[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 7 (Monday, January 22, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H340]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           DEFAULT THREAT HINTED AT WAS WAY TO SETTLE BUDGET

  (Mr. BENTSEN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BENTSEN. Mr. Speaker, a week ago, the chairman of the Committee 
on the Budget, Mr. Kasich, said that the Republicans had abandoned the 
idea of shutting down the Government and defaulting on the national 
debt. But yesterday, my colleague from Texas, the majority leader, Mr. 
Armey, said that default on the debt was again a threat, right here on 
the front page of the New York Times and on every paper across this 
country.
  Mr. Speaker, I guess it is a case of dumb and dumber. It was dumb to 
shut down the Government; it is dumber to default on the debt of the 
Government. My Republican friends say we are doing this budget that 
cuts Medicare and Medicaid to do it for our children and our 
grandchildren. But the Republican plan is to hurt homeowners and to 
leave our children and grandchildren with a mountain of bad debt.

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