[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 105 (Monday, June 26, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S9031]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          WAS CONGRESS IRRESPONSIBLE? THE VOTERS HAVE SAID YES

  Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, one need not be a rocket scientist to know 
that the U.S. Constitution forbids any President's spending even a dime 
of Federal tax money that has not first been authorized and 
appropriated by Congress--both the House of Representatives and the 
U.S. Senate.
  So when you hear a politician or an editor or a commentator declare 
that ``Reagan ran up the Federal debt'' or that ``Bush ran it up,'' 
bear in mind that the Founding Fathers, two centuries before the Reagan 
and Bush Presidencies, made it very clear that it is the constitutional 
duty of Congress--of Congress--a duty Congress cannot escape--to 
control Federal spending--which Congress has not done for the past 50 
years.
  Thus, it is the fiscal irresponsibility of Congress that has created 
the incredible Federal debt which stood at $4,887,614,064,494.86 as of 
the close of business Friday, June 23. This outrageous debt--which will 
be passed on to our children and grandchildren--averages out to 
$18,553.47 on a per capita basis.

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