[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 24 (Tuesday, February 27, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H1261]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  DO NOT DEFAULT ON OUR DEBT PAYMENTS

  (Mr. KENNEDY of Massachusetts asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. KENNEDY of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, I want to welcome back my 
colleagues here in the House, particularly the freshman Republicans. I 
particularly want to give a message of hope to my colleagues over the 
issue of the threatened default on our national debt payments and the 
concerns that many senior citizens across this country have that there 
is an agenda being pursued by this House that will end up forcing the 
default not only of our debt payments but a default on our commitment 
to Social Security as well.
  I would just issue a warning that if we begin to bounce the checks of 
our Social Security payments to our commitments to our senior citizens, 
the senior citizens of this country might very well come back and 
bounce the freshman class. The truth of the matter is, if we are 
concerned about balancing the budget of this country, we can get no 
less than five separate versions of a balanced budget passed on the 
floor of this House today. It might not be the particular version that 
the freshman Republicans want, but it will be a version that will look 
out after the best interests of this country.
  Mr. Speaker, let us balance the budget. Let us not default on our 
debt payments.

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