CNY Congress Link

November 25, 1999

FOR YOUR INFORMATION
CONTACT: Jim O'Connor at (315) 423-5657

ACCOMPLISHMENTS WERE PLENTIFUL FOR 106TH CONGRESS

BY JAMES T. WALSH

NEW YORK 25^th DISTRICT

Congress' record of accomplishments this session and the Fiscal Year 2000 Budget probably won't be on the tip of every tongue this holiday season, but the news is good and I wanted to share some of the highlights with you.

For one thing, the budget is balanced - and for the first time it does not rely on Social Security surpluses. It pays down the national debt by more than $100 billion. And it contains an historic first: an across-the-board spending cut.

With this budget, we have stopped the raid on the Social Security Trust Fund and strengthened the commitment to senior citizens and "future seniors." On other fronts:

* My infant-hearing testing bill became law after a nine-year fight. Now states will get assistance to set up delivery room tests of newborns who, if they are determined to be hearing impaired, will be referred to specialists for diagnosis and treatment. This saves health care costs and family grief.

* We won the dairy fight, prevailing on Congress and the President to allow for implementation of pricing policies which will save Northeast farmers $40 million next year alone.

* We passed Medicare reform which will help Upstate New York hospitals and health care systems hurt in the Balanced Budget Amendment.

* My "Walsh Visa" was enacted, the only U.S. legislation to accompany the Northern Ireland peace process. It will allow 12,000 young people on both sides of the struggle to come to the U.S. to learn a trade and return home to relate their experience in a multi-cultural society.

* I brought home millions of dollars in assistance for worthy local projects. As I said at the outset of this year, I wanted to use my new position as Chairman of the VA/HUD Appropriations Subcommittee to help my community and I did so without compromising my responsibilities to deliver a VA/HUD budget fair to veterans and the housing vulnerable in our country.

It has been an outstanding, historic year and I want to thank all the groups and individuals who have worked with my office to accomplish so much for our community.

END

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