[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 21 (Thursday, February 2, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S1975]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


          WAS CONGRESS IRRESPONSIBLE? THE VOTERS HAVE SAID YES

  Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, anyone even remotely familiar with the U.S. 
Constitution knows that no President can spend a dime of Federal tax 
money that has not first been authorized and appropriated by Congress--
both the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.
  So when you hear a politician or an editor or a commentator declare 
that ``Reagan ran up the Federal debt'' or that ``Bush ran it up,'' 
bear in mind that it was, and is, the constitutional duty of Congress 
to control Federal spending. We'd better get busy correcting this 
because Congress has failed miserably to do it for about 50 years.
  The fiscal irresponsibility of Congress has created a Federal debt 
which stood at $4,810,859,576,867.71 as of the close of business 
Wednesday, February 1. Averaged out, every man, woman, and child in 
America owes a share of this massive debt, and that per capita share is 
$18,262.11.


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