[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 38 (Tuesday, March 19, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H2328]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    THREAT OF A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

  (Mr. LINDER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, President Clinton is fighting, threatening a 
Government shutdown, for $7 million more to send to foreign countries 
to educate their students on the environment and rainfall measurement 
techniques. He wants to give $10 million more to the National Endowment 
for the Arts. He wants more money to establish a new Federal program to 
help guide people through the 160 Federal job training programs. Only 
the Clinton administration would want to create a new program to make 
the maze of 160 overlapping programs understandable. Further, Clinton 
wants $2 million for the Ounce of Prevention Council which in a year 
and a half has produced one glossy magazine and administered zero 
grants. White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta's wife works for this 
program and is paid $300 per day.
  It is simply hypocritical to say you are for a balanced budget and 
then demand $8 billion for more spending. In January, the President 
said, ``The era of Big Government is over.'' He also vowed to never 
shut down the Government again. Unfortunately, he has abandoned these 
pledges already to return to the traditional liberal tax and spend 
philosophy. That the President would support paying Mrs. Leon Panetta 
$300-a-day to produce one magazine but is not willing to give Americans 
families a $500-tax cut is the height of arrogance.

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