[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 78 (Thursday, May 11, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H4802]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page H4802]]
        THE NATION'S FUTURE TIED TO BALANCING THE FEDERAL BUDGET

  (Mr. BAKER of California asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.
  Mr. BAKER of California. Mr. Speaker, balancing the Federal budget is 
a noble cause. It is one of the few issues of our era that demands our 
full attention. The reason is very simple: moving the Federal budget 
into balance is not, ultimately, a debate about numbers, programs, 
agencies or interest groups. It is a debate about the future of our 
country. It is about whether or not we will leave our children in utter 
bankruptcy or with the hope of a better tomorrow. Either we tame the 
deficit monster that is ravaging our capacity for economic survival, or 
the very concept of prosperity will, for most of our children, be 
little more than a wistful memory.
  By the early 21st century--a few years from now--the entire Federal 
budget will be consumed by entitlement spending and interest on the 
national debt. This is the shocking conclusion of the President's own 
commission on entitlements. It demands change--now.
  Republicans are committed to capping the growth of Federal spending 
and cutting waste in the Federal budget, not to meet an arbitrary 
deadline, but for the sake of our children and our country. That is our 
mission, Mr. President. We will accomplish it.

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