretary of Energy. As Secretary, Senator Abraham will face a number of important and difficult challenges. Clearly, we must address our dependence on foreign sources of energy and the current spike in fuel prices that is driving transportation and heating costs to unacceptably high levels. In my state of North Dakota, home heating costs are painfully high for many families. And this spring farmers will face high input costs as they head into their fields. I do not think developing a comprehensive and effective long-term answer will be easy, but the strength of our economy will depend, in part, on our success in controlling energy price hikes. In addition, our most populous state, California, is in the middle of an electricity crisis. Again, this has potential implications for our economy. Finally, the security problems at our national labs will present a difficult challenge for our next Secretary of Energy. Senator Abraham has been a capable and dedicated colleague for the past six years. As he noted in his confirmation hearing, his views have evolved since he was first elected to this body. Then, he called for the abolition of the Department of Energy. Now he looks forward to service as our next Secretary of Energy. As one who believes the Energy Department plays a critical role in setting policies that profoundly impact our economy and our national security, I welcome this change of heart and wish him well as he enters into this next chapter in his service to our Nation. Nomination of Dr. Rod Paige

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I am pleased to have supported the nomination of Dr. Roderick Paige to be Secretary of Education. I believe that his commitment to the improvement of public schools and his diverse education experience will bring him success in this challenging and rewarding position. I am looking forward to working with him to address the critical issues associated with our nation's educational system. I am encouraged by Dr. Paige's accomplishments in Houston. The Houston Independent School District has seen dramatic changes under the leadership of Dr. Paige, including a decrease in the dropout rate and an increase in test scores. He has worked hard to foster partnerships between public schools and businesses and to encourage community involvement. Dr. Paige's seven year tenure as superintendent has shown him to be capable, creative, and committed to his students. As we enter a new Administration, it is important that we make the greatest effort to secure our public schools by providing them with the support they need. Whether it be through school modernization and class size reduction programs, or through increased financial aid for higher education, it is critical that we recognize the role of affordable, high quality public education for our children. Dr. Paige said, ``I think the public is where we need to begin our work. This is a public system, it is for the public's benefit, it is a public good, and the public must bring itself together and work hard to achieve it.'' I agree with him and believe that through hard work together, we will be able to achieve many good things for our schools, our children, and our Nation. nomination of donald rumsfeld

Mr. CONRAD

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I want to speak briefly about the nomination of Mitch Daniels to be the head of the Office of Management and Budget. First of all, I want to say Mr. Daniels called me when he had been named and we had a brief, frank visit about the responsibilities of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. I want to indicate that I will vote for his confirmation. That is not the reason I rose to speak on his nomination. At his confirmation hearing Mr. Daniels indicated, in response to a question, that he would not support giving the same protection to the Medicare trust fund surpluses that we have agreed, on a bipartisan basis, to give to the Social Security trust fund surpluses. I want to indicate my strong disagreement with Mr. Daniels on that position. I think that is the entirely wrong position to take. In fact, in the U.S. Senate, on a bipartisan basis, we voted overwhelmingly, last year, on a provision I offered to protect both the Social Security trust fund and the Medicare trust fund surpluses, to protect them against raids for other purposes. Now Mr. Daniels has announced a policy of being willing to protect the Social Security trust fund but not the Medicare trust fund. I hope he will rethink that issue. I hope he will agree with what was a strong bipartisan vote here in the U.S. Senate last year, to protect both the Social Security trust fund and the Medicare trust fund surpluses. We should not permit raids of either one of them. We should not allow those funds to be used for any other purpose. Social Security funds should not be used for other spending. They should not be used for a tax cut. The Medicare trust funds should not be used for other spending. They should not be used for a tax cut. Those funds ought to be reserved for the purposes for which they were raised, which is to support the Social Security Program and the Medicare program. I was disappointed when Mr. Daniels indicated he would not support protection of the Medicare trust fund. I think that is a profoundly wrong position to take. I hope he will rethink it. I certainly hope he was not speaking for this administration. Again, I remind him and remind this administration that, on a bipartisan basis, last year on the floor of the Senate, we had 60 votes for the proposition that we ought to protect both the Social Security trust fund and Medicare trust fund. That is a policy supported by the American people that ought to be supported by the Office of Management and Budget. It was supported here on the floor of the Senate and I hope this administration will think very carefully about its position before they conclude they are going to adopt the position of Mr. Daniels.

Mr. CONRAD. I am happy to yield.

Mr. CONRAD. I remember it very well. In fact they had what they called a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution but what they were doing to balance the budget was to raid the Social Security trust funds to achieve balance. That would have been an entirely phony balancing of the budget, I believe.

Mr. CONRAD. That is exactly what the new head of the Office of Management and Budget has announced in a hearing before Members of the United States Senate in the Government Affairs Committee. He said he is willing to protect the Social Security trust fund but he is not willing to protect the Medicare trust fund. They both ought to be protected. Neither one of them should be raided.

Mr. CONRAD. I appreciate the comments of my colleague. I want to say we are talking about real money here. The forecast of the Social Security trust fund surpluses over the next 10 years is $2.7 trillion. The forecast of the Medicare trust fund surplus over the next 10 years is $400 billion. We ought to protect them. We ought to wall them off. We ought to prevent anyone from using those funds for any other purpose. That is why I was so disappointed in the statement of Mr. Daniels, the designee to head the Office of Management and Budget, when he indicated in response to a direct question that he would be willing to protect the Social Security trust fund but he would not be willing to protect the Medicare trust fund. What is the difference? It is just a difference in programs. They are both trust funds. It is not very trustworthy if you raid them and we should not permit any raid on them. I just want Mr. Daniels and the administration to know that if they have an idea they are going to raid the Medicare trust fund, we on this side are going to oppose them every step of the way.

Mr. CONRAD

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the order for the quorum call be rescinded.