[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 180 (Tuesday, November 14, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H12196-H12197]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  PRESIDENT AND CONGRESS AT AN IMPASSE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of May 
12, 1995, the gentleman from Georgia [Mr. Norwood] is recognized during 
morning business for 5 minutes.
  Mr. NORWOOD. Madam Speaker, today the Federal Government will shut 
down, and later this week, the Federal Government will reach its debt 
limit. Congress has passed bills to continue spending and to raise the 
debt limit, but the President has vetoed them. So here we are at an 
impasse.
  Madam Speaker, I am not at all happy it has come to this. I am 
concerned for the people who will be inconvenienced by the Government 
shutdown. I am very concerned that some Americans may lose faith in the 
way we do business here in Washington. I sincerely wish it had not come 
to this.
  But, Madam Speaker, we have no choice. The Federal Government is $4.9 
trillion in debt. It is immoral for us to continue to borrow from the 
future of our children. We must take the steps necessary to balance the 
budget. We Republicans have laid out a plan to reach a balanced budget 
by the year 2002. We have done so by cutting spending. We have done so 
while cutting taxes, not raising them. We have done so while making the 
hard choices necessary to save Medicare from bankruptcy. We have done 
so with no help whatsoever from the liberal Democrats in Congress or 
the President.
  Yet here we are Madam Speaker, out of money and at the limit of our 
debt. Why has the President vetoed both of our efforts to avoid this 
crisis? I have been listening to his remarks with great interest.
  The President said he vetoed the debt limit extension because he did 
not want to be constrained by our budget priorities. For those of you 
who do not understand political gobbledygook that means the President 
does not want to balance the budget in 7 years using CBO scoring.
  The President vetoed the continuing resolution because he does not 
want to raise Medicare part B premiums; he wants to see them lowered. 
Perhaps the President has forgotten his trustees report. Medicare is 
going bankrupt. Lowering part B premiums does not make Medicare more 
solvent. Arguing over Medicare premiums is simply political posturing; 
it has nothing to do with governing. If you really want to save 
Medicare, you have to be prepared to make hard choices. The President 
is apparently not ready.
  Madam Speaker, I have heard the network newscast constantly refer to 
this budget crisis as some form of game. Nothing could be further from 
the truth. We are fighting to save the future of this country. This is 
no game. We Republicans simply refuse to proceed any further with 
politics as usual. We will not continue the mindless spending and 
borrowing that is bankrupting our children's future and destroying any 
hope they have of achieving the American Dream. We will not vote to 
extend the debt limit or continue the spending of the Federal 
Government with a commitment from the President to balance the budget.
  Madam Speaker as of today, we have no such commitment from the 
President. He continues to play politics with Medicare while the system 
goes bankrupt. He refuses to accept CBO scoring, even though CBO 
scoring was good enough for him when the Democrats controlled Congress. 
He refuses to discuss specific cuts he will consider, instead he just 
snipes at Congress for being to harsh on education and the environment. 
What is it we are doing that he refuses to accept? Is the President 
against risk-assessment to make regulations more reasonable? Is the 
President against habeas corpus reforms that will halt the endless 
death row appeals? It is time for the President to quit campaigning and 
start governing.
  Madam Speaker, I take no joy in seeing the Government closed down 
today. But this is a step we must take if we are to reach a balanced 
budget and save our children's future.

[[Page H 12197]]


                              {time}  0915
                   CALLING THE CRISIS FOR WHAT IT IS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. Pryce). Under the Speaker's announced 
policy of May 12, 1995, the gentlewoman from Colorado [Mrs. Schroeder] 
is recognized during morning business for 4 minutes.
  Mrs. SCHROEDER. Madam Speaker, this is indeed I think a very dark 
day. The institution is basically dysfunctional today and we ought to 
call it for what it is. This great Nation is being held hostage by some 
extremists who came to this institution and have not been able to get 
their way through the normal process that served this Republic for over 
200 years, and so we are now seeing the equivalent of 2-year-old 
tantrums that we see out on the playground. No one should be surprised 
as to where we are. The Speaker made it very clear from day one where 
he was going.
  If we look at these quotes, in April he said, ``The President will 
veto a number of things, and we'll put them all on the debt ceiling and 
then he'll decide how big a crisis he wants.''
  Oh, they could not wait for the crisis.
  Then again in September he said, ``I don't care what the price is. I 
don't care if we have no executive offices and I don't care if there 
are no bonds for 30 days, not at this time.''
  He has been very clear what his strategy was, create a crisis for 
this great, great Republic like it has never seen before. Oh, will that 
not be historic?
  Let us not look at politicians' words. Let us look at what the 
Standard & Poor's people say. They do not think a lot of this crisis. 
They do not think that this is real funny. They do not appreciate our 
tantrum. Look what they said in the New York Times this weekend.
  They warn Government of the threat of default. If they lower the 
Nation's credit rating, we are going to see an increase in interest 
rates, which our children are going to pay forever and ever and they 
are also going to see interest rates increased on the average American 
the average American businessowner, the average American mortgageowner 
and so forth.
  So, Americans, you are paying a very high price for this political 
theater, for this 2-year-old temper tantrum, because people do not want 
to play by the rules that Jefferson and everyone else thought was fine 
for over 200 years.
  We continue to see other things. We see them saying that it is 
perfectly all right that we cut loose on the safety net that has been 
there for America's children and for people who are relying on 
Medicare. We see them having their favorite comedian come and talk, 
about, ``Oh, this is great, my mother will be on dog food, the poor 
will starve, but we'll get them new can openers.''
  Is that not wonderful? I do not really think that is too funny. I do 
not think that is funny at all. It is not the America I knew. The 
America I knew said every child has a right to a college education, we 
all should have a clean environment and breathe fresh air, we all ought 
to be respectful of the elderly and we should not take great joy if we 
can squeeze some more money out of them or find some way for them to be 
a little more miserable. I do not think anybody wants to see us 
jeopardize the full faith and credit of this Government.
  I was shocked when I heard Last night this other side was offered a 
1-day clean continuing resolution to avoid this crisis and turned it 
down. Not even 1 day, Not even 1 day would they give it.
  This is outrageous, and we really ought to call it for what it is. Do 
not be surprised. Just get on the phones and tell people you do not 
like people playing these kind of political games with the full faith 
and credit of this great Nation.

                          ____________________