[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 23 (Monday, February 6, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H1217]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    THE PRESIDENT'S PROPOSED BUDGET

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 4, 1995, the gentleman from California [Mr. Baker] is 
recognized during morning business for 1\1/2\ minutes.
  Mr. BAKER of California. Mr. Speaker, in response, today President 
Clinton just introduced his budget, and if you heard, the previous 
speaker said the last 2 years of Ronald Reagan was $150 billion in 
deficit and $155. Today's budget introduced by President Clinton the 
deficit is $210 billion.
  The first 4 years of the Clinton administration will show a deficit 
of over $1 trillion. This budget is not balanced.
  But it is not the President's fault. It was not the President's fault 
for the last 26 years. Pick your favorite, was it Carter, was it 
Reagan, was it Ford, was it Clinton? Who is your favorite for 
unbalancing the budget? And the answer is this Congress. This Congress 
has had its foot on the accelerator for 26 years.
  Never once has this Congress balanced the budget in 26 years. Never 
once has this Congress balanced the budget in 26 years.
  Well, today is President Ronald Reagan's 84th birthday, and today we 
are going to give President Reagan and President Clinton a little 
present, and that is the line-item veto, because we need new tools. We 
have shown we cannot balance the budget ourselves.
  Last week this Republican Congress passed the balanced budget 
amendment. This week we are going to give the President, whomever the 
President is, the tool to help us balance the budget with the line-item 
veto.
  Let us remember it is not the President, it is the Congress. And we 
are going to allow the Executive and Congress to sit down together to 
continue to work toward a balanced budget in 2002 so that our 
grandchildren will not have to pay for the Government we use and are 
afraid to pay for.


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