[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 117 (Wednesday, July 19, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1466-E1467]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


       LEGISLATIVE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE REPUBLICAN LED CONGRESS

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                            HON. RON PACKARD

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 19, 1995
  Mr. PACKARD. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to 
taut a few of the accomplishments of the 104th Congress. Contrary to 
the claims of the Democratic Leadership Council that despite all the 
hype about the Republican revolution, the Republicans have offered very 
little, the Republican led Congress has ended business as usual in 
Congress and continues to lead the charge in implementing the changes 
mandated by the American people last November.
  On the first day of the 104th Congress we passed the Congressional 
Accountability Act so that Congress applied all laws to itself that 

[[Page E 1467]]
it imposes on everyone else. The House then proceeded to eliminate 
three committees and 25 subcommittees, to cut one-third of committee 
staff, to implement truth-in-budgeting baseline reform, to limit the 
terms of the Speaker and the committee and subcommittee chairmen, to 
ban proxy voting in committee, to open committee meetings to the public 
and to order first every comprehensive audit of its books.
  The House for the first time ever approved a balanced budget 
amendment. Even though the Senate failed to pass the amendment, the 
House GOP committed to balance the budget by the year 2002. Six 
separate bills were passed to undo last year's flawed Clinton crime 
bill. The House passed a sweeping welfare reform bill that ends welfare 
as we know it by rewarding the dignity of work and self-respect over 
illegitimacy, family disintegration, and non contribution to society.
  We provided much needed tax fairness to families so they can keep 
more of their hard earned money. We repealed the unfair Clinton tax 
hike on Social Security benefits, raised the earning limitations on 
seniors who work past the age of 65 so they are not punished for 
staying in the work force and provided tax incentive for long-term care 
coverage.
  The Clean Water Act continues Congress' commitment to the 
environmental protection of our Nation's waterways while restoring 
common sense to environmental protection. We have undone Clinton's 
efforts to hollow out the military and restored some money cut out over 
the past 2 years to ensure military readiness and modernization. We 
have eliminated and prioritized our Nation's overseas interests. We 
continue our commitment by eliminating three Federal agencies and two 
dozen foreign aid programs.
  The rescission package is a first step toward a less costly 
Government. We cut $16.4 billion in wasteful spending by eliminating 
unauthorized programs and consolidating duplicative programs. And we 
slashed our own spending in Congress by $155 million.
  Mr. Speaker, I venture to say that in 40 years of Democratic control, 
the Congress never accomplished as much as the Republican led 104th 
Congress. I would suggest our friends at the DLC take a closer look at 
their facts.


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