[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 206 (Thursday, December 21, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H15489]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  WHOSE FAULT IS THE BUDGET STALEMATE?

  (Mr. HEFLEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. HEFLEY. Mr. Speaker, well, you have seen the headlines in the New 
York Times and Washington Post. All I can say is consider the source. 
Two of the most liberal publications in America today naturally would 
want to blame the Republicans, someone like the Republican freshmen, 
for this.
  What they did not do was watch the news conference of Vice President 
Gore the other night, two nights ago, when Newt Gingrich and Bob Dole 
came back to this Capitol to brief us on what happened at the White 
House. There was a note of encouragement in their voices. It looked 
like we were on our way to getting something done.
  At that very moment they were briefing us, Al Gore was in front of 
the cameras scuttling the whole deal, repudiating everything Gingrich 
and Dole thought they had heard.
  Mr. Speaker, if anyone deserves the blame for the budget talks going 
south, it is Bill Clinton and his liberal Vice President, Al Gore. They 
refused to deal in good faith. They refused to honor their commitment 
that they made last month, and now they want to blame freshman 
Republicans. Absolutely silly.
  Does this not strain credibility, Mr. Speaker? Bill Clinton and his 
liberal administration refused to honor their commitments, and they do 
not deal in good faith.

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