[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 181 (Wednesday, November 15, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H12354-H12355]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 GETTING ON WITH THE PEOPLE'S BUSINESS

  (Mr. ENGEL. asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, only one thing good has come out of this 
shutdown. It has exposed the extreme agenda of the Republican Party. 
What are they doing? What are they proposing? To raise Medicare 
premiums on seniors, gut environmental regulations, gut worker safety 
laws, gut health rules for food inspection, gut education, gut student 
loans, and let us remember, we would not be in this crisis if the 
Republicans were doing their job. Ten of 13 appropriations bills have 
not yet been sent to the President that were supposed to have been sent 
by October 1.
  It is easy to see that the Republican leadership has provided this 
crisis in order to blackmail the President to accept their extreme 
agenda. Let us listen to what some of the leaders said just a few 
months ago.
  The chairman of the Committee on the Budget: ``If we close down, 
people will listen.''
  The Speaker: ``The President will veto a number of thing and we'll 
put 

[[Page H12355]]
them all on the debt ceiling and then he'll decide how big a crisis he 
wants.''
  We cannot balance the budget on the backs of working people. We 
cannot cut Medicare $270 billion to give a tax break for the rich. Stop 
your extreme agenda, Republican leadership, and let us get on with the 
people's business.

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