June 10, 1977
Page 18442
THE NEW SERIES OF SENATE BUDGET SCOREKEEPING REPORTS FOR FISCAL YEAR 1978
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, the first Senate budget scorekeeping report for fiscal year 1978 was issued on June 6, and a copy is on each Senator's desk. The report will be issued weekly when the Senate is in session.
The new series of reports for fiscal year 1978 retains the same format used in the fiscal 1977 reports. I believe the major change in format made last year — in which tables for each Senate committee and appropriations subcommittee were made the central part of the report — has worked well to inform each committee and each Senator of the relationship between the budget resolution targets and the individual tax and spending bills that are considered by the Senate.
Between now and the end of fiscal year 1977 on September 30 of this year, the new series of reports will contain a summary section on the status of the fiscal 1977 budget. Since most spending actions for fiscal 1977 are now complete, I believe the summary information will be sufficient for scorekeeping purposes.
The Budget Committee has speeded up the schedule for introducing this new series of reports, as compared to last year, so that the Senate will have the information it needs on budget status as it begins to consider the major fiscal 1978 appropriation bills later this month. I believe this information is essential, Mr. President, for us to compare these and other spending bills to the first budget resolution targets the Congress has set for itself in Senate Concurrent Resolution 19.
The job of holding to the targets will not be easy. As this first report shows, the version of the Food and Agriculture Act recently passed by the Senate, if it prevails in conference would cause the budget targets to be exceeded and the deficit to be increased. We will, of course, have a much better idea of where the budget stands once the major appropriation bills are reported.
The staff of the Budget Committee will be happy to assist anyone who has questions regarding the report and to receive suggestions for further improvement in its contents.