[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 77 (Friday, June 17, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
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]

 
   MISSION OF THE HOUSE IS TO LEGISLATE, NOT TO RESCUE THE PRESIDENCY

  (Mr. GOSS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GOSS. Mr. Speaker, I think everybody understands that our mission 
here is to legislate. We have some challenging areas to legislate--
crime, balancing the budget, health care. It is a very big agenda, and 
America is waiting and watching.
  But too often around here I hear the sentiment that ``We have to do 
this or that, we have got to get this bill out, and we have got to get 
something out there right now for the purpose of protecting the 
President.'' We read that justification in the press. In one of the 
most memorable votes we have ever seen during my time here on the 
budget, the idea was that ``The Presidency will fail if we don't 
support the President's economic package.''
  It is not whether it is a good economic package; it is that ``We've 
got to support it because it will fail or he will fail if we don't 
support his package.'' That happened in this Chamber and in the other 
body as well.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope this is not going to be the driving force of our 
health care debate. Serious consequences are out there for every 
American's pocketbook and quality of life across this country. Our 
criterion must be good legislation. Health care is not a rescue mission 
for the White House. The White House does a great job saving itself.

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