[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 2 (Thursday, January 4, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H121-H122]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            PASS A CONTINUING RESOLUTION TO OPEN GOVERNMENT

  (Mr. DINGELL asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, it is now 3 months and a few days since the 
fiscal year closed and since the Congress had a responsibility to enact 
a new national budget and to adopt some 13 appropriations bills. None 
of that has been done.
  My Republican colleagues are anxious to tell us how the President can 
get the country back to work. Well, it is very simple. We can get the 
Government going again by the simple expediency of continuing the 
negotiations and by seeing to it that a continuing resolution in the 
proper form has been passed.
  Our Republican colleagues have told us what they are going to do. The 
Speaker himself said this: I do not care what the price is, I do not 
care if we have no executive offices and no bonds for 30 days. Not this 
time. He said he would shut the Government down and he has done so. 
Federal employees, citizens, everyone else is hurting because of this 
consequence.
  My advice is, let us not slink out of town like a bunch of skulkers; 
let us pass a continuing resolution and get about the business of the 
country.

[[Page H122]]


                         MEALS ON WHEELS LIVES

  (Mr. HANCOCK asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. HANCOCK. Mr. Speaker, I have a real problem. Just the other day 
the President comes on national television, and the first item he 
mentioned as part of the shutdown was Meals on Wheels. My wife devotes 
1 full day a week plus other free time to Meals on Wheels in the 
private sector. I picked up the telephone today and I called every 
place I could think of in southwest Missouri, my district, and every 
meal is being delivered. Meals on Wheels has not been shut down.
  Now, maybe there is a Government function that they call Meals on 
Wheels that is Government funded that is shut down. But the private-
sector Meals on Wheels is delivering meals all over the United States, 
which is a real good example that the private sector can do a better 
job than the Government.
  Meals on Wheels are being delivered, and I resent the President of 
the United States stating that my wife's volunteer work is not 
happening.

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