Max Baucus: “today we face a difficult choice. It is a day when the wrong choice is the easy one, and the right choice is the painful…”

“today we face a difficult choice. It is a day when the wrong choice is the easy one, and the right choice is the painful one. The bill before us, the emergency supplemental appropriations bill for 1994, provides aid for earthquake victims in Southern California. I have serious questions about the way we fund and prepare for disaster relief in general. But no one disputes that the families overwhelmed by this disaster need the help of the Federal Government. So I will, although with some reluctance, vote for the bill as a whole. I will also vote for an amendment offered by Senator Kerrey of Nebraska. The bill as is cuts $3.44 billion in previously approved spending. Senator Kerrey's amendment will cut $7 billion in 1994 above and beyond the existing cut, and a total of $94 billion over 5 years. This is a tough, perhaps even drastic amendment. My support for it as a whole does not indicate enthusiasm for each of its individual cuts. The cuts in Public Law 480 food aid and the honey program will cause real pain at home in Montana. Means-testing for Medicare part B will make wealthy senior citizens pay a bit more. But the amendment spreads the pain around the country fairly. More important, we have a drastic problem with the Federal budget deficit. And if we are to solve it, we need to take some drastic measures. We all have to grit our teeth and take some pain, and Montana is no exception.”