[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 1 (Wednesday, January 3, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H51]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               A SAD DAY

  (Mr. MICA asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, this is an interesting turn of events today. 
We have had opportunity to put Federal employees back to work. This 
House met its constitutional responsibility and in fact did vote, and 
twice the other side of the aisle has now voted down measures that 
would put our Federal civil servants back to work.
  Now we had another opportunity here to get some relief for the 
District and other Federal employees, and that was objected to by the 
other side. We have given the President of the United States a balanced 
budget, we gave him a CR and 30 days to come back with a plan, and we 
have met in good faith.
  We need trust, we need working together. We do not need this 
obstructionism from the other side of the aisle. We need to come 
together, get these problems resolved. It is a sad day for the country 
and a sad day for the Congress that in fact we could not have taken 
care of the people's business and the Federal employees' business today 
with simple action by the House of Representatives and working 
together.

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