September 29, 1976
Page 33304
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, I rise in support of H.R. 10210, a bill amending the unemployment insurance and supplemental security income programs.
This bill would raise approximately $400 million in additional revenues to the unemployment trust fund in fiscal 1977. These revenues are sorely needed to alleviate the fiscal strains which the recession of the last few years has imposed on the unemployment insurance system. The bill would also provide various other changes to the unemployment insurance system, none of which would have any budgetary impact in fiscal 1977. Also contained in H.R. 10210 are various amendments to the SSI program which would increase 1977 budget authority and outlays for that program by slightly less than $50 million.
I would like to speak, briefly, Mr. President, to the relationship of this bill to the second budget resolution for fiscal 1977, which Congress recently adopted. In developing the second budget resolution revenue floor and spending ceilings, the conferees assumed the enactment of legislation that would increase revenues — and thus budget authority — to the unemployment trust fund by $400 million in fiscal 1977. The second budget resolution spending ceilings also assumed legislation to increase expenditures from the trust fund by $112 million in fiscal 1977, as well as legislation to increase SSI costs by $77 million.
On September 24, the Finance Committee filed its report pursuant to section 302(b) of the Budget Act, subdividing its second budget resolution allocation among major programs.
According to that report, the Finance Committee has decided to allow for $400 million in new revenues — and budget authority — to the unemployment trust fund, no new expenditures from the trust fund, and less that $50 million in new SSI legislation. In other words, H.R. 10210, the bill before us today, will bring the revenues and spending for the unemployment insurance and SSI programs to the allocations for those programs by the Finance Committee in its section 302(b) allocation report. All remaining funds within the Finance Committee's allocation have been assigned to other programs under the committee's jurisdiction.
I mention this to make one important point: That while the bill before us is consistent with the 1977 congressional budget, any floor amendments to reduce the revenues provided by this bill, or to increase spending significantly in the unemployment insurance or SSI programs, would violate the allocations to the Finance Committee under the second budget resolution.
Mr. President, I urge all my colleagues to respect the subdivision of its allocation that the Finance Committee has made. If we did otherwise, we would, in effect, be directing the Finance Committee to take funds from one program, such as medicaid or aid to families with dependent children in order to finance increases in other programs. This could greatly heighten the risk of exceeding the ceilings of the congressional budget and adding to the deficit.
Therefore, I urge all my colleagues to support H.R. 10210 as reported by the Finance Committee, and to refrain from proposing any floor amendments that would violate that committee's recommendations in its section 302(b) allocation report.