The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“STATEMENT ON THE BALANCED BUDGET AGREEMENT” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Labor was published in the Senate section on pages S12723-S12724 on Dec. 15, 1997.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
STATEMENT ON THE BALANCED BUDGET AGREEMENT
Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, with the completion of the 13 annual fiscal year 1998 appropriations bills by the Congress, I believe we can say that Congress lived up to its end of the Balanced Budget Agreement.
The Balanced Budget Agreement had two major assumptions for the appropriated programs. The first was the protection of 13 priority domestic discretionary programs that were assumed to be funded at the level of the President's request. For these programs, Congress was on, or close to, the President's requested funding level with few departures.
The second assumption was the protection of funding for five specific budget functions--International Affairs, Natural Resources, Transportation, Education, and the Administration of Justice. Congress came within $0.3 billion of the overall total of $126.5 billion for these five budget functions, a shortfall of only 0.2 percent.
The funding departures for the 13 priority domestic discretionary programs were largely for items that Congress had not specifically agreed to--Pell grants--for a new program that was advance appropriated and made subject to authorization--Opportunities for Out of School Youth--and where anticipated reform was not enacted--Superfund.
Adjusting for these three items, Congress exceeded by $54 million, the overall $34 billion assumed in the budget agreement for these 13 protected programs. I will submit a table displaying congressional action on these programs at the end of my statement.
Mr. President, the Congress matched the BBA assumptions for bilingual and immigrant education, for BIA tribal priority allocations, and for the Job Corps.
The Congress exceeded the BBA assumptions for the technology literacy challenge fund, for Head Start, for National Park System operations and land acquisition, and for the violent crime reduction trust fund.
I ask to have printed in the Record the pertinent tables.
The material follows:
Partially offsetting these increases, Congress provided slightly less than the BBA assumed for the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Community Development Institutions Fund.
For Pell grants, the commitment made in the BBA was more complicated than simply a funding level. The BBA assumed the President's funding request for Pell grants, which was more than needed to fund the only policy change promised in the BBA--a $300 increase in the maximum Pell grant award. The BBA was silent on other policy changes, such as independent students, that were contemplated in the President's request.
While Congress provided $290 million less than assumed in the BBA for Pell grants, as part of the overall funding increase, the appropriations committees provided an additional $286 million above the base program level, which can be used to increase the income protection allowance [IPA] for independent and dependent students in the needs analysis formula applied in all need-based financial assistance programs. The final conference report makes clear, however, that the maximum Pell grant of $3,000 is to be funded first, before IPA's can be increased.
For the protected training and employment services programs at the Department of Labor, the final appropriations bill fell $307 million short of the BBA. The difference results mainly from Congress delaying
$250 million from 1998 to advance 1999 funding for a new program called opportunities for out of school youth, provided that such program is authorized as part of job training consolidation legislation enacted by July 1, 1998. The appropriations bill provides $25 million for pilots and demonstrations for this activity in 1998. The President sought all funds for 1998.
For Superfund, while enacted funding may not be at the President's requested level, Congress abided by the BBA. The BBA incorporated the President's request ``if policies can be worked out'' to reform the program. The President requested $2.094 billion in discretionary budget authority for Superfund, and proposed $200 million in new direct spending, for a total of $2.294 billion in 1998.
The Congress provided $2.15 billion for Superfund in the VA-HUD appropriations bill--$56 million more than the President requested in discretionary funding. Congress approved $1.5 billion in regular program funds, delays the obligation of $100 million of this budget authority until October 1, 1998, and provides that $650 million of the overall appropriation will only be made available if legislation reauthorizing Superfund is enacted by May 15, 1998.
Section 204 of the budget resolution includes a $200 million allowance for direct spending for the Superfund Program, which will be allocated once reform legislation is reported.
Finally, while Congress reduced EPA operating programs by $0.1 billion relative to the BBA, Congress also restored funding reductions proposed by the President to the State and tribal assistance grants--
which was not a protected program--providing $3.2 billion compared to the requested $2.8 billion.
For all the suspense at the end of the session, funding levels for these 13 programs were not the issue. The administration and the Congress came to mutual agreement on these funding levels, and other legislative matters held up the completion of the fiscal year 1998 appropriations bills.
Mr. President, I will also submit at the end of my statement a table displaying final action on funding for the five priority budget functions. It is somewhat remarkable that final appropriations action for these functions fell only $0.3 billion short of the $126.5 billion assumed in the BBA, considering that the responsibility for living up to the agreement was dispersed over 11 of the 13 appropriations subcommittees, which do not appropriate funds by function. Again, the President and the Congress came to agreement to depart somewhat from the request on funding for these functions, but the BBA was largely implemented as envisioned.
I ask to have printed in the Record the pertinent tables.
The material follows:
BBA: PROTECTED DOMESTIC DISCRETIONARY PROGRAMS
[In billions of dollars]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Final
Protected item BBA action Final +/-BBA
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dept of Commerce:
Nat Inst of Standards & Tech... 0.693 0.678 -0.015
Dept of Education:
Technology Literacy Fund....... 0.510 0.541 0.031
Pell Grants.................... 7.635 7.345 -0.290
Bilingual & Immigrant Ed....... 0.354 0.354 0
Child Literacy Initiatives..... 0.260 0.210 -0.05 Dept of HHS:
Head Start..................... 4.305 4.355 0.05 Dept of Interior:
National Park System........... 1.220 1.234 0.014
Land Acquisition............... 0.867 0.969 0.102
Everglades Restoration......... 0.140 0.135 -0.005
Tribal Priority Allocations.... 0.757 0.757 0 Dept of Labor:
Training & Employment Service.. 4.049 3.742 -0.307
Job Corps...................... 1.246 1.246 0 Dept of the Treasury:
Community Development.......... 0.125 0.080 -0.045
EPA:
EPA Operating Program.......... 2.739 2.632 -0.107
Superfund...................... 2.042 1.453 -0.589
Violent Crime:
VCRTF.......................... 5.416 5.500 0.084
COPS........................... 1.405 1.400 0.005
------------------------------------
Total........................ 33.763 32.631 -1.122
------------------------------------------------------------------------
COMPARISON OF NON-DEFENSE DISCRETIONARY LEVELS IN BALANCED BUDGET
AGREEMENT TO ENACTED APPROPRIATIONS
[In billions of dollars]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
BBA Enacted Difference
------------------------------------------------------------------------
International Affairs:
Budget authority................... 19.038 19.021 -0.017
Outlays............................ 19.179 18.954 -0.225
Natural Resources:
Budget authority................... 22.807 23.409 0.602
Outlays............................ 21.393 21.691 0.298
Transportation:
Budget authority................... 13.556 13.520 -0.036
Outlays............................ 38.267 38.453 0.186
Education:
Budget authority................... 46.721 45.978 -0.743
Outlays............................ 43.185 42.899 -0.286
Justice:
Budget authority................... 24.405 24.290 -0.115
Outlays............................ 22.170 21.711 -0.459
TOTAL:
Budget authority................... 126.527 126.218 -0.309
Outlays............................ 144.194 143.708 -0.486
------------------------------------------------------------------------
