[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 52 (Wednesday, May 4, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: May 4, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                   SIGN THE A TO Z DISCHARGE PETITION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Ewing] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. EWING. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to express my strong support for 
the A to Z spending cut plan.
  During the debate over the President's budget bill last year many 
Members found it difficult for a bill that relied too heavily on taxes 
and too little on spending cuts. They relied on the promises of the 
leadership that they would have a special spending cut session to 
address their concerns. However, according to the Congressional Daily 
of April 21, not only will this not materialize, but we will have 
instead open opposition from the leadership to any such spending cut 
proposals. It is a fact that since the budget passed, there have been 
three strikes and you're out for those of us who believe that it is 
time to bring our deficit under control.
  Strike one. The Penny-Kasich $91 billion spending cut bill was killed 
by the House leadership.
  Strike two. The balanced budget amendment was killed by the House 
leadership.
  Strike three. The Kasich motion to instruct conferees to cut $26 
billion was killed by the House leadership.
  But we do not have to live with three strikes and you're out. Let us 
give ourselves another swing at the deficit. It is too important a 
problem to let go by. Everyone should sign on to the A to Z spending 
cut discharge petition.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to quote in part from a Review and Outlook 
published in The Wall Street Journal of May 4, 1994, and I quote in 
part:

       A fundamental disconnect has developed between the public 
     and Congress on budget reform. To Congressional leaders 
     reform means larding on a new health care entitlement. To 
     voters, especially those in the suburbs, cutting spending is 
     more popular than expanding programs that they don't think 
     deliver value for their tax dollars.
       Yet House leaders whine about this troublesome pressure for 
     cuts. ``There is an intense feeling in the caucus that this 
     is getting out of hand,' one Democrat told the Congressional 
     Monitor. `Between The Wall Street Journal, Gingrich and our 
     boll weevils, we're being asked to vote on a budget cut every 
     three months.'' How awful.
       A House majority is on record as supporting A to Z, so 
     voters may want to know who was responsible for presenting 
     such a common-sense idea from reaching the floor for a 
     vote. They may well conclude that Members who praise A to 
     Z in their franked mailings home but then cave in to House 
     leaders on the discharge petition are either hypocrites or 
     political wimps. By now, the public has caught on to the 
     rigged game known as House Rules. If the House doesn't 
     implement some procedures to open up the system for both 
     Democrats and Republican Members, the electorate may 
     decide this November is the time to radically change the 
     makeup of the place.

  Mr. Speaker, the deficit is our number one challenge. Our long-term 
future strength of this country and its health depends on a 
businesslike solution to the deficit. Time is valuable. We are wasting 
time. The problem only gets worse by every passing month in which we 
continue our deficit spending. It is time we acted now to cut spending 
and eliminate the unconscionable and unreasonable dissipation of our 
future financial strength. It is our responsibility and it should not 
be foisted off on our children to solve our financial problems.
  Sign on today to the A to Z proposal so that we can consider in a 
businesslike fashion the cuts that this House should make in the 
budget.

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