[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 107 (Wednesday, June 28, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S9235]
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, the skyrocketing Federal debt, which long 
ago soared into the stratosphere, is like the weather--everybody talks 
about it but scarcely anybody had undertaken the responsibility to 
trying to do anything about it. That is, not until following the 
elections last November.
  When the new 104th Congress convened in January, the U.S. House of 
Representatives approved a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. 
Constitution. In the Senate all but one of the Senate's 54 Republicans 
supported the balanced budget amendment; only 13 Democrats supported 
it. Since a two-third-vote is necessary to enact a conditional 
amendment the Senate's amendment failed by one vote. There will be 
another vote later this year or next year.
  Mr. President, as of the close of business yesterday, Tuesday, June 
27, the Federal debt--down to the penny--stood at exactly 
$4,890,154,885,704.22 or $18,563,11 for every man, woman, and child on 
a per capita basis.


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