[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 194 (Thursday, December 7, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S18118]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          BALANCING THE BUDGET

  Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, we had asked last night for a period of a 
special order this morning to discuss the President's veto of the 
Balanced Budget Act of 1995. Certainly I, and I think a good number of 
Americans, Mr. President, watched yesterday as this President with 
grand theater and style worked overtime to cover up the fact that he 
has not produced a balanced budget and in fact cannot, given his 
agenda, produce a budget that will be in balance by the year 2002.
  Instead, yesterday he accused Republicans of not recognizing the need 
for education, of not recognizing the need to strengthen and save 
Medicare. And, of course, that simply is not true and the American 
public knows it.
  The Balanced Budget Act of 1995 that the President vetoed yesterday 
recognizes the importance of education and does not cut student loans. 
It recognizes the importance of a sound Medicare system to seniors and 
strengthens Medicare into the year 2000, by spending nearly an 
additional $2,000 per Medicare recipient in the year 2002, compared 
with 1995. And certainly that is also true of Medicaid, which is 
returned to the States for greater efficiencies and greater humanity as 
States deal with applying Medicaid to the truly needy of our society.
  Several of us have gathered this morning for the purpose of 
discussing the President's veto, the benefits of the budget that the 
President unfortunately vetoed, and the budget situation this Congress 
and our country finds itself in.
  At this time I will yield 5 minutes to the Senator from Wyoming.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Wyoming is recognized for 5 
minutes.

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