[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 197 (Tuesday, December 12, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H14264]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         COUNTDOWN TO SHUTDOWN

  (Ms. NORTON asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, this is day four of the countdown to 
shutdown. It no longer looks as if shutdown lies ahead for the Federal 
Government. A CR until January sometime is more likely. For the 
District of Columbia, a CR is only marginally better than a shutdown.
  Mr. Speaker, you cannot run a complicated city on a month-to-month 
basis. It makes it almost impossible to make rational management and 
financial decisions.
  Thanks to a bipartisan bill, the D.C. Fiscal Protection Act, D.C. may 
be spared this new atrocity; the subcommittee will mark up a bill 
tomorrow. The full committee has waived jurisdiction, indicating how 
important it is to allow the District of Columbia to spend its own 
money. Yes, its own money; 85 percent of the money in our appropriation 
is raised from District taxpayers.
  Community leaders representing those taxpayers met with me in a town 
meeting last night. They are the innocent bystanders. They say that 
there could be no greater waste than forcing the District to pay 
employees on a CR basis. Free the D.C. 85 percent.

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