[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 18] [Senate] [Pages 23598-23599] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]END OF THE 109TH CONGRESS Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, as the 109th Congress wraps up its final session, I want to note my disappointment that the current leadership decided not to work on all 10 of the appropriations bills that remain undone. Congress is adjourning and walking away with much of our work incomplete. It is irresponsible and wrong. We should have stayed and made the tough decisions to get the appropriations done. The Federal budget is due October 1. We missed that deadline, as we have often in recent years. The leadership adjourned for the elections, and when we returned the leadership lacked the will and determination to finish the appropriations bill. Many individuals Senators, including me, would have stayed and worked hard to get the job done. But we were overridden. Failure to enact the appropriations in a timely manner hurts programs because administrators cannot plan and they cannot hire staff in a timely manner. This can create real problems in our VA hospitals, our Head Start agencies and the clinics funded by the Maternal and child health block grant. This year, instead of doing our work, the congressional leaders are punting the tough budget decisions into the next year and the next Congress. On February 15, 2007, when the continuing resolution, CR, expires, agencies will have been operating for 4\1/2\ months under a CR which represents more than a third of the fiscal year. This imposes burdens and hardships on the people that our agencies of Government serve. It is failure of leadership. The Coalition of Human Needs has done some estimates about these cuts and their effects since 2002. Their analysis highlights that over time 72 programs of direct services have been cut when inflation is considered. Inflation erodes buying power over time, and it makes a stark difference in what services needy children and families receive. The coalition reports that 35 programs were cut by 10 percent or more, including essential programs like family violence, maternal and child health block grant, and Even Start, the early education component of Head Start. Such cuts are harsh and, in my view, [[Page 23599]] shortsighted. Investments in our children's health care and education are downpayments for our future. Housing programs, economic development investments in water and sewer projects, and basic funding for local law enforcement, along with a host of other programs will be put on hold for the next 9 weeks. I wish this were not the case, but sadly it is. My hope for the new Congress and the new leadership is that we will get the job done. I am proud to note that the leaders for the 110th Congress, which begins on January 4, 2007, have already announced their commitment to strike a new tone and to unite the interest of the American people. I will work with our leaders to get our work done for the families in West Virginia and across our country. ____________________