[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 203 (Monday, December 18, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H15067]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




THE PRESIDENT SHOULD BE HONEST ABOUT THE BUDGET, AND SECRETARY O'LEARY 
                             SHOULD RESIGN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Kansas [Mr. Tiahrt] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. TIAHRT. Mr. Speaker, there seems to be some confusion tonight 
about what is going on here in Washington. Let me clear up some of the 
confusion. What we are about is fulfilling the promise to balance the 
Federal budget and restore hope for this great Nation, because it is 
the right thing to do.
  Let us for a moment set aside the fact that on November 19, the 
President signed into law that the Government would balance the budget 
in 7 years in CBO numbers in the first session of the 104th Congress. 
So far, the President has failed to keep his word and the public law.
  Instead, let us look at the President's recent speech on Friday, 
December 15. In that speech the President attempted to mislead the 
people of America, I think, 13 different times. I just want to focus on 
1 of those 13 different statements and explain why the President never 
would or could balance the budget without the honest help of Americans 
across this great land.

  Let me quote from the President in his December 15 speech. ``You 
know, I do not agree with their very large tax cuts for wealthy 
Americans and for all the special interests that get their help in the 
bill.''
  Mr. Speaker, we are trying to get a $500-per-child tax credit for 
every family in America. American families are of special interest to 
me and others, and I think it would help their pocketbooks. But I do 
not think most American families consider themselves wealthy.
  But the irony of this is that the President does not want to give the 
average working family consideration, but he will allow members of his 
Cabinet to live lavish lifestyles at the expense of our working 
families.
  Secretary O'Leary, whose responsibilities as Secretary of the 
Department of Energy have domestic responsibilities, but yet she has 
been overseas 16 times. She has leased the very same luxury jet liner 
that Madonna uses and these trips cost a minimum of a half a million 
dollars each.
  She takes as many as 50 members of her staff and over 60 corporate 
CEO's and other corporate officers, many of whom have not covered their 
own expenses for these trips. But do not worry, because the American 
taxpayers will pick up the bill.
  Secretary O'Leary is also mismanaging dollars to protect and enhance 
her image. Her image is very important to her. She employs 529 public 
relations employees at a cost of $25 million a year. She has a personal 
media consultant at a cost of $75,000 per year. She hires photographers 
and video crews to go with her on these international trips at 
taxpayers' expense to catch her looking at her best.
  She even hired a private investigative firm to rate members of the 
press and Congress and develop a list of unfavorables so that she could 
``work on them a little.''
  But that is not the worst. The worst is that according to Vice 
President Gore in his National Performance Review, even the 
environmental management department of her Department is 40 percent 
inefficient. It is going to cost taxpayers $70 billion over the next 30 
years.
  Mr. Speaker, it will be impossible to balance the budget if the 
President cannot be honest about the budget and we cannot balance the 
budget if we do not get shed, as they say in Missouri, get shed of the 
arrogant and wasteful spending by the Secretary of the Department of 
Energy.
  Secretary O'Leary should resign and the President should be honest 
about the budget. I believe the negotiations should be open to the 
public. Let us come to the table in front of the cameras and let 
everyone know which side is presenting which budget. I think that would 
enhance the process and we would, in fact, get a balanced budget in 7 
years, scored by CBO numbers as the public law reads.

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