September 23, 1976
Page 32223
SUNSET REFORM
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, the "sunset bill" is an idea whose time has finally come.
Last winter, when Senator ROTH and I first introduced this bill, we had no idea that it would catch on the way it has, both in Congress and throughout the country.
Today, the sunset bill has 59 cosponsors in the Senate.
It has been unanimously approved by the Senate Government Operations Committee.
It has been endorsed by the democratic candidate for President.
And the Rules Committee has given the sunset concept its support.
Companion legislation in the House has more than a hundred cosponsors.
All this support for a bill which would radically alter the way we do business in Congress.
Needless to say, I am pleased and gratified that we have made so much progress on this revolutionary piece of legislation in so short a period of time.
That is not to say that moving the sunset bill did not involve a great deal of work. It did, of course.
But there have been other reasons for the bill's success so far.
For many years, I have tried to explore — through the Subcommittee on Intergovernmental Relations which I chair — ways in which the operations of the Federal Government could be made more responsive to the needs of the people we represent.
The problem I have always faced is that Government reform is not an exciting show, so it is hard to focus people's attention. Moreover, reform — if it is to be meaningful — threatens the status quo, and so it is not always welcomed with open arms.
Why has sunset been different? Because, I believe, sunset is a uniquely sound and appealing idea.
Because the need it seeks to address is one upon which everyone agrees.
And because through budget reform, we have found that change in the status quo can be very beneficial — not only to the quality of work we do but to the public's perception of Congress as a responsible and responsive institution.
There is no doubt that sunset will fundamentally change the way we do business in the U.S. Congress. As an action-forcing mechanism — a process to bring Congress closer to the results of its legislative work — sunset is truly a revolutionary idea.
But if there were ever a need for Congress to change, it is in this way — in the way we exercise control over the programs we ourselves have created, and hence over the services which Federal dollars are supposed to deliver to the American people.
Over the years, and particularly over the last two decades, the Congress has been very creative in proposing Federal answers to vexing national problems. Our intentions have always been good.
But, too often we have not followed through.
We have continued to look ahead, to anticipate new needs as they arise. But we have not looked back, to assess the failures and the successes of the past.
A fundamental assumption of sunset is that we must do both.
The sponsors of sunset have never claimed that it will be easy.
We have only said that it simply must be done.
Today I am saying to all the people all over the country who want to see this bill passed that the success of sunset so far is an encouraging sign that it will be done, and soon.
I do regret that there is not enough time to consider sunset in the Senate this year. But such a major reform does demand the most thoughtful consideration. And even were we to pass it in the Senate, there is no possibility of House action before adjournment.
I intend to push for Senate consideration of the sunset bill at the earliest possible date next year.
And I am very optimistic about our chances for success.