[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 38 (Tuesday, March 19, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H2321-H2322]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NINE STEPS TO FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY--SPENDING CUTS
The SPEAKER. Under the Speaker's announced policy of May 12, 1995,
the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Goss] is recognized during morning
business for 5 minutes.
Mr. GOSS. Mr. Speaker, everyone knows that our national debt is
spiraling out of control, passing the $5 trillion mark earlier this
year. To put this incredible number in some kind of perspective, the
Washington Times last week gave a particularly timely analogy. It
noted, just in time for the St. Patrick's Day weekend, that just the
one day's increase that day in the national debt, which was around $8
billion, would be enough money to purchase 8 pints of beer at $3.75
each for every citizen of the United States and Ireland for St.
Patrick's Day. That would be quite a celebration, a pretty big party.
Of course, the bill for that party is going to be paid for by the
children who are not old enough to drink beer yet, because we are going
to have to send the bill to them. What I am saying is if we do not
address this addiction to debt spending, it is our children and our
grandchildren who are going to be stuck with the budgetary hangover.
Most know that the first step to recovery from any kind of an
addiction is to admit to the problem. The St. Patrick's Day free beer
scenario underscores the need for the Federal Government to recognize
and treat its addiction to deficit spending.
For that reason, I rise again today to offer my annual list of
specific discretionary spending cuts which, if enacted into law, could
save the American taxpayer more than $300 billion over the next 5
years.
The cuts provided fall into nine general categories, a nine-step
program toward fiscal responsibility. These cuts dramatically
demonstrate the hundreds of billions of waste that still exist in
nearly all areas of the Federal Government, from social programs, to
corporate welfare, to congressional and governmental operations. There
is not a citizen in this country who thinks every single tax dollar
that we have spent is well spent.
The 104th Congress has taken on the challenges of balancing the
budget with an aggressive plan to eliminate our deficit by the year
2002. Unfortunately, while Congress has made the tough choices inherent
in balancing the budget, the President has mostly stayed on the
sideline, playing what I think I can fairly call partisan games for
short-term political gain.
President Clinton has thwarted the responsible attempts to rein in
spending and eliminate wasteful programs. While he has insisted that
the era of big Government is over, he said it right here, his actions
hardly complement that declaration. Highlights of Mr. Clinton's
irresponsibility include bringing about the defeat of the balanced
budget amendment. You all remember, that died by one vote, and the
defeat of the Penny-Kasich spending cuts bill, and vetoing the first
balanced budget plan in over a generation, which we sent to him and he
vetoed.
In fact, even when he finally agreed to offer a balanced budget using
real numbers, he relied on accounting gimmicks, and ignored out-of-
control entitlement programs. Specific recent revelations about the
Medicare Trust Fund suggest the administration has been playing a shell
game with seniors' health care and other mandatory programs. Even more
incredibly, more than 95 percent of his discretionary cuts would not
have taken place until after the year 2000.
The beat goes on, and it goes on today as the President announces
that he is urging Congress to increase, increase, Commerce Department
funding at a time when we are moving to eliminate this wasteful agency
altogether. He is also threatening to shut down the Government again,
unless Congress ponies up a handsome ransom of $8 billion more for his
pet projects in fiscal year 1996 spending. That is today. That is this
year.
While the President is quite vocal as to which programs should be
expanded and increased, he has given us very few details about which
should be cut or terminated. If he is truly serious about ending the
era of big Government, he should get specific on what programs he would
cut to pay for his priorities.
As the President releases his budget today, I remain hopeful, not
particularly optimistic, but hopeful, that it will contain the type of
real fiscal discipline this country needs. I hope that he has a list of
spending cuts that reflect his priorities and his desire to eliminate
deficit spending.
Mr. Speaker, my list is certainly not exhaustive, nor is it
noncontroversial. There are several items on the list about these cuts
that I am not particularly happy about, but I do not think they are
high enough priority.
Still, it begins to frame the debate in terms of our priorities and
it eliminates those programs, agencies and initiatives that fail these
three simple
[[Page H2322]]
tests that we should all ask ourselves. First of all, is this a Federal
responsibility? Second of all, does it work? And, third of all, can we
afford it?
If we do not ask those three simple questions about every program
that comes forward in our budget process, we simply are not doing our
job. If we could afford the luxury of endless spending, perhaps we
would not have to do that. We cannot afford that anymore, and, besides,
it is just good practical business, taking care of the American
taxpayers' dollars, to ask those simple questions: Is this something
Government should do, can we afford it, and does this thing work, is it
on target? That is pretty simple. I think we can even get that message
here.
Mr. Speaker, I include the following nine-step program for fiscal
responsibility for the Record.
A Nine Step Program for Fiscal Responsibility
All savings are over a five year period, calculated in
millions of dollars and based on best official estimates.
leading by example: congressional and executive branch reform
Savings and description
2,200--Reduce the Legislative Branch Appropriations by 20
percent
284--Reduce the Executive Office of the President
Appropriation by 20 percent
85--Reduce the ``franking'' allocation to Members of Congress
by 50 percent
118--Roll back the Congressional Pay Raise to $89,500
2.5--Reduce the Attending Physician's Office by 33 percent
1.1--Privatize the House and Senate Gymnasiums
free market agricultural reform
Savings and description
12,700--Abolish the Cotton Price Support and Loan Programs
11,000--Lower target prices for subsidized crops 3 percent
annually
5,000--Eliminate the Dairy Subsidy Program
3,950--Merge the Agricultural Research Service, the
Cooperative Research Service and the Agricultural
Extension Service; cut funding by 50 percent
1,660--End the Federal Crop Insurance Program and replace
with standing authority for disaster assistance
660--Reduce Commodity Credit Corporation Subsidies to those
with off-farm incomes over $100,000
200--End the Peanut Subsidy Program
100--Eliminate the Tobacco Price Support Program
government for the people, not the bureaucrats
Savings and Description
64,000--Lower by 10% per annum the projected growth rate of
non-postal, civilian agencies overhead (excluding travel)
14,740--Eliminate DOD payments for indirect Research &
Development; substitute direct R&D
8,850--Continue the partial civilian hiring freeze at DOD
6,000--Defense Acquisition Reform
3,080--Repeal the Davis-Bacon Act
2,550--Reduce DOE energy technology spending
1,900--Fully implement H.R. 2452 (102nd) to provide
additional conservation measures for federal agencies
1,500--Strengthen and restructure NASA (NPR proposal)
1,000--Reduce overhead in federally-sponsored university
research
900--Service Contract Act reform
858--Lower the travel budgets of all non-postal civilian
agencies by 15 percent
540--Reform vacation and overtime for the Senior Executive
Service
privatizing and downsizing government
Savings and description
9,000--corporatize the Air Traffic Control System
4,170--Facilitate contracting out and privatization of
military commissaries
2,000--Privatize the Government National Mortgage Association
1,900--Eliminate the Legal Services Corporation
1,522--Eliminate the Economic Development Administration
913--Eliminate Rural Economic and Community Development
(RCED) duplication with the Small Business Administration
690--Eliminate the Appalachian Regional Commission
580--End funding for all non-energy Tennessee Valley
Authority (TVA) activities
174--Eliminate the Rural Utilities Service (formerly the
Rural Electric Administration)
140--Close the Bureau of Mines and merge its data gathering
activities with other Interior research agencies
56--Eliminate the Arms Control Disarmament Agency
10--Phase out the U.S. Fire Administration
foreign assistance that puts american taxpayers first
Savings and description
13,125--Cut the foreign aid budget (150 Account) by 15
percent and make all earmarks in that account subject to
a two-thirds vote for passage
8,100--Eliminate the Agency for International Development
1,510--Eliminate Public Law 480 International Assistance
Program
150--Phase out the Foreign Agricultural Service Cooperation
Funding
attacking corporate welfare
Savings and description
3,388--Eliminate Export Enhancement Program
3,372--Sell the Power Marketing Administrations
2,660--Phase out subsidies for AMTRAK
2,000--End postal subsidies to not-for-profit organizations
(excluding blind and handicapped individuals)
1,002--Eliminate Travel, Tourism and Export Promotion
Administration (as a taxpayer supported entity)
692--Sell the National Helium Reserves
660--Phase out ACTION (umbrella organization for domestic
volunteer activities) as a tax supported program
500--Eliminate the Market Promotion Program
195--Eliminate Essential Air Service subsidies
121--Terminate Dairy Export Incentive Program
prioritizing our social spending
Savings and description
27,000--Prohibit direct federal benefits and unemployment
benefits to illegal aliens
6,300--Consolidate the administrative costs of the AFDC, Food
Stamps and Medicaid programs
5,700--Freeze the number of rental assistance commitments
5,400--Increase Medicare safeguard funding by $540 million
over 5 years
4,900--Reduce NIH funding by 10 percent, concentrating on
overhead
3,850--Eliminate ``impact aid'' to school districts with
military bases
3,400--Eliminate non-targeted vocational state funding
3,060--Eliminate AmeriCorps
2,930--Eliminate the William D. Ford program (direct student
lending)
2,600--Cut the National Endowment for Arts by 50 percent
2,060--Eliminate the Goals 2000 program
1,400--Scale back Rural Rental Housing Assistance program
1,400--Eliminate Office of the Surgeon General
1,000--Consolidate social services programs
990--Eliminate HUD special-purpose grants
883--Cut funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
by 50 percent
610--Replace new public housing construction with vouchers
144--Streamline HUD
ending taxpayer subsidies that degrade our environment
Savings and description
7,400--End all new Bureau of Water Reclamation water projects
2,200--End Irrigation Subsidies
1,100--Privatize the U.S. Enrichment Corporation
1,000--Reduce the fill rate for the Strategic Petroleum
Reserve
1,000--1872 Mining Law Reform
880--End the ``Corridor H'' program
912--Eliminate the Clean Coal Program
250--Grazing Reform
235--Eliminate below-cost timber sales from national forests
80--End the Boll Weevil Eradication Program
cutting out the pork
Savings and description
8,850--Limit federal highway spending to the amount brought
in by motor vehicle fuel taxes
6,250--Reduce mass transit grants; eliminate operating
subsidies
5,150--Scale back Low Income Home Energy Assistance Grants
2,590--Terminate all highway demonstration projects
1,380--Eliminate Rural Development Association loans and
guarantees
250--Eliminate redundant polar satellite programs
0.3--Close under-utilized black lung offices
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