[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 189 (Wednesday, November 29, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H13735]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1015
                    PRIORITIES FOR A BALANCED BUDGET

  (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. Mr. Speaker, I was not planning to follow 
the other speaker, and I appreciate the changes that my Republican 
colleagues have made in the education funding, because they have come a 
long way. He is right. There have been some funding cuts restored, but 
the House Republicans do not deserve the credit. The Senate Democrats 
and Republicans deserve the credit for insisting that House Republicans 
not decimate education funding.
  We have an opportunity over the next few weeks to work bipartisanly 
on a balanced budget bill. We have a responsibility to make sure the 
values and the priorities of the American people are maintained and 
that we balance the budget while protecting education, and Medicare, 
the environment, and veterans.
  Our priorities should be, No. 1, to protect Medicare and Medicaid. We 
must maintain the high quality of health care we currently enjoy. No. 
2, protect students and children. We must maintain current levels of 
education funding so that students, including those from Aldine High 
School in my congressional district who are here today from the Close-
up program get the education they need to succeed in the 21st century. 
It is our obligation to make sure that those students have the 
opportunity to obtain a student loan or Pell grants. They are the 
future of our country and have a responsibility to make sure they are 
prepared. Finally, we need to protect tax fairness in the tax system. 
We do not need to punish low-income Americans by increasing their 
taxes.
  I hope we will give serious consideration to a bipartisan effort to 
balance the budget. The time has come to get our fiscal house in order 
while maintaining the values and priorities most important to the 
American people.

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