[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 124 (Friday, July 28, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1542]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




DEPARTMENTS OF COMMERCE, JUSTICE, AND STATE, THE JUDICIARY, AND RELATED 
                   AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 1996

                                 ______


                               speech of

                            HON. RON PACKARD

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 25, 1995

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2076) making 
     appropriations for the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and 
     State, the Judiciary, and related agencies for the fiscal 
     year ending September 30, 1996, and for other purposes:

  Mr. PACKARD. Mr. Chairman, the 1996 Commerce, Justice, State, and 
Judiciary Appropriations Act is a clear, non-nonsense declaration of 
what this Republican Congress stands for. Time and time again the 
American public tells us that the main concern is crime, and for too 
long this concern has fallen on deaf ears. In our Contract With America 
we promised to act on that concern and I am proud to stand here today 
and say to the American people ``We have taken action.''
  The Commerce, Justice, State, and Judiciary Appropriations Act 
reflects the priorities of the American public. We have slashed 
wasteful bureaucracies, we have downsized low priority programs, and we 
have cut foreign aid and put the money back in America. Why should 
taxpayers pay for international efforts to stop killing abroad when in 
their own backyard people are murdering each other? We can't fight a 
war abroad until we've won the war at home. Make no mistake about it, 
this is a war. Crime in America has killed millions and ruined the 
lives of many more. Our anti-crime initiatives represent a major 
offensive in this war against crime. We recognize that crime cannot be 
defeated by politicians and bureaucrats in Washington. It is up to the 
local communities and States to lead the assault and that is why we 
have given them the means to fight crime directly, in the best way they 
see fit. This is only the beginning, we have a long fight ahead, but 
one we are committed to winning.


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