[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 82 (Wednesday, May 17, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H5174-H5175]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


 WE MUST PASS OUR BUDGET TOMORROW, TO SAVE AMERICA FROM A MASSIVE DEBT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Tennessee [Mr. Bryant] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BRYANT of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I come here on this historic 
night of American history as someone who is concerned about a sound and 
stable future for this great country.
  The massive overspending this Federal Government has done for the 
past few decades has finally caught up with us, and it's time we take 
action to stop this dangerous spending.
  These deficits will cripple our future generations with a mountain of 
debt which they will be forced to pay if we do nothing to stop this out 
of control spending.
  Now that Congress has finally realized this problem, it's time to 
commit ourselves to solving it.
  We must eliminate these deficits and balance the budget in order to 
preserve a sound, financial future for ourselves, our children, and 
many generations to come.
  The Kasich plan we will be voting on tomorrow to balance the budget 
is a realistic blueprint for a balanced budget.
  If we care about the future of this country, we must begin to lay the 
foundation for a solid economy with this blueprint and use this map on 
the road to a balanced budget. [[Page H5175]] 
  Recently, Mr. Speaker, I have heard many false and unfounded attacks 
coming from those who are apparently opposed to balancing the budget.
  We heard these same attacks from the same people who fought H.R. 1215 
and killed the balanced-budget amendment in the Senate.
  Now, once again, they are saying we are going to balance the budget 
on the backs of senior citizens by cutting medicare and Social 
Security.
  And so I would like to set the record straight on exactly what we are 
going to do about medicare and Social Security.
  First, we're not touching Social Security to balance the budget. 
Period. That charge is simply untrue.
  In fact, the only ``cut'' that Social Security will experience is a 
cut in the current administration's tax hike on Social Security 
benefits.
  So I'm having a hard time comprehending the accusation that we're 
``cutting'' Social Security when all we're really doing is providing 
tax relief for Social Security benefits.
  Second, as everyone in this Chamber is well aware, medicare is going 
to be bankrupt in 7 years.
  I know everyone has heard this statement time and again recently, but 
it's certainly worth repeating.
  For the second year in a row, the president's Medicare board of 
trustees has stated that under current spending projections, Medicare 
will be bankrupt in 7 short years.
  There is no disputing this inescapable fact, and we are taking the 
lead to prevent that from happening with our budget.
  We have committed ourselves to preventing that from happening by 
slowing down the rate of growth in Medicare, not by cutting it.
  Medicare spending is actually going to increase by over $740 billion 
over the next 7 years.
  Only in Washington, DC can an increase in spending for a program 
still be considered a cut.
  The dilemma this Congress faces tomorrow will set the tone for the 
future of this great Nation for many, many years to come.
  We have arrived at a crossroads, and we must rise to this historical 
occasion armed with a vision for the well-being of our future 
generations whose hopes to realize the American dream are in the 
balance.
  A vote against the majority's budget tomorrow will signify failure to 
uphold our responsibility to the millions of Americans who sent us here 
to get Washington out of their wallets.
  Many millions of Americans are depending on us tomorrow to do the 
right thing to prevent their future from heading down the wrong road of 
massive debt.
  We must not fail to deliver the American people a sound future.
  We must pass our budget tomorrow.
  

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