September 9, 1977
Page 28476
Mr. SASSER. Mr. President, I would like to ask the chairman to address a matter which was raised during the committee's discussion of function 300, energy and natural resources. The fiscal year 1978 Public Works Appropriations Conference Committee earlier this year considered the question of funding for the Clinch River fast breeder reactor project and decided to reserve the issue of appropriating funds for this item for a future fiscal year 1978 supplemental appropriation measure. To quote the Appropriations conference report on this matter:
The Committees on Appropriations have consistently supported the Clinch River Breeder Reactor Demonstration; however, due to lack of enactment of authorizing legislation the conferees have deleted funding for this item without prejudice with the understanding that funding will be forthcoming by way of a supplemental immediately following enactment of the appropriate authorizing legislation.
I fully recognize that it is not the job of the Budget Committee to allocate funding for specific purposes within the various functions of the Federal budget. It only recommends upper limits on Federal spending and a lower limit on Federal revenues. But at times, during markup, the committee assumes expenditures for certain items in order to reach its recommended functional amounts.
There is, therefore, no specific provision in the fiscal year 1978 second budget resolution for funding of Clinch River. I would like to ask the Senator from Maine, however, if senators could assume that the budget the committee has recommended for the 1978 fiscal year could accommodate the possible funding of Clinch River as envisioned by the Public Works Appropriations conferees.
Mr. MUSKIE. The Budget Committee, as the Senator has correctly pointed out, does not line item. That is, there is nothing in this document which provides funding for any specific purpose. Each senator may make his own assumptions on the precise mix of expenditure in the budget functions.
I would say to the Senator, however, that the committee's recommendation of $24.9 billion in budget authority is $9.4 billion above action completed or under way. A good portion of this difference is expected to be used for energy funding. I understand Clinch River funding would be no more than $150 million in budget authority. That being the case, it certainly could be accommodated within the $9.4 billion still available for function 300 spending if the Senate chose that program over others. But again, I would caution the Senator that the Budget Committee makes no recommendation on this or any other specific program the Senate may consider for fiscal year 1978 in this resolution.
Mr. SASSER. I appreciate the Senator's views on line iteming, and I thank him for his attention to my inquiry.