Nancy L. Johnson: “I believe that many, many, many people in our government are working extremely hard to assure that on January 1, 2000…”

“I believe that many, many, many people in our government are working extremely hard to assure that on January 1, 2000, we will be able to pay the bills, that there will be no interruption in government services, that Medicare will go well, Social Security will go well, contractors will get paid, defense will move forward. I think it is our obligation, while we may not all agree on how to fund this at this particular moment, to let this bill move forward. So my plea is not just to those who might want to eliminate any agency that is vulnerable to elimination under this rule, like those that I mentioned. It is also, for a second thought, by some on my side who are not satisfied with how we are funding the Y2K challenge. There are many rounds yet in the public discussion within this body and in the Senate as to how we satisfy that, so I think restraint on both sides of the aisle to move forward on this very important bill is a responsibility we share.”