[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 99 (Tuesday, July 26, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: July 26, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
         IS CONGRESS IRRESPONSIBLE? YOU BE THE JUDGE ABOUT THAT

  Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, the incredibly enormous Federal debt is 
like the weather--everybody talks about it but nobody does anything 
about it. Many Senators talk a good game when they are back home about 
bringing Federal deficits and the Federal debt under control, but look 
how they vote on spending bills passing the Senate.
  As of yesterday, Monday, July 25, at the close of business, the 
Federal debt--down to the penny--stood at exactly 
$4,631,353,530,795.77. The debt, do not forget, was run up by the 
Congress of the United States. The big-spending bureaucrats in the 
executive branch of the U.S. Government cannot spend a dime unless and 
until it has been authorized and appropriated by the U.S. Congress. The 
U.S. Constitution is quite specific about that, as every school boy is 
supposed to know.
  And do not be misled by declarations by politicians that the Federal 
debt was run up by one President or another, depending on party 
affiliation. Sometimes they say Ronald Reagan ran it up; sometimes they 
say George Bush. These buck-passing declarations are false because the 
Congress of the United States is the culprit.
  Most people cannot conceive of a billion of anything, let alone a 
trillion. It may provide a bit of perspective to bear in mind that a 
billion seconds ago, Mr. President, the Cuban missile crisis was going 
on. A billion minutes ago, not many years had elapsed since the 
crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
  That sort of puts it in perspective, does it not, that Congress--
repeat: Congress--has run up a Federal debt of 4,631 of those billions 
of dollars. In other words, the Federal debt, as I said earlier, stands 
today at 4 trillion, 631 billion, 353 million, 530 thousand, 795 
dollars, and 77 cents.

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