[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 77 (Wednesday, May 10, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H4790]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    REPUBLICANS WANT TO BALANCE THE BUDGET ON THE BACKS OF AMERICANS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Texas [Ms. Jackson-Lee] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE. Mr. Speaker, I think it is important that we are 
facing up to a very important decision, albeit late, and that is the 
budget for the people of the United States of America. I stand here 
this evening because a couple of weeks ago the State Comptroller for 
the State of Texas announced that through the rescission cuts, the 
State of Texas and its people will lose $1.5 billion.
  Yet, now, we have a budget proposal that takes those dollars on the 
backs of Texans and eliminates some 283 programs, as proposed by 
Republicans, and agrees to give the full measure of tax cuts already 
denied and rejected by the Senate Committee and the Budget chairman, 
Senator Domenici. This is the tax cut that will give those individuals 
making $30,000 or less a mere $124 a year, and the tax cut that gives 
the real working Americans, along with those Americans making $30,000 
or less, some $760; that is, those making between $30,000 and $75,000.
  In the course of this budget proposal, which is focused particularly 
on the backs of young people, on teachers, on students, and on the 
elderly, we first come full force to cut the Department of Energy, at 
the same time that the Secretary of Energy is reforming and reinventing 
her own department.
  Here, now, we are a country which indicates a great interest in 
technological discoveries, a great need for a renewed energy policy, 
and many of the environmental efforts that have been made by the 
Department of Energy. Now we want to eliminate that department, just as 
we are addressing the focus of that department, which is to develop a 
real domestic energy policy, one that will address the needs of 
business, create jobs, and yes, open up opportunities internationally.
  That department has been targeted for elimination, not improvement, 
not downsizing, but elimination, so I guess we will throw technology to 
the winds, the environment to the winds, and certainly, we will throw 
the opportunities for bringing the energy industry to the table to 
discuss important issues of developing a domestic energy policy that 
many could agree with, we will throw that to the winds, too, by 
eliminating the department.
  The Department of Commerce, which over the last
   couple of years has generated more business for Americans than any 
other department, rather than downsizing and effectively making it work 
for the American people, this budget proposal targeting the backs of 
Americans wants to eliminate the Department of Commerce.

  We go further. Many of us have had the opportunity, particularly in 
the city of Houston, to see the Americorps students working, the 
domestic Peace Corps. We have seen them working to help communities, 
but as much as them working to help communities, we have seen them 
build opportunities for themselves by providing for themselves to go to 
college.
  What are we trying to do with this new budget proposed by the 
Republicans? Shut down departments that are effective and working, 
rather than creating opportunities for downsizing, and over a measured 
period of time bringing down the deficit, as all of us could agree 
with, now we are attacking Americorps and totally eliminating it, a 
program that has gone into the trenches of America and worked with 
communities to improve housing, to clean up neighborhoods, to work with 
underprivileged children, to work with seniors, to build buildings, if 
you will, and to help those particular areas to cut down on their 
costs. We are eliminating it.
  Then we are so generous-spirited and generous-hearted, along with the 
$280 billion cut from Medicare, which our seniors have vigorously 
indicated ``What more do you want from us,'' we now want to cut from 
the Republican budget now being discussed, as we speak, housing for the 
elderly; individuals who have worked all their lives, but possibly 
worked in jobs that would not allow them to have the kinds of savings 
that you need, and they are provided for in these group retirement 
homes that are assisted by our housing authorities throughout this 
country. Yet, we wish to cut that. No alternatives could be offered, 
other than to cut housing for the elderly, along with Medicare.
  The State Bar of Texas, which I have had the great pride of serving 
as a member of the legal profession on the board of directors on that 
organization, comprised of law firms and sole practitioners and 
attorneys who understand what it is to serve the public, they pleaded 
in my office for us to preserve the Legal Services Corporation; not a 
group that goes out and instigates litigations, as would be accused by 
Republicans who are apparently cutting it out, but those who would help 
individuals who do not have the ability to secure their own lawyers; 
the Legal Services Corporation, helping mothers get child support 
payments, working with the elderly, working with those legal immigrants 
who come in and need services. Yet, they are totally cutting out Legal 
Services.
  We do not have a budget, we have a joke. We have something that is 
going to hurt the citizens of Texas, hurt the citizens of Houston. We 
need to get down to the business of working for America. Mr. Speaker, 
we need a real budget to work for Americans.


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