[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 170 (Tuesday, October 31, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H11461]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       THE BUDGET DEFICIT CRISIS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Goodling). Under the Speaker's announced 
policy of May 12, 1995, the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Scarborough] is 
recognized during morning business for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SCARBOROUGH. Mr. Speaker, as we hear the words and the heated 
rhetoric from the White House regarding the budget deficit crisis, 
regarding President Clinton's positions on the budget, I thought it 
would be important for us just to step back, because things move so 
quickly in Washington and have moved so quickly in the past few years, 
I think it is important we step back and take a perspective and take a 
long look at what the President's position has been on budgets, on 
taxes, and on fiscal matters since he first got elected in 1992.
  First of all, we really can go back even to the campaign. Remember 
when he was campaigning through the snows of New Hampshire and his 
campaign was in crisis because of some political scandals that were 
shaking him up. The response was to go to the New Hampshire voters in 
1992 and say, ``I am proposing a tax break for middle class 
Americans.'' I do not know how many people remember that, but he did 
it, and when he was pressed, Bill Clinton, the candidate, held up his 
plan. He said, ``Others talk about it. I have got a plan right here 
that is going to give middle class Americans tax cuts.''
  It helped him survive the crisis in New Hampshire, moved beyond New 
Hampshire, eventually got elected as President of the United States, 
and in large part ridiculed George Bush for breaking his ``no new 
taxes'' pledge. Well, all of America sat around and watched President 
Clinton after he got elected take to the airwaves for the first time 
and said, ``Oops, I made a mistake. Instead of giving middle class 
Americans tax relief, I am actually going to tax you more than any 
President in the history of the United States ever has. I am going to 
propose Btu taxes, I am going to propose taxes on senior citizens, 
going to increase their taxes on Social Security up to 85 percent, I am 
going to lower the earning limits for senior citizens from $34,000 to 
$14,000, so senior citizens cannot remain productive after they retire 
without being penalized by the Federal Government.''
  Of course, the Republicans at that point did not go out and say that 
President Clinton wanted senior citizens to die like the administration 
is now saying that we want senior citizens to die simply because we 
have got the guts to save Medicare for him, but it just showed how the 
President flip-flopped back and forth, back and forth, and fast forward 
2 years to the speech he made a few weeks ago. I know the House 
Democrats absolutely have to love when Bill Clinton, after yanking them 
along for the ride said, ``It may surprise you, but I think I raised 
taxes too much also,'' and then blamed it on the Republicans. Now I 
went back over that vote tally, and there was not a single Republican 
on the House or Senate side that voted to raise the taxes, but somehow 
Bill Clinton flip-flopped again and said, ``Yes, I know I raised taxes 
too much on you, but it was those Republicans' fault.'' I am a bit 
baffled, but that is OK. Bill Clinton was baffled.
  The next day he flip-flopped it again and blamed it on talking after 
7 p.m. at night, and said, ``My mom always told me do not go out and 
speak after 7 p.m. at night, because you never know what you are going 
to say.'' I have a question for the President: What is he going to do 
when all the Presidential debates coming up next year are going to be 
after 7 p.m.? So what is he going to do? I mean, if I were running 
against the President, I would turn to him and say, Mr. President, it 
is past 7 p.m. Do we believe you on this issue, or is your mom right 
again, or are you just making it up as you go along? It would be funny 
if it were not so frightening.
  This is a question of leadership. And you do not have to go back 2 
years to look at the multiple flips-flops on the budget issue, go back 
2 months, look at the first budget he proposed after the election, the 
Clinton 1 budget. It was voted down 99 to 0 in the Senate. It was voted 
down 99 to 0 because it continued sky rising deficits.
  He said the balanced budget is not necessary. He proposed a second 
budget. It was voted down 96 to 0, and soon after the polls showed that 
88 percent of Americans wanted a balanced budget this year and wanted 
tax cuts also, miraculously he flip-flopped again, which leads us to 
what happened last week where he said that he thought he raised taxes 
too much on Americans, but it was the Republicans' fault.
  I mean, now what do we do as Americans? When our President speaks on 
budget issues, when he speaks on tax issues, when he speaks on deficit 
issues, what do we believe? Where do we go for leadership from the 
White House? It is absolutely frightening, because he continues to 
flip-flop and continues to look at the polls instead of looking at what 
is in America's best interest.
  I ask him to follow the Republican Party's lead, balance the budget, 
balance it now for the sake of future generations.

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