[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 22 (Friday, February 3, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H1165]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            CONGRESS KEEPING ITS WORD TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE

  (Mr. FOX of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. FOX of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, America has a new Congress, new 
leadership, a new majority, a new direction, a new work ethic, and a 
new relationship with the American people. This Congress listened to 
the people and entered into a contract to make their voice heard.
  What is also new is that this Congress is keeping its word. In 
bipartisan fashion, last week we passed a balanced budget amendment. 
This week another promise was fulfilled with the passage of the bill to 
stop unfunded mandates.
  We signaled the end of the ``Washington knows best'' attitude of the 
Congresses that have preceded us. We ended the unprincipled, deceitful 
practice of Congress dumping expensive new laws and regulations on 
States and local communities and telling them, ``Oh, by the way, you 
not only have to do as we say, your taxpayers have to pay the cost of 
implementing them.''
  Mr. Speaker, in the process of reaffirming our faith in that system 
of government with the passage of these laws, I believe we also took 
another major step toward restoring America's faith in Congress.

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