Joe Biden: “it seems to be ``deja vu all over again'' to quote Yogi Berra--last year we had to fight an effort on the House side to…”

“it seems to be ``deja vu all over again'' to quote Yogi Berra--last year we had to fight an effort on the House side to slash funds for the crime law trust fund, and it looks like we are going to have to do the same this year. The amendment which I propose today gives the entire Senate the opportunity to express its support for full funding of the violent crime control trust fund enacted in the 1994 crime law. Let me point out that the Senate budget resolution offered by Chairman Domenici does the right thing on the trust fund--Chairman Domenici fully funds the President's $5 billion request for the trust fund for 1997. This recognizes that the $5 billion for the trust fund is already paid for by the reduction of the Federal work force by 272,000 employees. The problem is that the budget resolution proposed by the Republican leadership of the House of Representatives which passed just last week by a narrow, partisan vote of 226 to 195--cut the President's $5 billion request for the trust fund by $300 million. This is less than the $900 million cut that had been proposed by the Republican leadership of the House--but this is still a significant cut that I must oppose. If the House proposed cut of $300 million is allowed to stand there can be only one result--fewer Federal dollars will be available to combat crime.”