Lincoln Chafee: “last fall the Senate approved a version of the D.C. appropriations bill with no trouble. We passed it here in the Senate…”

“last fall the Senate approved a version of the D.C. appropriations bill with no trouble. We passed it here in the Senate with no difficulty. Later, the House passed its version, but in its version there was the creation of a new Federal spending program to provide private school vouchers to a select group of students. This conference report which we are dealing with today creates the first federally funded private school voucher program in the United States of America. The Senate conferees, Republicans and the Democrats from the Senate, were united in their opposition to the House private school voucher provision. The House would not yield, and for months an agreement could not be reached. The Senate bill did not include, as I say, anything to do with vouchers. We never had an opportunity to address it. There had been no hearings on this measure in the Senate. But the House has said, take this new Federal spending program with all its flaws or the District of Columbia will not receive its Federal payments. This appropriations bill, I submit, should not be used to force the Senate to endorse the creation of a new Federal spending program with dubious merit. It is no accident, it seems to me, Mr. President, that this new voucher program has been attached to the D.C. appropriations bill. None of us have a constituency. None of us are responsible to the District of Columbia voters. They cannot punish us or reward us in any fashion.…”