[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 186 (Monday, November 20, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H13352]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    BACK TO WORK ON REPUBLICAN TERMS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of May 
12, 1995, the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Weller] is recognized during 
morning business for 3 minutes.
  Mr. WELLER. Mr. Speaker, today's headline in Washington Times, a 
major national newspaper, really says it all. It is back to work on 
Republican terms. Clinton accepts 7-year formula.
  That says a lot, ladies and gentlemen. The President has now made a 
commitment to the American taxpayer to balance the budget and to 
balance it over 7 years, using honest economic figures and honest 
numbers. Now that is a big concession on the President's part, and I 
want to thank the President.
  I also want to thank the constituents, the hundreds of constituents 
that have called my office over the last few days, and in fact their 
calls were 9 to 1 in favor of the Republican plan to balance the budget 
over 7 years.
  I also want to thank the 48 conservative and moderate Democrats who 
backed the 7-year timetable that Republicans have called for. It is 
reasonable, and the President now concurs, 7 years, and no longer.
  We Republicans have laid on the table a reasonable commonsense plan 
which eliminates the deficit over 7 years. Our plan eliminates the 
deficit over 7 years using honest numbers. We save Medicare from 
bankruptcy, while increasing spending on Medicare by $355 billion over 
this period of 7 years. That is a 50-percent increase over what we 
currently spend.
  We reform welfare to emphasize work and family and responsibility. 
And yes, we provide tax relief for working families. What that means 
for my constituents, Illinois taxpayers, is that the President has 
agreed to spend $1 trillion less than he originally wanted to spend, 
and that means that America's children, particularly our Nation's 
children, will get to see a better economic future.
  Now it is time to see the specifics of the President's plan. What is 
the President's plan to balance the budget over the next 7 years? Of 
course we do not want to see any smoke and mirrors. We want to use 
honest numbers. We want to see the details.
  Two years ago, the President and the Democrats in this body, my 
friends over here on the left, gave us the biggest tax hike in the 
history of our country. What it meant to the people of the State of 
Illinois was a $1,100 per capita tax hike in its first year alone, 
$1,100 for every man, woman, and child in the first year.

  The Democrats gave us higher taxes on Social Security benefits on my 
seniors and higher taxes on the motor fuel that my working people use 
to go to work. That was their proposal to eliminate the deficit.
  Now we Republicans stood firm and every Republican opposed the 
Democrat tax hikes in 1993, and we continue to oppose Democratic tax 
hikes and want and insist on tax relief for working families.
  Republicans have laid on the table a plan to balance the budget over 
the next 7 years, contains no tax increases. In fact, it provides tax 
relief for working families. We reform welfare and we save Medicare.
  And the bottom line is by balancing the budget economists tell us 
that it is good for families because interest rates are coming down, 
lower mortgage rates, lower car loans, lower student loans. Frankly, 
that is what we are doing for the American people, is giving them a 
better future. Mr. President, it is time to show us your plan.

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