J. Exon

Mr. EXON

Mr. EXON. My apologies to those I told we would be out of here by 5:10. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. EXON. We have no objection.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, as we conclude debate, I cannot help but be struck by the futility of this Republican budget. It is a tragic repeat of last year's Republican budget fiasco. It is a fool's errand twice over. A year ago, many of us stood on the Senate floor imploring our Republican colleagues to temper their harsh views and to join with us to create a bipartisan balanced budget. We predicted a train wreck otherwise. We got not one, but two train wrecks, including the longest Federal Government shutdown in the history of our Nation. We will soon vote on this so-called new Republican budget. But no one should be fooled as to its novelty. It is at best a hybrid of the old Republican budget grafted onto some slick parliamentary procedures. It will spin out not one, but three, reconciliation bills, because the Republican Majority wants to create a web of budgetary intrigue in which to trap the President. They want to amplify partisan confrontation over the summer and into the fall elections. Some call this the silly season. It would be silly, if it were not so sad for our Nation. Once again, the congressional majority is squandering an opportunity to balance the budget. Last year, all the Republicans wanted was for President Clinton to submit a 7-year, CBO-certified, balanced budget. President Clinton delivered with a fair and reasonable balanced budget. But no, the Republicans claimed that it was not good enough for them-- even though it was good enough for the Republican-selected CBO Director. Perhaps this debate did serve one larger purpose. With amendments from this side of the aisle, the American people could see that there is another vision for the future of our Nation. There is a way to balance the budget, but without jeopardizing quality health care for our seniors, without fouling the environment, without limiting the learning horizons of our children. But on this floor, the American people saw the Republican majority oppose moderation time and time again. It has been said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. This budget would be insane, except that no one expects a different result. This is a senseless repetition of a failed budget. Because of its extremism, it deserves to fail. I urge my colleagues to reject it once again.

Mr. EXON. I yield Senator Hollings the 30 seconds on our side on the McCain amendment.

Mr. EXON. Yes, I do believe that the Senator from Montana is correct in making that assumption. The Energy and Natural Resources Committee has a limited amount of mandatory programs under its jurisdiction to target for savings as part of a reconciliation bill. With the exception of privatizing the Power Marketing Administrations, a proposal that was soundly rejected during last year's debate, I might add with the Senator Montana's leadership. I can think of no other policy under their jurisdiction that could generate a $1 billion in savings.

Mr. EXON. It might be due to the fact that a clear majority of the American people do not support opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil and gas exploration. It appears to me that the Republicans are trying to find a clever way to cover up all the damage their budget will do to the environment. Senator BAUCUS. I believe that the Senator from Nebraska is correct. The American people, by a two to one margin, oppose opening up ANWR for oil and gas drilling. No wonder that proponents of drilling do not want to confront the issue head-on. Our citizens understand, even if some members of this body may not, that leasing the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge risks serious harm to one of our national treasures. It squanders the natural resources that we should be leaving for future generations. And it is another example of public lands policies that favor special interests over the interests of ordinary families. The irony is that we do not need to take these risks to ensure adequate supplies of energy. There are new oil fields being developed in the Gulf of Mexico right now, in very deep water, that can produce oil without the environmental disruptions that would surely accompany drilling in ANWR. Last year, the Office of Management and Budget, hardly an environmentally zealous group, stated that: Exploration and development activities would bring physical disturbances to the area, unacceptable risks of oil spills and pollution, and long-term effects that would harm wildlife for decades. That is not the kind of legacy we should be leaving for our children. Yet that is what could well be in store for this country if the reconciliation instructions in this budget are carried out as the Senator from Nebraska has indicated. I thank the Senator for his observations. Wellstone Education Tax Deduction Amendment

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, for the information of the Senate, as I understand it, I believe Senator Domenici would confirm, we have two amendments remaining, by Senator McCain and Senator Byrd, and final passage. It seems possible to me, because I know some people are trying to catch planes, if we expedite this, we could be through voting by about 5:20 or something of that nature. I ask unanimous consent the pending amendment be temporarily set aside so Senator Byrd may offer his amendment.

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

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I would be happy to.

Mr. EXON

Mr. EXON. After the Roth vote.

Mr. EXON. What we have agreed to earlier, we are trying to get out of here for at least one-half hour, between 4 to 4:30. It seems to me that we could probably have final passage by no later than 5:15.

Mr. EXON. Is that the assumption under which we are working, then? We have one more vote at least, and then go to a half-hour recess?

Mr. EXON. That is what I agreed to with both the majority leader and the minority leader.

Mr. EXON. Before Senator Roth starts, I ask the chairman of the committee, we have how many amendments left that we are going to vote on? As I understand it, we have Byrd that requires a vote, Roth that requires a vote, and McCain, and final passage.

Mr. EXON

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

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, for Senator Biden, I send an amendment to the desk and ask unanimous consent the amendment be considered, agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be laid on the table. This has been cleared on both sides.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, Senator Hatch is a cosponsor.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I join the chairman of the committee in what I think will be a salute to our colleagues from Rhode Island and Louisiana for their effort. But I must oppose the amendment. The Chafee-Breaux budget could cut COLA's, costing a typical Social Security beneficiary $1,200 over 7 years. Such changes should be done, in my opinion, if at all, only in the context of a comprehensive Social Security reform package. These COLA cuts would also hit EITC, SSI, and retired and disabled veterans. The amendment goes after Medicare beneficiaries as well unnecessarily. Finally, the Chafee-Breaux budget cuts taxes far more than the President and far more than I think is prudent. For these reasons I urge Senators to oppose it. Mr. DOMENICI addressed the Chair.

Mr. EXON. If we are going to consider sense-of-the-Senate resolutions, there are seven amendments that we know about, and three of those are sense-of-the-Senate resolutions. Amendment No. 4018

Mr. EXON. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Amendment No. 3969

Mr. EXON. I will yield our 30 seconds to the Senator from Iowa.

Mr. EXON. We yield back our time.

Mr. EXON. Senators who have a sense of the Senate outstanding, they, too, want an expedited procedure. I say this is a good time to do that.

Mr. EXON

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