E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 104 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 141 WASHINGTON, TUESDAY, JUNE 27, 1995 No. 106 House of Representatives The House met at 10:30 a.m. and was Nevertheless, I have noticed a great does that 20-percent cut mean? First of called to order by the Speaker pro tem- deal of media discussion again compar- all, is it a 20-percent real cut? Did the pore [Mr. EMERSON]. ing the President's new budget that he President mean that Federal agencies f talked about in his televised presen- will have 20 percent less budget or did tation to the Nation a couple of weeks he mean it will be a Washington cut, DESIGNATION OF SPEAKER PRO ago with the proposed united congres- there will be a 20 percent decrease in TEMPORE sional budget, and by united congres- the amount of new spending? I think The SPEAKER pro tempore laid be- sional budget, I mean the House-Senate that is a reasonable question, but there fore the House the following commu- conference report which is coming to is no answer to it. nication from the Speaker: us. Further, does that mean a 20-percent WASHINGTON, DC, Now, I have to say with the utmost cut across the board? That means, how- June 27, 1995. respect: ``What new budget from the ever you define a cut, will every single I hereby designate the Honorable BILL EM- President of the United States?'' agency except for the military and ex- ERSON to act as Speaker pro tempore on this Now, Mr. Speaker and colleagues, cept for the agency, have a 20 percent day. this is a budget. In fact, this is the reduced budget, or does it mean an av- NEWT GINGRICH, President's budget submitted to the erage 20 percent reduction so that some Speaker of the House of Representatives. Congress in February of this year, agencies and some programs will, say, f which, as you can see by its size, goes remain the same and other agencies through each agency and each program MORNING BUSINESS and programs will be reduced by 40 per- and point by point proposes spending in cent? We do not know any of that ei- The SPEAKER. Pursuant to the the next fiscal year and beyond. There ther. order of the House of May 12, 1995, the is no such document from the White So, to give some specific examples, Chair will now recognize Members from House, at least as of this time, which we do not know what the congressional lists submitted by the majority and gives comparable point-by-point pro- proposal is being compared to. Let me minority leaders for morning hour de- posals for spending. give three examples very briefly. First bates. The Chair will alternate recogni- There is, if one contacts the White of all, to start with, my home State of tion between the parties, with each House, available some talking points New Mexico, there has been a great party limited to not to exceed 30 min- about the President's new budget deal of discussion about how the future utes, and each Member except the ma- goals. But talking points are not by funding of the Federal Government will jority and minority leaders limited to themselves a budget. A budget is pro- affect the two national laboratories in not to exceed 5 minutes. gram-by-program recommendations on New Mexico and there has been a good The Chair recognizes the gentleman spending. deal of debate about what the congres- from New Mexico [Mr. SCHIFF] for 5 The fact of the matter is in most re- sional figures will mean in various pro- minutes. spects we do not know what is in the grams. I want to say that all of this is f President's new budget and, therefore, fair commentary, that the national when the media compares the Presi- laboratories, I think, are important WHAT NEW BUDGET FROM THE dent's budget with the congressional programs, but they understand, as ev- PRESIDENT? budget, they are comparing our real eryone understands, that they will be Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, as our col- budget with the President's talking affected as all Federal programs will, leagues are aware, the House and Sen- points, and, as such, there cannot be a in the goal to reach the balanced budg- ate budget committees reached a reso- point-by-point comparison. et. But the evaluation of how they are lution of the differences between the We do not know how the President's being treated by Congress cannot be House budget resolution and the budg- new budget will affect so many pro- made in a vacuum. et resolution of the other body, and we grams that are federally funded. We How will all the national laboratories may get their conference report on the have a brief reference in the Presi- fare in the President's new budget if future budget as soon as this week, and dent's televised address to the Nation the President's new budget is adopted I want to say that they have had to referring to a 20-percent cut in funding as the spending blueprint for the Con- make a number of hard choices, just as for discretionary programs except for gress? Well, we just do not know be- each body, the House and the other the military and except for education, cause we have not seen those figures. body, had to make hard choices within and the President stated he wanted to Nobody thus far can answer that ques- their own budget resolutions. boost spending on education. But what tion. b This symbol represents the time of day during the House proceedings, e.g., b 1407 is 2:07 p.m. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. H 6313 H 6314 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD Ð HOUSE June 27, 1995 Just this morning, just to show this Let me just share a couple of num- the same way that we use language in applies anywhere, as I was leaving my bers with you that may be helpful. the rest of the country, the public is apartment to come here, I saw one of Total spending for 1995 was $1.531 tril- going to continue to be confused about the national morning news programs. lion; that is, $1.531 trillion. The pro- this. They were centered around the na- jected spending for the year 2000, under Let us look at Medicare as an exam- tional park system, and one of the the Republican conference bill that was ple, because this is where you will hear comments I heard is they said we will just approved by the conference com- the greatest exploitation of these pro- be talking about how proposed congres- mittee, will be $1.778 trillion, that is, jected increases in terms of political sional cuts will affect the National $1.778 trillion. Let us go over those exploitation, and these numbers will be Park Service. again: used to inject fear into the debate, to I just wanted to say, to be a full play- In 1995, $1,531,000,000,000, in 2000, scare senior citizens and, frankly, to er, Mr. Speaker, the President has to $1,778,000,000,000: More than $350 billion confuse for political gain. The reality provide a full proposed budget. more will be spent in the year 2000 by is that in 1995 we are spending $178 bil- f the Federal Government under the Re- lion on Medicare. In the year 2000, publican plan that gets us to a bal- under the Republican budget plan, if COMPACT-IMPACT AID anced budget than was spent or is that is what is finally approved and The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under being spent right now in the fiscal year passed by both the Senate and the the Speaker's announced policy of May 1995. House and then signed into law this 12, 1995, the gentleman from Guam [Mr. Now, let me put that in the context coming August or September by the UNDERWOOD] is recognized during of something that the President said President of the United States, we will morning business for 5 minutes. on the CBS This Morning program spend $214 billion, $178 billion in Medi- Mr. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I about 2 years ago, May 27, 1993. He was care in 1995, $214 billion on Medicare in rise today to again call attention to being interviewed by Paula Zahn, and the year 2000. the problem of unrestricted immigra- he said in response to a question about Does that or does that not sound like tion to Guam allowed by the compact the budget he said, ``We have about an increase? Clearly, it is an increase, of free association and the failure of $100 billion in cuts, but they are still and yet you will hear it described as a the Federal Government to fulfill its going up very rapidly.'' I will say that cut. promises to Guam to reimburse our again: ``We have about $100 billion in f local government for the cost of edu- cuts in various entitlement programs, cational and social services that this but they are still going up very rap- ELECTIONS IN HAITI immigration policy causes. idly.'' Mr. SPEAKER pro tempore. Under This legal immigration allows the Now, what does that mean? Think the Speaker's announced policy of May citizens of the three nations of the about those words.