October 5, 1978
Page 33890
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, I support the defense appropriation bill for fiscal year 1979. In terms of my responsibility as chairman of the Budget Committee, I want to express my views regarding the bill and how it relates to the national defense functional ceiling set by Congress in the second budget resolution for fiscal year 1979.
First, I extend my congratulations to the distinguished Senator from Mississippi, Mr. STENNIS, and the other very able members of the Defense Subcommittee for the work they have done and the time that they have devoted to this crucial piece of legislation. They have worked extremely hard to bring before the Senate a defense spending measure that is within the budget ceilings Congress mandated for national defense and provides for continuation of our Armed Forces modernization and readiness.
The bill before us appropriates funds totaling $116.4 billion in budget authority. Outlays associated with the bill are $105 billion, which includes outlays of $27.5 billion from prior year budget authority.
Mr. President, this bill is well below the budget authority levels of the budget request and the House-passed bill — $2.9 billion and $2.7 billion respectively. Outlays are below the budget request and the House bill by $0.7 billion and $0.4 billion respectively.
Taking into account all other actions to date and anticipated in the National Defense function, the bill is consistent with the assumptions for defense spending as contained in the second budget resolution for fiscal year 1979.
Because the nuclear carrier has been deleted from the bill, the amount of budget authority available in the function for possible later requirements, such as the spring 1979 pay supplemental and a weapons supplemental, should be adequate to allow the Defense Subcommittee to stay within its allocation under section 302(b) of the budget act.
The pressure on the outlay ceiling, however, is much greater. Due to the slow spending rate associated with the Navy's shipbuilding program, the removal of the nuclear carrier from this bill did not ease the pressure on keeping defense outlays within the second budget resolution.
Possible later requirements for the pay supplemental and other defense contingencies will exert a great deal of pressure on the very tight ceiling for outlays. This aspect of a future supplemental will be carefully watched.
Mr. President, in concluding my remarks, I want to state my appreciation to the distinguished chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Mr. MAGNUSON, and to the distinguished chairman of the Defense Subcommittee, Mr. STENNIS, for their efforts in producing a bill within the congressional budget ceilings for Defense.
I support this Defense appropriation bill, reserving the right to support or oppose floor amendments. I congratulate the committee for its efforts to date and encourage the committee to continue its efforts to restrain spending in the subsequent conference with the House.