Muskie Congressional Record: 1980 CR References

ECONOMY, BUSINESS, AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES

1980; 96^th Congress, 2^nd Session

Small Business and Small Business Investment Acts: conference report on S. 918, 678-682, 686, 687, 697

Small Business and Small Business Investment Acts: conference report on S. 918, 690

Small Business and Small Business Investment Acts: to concur in House amendment with an amendment, 697

Analysis: SBA Disaster Loan Program: James Buchanan (excerpt), 679

Analysis: SBA Disaster Loan Program: Richard Musgrave (excerpt), 679

List: Public enterprise funds, 679

Accounting principles and standards, GAO, 680

678-682; January 24, 1980; As the Senate takes up S. 918, the conference report on the Small Business and Small Business Investment Act, Muskie takes issue with a provision in the bill that was adopted in the House, which would exempt the Small Business Administration from the requirement that its budget show the government’s cost of borrowing for disaster loans, saying this is a blatantly misleading budgetary practice and that this provision must be deleted from the bill.

686, 687; January 24, 1980; When the Senate reaches a vote on S. 918, the Small Business Act, the conference report is passed, but on the motion to reconsider and lay on the table the vote by which it passed is rejected 30 to 50, thus leaving open the option of rejecting the conference report itself. Under the rules, a conference report must be rejected before it can be further amended, so this vote signifies the Senate’s acceptance of the Budget Committee argument.

After a brief exchange over the proper procedure on voting, the Senate votes 32 to 48 to reject the conference report.

690, 697; January 24, 1979; Muskie subsequently calls up his amendment to the conference report, which is identical in all respects to the conference report with the exception that the provision dealing with the agency’s payment of interest on its loans from the Treasury is deleted, and it is passed 80 to zero. When a conference committee is unable to reach agreement on one particular item, as in this case, a strong vote like this one in the objecting House can have the effect of forcing the other House to agree or to give up the entire bill, since all bills must be passed in identical form before they are sent to the president for signature.

Airport and Airway Development Act: amend (S. 1648), 1776

Table: Airport funding, 1776

1776; February 5, 1980; Muskie reports a Budget Act waiver for S. 1648, the Airport and Airway Development Act, but then announces that he has reservations about the costs in the bill, and intends to vote against it because it proposes to spend $3.2 billion over five years on airport development, but excludes 72 of the largest airports, which carry 86 percent of all passengers, from its funding. Additionally, he says, although FAA navigation costs about $2.1 billion per year, only 15 percent of that is contributed from the Airport Fund, which is financed by ticket taxes, and the rest from general tax revenues.

Aviation Safety and Noise Abatement Act: conference report on H.R. 2440, 1789

1789; February 5, 1980; Muskie notes that the conference report on the Aviation Safety and Noise Abatement Act, H.R. 2440, has dropped a provision that was in the Senate version of the bill, and which would have expanded the funding available from the aviation trust fund to pay a higher share of airport operating costs, and says he intends to vote against it, because general taxpayers should be subsidizing aviation users.

FTC: change procedures for adjudications and rulemaking (S. 1991), 2053, 2362

FTC: congressional review of proposed rules, 2053

FTC: proceedings on children's advertising, 2362

2053; February 6, 1980; In the course of a debate over the authorizing legislation for the Federal Trade Commission, Muskie speaks in opposition to an amendment which would have subjected all the regulations issued by the Commission to a veto by the Congress, and expounds his objections to the legislative veto, which he thinks is constitutionally suspect.

2362; February 7, 1980; Muskie says that he is troubled by some of the amendments to S. 1991, the Federal Trade Commission authorizing legislation, because they seem to be more responsive to special interests than to the broad function of the Commission, which is to preserve effective and lawful competition in the free market.

FTC: change procedures for adjudications and rule making (S. 1991), 2380, 2382

2380; February 7, 1980; When Cochran (R-Mississippi) calls up his paperwork reduction amendment to the Federal Trade Commission authorization, Muskie is shown as one of the cosponsors. The amendment would have required a simplification of a quarterly financial report required of small businesses for two years, and a reduction by one-quarter in the number of small businesses being asked to participate and respond to the lengthy questionnaire.

2382; February 7, 1980; Cochran modifies his amendment, and it is accepted, but the list of cosponsors is not reproduced. This is evidently an error in the index.

Maine: impact of potato imports from Canada, 6065

Canada: detrimental effects of potato imports from, 6065

Potatoes: diversion program, 6065

Potatoes: Maine farmers, 6065

6065; March 20, 1980; Muskie says that although Maine potato growers are finding their markets swamped by Canadian imports, the Agriculture Department has refused to institute a diversion program because potato growers in western states do not want one. He notes that in addition to causing the loss of the current year’s crop, the Agriculture Department is shipping Idaho potatoes to Maine for use in the school lunch program.

Agriculture: alleviating effects of grain embargo against Soviet Union, 6647

Agriculture: farmer-held reserve program for corn and wheat (S. 2427), 6647

Corn and wheat: farmer-held reserve programs (S. 2427),6647

6647; March 26, 1980; Muskie briefly notes that S. 2427, an agriculture bill, is in technical violation of the Budget Act, because it makes a farmers eligible for a farmer-held reserve program, thus creating an entitlement, but says the measure will also save money, by allowing grain storage, rather than forcing its purchase by the government, and urges his colleagues to ignore the technical violation and vote for the bill. This is one of several steps taken in an effort to reduce the impact on farmers of the grain embargo against the Soviet Union, which was imposed following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

Railroads: pricing rate flexibility and contract provisions (S. 1946), 7293

Railroads: reform economic regulation (S. 1946), 7293

7293; April 1, 1980; Muskie says that S. 1946, a bill that is part of the continuing effort to reduce regulation of the transportation sector, may damage Maine’s poultry producers, who depend entirely on rail transport for feed grain stocks. In Maine, poultry feed is second only to paper as a major rail user, and the bill would allow higher rail rates, without review by the Interstate Commerce Commission, so he announces he will vote against it.

Inflation: choice among necessities, 7684

Laborer vs. Inflation, Tom Welch, 7684

7684; April 3, 1980; Muskie references a news article that details the difficulties working people are facing as inflation continues to soar. In 1980, the annualized rate of inflation in January was 18 percent, and although it declined somewhat from that level, it remained well in the double digits for most of the year.

Letter: Agricultural loan programs, by, 10322

10322; May 7, 1980; During consideration of S. Con. Res. 86, the first concurrent budget resolution, Talmadge (D-Georgia) offers an amendment to exempt the agricultural price support programs of the Commodity Credit Corporation from a limitation in the budget resolution that would have required an appropriations cap, claiming this would reduce the farm price program to chaos, and saying he exchanged letters with Muskie on the subject. At the time of this discussion, Muskie was awaiting his swearing-in as the Secretary of State.

ENERGY

1980; 96^th Congress, 2^nd Session

Dickey-Lincoln School Project, by, 1875-1877

1875; February 5, 1980; Congressman Boland (D-Massachusetts) says that opposition to the construction of the Dickey-Lincoln hydroelectric project in northern Maine have been successful in derailing it so far, but that he hopes its main champion, Muskie, will succeed in getting it back on track, and references a speech Muskie made to the Northeast Public Power Association in Boston.

Power resources: Dickey-Lincoln School (Maine) hydroelectric powerplant project, 2551

Hydroelectric power: Dickey-Lincoln School (Maine) project, 2551

Dickey-Lincoln School, Maine: hydroelectric powerplant project, 2551

2551; February 8, 1980; Muskie makes a statement about a rumor spreading in Maine that Carter has agreed to go forward with the Dickey-Lincoln hydroelectric project in exchange for Muskie’s endorsement in the presidential race, denouncing the rumor and the efforts by opponents of the project to derail it by whatever means. At the time, President Carter’s nomination for the Democratic presidential candidacy was being challenged by Senator Kennedy.

ENVIRONMENT, PARKS, HISTORIC PRESERVATION, WILDLIFE

1980; 96^th Congress, 2^nd Session

U.S. insular areas: application of Clean Air Act, 2453,2454

U.S. insular areas: appropriations (H.R. 3756), 2453, 2454

Guam Power Authority: application of Clean Air Act, 2453, 2454

Letter: Guam Power Authority and EPA, exchange with Delegate Won Pat, 2454

2453, 2454; Muskie describes his disagreement with the exclusion of Guam from provisions of the Clean Air Act, and his objection to having the Energy Committee, which has no jurisdiction over the Act in the first place, propose such a legislative precedent, and publishes an exchange of letters between himself and Delegate Won Pat of Guam.

Conferee on S. 1156, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Amendments, 4658

4658; March 4, 1980; Muskie is appointed one of the conferees for the Senate side on S. 1156, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Amendments.

Roosevelt Campobello International Park Commission: unemployment insurance for U.S. employees, 4569

Social security, preventive services, referral, and disabled children receiving SSI benefits (H.R. 4612),4569

Social security: preventive services, referral, and disabled children receiving SSI benefits (H.R.4612),4569

Disabled children: SSI benefits (H.R. 4612), 4569

4569; March 4, 1980; Muskie calls up and has approved his amendment to allow for coverage of U.S. citizen employees of the Roosevelt Campobello Commission under the Federal Unemployment Tax Act, a matter on which he had been working for more than a decade. Muskie was instrumental in creating the Roosevelt Campobello International Park on Campobello Island, in New Brunswick, and served for years on the Commission responsible for it.

NATIONAL SECURITY & FOREIGN AFFAIRS

1980; 96^th Congress, 1^st Session

Olympic games: boycotting summer meeting in Moscow (see S. Res. 334), 77

Soviet Union: boycotting summer Olympic games (see S. Res. 334), 77

77; January 22, 1980; Muskie proposes a resolution, S. Res. 334, reinforcing the U.S. decision to boycott the summer Olympic Games, scheduled to be held in Moscow, and to work with other nations in exploring the relocation of the competition to another locale. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan on December 27, 1979, came as a substantial shock to many Americans, who had begun to hope that the years of low-key negotiated agreements on peripheral matters would soon lead to a more genuine warming of the Cold War. The Soviet invasion dashed any such hopes, and President Carter’s immediate reaction was to order an embargo against the sale of U.S. grain to the Soviets, previously one of the nation’s largest customers, and to boycott the Moscow Games which, at the time, were seen as a significant venue for the Soviets to show off the benefits of their system to a worldwide audience.

Soviet Union: relocating or cancelling summer Olympic games (H. Con. Res. 249), 839, 1067

Olympic games: relocating or cancelling summer events (H. Con. Res. 249), 839, 1067

839; January 28, 1980; Church (D-Idaho) offers an amendment No. 1640 to H. Con. Res. 249, the House-passed resolution on the Olympics, and Muskie, along with the other members of the Foreign Relations Committee, is shown as a cosponsor.

1067; January 29, 1980; When the Church amendment is offered during debate on H. Con. Res 249, the House version of the Olympics resolution, Muskie’s name appears as a cosponsor. There is no Muskie text.

Soviet Union: relocation or cancellation of Olympic games (see S. Con. Res. 70) 855

Olympic games: relocation or cancellation of summer games (see S. Con. Res. 70), 855

855; January 28, 1980; Muskie becomes a cosponsor of S. Con. Res. 70, a Church (D-Idaho) concurrent resolution relating to the possible relocation of the Olympic Games or their cancellation.

Soviet Union: relocating or cancelling summer Olympic games (H. Con. Res. 249), 1055, 1057, 1058

Olympic games: relocating or cancelling summer events (H. Con. Res. 249), 1055, 1057, 1058

Boycott the Olympics (sundry), 1055, 1057

Summer Olympic Games, Senator Bradley, 1057

1055, 1057, 1058; January 29, 1980; As the Senate debates H. Con. Res. 249, the House version of the Olympics resolution, Muskie and others, particularly Bradley (D-New Jersey) discuss the international political situation and the desirability of relocating the games or boycotting them if they are held in Moscow as planned.

Table: Armed Forces pay and budget limits, 1667, 1668

Armed Forces: budget discipline, 1667, 1668

Armed Forces: cost of Armstrong amendment to H.R. 5168, 1667, 1668

Armed Forces: extension of provisions of law relative to personnel management (H.R. 5168), 1667-1669

1667-1669; February 4, 1980; As the Senate debates H.R. 5168, a bill dealing with military personnel pay and management issues, Muskie warns Senators that inflationary conditions have already caused spending to balloon over the budget limits, and proposals to increase military pay will add additional costs that will, in turn, further drive up the deficit. The issue at stake was the declining relative value of military pay for a volunteer force, and the difficulties of recruitment and retention with a comparatively low pay scale.

UN Conference on Law of the Sea, 3760

3760; February 26, 1980; Muskie is appointed as a congressional advisor, along with several colleagues, to the ninth session of the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea, scheduled for New York City from February 27 through April 3, 1980.

Olympic games: tribute to U.S. athletes and officials (see Res. 377), 4002

4002; February 27, 1980; Muskie is among the other 99 members of the Senate who are shown cosponsoring S. Res. 377, a resolution congratulating all the athletes who participated in the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, New York.

Letter: Edicio de la Torre, by, 4022

4022; February 27, 1980; Levin (D-Michigan) talks about his involvement in the case of a Catholic priest who has been imprisoned in the Philippines, and on whose behalf he had drafted a letter, signed by Muskie and 31 others, urging then-President Marcos to either give the priest a trial or release him.

Letter: Moscow Olympic games, by, 7765

7765; April 15, 1980; Byrd (D-West Virginia) congratulates the U.S. Olympic Committee for its vote on the preceding weekend to not participate in the Moscow Olympics, and produces a letter that had been sent to the Committee from several Senators, including Muskie.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Inc.: authorize (see S.J. Res: 119), 8991

8991; April 24, 1980; Muskie is added as a cosponsor of S. J. Res. 119, a Mathias (R-Maryland) resolution authorizing a non-profit organization, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Inc., to erect a memorial to veterans of the Vietnam war. Decisions about memorials and their placement in public areas of Washington D.C. are of intense interest to members of the Congress, and even though a great many of them are constructed with privately-raised funds, their sponsors cannot proceed without formal authorization. Although the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is now the most-visited national shrine in Washington, its design elements were an issue of intense and often acrimonious debate among veterans’ groups and those who claim to represent them.

Sec. of State: nomination, 9239-9244, 9386, 9430, 9617, 9632, 10267, 10271-10279, 10341, 10647, 10886

Sec. of State: responding to Senators' remarks on nomination, 10278

Sec. of State Nomination, by, 10272

9239-9244; April 29, 1980; In April, President Carter attempted a rescue of the American hostages being held in Iran with the virtual assent of the country’s new government, but the rescue mission was unsuccessful, killed eight participating American troops, and failed to reach or rescue the hostages. As a result of this debacle, the Secretary of State, Cyrus Vance, resigned his office, claiming he opposed the use of military force to bring the hostage crisis to an end.

By April, President Carter’s so-called “Rose Garden” strategy for dealing with the hostage issue had palpably begun to falter, as the most popular news broadcaster of the day, Walter Cronkite, concluded every evening’s news broadcast with a countdown of the number of days the Americans had been hostage, and an active Kennedy (D-Massachusetts) entered early primaries and caucuses to contest Carter’s renomination as the candidate for the presidency in the 1980 election. In early April, diplomatic relations with Iran were severed, and the appearance was that the rescue effort, a closely held secret with no advance notification to Congress, was a desperate effort to reverse the political outlook, which, for Carter, was unpromising.

Against this background, Carter nominated Muskie to be his new Secretary of State, and in the Senate, when the announcement was made by Byrd (D-West Virginia), the Majority Leader, a number of Members added their congratulations and expressions of support for the choice.

9386; April 30, 1980; Three Senators who were unable to be present for the announcement of Muskie’s nomination make brief supportive statements about his nomination.

9430; April 30, 1980; Church (D-Idaho), the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee expresses his support for the Muskie nomination.

9617; May 1, 1980; Stafford (R-Vermont), a fellow New Englander who worked closely with Muskie on environmental issues, congratulates Muskie on his nomination.

9632; May 1, 1980; Burdick (D-North Dakota), who served with Muskie on the Environment and Public Works Committee, makes his statement on the nomination.

10267; May 7, 1980; Byrd (D-West Virginia) makes the consent request that will permit for the debate and vote on Muskie’s confirmation.

10271-10279; May 7, 1980; The Senate takes up the Muskie nomination and with one dissenting voice, Helms (R-North Carolina) proceeds to praise the nomination and endorse its confirmation, many making reference to their hopes that he will be in fact the individual in charge of foreign policy, a reference to the rather well-known relationship between the previous Secretary of State and the Carter National Security Advisor. At the close of the allotted time, Muskie makes a brief personal statement about his time in the Senate. When the vote is called, he votes “Present” and his nomination is confirmed 94-2.

10341; May 7, 1980; Bradley (D-New Jersey) makes his support for Muskie’s confirmation clear, expressing his admiration.

10647; May 8, 1980; Thurmond (R-South Carolina) wishes Muskie success as he prepares to take up his new duties at the State Department.

10886; May 12, 1980; Bayh (D-Indiana) applauds the selection of Muskie as Secretary of State and Muskie for accepting the position.

Sec. of State: nomination, 9466, 9528, 9694, 9917, 10151

9466; April 30, 1980; In the House of Representatives, Congressman Brademas (D-Indiana) congratulates Carter on his choice of Muskie to be Secretary of State.

9528; April 30, 1980; Rep. Collins (R-Texas) says he hopes Muskie will serve as well as Vance has, and proceeds to extol the foreign policy of Henry Kissinger, who served as National Security Advisor to Nixon and later as Secretary of State to Ford.

9694; May 1, 1980; The House takes up and passes the bill approved earlier in the day by the Senate to adjust the pay level for the Secretary of State to that which was in effect in January 1977, when Muskie was sworn in as a Senator for his current term in office. The Constitution prohibits any Member of Congress being appointed to an office whose pay is higher than it was before the Member was last reelected. This is a noncontroversial measure to assure compliance with the Constitution.

9917; May 6, 1980; Rep Giaimo (D-Connecticut) who was Chairman of the House Budget Committee and worked with Muskie in his similar Senate capacity, pays tribute to Muskie on the occasion of his nomination to be Secretary of State.

10151; May 7, 1980; Bauman (R-Maryland) asserts that there should be a debate over Muskie’s confirmation, because he has said he would pursue the Carter foreign policy as Vance did.

Sec. of State: compensation and other emoluments (S. 2637), 9594-9597

Sec. of State: effective date of financial compensations (S. 2637), 9694

9594-9597; May 1, 1980; The Senate takes up and passes by voice vote S. 2637, a bill to modify the pay of the Secretary of State so as to be in compliance with the Constitutional ban on any elected Member of Congress being appointed to a public office whose rate of compensation has been increased since that Member’s last election.

Sec. of State: compensation and other emoluments (see S. 2637), 9607

9607; May 1, 1980; Notice only of the introduction of S. 2637, a Ribicoff (D-Connecticut) bill to alter the compensation of the Secretary of State to conform to Constitutional requirements.

Swearing in ceremony, 10584

10584; May 8, 1980; On the day following Muskie’s confirmation, Weicker (R-Connecticut) says he has been approached by colleagues asking what the arrangements were for the swearing in ceremony, and offers to hold the floor with his amendments while his colleagues attend the ceremony.

Mr. Muskie's Opening Number, 10703

10703; May 8, 1980; Rep. Edwards (D-California) says the editorial opinion of the New York Times might be a valuable guide for Muskie as he takes up his new position at the Department of State.

Vienna meeting with Andrei Gromyko, 11433

11433; May 15, 1980; Helms (R-North Carolina) notes that Muskie’s first meeting as Secretary of State with his Soviet counterpart will take place soon in Vienna, and proceeds to dissect what he characterizes as three important recent speeches by top Soviet officials which prove that Soviet expansionism is not diminished, despite worldwide objections to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

HUMAN RESOURCES PROGRAMS

1980; 96^th Congress, 2^nd Session

GI Bill Amendments Act: enact (S. 870), 467-470, 666, 667

Table: Veterans Committee crosswalk for entitlements funded in annual appropriations acts, 468

GI Bill Amendments Act: to table Cranston amendment to S. 870, 472

467-470; January 23, 1980; Muskie speaks in opposition to a Cranston (D-California) amendment to provide a 15 percent inflation adjustment to GI bill benefits over the coming three years, making the argument that the cost of this amendment will entirely overturn any possibility of balancing the federal budget in fiscal 1981, as the Senate has voted to do.

472; January 23, 1980; When others have concluded debate on the Cranston amendment, Muskie makes a motion to table it, which, as he has predicted, loses 14 to 78.

666, 667; January 24, 1980; In continued debate on S. 870, the GI Bill Amendments, Bellmon (R-Oklahoma) says he thinks perhaps the Veterans’ Committee has made sufficient reductions in flight training that the issue will not be before the Budget Committee again, and Muskie confirms this.

Disability insurance: work incentives and improved accountability (H.R. 3236), 1203-1205, 1227, 1229

Disability insurance: waiting period for terminally ill, 1203-1205

Terminally ill: disability insurance benefits, 1203-1205

Report: Social Security Disability Insurance Program, Committee on Finance (excerpt), 1228

1203-1205; January 30, 1980; During debate on H.R. 3236, a bill reforming the Social Security Disability system, Muskie argues against a Bayh (D-Indiana) amendment to waive the normal waiting period to collect disability benefits in the case of persons who can be certified by two physicians to have less than 12 months to live.

1227, 1229; January 30, 1980; As debate on the disability reform measure, H.R. 3236, continues, Muskie is involved in a dispute between Bellmon (R-Oklahoma) and Metzenbaum (D-Ohio) over the provisions in the bill, as reported by the Finance Committee, to save almost $1 billion over 5 years by reducing certain elements of the replacement rate of disability benefits to ensure that the benefits do not become an incentive to remain on the disability rolls, rather than seeking rehabilitation and return to full time work.

Cystic Fibrosis Week: designate (see S.J. Res. 152) 5699

5699; March 18, 1980; Muskie is added as a cosponsor to S. J. Res. 152, a Mathias (R-Maryland) resolution authorizing a presidential proclamation of “National Cystic Fibrosis Week” for the week of September 21 through September 27, 1980.

Lubbers, William A,: cloture of debate on NLRB nomination, 8173, 8333, 8445, 8510

8173; April 17, 1980; When the Senate began debating the nomination of William A. Lubbers to be the General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board, it was immediately evident that the nomination would be under Republican attack, because in these years, there was a strong Republican focus on change in labor law and personnel. As a result, when the nomination was filibustered, a cloture motion was filed, and Muskie was one of the signatories to the cloture petition.

Cloture is the term used to describe the process by which a filibuster can be ended in the Senate. The requirement was that a cloture petition, signed by no fewer than 16 Senators, be presented to the Senate, by being formally presented to the desk where Senate business is filed, and that a cloture vote, a vote on the petition, be held no sooner than 48 hours thereafter. A successful cloture vote in 1980 required the affirmative votes of three-fifths of the Senators “elected and sworn” a substantial hurdle to overcome. Signing a cloture petition was a way for a Senator to indicate stronger-than-average support for a position on a particular issue, such as this nomination.

8333; April 18, 1980; Another cloture petition is filed, and Muskie’s name again appears as one of the signatories.

8445; April 21; 1980; When the first cloture petition “ripens” 48 hours after it is filed, the petition is reprinted in the Record, and Muskie is shown as a signatory. On this occasion, opponents of the nominee had the votes needed to block a final up-and-down confirmation vote, 48-40, because of substantial absentees.

8510; April 22, 1980; When the second cloture petition filed becomes ready for a vote, the petition is reprinted, with Muskie again listed, and cloture is invoked, 62-34, thus ending the filibuster.

Colloquy: Civil service annuities (Senate floor, 1976), 10529-10533

10529-10533; May 8, 1980; During the debate on the first concurrent budget resolution, a discussion about the allowance for civil service pension increases is illustrated by Stevens (R-Alaska) who reproduces part of a debate on the same issue from 1976, in which Muskie speaks. The Muskie portion of this exchange can be read here.

SENATE RULES, ASSIGNMENTS, HOUSEKEEPING

1980; 96^th Congress, 1^st Session

Resignation: Senate seat, 10715

10715; May 9, 1980; After Muskie’s nomination to be Secretary of State has been confirmed by the Senate, his formal letter to the President of the Senate, Vice President Mondale, is published in the Congressional Record.

TAXES, FISCAL POLICY, BUDGET

1980; 96^th Congress, 1^st Session

Report: Committee on Budget, 46, 478, 1105, 1701, 3468, 5181,6527

46; January 17, 1980; Muskie announces hearings to be held by the Budget Committee on the question of a balanced budget, for January 24 and 25.

478; January 23, 1980; Muskie reports S. Res. 314, waiving section 402(a) of the budget act to clear the way for debate on S. 1991, the authorization for the Federal Trade Commission.

1105; January 29, 1980; Muskie reports S. Res. 330, waiving section 402 (a) of the budget act to clear the way for debate on S. 2012, a bill authorizing aid for Central America and stabilization efforts in Nicaragua.

1701; February 4, 1980; Muskie reports S. Res. 358, an original resolution authorizing additional expenditures by the Budget Committee.

3468; February 21, 1980; Muskie reports S. Res. 362, waiving section 402 (a) of the budget act to clear the way for debate on S. 2194, authorizing aid for victims of the Azores earthquake.

5181; March 11, 1980; Muskie reports S. Res. 371, waiving section 402 (a) of the budget act to clear the way for debate on S. 446, a bill amending the civil rights statutes to bar discrimination against the disabled.

6527; March 25, 1980; Muskie reports S. Res. 371, waiving section 402 (a) of the budget act to clear the way for debate on S. 446, which was reported on March 7, Report No. 96-643.

Committee on Budget: additional expenditures (see S. Res. 358), 1710

1710; February 4, 1980; Muskie reports a resolution authorizing the Budget Committee to hire consultants and employees of other agencies on a reimbursable basis, which is then referred to the Committee on Rules.

Committee on Budget: notice of hearing, 3793, 4619

3793; February 26, 1980; Muskie lays out the witnesses and topics of several forthcoming Budget Committee hearings, beginning with the same day.

4619; March 4, 1980; Muskie says an extra Budget Committee hearing will be held for the Joint Economic Committee and the Chairman of the Federal Reserve, who asked that his earlier testimony be rescheduled. Because the figure for inflation in January 1980 came in at 18 percent on an annualized basis, which caused substantial outcry, and the President responded by reviewing his proposed budget and issuing further changes in it, a process that entailed additional work and review by his chief economic policy advisers.

Balanced Budget, by, National Association of Counties, 5821

Balanced budget analysis, 5821

5821; March 19, 1980; Byrd (D-West Virginia) talks about the economic problems facing the country and the need to balance the budget in the wake of a seven-day working session with the White House to try to put together a second budget, and notes that Muskie’s recent remarks to the National Association of Counties analyzed the problems of budget cutting and the need for compromise to get the job done.

Report: Expenditure of Foreign Currencies, 6082

6082; March 20, 1980; Each year the Secretary of the Senate is obliged to report expenses incurred in the performance of authorized travel, and Muskie’s name appears in the report as Chairman of the Budget Committee.

Inflation, Energy and Military Spending, by, 6116

6116; March 20, 1980; Hart (D-Colorado) says Muskie has made a strong summary of the issues involved in setting military spending levels, and recommends the speech to his colleagues.

Oil Excess Profits Tax, by, 6284

6284; March 24, 1980; When the conference report on H.R. 3919, the windfall profits tax bill is brought to the floor Bellmon (R-Oklahoma) and Long (D-Louisiana) have a difference of opinion about whether a section of it constitutes a trust fund that makes the money raised by the tax unreachable through the normal budgetary process, and to bolster his viewpoint, Bellmon reproduces a portion of the prior year’s debate in which Muskie discusses aspects of the trust fund issue.

Budget: guideline limiting Federal spending to GNP percentage (S. Res. 380), 6463, 6465, 6470-6474, 6481, 6482, 6486-6488, 6498, 6501, 6502, 6504, 6505

Budget: guideline limiting Federal spending to GNP percentage (S. Res. 380), 6463, 6473

Table: Outlays in President's budget, 6470

Table: Budget limitation (selected data), 6474

Table: Roth outlay savings, 6489

6463; March 25, 1980; As the Senate prepares to debate S. Res. 380, a resolution directing the Budget Committee to report a budget in which total spending does not exceed 21 percent of the Gross National Product, Muskie offers an amendment in the form of a substitute which calls for a balanced budget, the reserves to be used for tax relief, and then, if necessary, further reductions to the 21 percent level. This resolution was the Republican vehicle to switch the debate from budget balancing to the level of GNP that is absorbed by federal spending.

6465; March 25, 1980; As the Senate begins to debate S. Res. 380, a spending limitation proposal, Muskie corrects an assertion by Warner (R-Virginia) about the President’s new budget proposal.

6470-6474; March 25, 1980; Muskie makes his opening remarks on his substitute amendment, and proceeds to dissect the Roth (R-Delaware) proposal in terms of real program cuts, as he disputes the claim that his amendment is a smokescreen.

6481, 6482; March 25, 1980; As Percy (R-Illinois) makes his statement supporting the Roth resolution, Muskie reiterates that producing a balanced budget requires reductions in spending, a point he tries make repeatedly. By this time in the political election year, Republicans had determined their best approach would be to weaken Carter as much as possible, so his efforts to produce a second budget in response to the inflation rate became, in their terms, evidence that he was not serious about reducing spending.

6486-6488; March 25, 1980; As the debate continues, Muskie dissects in some detail the proposed spending cuts that have been suggested by Roth (R-Delaware), the sponsor of the resolution, and concludes they do not even amount to enough to reduce the budget to the 21 percent of GNP which is the ostensible purpose of the exercise.

6498, 6501, 6502, 6504, 6505; March 25, 1980; Debate on the resolution continues, and Muskie discusses the tax side of the issue with Bradley (D-New Jersey) and responds to the claim by Simpson (R-Wyoming) that adopting a resolution for an overall limit on spending is more effective in holding down spending than the budget process.

6509; March 25, 1980; As the debate winds down, Muskie yields to Byrd (D-West Virginia) for the final word on behalf of his resolution, which Byrd has cosponsored. It is traditional in high-profile debates such as this one for the Majority Leader to speak when everyone else has spoken. A Roth (R-Delaware) motion to table the Muskie resolution is rejected on a vote of 45 to 52, and the Muskie resolution is adopted on a vote of 56 to 41 afterwards.

Taxation: conference report on H.R. 3919 (oil excess profits), 6648-6651

Petroleum: conference report on H.R. 3919 (excess profits tax), 6648-6651

6648-6651; March 26,1980; As the Senate considers the conference report on H.R. 3919, the Windfall Profits tax bill, Muskie seeks to clarify the status of the taxes collected under it, which he does not believe constitute a new and mandatory trust fund, although Bellmon (R-Oklahoma) disagrees.

Legislators, Advisors and the State of the Economy, by, 7679

7679; April 3, 1980; Muskie gives a speech to a Realtors’ association explaining the pitfalls and difficulties in reaching a balanced budget while also providing tax cuts and preserving favored programs.

Congressional budget: setting forth (see S. Con. Res. 86), 7840

7840; April 15, 1980; Muskie reports an original concurrent resolution, S. Con. Res. 86, to establish the first budget resolution for fiscal year 1981, Report No. 96-654.