[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 22 (Friday, February 3, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2077-S2078]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                     THE BALANCED BUDGET AMENDMENT

  Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, we have seen the debate this week in 
the Senate on the balanced budget amendment.
  I am very pleased that the House of Representatives has taken this 
step already, and now it is up to the Senate to decide if Americans 
finally will have the opportunity for their legislatures to vote to 
adopt a very important amendment to our Constitution. It is 
[[Page S2078]] an amendment that will make the difference for our 
future generations because it will say to our future generations we are 
not going to rack up the bill and give you the opportunity to pay for 
what we are doing today. That is what this balanced budget amendment is 
all about.
  Mr. President, we have heard all kinds of reasons why people are now 
saying that they might not support the balanced budget amendment. But I 
hope the American people realize that these are in fact excuses. This 
is a solid, plain, simple, understandable balanced budget amendment. 
Maybe I would have changed a few words. Maybe others would change a few 
words and make exceptions. But we cannot make exceptions if we are 
going to take the responsible approach of saying we are going to set 
parameters on the amount of spending that we can do in this country. 
Every business in America does that. Every household in America does 
that. Every State government and every local government does that in 
America. Why, Mr. President, should Congress be the one entity in 
America that does not have to live within a budget? And every day that 
you see someone standing up on the floor and giving an excuse why they 
are not going to support the balanced budget amendment, I hope the 
American people realize that is what it is.
  We will make the cuts that are necessary. We will save Social 
Security. We have done it every year except last year when there was an 
increase in taxes, and they did increase the taxes on Social Security 
recipients. Not one Republican voted for that bill; not one.
  So I do not think the American people need to fear that a Republican 
majority is going to do something that would in any way impact Social 
Security in not a beneficial way. It is not our side that has done 
anything on Social Security. What we are trying to do is make sure that 
people on Social Security know that their children and grandchildren 
are going to have a responsible government in Washington, DC.
  Mr. President, that is what the argument is about on the balanced 
budget amendment.
  I thank the Senator from Utah for his great leadership in this 
effort. He has been there fighting the cause this whole week and for 
years before saying this is what is right for America. I appreciate the 
time and effort that he is putting in. I just hope that when it comes 
down to the bottom line that this Senate does the right thing and sends 
an amendment to the people of our country through its legislatures to 
say we are going to be responsible like every State government, every 
local government, every business and every household in America has to 
be responsible.
  It is the most important vote I will ever make in my time in the U.S. 
Senate.
  Thank you, Mr. President.
  I yield the floor.
  

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