[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 11 (Thursday, January 19, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H375-H376]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   CONSEQUENCES OF FEDERAL SPENDING CUTS BROUGHT ABOUT BY REPUBLICAN 
                         CONTRACT WITH AMERICA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Durbin] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. Speaker, 2 weeks ago the Republican majority leader, 
Dick Armey of Texas, was asked on one of the Sunday morning talk shows 
why the Republicans would not disclose to the American people what kind 
of cuts in Federal spending would come with the Republican Contract 
With America. The gentleman from Texas [Mr. Armey], who has a tendency 
to be very candid, to a fault at times, said he felt that the knees of 
the Members of Congress would buckle if they learned what kind of cuts 
are in store for us if we follow the Republican Contract With 
America. [[Page H376]] 
  Mr. Armey's candor was criticized by some of his fellow Republicans, 
but frankly I think he was right on the mark. My office has just 
completed an analysis of the Republican Contract With America and the 
impact which it will have on my home State of Illinois. I would like 
those from this State to listen, but from other States to consider 
there will be similar impacts on their own home State if the Republican 
Contract With America is in fact enacted.
  We took a look at just four or five areas that I think are critically 
important. First is in the area of health services for children and 
seniors. To reach the necessary 30-percent cut in Federal spending 
required by the Republican contract, Medicare and Medicaid funding in 
Illinois and across the Nation would be slashed in Illinois by $27 
billion over 7 years. What it means is that literally thousands of poor 
families in my home State now under Medicaid, the government health 
insurance program for poor people, would become uninsured, and it means 
that many hospitals, particularly smaller and rural hospitals, which 
are greatly dependent on Medicare patients, would be forced to close 
their doors.
  I have spoken to some of the hospital administrators. What I have 
just said is not an exaggeration. A 30-percent cut in Medicare would 
hurt seniors, it would close hospital doors in many of our rural areas 
and in many of our inner city areas.
  The second area of real concern to me is in the area of education. My 
home State of Illinois would take a big hit from the Republican 
Contract With America. Under this contract, programs for disadvantaged 
students would take a 30-percent cut. Some may ask why kind of program 
is that. It is a program like chapter I, a special tutorial program 
that takes a child about to drop out or fall behind and puts them 
through special training to catch up with the class and stay in school.
  These programs work. In my county of Sangamon County, IL and 
downstate Illinois we would lose with the Republican Contract With 
America $900,000 a year in Federal aid to education. Madison County 
nearby would lose $1.9 million. It would mean school administrators 
would have to either eliminate or cut back the programs or ask for 
increases in local property taxes, something I am sure we all agree is 
not popular and something we would not want to encourage.
  Take a look at highway construction. A lot of States and localities 
are used to the Federal Government building highways and building 
bridges and rebuilding and repairing them and think nothing of it.

                              {time}  1550

  If the Republican Contract With America goes through and we see a 30-
percent cut, we will see a dramatic downturn in the amount of money 
available for Illinois and other States for highway construction. Mass 
transit is the same. In the city of Chicago, the Republican Contract 
With America will raise the fares for Chicago workers using mass 
transit every day 15 cents a day. You say, ``Well, 15 cents a day is 
not much, two people working in a household. Add it up and then put it 
against the supposed tax break the Republicans are offering. There is 
not much there to show for it.''
  When it comes to nutrition services, we can expect cuts in the WIC 
program, a program which serves 40 percent of the infants in America, 
brings the mothers in during their pregnancy, gives them nutrition 
information and good guidance for a healthy baby, then brings the 
mother and baby in after birth and says here is the way to get that 
baby off on the right foot, with immunizations, good nutrition, a 
healthy baby, something I think every American wants to see.
  The Republican Contract With America will cut that program, will 
basically eliminate mothers and infants from the program. It follows as 
night follows day.

  The same thing is true for Meals on Wheels. How many senior citizens 
do we know whose only contact with the outside world is Meals on 
Wheels? It drops by once a day to say hello, how are you doing, how are 
you feeling, do you need a helping hand. Those start to go away with 
this Republican vision of a new America.
  In my area of the world, a lot of our farmers depend on Federal 
spending, not just for their feed grains programs but also for soil and 
water conservation. These programs help farmers to avoid runoff which 
can contaminate our water supplies and lead to real problems 
downstream.
  As the Republicans' Contract for America cuts back on this kind of 
spending, we are literally taking a gamble and a chance with our own 
health in the future.
  These are but four or five examples of what happens in the State of 
Illinois. This story is repeated many times.
  So when Members of the Republicans majority come to the floor and 
glibly tell us unfunded mandates and balanced-budget amendments do not 
mean much but a brighter future, ask them for the details.
  Our knees are not going to buckle, but we deserve the facts.

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