[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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