[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 24 (Tuesday, March 8, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


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

 
                    IT IS TIME TO BALANCE THE BUDGET

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. Margolies-Mezvinsky). Under the 
Speaker's announced policy of February 11, 1994, the gentleman from 
Illinois [Mr. Ewing] is recognized during morning business for 5 
minutes.
  (Mr. EWING asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. EWING. Madam Speaker, I believe a little common sense would go a 
long way in our Nation's Capital if the Congress would just use it.
  Madam Speaker, the people in the 15th District of Illinois, and, yes, 
I believe people throughout America overwhelmingly, believe it is time 
for this Government and this Congress to balance our budget. This week 
we may get a chance in this body to vote on a balanced budget 
amendment.
  Madam Speaker, as my colleagues know, the average American has to 
balance his budget every week or every month, whenever he gets paid, 
and, as my colleagues know, it is no different for a farmer in Piatt 
County, IL. If he does not balance his budget, Madam Speaker, the next 
year he will be out of business. Or an auto worker in Bloomington, IL; 
he has to balance his budget or there will not be any money there to 
educate his children, to provide health care or recreation.
  A balanced budget is just common sense, Madam Speaker. Here are some 
statistics about the debt we have piled up which should shock us all:
  In 1994, Madam Speaker, our deficit will be, according to CBO, $223 
billion. Now that is $600 million a day. In 1996, Madam Speaker, it is 
going to be lower, $166 billion according to the estimate. But that is 
still almost half a billion dollars a day. And in 1999, Madam Speaker 
it is going to start back up, and we will be over a half a billion 
dollars a day. The interest is soon going to be more than a billion 
dollars a day on the national debt.
  It is clearly time that we start doing something real about balancing 
our budget. What happens if we fail? Well, those who want to spread 
misinformation and fear say, if we have the balanced budget amendment, 
then Social Security recipients will get cut or we will not have money 
for health care. There is nothing in the balanced budget proposal that 
would provide that. But I will say to my colleagues, Madam Speaker, 
that if we do not do something about the balanced budget, we will not 
have any of those social programs. We will not have the financial 
resources in this country necessary to provide the needed services or 
even our own national defense.
  Madam Speaker, every time the balanced budget amendment comes up the 
opponents say, ``We don't need it.'' The opponents say, ``What we 
really need is to make those serious tough cuts when we do the 
budget.'' Last year we had the Penny-Kasich budget which would have cut 
at least $60 billion from our deficit. Those same people voted against 
it. So much for the tough choices.
  There are so many issues that this Congress addresses that we seem to 
be out of touch on, and I think we are really out of touch on the 
balanced budget, and I think that is probably why our ratings are so 
low among the American people. When the House votes on the balanced 
budget amendment soon, I urge all of my colleagues to vote yes. If the 
House passes this amendment, we can send it back to the other body, who 
recently rejected the balanced budget amendment, and maybe we can start 
bringing some common sense to the way we operate in Washington.

                          ____________________