[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 51 (Tuesday, May 3, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: May 3, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                A TO Z: A CHANCE TO FACE FISCAL REALITY

  (Mr. HORN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. HORN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my support for the A to Z 
spending cuts plan I urge my colleague to sign the discharge petition 
on Accountability Day. May 4.
  The American people, and certainly the voters who sent many of us to 
Congress, do not expect us to maintain business as usual where fiscal 
matters are concerned. We continue to spend money that we do not have. 
We are paying well over $200 billion a year on interest on the national 
debt. That is more than the Federal Government spends each year on 
education, transportation infrastructure, fighting crime, and other 
pressing issues. The interest alone is twice what Lyndon Johnson spent 
in 1965 to launch the Great Society and to wage the Vietnam war.
  If more Americans realized how Congress spent money each year, their 
outrage would motivate this institution to cut spending and finally 
balance the budget. It is time for change. No more business as usual.
  The A to Z plan is simple. I have long advocated it. Hold a special 
session in the House devoted exclusively to cutting the budget, Give 
everyone the opportunity to put forward a budget cutting proposal. 
Debate the merits of each proposal, and vote it up or down.
  A majority of the Members in the House support this approach. The 
question is, do we have the will to carry it out? Let us show our 
constituents that we are serious about deficit reduction. Support the 
discharge petition to bring A to Z to the floor.

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