April 25, 1979
Page 8631
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. Will the Senator yield?
Mr. ROTH. Yes.
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. I understand it is agreeable with the author of the amendment, with the manager of the bill, and with the ranking member that time on this amendment be limited to 10 minutes, equally divided. I ask unanimous consent to that request.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. ROTH. Mr. President, my amendment would restore the original budget resolution figures for spending, budget authority and deficit by reducing travel and film making by $400 million. This would offset the $400 million that have been added by the Metzenbaum and Chiles amendments by reducing the allowance functions by $400 million for 1980. It would further reduce it by $500 million in 1981 and $600 million in 1982.
Mr. President, I find it hard to believe that we are asking the American people to tighten their belts when we cannot agree at least on one area of reduction. What I am proposing, I want to repeat, is to offset the $400 million increase that has been added by the two amendments I referred to above by reducing from the allowance function $200 million for non-defense Government travel and $200 million for film making.
Mr. President, all I am suggesting is if we want to add more in one area, we must also find an area to subtract. We have robbed Peter to pay Paul. I am now proposing that we pay Peter back. I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair recognizes the Senator from Maine.
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, I have discussed this with the distinguished Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. BELLMON) and we are prepared to support this cut for two reasons: One, I think the case made earlier by the distinguished Senator from Utah pointed up what the Senator from Washington, the chairman of the Appropriations Committee, agrees is an area that needs to be disciplined and supervised in order to reduce abuses in these areas. I thought the amount he suggested was too large without more detail as to justification, and I was concerned that such a large cut might result in doing damage in areas, especially the defense area, which we ought to avoid.
The $400 million that Senator ROTH's amendment proposes, I think, is a reasonable target to try to achieve savings. We are willing to support it, but for another reason as well.
We have adopted amendments that have, in fiscal year 1981, breached our balanced budget in that year. This amendment will help us get back to that point. I think for these two good reasons, we will support the amendment and we urge our colleagues to do so as well.