House passes budget for fiscal year 2001

Human Events, May 12, 2000

Roll Call

On April 13, by a vote of 220 to 208, the House approved the Budget Resolution (H Con Res 290) worked out by a House-Senate conference committee that would authorize $1.87 trillion in spending for Fiscal Year 2001 and calls for $150 billion in tax relief over five years. The resolution would create two reserve funds: one of $40 billion that can only be spent on Medicare reform or paying down the national debt; another of $25 billion that could be used for tax breaks or debtreduction.

The budget would raise discretionary spending by 2h over last year to $600.3 billion. All of the increase in discretionary spending-and over half of the discretionary spending total--would be for the military. Non-defense discretionary spending would be reduced by 2% from last year. (President Clinton had called for $614.3 billion in discretionary spending and, after netting out his proposals, effectively no tax cut.)

Rep. Porter Goss (R: Fla.) praised the bill. "The two chambers have come to a speedy agreement on the fiscal year 2001 budget resolution, sorting out differences between the houses in a responsible manner. 1 am pleased to note that the conference report to be considered today adheres to the six major principles that we outlined when this process began, including continuing our historic achievement of paying down the national debt, protecting 100% of the Social Security trust fund, boosting our national defense, providing for prescription drug coverage and Medicare reform, offering tax relief, and supporting our localities in the all-important arena of education of our youth."

Rep. John Kasich (R: Ohio), chairman of the Budget Committee, echoed these praises, and expressed pride that "for the second year in a row, the second time in 40 years, we are not going to touch the Social Security surplus. We are not going to take any money that is in surplus that comes in from the Social Security taxes to pay benefits for our seniors; we are not going to take it and spend it on any other government program. That means that that surplus is going to be available to fix Social Security for the baby boomers and their children. So we will keep our mitts off of that."

Kasich regretted the high spending amounts in the budget, however. "I will tell my colleagues right off the bat, it spends too much, But with what we are working with here, with a narrow margin and a lot of diverse interests, I think we have come up with a very good proposal."

Minority Leader Rep. Dick Gephardt (D: Mo.) had the standard liberal objections to the GOP plan. "The Republican budget plan, if implemented, would threaten our record prosperity and undermine the values of middle-class families. This budget reflects the irresistible urge Republicans have to enact massive, irresponsible tax cuts above all other needs and priorities of the American people."

Rep. Ken Bentsen (D.-Tex) denounced Republican budget-making in general. "1 think at the end of the day it is going to be a failure, like the other budgets that the Republican Congress has tried to adopt."

A "yes" vote was a vote in favor of the conference report on the Fiscal 2001 budget, which calls for spending $1.87 trillion, including $600.3 billion in discretionary spending, and $150 billion in tax breaks over five years. A "no" vote was a vote against the conference report.