June 23, 1978
Page 18706
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, I would like at this point to take just a few moments of the Senate's time.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maine.
SENATOR WARREN G. MAGNUSON
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, today the Senate will soon pass the first regular appropriation bill for fiscal year 1979. Now is an appropriate time to pause in our deliberations and note that this is also the first regular appropriation bill to be passed under the chairmanship of our good friend and colleague, Senator WARREN MAGNUSON, became chairman of the Appropriation Committee just 5 months ago.
The ascendency of the distinguished senior Senator from Washington to the chairmanship of the powerful and prestigious Appropriations Committee signals a new era of leadership in the fight to put Federal spending under control. With the same talents he has displayed as chairman of the Commerce Committee, Senator MAGNUSON has now responded to this new challenge by approaching his tasks with a vigorous sense of duty and responsibility.
I would like to commend the distinguished chairman for the achievements he has made to date:
Because of his forceful guidance, the Appropriations Committee thus far has been able to hold to a strict schedule in timely reporting the spending bills for fiscal year 1979, despite pressures caused by extended floor debates on the Panama Canal treaties, the Mideast arms sales legislation, and the labor law reform bill;
Because of his desire to impose new discipline and order on the congressional spending process, appropriations for programs which have not been authorized have been discouraged, particularly if those programs were in any way controversial.
The distinguished Senator from Washington has set stringent guidelines which the authorizing committees must follow for all programs in requiring "authorizations before appropriations." And he has not exempted his own, Labor/ HEW Subcommittee programs from the new standards. Such impartial application of the new standards can only serve to enhance the good reputation of the Committee on Appropriations and its chairman.
Because of his deep commitment to holding the line on Federal spending, it already seems predictable that all 13 of the regular appropriations bills reported for fiscal year 1979 will be at or below the spending targets assumed for them in the congressional budget. Indeed, Mr. President, in a colloquy on the floor of the Senate during consideration of the budget resolution conference report, the distinguished chairman of the Appropriations Committee stated to me his intention to reduce the budget totals even further through the appropriations process. He is to be commended and congratulated for making every effort to do just that.
Mr. President, the Senate's consideration of this first regular appropriation bill for fiscal year 1979 marks the beginning of a new era of leadership in the congressional spending process. The manner in which the distinguished senior Senator from Washington has conducted his committee's business thus far has established the theme for his chairmanship and an excellent example for the Congress: strict control, tempered by fairness and flexibility.
It pleases me to note that the impact of Senator MAGNUSON's leadership of the Appropriations Committee has not gone unnoticed by the news media. An article in this week's Business Week commented at length upon his influence on the Appropriations Committee and on Federal spending in general. It noted his "remarkable commitment to committee business, and spoke with favor of his intention "to impose new discipline on appropriations," which could become "a battleground in the spending war."
Mr. President, I predict that the Congress and the country are going to enjoy a new sense of control and responsibility over Federal spending. And if my prediction proves correct, it will be due in large part to the outstanding leadership and fiscal responsibility of the senior Senator from the State of Washington.
He has set as his objectives holding down the size of the Federal Government, further reducing the totals of the congressional budget, and containing inflation by controlling Federal spending and reducing the deficit. With his continued strong direction at the helm of the Appropriations Committee, I am convinced that the Senate, the Congress, and the country, can and will achieve these objectives.
It is a pleasure, Mr. President, to be working with him in this connection.