Jesse Helms

Mr. HELMS

Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, I am going to suggest the absence of a quorum, but I want to ask unanimous consent that all quorum calls henceforth be charged proportionately.

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. HELMS. Very well.

Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, in the case of the Senator from Maryland, will the Chair deem that he has been yielded time by Senator Kerry?

Mr. HELMS. Let us be fair about this thing. This is two Democratic Senators. The Senator from Maryland has been waiting around to speak, and I want to be sure that he is agreeable to being preceded.

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. HELMS

Mr. HELMS. No, no, go back and forth. The Senator from Alaska is going to speak only 8 minutes.

Mr. HELMS

Mr. HELMS. I thank the Chair, and I thank the Senator. FOREIGN RELATIONS AUTHORIZATION ACT, FISCAL YEARS 1996 and 1997--

Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the joint resolution be considered, read a third time, and passed, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table.

Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of House Joint Resolution 168 received from the House.

Mr. HELMS

Mr. HELMS. I yield 5 minutes to the distinguished Senator. But before he begins, Mr. President, I have a little housekeeping task to do for the leader.

Mr. HELMS. I yield--how much time does the Senator want?

Mr. HELMS

Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, for the Committee on Foreign Relations, I also report favorably two nomination lists in the Foreign Service which were printed in full in prior the Congressional Records of March 6 and March 18, 1996, and ask unanimous consent, to save the expense of reprinting on the Executive Calendar, that these nominations lie at the Secretary's desk for the information of Senators. The following-named Career Members of the Senior Foreign Service of the Department of Agriculture for promotion in the Senior Foreign Service to the classes indicated: Career Members of the Senior Foreign Service of the United States of America, Class of Minister-Counselor: Suzanne K. Hale, of Virginia. Frank J. Piason, of New Jersey. The following-named Career Members of the Foreign Service of the Department of Agriculture for promotion into the Senior Foreign Service to the class indicated: Career Members of the Senior Foreign Service of the United States of America, Class of Counselor: Lloyd J. Fleck, of Tennessee. James D. Grueff, of Maryland. Thomas A. Hamby, of Tennessee. Peter O. Kurz, of Maryland. Kenneth J. Roberts, of Minnesota. Robert J. Wicks, of Virginia. The following-named persons of the agencies indicated for appointment as Foreign Service officers of the classes stated, and also for the other appointments indicated herewith: For appointment as Foreign Service Officers of Class One, Consular Officers and Secretaries in the Diplomatic Service of the United States of America. department of state Alfred Thomas Clark, of California. For appointment as Foreign Service Officers of Class Two, Consular Officers and Secretaries in the Diplomatic Service of the United States of America: agency for international development Mahlon Atkinson Barash, of Virginia. Donald Allen Drga, of Texas. Richard Jay Gold, of Virginia. department of state Barbara S. Aycock, of the District of Columbia. Dana M. Weant, of Washington. For appointment as Foreign Service Officers of Class Three, Consular Officers and Secretaries in the Diplomatic Service of the United States of America: agency for international development Christine Adamczyk, of Michigan. Syed A. Ali, of Florida. Todd Hanson Amani, of Maryland. R. Douglass Arbuckle, of Florida. David Chapmann Atteberry, of Texas. E. Jed Barton, of Nevada. Barbara L. Belding, of California. Scott H. Bellows, of South Carolina. Aleksandra Elizabeth Braginski, of the District of Columbia. Robert F. Cunnane, of Washington. Thomas R. Delaney, of Pennsylvania. Thomas A. Egan, of Washington. Branden W. Enroth, of Delaware. Theodore Victor Gehr, of Oregon. Lawrence Hardy II, of Washington. Laura Anne Kearns, of Georgia. Carol Bruce Kiranbay, of Virginia. Charles G. Knight, of Virginia. Charles Eric North, of Maryland. Patricia O'Connor, of California. Beth S. Paige, of Texas. Andrew William Plitt, of Texas. Mark M. Powdermaker, of Washington. Alan I. Reed, of Washington. William Earl Reynolds, of Montana. Scott M. Taylor, of California. Jill Jacqueline Thompson, of Texas. department of Agriculture Margaret M. Bauer, of Virginia. Michael L. Conlon, of Michigan. Catherine M. Sloop, of Washington. Margaret E. Thursland, of Virginia. Dennis B. Voboril, of Kansas. David J. Williams, of West Virginia. department of state Kevin Blackstone, of New York. For appointment as Foreign Service Officers of Class Four, Consular Officers and Secretaries in the Diplomatic Service of the United States of America: department of agriculture Joani M. Dong, of California. Hoa V. Huynh, of Oregon. Emiko M. Purdy, of Pennsylvania. department of state Julie Deidra Adams, of Maryland. Antoinette Rose Boecker, of Texas. Scott Douglas Boswell, of New Jersey. William W. Christopher, of California. John Charles Coe, of Florida. Mariko Dieterich, of Texas. Mary Doetsch, of California. Pamela Dunham, of Oregon. Lara Suzanne Friedman, of Arizona. Paul F. Fritch, Jr., of Wyoming. Peter G. Hancon, of Illinois. John David Haynes, of Colorado. Michael G. Heath, of California. Camille Diane Hill, of California. Andrew P. Hogenboom, of New York. Sherri Ann Holliday, of Kansas. Randall Warren Houston, of California. Bruce K. Hudspeth, of Virginia. Lisa Anne Johnson, of Virginia. Michael Robert Keller, of Florida. Patricia Kathleen Keller, of Virginia. George P. Kent, of Virginia. Philip G. Laidlaw, of Florida. Sherrie L. Marafino, of Pennsylvania. Raymond D. Maxwell, of North Carolina. Kathleen A. Morenski, of Virginia. Andrew Leonard Morrison, of Arkansas. Jonathan Edward Mudge, of California. Tulinabo Salama Mushingi, of Virginia. David Reimer, of Virginia. Madeline Quinn Seidenstricker, of Florida. Ellen Barbara Thorburn, of Michigan. Hale Colburn VanKoughnett, of Texas. Wendy Fleming Wheeler, of Washington. William Randall Wisell, of Vermont. Diane Elizabeth Wood, of Washington. united states information agency Angela Delphinita Williams, of California. The following-named Members of the Foreign Service of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce and State to be Consular Officers and/or Secretaries in the Diplomatic Service of the United States of America, as indicated: Consular Officers and Secretaries in the Diplomatic Service of the United States of America: Daniel K. Acton, of Virginia. Mea Arnold, of Virginia. Vaughn Frederick Bishop, of Virginia. John P. Booher, of Virginia Lea Ann Booher, of Virginia. J. Alex Boston, of Maryland. Brett J. Brenneke, of Illinois. John G. Buchanan III, of Virginia. Paul David Burkhead, of North Carolina. Richard K. Choate, of Virginia. Bart D. Cobbs, of Arkansas. Michele Ondako Connell, of Ohio. Carolyn Creatore, of Delaware. Julie Sadtler Davis, of Georgia. Paul Grady Degler, of Texas. Cecelia Darlene Dyson, of Virginia. Craig E. Farmer, of Virginia. Alexander G. Feliu, of Virginia. John H. Fort, of Virginia. Ellen Jacqueline Germain, of New York. Gary J. Glueckert, of Virginia. Jacques LeRoy Gude, of Virginia. Ceresa L. Haney, of Virginia. Todd C. Holmstrom, of Michigan. William M. Howe, of Alaska. Bryan David Hunt, of Virginia. Kim DeCoux Invergo, of Virginia. Henry Victor Jardine, of Virginia. Amer Kayani, of California. Lucille L. Kirk, of the District of Columbia. David Allan Katz, of California. Joseph R. Kuzel, of Virginia. Mitchell G. Larsen, of Illinois. Raymond R. Lau, of Virginia. Mary E. Lenze-Acton, of Virginia. Louis F. Licht III, of Maryland. Sharon E. Little, of Virginia. James L. Loi, of Connecticut. Gwen Lyle, of Texas. Valarie Lynn, of Colorado. Jackson A. MacFarlane, of Virginia. Joseph A. Malpeli, of Virginia. Ileana M. Martinez, of Pennsylvania. Luis E. Matos, of Virginia. Manuel P. Micaller, Jr., of California. Katherine Elizabeth Monahan, of California. Carrie L. Newton, of Virginia. Geoffrey Peter Nyhart, of Florida. John Raymond O'Donnell, of Virginia. Pamela I. Penfold, of Virginia. Daniel W. Peters, of Illinois. Julia M. Rauner-Guerrero, of Virginia. Jacqueline Reid, of Virginia. Harvy Peter Reiner, of California. Miguel Angel Rodriquez, of Maryland. Julio Ryan Royal, of Virginia. Stephen D. Sack, of Virginia. Karen Marie Schaefer, of Virginia. James Steven Schneider, of Virginia. Lori A. Shoemaker, of Tennessee. Zora Valerie Shuck, of Virginia. Michele Marie Siders, of the District of Columbia. Robert J. Swaney, of Virginia. Marilyn J. Taylor, of Texas. W. Garth Thornburn II, of Virginia. Shawn Kristen Thorne, of Texas. Bryn W. Tippman, of California. Michael Carl Trulson, of California. Jane S. Upshaw, of Virginia. Graham Webster, of Florida. Keresa M. Webster, of Virginia. Bruce C. Wilson, of California. Andrea L. Winans, of Virginia. Kevin L. Winstead, of Virginia. David Jonathan Wolff, of Florida. (The above nominations were reported with the recommendation that they be confirmed, subject to the nominees' commitment to respond to requests to appear and testify before any duly constituted committee of the Senate.)

Mr. HELMS

Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, the American Petroleum Institute reports that, for the week ending March 22, the U.S. imported 6,594,000 barrels of oil each day, 347,000 barrels more than the 6,247,000 barrels imported during the same period a year ago. Americans now rely on foreign oil for more than 50 percent of their needs, and there is no sign that this upward trend will abate. Before the Persian Gulf war, the United States obtained about 45 percent of its oil supply from foreign countries. During the Arab oil embargo in the 1970's, foreign oil accounted for only 35 percent of America's oil supply. Anybody else interested in restoring domestic production of oil--by U.S. producers using American workers? Politicians had better ponder the economic calamity that will occur in America if and when foreign producers shut off our supply, or double the already enormous cost of imported oil flowing into the U.S.--now 6,594,000 barrels a day.

Mr. HELMS

Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, at the close of business yesterday, March 26, 1996, the Federal debt stood at $5,066,587,916,694.66. On a per capita basis, every man, woman, and child in America owes $19,154.54 as his or her share of that debt.

Mr. HELMS

Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, as of the close of business yesterday, March 25, 1996, the Federal debt stood--down-to-the-penny--at $5,063,054,197,564.33. On a per capita basis, every man, woman and child in America owes $19,141.70 as his or her share of that debt.

Mr. HELMS

Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, at the close of business Friday, March 22, 1996, the Federal debt stood at $5,062,405,341,134.69. On a per capita basis, every man, woman, and child in America owes $19,139.65 as his or her share of that debt.

Mr. HELMS

Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, 4 years ago when I commenced these daily reports to the Senate it was my purpose to make a matter of daily record the exact Federal debt as of the close of business the previous day. In that first report--February 27, 1992--the Federal debt the previous day stood at $3,825,891,293,066.80, as of the close of business. The point is, the Federal debt has since shot further into the stratosphere. As of yesterday at the close of business, a total of $1,233,906,465,897.14 has been added to the Federal debt since February 26, 1992, meaning that as of the close of business yesterday, Wednesday, March 20, 1996, the exact Federal debt stood at $5,059,797,758,963.94. (On a per capita basis, every man, woman, and child in America owes $19,131.71 as his or her share of the Federal debt.)

Mr. HELMS

Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, the American Petroleum Institute reports that, for the week ending March 15, the U.S. imported 7,145,000 barrels of oil each day, 752,000 barrels more than the 6,393,000 barrels imported during the same period a year ago. Americans now rely on foreign oil for more than 50 percent of their needs, and there are no signs that this upward trend will abate. The increasingly dangerous U.S. dependency on foreign oil must be addressed by those who care about restoring domestic production of oil--by U.S. producers using American workers. The American people should consider the economic calamity that will occur if and when foreign producers shut off our supply, or double the already enormous cost of imported oil flowing into the U.S.--now 7,145,000 barrels a day. We must not delay in seeking to solve this troubling problem.

Mr. HELMS

Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, the Federal Government is running on borrowed time, not to mention borrowed money--more than $5 trillion of it. As of the close of business yesterday, March 19, 1996, the Federal debt stood at $5,058,839,098,883.55. On a per capita basis, every man, woman, and child in America owes $19,128.56 as his or her share of the Federal debt. More than two centuries ago, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. It's time for Congress to adopt a Declaration of Economic Responsibilities along with an amendment requiring the President and Congress to produce a balanced Federal budget--now.

Mr. HELMS

Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, the pending bill, S. 942, the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996, deserves the support of all Senators--and the able chairman of the Small Business Committee, our good friend from Missouri, Mr. Bond, is to be commended for his persistence. This legislation is badly needed. In North Carolina literally hundreds of small businesses are struggling under the heavy regulatory burdens imposed by the Washington bureaucracy. These businesses are seeing their profit margins gobbled up by oppressive Federal regulations. Mr. President, S. 942, will go a long way toward leveling the playing field and giving small businesses some long overdue relief from a portion of existing burdensome regulations. Small businesses now will be better able to challenge burdensome regulations in the courts. Federal agencies hereafter will be required to obtain the views and opinions of small businesses before regulations are drafted, making small businesses players before regulations are drafted and imposed. Mr. President, Mary McCarthy in the October 18, 1958, New Yorker Magazine observed, ``Bureaucracy, the rule of no one, has become the modern form of despotism.'' How true, and I'm hopeful that both the Senate and the House will pass this legislation, and that the President will sign it, because no bureaucracy or bureaucrat should be permitted to be a despot over the people they are supposed to be serving. duties and functions of the ombudsman

Mr. HELMS

Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, the $5 trillion Federal debt stands today as an increasingly grotesque parallel to the energizer bunny on television that keeps moving and moving and moving--precisely in the same manner, and to the same extent, that President Clinton is allowing the Federal debt to keep going up and up into the stratosphere. Politicians like to talk good games--and ``talk'' is the operative word--about cutting the Federal spending and thereby bringing the Federal debt under control. But watch how they vote on the big-spending bills. Mr. President, at the close of business yesterday, March 18, the Federal debt stood at $5,055,609,537,686.31, an average per capita debt of $19,116.82 for every man, woman, and child in America.

Mr. HELMS

Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, the skyrocketing Federal debt recently surpassed $5 trillion. As of the close of business Friday, March 15, the Federal debt--down to the penny--stood at exactly $5,045,003,375,350.97 or $19,077.15 on a per capita basis for every man, woman, and child in America.

Mr. HELMS

Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, at the close of business yesterday, March 14, 1996, the Federal debt stood at $5,035,165,720,616.33. On a per capita basis, every man, woman, and child in America owes $19,111.91 as his or her share of that debt.

Mr. HELMS

Mr. HELMS. Madam President, thank you very much.