[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 95 (Wednesday, July 20, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: July 20, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
              ON BIPARTISANSHIP AND THE D.C. APPROPRIATION

  (Ms. NORTON asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, in 1991, Congress in votes of extraordinary 
bipartisan dimensions gave aid to the Capital City. Bob Michel, Newt 
Gingrich, Joe McDade, Tom Bliley, and Dean Gallo stood beside Tom 
Foley, Dick Gephardt, Jamie Whitten, Ron Dellums, and Julian Dixon.
  In contrast to the overwhelming 1991 vote of 300 to 123, the 
District's appropriation barely made it out of the House last week. 
Ironically a much thinner bipartisanship proved essential. I am 
particularly grateful to the gentleman from Virginia, Tom Bliley, for 
his special leadership and to the indefatigably skilled subcommittee 
chair, the gentleman from California, Julian Dixon.
  The city needs to get its fiscal house in order quickly to avoid ever 
being taken to the congressional woodshed again. Yesterday's 
announcement that the District plans to produce a plan even before the 
congressionally set deadline is the right response. In turn, Congress 
must solve its part of the problem, especially the pending pension 
liability bill to address a prehome rule debt.
  Last week was the kind of catastrophe from which a new beginning can 
be made. I thank my colleagues who helped to rescue the appropriation 
and make a new beginning possible.

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