Don Nickles: “I also oppose this conference report. Madam President, it is difficult to find something that 8 in 10 Americans agree…”

“I also oppose this conference report. Madam President, it is difficult to find something that 8 in 10 Americans agree upon. But, a poll released this week shows that 79 percent of the public believe government wastes a lot of the money they pay in taxes. This poll was not taken by a conservative Republican, but by the President's own pollster, Stanley Greenberg. Today, we have a bill before us which says to the American people, ``we don't care about fiscal restraint, and we don't care about your tax dollars.'' Why do I make this claim? Because a simple modicum of fiscal restraint in the School-to-Work program, which is now before us, passed the Senate and was stripped in conference. In February we spent some time debating and amending President Clinton's School-to-Work Program. I spoke in opposition to this legislation at that time, and as the conference report comes before the Senate today I rise to oppose it as well. When the bill was originally reported, it gave a blank check for the program by authorizing such sums as necessary. I was pleased that the Senate accepted my amendment to remove this blank check and replace it with authorization levels in the President's--I repeat, the President's--fiscal year 1995 budget. My amendment authorized $1.65 billion over 5 years for the School-to-Work Program. However, for reasons I cannot fathom my amendment was dropped from the conference report we are considering here today.”