[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 2 (Thursday, January 5, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S479]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


            WAS CONGRESS IRRESPONSIBLE? THE VOTERS SAID YES

  Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, before contemplating today's bad news about 
the Federal debt, let us have a little pop quiz: How many million 
dollars would you say are in a trillion dollars? And when you arrive at 
an answer, remember that Congress has run up a debt exceeding $4\1/2\ 
trillion dollars.
  To be exact, as of the close of business yesterday, Wednesday, 
January 4, the Federal debt, down to the penny, at 
$4,801,793,426,032.89. This means that every man, woman and child in 
America owes $18,227.69 computed on a per capita basis.
  Mr. President, to answer the pop quiz question--how many million in a 
trillion?--there are a million million in a trillion, for which you can 
thank the U.S. Congress for the present Federal debt of $4\1/2\ 
trillion.

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