[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 123 (Wednesday, August 24, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 24, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
          IS CONGRESS IRRESPONSIBLE? YOU BE THE JUDGE OF THAT

  Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, the incredibly enormous Federal debt is 
like the weather--everybody talks about the weather 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 take a look at how so many of them vote in support of 
bloated spending bills that roll through the Senate.
  As of Tuesday, August 23, at the close of business, the Federal debt 
stood--down to the penny--at exactly $4,674,171,453,528.20. This debt, 
never forget, was run up by the Congress of the United States.
  The Founding Fathers decreed that the big-spending bureaucrats in the 
executive branch of the U.S. Government should never be able to spend 
even a dime unless and until it had been authorized and appropriated by 
the U.S. Congress.
  The U.S. Constitution is quite specific about that, as every 
schoolboy is supposed to know.
  And do not be misled by declarations by politicians that the Federal 
debt was run up by some previous President or another, depending on 
party affiliation. Sometimes you hear false claims that Ronald Reagan 
ran it up; sometimes they play hit-and-run with George Bush.
  These buckpassing declarations are false, as I said earlier, because 
the Congress of the United States is the culprit. The Senate and the 
House of Representatives are the big spenders.
  Mr. President, most citizens 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 in progress. A billion minutes ago, the crucifixion 
of Jesus Christ had occurred not long before.
  Which sort of puts it in perspective, does it not, that Congress has 
run up this incredible Federal debt totaling 4,674 of those billions--
of dollars. In other works, the Federal debt, as I said earlier, stood 
this morning at 4 trillion, 674 billion, 171 million, 453 thousand, 528 
dollars and 20 cents. It'll be even greater at closing time today.

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