September 19, 1979
Page 25247
SECOND CONCURRENT BUDGET RESOLUTION FOR FISCAL YEAR 1980
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. Mr. President, the Senate has just voted on final passage of the second concurrent budget resolution for fiscal year 1980, I would like to offer some concluding remarks.
I would like to congratulate the distinguished chairman of the Budget Committee, Senator MUSKIE, for his effective, balanced management of the resolution. His is the difficult and frequently thankless task of pulling all of the threads of the spending and revenue process into one whole cloth. Once again, he has risen to the challenge and through his skillful leadership has helped us shape a budget which enjoys the broad bipartisan support of the Senate.
I would also like to thank the distinguished ranking minority member, Senator BELLMON, for his hard work, for his able counsel, and his cooperation in reporting and defending a resolution which is responsible and balanced.
This resolution contains reconciliation instructions to seven committees of the Senate.
Reconciliation of this dimension has never before been attempted and could not have been accomplished without the cooperation and goodwill displayed both by the chairmen and members of the affected committees and the chairman and members of the Budget Committee.
The budget process is fragile. It requires cooperation and accommodation in order to work. It requires agreement on a common goal to which differences of opinion over budgetary priorities or mechanics must be subordinated.
The ability of the committees affected by reconciliation to reach an accommodation with the Budget Committee leadership demonstrates the Senate's support of the common goal of fiscal restraint.
Mr. President, on March 26 of this year, during consideration of the public debt limit bill, the Senate took a decisive step toward balancing the Federal budget. By supporting the Long amendment, the Senate instructed the Budget Committee to report a budget that was in balance for fiscal years 1981 and 1982.
Balancing the Federal budget for fiscal year 1981 requires adoption of a tight, lean budget for fiscal year 1980. It means holding the line on spending, holding the line on tax cuts, and aggressively moving this year toward a budget which can be balanced next year. The Budget Committee has reported and ably defended such a budget.
While not losing sight of the goal of fiscal restraint, the Senate, by supporting a 3 percent increase in defense spending in fiscal year 1980 and 5 percent increase in fiscal year 1981 and fiscal year 1982, has demonstrated its determination to maintain peace through strength. In weighing our priorities we have chosen to increase defense spending. I believe itis a choice which history will record as prudent.
Mr. BAKER. Mr. President, with the passage of the second concurrent budget resolution, the U.S. Senate has signaled its willingness and determination to address the pressing needs of this country in a fiscally responsible fashion. This has not been an easy task. The effort involved the articulation of critical issues, required difficult choices and thoughtful accommodation.
I commend the persuasive and tireless leadership of Senators MUSKIE and BELLMON of the Senate Budget Committee, who have labored so diligently to insure that this body lives up to its self-imposed spending limitations — and while speaking of reconciliation, express my acclaim and gratitude, as well, to the chairman and ranking member of the Appropriations Committee, Senators MAGNUSON and YOUNG, and the Finance Committee, Senators LONG and DOLE, for their industry and ability in negotiating a means to accommodate reconciliation.
I extend my thanks to Senator BILL ROTH and Senator JACK DANFORTH, who, although unsuccessful, articulated once again so well the tax cut issue in the course of this debate. I applaud the leadership effort of Senator HOLLINGS, Senator NUNN, Senator TOWER, Senator PACKWOOD, and others in focusing our attention upon recognizing and responding to the imperative defense requirements of this country.
And finally, I express my appreciation to the assistant minority leader, Senator TED STEVENS, for his thoughtful, helpful service on the ad hoc committee that considered this measure on our side of the aisle, and, of course, to the distinguished majority leader for his ever present leadership in steering this matter forward in his usual timely and orderly fashion.
Mr. President, the second concurrent budget resolution, reflecting austerity, commitment, and compassion, is a legislative effort in which the U.S. Senate can and should take pride.
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, I wish to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the distinguished Senator from Oklahoma, my ranking Member and good friend, HENRY BELLMON. His support and cooperation during the years we have worked together on the budget process have been invaluable in making it a viable, bipartisan institution. Especially during the negotiations on this second budget resolution his wise counsel has been very helpful in resolving a difficult situation.
Mr. President, I also want to thank Senator BYRD, our distinguished majority leader for his cooperation and steadfast support. As the father of the Budget Act, he knows better than anyone the importance of preserving the integrity of the budget process. With his help we were able to fashion a reasonable compromise which eventually gained the support of 90 Members of the Senate. This vote is a tribute to his responsible leadership and support of the budget process for which I am truly grateful.
Mr. President, I also wish to express my sincere appreciation to the staff of the Budget Committee and CBO for their work on the budget resolution.
We have come to expect the highest quality of work from them and they have always met, and even exceeded our expectations. I especially wish to thank the majority staff director John McEvoy and his minority counterpart, Bob Boyd, for their ability to coordinate and implement a very effective staff effort on this resolution. Our press secretary, Jim Conroy is to be commended for his extraordinary efforts in getting the message in this resolution to the public.
I also want to thank Sid Brown — whom all have come to respect as the best numbers man on Capitol Hill. Jim Capra of CBO was also an essential part of our multiyear budget effort.
Finally, I want to thank Karen Williams, our chief counsel, and her staff for their invaluable counsel and legal advice. Susan Lepper, our chief economist, and our staff group leaders, George Merrill, John Tillson, Brenda Tremper, and Porter Wheeler all performed with skill and dedication. The administrative and support staff are also to be commended for their hours of work in support of this budget resolution.
Mr. BELLMON. Mr. President, I want to take this opportunity to thank the Budget Committee staff for their fine efforts. I want particularly to thank Bob Boyd, our minority staff director, who has always attempted to ensure that Senators on our side get the information and staff support they need.
I also want to thank Bob Fulton, Gail Shelp, Carol Cox, Becky Davies, Bob Helm, Tom Sullivan, Joyce Purcell, Jill Wissler, Susan Petrick, Mark Bohseine, B. J.-Samuels, and James Moore.
These people put in long hours and a lot of hard work every time we bring a resolution to the floor.
This year, with reconciliation being implemented for the first time, their task was made even more demanding, and they responded admirably.
Finally, I want to thank John McEvoy, Sid Brown, Karen Williams, and Susan Lepper, together with all the other members of the majority staff. We have come to expect their cooperation and willingness to assist us over time; but it is appreciated no less because we know we can expect it.
Finally, I want to thank the other members of the committee. We do not always agree; but everyone has worked hard on this resolution, and I am pleased of the outcome. We have decided for the first time to hold the line on spending, even though it required reconciliation. Even with the increases for defense, we are still on track to a balanced budget in fiscal year 1981. I believe this is the right track and I am happy the Senate has decided to stay with it.