June 18, 1979
Page 15167
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, I rise to take a few minutes at the outset to indicate my support of the Veterans' Affairs Committee and its distinguished chairman. Senator CRANSTON, against
the Humphrey amendment, which I understand will be offered today.
Unfortunately, I cannot be in the Senate Chamber immediately after 12 o'clock, and the Senator from California has been good enough to yield me a few minutes now.
First of all, Mr. President, I emphasize that no member of this party is more committed or more devoted to the interests and welfare of our Nation's veterans than is the distinguished Senator from California (Mr. CRANSTON) .
As chairman of the Budget Committee, on which he served until he was forced to leave because of our rules with respect to multiple committee membership, I was in a position to observe his performance as chairman of the Veterans' Committee. Within the Budget Committee and on the Senate floor, he always placed the highest priority alongside the needs of our Nation's veterans.
I emphasize that at the outset, because there is great temptation, with respect to issues involving veterans and other groups which are organized across the country, to conclude that all their needs are of the same priority levels.
Mr. President, as the Senate has made clear in its official actions this year, we live and serve in a time when budget austerity across the board is a high priority. However, true budget austerity requires not only that we eliminate waste from the budget but also that we apply a discriminating test against priorities of varying importance.
If we are truly to achieve a balanced budget in 1981 — and that is a commitment of this Senate and of this Congress — we must be willing to distinguish between high priority needs and low priority needs; and that is precisely what the Veterans' Committee has sought to do with respect to those provisions of the pending bill to which the Humphrey amendment will address itself.
It is for that reason I am more than happy to support the Veterans' Committee and its distinguished chairman in this effort to insure that high priority needs of the veterans are protected and that low priority needs are reduced in order to meet them.
It is for that reason, Mr. President, that I rise in opposition to the amendment to be offered by the distinguished Senator from New Hampshire, my neighbor, Senator HUMPHREY.
In brief, the Humphrey amendment, as I understand it, proposes to delete provisions in the reported bill which would achieve approximately $38 million in savings from non-service connected benefits and provide additional health care personnel for VA hospitals.
These savings were recommended by the President as well as the Veterans' Affairs Committee.
As every Senator knows, Congress last month adopted a very tight budget plan which will reduce the deficit sharply in fiscal year 1980 in order to make possible the balanced budget in fiscal year 1981.
As chairman of the Budget Committee I can attest to the long and difficult road to be traveled between that initial budget plan and the reality of the balanced budget. There are still many hurdles to clear.
The economy must slow down but not too much or too fast.
The public must accept some belt tightening if inflation is to be brought under control and if we are to weather our current energy problems without serious disruptions.
But above all, Congress must demonstrate leadership of the kind demonstrated by Senator CRANSTON and his committee through its willingness to curb Federal spending.
It must work hard to eliminate unnecessary spending — spending that no longer serves a useful purpose.
But it must work even harder to eliminate spending that does serve a useful purpose, but which is of a lower priority than other spending.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The 5 minutes yielded to the Senator from Maine have expired.
Mr. CRANSTON. I yield an additional 2 minutes to the Senator from Maine.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maine is recognized for an additional 2 minutes.
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, such spending reductions are painful, but sacrifices have to be made in all areas of the Federal Government in order to get the budget under control.
The Veterans' Affairs Committee has demonstrated this willingness. In this bill, the committee proposes a reduction in certain veterans' health benefits which the committee, as well as the President, has found to be of lower priority than other benefits. The committee has not said that these benefits do not serve a useful purpose. It is simply taking the position that in times of tight budgetary resources, these benefits are of a lower priority and can be eliminated without destroying the essential character of any Federal program.
I applaud the Veterans' Affairs Committee for its courage and responsibility. It is setting an example for all other committees of the Senate. It is showing the American people — especially those in States which would mandate a balanced Federal budget — that Congress can make hard choices to reduce spending.
Mr. President, here is a test for all of us in the Senate as well as the members of the committee. It is not easy to take the leadership in establishing this kind of policy, this kind of budgetary prudence. It is much easier to say yes to all those who press us for increases in Federal spending.
Mr. President, unless we as a body are willing to follow the leadership of committees which make such discriminating and prudent decisions as the Veterans' Affairs Committee has in this case, unless we are willing to follow them in these situations where we are pressured hard by constituents back home to go a different course, we will never achieve a balanced budget.
You and I can identify many, many groups in this country that are organized to bring pressure upon Congress. But if we cannot set an example of willingness to say we can go just so far with respect to the Federal Treasury and no further, we will never achieve a balanced budget.
We set the balanced budget goal this spring, Mr. President, and I urge the Senate to begin demonstrating today its commitment to that goal in the only way that counts: by voting to hold spending down in an intelligent, priority-oriented way.
Again I congratulate my friend from California, Senator CRANSTON, for his devotion to the real interests of the veteran as well as his devotion to the economic needs of the country.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The time of the Senator from Maine has expired. The Senator from California.
Mr. CRANSTON. Mr. President, I thank the Senator from Maine very much for his very strong and very helpful statement.
No support could mean more to these efforts to provide priorities in meeting the needs of the veterans. We have many needs for those whq have service-connected and non-service connected disabilities but priority should certainly go to those who have service-connected needs, some of them very great, and the effort underway now by the committee is to insure that those needs are the ones that are met first.
I thank the Senator very much.
I thank him also for coming to the floor at this time to speak briefly. I know he has to leave Capitol Hill briefly now and will not be present at a more appropriate time when the Humphrey amendment is being debated, presuming it will be offered. I thank him very much for coming to the floor at this time and making a statement.