Weekly Radio Report: Appropriations Bill

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c031_022.mp3

c031_022_tr.txt

Transcription (Scripto)

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Extent (Dublin Core)

5 Minutes, 37 Seconds

File Name (Dublin Core)

c031_022

Title (Dublin Core)

Weekly Radio Report: Appropriations Bill

Description (Dublin Core)

In this weekly radio broadcast, Congressman Bob Dole discusses appropriations in Congress that have amounted to $117 billion in one session. He also expresses his feeling that Congress’ time is not being used efficiently and cites recent passage of the Highway Beautification Bill as an example.

Date (Dublin Core)

October 1965

Date Created (Dublin Core)

1965-10

Congress (Dublin Core)

89th (1965-1967)

Topics (Dublin Core)

See all items with this valueAppropriations and expenditures

See all items with this valueBudget process

Policy Area (Curation)

Economics and Public Finance

Creator (Dublin Core)

Dole, Robert J., 1923-2021

Record Type (Dublin Core)

radio programs

Names (Dublin Core)

See all items with this valueUnited States. Highway Beautification Act of 1965

See all items with this valueJohnson, Lady Bird, 1912-2007

Rights (Dublin Core)

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/

Language (Dublin Core)

eng

Collection Finding Aid (Dublin Core)

https://dolearchivecollections.ku.edu/index.php?p=collections/findingaid&id=84&q=

Physical Collection (Dublin Core)

Collection 031, Box 1

Institution (Dublin Core)

Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS

Archival Collection (Dublin Core)

Dole Audio Reels Collection, 1960-1979

Full Text (Extract Text)

This is Congressman Bob Dole with my weekly radio report from Washington. I certainly thank this station for carrying my program as a public service broadcast for the past few weeks. I keep thinking this may be the last program of the session, but Congress, more or less, seems to refuse to adjourn, though many of us are still hopeful that we will adjourn prior to November 1.

Right now, we're in the process of wrapping up some important legislation and also the process of enacting supplemental appropriations. If we do conclude this Congress in the next couple of weeks, we will have concluded a Congress that’s appropriated a total of more than $117 billion, and this, of course, is the largest ever in American peacetime history for one session. We've already passed most of the regular appropriations for departments and agencies, and they've either been passed or about to be passed. They total an estimated $98.2 billion, but when you add the various supplemental bills and a few others and add those all up to that amount, you get an excess of $117 billion — yes, $117 billion! This Congress — I'm talking about the Congress that came in in January of this year, and that will adjourn somewhere probably around November first of this year — in ten months, this Congress has appropriated in excess of $117 billion! So I think someday I hope to discuss what is a billion dollars, and if we could all comprehend what a billion dollars is, and of course, we could have some idea of what 117 billions were.

Well, at any rate, we've had a very expensive session of Congress. We've enacted some good legislation. The Congress has done a good job in many areas, and from my standpoint, I think we've enacted some very bad legislation, and I frankly feel that in other areas we could have postponed legislation. Above all, as I touched on briefly last week, it seems to me that it's not a good thing for the country or for the Congress when we have a complete imbalance by any one political party. And I frankly feel the majority of American people, regardless their politics, are of the opinion that this Congress should adjourn, and that we should go home, that we should digest some of the legislation enacted, and that Members of Congress should visit with some of the people in their districts, the taxpayers who must pay the bill for these programs. For despite the cries and the propaganda, someone must pay for these programs someday — either this year or next year, or perhaps, the next generation. But I would again caution everyone that, of course, federal aid is not free. Someone must pay the bill.

I, again, think looking back over the ten-month session that perhaps the most obvious and apparent illustration example in this Congress was the rushing through of Congress and the House Representatives of what we have learned to be the Highway Beautification Bill. This is how it's been designated, as the ‘Highway Beautification Bill.’ And I would point out that the House of Representative was kept in session for 14 consecutive hours — as we recall, I mean — we started at 11 o'clock on a Thursday and didn't finish this piece of legislation until one o'clock on Friday morning. And of course, the folly of this was that we met again on Friday noon and adjourned only after three hours, so of course, many of us wondered why the rush? Why was it necessary to stay in Congress 14 solid hours — stay in session 14 hours and then meet only three hours the next day?

Well, I believe it's been a matter of record for some time. This happened to be the night the President was going to the hospital, and of course, they were having a party at the White House called ‘A Salute to the Congress,’ and there's no secret about it, this was Mrs. Johnson's pet project. And of course, she has every right to the lobby and to visit and to discuss her pet project, but we thought it was rather ridiculous, frankly, that we must stay in session in 14 hours just so — as was reported by United Press International — that this gift could be presented to Mrs. Johnson that evening. Well, I think this is an example of what we shouldn't do in Congress. If we have any independence left — that we should assert this independence — we should schedule legislation, and we should have concerted hearings and we should have a chance to discuss these matters on the floor without entering into some kind of a marathon. We should not be engaged in a contest to see how much legislation we can pass. I don't believe that's the responsibility that people expect of any Member of Congress, or Congress as a branch of our government.

I see that my time is up. I would point out that the House and Senate have passed the so-called ‘conference report’ on the Farm Bill, and it will — and probably has been signed by the President. We have information available in our office, if you have any questions about how the program might operate.

Please write to me, Congressman Bob Dole, Room 243, House Office Building Washington, 25 D.C., and thanks for listening.

This is Congressman Bob Dole with my weekly radio report from Washington. I certainly thank this station for carrying my program as a public service broadcast for the past few weeks. I keep thinking this may be the last program of the session, but Congress, more or less, seems to refuse to adjourn, though many of us are still hopeful that we will adjourn prior to November 1.

Right now, we're in the process of wrapping up some important legislation and also the process of enacting supplemental appropriations. If we do conclude this Congress in the next couple of weeks, we will have concluded a Congress that’s appropriated a total of more than $117 billion, and this, of course, is the largest ever in American peacetime history for one session. We've already passed most of the regular appropriations for departments and agencies, and they've either been passed or about to be passed. They total an estimated $98.2 billion, but when you add the various supplemental bills and a few others and add those all up to that amount, you get an excess of $117 billion — yes, $117 billion! This Congress — I'm talking about the Congress that came in in January of this year, and that will adjourn somewhere probably around November first of this year — in ten months, this Congress has appropriated in excess of $117 billion! So I think someday I hope to discuss what is a billion dollars, and if we could all comprehend what a billion dollars is, and of course, we could have some idea of what 117 billions were.

Well, at any rate, we've had a very expensive session of Congress. We've enacted some good legislation. The Congress has done a good job in many areas, and from my standpoint, I think we've enacted some very bad legislation, and I frankly feel that in other areas we could have postponed legislation. Above all, as I touched on briefly last week, it seems to me that it's not a good thing for the country or for the Congress when we have a complete imbalance by any one political party. And I frankly feel the majority of American people, regardless their politics, are of the opinion that this Congress should adjourn, and that we should go home, that we should digest some of the legislation enacted, and that Members of Congress should visit with some of the people in their districts, the taxpayers who must pay the bill for these programs. For despite the cries and the propaganda, someone must pay for these programs someday — either this year or next year, or perhaps, the next generation. But I would again caution everyone that, of course, federal aid is not free. Someone must pay the bill.

I, again, think looking back over the ten-month session that perhaps the most obvious and apparent illustration example in this Congress was the rushing through of Congress and the House Representatives of what we have learned to be the Highway Beautification Bill. This is how it's been designated, as the ‘Highway Beautification Bill.’ And I would point out that the House of Representative was kept in session for 14 consecutive hours — as we recall, I mean — we started at 11 o'clock on a Thursday and didn't finish this piece of legislation until one o'clock on Friday morning. And of course, the folly of this was that we met again on Friday noon and adjourned only after three hours, so of course, many of us wondered why the rush? Why was it necessary to stay in Congress 14 solid hours — stay in session 14 hours and then meet only three hours the next day?

Well, I believe it's been a matter of record for some time. This happened to be the night the President was going to the hospital, and of course, they were having a party at the White House called ‘A Salute to the Congress,’ and there's no secret about it, this was Mrs. Johnson's pet project. And of course, she has every right to the lobby and to visit and to discuss her pet project, but we thought it was rather ridiculous, frankly, that we must stay in session in 14 hours just so — as was reported by United Press International — that this gift could be presented to Mrs. Johnson that evening. Well, I think this is an example of what we shouldn't do in Congress. If we have any independence left — that we should assert this independence — we should schedule legislation, and we should have concerted hearings and we should have a chance to discuss these matters on the floor without entering into some kind of a marathon. We should not be engaged in a contest to see how much legislation we can pass. I don't believe that's the responsibility that people expect of any Member of Congress, or Congress as a branch of our government.

I see that my time is up. I would point out that the House and Senate have passed the so-called ‘conference report’ on the Farm Bill, and it will — and probably has been signed by the President. We have information available in our office, if you have any questions about how the program might operate.

Please write to me, Congressman Bob Dole, Room 243, House Office Building Washington, 25 D.C., and thanks for listening.

This is Congressman Bob Dole with my weekly radio report from Washington. I certainly thank this station for carrying my program as a public service broadcast for the past few weeks. I keep thinking this may be the last program of the session, but Congress, more or less, seems to refuse to adjourn, though many of us are still hopeful that we will adjourn prior to November 1.

Right now, we're in the process of wrapping up some important legislation and also the process of enacting supplemental appropriations. If we do conclude this Congress in the next couple of weeks, we will have concluded a Congress that’s appropriated a total of more than $117 billion, and this, of course, is the largest ever in American peacetime history for one session. We've already passed most of the regular appropriations for departments and agencies, and they've either been passed or about to be passed. They total an estimated $98.2 billion, but when you add the various supplemental bills and a few others and add those all up to that amount, you get an excess of $117 billion — yes, $117 billion! This Congress — I'm talking about the Congress that came in in January of this year, and that will adjourn somewhere probably around November first of this year — in ten months, this Congress has appropriated in excess of $117 billion! So I think someday I hope to discuss what is a billion dollars, and if we could all comprehend what a billion dollars is, and of course, we could have some idea of what 117 billions were.

Well, at any rate, we've had a very expensive session of Congress. We've enacted some good legislation. The Congress has done a good job in many areas, and from my standpoint, I think we've enacted some very bad legislation, and I frankly feel that in other areas we could have postponed legislation. Above all, as I touched on briefly last week, it seems to me that it's not a good thing for the country or for the Congress when we have a complete imbalance by any one political party. And I frankly feel the majority of American people, regardless their politics, are of the opinion that this Congress should adjourn, and that we should go home, that we should digest some of the legislation enacted, and that Members of Congress should visit with some of the people in their districts, the taxpayers who must pay the bill for these programs. For despite the cries and the propaganda, someone must pay for these programs someday — either this year or next year, or perhaps, the next generation. But I would again caution everyone that, of course, federal aid is not free. Someone must pay the bill.

I, again, think looking back over the ten-month session that perhaps the most obvious and apparent illustration example in this Congress was the rushing through of Congress and the House Representatives of what we have learned to be the Highway Beautification Bill. This is how it's been designated, as the ‘Highway Beautification Bill.’ And I would point out that the House of Representative was kept in session for 14 consecutive hours — as we recall, I mean — we started at 11 o'clock on a Thursday and didn't finish this piece of legislation until one o'clock on Friday morning. And of course, the folly of this was that we met again on Friday noon and adjourned only after three hours, so of course, many of us wondered why the rush? Why was it necessary to stay in Congress 14 solid hours — stay in session 14 hours and then meet only three hours the next day?

Well, I believe it's been a matter of record for some time. This happened to be the night the President was going to the hospital, and of course, they were having a party at the White House called ‘A Salute to the Congress,’ and there's no secret about it, this was Mrs. Johnson's pet project. And of course, she has every right to the lobby and to visit and to discuss her pet project, but we thought it was rather ridiculous, frankly, that we must stay in session in 14 hours just so — as was reported by United Press International — that this gift could be presented to Mrs. Johnson that evening. Well, I think this is an example of what we shouldn't do in Congress. If we have any independence left — that we should assert this independence — we should schedule legislation, and we should have concerted hearings and we should have a chance to discuss these matters on the floor without entering into some kind of a marathon. We should not be engaged in a contest to see how much legislation we can pass. I don't believe that's the responsibility that people expect of any Member of Congress, or Congress as a branch of our government.

I see that my time is up. I would point out that the House and Senate have passed the so-called ‘conference report’ on the Farm Bill, and it will — and probably has been signed by the President. We have information available in our office, if you have any questions about how the program might operate.

Please write to me, Congressman Bob Dole, Room 243, House Office Building Washington, 25 D.C., and thanks for listening.