[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 33 (Wednesday, February 22, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H2031]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


          CONTRACT WITH AMERICA NOT FOR MIDDLE-CLASS FAMILIES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Bonior] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, if the Contract With America was a song, it 
would be ``50 Ways to Leave the Middle Class.'' How is it possible that 
we have been in session 50 days, we have cast 150 votes, yet we have 
not passed one single amendment, not one, that addresses jobs, incomes, 
health, education, job training? You cannot send your kid to school on 
an unfunded mandate, Mr. Speaker.
  On the issues more important to working middle class families, this 
contract has been silent for 50 days. And you know what, it is going to 
be silent for the next 50 days as well.
  Instead, Republicans have voted to pull 100,000 police officers off 
the beat. They have said no to protecting Social Security, and they 
have said yes to Star Wars, a $50 billion project, and on top of that, 
they want to balance the budget. But yet, what do they do? They go and 
vote for renewing Star Wars at a $50 billion price tag. And, of course, 
today we saw in the supplemental, they busted the budget by voting for 
that. They said no to many things that are necessary for middle income 
people.
  Now we read that in the next 50 days, they intend to cut the student 
lunch program.
  Mr. Speaker, you cannot renew American civilization by making kids in 
America go hungry. Republicans may be in a rush to ditto every single 
bill, but in this rush to extremism, the Gingrich revolution is leaving 
the values of working families behind in this country.
  We will meet them, as we discuss these issues that are important to 
working families over the next 50 days, and they will know and the 
American people will know that when it comes to education and health 
care and jobs and income and job training, the Democrats are fighting 
for them.
  We will be on the side of working people in this country.

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