Cord Byrd: “Let me, in summation, state that the language that is in the bill, authored by Mr. McCain and Senator Hutchison and…”

“Let me, in summation, state that the language that is in the bill, authored by Mr. McCain and Senator Hutchison and others, means in a practical sense that if we fail to pass an appropriation bill, all of the programs contained in that bill will receive a cut, because they will remain at a freeze; in other words, no increase over inflation. But it will be a hard freeze. This means education programs, law enforcement programs, immigration programs, transportation programs, agriculture programs and so on. Second, we will have lost most all of our negotiating strength with regard to fiscal year 1998 appropriations issues because all that the other side has to do is just pass the bills they want to pass and find some reason not to pass others, like the labor and health appropriations bill, and they will automatically keep those programs on a freeze level. I feel reasonably sure, also, that domestic discretionary programs are the ones that will end up feeling the automatic budget axe.”