October 14, 1978
Page 37485
Mr. CHILES. Mr. President, I yield the Senator from Maine such time as he requires.
Mr. MAGNUSON. Just a minute. I have charge of the time.
Mr. CHILES. I do not believe you do, on my amendment.
Mr. MAGNUSON. Oh, I do not?
Mr. CHILES. I will be glad to give you charge of the floor. I mean, you can have charge of anything you want to.
Mr. MAGNUSON. Will the Senator yield me 10 seconds?
Mr. CHILES. Anything you like.
Mr. MAGNUSON. Mr. President, I hope we will not discuss this too long. I think we understand it. We have got to get this bill over to the House in the next 15 minutes; otherwise we may not have a bill at all. Let us vote.
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, I assure the distinguished floor manager of the bill that I will not take more than a minute.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Does the Senator from Florida yield to the Senator from Maine?
Mr. CHILES. I yield the Senator such time as he may require.
Mr. MUSKIE. One minute is all I need. I want the Senate to understand what the second budget resolution says. The second budget resolution does not say what the opponents of this amendment say it says, nor does it include the figures—
Mr. WILLIAMS. I was in error in that. I said the budget resolution said 100,000,and I was corrected; it was 120,000.
Mr. MUSKIE. Just let me give you the facts.
Mr. WILLIAMS. I am just trying to save time.
Mr. MUSKIE. I am not going to make an argument. The argument has been made. I just want it to be understood. This is what the pertinent paragraph says:
In view of the improvement in the overall employment situation, the committee recognizes the reduced need for public service jobs for the temporarily unemployed. The committee recommendation, therefore, assumes a phase-down in the number of such countercyclical public service jobs beginning in fiscal year 1979, tied to the projected decline in the unemployment rate. Such a phase-down would result in an average reduction of 60,000 jobs in fiscal year 1979.
According to our calculations, an average reduction of 60,000 jobs over the fiscal year would result, at the end of the year, in a cut of 160,000.
That is where the 160,000 came from. The Chiles amendment changes that to 136,000. The continuing resolution says100,000. I understand that Senator MAGNUSON contemplates a possible additional reduction in the spring supplemental, though I do not know whether he does or not.
Mr. MAGNUSON. We will take a look at it and determine whether or not to do it.
Mr. MUSKIE. I thought the Senate ought to have those facts.
Mr. WILLIAMS. Could I add one sentence?
Mr. MAGNUSON. I do not have any time remaining.