[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 179 (Monday, November 13, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H12160-H12161]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            AMERICAN PEOPLE OPPOSE EXTREME REPUBLICAN BUDGET

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Connecticut [Ms. DeLauro] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, we all know that Speaker Gingrich holds a 
doctorate in history, but over the weekend he may have earned a 
doctorate in revisionist history as well.
  Mr. Gingrich spend the weekend trying to blame President Clinton for 
this budget impasse. If we take a quick review of history, however, 
recent history, it reveals the true culprit is Newt Gingrich himself. 
Since April Speaker Gingrich has been threatening to shut down the 
government and throw the country into default. Quite frankly, he is the 
only person that has talked about shutting the government down.
  But now the day of reckoning has arrived and the Speaker has 
developed a very serious case of cold feet, so he is desperately trying 
to blame the President. The fact remains that it is the Speaker who put 
this blackmail scheme into motion months ago.
  Take a look at what Speaker Gingrich was saying in April. He said the 
President will veto a number of things and we will then put them all on 
this debt ceiling that everyone is talking about, and then we will 
decide how big a crisis that he wants, quoting the Washington Times 
April 3, 1995.

[[Page H 12161]]

  In September it was reported that Speaker gingrich was at it again, 
continuing his threats. And he says, and I quote, ``I don't care what 
the price is. I don't care if we have no executive offices and no bonds 
for 30 days, not at this time.''
  Again the quote. ``I don't care what the price is.'' That says it 
all, does it not?
  Well, Speaker Gingrich may not care what the price is because he is 
not the one who is going to be asked to pay. The price of a government 
shutdown and government default will fall squarely on the shoulders of 
middle class families in this Nation. When the Speaker gets his wish 
and the government shuts down, the Speaker will keep his job, he will 
keep his pay, but over 800,000 Federal workers will not.
  When the government defaults on its financial obligations, again the 
Speaker will have his book royalties to cushion that blow, but millions 
of middle class families will pay the price in higher mortgage 
payments, in higher car payments, and in higher credit card payments. 
The blame for this manufactured crisis should fall squarely on the 
shoulders of Newt Gingrich and not on the shoulders of middle class 
families in this country.
  Mr. Speaker, the President is right to say no to a budget that calls 
for higher Medicare payments for seniors. As a matter of fact, on 
January 1, it will be a 25 percent increase for this Nation's seniors, 
higher college tuitions for students and their parents, and higher 
taxes for working middle-class families. This is not an agenda that the 
American people support; and, in fact, it appears the public never did 
support this kind of agenda.
  Mr. Speaker, for months Republicans have been promoting their 
Contract With America by saying that more than 60 percent of the 
American public supported its policies. However, we find out from last 
Friday that they had a political consultant whose name is Frank Luntz, 
and he claimed he tested all of these policies. In fact, what he did, 
and he was forced to admit this last week, that he actually only polled 
and talked to the American public about slogans. About 10 slogans.
  So it turns out that the Gingrich revolution is built on the 10 most 
popular slogans that the Republicans could find. It had nothing to do 
with programs. There was no testing of how Americans would feel about 
cutting $270 billion from Medicare, of increasing the payments for 
senior citizens and cutting student loans. It is no wonder that the 
bumper sticker government of the new majority has worn thin with the 
American public.
  All the sloganeering will not hide the devastating cuts to seniors, 
to students and to middle class families in this country. And, in fact, 
what is happening today is the more that the American public 
understands the nature of this program, the more they did like the 
Gingrich revolution. As a matter of fact, on Friday, in USA Today, 
public opposition to the Contract With America was affirmed. Sixty 
percent of those polled want President Clinton to veto the Republican 
budget as it stands. More specifically, 75 percent oppose the GOP's 
Medicare cuts and 74 percent oppose the GOP's student loan cuts.
  Mr. Speaker, let me just say that the Republicans have lost public 
support for these policies, so now what they have done is resorted to 
blackmailing the President to get him to sign this extreme budget. That 
is what this is all about. But I will tell my colleagues that the 
President is standing with the American people in opposition to these 
policies.
  To my Republican colleagues I say, if they want the President to sign 
their budget, make changes, do not make threats. If they want him to 
sign the budget, lessen the blow to senior citizens, to our children 
and to middle class families. The President wants to work with the 
Republicans, Democrats in this House want to work with them, but we 
will not be blackmailed into accepting a budget that the American 
people oppose.
  Instead of rewriting history, please, I say to my Republican 
colleagues, rewrite your budget, do not hold a gun to the President's 
head, particularly do not hold a gun and do not hold the American 
people hostage in this next 24 hours.

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