[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 2 (Thursday, January 4, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H151]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  A BALANCED BUDGET IS MOST IMPORTANT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Kansas [Mrs. Meyers] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. MEYERS of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I think the fact that we have 
closed Government down is difficult. It is very important for a number 
of people, but I also would like to say that the importance of getting 
a balanced budget in this country is even more important.
  The budget that we have produced puts money back into people's 
pockets. It leaves choices to governments, to State and local 
governments and to individuals. It reduces spending and ceases the 
mortgaging of our children's future. It ends a number of programs that 
have absolutely crippled this country. It ends entitlement to programs 
where funding just continues to go on and on and on.
  I do not know if everybody knows what an entitlement is. But an 
entitlement is a program where we define certain parameters in the law 
and then if you fit into those parameters, you are entitled to money. 
And we have a number of these entitlements.
  We do not even appropriate specific amount of money. We just say such 
sums as may be necessary, and we have said to young women that we will 
give them $18,000 a year if all they will do is just have two children 
out of wedlock, and then we have promised them they are entitled to 
that $18,000 a year.
  Some of these entitlements absolutely demand that we change them, and 
it is tremendously important that we do this. The President has simply 
not cooperated and not followed through with what he said he would do.
  At this point in time, I yield to my colleague, the gentleman from 
Georgia [Mr. Kingston].
  Mr. KINGSTON. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding and wanted to make 
some points that we have heard a lot of speeches about let us reopen 
the Government.
  I want to say to my friends on that side of the aisle, I think there 
is certainly a good argument for it. We are talking real people, real 
paychecks, real mortgages, and so forth. I think we need to address 
that.
  I wish they would also have equal fervency to the debt they are 
passing on to children. If a baby is born today, he or she owes 
$187,000 as his or her part of the interest on the national debt, 
$187,000 above and beyond local, State, and Federal taxes.
  Now, you know, you talk about compassion. What about the legacy of 
debt which people do not seem to be worried about passing on to kids? 
What we are hearing is, of course, ``I supported a balanced budget.'' 
Well, they do, but not every one of them voted for it. You know, here 
is, we had the ``yes'' votes from Geren, Hall, Montgomery, and Parker 
when we had the Balanced Budget Act, so from the side over there we 
only had four ``yes'' votes. That is fine.
  A lot of them are saying, ``Well, I support the coalition budget.'' I 
would say, if you support the coalition budget, then that is very good, 
too, and that is progress. But there is still a lot who do not support 
the Republican budget or the coalition budget and are coming down here 
saying, ``Of course, I support a budget.'' Well, where is it? Hello? 
The budget negotiations are going on. Go ahead and put your budget in 
any time now.
  We want to get the Government working again. We want to reopen it. 
But you cannot do it when you have got one side who will not come to 
the table. So I think it is very, very important to say, OK, you know, 
let us try to get beyond the Federal Government, you know, and the 
shutdown, and let us get back to the balancing of the budget.

  We have a debt right now that is almost $5 trillion. We spend $20 
billion each month in interest on the debt, and I hope that we see some 
of the urgency that we are seeing on, you know, reopening the 
Government, I hope we see the equal urgency on let us balance the 
budget. I think we should have both. I think we should get the 
Government reopened. But I think we should rush most importantly to 
balance the budget. I hope our friends would see that.
  I know the gentleman from Texas wanted us to yield some time. I do 
not control the time, but if the gentlewoman would yield, what I would 
say is we often yield to you but do not get yielded back. So if we do, 
if the gentlewoman decides to yield to you, I would appreciate it if 
you would reciprocate back and let me have some of your time so that we 
can have a dialogue if that is what the gentlewoman desires.
  Mrs. MEYERS of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, I would just 
say for a moment that I think a lot of people out there are thinking we 
could get the Government open again, we could get the people back to 
work, it is just a matter of numbers, why do they not just split the 
difference in what they want to do with Medicare or Medicaid?
  The point that I am trying to make is that it is not just a matter of 
numbers. It is a fundamental, a totally fundamental difference in the 
way we view Government, and essentially it does not mean that either 
are wrong. It means that the Democrats believe in rather a larger role 
for the Federal Government. The Republicans believe in a more limited 
role for the Federal Government, and you cannot get there with all of 
the entitlements.

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