[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 6 (Tuesday, February 1, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[Congressional Record: February 1, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
MEMBERS URGED TO CONTINUE DEFICIT REDUCTION EFFORTS, RESIST SPECIAL
INTEREST LEGISLATION
(Mr. HOAGLAND asked and was given permission to address the House for
1 minute.)
Mr. HOAGLAND. Mr. Speaker, we are making terrific progress on the
deficit reduction front. Nineteen months ago we were accumulating
deficit at the rate of about $331 billion a year. A month ago that
figure was down to $251 billion, and OMB now tells us the deficit for
the next fiscal year is going to be under $200 billion.
That is terrific progress, and we should be proud of that. But we
must maintain our focus and maintain our discipline.
It is too easy when major bills come through Congress to tuck away
little private provisions that help a particular area. The crime bill
passed by the Senate, which all of us support in its general outline,
contains a provision calling for the establishment of a task force to
protect Hawaii against the introduction of foreign plants and animals.
What does that have to do with making our streets safer?
There is also a provision assisting Hong Kong Royal Police who may
want to come to the United States, emigrate, and become law enforcement
officers here. In Nebraska we have lists of highly qualified, college-
educated men and women waiting for openings in law enforcement. We need
not favor Hong Kong police officers. We have plenty of qualified
Americans right here.
Mr. Speaker, my point is that these wasteful projects are to our war
on crime like the $600 toilet seats were in our war against communism.
We have to resist these. We have to keep our bills clean and resist
those sorts of special interest provisions, which will only run up the
deficit.
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