Congressional Budget for the United States Government for Fiscal Year 2007
CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET FOR THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2007 -- (Senate - March 16, 2006)
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Mr. BURR. Mr. President, I rise on the Senate floor today to not only offer this amendment and talk about it, but to speak on an amendment of another Member of the Senate, an amendment that also focuses on the avian flu.
Our country faces threats, some of which we know and some of which we don't know today. One real threat is the threat of pandemic bird flu. The President of the United States was ahead of the curve on this with a proposal to the Congress of over $7 billion for advanced development of vaccines, for the preparation the country needs to go through, and for the stockpiles of antivirals and countermeasures.
The fact is that Congress has responded to his request. This year the budget resolution highlights the fact that the President's request of $2.3 billion of taxpayers' money is in this budget resolution.
My colleague from North Dakota, for whom I have a tremendous amount of respect and who has helped, along with Senator Gregg, to move this budget resolution through this body, has asked we increase that amount by $5 billion. If for 1 minute I thought $5 billion would make America safer, I would be on the floor as a cosponsor of that amendment. But the reality is, we are at a point where we are absorbing all the money we can, given where we are in this process.
I just left a hearing with the Secretary of Health and Human Services. My direct question to him was: The President's budget asked for $2.3 billion. Is that sufficient for 2007?
He looked at me and said: Senator, where we are in the development of vaccines, where we are in our need for stockpiles, that amount fulfills everything we can do in preparation.
So I urge my colleagues not to support the amendment for an additional $5 billion of taxpayers' money to potentially go into a black hole. I remind my colleagues that the way this is funded is to raise taxes on the American people. We have used tax loopholes for corporations to fund many items suggested in amendments on this floor. The fact is, once again, the American people realize this is a covert way of raising taxes on them.
My amendment does something very simple. It creates a reserve fund. It has been described as hollow because it has no money. I believe the American people demand that we bring fiscal responsibility to this institution, to the Congress of the United States. I don't want to tie the hands of individuals within the agencies if they see a need for something, but the creation of this reserve fund allows them to do it in a budget-neutral way.
I believe this will be overwhelmingly supported because, in fact, it doesn't spend any new money, but it provides the flexibility and authority to those who are charged with addressing this threat.
The amendment establishes a reserve fund, and that can help to rebuild our domestic vaccine industry, support advanced development and acquisition of needed drugs and vaccines, strengthen the public health infrastructure, and increase surveillance and outbreak containment.
We are at a point in this Congress where we have the opportunity to reauthorize the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act, and we are considering legislation on advanced development of vaccines and countermeasures against chemical, biological, or radiological and natural threats. There are many issues that we have to decide exactly how we are going to handle. But to throw money at them is, in fact, not the answer today.
Those who are charged with the responsibility of making sure this country is prepared, in fact, have sufficient funding today. I urge my colleagues to vote against the Conrad amendment, to vote for the Burr amendment, and to make sure this administration is able to carry out what has been a well-planned preparation for a known threat to this country and, I might add, to the world.
I yield the floor.
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