[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 183 (Friday, November 17, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H13290-H13291]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               THE BUDGET

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate joining my colleague from 
Maine and the freshman Democrats who have come to this House floor 
seeking not only a mere opportunity for collegiality, but fairness for 
the American people.
  I come this evening because this is an important matter before the 
House. I come in the name of my son, Jason, age 10, who has a 
Thanksgiving feast this Monday, my daughter Erica, age 15, who has a 
basketball tournament this weekend, and my husband.
  Thanksgiving happens to be a time when most families would like to 
have time together. I take issue with the gentleman on the floor about 
this regular Sunday dates with his family. We all would like to be with 
our family. I would imagine that the 28,000 individuals who are 
applying for Social Security benefits probably need to have the 
Government operating, because they are in dire need.
  Mr. Speaker, I would think the 10,000 claims for veterans benefits 
are important to those people who have given their service to this 
country; and, the 10,000 applications for Medicare that are not being 
processed also impacts seniors who have come now to a time in their 
life when they need medical care; and the 2,500 home mortgage 
applications that are not being processed.
  Mr. Speaker, it happens to be very interesting, I have heard myriad 
comments made by my Republican friends. I think the American people 
need to know the facts. The Republicans are in the majority. They are 
the ones who are in control and they came into this Congress, along 
with those of us who are freshman Democrats, on January 4, 1995.
  We have had now some 11 months to pass the appropriation bills that 
should have been passed as of October 1. Interestingly enough, we were 
willing in the first 100 days to do things like dismantle the crime 
bill. We were willing to dismantle the welfare reform package that most 
of us thought we could agree with, and put some million children off 
the rolls in order to allow for them to be unfed and hungry. A million 
children that would not be able to have the benefits that they need on 
a welfare reform package.
  They were willing to tack on the appropriation bills the elimination 
of affirmative action; all kinds of unrelated activities were taking up 
the time of Republicans, when we should have been dealing with the 
appropriation bills for this country.
  So it amuses me, and saddens me as well, when I hear our Republican 
colleagues come to the House floor with such piousness. They are in the 
majority in this House and they have not done their jobs and the 
American people need to know that. They need to know when little 
children picket the White House because they are not able to go to the 
museums of this Nation that belong to them that the Republicans simply 
have not done their job.
  If further amuses me for them to say we do not need to work this 
weekend. Yes, we do, because there are people in this country who will 
come on Monday and face another day of being unsalaried and not being 
able to work. Frankly, let me tell my colleagues that this continuing 
resolution is not at the President's desk. It is still over in the 
Senate. It has not gotten to his desk.
  If it has not gotten to his desk, we will have Saturday and we need 
to be here Sunday to resolve the matter. I wish we would come down to 
the bare facts of what the truth actually is. We have a schism here.
  We do not have a reconciliation bill. We have a bill that actually 
divides this country. It divides this country because it eliminates the 
low income house tax credit, something that helps inner cities develop 
affordable housing for their citizens. It reduces payments to hospitals 
and causes urban and rural hospitals to close.
  Mr. Speaker, it increases the Medicare premium upwards of $10 for our 
citizens, one of whom I heard from tonight who said she gets $600 a 
month in her Social Security and she is 85 years old. I venture to say, 
Mr. Speaker, she cannot afford the extra $10.
  In Texas, we will find that Medicaid has been reduced now to $5 
billion, reduced down to $5 billion. We will see many of our urban 
hospitals, the Harris County Hospital District and the citizens that it 
takes care of, impacted drastically.
  Then the Republicans talk about the investment for their children. 
They are good about talking about what is happening in the 21st 
century. Let me tell my colleagues the truth. They reduced R&D 35 
percent. Research and development creates jobs for Americans. Then they 
decreased the student loans some $5 billion. They put a thousand 
schools out of the direct student loan program. This is the future that 
Republicans offer.
  Mr. Speaker, I think we need to not only be here tomorrow; we need to 
be here Sunday. We need to be here maybe on Thanksgiving Day, so that 
we have truly reflect what America is all about and there would be a 
real Thanksgiving, and that is a budget that reflects the needs of all 
working Americans, not just the talented tenth and not just the wealthy 
who will be getting $245 billion in a tax cut.
  Mr. Speaker, I am gratified to be amongst those freshman Democrats 
who are standing here to say we are prepared to work for the American 
people so the doors of this Government can be open on Monday and we can 
serve them in the manner that they should be served.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to strongly urge my colleagues to work 
throughout this weekend to resolve this budget impasse. My Democratic 
freshman colleagues and I introduced a resolution today that recommends 
that the House complete action on a continuing resolution and debt 
ceiling to end this budget impasse. We urged the House Rules Committee 
to allow this resolution to proceed to the House floor.
  This crisis is taking a toll on millions of Americans, particularly 
Federal employees and their families. Some 800,000 Federal employees 
have been furloughed. They are wondering whether they will get paid for 
this furlough period and be able to meet the economic needs of their 
families.
  Each day that the Government is shut down, 28,000 applications for 
Social Security benefits are not being processed; 10,000 claims for 
veterans' benefits are not being processed; 10,000 applications for 
Medicare are not being processed; 2,500 home mortgage applications are 
not being processed; 22,000 passport applications are not being 
processed; and 60,000 young children are unable to attend Head Start 
programs.
  This crisis is affecting business firms that have contracts with the 
Federal Government and affecting localities that depend upon Federal 
employment to stabilize their economies.
  This impasse is causing America to lose its credibility with the rest 
of the world, particularly among the international capital markets.
  The budget impasse is unacceptable. The Members of this House were 
elected to do a job, which is to appropriate funds to operate the 
Federal Government and carry out our oversight function over Government 
agencies. We have failed to exercise this responsibility because the 
House leadership spent valuable time during this session on the 
``Contract With America'' proposals instead of moving the 
appropriations bills through the legislative process.
  While millions of Americans are experiencing anxiety over this 
impasse, Members of Congress are still being paid. Since we are getting 
paid, let us remain here over the weekend and resolve this crisis by 
passing a clean continuing resolution or pass appropriations bills 
without extraneous legislative riders so that the Federal Government 
can conduct its business.
  Most Members of this House want a balanced budget. Many of us have 
voted for balanced budget proposals during this session of Congress. 
However, the budget must not be balanced on the backs of those 
Americans that can least afford it. There is an appropriate way to 
achieve this goal. We must not hold 

[[Page H 13291]]
the American people, particularly Federal employees, hostage in the 
process.
  This is not the time for Members to focus on perceived slights by the 
President. This is not the time to focus on partisan politics. This is 
the time to act in a responsible manner and ensure that the Federal 
Government is up and running to serve the American people.

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