[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 14 (Tuesday, January 24, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H551]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


               A BALANCED BUDGET YES, BUT NO THREE-FIFTHS

  (Mr. VOLKMER asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. VOLKMER. Mr. Speaker, in this body as well as the other body we 
have people with different ideas. Ideas are what make legislation. We 
are seeing that with the unfunded mandate bill. That is all it is, a 
question of ideas. We are going to see it with the balanced budget 
amendment.
  I have supported a balanced budget amendment since I have been here, 
18 years. I have never supported however, in that time, the principle 
that you should have a three-fifths majority in order to increase 
revenues. I will never support a constitutional amendment that has 
that.
  I believe in my principles. I just wonder how many freshmen Members 
on the other side of the aisle believe in their principle of a three-
fifths majority and how many of them will actually stand by that 
principle, or how many of them will, just for expediency, decide that 
they want a balanced budget amendment and they do not care what is in 
it. I am just curious to see who really stands by their ideas.

                          ____________________