[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 129 (Friday, August 4, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S11446]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



[[Page S 11446]]


          WAS CONGRESS IRRESPONSIBLE? CONSIDER THE ARITHMETIC

  Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, the skyrocketing Federal debt, which long 
ago soared into the stratosphere, is sort of like the weather--
everybody talks about it but scarcely anybody had done much about it 
until immediately after the elections last November.
  But then the new 104th Congress convened in January. The U.S. House 
of Representatives made haste to approve a balanced budget amendment to 
the U.S. Constitution. Later in the Senate all but one of the 54 
Republicans supported the balanced budget amendment; only 13 Democrats 
supported it. Since a two-thirds vote--67 Senators--is necessary to 
approve a constitutional amendment, the proposed Senate amendment 
failed by one vote.--There will be another vote later this year or next 
year.
  Mr. President, as of the close of business Thursday, August 3, the 
Federal debt--down to the penny--stood at exactly $4,944,455,888,709.39 
or $18,769.23 for every man, woman, and child on a per capita basis.


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