[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]


  TRUSTING THE AMERICAN PEOPLE TO MAKE DECISIONS ON A BALANCED BUDGET

  (Mr. MILLER of California asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, earlier this year the 
Republicans got quite upset when people called their Contract With 
America a contract on America. Today we are finding out, in fact, those 
who called it a contract on America were more accurate, because it is a 
contract on our senior citizens, both to their Social Security payments 
and to their health care coverage given to them under Medicare.
  The gentleman held up a budget just a minute ago that he said would 
balance the budget. The only problem was only 73 Members voted for 
that. The fact of the matter is that the people were not prepared to 
vote for it.
  What we see now is the effort of them to rush the balanced budget 
amendment through, but not have the courage of their convictions to 
tell Americans in advance where they will cut the budget. The last time 
they tried to do this only 73 Members voted for it. So what do they 
want to do now? They want to rush the balanced budget through, not have 
the courage, the ultimate cynicism of not trusting, not trusting the 
American people to look at their plan and make a decision whether they 
want it or not.
  It is balanced budgeting in the dark, not in the open as they pledged 
to do.

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