[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 7 (Thursday, January 12, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S825-S826]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


            WAS CONGRESS IRRESPONSIBLE? THE VOTERS SAID YES

  Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, I doubt that there have been many, if any, 
candidates for the Senate who have not solemnly pledged to do 
something 
[[Page S826]] about the enormous Federal debt run up by the Congress 
during the past half-century or more. But Congress, both House and 
Senate, has never toned down the deficit spending that sent the Federal 
debt into the stratosphere and beyond.
  We must pray that this year, inasmuch as the American people spoke so 
clearly this past November, will be different, that Federal spending 
will indeed be reduced drastically. Indeed, if we care about America's 
future, there must be some changes.
  You see, Mr. President, as of the close of business yesterday, 
January 11, the Federal debt stood, down to the penny, at exactly 
$4,802,565,300,968.62. This means that on a per capita basis, every 
man, woman, and child in America owes $18,230.62 as his or her share of 
the Federal debt.
  Compare this, Mr. President, to the total debt about 2 years ago--
January 5, 1993--when the debt stood at exactly $4,167,872,986,583.67, 
or averaged out, $15,986.56 for every American. During the past 2 
years, that is during the 103d Congress, the Federal debt increased 
over $6 billion.
  This illustrates, Mr. President, the point that so many politicians 
talk a good game--at home--about bringing the Federal debt under 
control, but vote in support of bloated spending bills when they get 
back to Washington. If the Republicans do not do a better job of 
getting a handle on this enormous debt, their constituents are not 
likely to overlook it 2 years hence.


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