Robert Dole

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote by which the amendment was agreed to.

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. I want to ask that there be a period for the transaction of routine morning business for about the next 10 minutes or so. There are a couple of people who want to speak. Then we will turn to the terrorism bill. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that there be a period for the transaction of routine morning business with Members permitted to speak for not more than 5 minutes each, and that at 6:45 the Senate then turn to the consideration of Calendar No. 192, S. 735, the antiterrorism bill.

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. Or just raise $100.

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, there is no debate.

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum. The clerk will call the roll.

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, let me indicate we have lost about 10 or 15 minutes here. I would ask the clerk: At the end of the time we will turn in the scorecard.

Mr. DOLE. Could I have an explanation of the one we just did, an explanation of the first Kennedy amendment?

Mr. DOLE. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Mr. MOYNIHAN addressed the Chair.

Mr. DOLE. I thank the Senator for his inquiry. While the phrase ``family tax relief'' is not specific, my interpretation is that the phrase could include a $500 per child family tax credit. It is of course up to the Finance Committee to determine exactly how the fiscal dividend will be given back to Americans in the form of tax cuts. But I can assure you that as a senior member of the Finance Committee and its former chairman, and a majority leader, when the Finance Committee determines how to provide specific tax cuts, I will be there fighting for tax credits for children, such as that provided by the $500 per child credit. We should provide tax credits for families that adopt children, expanded IRA's for homemakers, estate tax relief for family businesses, and other benefits targeted to the family. The amendment also calls for the fiscal dividend to be used for tax incentives for savings and investment, job creation and economic growth. I would work to ensure that, as a result of the Grams-Abraham amendment, we cut the capital gains tax to stimulate economic growth and create jobs.

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I yield to Senator Grams.

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I would say while the specifics of family tax relief and incentives to increase savings and investment will be determined by the Finance Committee, expanded spousal IRA's would certainly be considered in the context of providing family tax relief.

Mr. DOLE. Certainly.

Mr. DOLE. I thank the Senator for the question. Let me indicate as I have before, I have always said that balancing the budget is my first priority. But we can balance the budget and cut [[Page S7459]] taxes too. The Senate budget resolution will ensure that we do both. Any fiscal dividend that results from enacting balanced budget legislation will be returned to the American people in the form of reduced taxes. There are significant differences between the House and Senate budget resolutions, and I will encourage the Senate conferees to increase the deficit reduction achieved in this budget to the maximum extent possible. If we achieve even more savings, then I will fight to ensure that further tax cuts are provided to the American people. Let me just say to both my colleagues from Minnesota and Michigan that I appreciate their willingness throughout the last several days to try to come to some agreement that would provide the relief that they were seeking. This does not quite reach everything they wanted, but I commend them for their efforts. I think this is a very significant amendment that was adopted today on the floor, with bipartisan support, I might add. And it was due to the efforts of the Senator from Minnesota [Mr. Grams], and the Senator from Michigan [Mr. Abraham]. If I can say one word that would follow the statement of the Senator from Delaware on the antiterrorism bill, I thank Senator Hatch and Senator Biden for their willingness to try to pass this bill. I urge my colleagues, particularly on this side of the aisle, to help us enter into some time agreements to make it possible. It might be--and it may not happen--that we can reach a time agreement on a number of amendments and not be in very long tomorrow. We will have a couple of votes, and we will take it up the day we are back. I promised we would take up telecommunications on that day. Without an agreement, I do not have any idea how long it will take if we bring up or continue on this bill when we come back on June 5. I will be working with Senators Daschle and Biden and Hatch. We promised the President we would bring this up before the Memorial Day recess, and we have done that now. We have not completed action, but we have had a little debate. Had we been able to start on this last night, we may have been able to finish it tonight or tomorrow. It may not be possible to do that now. I know colleagues have other commitments starting early afternoon tomorrow, and some have them in the morning. I hope that on both sides we can have the cooperation of our colleagues working with the chairman of the committee, Senator Hatch, and the ranking Democratic member, Senator Biden.

Mr. DOLE. Forty minutes and then final passage. I think it would be helpful if all Members remain in their seats, or if they do not care to listen to final debate, then remove themselves from the Chamber. We hope to start the vote about quarter of 6, or 10 of 6. I think the first speaker will be the distinguished Senator from Nebraska, Senator Exon. So I urge my colleagues to give the managers our attention here for the next 40 minutes. Mr. EXON addressed the Chair.

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, we are going to have 40 minutes of debate now.

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, let me ask Members to stay right here because we are going to go as quickly as we can, hoping to do it in less time. We had an hour debate. We are going to ask consent, and I ask now unanimous consent to reduce that to 40 minutes instead of 1 hour on behalf of the managers on each side. Then we will have final passage of the budget and then we will move to the terrorism bill.

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote by which the concurrent resolution was agreed to.

Mr. DOLE. I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. DOLE. I wonder if I might inquire of the Democratic leader, will he speak following the Senator from New Mexico?

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, it is my understanding both the distinguished minority leader and the majority leader each have 5 minutes of the allotted 40 minutes. How much time is remaining?

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, like most Senators, I have lost track of the meetings I have attended. But a few years back, I was in a meeting that I will never forget. These people were not presidents or prime ministers. They did not run big businesses. In fact, most of them did not even have a job. Who were they? They were high school seniors--100 of them--one boy and one girl from each State. The reason why I will never forget that day is because of what they taught me--and what they should teach all of us. Sometime during our meeting, one young man stood up and said, ``Senator, it seems like every group of Americans is represented in Washington. Everyone has somebody who speaks for them.'' ``But who speaks for us?'' He asked me, ``Who speaks for the future?'' It was a good question then. And it is a good question now. And for far too long, the answer has been that ``No one speaks for the future.'' Instead, we have piled deficit upon deficit, mortgaging our children's future for the temporary convenience of the present. But today, the Senate will make a statement, and we will make history in the process. We will finally begin to unpile the deficits. We will finally begin to speak for the future. And we will do it with one word--leadership. Harry Truman was right when he said: Where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better. And let us be frank. When it comes to reducing the deficit, Congress has stood still--frozen in place year after year after year, as our debt grew bigger and bigger and bigger. But in November 1994, Americans voted to change all that. For the first time in 40 years, they gave control of Congress to the Republican Party. And with that control came a responsibility. A responsibility to do what we promised--a responsibility to act courageously--a responsibility to change things for the better. And under the leadership of Senator Domenici that is exactly what we have done. We have accepted the responsibility of leadership. We have made the tough choices. We have put a plan on the table that will result in a balanced budget within 7 years. This budget is based on the underlying principle that we simply cannot go on spending our children's money. In fulfilling that principle, those bureaucracies and programs counting on their usual big spending increases must learn to make do with less--$961 billion less over the next 7 years, to be exact. And we begin right here in Congress, as this budget reduces legislative branch spending by some $200 million. Those who are used to more and more power flowing to Washington, DC, will have to adjust to a new tide, where power is carried back to the States and to the people. And we will have to learn how to make do without the Department of Commerce, and its more than 140 Federal departments, agencies, and programs. This Senator is confident that we will do just fine, thank you. And despite the rhetoric coming out of the White House, this budget also recognizes that Government has certain responsibilities. Responsibilities like taking the steps necessary to preserve, improve, and protect Medicare, which three of the President's Cabinet members tell us will go bankrupt in 7 years if we do nothing. We do this by slowing the growth rate of Medicare--while still allowing Medicare spending to increase by $1.6 trillion. This budget also recognizes that there are those in need who depend on Government programs, and who often have nowhere else to turn. Therefore, it provides for an additional $36 billion in spending for Medicaid. It increases funding for the Women/Infant/Children Program by $2 billion. [[Page S7473]] It increases funding for food stamps, for aid to families with dependent children, for supplemental security income. and for the earned income tax credit. Is the budget perfect? Of course not. Some of us would have reduced spending in other programs than the ones chosen. Some of us would have increased spending in others. And some of us--including this Senator-- would have dedicated more funds to reducing the tax burden on Americans. But make no mistake about it, this budget does provide tax relief. The $170 billion fund this budget creates must and will be devoted to tax reductions that will help America's families, stimulate savings, increase investment, create jobs, and promote economic growth. Family tax credits, spousal IRA's, estate tax relief for family businesses, and a capital gains rate reduction are some of the actions I will promote as Senate majority leader, and as a member of the Finance Committee. Additionally, it's no secret that when the House and Senate return from conference on our respective budgets, we are likely to to return with a budget that will dedicate even more funds to tax relief. Mr. President, when Republicans drew up our plan to reach a balanced budget, we also drew a line in the sand. And we said that those who are serious about balancing the budget will cross that line and work with us, or propose an alternative. And those who are not serious will stay on the other side of the line and offer no leadership. I regret to say that President Clinton has never come close to crossing that line. While he says we have the wrong plan, he never comes close to saying what the right plan is--except one that gave America $200 to $300 billion deficits well into the next century, and that would have added $1.2 trillion to our debt in the next 5 years. Thankfully, that plan was defeated by a vote of 99-0. Instead of leadership, the President offers fear. And he casts his net far and wide. Seniors, children, the so-called middle class, the needy, farmers, students, the list goes on and on. Each day, the President tells them they should be afraid of our budget, they should be afraid of Republicans. Let me again quote the words of Harry Truman. Truman said: America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination, and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand. So, Mr. President, we will win this vote today. We will take our budget to conference. We will work with the Republican majority in the House. And we will return with a plan that will balance the budget in 7 years. We will do it with the help of the American people--people who have always exhibited courage, imagination, and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand. I conclude where I began. With speaking for the future. And I conclude not by quoting Harry Truman, but by quoting another President. Somewhere at this very moment, another child is born in America. Let it be our cause to give that child a happy home, a healthy family, a hopeful future. Let it be our cause to see that child reach the fullest of their God-given abilities. Those words were spoken by Bill Clinton in 1992, as he accepted his party's nomination for President. And with passage of this budget, Republicans will turn those words into action. Because somewhere at this very moment, another child is born in America. And that child comes into the world already owing $18,500 as his or her share of the national debt. That child comes into the world with the knowledge that he or she will pay $163,300 in taxes during his working life just to pay off interest on the debt. That child comes into a world facing a future of fewer jobs, fewer opportunities, and higher interest rates. Today, with this vote, we begin to change that child's world for better. Today, we begin to speak for all the children born today and in the days to come. Today, we begin to speak for the future.

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. We have had 50 hours. I do not think we need another 50.