J. Exon

Mr. EXON

Mr. EXON. I compliment my three colleagues for the excellent presentation. I yield them an additional 5 minutes, and ask them to divide that up. I am only doing this because we are running out of time.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I want to make a few final observations on this Republican budget. The distinguished chairman of the Budget Committee has the votes, and I congratulate him for steering the Republican budget to a successful conclusion which I suspect will be basically on a party line vote. However, as we head home to our families, loved ones, and neighbors, I hope that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle will take a little time to think about their budget outside of the confines of Washington. Because back home is the best place to put this budget in its proper setting and context. Back home is the place to see the havoc and suffering this budget will wreak upon our fellow Americans. My colleagues know how proud I am of Nebraska and its people. They are tough and spirited. They are hard working and patriotic. They are everything one could want in a neighbor. Mr. President, when a family is facing difficult times, its members pull together. They work and they sacrifice. That is how we should approach our Nation's fiscal crisis. We should get our priorities in order. We should call for fair and reasonable sacrifice for the greater good. But that did not occur in this Republican budget agreement. We did not get a balanced budget for the American family. We got a budget that asks the most of those who have the least. We got a far-right wing budget with twisted priorities and convoluted thinking. We got a budget so far out of step with the American people that it is laughable when my Republican friends call it ``mainstream.'' I would say that the $245 billion tax cut for the wealthy is the heart and soul of this budget. But this Republican budget lacks all heart, and it has no soul. In a family, you look out for each other. You do not unfairly rip away medical care from the elderly, our poor, our disabled and our children. You do not mortgage your family's future by cutting education and job training. You do not kick a man when he is down, like this budget does to rural America. And, make no mistake, this budget will devastate our rural economy. Our Nation's farmers are having the rug pulled out from under them. Medicare cuts of this magnitude will close rural hospitals and eliminate jobs. To complete this devastation, we are reducing rural economic development efforts and slashing rural housing. This budget does not offer a helping hand, it gives rural America the back of its hand. You should not do all of this merely to finance a $245 billion tax cut for the wealthiest. You do not do this to satisfy some ideological itch. You do not do this to score points in a political poll. Mr. President, you do not do this to your family. And Mr. President, I could not inflict this misguided budget upon the families of Nebraska. In the seeks that lie ahead, I hope that cooler heads will prevail and that my colleagues on the other side will come out from behind their closed doors. They have no choice now but to face the music. Yesterday, both President Clinton and OMB Director Alice Rivlin weighed [[Page S 9404]] in against this budget. In his letter to the Republican leaders, President Clinton said: I hope we can work together and avoid the situation in which I have no choice but to use my veto authority. Director Rivlin echoed the President's sentiments on the misguided priorities in the Republican budget. She states: If reconciliation and appropriations legislation implementing these policies were presented to the President, I would strongly recommend that he use his veto authority. These are strong words but I believe they are right on target. So I say one more time, that if my Republican colleagues want a balanced budget that is fair and reasonable, they will find in this Senator a fair and reasonable man who is willing to listen and willing to help. I say to my friends on the other side of the aisle, ``The choice is yours.'' I will be there to help when and if I can. I reserve the remainder of my time and I yield the floor.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I yield myself 8 minutes.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, for just a brief moment, let me take from our time to thank my friend and colleague from Georgia. That was an excellent statement to get right on the edge of the problem we have with this. I like the caster oil/dessert. We have been [[Page S 9391]] through caster oil and dessert way back in the 1980's. I am sure that is what the Senator is referring to. This is the time to face up to reality. And I hope we will defeat the Republican budget. I believe the next speaker would be the Senator from West Virginia.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I am very pleased now to recognize two of my closest friends and associates in the Senate; first, the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, Senator Nunn from Georgia, for 5 minutes; following that, 20 minutes to my friend and colleague from West Virginia, Senator Byrd.

Mr. EXON. Yes.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, we have had two speakers from that side. We now would go to two speakers on this side, if that is acceptable to the Republican manager.

Mr. EXON. I yield.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I thank my friend from Vermont, with whom I have had the pleasure of serving for 17 years, for his help, his support and thoughtfulness. I also would like to take a moment to thank my talented colleague from the State of Wisconsin for his remarks. Mr. President, I have two more speakers, but it is the turn of the other side.

Mr. EXON. I thank my friend. Senator Leahy is next to be recognized.

Mr. EXON. Let me make very brief remarks. There have been a lot of questions asked and charges made talking about class warfare. The question has been asked, when are we going to balance the budget? Well, in the first place, Mr. President, I do not stand here--I stand here proud of the fact that the people on [[Page S 9374]] this side of the aisle are going to say very loud and they are going to say very clear that we tell the truth about the tax policy that came out of the conference, that is, there are $245 billion of tax cuts in this horrible piece of legislation before us, and if we point out that that the benefits are going to the rich, it is because that is the truth. I do not like class warfare, but the truth never hurt anybody. When are we going to balance the budget? I think we can get together and balance the budget as soon as the majority gets off the kick that they are on, a $245 billion tax cut that basically helps the rich. That is the time when those of us on this side of the aisle are prepared to march shoulder to shoulder. In the meantime, we will not. We think it is unfair. We think it is wrong. We think it is ill-advised and ill- timed and it could not be worse. Just let me point out, Mr. President, that under the bill that came out of the conference, as nearly as we can understand it, while I would agree that the final details have to be worked out in the Finance Committee and then with the comparable committees on the other side of the Hill, that basically, under this bill families with incomes of over $200,000--that is about 2.5 percent of all the families in the United States of America--those families would get an average tax break of $11,266 a year, while on the other hand, other Americans not so fortunately situated, those taxpayers with incomes below $30,000 a year, which represents about 40 percent of the taxpayers in the United States of America, they would get an average tax break of $124 a year; $11,266 a year for the 2.5 percent of our citizens that make over $200,000, and $124 for those who make under $30,000. We are not going to be part and parcel to that type of an arrangement, however much it is clouded, however much we are accused of playing class warfare. We are not going to saddle up to that kind of a plan. I yield 4 minutes to my colleague from the State of Wisconsin. When he finishes, 2 minutes to my friend from Vermont.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I listened with great interest, and I was wondering if we could agree now when I finish my very brief remarks that I could have two Senators from this side speak, given the fact that the majority side has taken considerable time. I intend to yield 4 minutes to the Senator from Wisconsin, and then, following that, 2 minutes to the Senator from Vermont. Would that be acceptable?

Mr. EXON. I yield whatever additional time I need.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I yield myself 1 minute. I want to pose a question to my friend from Wisconsin. I do not wish to embarrass him, but I think it is a good time for me to make the point, once again, that I have been making. Since I know the Senator from Wisconsin very well, he is a very talented Member of this body, a very humble soul. I think it would be safe to assume, and I would like to ask, if I would not embarrass my friend from Wisconsin, I just guess that the Senator from Wisconsin very likely might be in the category that I referenced earlier, the 2.5 percent of the families in America that would receive an average $11,266 a year in tax cuts. Is that the understanding of the Senator from Wisconsin?

Mr. EXON. Does the Senator from Wisconsin feel that I am practicing class warfare against him by putting out the fact which he agreed to?

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I thank my friend and colleague from Illinois for the excellent statement.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I yield 8 minutes of our time to my fine colleague from the State of Illinois.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, will the Senator yield for 30 seconds on my time?

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I thank my friend and colleague from Washington for a very excellent statement. She is a very valuable member of the Budget Committee and I hope her remarks are taken to heart. Mr. HOLLINGS addressed the Chair.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I would like to advise all Senators on this side, and I think I probably speak for my colleague on the other side, we are trying to compact time as best we can and yet give everybody at least a chance to make remarks they think are appropriate and very important. There are a lot of Senators who have indicated to me on this side, and I believe to Senator Domenici on that side, that they want to talk. We need you here to talk. We cannot have you talking unless you are here to talk. So I certainly extend the invitation to all the Members on this side of the aisle who wish to talk; this will be a good time to come over here. Or, very likely, we will begin to be yielding back some time, if I can make an arrangement to that effect with my colleague from New Mexico. With that, I yield 7 minutes to my colleague from Washington. [[Page S 9358]]

Mr. EXON

Mr. EXON. Eight minutes and 44 seconds is being reserved for the minority leader. I yield the floor.

Mr. EXON. I withhold the request in view of the fact the majority leader is in the Chamber. How much time is remaining on this side?

Mr. EXON. To make some statements that I must at least indicate that I do not agree with. I thought that I had maybe concluded my statement. But I must make note of some statements that were made by the distinguished chairman of the Budget Committee. To say that this budget saves Medicare is doubly misleading. So in the first instance, even by their own terms and by their own figures, the Republican budget will only postpone and not save the insolvency of the Medicare trust fund that we have heard so much about. They would only extend it for 3 years. That is hardly saving it. And I hope that everyone will understand that those are the facts and they are indisputable. Secondly, and equally as important, they seek to save this program by dramatically slashing benefits. If that is a savings, and if that is saving this program, I would hate to see what they would do if they really wanted to attack the program. The bottom line is that the average Medicare beneficiary will have to pay $3,345 more over the next 7 years than he or she would have spent without the Republican budget. That is a fact. I hear time and time again how this is going to save the Nation, how we are making sacrifices, how we have to help the younger generation. The younger generation, I assure you, Mr. President, is not going to be helped by the $245 billion tax giveaway, most of which goes to the most wealthy Americans, those making over $200,000. That is not a benefit to the younger generation. I simply say that were it not for the $245 billion tax cut mainly going to the wealthiest Americans, I am not sure that the chairman of the Budget Committee and myself, the ranking member, would be that far apart. I cannot swallow it, and I will not swallow it. I think it is wrong. You cannot save and protect the younger people and protect the older people and have a budget that works if you are going to have that large of a giveaway to the most affluent in our society. I reserve the remainder of our time which will be assigned to the minority leader, Senator Daschle, when he comes to the floor. In the meantime, I would suggest the absence of a quorum with the time charged to our side of the aisle.

Mr. EXON

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I want to thank my friend and colleague from Iowa for his excellent remarks, especially with regard to the fairness on the budget that we are going to vote on today. I think this is a very, very critical vote that is upcoming. I thank the Senator from Iowa for his input, and the excellent remarks by the Senator from Massachusetts yesterday, and all of the other constructive suggestions that have been made. Let us scrap this bill and try to come up with something, almost anything, that would be better. I yield the floor. Mr. KENNEDY addressed the Chair.

Mr. EXON. I ask unanimous consent that I be allowed to proceed as if in morning business for 2 minutes.