E1182 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks June 30, 2000 The Members of the IWG are Chairman Mi- provide from its own budget nearly $1 million istration have resulted in America's health chael J. Kurtz of the National Archives and in staff and other support services by the end care providers undergoing great fiscal adversi- Records Administration (NARA), Thomas H. of FY 2000. This support falls far short of what ties. BBA-compelled reductions to the Medi- Baer of Steinhardt Baer Pictures Company, is required to satisfy the requirements of the care program have resulted in cost reductions Richard Ben-Veniste of Weil. Gotshal & Act. far greater than anticipated. Mr. Speaker, Manges, John E. Collingwood of the FBI, In addition, the Nazi War Crimes Disclosure since the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, which former Congresswoman Elizabeth Holtzmann, Act imposes a ``Sunset Provision'' of 3 years I supported, cuts in payment rates to Medicare Kenneth J. Levit of the CIA, Harold J. after enactment of the bill (Sec. 2(b)(1) ). Mr. health care providers have been far more sig- Kwalwasser of the Office of the Secretary of Chairman, I believe that the monumental task nificant and onerous than anticipated. As a re- Defense (OSD), William H. Leary of the Na- we as Members of Congress have given to sult, many health care plans have withdrawn tional Security Council staff, David Marwell of the IWG cannot be fully completed in this or are being forced to withdraw from the Medi- the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Eli M. time. Additional time certainly will be required. care+Choice program because of inadequate Rosenbaum of the Office of Special Investiga- Mr. Speaker, let us never forget why these reimbursement rates, particularly in rural tions at the Department of Justice, and William very able people work extremely hard to bring areas. Z. Slany of the Department of State. In addi- justice to victims and survivors of the Holo- Since passage of the BBA in 1997, Medi- tion, a Historical Advisory Panel composed of caust. It is simply unconscionable that war care spending is projected to have been re- seven outstanding historians supports the IWG criminals can escape justiceÐmany times by duced by more than $226 billionÐnearly $123 in their endeavors. Two historians, in particular hiding in the U.S. It is essential that we work billion more than Congress intended with the have played a critical role in the work of the so that family members of the victims of Hit- passage of the BBA. To alleviate some of IWGÐDr. Richard Breitman and Dr. Timothy ler's tyranny can know the fate of their loved these reductions, Congress passed, with my Naftali. ones, and that assets illegally seized from the support, the Balanced Budget Refinement Act Mr. Speaker, this has been a mammoth un- victims not remain forever hidden. of 1999 (BBRA). Nevertheless, according to dertaking. In its interim report on the imple- Mr. Speaker, as this review clearly dem- the Congressional Budget Office's (CBO) pro- mentation of the Nazi War Crimes Disclosure onstrates, we have made incredible progress jections, reductions to the Medicare program ActÐa report which is mandated in Sec. 2 in opening up United States archives to are more than four times the $15 billion Con- (c)(3) of the Act the IWG reported that all records relating to the war crimes and the gress added as part of the BBRA. agencies completed a preliminary survey of crimes against humanity that were perpetrated For years, I have been saying we can and their records which could potentially be cov- by the government of Nazi Germany. must do more to address this healthcare prob- ered by the Act's requirement for declassifica- The Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act (Sec. lem. Today, with the CBO estimating that the tion review. In the first year of its operations, 2(c)(1) ) defines Nazi war criminal records as non-Social Security surplus to the federal the IWG has screened over 600 million pages those pertaining to persons who have com- budget will exceed $40 billion, the Congress of material to identify potentially applicable mitted their crimes under the direction of, or in has no excuse but to address this healthcare files, principally at the CIA, Department of De- association with the Nazi government of Ger- problem. fense, FBI, and archival records in the Na- many, any government in occupied territories This measure expresses the ``sense of Con- tional Archives. During this initial screening, established by military forces, any collaborator gress'' that the House of Representatives that, some 50 million pages of material meeting the government, or any government which was an upon receipt of midyear Congressional Budget criteria of the legislation has been identified ally for the German Nazi government. This Office (CBO) re-estimates of the non-Social and is being further screened to determine if broad definition clearly includesÐand the Con- Security surplus, should promptly assess the declassification is covered by terms of the gress intended that it includeÐ records relat- budgetary implications of such re-estimates Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act. ing to the Imperial Japanese government and and provide for appropriate adjustments to the This process is massive and tedious. An atrocities that were committed under its re- Medicare program during this legislative ses- enormous amount of material needs to be cat- sponsibility throughout Asia. sion. egorized, catalogued, and systematically I welcome and fully support the decision of I would note that just last week, President searched. In the all too frequent absence of the IWG to move now to wartime records re- Clinton proposed $21 billion over five years an existing catalogue system responsive to lating to Imperial Japan in an effort to bring to and $40 billion over ten years in restorations the special focus outlined in the Nazi War light the war crimes that were committed by for these providers. Regrettably, the flawed Crimes Disclosure Act, a line-by-line review of units of the Imperial Japanese military forces Republican prescription drug bill that passed many, many documents has often been re- during World War II. The task of dealing with the yesterday failed to include restoration of quired. the Japanese records are more difficult. This these BBA cuts, as the President has ad- Mr. Speaker, additional problems have oc- requires the assembly of a whole new team of vanced. curred when documents are found which were scholars and historians, and different language The Democratic Medicare prescription drug given to the United States by allied foreign in- capability is required for these documents than plan, that the Republicans were scared to telligence services with the understanding that is required for the Nazi German records. allow this body to vote on yesterday, included the United States would not publicly disclose Mr. Speaker, I commend the members of these payment restorations. This resolution is them. Special permission to make such docu- the IWG for their remarkable efforts. I also a belated recognition by the Republican lead- ments public in many cases has required commend Chairman HORN for holding the ership that the improved budget outlook with careful negotiation. hearings to review the implementation of the larger projected surpluses not only makes Despite these problems, in its short life Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act. The task these payment adjustments possible, but span, the IWG has released 400,000 pages of which is established in the legislation is an im- makes them essential. documents which are now available to the portant one as we work to bring a conclusion Mr. Speaker, in light of economic perform- public at the National Archives and Records to this chapter in our history. ance that far surpasses any expectations, I Administration. In addition, the IWG has pub- f ask my colleagues in the House to join me in lished ``finding aids'' to the records on Nazi further relieving some of the unanticipated ef- war crimes and Holocaust-era assets which SENSE OF THE HOUSE CON- fects of the BBA 1997 and join me in sup- are housed at the National Archives in College CERNING USE OF ADDITIONAL porting H. Res. 535. Park in order to make the released documents PROJECTED SURPLUS FUNDS TO f more easily accessible and useable to the SUPPLEMENT MEDICARE FUND- general public. ING INTRODUCTION OF THE NATIONAL Mr. Speaker, while the Nazi War Crimes FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM Disclosure Act authorizes the funds necessary SPEECH OF FAIRNESS ACT OF 2000 to conduct all this work (Sec. 2(b)(d) ), the HON. KEN BENTSEN IWG did not receive any appropriations for its OF TEXAS HON. FORTNEY PETE STARK heroic effort. The Office of Special Investiga- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF CALIFORNIA tions (OSI) of the Department of Justice made IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES available $400,000 for IWG support from an Wednesday, June 28, 2000 appropriation related to the Act. The National Mr. BENTSEN. Mr. Speaker, the Balanced Thursday, June 29, 2000 Archives, which is charged by the President Budget Act of 1997 (BBA) and programmatic Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, today I am intro- with the administrative support of the IWG, will changes by the Health Care Financing Admin- ducing the National Flood Insurance Program
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