[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 15 (Wednesday, January 25, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H604]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


         BALANCE THE BUDGET WITHOUT A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT

  (Mr. CONYERS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, balancing the budget is a good idea, but 
using our country's most precious and time-honored document, the 
Constitution, to do it is a bad idea. It is unnecessary. It would delay 
the budget balancing, and could impede rather than advance economic 
growth. And the 60-percent supermajority on budget matters, revenue, 
and public debt policy would mean the minority, not the majority, would 
control, and gridlock over our most important fiscal decisions would 
result.
  During the last Congress we adopted a budget to cut a record $500 
billion from the deficit. Contrast that with the new Republican 
majority proposal to put off the budget balance in exchange for a 
promise in the Constitution to do it after 7 years and two presidential 
elections.
  And in fact, the new majority has steadfastly refused to put its 
budget-cutting numbers on the table. We know why. Our knees would 
buckle, the States' knees would buckle, but most importantly, the 
American citizens' knees would buckle.

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