June 28, 1977
Page 21205
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, the bill before us today, H.R. 7555, would provide $60.6 billion in fiscal 1978 funding for the Departments of Labor, Health, Education, and Welfare, and related agencies. As reported to the Senate, H.R.7555 is within the spending constraints imposed by the first budget resolution, and I intend to vote for the spending this bill provides.
Under section 302(b) of the Budget Act, the Appropriations Committee divides among its subcommittees the total budget authority and outlays allocated to it under the budget resolution. This bill is under the subcommittee's section 302(b) allocation, and is generally consistent with the first budget resolution targets.
The Labor-HEW Subcommittee's allocation under section 302(b) totals $68.7 billion in budget authority and $73.5 billion in outlays. Enactment of H.R. 7555 as reported plus spending already enacted would leave room within the subcommittee's allocation for further appropriations of $8.0 billion in budget authority and $2.2 billion in outlays.
A number of supplemental claims can be anticipated, however, that will reduce this budget margin in the months ahead.
The first budget resolution assumed as much as $3.8 billion would be appropriated to permit a smooth continuation of the CETA public service jobs program into fiscal 1979. This bill does not include those funds, nor does it include about $500 million in budget authority requested by the President for the youth employment legislation now in conference. Based on the estimate used in the first budget resolution for medicaid, the funding in H.R. 7555 is low by $300 million.
Possible supplementals totalling $1.2 billion may be needed to fund other initiatives now pending before Congress for child care grants, SSI benefits, education programs, child welfare services, and various other programs. All in all, however, passage of H.R. 7555 and these other possible requirements would still leave $2.0 billion in budget authority and $800 million in outlays within the Labor-HEW Subcommittee's 302(b) allocation.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a table listing these possible later requirements be inserted in the RECORD at this point.
There being no objection, the table was ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows:
[Table omitted]
Mr. MUSKIE. The Labor-HEW bill affects spending in seven different budget categories. Only in the health area is there any likelihood that appropriations could result in our exceeding the functional target for budget authority. Taken together, the several bills that determine health spending would result in health budget authority being about $200 million over the resolution target. However, the House levels are below the target, so I think we must see the results of the various appropriations conferences before a definitive judgment on health spending can be reached.
This bill is within the budgetary constraints adopted by Congress and is in agreement with the budget priorities we adopted last May. The budget act established a means by which Congress expresses its own preferences on how Federal spending is allocated among the functions of Government. This process is independent of what the President proposes to Congress in his annual budget message and appropriations requests.We have acted to set our priorities for the coming year and we are now in the process of carrying out those budgetary decisions. The bill before us today is substantially consistent with the spending plan already agreed to. And may I remind Senators the total outlays in the congressional budget are below those of the President.
However, I urge my colleagues to resist any floor amendments for substantial increases. No increase in health funding should be approved without offsetting reductions, since we are already potentially over the resolution targets as things now stand. Substantial increases in other areas would be undesirable, since the likely margin remaining after accounting for probable further requirements is fairly thin, and spending estimates for many of these programs are likely to change in ways we cannot foresee. It is important that we maintain flexibility to meet the unforeseen needs as we proceed through the fiscal year beginning this October.
I wish to thank the distinguished subcommittee chairman, Senator MAGNUSON, for his support of the budget process, not only through his work on appropriations but in his valued role as a Budget Committee member as well. I greatly appreciate the subcommittee reporting a bill consistent with the congressional budget, and I will be pleased to vote in favor of the spending you propose for fiscal 1978.