J. Exon

Mr. EXON

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk and ask for its immediate consideration.

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

Mr. EXON. I ask unanimous consent that I be added as a cosponsor if I am not already one.

Mr. EXON. We have agreed to this and I urge its adoption.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, this is another amendment that I believe we have worked out with the cooperation between both sides. This amendment is a sense-of-the-Senate amendment by Senator Baucus on essential air service, which I believe can be accepted by the managers.

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

Mr. EXON

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk in behalf of Senator Wellstone, and I ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, those are the three amendments that we have agreed to package in a form similar to that which we have had previously today. I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I can sum up very briefly the amendment number 1138 which is at the desk. This amendment would reduce defense spending by $10 billion in fiscal 1996 budget authority and $5 billion in outlays. It expresses the sense of the Senate that such reductions should come from low-priority defense programs, and should, to the maximum extent possible, preserve funding for programs and activities which directly affect force readiness, or the quality of life of service members and their families. The savings would be used solely to reduce the deficit.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, this amendment would restore projected cuts of $74 million in the Department of Veterans Affairs funding for the fiscal year 1996 that would have damaging effects on the timely delivery of important service to veterans, including processing of veterans' compensation claims, providing disabled veterans with vocational rehabilitation and employment services, and further education benefits earned under the GI bill. It would urge the Finance Committee to cut excessive and unnecessary tax expenditures of $74 million for fiscal year 1996.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous-consent--and I have talked to Senator Domenici about this--that we might recognize the Senator from California very briefly for a unanimous consent request that I think will be approved.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote by which the motion was agreed to.

Mr. EXON. The first of the three amendments that have just been suggested by the Budget Committee chairman I send to the desk in behalf of Senator Kennedy.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays on the three amendments that we have just discussed.

Mr. EXON

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, Senator Johnston's amendment would allow the $170 billion fiscal dividend to be used for either a tax cut or restoring cuts in Medicare. Mr. DOMENICI addressed the Chair.

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

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, on behalf of Senator Johnston, I send an amendment to the desk.

Mr. EXON. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

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

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk on behalf of Senator Feingold.

Mr. EXON. Have the yeas and nays been ordered? I ask for the yeas and nays, if they have not been ordered.

Mr. EXON

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, this amendment would restore the budget structure of the IRS compliance initiative which now is established in last year's budget resolution with bipartisan support. The initiative was established off budget because of its return of $5 for every $1 spent. This budget resolution would change that structure, placing the IRS initiative under the spending caps. The amendment strikes that language to ensure that the compliance initiative will be fully funded at $9.2 billion over 5 years and delinquent taxes brought to the Treasury.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Amendment No. 1155 (Purpose: To restore the IRS compliance initiative)

Mr. EXON

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, pursuant to section 904 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, I move to waive the act for consideration of the pending amendment. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.