[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 205 (Wednesday, December 20, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H15262]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 NOW IS NOT TIME FOR BUSINESS AS USUAL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Arizona [Mr. Hayworth] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. HAYWORTH. Mr. Speaker, I thank the Speaker and I thank many of 
our colleagues for joining us here on the floor today.
  Mr. Speaker, I listened with great interest to the gentlewoman from 
Ohio [Ms. Kaptur], and indeed would offer in the spirit of 
bipartisanship, congratulations to the Toledo Rockets for their great 
victory. I am sure I am speaking for my colleagues from the great State 
of Nevada. She was more than happy to supply the Tee-shirt and she is 
equally proud of the Wolf Pack of Nevada, Reno, even though they came 
up on the short end of the score.
  Mr. Speaker, again, on that bipartisan remark, let me address the 
remarks of my colleague from Ohio and other remarks in this Chamber 
earlier today with reference to what is transpiring here in Washington, 
DC, and indeed throughout the country.
  There has been a plea from the other side of the aisle, a request to 
go back to business as usual. Indeed, this morning, my dear friend from 
New Jersey, who is also here on the floor, basically said that in his 
opinion, what is transpiring now is not the way a majority should 
govern in the United States.

                              {time}  1515

  Let me simply offer these thoughts. It is precisely because of 
business as usual and the constant drumbeat of taxing and spending and 
spending a little more and making special accommodations and spending 
more and more and more and more that we never come to grips with the 
central issue we must confront. And that is we are committing fiscal 
suicide upon this Nation and upon future generations if we fail to 
stand now and respond to the clarion call of the American people who 
say enough is enough. Balance the Federal budget now. Put into place 
the framework today is that in 7-years time we can have a balanced 
budget and start to eliminate this national debt that will suffocate 
generations to come.
  There is nothing moral about taking the money from generations still 
to come simply because they do not have a vote. Good people may 
disagree, and my good friend from Massachusetts is here on the floor, 
and I am sure he will get a chance to speak here in a few moments. Good 
people may disagree on how money may best be spent. But for the 
executive branch of this Government to walk away from a public 
commitment and, moreover, a public law, signed 30 days ago by the Chief 
Executive, committing this Nation, committing this Government as terms 
of the previous continuing resolution to use the framework of a 
commitment to a balanced budget in 7 years using the honest numbers of 
the Congressional Budget Office, but for the President to walk away 
from that statement, to walk away from that public law is absolutely 
patently wrong.
  Now, others may try to massage the wording, and there may be 
countervailing philosophies, but the undergirding part of that public 
law was a commitment to work for a balanced budget within 7 years using 
the honest, nonpartisan numbers of the Congressional Budget Office.
  Are there differences in philosophy? Of course, but there should be 
no difference on that board bedrock of principle.
  Mr. Speaker, I freely acknowledge that good people can disagree and, 
indeed, we are here to debate those differences. But surely, certainly 
the bounds of common decency suggest, that, even though good people may 
disagree, there should be a basic framework upon which to work out the 
disagreement. Now this White House and this administration and 
regrettably some others in this Chamber want to walk away from that 
basic agreement.
  Much is made of the holidays. Much is made of the hardship that many 
Americans face. But again, Mr. Speaker, the greatest Christmas present 
that we can give the American people is to make sure that we have a 
Nation fiscally sane and sound, morally responsible for generations to 
come, saving the health care system for our grandparents, ensuring 
fiscal responsibility and no to business as usual, trying to find a way 
to always tax and spend and spend some more.

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