[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 204 (Tuesday, December 19, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H15170]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        THE BUDGET AND CHRISTMAS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Dickey). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentlewoman from North Carolina [Mrs. Clayton] is recognized 
for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. CLAYTON. Mr. Speaker, today we witnessed the Republicans playing 
raw politics by putting up senseless resolutions that are designed to 
make noise and avoid making policy.
  The result is that we are giving the American people a Gingrich 
Christmas, a Gingrich Christmas of 250,000 Federal employees or more 
who have a joyless gift of being furloughed and called nonessential in 
their effort to serve America with their vital services.
  A Gingrich Christmas for children means virtually eliminating 
nutrition programs through block grants and creating 50 different 
standards, cutting current levels of SSI benefits for children with 
disability by 25 percent, eliminating the immunization program, 
eliminating the guarantee of child care and providing inadequate 
funding, making it difficult if not impossible for their parents to go 
to work.
  A Gingrich Christmas for senior citizens means cutting Medicare by 
$270 billion, cutting Medicaid by $163 billion, eliminating the 
guaranteed coverage for health care, eliminating home heating 
assistance for the poor, radically restructuring nursing home care.

  A Gingrich Christmas for the wealthy, however, means a tax cut of 
$245 billion and welfare for corporate America.
  The President would like to give the American people a fair 
opportunity to be productive and to contribute to this great Nation 
through their work. The President would like to put those furloughed 
Federal employees back to work who should not be held hostage just 
before Christmastime.
  The President Clinton Christmas for children would mean maintaining 
nutritional programs with one Federal standard across America, making 
sure that there is a hearty breakfast and a healthy lunch for needy 
children, keeping SSI benefits for children with disabilities, making 
sure that every needy child gets immunized against polio, tuberculosis 
and every other disease, retaining the guarantee for child care and 
providing adequate funds so that their parents who need to go back to 
work can go back to work and become independent from dependency on this 
Government.
  A President Christmas for senior citizens would mean providing 
Medicare coverage for American poor elderly, 90 percent of whom have 
such coverage now in America, protecting the guarantee of Medicaid for 
the poor, the disabled and children, retaining the 30-year guarantee of 
health care coverage, maintaining home heating assistance, and keeping 
nursing home care and providing the same standard of care in those 
homes.
  The President's Christmas to the wealthy Americans would mean, 
however, a fair tax rather than a free tax ride, for all Americans. A 
balanced budget in 7 years? Yes, making sure we have a strong, stable 
and working economy.
  Mr. Speaker, Christmas is a time that should bring out the best in 
America, not the worst in America. The best in America means a real 
chance for children, real genuine security for our senior citizens.
  Christmas is less than a week away, 6 days. The question today is, 
what will Congress do to ensure that America experiences a joyful 
Christmas? There will be no joy nor happiness nor excitement if Federal 
workers are out of work, if children have no reason to smile, and if 
seniors face undue pain in their most vulnerable years.
  Christmas has become important in America today. Christmas is really 
a holy day, a righteous day where we should celebrate the expectation 
of a coming of Christ. It is a day where we care about our fellow 
Americans or our fellow human beings.
  Congress must not transform this cheer and this religiously 
significant day into a day of gloom. We must get on and do the work 
that we should do to make Christmas a happy day for all Americans.

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