During his recent State of the Union speech, President Clinton reminded us that our Nation is facing a health care crisis and a crime crisis, both of which are threatening the present-- and more importantly--future well-being of our…

During this lull in the proceedings, I thought it would be important--in that we have just a short amount of time to debate the Reid substitute--I think it is important to note again the differences between the Simon balanced budget…

this is a balanced budget amendment that Senators Reid, Ford, and Feinstein have offered. It treats the Federal Government like the family is treated in America, like the State governments are treated, where they balance their budgets. It…

The reason I wish to stand at this time is to spread across the Record in this Congress and for the American public and future generations, something that is unique that we just heard. I am an attorney. I went to law school, practiced law…

The Reid substitute does what is done in virtually every State in the Union. Virtually every State in the Union has a balanced budget. We should have one, but we should do it in a reasonable manner. What the Reid substitute does is say…

I want to bring to the attention of this body during this lull in the proceedings, a column written by James Schlesinger, former Secretary of Defense, Director of Intelligence and Director of Budget. It is interesting that a number of…

I want to bring to the attention of this body during this lull in the proceedings, a column written by James Schlesinger, former Secretary of Defense, Director of Intelligence and Director of Budget. It is interesting that a number of…

with some urgency and concern, I spoke yesterday to this Chamber about the balanced budget amendment. That urgency and concern have only increased. I believe a specter haunts this body, Madam President. Gaunt lined and hollow eyed as death…

The point of that provision is to provide that a nonpartisan, unelected official could make that decision. That seems totally reasonable. But I find it amazing that the Senator from Utah complained of ceding powers to unelected officials…

I think it is irresponsible for the Members on the other side of the aisle to say that they are going to vote against my amendment. The only hope we have of having a constitutional amendment is that we have some of our friends on the other…

The Senators from Utah and Arizona complained my amendment delegates powers to an unelected official, the Director of CBO, to make economic determinations.

the most direct, concise statement made during the last two presentations was the statement made by my friend from Idaho that this was not an accurate depiction of the Reid substitute. And that is true. What we have been dealing with here…

The budget experts have told us that the word ``net'' is the appropriate term of art to use, that it comes out to the same monetary number that is in the Simon amendment. They just felt the word ``net'' is a better term of art.

I suggest to my friend from New Mexico that the fact of the matter is that for 40-odd years, we have been carrying this in our accounting of the Federal budget. States have had decades and decades of experience. There was a statement that…

That question has been raised and we were told by the experts that the word ``net'' is a better term of art; however, it accomplishes the same thing as the underlying Simon amendment.

As the Senator knows, we work on a yearly budget, and what is contemplated here is that sometime during one of those 2 years of the Congress, if there are 2 successive months where the growth is less than 1 percent, then that is where this…

I hope every senior citizen and every disabled American was listening to the presentation made by the Senator from Utah and the Senator from Arizona. The Reid balanced budget amendment balances the budget, but not on the backs of senior…

I want to compliment the Senator from West Virginia, the President pro tempore, for his wide-ranging accounting of the history of the power of the purse. The encyclopedic memory of the Senator from West Virginia is truly a marvel. Senators…

I do not think they would be required to. I say they have not done it in the past. I assume we could get them to start doing that even though it would be extremely difficult to do that.

I respond by saying that, as I have indicated, virtually every State has an operating budget and a capital budget. Senator Ford, a former Governor of Kentucky, came and spoke at some length about how he conducted business when he was the…

I respond to my friend from Alabama that we have significant experience with capital budgets. We have set forth in the Federal budget capital expenditures. We have used that for some 40-odd years and, of course, all State governments--not…

Far from to try to argue legalities with my friend from Alabama who is the legal mind of the Senate I would say this, however, that if the Senator has any questions, any problem with the language of my amendment, then he should tremble at…

The problem, I say to my friend is--using the Brooklyn Bridge as an argument--if in fact we did not want to live up to what Senator Hatch said was our constitutional obligation and duty--and I take for granted we would all try to do that…

If I could respond to my friend, as I have indicated, we feel there is sufficient experience in the State and even in the Federal legislation to give us significant direction. I refer, as the esteemed former chief justice of the Alabama…

I think it would be in the best interests of this country, and the Senate as an institution, that we adopt the Reid substitute. Why do I say that? Because it requires a balanced budget amendment by the year 2001, but it does it through…