the fiscal year 1998 agriculture spending bill that comes before us today totals $3.2 billion less than was spent on agriculture-related programs last year, and $12.6 billion less than was spent the prior year. That is an actual reduction…

Again, to conclude then, and to answer the Senator from Pennsylvania, I cannot ascribe a motive to anyone, but it seems mighty coincidental that at a very critical moment in the committee's deliberations and public hearings great doubt…

Well, Mr. President, if I can say to the Senator from Pennsylvania, there is an old Latin phrase that is used in law, ``post hoc, ergo propter hoc,'' meaning ``after this, therefore because of this.'' It seems fairly obvious that if, on…

And that I say is the second reason why we believe at this time events warrant the Attorney General to request the appointment of an independent counsel to investigate these matters.

the purpose of this amendment--and this is really a very simple amendment that I think specific language will be worked out on with members of the committee and hopefully could be included as part of the managers' amendment--is simply to…

In summary, this amendment establishes five conditions for the assistance that is to be provided to Russia for destruction of its chemical weapons, the so-called Nunn-Lugar funding. Very briefly, this resolution is called for because the…

hard-working American families have not seen significant net tax relief since Ronald Reagan's first year in office as President. That was 16 years ago, in 1981. Since then, their tax burden has gone in just one direction--up. Higher…

This is amendment No. 468, designed to correct a technical corrections problem which ironically arose out of the Medicare Technical Act of 1994. To describe it, you have been going to your doctor for 50 years. He says you need something…

I wish to briefly address the same subject my colleague from Colorado addressed, and that is the proposition that Americans are finally going to get some tax relief. The biggest tax relief, as a matter of fact, in 16 years is about to be…

I wish to follow up on some comments that my colleague from Colorado made. First, however, I should like to address a subject briefly which has relevance to one of the bills we will be taking up, if not today, then later this week, and…

I am pleased to have my colleague, Senator Phil Gramm, join me as an original cosponsor of the Senior Citizens Income Tax Relief Act. This legislation would give seniors relief from the Clinton Social Security tax increase of 1993. The…

let me say, as I did when this legislation originally came before the Senate a month ago, that I fully support the disaster relief that is being provided here. My heart goes not to the families that have lost their homes, their businesses…

the Senate once again has the opportunity to move beyond rhetoric and pass a bill that will really help working parents and their families. This afternoon's cloture motion represents the second time those of us who support the Family…

Gen. George S. Patton once said, ``if everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.'' Mr. President, I have no doubt that this budget is going to pass. There appears to be a lot of sentiment on both sides of the aisle that the…

Ron Fitzsimmons' admission is really not all that surprising. Even at the time of the debate in the Senate last year, the preponderance of evidence suggested that the procedure was more common than some of its defenders wanted the public…

Article II of the Constitution gave the President and the Senate equal treaty making powers, stating that the President ``shall have the power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the…

Let me explain to those who may be watching and do not appreciate the difference between budget outlays and budget authority what we are talking about here. Congress frequently passes laws granting authority to spend amounts of money on…

I will, at a later time, join in thanking the various staff and other people who have been so useful in ensuring a good debate. I think the Senate has gotten very serious about this matter. As the majority leader said earlier, as a result…

If ratified, Mr. President, the Chemical Weapons Convention would provide inspectors from foreign countries unprecedented access to U.S. facilities, both commercial and Government-related. Inspectors would be permitted to interview site…

what is it about articles X and XI that cause Secretary Cheney and so many others to conclude that they should be removed? I will quote to you the language of both. They are on the chart behind me. Article X provides that `` * * * each…

I don't want to use the word insulting, but it has no persuasive force, let's put it that way. Does this mean if a country like Iran or Cuba, for example, signs up, that we would be associating with lesser thugs? Actually, don't the…

the condition we have before us right now is whether or not the United States will be a party to a meaningful treaty, that is to say a treaty that covers nations that it needs to cover. It will not do us any good if we are a party to a…

I think it is also an inappropriate place to make the point that contrary to those who assert that the Chemical Weapons Convention deals with this problem, it does not. We should be very, very clear about that. There are reasons for…

I believe that most lawyers will agree with me that what they learned in law school was that the specific provisions of the contract always prevail over a general statement at the beginning of the contract. There are a lot of rules of…

I compliment both of them for their work to achieve what I have described as ``limited success'' in the provisions agreed to, but nonetheless important. I appreciate the negotiations that they conducted and the spirit in which this debate…