[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 180 (Tuesday, November 14, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H12202-H12203]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      SOLUTION NEEDED FOR IMPASSE

  (Mr. SCHIFF asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, we need a solution to this impasse. I do 
not believe that a solution is unrestricted borrowing and spending. 
That is what we have been doing for the last 25 years. However, I 
believe part of the solution is taking off the table at this time 
specifics towards reaching a balanced budget.
  I suggest, and I encourage, the Congress of the United States to pass 
a continuing resolution today that will keep the Government going with 
only one condition, and that is that the President and the Congress 
agree on reaching a balanced budget as a common goal. That will mean 
agreeing to reach a goal through the same method in 7 years using 
Congressional Budget Office figures.
  The President of the United States has previously agreed with both of 
those conditions. He suggested during his campaign that the budget 
could be balanced in 5 years. Further, he stood in this Chamber and 
lectured the Congress on the fact that he thought the Congressional 
Budget Office had the best and most accurate figures in projecting the 
government budget. Therefore, we should say that the one condition is a 
common goal of balancing the budget.

[[Page H 12203]]


                     AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE THE LOSERS

  (Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, today the House leadership, 
and we have heard it already this morning, is in the blame-shifting 
mode and the only losers are going to be the American people.
  The majority of the Republicans say they want to save Social 
Security, but even under their balanced budget proposal in 7 years, 
they still borrow over $100 billion from the Social Security trust 
fund. The Government is shutting down and we are inching closer to 
defaulting on our debt, and who is to blame for the disaster? The blame 
rests solely with the Republican majority.
  The reason they need a continuing resolution and the debt limit 
increase is because the Republican majority failed to finish their 
work. As of today, only 5 appropriations bills out of 13 have been 
finished, and only 3 sent to the President. Instead of finishing their 
work, the Republican majority is saying well, Mr. President, you need 
to increase Medicare premiums and cut education, or we are shutting 
down the Government.
  On September 22, the Washington Post reported Speaker Gingrich 
saying, ``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 this time.''
  Well, the majority should care. The American people should not be 
made to pay the price for the Republican majority not doing their work.

                          ____________________