Thomas Daschle: “I share the satisfaction expressed by the majority leader about the opportunity now to send Federal workers back to work…”

“I share the satisfaction expressed by the majority leader about the opportunity now to send Federal workers back to work with pay, apparently now giving them also the authority and funding to do at least some of the things that they are being paid for. But I share the reservations expressed by the Senator from Alaska and the Senator from Oregon. This is not the way to run a Government. The majority leader had it right on January 2. On January 2 this body passed a clean continuing resolution that did all that we should do. Now we are picking and choosing. Now we are picking winners and losers. Now we are still leaving unfunded a lot of very important programs including Head Start, JOBS, cops on the beat, virtually all the programs at the Commerce Department, NASA operations, the social services block grants, Violence Against Women grants, entire divisions of the Department of Justice--including the criminal, civil rights, and environmental divisions, among others--all Environmental Protection Agency contractor operations, low-income housing vouchers, and vocational rehabilitation. Many more agencies and activities, very important functions of Government, are still left without any funding, still left without any standing as we enter this new session of Congress in this new calendar year. American taxpayers have paid for these services, yet they will not be receiving them. So no one should be misled. We have not solved everything here.”