SENATE-Friday, March 5, 1993

March 5, 1993 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-SENATE 4293 SENATE-Friday, March 5, 1993 (Legislative day of Wednesday, March 3, 1993) The Senate met at 8:45 a.m., on the will now be a period for the transaction be those who seem to believe that the expiration of the recess, and was called of morning business, not to extend be defense budget can bear all of the budg to order by the Honorable J. JAMES yond the hour of 9:20 a.m. with Sen et cuts, and that we can get the deficit EXON , a Senator from the State of ators permitted to speak therein for under control if only we would cut the Nebraska. not to exceed 5 minutes. cold war defense budget. The Chair is pleased to recognize the I am astounded when I hear people PRAYER Senator from Georgia [Mr. NUNN] to talk as if the defense budget has not The Chaplain, the Reverend Richard speak for up to 30 minutes. been cut, because they obviously do C. Halverson, D.D., offered the follow The Senator from Georgia. not know the facts. The Defense De ing prayer: partment is in the midst of a massive Let us pray: build down. The defense budget has Gracious Father in Heaven, this THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION DEFENSE BUDGET been cut steadily since 1985. Back in morning we pray for our families. The the summer of 1990, as the Warsaw psalmist writes, "God setteth the soli Mr. NUNN. Mr. President, I thank Pact was collapsing, Congress and the tary in families * * *." (Psalm 68:6) In the Chair. I am particularly pleased Bush administration entered into a every culture, the family is the basic this morning that the Chair is occupied long series of discussions on future lev unit of the social order. As goes the by the Senator from Nebraska who is a els of defense spending. The defense family, so goes society. In this day of key member of the Senate Armed Serv budget was cut sharply at that time, the dysfunctional family, infuse leader ices Committee and a key member of and since then, it has been cut even ship with a strong sense of obligation the Senate Budget Committee, because more during the Bush administration. to their families. the subject I will address this morning, Mr. President, I ask unanimous con So often, Lord, the family is hostage Mr. President, relates to the defense sent to have printed in the RECORD at to the Senate schedule. Spouses and budget and its overall role in deficit re this point a chart showing the 5-year children far too often suffer the ab duction. sence of the one in leadership. The des reductions from the defense budget Mr. President, I have tremendous re since the budget summit agreement in tiny of children is determined by the gard for the C-SPAN audience, having family, and this is preeminently true 1990. communicated with many of them over There being no objection, the mate when outside interests take priority to a period of time and, with that high re family concerns. Grant, dear Father, rial was ordered to be printed in the gard, I want to start off this morning RECORD, as follows: that the Senators will find time for by issuing what I would call a parental family this weekend. May it be a time guide bulletin. This speech is going to FISCAL YEAR 1993-97 5-YR DEFENSE SPENDING for healing and reconciliation. be dry, horing, and uninteresting. It is REDUCTIONS FROM BUDGET SUMMIT BASELINE We pray in His name who is Incar going to be important, very important, [Budget authority in billions of dollars] nate Love. Amen. but it is going to be boring. 5-yr fiscal So to all those who may be listening, year 1993-97 APPOINTMENT OF ACTING it may be time to switch your dial to Total reduction from PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE " Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood" or some baseline The PRESIDING OFFICER. The other program. But this is an impor Pre-budget summ it ba seline (last cold war base- tant subject. It -is enormously impor line) Ju ly, 1990 ............ .............. ..................... $1 ,810 ........ ...:::'325 clerk will please read a communication Budget summit agreement .. .. .... ....................... 1.485 to the Senate from the President pro tant, and I think it has to be addressed. Bush budget proposals .. ... 1.425 -386 Mr. President, 2 weeks ago President Clinton 1994 budget proposal . .... .. .................... 1.301 -509 tempore [Mr. BYRD]. Clinton delivered his economic address The assistant legislative clerk read Mr. NUNN. Mr. President, for the 5- the following letter: to a joint session of the Congress and to the American public. I have com year period fiscal year 1993 through fis U.S. SENATE, cal year 1997, the defense budget was PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, mended the President for his courage Washington, DC, March 5, 1993. in sending us a budget that, for the being cut by $386 billion by the Bush To the Senate: first time in years, honestly faces up to administration. President Clinton's Under the provisions of rule I, section 3, of the threat we face in this country with budget proposals would cut it an addi the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby the massive budget deficits that lie be tional $123 billion. We need to have this appoint the Honorable J. JAMES EXON, a Sen fore us. I believe Americans share the in mind as the starting point and the ator from the State of Nebraska, to perform President's conviction that a fair shar context for our analysis. The defense the duties of the Chair. ing of sacrifice is an acceptable price budget is being cut sharply. Those who ROBERT C. BYRD, claim that Defense has not been sub President pro tempore. to pay to bring these deficits under control. President Clinton is willing to stantially reduced since the end of the Mr. EXON thereupon assumed the cold war are flat out wrong. chair as Acting President pro tempore. be candid with the American people, and we all have to play a responsible DEFENSE IS ONLY PART OF BUDGET CARRYING role in developing a comprehensive so ITS FAIR SHARE OF BUDGET SUMMIT CUTS RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME lution to our collective budgetary Mr. President, I believe that defense The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem problems. must contribute its fair share to deficit pore. Under the previous order, the NATIONAL DEFENSE PORTION OF THE BUDGET reduction, consistent with the threats leadership time is reserved. REQUEST that we now face in the world. No The defense budget, based on changes doubt these threats are diminished. in the world, has been and will con But for the last several years, defense MORNING BUSINESS tinue to play a big role in deficit reduc has been the only part of the budget The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem tion, at least for the next several where we have achieved any significant pore. Under the previous order, there years. Unfortunately, there continue to deficit reduction. e This "bullet" symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. 4294 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-SENATE March 5, 1993 The budget summit agreement in 1990 overall reduction of $122.6 billion. I am cut out a total of $7.4 billion below the was supposed to produce $500 billion in going to take a few minutes this morn Bush baseline for fiscal year 1993. We deficit reductions by 1995. But the re- ing to discuss each of them. thought last year that this $7.4 billion cession was deeper and held on much PRESIDENT CLINTON's PLAN cut was to be part of the $60 billion re longer than we thought. We not only The first and largest reduction is the duction proposed for the 5-year period. failed to reduce the deficit by $500 bil- President's plan to cut out $60 billion As a matter of fact, some of us strug lion, but the deficit is expected to actu- as outlined in the Presidential cam gled hard to make that cut, because we ally increase by $500 billion during this paign last year. Again, I remind every thought that would contribute to the period. Most of that is attributable to one that this $60 billion cut is in addi $60 billion cut that Governor Clinton the recession. tion to the $50 billion President Bush proposed during the campaign. Despite this, the defense budget was proposed to eliminate. All this is cu The administration is not counting cut just as planned at the summit. All mulative. What is the impact of an ad this fiscal year 1993 reduction of $7.4 the defense cuts were made as planned, ditional $60 billion cut from a $1.4 tril billion against the $60 billion campaign but the rest of the savings have not lion 5-year plan? pledge, so this brings the cuts from $60 materialized. As was the case with previous admin- to $67 billion. The discretionary part of the budg- istrations at this stage of the process, DOD SHARE OF THE GOVERNMENTWIDE PAY et-because it includes both defense we do not know now which programs FREEZE and nondefense spending-has delivered are being cut to achieve this $60 billion Mr. President, the third item in the its fair share of the savings. None of cut. All we have is a total funding list of cuts is the DOD share of the gov the other categories of the budget sum- number. The President had proposed ernmentwide pay freeze recommended mit-entitlements, interest payments earlier to eliminate 200,000 military by the President in his speech last or revenues, all of which were affected personnel in addition to the Bush re week.

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