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MR. HOYER. THE CHAIRMAN: THE GENTLEMAN FROM MARYLAND IS RECOGNIZED FOR FOUR MINUTES. MR. HOYER: I ASK UNANIMOUS CONSENT TO REVISE AND EXTEND MY REMARKS. THE CHAIRMAN: WITHOUT OBJECTION. MR. HOYER: MR. SPEAKER, YESTERDAY ON THIS HOUSE FLOOR THE REPUBLICAN MAJORITY LEADER, MR. DELAY, REMARKED THAT THIS BUDGET DEBATE FRAMES THE DEMOCRATIC AND REPUBLICAN PARTIES' COMPETING VISIONS OF AMERICA. ON THAT WE ARE IN COMPLETE AGREEMENT. THE FEDERAL BUDGET IS, INDEED, A STATEMENT OF OUR NATIONAL PRIORITIES. IT'S A STATEMENT OF OUR VALUES. AND TODAY THROUGH ITS BUDGET RESOLUTION THE REPUBLICAN PARTY TELLS ALL OF AMERICA THAT IT LACKS THE WILL AND IT LACKS THE COURAGE TO ADDRESS THE FISCAL CRISIS THAT ITS FAILED ECONOMIC POLICIES HAVE CREATED OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS. LAST WEEK, THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BUDGET COMMITTEE, MR. NUSSLE, AND I QUOTE, SAID THIS, WE DON'T BELIEVE YOU SHOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR TAX CUTS. WELL, MY REPUBLICAN FRIENDS, YOU DON'T. BUT OUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN WILL PAY FOR THEM. WITH A PROJECTED RECORD BUDGET DEFICIT OF MORE THAN $500 BILLION THIS YEAR ALONE. THIS BUDGET RESOLUTION WOULD DIG AN EVEN DEEPER DEFICIT HOLE. IT WOULD INCREASE THE DEFICIT BY NEARLY $250 BILLION OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS AND OVER THE NEXT 10 YEARS INCREASE THE DEFICIT ALREADY PROJECTED BY THE CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE TO BE $2 TRILLION, AN ADDITIONAL $1.6 TRILLION OF DEFICIT. THAT YOUNG PEOPLE, YOUNG PEOPLE WILL HAVE TO PAY OFF. DEMOCRATS BELIEVE THAT IT IS IRRESPONSIBLE, INDEED IMMORAL TO ADOPT SUCH A POLICY. AND TO PLUNGE OUR NATION EVEN DEEPER INTO DEBT AND TO FORCE FUTURE GENERATIONS TO PAY OUR BILLS. REPUBLICANS APPARENTLY ARE NOT BOTHERED BY THAT. THIS BUDGET RESOLUTION WOULD SPEND THE ENTIRE $1 TRILLION SOCIAL SECURITY SURPLUS, ALL OF IT, EVERY NICKEL OF SOCIAL SECURITY, SPENT BY THIS BUDGET, SURPLUS OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS AND IN SUBSEQUENT YEARS. DEMOCRATS BELIEVE THAT IS IRRESPONSIBLE. INDEED, AS I HAVE SAID, IMMORAL. TO ROB SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE TO PAY FOR TAX CUTS. REPUBLICANS APPARENTLY DO NOT. AND THIS BUDGET RESOLUTION WOULD FREEZE FUNDING FOR DOMESTIC APPROPRIATIONS OUTSIDE OF HOMELAND SECURITY TO MAKE ROOM FOR TAX CUTS. EVEN A RESPECTED MEMBER OF YOUR OWN PARTY, MR. CHAIRMAN, THE CHAIRMAN OF THE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE, MR. YOUNG, HAS RECOGNIZED THE FOLLY OF TRYING TO BALANCE THE BUDGET ON THE BACKS OF CHILDREN, VETERANS, THE ELDERLY, AND THE UNINSURED. IN FEBRUARY CHAIRMAN YOUNG, ONE OF THE MOST RESPECTED MEMBERS OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, LEADER IN THIS HOUSE, SAID, I QUOTE, NO ONE SHOULD EXPECT SIGNIFICANT DEFICIT REDUCTION AS A RESULT OF AUSTERE, NONDEFENSE DISCRETIONARY SPENDING LIMITS. MR. YOUNG SAID, THE NUMBERS SIMPLY DO NOT ADD UP, PERIOD, CLOSE QUOTE, MR. YOUNG. WHY DON'T THE NUMBERS ADD UP? BECAUSE NONDEFENSE DISCRETIONARY SPENDING REPRESENTS ONLY 17% OF THE ENTIRE FEDERAL BUDGET. AND THEN WE ARE TOLD, MY FRIENDS, THAT WE'LL ELIMINATE WASTE, FRAUD, AND ABUSE. I'M FOR THAT. AND I AM SHOCKED, SHOCKED THAT THE REPUBLICAN ADMINISTRATION HAS BEEN IN OFFICE FOR 3 1/2 YEARS, CONTROLLED THIS HOUSE AND THE SENATE, AND WE STILL HAVE SIGNIFICANT WASTE, FRAUD, AND ABUSE IN WASHINGTON. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS ADMINISTRATION? DON'T THEY CARE ABOUT WASTE, FRAUD, AND ABUSE? WHY HAVEN'T THEY GOTTEN RID OF IT? THE TRUTH IS WE COULD WIPE OUT ALL NONDEFENSE DISCRETIONARY SPENDING AND WE WOULD STILL BE RUNNING A DEFICIT OF MORE THAN $100 BILLION. IN OTHER WORDS, WE WOULD SHUT DOWN ALL OF GOVERNMENT. MAYBE SOME WOULD LIKE TO DO THAT, BUT THE PEOPLE WHO RIDE ON ROADS, THE PEOPLE WHO WANT THE F.B.I. ON THE JOB, THE PEOPLE WHO WANT THE C.I.A. ON THE JOB, THE PEOPLE WHO WANT N.I.H. RESEARCHERS TRYING TO FIND HOW WE CURE CANCER -- MAY I HAVE ONE ADDITIONAL MINUTE? MR. SPRATT: I YIELD THE GENTLEMAN ONE ADDITIONAL MINUTE. MR. HOYER: WOULD WANT THEM ON THE JOB. MR. SPEAKER, DEMOCRATS FOUGHT FOR PAY-AS-YOU-GO BUDGET RULES THAT REQUIRE BOTH SPENDING INCREASES AND REVENUE DECREASES TO BE OFFSET. THAT'S WHAT ALAN GREENSPAN SAID WAS RESPONSIBLE. THAT'S WHAT THE OTHER BODY VOTED FOR. A BIPARTISAN MAJORITY OF THE OTHER CHAMBER VOTED FOR THAT. AND ALL OF US KNOW THAT OUR BIPARTISAN AGREEMENT ON SUCH RULES IN 1990 LED TO STEADILY DECREASING DEFICITS, FOUR CONSECUTIVE SURPLUSES, AND STRONGEST ECONOMY IN OUR LIFETIMES. BUT HOUSE REPUBLICANS HAVE REFUSED. INSTEAD, THEY WANT TO PRETEND THAT THEY ARE COMMITTED TO FISCAL DISCIPLINE. THEY SAY THEY WANT TO APPLY PAY-AS-YOU-GO RULES TO SPENDING INCREASES, BUT NOT TAX CUTS. THEY WON'T BRING IT TO THE FLOOR. THE MAJORITY LEADER SAYS IT'S GOT TO RIPEN. I'M NOT SURE WHAT RIPENING MEANS, BUT THAT'S WHAT IT'S GOT TO DO. BUT IT'S DOUBTFUL WHETHER THEIR BUDGET ENFORCEMENT BILL WILL EVER SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY. FOR YEARS, HOUSE REPUBLICANS PRETEND AS DEFICIT HISPANIC CAUCUS, SOME RECOGNIZE THE TAX CUTS ARE NOT SACK CROW SANTHS OR FREEBIES. THAT'S WHAT TOM DELAY SAID. WE OUGHT TO REJECT THIS REPUBLICAN BUDGET RESOLUTION AND ADOPT THE RESPONSIBLE, EFFECTIVE SPRATT ALTERNATIVE. THE BLUE DOG ALTERNATIVE DOES THE SAME. THE CHAIRMAN: THE GENTLEMAN'S TIME HAS EXPIRED. FOR WHAT PURPOSE DOES THE GENTLEMAN FROM IOWA SEEK RECOGNITION? MR. NUSSLE: I YIELD MYSELF 20 SECONDS TO RESPOND BRIEFLY AND SAY THE GENTLEMAN FROM MARYLAND MAY WANT TO READ HIS SUBSTITUTE. IT'S INTERESTING WHAT YOU FIND OUT WHEN YOU READ THE SUBSTITUTE. HE SAID THAT IT WOULD BE IMMORAL TO USE ONE PENNY OF THE SOCIAL SECURITY TRUST FUND OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. GUESS WHAT? YOUR SUBSTITUTE SPENDS IT ALL. I YIELD TWO MINUTES TO THE GENTLEMAN FROM ALABAMA. THE DISTINGUISHED MEMBER OF THE COMMITTEE. MR. HOYER: WOULD THE CHAIRMAN LIKE TO YIELD TO ME TO RESPOND TO THAT? BECAUSE I HAVE AN ANSWER. THE CHAIRMAN: THE TIME BELONGS TO THE GENTLEMAN FROM ALABAMA. MR. HOYER: THANK YOU VERY MUCH. MR. BONNER: MR. CHAIRMAN, OUR NATION
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