January 30, 1975
Page 1917
SENATE RESOLUTION 45 – SUBMISSION OF A RESOLUTION RELATIVE TO THE REFERRAL OF MESSAGES CONCERNING THE BUDGET
Mr. McCLELLAN. Mr. President, on behalf of myself, Senator MUSKIE, Senator YOUNG, and Senator BELLMON, I send to the desk a resolution for appropriate reference.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The resolution will be received and appropriately referred.
ORDER GOVERNING REFERRAL OF MATTERS DEALING WITH RESCISSIONS AND DEFERRALS
Mr. McCLELLAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that all matters now being held at the desk dealing with the rescissions and deferrals be referred jointly to the Committee on Appropriations, the Committee on the Budget, and any other committee which may have legislative jurisdiction over programs dealt with in the matters so referred.
I also ask unanimous consent that future matters dealing with these subjects be dealt with in the manner, including the time sequences, specified in Senate Resolution 45, which I have submitted this day, which has been referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. McCLELLAN. Mr. President, I wish to make this explanation: For a period of time, deferral and rescission messages have been held at the desk and not referred to any committee because of question of appropriate jurisdiction. This matter has been worked out to the satisfaction of the Democrats in caucus where the issue was discussed and where, afterward, Senator MUSKIE, as chairman of the Budget Committee, and I, as chairman of the Appropriations Committee worked out a solution, as reflected by the resolution which has been submitted, This resolution, this disposition of the matter, has the unanimous approval of the Democratic Caucus.
The purpose of this resolution is to seek a Senate rule to establish this agreement as a Senate rule. In my judgment, this is an adequate, a proper, and an equitable solution that shows due deference to all committees of the Senate having any interest in the subject matter, and is one which will permit, if this rule is adopted, expeditious and efficient and effective handling of these deferral and rescission problems.
I hope, therefore, that the Committee on Rules and Administration will expedite the processing of this resolution and report it to the Senate at as early a date as it conveniently can.
I yield to the distinguished Senator from Maine.
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, first, I express my concurrence in the description by Senator McCLELLAN of the agreement which was worked out today. I think it is fair and equitable and illuminates, in perhaps a useful way, the relationship between the Budget Committee and the other committees of the Senate, in a way that I hope will dispel any suspicion that we are going to be engaged in a running controversy over jurisdiction.
Second, I express my appreciation to Senator McCLELLAN for his understanding and graciousness in working out this agreement. I join him in commending it to our Republican colleagues.
I appreciate the fact that Senator YOUNG and Senator BELLMON have joined us in cosponsoring a resolution which they have not had as much opportunity to study as we have had. But that opportunity will be available as the resolution goes to the Committee on Rules and Administration.
I urge Senators to consider it, as I do, as an equitable solution of the problem.
Mr. McCLELLAN. Mr. President, I yield to the distinguished Senator from North Dakota.
Mr. YOUNG. I thank the Senator.
Mr. President. I have not had an opportunity to bring this matter to the attention of the Republican Caucus. This resolution deals only with matters that are now at the desk.
Mr. McCLELLAN. Yes. By unanimous consent, it deals with the matters at the desk now.
Mr. YOUNG. I am sure there will be no objection on the part of the Republicans. The Republican Caucus can, if it wishes, deal with the resolution which is being referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration.
Mr. McCLELLAN. Yes. The resolution is under all processes of regulations and rules of the Senate, and so forth. It takes that course. The resolution is subject to amendment by the Committee on Rules and Administration, and it is subject to amendment on the floor when that committee reports it.
I believe that when Senators have had an opportunity to study it, they will agree that, basically and fundamentally, it is in the interest of orderly procedure in the Senate, in the handling of these messages and resolutions thereon.
Mr. YOUNG. I commend the distinguished Senator from Arkansas, the chairman of our Appropriations Committee, and the distinguished Senator from Maine, the chairman of the Budget Committee, for resolving a very knotty and difficult problem.
Mr. McCLELLAN. I thank the Senator.
Mr. President, I yield to the distinguished Senator from Oklahoma.
Mr. BELLMON. I thank the distinguished chairman of the Committee on Appropriations for yielding.
Mr. President, this matter was discussed informally by the minority members of the Committee on the Budget and Senator MUSKIE yesterday. While we did not at that time have all the details, general approval was expressed of the thrust of the resolution.
Speaking for the minority on the Budget Committee, I believe I can say that we feel that the solution which has been worked out by the distinguished chairman of the Appropriations Committee and the distinguished chairman of the Budget Committee is in keeping with the intent of the Senate when the Budget Committee was established and when the procedure for rescissions and deferrals was set up here.
I believe, as Senator MUSKIE has said, that this helps to clarify the purpose and the intent of the Senate when the Budget Committee was established, and makes clear that the Budget Committee has a very definite mission to perform, one which we feel will help us devote our efforts to better handle the way our priorities are established and our resources are utilized.
I also join in commending the chairman of the Budget Committee and the chairman of the Appropriations Committee for the way this matter has been resolved. I believe that the minority, when we have had a chance to discuss it in caucus, will join Senator YOUNG and myself in sponsoring this resolution.
Mr. McCLELLAN. I thank the distinguished Senator.
Mr. President, I yield the floor.
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. Mr. President, I join Senators in commending the distinguished Senator from Arkansas (Mr. McCLELLAN) and the distinguished Senator from Maine (Mr. MUSKIE) in having resolved this very difficult and complex question.
I also express appreciation to Mr. YOUNG and Mr. BELLMON for their cooperation today and for the contribution they have made in enabling the matters that are at the desk to be referred.