Lee Terry: “I rise in support of the Coburn-Toomey- Sanford amendment--an amendment which would offset the entire cost of this…”

“I rise in support of the Coburn-Toomey- Sanford amendment--an amendment which would offset the entire cost of this emergency appropriations bill in two ways. First, the amendment calls for our allies to share the burden of funding this NATO operation with the United States taxpayer. It would hold the nations participating in Operation Allied Force responsible for sharing the cost of what is swiftly becoming a protracted and costly air campaign. Member nations are already participating materially with us. We need for them to participate monetarily. Second, should the Administration be unable to obtain reimbursement from our NATO allies, this amendment would allow funds to be utilized from FY2000 non-defense discretionary spending; thus ensuring that this appropriation will be paid for without dipping into the Social Security Trust Fund. Offsetting this spending is vital to maintaining our budget priorities, which this Congress labored so hard to preserve earlier this year. The United States has domestic priorities that must be protected. We must be disciplined, Mr. Speaker. Members have talked about saving Social Security and Medicare during our recent budget debate. We have talked about creating a lock box for our nation's retirement security. I voted for a budget that set aside surplus money for our nation's elderly, and I am not going to waver from that commitment. This amendment will help protect our elderly and maintain our fiscal discipline.…”