Sam Gibbons: “the Committee on Commerce recently amended H.R. 45, the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1999 to exempt the $8 billion…”

“the Committee on Commerce recently amended H.R. 45, the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1999 to exempt the $8 billion Nuclear Waste Fund from the Budget Enforcement Act. So what does this mean? Well, this move to take the nuclear waste budget off-budget would open the floodgates for unrestricted, uncontrolled spending. By taking H.R. 45 off-budget, we will permit funding increases without the necessary offsets and provide for little or no congressional oversight and accountability, all in the name of nuclear waste. By fragmenting the budget to accommodate nuclear waste interests, we would set a dangerous precedent that every other trust fund would undoubtedly attempt to follow. As Members of Congress, we should be concerned about any erosion of our commitment to budget discipline. Let us not forget that there are several hundred trusts and special funds in existence today, with only Social Security and the Postal Service receiving this special status of off-budget. I would encourage my colleagues to uphold their commitment to fiscal responsibility and vote ``no'' on H.R. 45. Let us not make nuclear waste more important than our Social Security, Medicare, seniors and children.”