[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 53 (Thursday, May 5, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: May 5, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                 CAMPAIGN REFORM--THE REST OF THE STORY

  (Mr. BARRETT of Nebraska asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BARRETT of Nebraska. Mr. Speaker, unlike Paul Harvey, the 
Democrats aren't telling--the rest of the story--when it comes to 
campaign finance reform.
  They keep hiding the fact that the congressional reform bills will 
never take effect, unless we increase taxes to pay for campaigns.
  The bills depend on taxpayer-financed subsidies for candidates, 
otherwise known as welfare for politicians. In this morning's Roll Call 
newspaper, the FEC's initial estimate could cost taxpayers $117 
million.
  Mr. Speaker, good old Uncle Sam is going to help voters make up their 
minds about who to support in elections--no longer trusting the voters 
to make up their own minds.
  Instead, Congress should encourage candidates to seek campaign 
financing from the people who elect them to office. This idea was 
recently supported by 70 percent of the American public in a recent 
poll published in the Washington Post.
  Mr. Speaker, it is time we go back to the table and hammer out real 
bipartisan reform, that Americans can afford and deserve.

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