Pete Domenici: “Let me suggest that this modification is supported by Senator Stevens, Senator Domenici, Senator Gramm, and Senator…”

“Let me suggest that this modification is supported by Senator Stevens, Senator Domenici, Senator Gramm, and Senator Warner, and I understand on the Democrat side Senator Inouye has told Senator Stevens he supports it. We are obviously trying tonight to complete our work and get a budget resolution that we can take to conference with the House of which we are proud. Frankly, we came out of committee with $595.6 billion available in program authority for defense and domestic accounts. In addition, we said in that budget resolution that we were reinstating what we had used for 3 years: The first 3 years of the balanced budget agreement between the President and the Congress--to wit, a firewall--so the defense money couldn't be used for domestic spending or vice versa. In this amendment, we retain that, but we have added $4 billion in program authority to defense. There will be no mingling of that money with domestic and no mingling of domestic money with defense. That firewall stays in this modification offered by Senator Stevens on behalf of himself and other cosponsors. In addition, the budget resolution had a 60-vote point of order for emergencies. With this amendment, we have returned to the law as it was before this budget resolution; that is, last year we had in the budget resolution that 60-vote point of order which would apply to domestic spending. That is retained, not modified, and it is not expanded to include defense.”