Congressional Record United States Th of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 107 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 107 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 147 WASHINGTON, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2001 No. 24 Senate The Senate met at 10 a.m. and was appoint the Honorable GEORGE ALLEN, a Sen- THE BUDGET called to order by the Honorable ator from the State of Virginia, to perform the duties of the Chair. Mr. THOMAS. Mr. President, one of GEORGE ALLEN, a Senator from the the most important things we do in the State of Virginia. STROM THURMOND, President pro tempore. Senate throughout the year is to put together a budget. The budget, of PRAYER Mr. ALLEN thereupon assumed the chair as Acting President pro tempore. course, on its face, is how we spend the The Chaplain, Dr. Lloyd John money. However, it is much more than f Ogilvie, offered the following prayer: that. It sets the priorities of the Sen- Trust in the Lord with all your heart, RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME ate and the Congress and the Govern- and lean not on your own understanding; The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- ment, what the Government will do in all your ways acknowledge Him, and pore. Under the previous order, the throughout the year, by adjudicating He will direct your paths.—Proverbs leadership time is reserved. and allocating these expenditures to 3:5,6. f certain areas. Gracious God, we put our trust in In addition, of course, it has to do You. We resist the human tendency to MORNING BUSINESS with the broader issue of what size lean on our own understanding; we ac- The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- Government we have, what is the role knowledge our need for Your wisdom in pore. Under the previous order, there of the Government, and what is the our search for solutions all of us can will now be a period for the transaction role of the Federal Government vis-a- support. As an intentional act of will, of morning business, with Senators vis other governments. So it is one of we commit to You everything we permitted to speak up to 10 minutes the most important documents and one think, say, and do today. Direct our each. Under the previous order, the of the most important activities we en- paths as we give precedence to patriot- time until 11 a.m. shall be under the gage in during the entire year. ism over party and loyalty to You over control of the Senator from Wyoming, The President this evening will lay anything or anyone else. We need You, Mr. THOMAS, or his designee. forth his priorities for budgeting, Father. Strengthen each one of us and f which, of course, will be very impor- strengthen our oneness. In the name of tant. He will set out the expenditure our Lord. Amen. RECOGNITION OF THE ACTING level for this country. These things all MAJORITY LEADER f become very important. We are going The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- to hear more about it today. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE pore. The acting majority leader, the I yield the floor. The Honorable GEORGE ALLEN led the Senator from Wyoming, is recognized. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: f pore. The Senator from Utah, Mr. BEN- NETT. I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the SCHEDULE United States of America, and to the Repub- f Mr. THOMAS. Mr. President, on be- lic for which it stands, one nation under God, THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. half of the leader, the Senate will be in a period of morning business through- Mr. BENNETT. Mr. President, to- f out the day. At 12:30, the Senate will night we will hear from President Bush APPOINTMENT OF ACTING recess for weekly party conferences to as he presents the budget. I remember PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE meet. When the Senate reconvenes at when I first came to this town as a The PRESIDING OFFICER. The 2:15, there will be an additional period very young man back in the 1960s, one clerk will please read a communication of morning business to allow Senators of my wise mentors commented that to the Senate from the President pro to introduce legislation and to make every President enjoys a honeymoon, statements. and it lasts until he offers his first tempore (Mr. THURMOND). By previous consent, when the Sen- The legislative clerk read the fol- budget. Once we get down to the ate completes its business this after- lowing letter: money, the platitudes stop; that is noon, it will recess until 8:30 tonight. when the honeymoon ends. U.S. SENATE, Senators are reminded to be in the I suppose tonight we will see the end PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, Washington, DC, February 27, 2001. Senate Chamber by 8:30 to proceed as a of whatever honeymoon President Bush To the Senate: body at 8:40 this evening to the Hall of is experiencing as people begin to dis- Under the provisions of rule I, paragraph 3, the House of Representatives for the agree with his priorities with respect of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby President’s address. to the money. That is as it should be. ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S1593 . VerDate Mar 15 2010 03:56 Dec 20, 2013 Jkt 081600 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 J:\ODA425\1997-2008-FILES-4-SS-PROJECT\2001-SENATE-REC-FILES\RECFILES-NEW\S mmaher on DSKCGSP4G1 with SOCIALSECURITY S1594 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE February 27, 2001 We should get away from the general- over the next 10 years, and we are set- taken on the basis of what things ities and, frankly, the hyperbole of the ting down some priorities as to how we seemed to be rather than on the basis political campaign and down to the re- will respond if, indeed, those projec- of what things were. alities of governing as quickly as pos- tions come to pass. I make here a very All right, having said that, let me sible. bold prediction: The projections we comment on what I see in President I can’t help but think back over my have before us for the next 10 years will George W. Bush’s budget. He is setting first experience as a Member of this not be accurate. out his priorities. I think that is what body some 8 years ago when President That is a very far limb I am going we should focus on: What are the prior- Clinton presented his first budget. I out on, I realize, but I feel confident ities that this President hopes this was a brand-new Member of the minor- with that. I will be even more specific: Congress will adopt as we look to the ity. I had gone through the campaign They will either be too good or too bad. future. with President Clinton. He and I had We have never had the experience of My own guess of the future surplus is both campaigned on the same thing: any Federal agency making projections that it is going to be better, in terms of Change. He, of course, wanted to over the coming years with anything Federal income, than $5.6 trillion. I change the Presidency; I wanted to like the pinpoint accuracy we presume think the $5.6 trillion number which change the Congress. He succeeded; I when we debate budgets around here. has been adopted as the best summary didn’t. But I at least got elected back We stand here and we say this is so of the various estimates is probably into a Congress where the Republicans many billion too high for this and so low. If I were the CEO of a business were very much in the minority. many billion too low, and so on. Then looking at this kind of forecast, I In his campaign, President Clinton reality comes in, and we are always would say let’s get fairly aggressive at promised a middle-class tax cut. But stunned that it is different from our trying to grow the business, let’s get when he stood before America on that projections. fairly aggressive at taking those steps first occasion and presented his first When I first came here 8 years ago that will prepare us for the prosperity budget, he said things were so much and debated President Clinton’s first that we think lies ahead. different once he had gotten into the projections, we were being told with I think there are those who say: No, Presidency than he had thought they absolute certainty that we were facing no, the $5.6 trillion number is too high; were when he was running for the Pres- budget deficits as far as the eye could let us get very conservative; let us get idency he had to not only rescind his see and we had to have this tax in- very restrictive with what we do with call for a tax cut but ask for a tax in- crease to deal with these overwhelming the money in this budget. My own gut crease. deficits. Now we are being told we are tells me that is the way to make sure One of the things I am looking for- facing budget surpluses that will go on we do not hit the $5.6 trillion, that we ward to tonight is that President as far as the eye can see into the tril- constrict the growth, and we see to it George W.