[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 77 (Friday, June 17, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 17, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
 SOLOMON DERIDES SHAM LEADERSHIP DEAL WITH DEFICIT CHICKEN HAWKS ON A-Z

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                        HON. GERALD B.H. SOLOMON

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 17, 1994

  Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, today the majority leader and a small group 
of Democrats unveiled what can only be described as a sham deal in 
return for keeping those Members from signing the A-Z spending cut 
discharge petition.
  The concessions the deficit chicken hawks have wrung out of their 
leadership won't even provide a transparent fig leaf of political cover 
for avoiding real spending cuts.
  We had already been assured that the remaining appropriations bills 
would be brought under an open amendment process so that is no real 
concession. And moderate Democrats had already been promised a vote by 
their leadership this session on various budget process and entitlement 
reforms in return for their support for the budget resolution earlier 
this year.
  The only thing new in this is that those who are boasting about this 
great compromise breakthrough seem to believe they have actually won 
something new. The Democrat leadership has done a masterful job in 
recycling the same old bargaining chips for every new deal they are 
forced to cut with this group. It is a shrewd ploy as long as nobody 
calls their bluff and tries to cash in the chips on previous deals.
  The bottom line remains that there is no substitute for voting on 
real spending cuts now as guaranteed by the A-Z plan. Hiding behind 
process reforms won't save the taxpayers a dime or reduce the deficit 
by a penny. It's simply a way of putting off until tomorrow what should 
have been done yesterday.

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