April 9, 1976
Page 10314
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, I wish to speak to the budgetary implications of the emergency supplemental before us. Let me say, at the outset, that the $1.9 billion in additional fiscal year 1976 budget authority and $0.3 billion in fiscal year 1976 outlays requested in this supplemental do not exceed targets set in our second concurrent resolution for fiscal year 1976.
The supplemental includes funding for public service jobs, summer youth employment and recreation programs, older Americans employment and the necessary amounts for swine flu preventive medical services.
It has been anticipated for some time that the funds for the various jobs and summer youth programs would be appropriated. The continuation of these programs is necessary if we are to sustain a strong economic recovery.
The additional amount appropriated for preventive health services represents the amount necessary to fund medical services to combat what could otherwise become a dangerous flu epidemic. No one could have anticipated the swine flu and the necessity for combating it during the consideration of the first and second concurrent resolutions last year, but the relatively small amount of $135 million is essential, and I support it. It will not break the budget ceilings at this time.
Since only $300 million of the amount will outlay in fiscal year 1976, with the remaining $1.6 billion spending out in the transition quarter and fiscal year 1977, the amounts included in the appropriation resolution neither violate our fiscal year 1976 second budget resolution ceiling nor our current assumptions for fiscal year 1977 spending contained in the first resolution now being debated.