June 21, 1979
Page 15939
H.R. 4289, 1979 SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS BILL
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, it is expected that the Senate will consider HR. 4289, the Supplemental Appropriations Act for fiscal 1979, on Monday, June 25.
As chairman of the Budget Committee, I would like to bring to the Senate's attention, at this time, the relationship of this bill to the final budget ceilings for fiscal year 1979 which the Congress adopted in the revised second budget resolution in May.
The revised second budget resolution contains aggregate ceilings of $559,200 million in budget authority and $494,450 million in outlays.
The current spending level excluding H.R. 4289 is $546,642 million in budget authority and $486,125 million in outlays. If H.R. 4289 in its present form were enacted into law, it would raise total budget authority for fiscal year 1979 to $559,011 million, a scant $189 million below the revised second budget resolution ceiling. Total outlays for fiscal year 1979 would be $494,450 million, which leaves no outlays remaining under the ceiling: I ask to have printed in the RECORD a table detailing this situation.
The table is as follows:
[Table omitted]
Mr. President, the Senate must keep this situation in mind in the event that any floor amendments to the supplemental bill are considered.
Any amendment, combination of amendments or subsequent legislation which results in increasing fiscal 1979 budget authority by more than $189 million or outlays by any amount at all, would not be in order because it would cause the Revised Second Budget Resolution ceilings to be exceeded.
This parliamentary situation does not mean, however, that Senators cannot offer amendments. It simply means that the Senate must first reduce other outlays included in the bill in order for amendments that would increase outlays to be voted upon.
Senators, in fact, have two choices. They may introduce amendments which would only cause the outlay levels in this bill to be reduced. Or they may introduce an amendment which involves outlay increases if proposals involving outlay decreases of at least an equal amount are also included. Such amendments would not be subject to a point of order.
Mr. President, I strongly urge Senators to keep in mind that we have reached the outlay limit the Congress has set for itself and that we are very close to the budget authority limit. Any amendment, however worthy, that increases outlays will be subject to a point of order unless corresponding decreases in other programs can be found.