SENATE-Tuesday, June 18, 1985
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16004 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-SENATE June 18, 1985 SENATE-Tuesday, June 18, 1985 <Legislative day of Monday, June 3, 1985) The Senate met at 11 a.m., on the PROXMIRE] for not to exceed 15 min remedy the most glaring of the White expiration of the recess, and was utes. House-Republican leadership budget's called to order by the President pro There will be a period for the trans deficiencies. tempore [Mr. THURMOND]. action of routine morning business not I offered the amendment on behalf The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Our to extend beyond the hour of 12 noon of myself, Mr. CRANSTON, Mr. INOUYE, prayer this morning will be offered by with statements therein limited to 5 and Mr. MATSUNAGA. The amendment the Reverend Dr. Edward L.R. Elson, minutes each. offered the Senate a chance to first, the former Chaplain of the Senate. The Senate, as usual, today will reduce the deficit more than the final We are happy to have him with us. stand in recess between the hours of Republican budget; second, save the 12 noon and 2 p.m. for the party PRAYER cost-of-living adjustment for Social Se luncheons. curity and all other retirement and The Reverend Edward L.R. Elson, At 2 o'clock, the Senate will have 10 veterans programs; third, ensure that S.T.D., former Chaplain, U.S. Senate, minutes of debate to be equally divid profitable corporations pay their fair offered the following prayer: ed on amendment No. 348, the Bradley share of income taxes; and fourth, cut God of our fathers and our God, amendment, to S. 979, the Energy less deeply into a number of Federal who has watched over this Nation Policy and Conservation Act, which programs critical to assuring fairness from generation to generation, look will be immediately followed by a vote. and equity for all Americans, to en upon us in this painful hour of histo A rollcall vote is expected on final pas hancing our competitiveness with ry, and breathe upon our inmost being sage of S. 979. other industrialized nations, and to the reality of Thy guiding presence. Following the disposition of S. 979, it making essential investments neces Put moral muscle in the fiber of our is the intention of the majority leader sary to continued progress in the common life and arm us with the to begin consideration of S. 408, the future. sinews of the spirit. Endow us with a Small Business Act, or S. 1103, dealing deeper compassion, sympathy and ten The Byrd-Cranston-Inouye-Matsu with NOAA. naga proposal would have reduced the derness. Release the captives. Heal the It is also a possibility that the sick, comfort the sorrowing and give deficit in fiscal year 1986 half-a-billion Senate will begin consideration of Cal dollars more than the White House courage to those in danger. endar No. 3, S. 49, the gun bill. Guide by Thy higher wisdom the Republican budget reduces it. Over Mr. President, I will reserve the re the 3-year period 1986 through 1988, President and all who serve in this mainder of my time. Government that peace and justice the Democratic leadership proposal Mr. President, I yield to my good would have reduced the deficit 7112 bil may everywhere prevail. Now send us friend, the Democratic leader. to our work, strong in spirit, alert in lion more-and would have provided a mind, warm in heart to do the right lower deficit in each of the 3 years. that needs assistance, against the RECOGNITION OF THE By the end of fiscal year 1988, the wrong that needs resistance, to the MINORITY LEADER budget as modified by the Byrd future in the distance when the little The PRESIDING OFFICER <Mr. amendment would have yielded a defi kingdoms of this world are consum McCONNELL). The minority leader is cit of $99.6 billion for that year while mated in the kingdom whose builder recognized. the budget passed by Senate Republi and maker is God. cans left a deficit of over $104 billion Hear all our prayers uttered or un in that same year. And, yet, the Byrd expressed and keep us by Thy grace. A COMPARISON OF THE SENATE budget would have been fairer and In Thy holy name we pray. Amen. PASSED BUDGET TO THE much more nearly sufficient to meet BYRD CRANSTON-INOUYE-MAT America's needs. RECOGNITION OF THE ACTING SUNAGA BUDGET AMENDMENT I believe that the single most impor MAJORITY LEADER Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, recently tant difference between the Byrd-De The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The the Senate passed the first concurrent mocatic leadership budget and the distinguished acting majority leader is budget resolution. White House-Republican leadership recognized. At the time, I described some of the budget as passed is that the Byrd pro Mr. RUDMAN. I thank the Chair. inadequacies in that budget and the posal provided full cost-of-living ad detrimental effects I believe will result justments for Social Security-and all should it become the budget of the other retirement, veterans, and dis SCHEDULE U.S. Government for 1986 and beyond. ability programs including the Black Mr. RUDMAN. Mr. President, the One of the most disappointing facts Lung Program-while the Republican majority leader is unavoidably de about the acceptance of this budget budget eliminates those COLA's for a tained in a meeting this morning. The was the fact that the Senate had been full 1-year period. two leaders under the standing order offered-but had rejected by near The Byrd amendment also called on have their usual 10 minutes each, and party-line votes-several important the Finance Committee to obtain ap I understand that the Senator from budget amendments that would have proximately $61 billion in deficit re South Carolina [Mr. THURMOND] resulted in considerable improvement duction from additional revenues. would like 5 minutes of leadership to the White House-Republican lead Even though budget resolutions time, and the Senator from Mississippi ership budget. The day before-on cannot instruct the committee precise [Mr. COCHRAN] would like 2 minutes of May 8-I offered such an amendment. ly how to do that, I made clear that, leadership time. That will follow the It was an amendment that had been first, I would object strongly to any in Democratic leader. carefully crafted in consultRtion with creases in personal income taxes; and, There is a special order in favor of all Members of the Senate Democratic second, I favored gaining the bulk of the Senator from Wisconsin, [Mr. Conference, and one that sought to this additional revenue by closing cor- e This "bullet" symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by the Member on the floor. June 18, 1985 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-SENATE 16005 porate tax loopholes through estab a substantial payment every time they The plant is Bamberg's largest employer, lishment of a 20-percent corporate receive a home health visit. said the mill's comptroller, D.R. Damon. He minimum tax and freezing the value Our Democratic leadership budget said 175 workers were laid off Thursday and another 125 will go within a month. of corporate tax deductions, credits, proposal also cut foreign aid spending The mill's president, Richard Allen of and exemptions. by $1.9 billion over 3 years-while pro Bamberg, could not be reached for comment The corporate minimum tax pro tecting aid to Israel, Egypt, Greece, Friday night. posed in the Byrd budget package and Turkey. Leaderman said the plant's closing would would apply only to profitable firms For defense spending, the Byrd come "pretty quick." now paying little or nothing in income amendment provided for a 1-percent "All we're doing is running out the goods taxes, and so would not increase the increase above inflation in fiscal year on the looms now, and that won't take burden for struggling or marginal 1986 and 3 percent beyond inflation in long," he said. Damon said there was virtually no chance firms. Scores of profitable corpora each of both 1987 and 1988. The final the plant would ever reopen, but the build tions pay little or nothing in income Republican budget provides only an ing and property would be made available to taxes at the same time that average inflation adjustment in 1986 and the other industries. Americans are being asked to make same 3 percent real growth in each of He said there was little chance the laid-off substantial sacrifices in the name of the subsequent 2 years. employees could be transferred to other di deficit reduction. This isn't fair, and I believe that the amendment I of visions of Rockland. the amendment I offered was designed fered would have provided for a fairer The company's other businesses in Bam to remedy this unfairness. and more workable spending plan for berg-an industrial park and a finishing plant-will remain open Leaderman said. I also indicated that some of the rev this Nation for the coming years. It Rockland operated the Bamberg mill for enues called for in the Byrd-Cranston also would have given our Nation a the past 17 years, and the mill previously Inouye-Matsunaga amendment could much greater likelihood of enhancing had operated under various owners for at be achieved by extending the Federal our competitiveness with other indus least 50 years, Leaderman said. tax on cigarettes now scheduled to trialized countries, and would have This article, illustrates what seems expire at the end of this year, and by made important investments in Ameri to be an almost daily occurrence investing in strengthened tax compli ca's future-shortchanged in the Re through the United States.