September 28, 1979
Page 26697
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, as chairman of the Committee on the Budget, I take note of the fact that the conference report is somewhat lower than the Senate-passed bill. But beyond that, as the distinguished Senator from Wisconsin pointed out, this report comes to us in the context of the second budget resolution and the reconciliation instruction. In light of that fact and the fact that the conferees made a real effort to reduce the total of the Senate bill, I am happy to support it.
Mr. President, the conference report on H.R. 4394, provides appropriations for the Department of Housing and Urban Development and independent agencies for fiscal year 1980.
The conference agreement would provide $71.8 billion in budget authority, $0.1 billion below the Senate-passed bill. Outlays associated with the bill total $48.7 billion, $0.1 billion below levels in the Senate-passed bill.
Mr. President, I opposed the HEW-independent agencies bill when it was taken up by the Senate as not being consistent with the congressional budget.
At that time, I indicated that, when possible later requirements were taken into account, the bill threatened to exceed the HUD-Independent Agencies Subcommittee allocation by $1.7 billion in budget authority and $1.3 billion in outlays.
The conference agreement is not substantially lower than the Senate bill. However, the second budget resolution, as passed by the Senate, sets an overall ceiling of $388.0 billion in budget authority and $341.6 billion in outlays for all appropriation bills. In the event any bill exceeds that total ceiling, the Appropriations Committee is to report a rescission of other spending in order to stay within the committee ceiling.
The Appropriations Committee, and in particular its able chairman, Senator MAGNUSON, has pledged to stay within the ceiling agreed to by the Senate. Because I fully expect the Appropriations Committee to honor that commitment, I will not oppose this conference agreement now, despite its potential overage.
Mr. President, let me commend Senator MAGNUSON and other members of the Appropriations Committee for the fiscal restraint they have shown, and for their support of the second budget resolution.
The bipartisan agreement in the budget resolution was not easily reached. Senator MAGNUSON's support of that resolution demonstrates his commitment to the compact we made five years ago to bring Federal spending under control.
Mr. President, I want to add my compliments to the Senator from Wisconsin for his commitment to fiscal restraint — especially in this area, which is of such concern to him and his Banking Committee. I compliment him on his support of the budget process, the second budget resolution, and the policy of restraint which we sought to write into that resolution.
Mr. PROXMIRE. Mr President, I thank my good friend from Maine. I want to tell him that there is no way that we could have held this appropriation bill down if it had not been for his work on the floor and elsewhere and his influence in reminding the members of the conference, as well as members of the Appropriations Committee and the Senate, how this relates to the budget resolution and how important it is, in this year particularly, to keep our spending within the bounds that his committee has set forth.