[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 2 (Thursday, January 4, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H97]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          CONGRESS AND THE PRESIDENT SHARE BLAME FOR SHUTDOWN

  (Mr. DAVIS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. DAVIS. Mr. Speaker, this is disgraceful. We have Members over 
here saying it is Gingrich's fault, it is the President's fault. it is 
all of our faults, folks. We have not been able to get our act 
together. We could pass a continuing resolution. I favor doing that, 
and I voted yesterday with my colleagues to do it. But the President 
could have signed the appropriation bills, or he could have put a 
balanced budget on the table and that would end this entirely too. So 
we all share blame.
  One of the most outrageous proposals I have seen is to recess this 
Congress until January 23. If we recess the time to move the discharge 
petition, that will take a longer period of time. I think that is 
wrong. We ought to bring this to a vote and let the House vote on it. 
Congress would go home for nearly 3 weeks and leave the Government 
unfunded. We would be asking Federal workers to work at their jobs for 
a period of 1 month and not pay them, if you can imagine that, while we 
being fully paid would go back to our districts.
  I agree with the gentleman from Virginia [Mr. Wolf] and the 
gentlewoman from Maryland [Mrs. Morella] who just talked. While we 
vacation back home, we would be asking Federal workers to work without 
pay. It is wrong, it would be a disgrace, it would send a signal to the 
American people, let them eat cake. I will oppose it, Mr. Speaker.

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