[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 134 (Thursday, August 10, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S12208]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                         THE BAD DEBT BOXSCORE

  Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, the skyrocketing Federal debt, which long 
ago soared into the stratosphere, fueled by bureaucratic hot air, is 
sort of like the weather--everybody talks about it but almost nobody 
did much about it until immediately after the elections last November.
  But when the new 104th Congress convened in January, the U.S. House 
of Representatives quickly approved a balanced budget amendment to the 
U.S. Constitution. On the Senate side, all but one of the 54 
Republicans supported the balanced budget amendment --that was the good 
news. The bad news is that 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 either this year or next.
  Here is today's bad debt boxscore:
  As of the close of business Wednesday, August 9, the Federal debt--
down to the penny--stood at exactly $4,942,218,005,858.98 or $18,760.74 
for every man, woman, and child on a per capita basis.


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