August 4, 1978
Page 24360
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, the bill before us today, H.R. 13467, the second supplemental appropriations bill for fiscal 1978, is likely to be the last spending bill for fiscal 1978. This supplemental provides budget authority of $6.6 billion to fund numerous items which could not be included in the regular appropriations bills last summer.
As chairman of the Budget Committee, I would like to bring to the Senate's attention the current status of the budget in comparison to the final budget ceilings for fiscal year 1978 which we adopted in the second budget resolution last September.
If the bill in its present form were enacted into law, it would raise total outlays for fiscal year 1978 to $447.9 billion, a comfortable $10.35 billion below the second budget resolution outlay ceilings.
Budget authority, however, would reach $499.8 billion, a scant $0.3 billion below the second budget resolution ceiling of $500.1 billion. This is too close for comfort and I would urge Senators to keep this situation in mind in the event that any floor amendments to this bill are considered.
Any amendment, combination of amendments or subsequent legislation which results in increasing fiscal 1978 budget authority by more than $0.3 billion would not be in order because it would cause the second budget resolution budget authority ceiling to be exceeded.
I am pleased that Congress is likely to be successful in keeping Federal spending within the budgetary ceiling established for fiscal 1978. I hope that we will be even more successful in our efforts to restrain Federal spending in fiscal 1979.