[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 14 (Tuesday, January 24, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H544-H545]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                    THE SEARCH FOR A BALANCED BUDGET

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 4, 1995, the gentleman from California [Mr. Filner] is 
recognized during morning business for 2 minutes.
  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, 2 years ago, a Democratic President and 
Congress passed a budget that cut the deficit by more than $600 billion 
over 5 years and produced real deficit reduction for 3 consecutive 
years--the first time this has happened since World War II.
  The question today is: How should we build on this success? Should we 
now pass a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution?
  Seeing the passionate fervor that was driving this amendment's 
sponsors, I began to ask my Republican colleagues the magic formula for 
achieving this budget miracle. With envy, I assumed my colleagues had 
already concocted the recipe for balancing our budget and were now 
simply applying the finishing touch: A constitutional requirement to do 
that which they had already devised.
  My envy turned to curiosity. Like Roger Moore from the movie ``Roger 
and Me,'' I set out through the Halls of the Capitol searching for the 
magic budget plan. I checked in the offices, the cloak rooms, and the 
chambers. I 
[[Page H545]] cornered my colleagues and begged them to show me the 
secret plan. But it soon became clear: There is no plan behind the 
balanced budget amendment.
  ``How can we say what we will do, if we cannot say how we will do 
it?'' The means are at least as important as the ends. Unless the end 
is simply the next reelection campaign.
  Mr. Speaker, I cannot support an amendment that presents a bottom 
line without a plan to get us there. When faced with a constitutional 
requirement, how will the Congress feel about ensuring the construction 
of the vital international sewage treatment plant being built on the 
United States-Mexico border in my district? Or protecting seniors from 
drastic cuts in Social Security? Or retaining San Diego's status as a 
navy mega-port? Or funding vital infrastructure to handle United 
States-Mexico commerce? Or keeping our promise to our area's veterans?
  We all want a balanced budget. But that budget should not destroy our 
economy or attack our children, our senior citizens, our veterans.

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