[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 11 (Tuesday, February 8, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: February 8, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                  DISASTER RELIEF OFFSETS DON'T OFFSET

  (Mr. SOLOMON asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, P.T. Barnum once said, ``There's a sucker 
born every minute.'' Well, last Thursday could have filled a couple of 
his circus tents with suckers.
  This entire House was suckered into believing that it was partially 
offsetting the disaster relief bill with some $2\1/2\ billion in 
rescissions by adopting the Fazio amendment. But, in point of fact, it 
was not. It simply freed-up another $2\1/2\ billion for additional 
spending under the fiscal 1994 discretionary spending cap.
  How could this happen when Mr. Fazio assured the Rules Committee, and 
this House, that he was partially offsetting the disaster relief 
expenditures? I would like to think it was a simple drafting error. But 
nowhere in his amendment is there one word about offsets. And, by 
remaining silent, the amendment will be scored as freeing up the 2\1/2\ 
plus billion dollars for new spending.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope this technical drafting error will be corrected 
in the other body--or in conference. But, just in case it is not, I am 
today introducing a concurrent resolution directing the Clerk to 
correct the enrollment of H.R. 3759 to ensure that the offset is truly 
counted as an offset.

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