[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 25 (Wednesday, March 9, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: March 9, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                     THE BALANCED-BUDGET TASK FORCE

  Mr. SOLOMON Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the half-hour of the minority 
leader's time.
  Mr. Speaker, let me just say that for a number of years now a number 
of us in the Congress have been so concerned about what is happening to 
the budget in this country and what has created these huge deficits 
that we, the American people and the present generation and future 
generations to come are saddled with, and a number of months ago a few 
of us, about 25 of us, formed what we call the balanced budget task 
force. This has nothing to do with the balanced-budget amendment. This 
is simply a task force put together to try to see if we could actually 
present to this Congress a balanced budget to vote on.
  On Thursday, that is, tomorrow, the balanced budget task force will 
present to the U.S. Congress on this floor a balanced budget containing 
more than 5 specific cuts, and they are itemized right here, totaling 
more than $600 billion, and that is something that they said could not 
be done.
  Our alternative budget contains the most comprehensive list of cuts 
ever put before this body or any other body. We included 
recommendations and suggestions from the credible Concord Coalition, 
the Grace Commission, the Congressional Budget Office, the Citizens 
Against Government Waste, a whole host of individual Member 
initiatives, the National Taxpayers' Union, the Heritage Foundation, 
the Pork Busters Coalition, the reinventing government proposals, and 
many, many others, and this budget that we are presenting to this body 
tomorrow, if enacted into law, would result in a balanced budget by 
1999, that is, the fifth year of this 5-year budget, and even produce a 
surplus in the year 2000 and the year 2001.
  During the recent Senate debate on the balanced budget amendment, 
President Clinton and our former colleague who is now the Office of 
Management and Budget Director, Leon Panetta, in twisting the arms of 
Members of the other body to vote against the balanced budget amendment 
which failed by a few votes over there, made the point time and time 
again that we do not need a balanced budget amendment; we do not need 
to change the Constitution; what we need, they said, is a Congress 
willing to vote for a balanced budget.
  Well, Congress is going to get this chance to do just that, and that 
is not easy, ladies and gentleman. Other critics, including Senate 
Majority Leader George Mitchell, and I am ashamed to say even some 
Republicans over in that other body, and we have to place blame where 
blame is due, those Democrats and Republicans claimed that you could 
not balance the budget without dipping into the Social Security trust 
fund, without slashing earned benefits of veterans, and without raising 
taxes. They said you could not balance the budget without doing those 
things. Well, that kind of rhetorical scare tactic was wrong then, and 
it is wrong now, and we prove it with this balanced budget that we are 
presenting tomorrow.
  I invite the public and Members of Congress and the press to look at 
it tomorrow morning in tomorrow morning's Congressional Record. This 
balanced budget does not touch the Social Security retirement trust 
fund. It does not cut a dime from earned veterans' benefits, and I used 
to be the ranking Republican on the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, 
served on that committee for 10 years before I went over to the 
Committee on Rules, and was responsible for passing the legislation 
which created the Department of Veterans' Affairs. I guess I have a 
fine reputation in fighting for the veterans of this Nation, and I am 
one, as any Member here.
  But this bill does not cut a dime from veterans' benefits. And even 
more important, it does not raise taxes in order to balance the budget.
  Instead of decimating the defense budget, it actually restores about 
$50 billion proposed by President Clinton that is badly needed if we 
are going to be able to maintain a two-war strategy, that is going to 
maintain the young men and women in the best-equipped, the best army 
that we can produce.
  In this budget, everyone will be asked to tighten their belts 
including Congress itself. Out budget is tough medicine. It is tough 
for all of us. It cuts congressional spending by 25 percent over the 5-
year period. It cuts the White House spending by 25 percent over the 5-
year period. It consolidates departments like the Department of Energy 
and the Department of the Interior which now, I think they have given 
some other fancy name to, Natural Resources or something. It terminates 
many Federal commissions. It eliminates programs like the space station 
which is so controversial. It privatizes programs like the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency which President Clinton has asked to do.
  In this budget, everyone is treated fairly. We go on where we 
contract out items like the U.S. Printing Office, where the Federal 
Government has no business being in the printing business. It 
eliminates 90 percent of agricultural crop subsidies which the American 
people just do not understand. It bars financial assistance to illegal 
aliens. It merges job training programs. It sells off the Government 
direct loan profolio to the private sector. All of these make good 
business sense.

                              {time}  2020

  And in all of this belt tightening which touches every branch of 
Government, we only cut spending by a mere 3.5 percent, a mere 3.5 
percent; yet we managed to balance the Federal budget. And this task 
force would ask this Congress, is a 3.5 percent over 5 years too much 
to ask of this body?
  The American people do not think so, and we do not think so. We will 
ask Congress to summon the courage to vote for this balanced budget 
tomorrow. That vote will take place around 7:00 or 8:00 tomorrow night, 
probably, and during that vote, ladies and gentleman, the buck stops 
here on this floor. No longer can we, Members of Congress, blame the 
past Presidents or present Presidents or future Presidents for this 
deficit crisis; we can only blame ourselves if we fail to vote for a 
truly balanced budget.
  Again, let me repeat: This budget before you balances the budget in 5 
years. It cuts over $600 billion in Federal spending with over 500 
specific cuts. It does not raise taxes, it does not touch the social 
security trust funds, it does not touch earned veterans benefits; it 
does restore defense spending to a level that is necessary to maintain 
a decent national defense.
  In the year 1999 President Clinton's budget will have an annual 
deficit for that 1 year alone of $204 billion. That is $204 billion. A 
billion dollars is a thousand million dollars. This is 204 times a 
thousand million. That is the deficit that we will incur in just that 1 
year of 1999.
  Our budget which we present to you has a $5 million surplus. It is a 
very small amount of money, but it is a surplus as compared with a $204 
billion deficit in that year.
  And when you go to the next year, the year 2000, which is only 6 
years from now, the President's budget has a $226 billion deficit, 
going up; and we show a $5 billion surplus. In other words, ladies and 
gentlemen, we have begun to make a dent in the Federal deficit and we 
begin actually to pay it off. That is what the American people really 
want, and we do it by cutting, consolidating, terminating, eliminating, 
privatizing, contracting out, selling off portfolios and by belt 
tightening in the branches of Government.
  Ladies and gentlemen, the point I want to make is that each member of 
our task force--and they come from all over this country, from New 
York, from Florida, from California, from every part of this country--
and when you look through this budget, you will find things that hurt 
your district. But, ladies and gentlemen, if you are going to balance 
the budget, you have to tighten your belts. We have proved that it can 
be done. I would just say that this budget that we are offering is a 
credible document; it has been scored by the Congressional Budget 
Office as being a balanced budget. It is endorsed by such prestigious 
organizations as the Citizens Against Government Waste, by the National 
Taxpayers Union, by Americans for Tax Reform, by Americans for a 
Balanced Budget, and dozens of other like organizations that have come 
out in support of this balanced budget.
  That will begin to once and for all plug the dike that is 
hemorrhaging a sea of red ink that is slowly ruining this great country 
of ours and turning us into a debtor Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, I am happy to say that our efforts here in this House to 
adopt a balanced budget have now spread to the other body. Senate 
Republicans are preparing right now to offer a similar balanced budget 
just like ours. That is going to be the official Republican alternative 
over in the other body, without raising taxes, without cutting social 
security, without cutting veterans benefits and without decimating the 
defense budget.
  I cannot tell you how pleased I was when I saw this come across the 
fax machine about an hour ago. It says, ``fiscal year 1995 balanced 
budget resolution prepared by the Republican staff of the U.S. Senate 
Budget Committee.'' Ladies and gentlemen, that is a step forward toward 
a balanced budget.
  I do not know if we are going to succeed tomorrow because I do not 
know if Members of this body are going to have the guts to vote for 
something as tough as this because it is, again, tough medicine. But 
whether we win or lose, at least we have set the norm for future budget 
committees on both sides of the aisle in this House and in the other 
body, that the American people are going to get a balanced budget or 
they are going to know why.
  I can tell you, with the elections only about 7 or 8 months from now, 
the thing on their minds is not health care but they are concerned 
about this budget deficit. They are concerned about jobs, about the 
economy. If we allow this deficit to continue to grow as the 
President's budget does, creating another $1.5 trillion in debt added 
to the already $4 trillion we have now, you are going to see inflation 
skyrocket, you are going to see unemployment skyrocket, and every time 
unemployment goes up 1 percent, it triggers in over $40 billion in 
social programs at the various levels of Government.
  We just cannot afford to let that happen. I would just implore 
Members to take a look at the budget we present to you tomorrow. The 
Committee on Rules a few minutes ago made in order several 
alternatives, one of which is this balanced budget.
  There is a Black Caucus substitute which was also made in order which 
does not balance the budget. There are several others.
  I would just hope that Members would give this consideration and get 
us on the road toward finally balancing the budget in this Congress.
  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the time of the Speaker and our staffs 
staying this evening to allow me this opportunity to at least tell you 
what is going to happen tomorrow.

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